[h=3]By NATHAN HODGE[/h]KABUL—The Taliban's weekend assault on a major coalition base was one of the most determined and effective ever seen in Afghanistan, according to details released Sunday, destroying six U.S. combat jets and damaging two others.
In addition to the Taliban strike, which killed two U.S. Marines Friday night, two separate insider attacks by Afghan service members claimed the lives of six coalition troops. A lethal coalition airstrike, meanwhile, threatened to raise additional tensions in the country, amid reports of civilian casualties.
Associated PressAn image from a video released by an Afghan Taliban media unit, purporting to show smoke rising over Camp Bastion after the attack
Late Friday night, insurgents disguised in U.S. Army uniforms staged an audacious raid on Camp Bastion/Camp Leatherneck, a massive complex in southern Helmand province that serves as the main base for U.S. Marines and British forces.
The well-coordinated attack destroyed six Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jump-jets, the largest single loss of U.S. combat aircraft since the war began. It also "significantly" damaged two others, and destroyed three refueling stations, the coalition said. Harrier jets cost an inflation-adjusted $30 million to $40 million apiece when they were acquired in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Military operations continued through Saturday morning to flush out the insurgents, who were armed with automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and suicide vests. The full extent of the damage at Camp Bastion became evident only later in the weekend.
"The insurgents, organized into three teams, penetrated at one point of the perimeter fence," said a coalition statement released Sunday. "The insurgents appeared to be well equipped, trained and rehearsed."
According to the coalition, 14 insurgents were killed. The lone surviving insurgent, wounded in the assault, was taken into custody.
The Taliban were quick to seize on the propaganda value of the attack, releasing photos and video of the attack on Saturday. In a statement Saturday, the insurgents said the strike was "part of revenge campaign" in response to the video insulting the Prophet Muhammad that has sparked violent protests across the Middle East.
The militants focused their attack on the runway area of Camp Bastion, the British-run side of the base, where the U.K.'s Prince Harry recently arrived to begin a tour as an Apache attack-helicopter pilot. While coalition officials said that the attack did not have an impact on coalition military operations, the destruction of the aircraft represents a major loss of combat power, around half a Harrier squadron.
Harriers are unique aircraft that operate from short runways and can hover to land. The jets belonged to Yuma, Ariz.-based Marine Attack Squadron VMA 211, nicknamed "the Avengers." The squadron is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, said coalition spokesman Marine Lt. Col. Stewart Upton.
It wasn't clear whether the deaths of six coalition service members at the hands of Afghan troops were related to the outrage over the anti-Islam video. Such "green-on-blue" killings spiked earlier this year, following riots caused by the inadvertent burning of Qurans at a U.S. base.
Early Sunday, four coalition service members were killed by an Afghan police officer in southern Zabul province. Zabul police chief Ghulam Jilani Farahi said the attack occurred in Zabul's Meezana district and involved an Afghan opening fire on U.S. troops.
On Saturday, two British soldiers were shot and killed in southern Helmand Province by a man wearing the uniform of the Afghan Local Police, a village self-defense force that is being mentored by coalition special-operations troops. The U.K. Ministry of Defense identified them as soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a coalition airstrike in eastern Laghman province prompted claims of civilian casualties. Sarhadi Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor's office, said the airstrike in the mountainous Alingar district killed both Taliban and civilians, although details were still emerging.
The Taliban issued a statement claiming more than 20 civilians, including teenagers, were killed, and the local governor has sent a delegation to investigate.
Jamie Graybeal, a coalition spokesman, confirmed a "significant engagement" against a large group of insurgents in Laghman province, but added that the coalition had seen no indication of civilian casualties.
"Our operational reporting does not support that at all," he said.
Civilian casualties have been a sore point between the coalition and the Afghan government. Mr. Graybeal said the coalition would continue to investigate the incident.
—Habib Khan Totakhil contributed to this article.
In addition to the Taliban strike, which killed two U.S. Marines Friday night, two separate insider attacks by Afghan service members claimed the lives of six coalition troops. A lethal coalition airstrike, meanwhile, threatened to raise additional tensions in the country, amid reports of civilian casualties.
Associated PressAn image from a video released by an Afghan Taliban media unit, purporting to show smoke rising over Camp Bastion after the attack
Late Friday night, insurgents disguised in U.S. Army uniforms staged an audacious raid on Camp Bastion/Camp Leatherneck, a massive complex in southern Helmand province that serves as the main base for U.S. Marines and British forces.
The well-coordinated attack destroyed six Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jump-jets, the largest single loss of U.S. combat aircraft since the war began. It also "significantly" damaged two others, and destroyed three refueling stations, the coalition said. Harrier jets cost an inflation-adjusted $30 million to $40 million apiece when they were acquired in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Military operations continued through Saturday morning to flush out the insurgents, who were armed with automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and suicide vests. The full extent of the damage at Camp Bastion became evident only later in the weekend.
"The insurgents, organized into three teams, penetrated at one point of the perimeter fence," said a coalition statement released Sunday. "The insurgents appeared to be well equipped, trained and rehearsed."
According to the coalition, 14 insurgents were killed. The lone surviving insurgent, wounded in the assault, was taken into custody.
The Taliban were quick to seize on the propaganda value of the attack, releasing photos and video of the attack on Saturday. In a statement Saturday, the insurgents said the strike was "part of revenge campaign" in response to the video insulting the Prophet Muhammad that has sparked violent protests across the Middle East.
The militants focused their attack on the runway area of Camp Bastion, the British-run side of the base, where the U.K.'s Prince Harry recently arrived to begin a tour as an Apache attack-helicopter pilot. While coalition officials said that the attack did not have an impact on coalition military operations, the destruction of the aircraft represents a major loss of combat power, around half a Harrier squadron.
Harriers are unique aircraft that operate from short runways and can hover to land. The jets belonged to Yuma, Ariz.-based Marine Attack Squadron VMA 211, nicknamed "the Avengers." The squadron is part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, said coalition spokesman Marine Lt. Col. Stewart Upton.
It wasn't clear whether the deaths of six coalition service members at the hands of Afghan troops were related to the outrage over the anti-Islam video. Such "green-on-blue" killings spiked earlier this year, following riots caused by the inadvertent burning of Qurans at a U.S. base.
Early Sunday, four coalition service members were killed by an Afghan police officer in southern Zabul province. Zabul police chief Ghulam Jilani Farahi said the attack occurred in Zabul's Meezana district and involved an Afghan opening fire on U.S. troops.
On Saturday, two British soldiers were shot and killed in southern Helmand Province by a man wearing the uniform of the Afghan Local Police, a village self-defense force that is being mentored by coalition special-operations troops. The U.K. Ministry of Defense identified them as soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a coalition airstrike in eastern Laghman province prompted claims of civilian casualties. Sarhadi Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor's office, said the airstrike in the mountainous Alingar district killed both Taliban and civilians, although details were still emerging.
The Taliban issued a statement claiming more than 20 civilians, including teenagers, were killed, and the local governor has sent a delegation to investigate.
Jamie Graybeal, a coalition spokesman, confirmed a "significant engagement" against a large group of insurgents in Laghman province, but added that the coalition had seen no indication of civilian casualties.
"Our operational reporting does not support that at all," he said.
Civilian casualties have been a sore point between the coalition and the Afghan government. Mr. Graybeal said the coalition would continue to investigate the incident.
—Habib Khan Totakhil contributed to this article.