Small Wars Journal

Deadly Attack on U.S. Forces Shows the Afghan War is Far from Over

Tue, 12/22/2015 - 5:09am

Deadly Attack on U.S. Forces Shows the Afghan War is Far from Over by Missy Ryan and Pamela Constable, Washington Post

A Taliban attack killed six U.S. service members near Kabul on Monday, U.S. officials said, in the latest sign of deepening violence across Afghanistan and the risks facing President Obama’s plan to leave the most intense fighting to local forces.

U.S. military officials said the attack, the most deadly insurgent assault on American forces in at least three years, took place a few miles from Bagram air base, when a motorbike rigged with explosives detonated and hit a group of U.S. troops attending a meeting with local figures.

The attack comes as the Afghan government struggles to beat back a series of large-scale Taliban offensives and contain a nascent campaign by militants linked to the Islamic State. The latest casualties also serve as a reminder that although most American forces have gone home, Afghanistan’s long war is not yet over…

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