20 Taliban killed in attack on military base

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KABUL, Aug 8 (AP): A group of 75 Taliban militants tried to overrun a US-led coalition base in southern Afghanistan in a brazen attack that left more than 20 militants dead, the coalition said.
The insurgents attacked Firebase Anaconda from three sides Tuesday, using gunfire, grenades and 107 mm rockets, the coalition said. A joint Afghan-US force repelled the attack with mortars, machine guns and air power.
"Almost two dozen insurgents were confirmed killed in the attack," it said in a statement. Two girls and two Afghan soldiers were wounded during the fight in Uruzgan province, it said. Firebases like Anaconda are usually remote outposts staffed by as few as several dozen soldiers.
"The inability of the insurgent forces to inflict any severe damage on Firebase Anaconda, while being simultaneously decimated in the process, should be a clear indication of the ineffectiveness of their fighters," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a coalition spokeswoman.
A direct attack on a US or NATO base by insurgents on foot is relatively rare. More often insurgents fire rockets at bases and flee. Military officials say that Taliban fighters know they can't match Western militaries in a face-to-face battle, which leads the insurgents to rely more often on roadside and suicide bombs. To the south, in Kandahar province, Taliban militants attacked a police checkpoint Tuesday, sparking a three-hour fight that left six police and 15 militants dead, said provincial police chief Syed Afgha Saqib.