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By MUHAMMAD LILA (@muhammadlila) and ALEEM AGHA
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
July 23, 2012
The Taliban has released a new video that offers a chilling play-by-play account of a deadly, coordinated
attack on large U.S. base that climaxed with an explosion so strong the shockwaves could be felt for miles away.
The hour-long video, released by the group's propaganda wing, shows the entire attack, which took place last
month, from its initial planning stages to the dramatic moment when a suicide bomber detonates a ten-ton bomb
outside the gates of Camp Salerno, the third largest U.S. base in the country. The blast is captured from three
cameras, each at different angles, while militants provide commentary in the background.
In addition to offering rare insight into the group's planning for a large mission, the video also shows the Taliban's
increasingly sophisticated video production capabilities. The interviews are shot in a style that look more like
something seen on an American reality TV show than the deserts of Afghanistan and the jihadi songs that play in
the background feature digitally-altered vocals.
The Taliban claim twenty coalition troops were killed in the attack -- numbers that NATO denies. While the footage
does not show any specific casualties, it does show major damage to the base, including the crumpled roofs of
nearby buildings, the sheer force of the explosion ripping them up from their bearings. The main target of the bomb,
the dining hall, was completely flattened.
Initially, NATO did not report any casualties, but later admitted two American troops were killed and three dozen
suffered serious wounds, while more than 100 others were treated for minor injuries.
Earlier in the video, many of the militants can be seen wearing U.S. army fatigues as they train in the mountains with
rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and AK-47's. In a show of strength, the group's commander practices firing
from two AK-47s simultaneously, one in each hand. Later, he is seen briefing the militants on the mission. The briefing
includes aerial photographs, plus a miniature mockup indicating the locations of the major targets inside the base.
By MUHAMMAD LILA (@muhammadlila) and ALEEM AGHA
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
July 23, 2012
The Taliban has released a new video that offers a chilling play-by-play account of a deadly, coordinated
attack on large U.S. base that climaxed with an explosion so strong the shockwaves could be felt for miles away.
The hour-long video, released by the group's propaganda wing, shows the entire attack, which took place last
month, from its initial planning stages to the dramatic moment when a suicide bomber detonates a ten-ton bomb
outside the gates of Camp Salerno, the third largest U.S. base in the country. The blast is captured from three
cameras, each at different angles, while militants provide commentary in the background.
In addition to offering rare insight into the group's planning for a large mission, the video also shows the Taliban's
increasingly sophisticated video production capabilities. The interviews are shot in a style that look more like
something seen on an American reality TV show than the deserts of Afghanistan and the jihadi songs that play in
the background feature digitally-altered vocals.
The Taliban claim twenty coalition troops were killed in the attack -- numbers that NATO denies. While the footage
does not show any specific casualties, it does show major damage to the base, including the crumpled roofs of
nearby buildings, the sheer force of the explosion ripping them up from their bearings. The main target of the bomb,
the dining hall, was completely flattened.
Initially, NATO did not report any casualties, but later admitted two American troops were killed and three dozen
suffered serious wounds, while more than 100 others were treated for minor injuries.
Earlier in the video, many of the militants can be seen wearing U.S. army fatigues as they train in the mountains with
rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and AK-47's. In a show of strength, the group's commander practices firing
from two AK-47s simultaneously, one in each hand. Later, he is seen briefing the militants on the mission. The briefing
includes aerial photographs, plus a miniature mockup indicating the locations of the major targets inside the base.
