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Afghan attack in revenge for film: Taliban
Source: Agencies |
September 16, 2012, Sunday
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AFGHANISTAN'S Taliban claimed responsibility yesterday for an attack on a base which US officials said killed two American Marines, saying it was in response to a film that insults the Prophet Muhammad.
Camp Bastion, in southern Helmand province, came under mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire late on Friday in an attack in which several servicemen were wounded.
"The aim of this attack was revenge against Americans for the anti-Prophet movie," said Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf.
US President Barack Obama has vowed to "stand fast" against violence which has spread since the amateurish film of obscure origin triggered an attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans on September 11, the 11th anniversary of the al-Qaida attacks on the United States.
Britain's Prince Harry was at Camp Bastion at the time of Friday's attack, but was unharmed.
Earlier this week, the Afghan Taliban said they were doing everything in their power to either kill or kidnap Queen Elizabeth's grandson in what they dubbed their "Harry Operations."
"Prince Harry was never in any danger," Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said, adding it would investigate whether his presence on the base had motivated the attack.
Britain's Sky News said a Taliban commander had told the broadcaster that Prince Harry was the main target of the attack. Sky's Kabul correspondent said she checked with a Taliban spokesman, who said the attack on Bastion was indeed in revenge for the anti-Islam film, but that Bastion was chosen as the target because Prince Harry was there.
Sky's correspondent in Cairo said he had received a fresh statement from a "senior Taliban spokesman/commander," saying the confusion over the claims was because there were two Taliban groups attacking the base.
Camp Bastion, in southern Helmand province, came under mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire late on Friday in an attack in which several servicemen were wounded.
"The aim of this attack was revenge against Americans for the anti-Prophet movie," said Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf.
US President Barack Obama has vowed to "stand fast" against violence which has spread since the amateurish film of obscure origin triggered an attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans on September 11, the 11th anniversary of the al-Qaida attacks on the United States.
Britain's Prince Harry was at Camp Bastion at the time of Friday's attack, but was unharmed.
Earlier this week, the Afghan Taliban said they were doing everything in their power to either kill or kidnap Queen Elizabeth's grandson in what they dubbed their "Harry Operations."
"Prince Harry was never in any danger," Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said, adding it would investigate whether his presence on the base had motivated the attack.
Britain's Sky News said a Taliban commander had told the broadcaster that Prince Harry was the main target of the attack. Sky's Kabul correspondent said she checked with a Taliban spokesman, who said the attack on Bastion was indeed in revenge for the anti-Islam film, but that Bastion was chosen as the target because Prince Harry was there.
Sky's correspondent in Cairo said he had received a fresh statement from a "senior Taliban spokesman/commander," saying the confusion over the claims was because there were two Taliban groups attacking the base.
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