[Sila maklum akhbar New York Times ada menyiarkan satu lagi berita dari AFP (24/11/2001) yang menyebut Pentagon menyangkal berita ini dan menyifatkannya sebagai 'palsu semata-mata'. Dengan ketiadaan liputan bebas seperti al Jazeera di Afghanistan sudah sukar untuk menelah kebenaran. - Editor]

News.com.au

Pasukan Khas Amerika Terbunuh

(Special forces killed)

Sekurang-kurangnya 35 orang tentera Pasukan Khas Amerika telah mati terbunuh dan ramai lagi yang luka parah dalam pertempuran dengan askar Taliban di selatan Afghanistan, demikian akhbar Pakistan melaporkan.

Berita itu tidak pula dilaporkan dalam akhbar harian, The News.

Pegawai AS tidak dapat dihubungi untuk mendapatkan komen mereka.

'The News' menyebut sumber yang tidak dinamakannya sebagai berkata bagaimana tentera Amerika itu mengalami tamparan hebat dalam satu serangan yang dilancarkan pada Khamis (Thanksgiving) oleh askar Taliban dan pasukan al-Qaeda.

Tentera Amerika itu mendapat bantuan helikopter yang turut menyerang 'tetapi mereka telah diserang dan terpaksa berundur secepatnya,' kata kahbar itu.

'Sekurang-kurangnya 35 anggota pasukan AS itu telah terbunuh dan ramai lagi yang tercedera.' Tidak ada lagi berita lanjut mengenai pertempuran tersebut.

Sepuluh buah pesawat C-130 relah bersedia menerbangkan mayat mereka ke Amerika Syarikat, katanya.

'Pentagon dan Cetcom (US Central Command) menjadi gusar dengan perkembangan ini dan ada laporan mengatakan peraturan baru dikeluarkan untuk menangani situasi begini'

Terjemahan: SPAR.

Asal:

http://www.news.com.au/common/
story_page/0,4057,3309888%255E2,00.html

'Special forces killed'

From AFP 24nov01

AT least 35 US special forces soldiers were killed and many injured in a firefight with pro-Taliban troops in southern Afghanistan, a Pakistani newspaper has reported.

There has been no confirmation of the report in the daily newspaper, The News.

US officials were not immediately available for comment.

The News quoted unnamed sources as saying the Americans took heavy casualties in an attack launched on Thursday on the Taliban militia and troops of the al Qaeda network of terror suspect Osama bin Laden.

The US troops were backed by helicopter gunships in the attack "but were caught by surprise and had to withdraw quickly," the daily said.

"At least 35 personnel of the US Special Forces were killed and many injured" in the battle," The News said. It gave no other details of the fighting.

The newspaper said 35 bodies and an unspecified number of injured were flown by helicopter to Jacobabad Airbase in Pakistan.

Ten C-130 transport planes were ready to fly the bodies back to the United States, it said.

"The Pentagon and the Centcom (US Central Command) are very much perturbed over this development and there are reports of immediate measures being contemplated to counter the situation," The News said. It did not elaborate.