KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — As U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan marked the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks today, Afghan insurgents have been carrying out attacks.
Officials say insurgents fired either rockets or mortars at Bagram Air Field outside Kabul late Monday night, destroying a NATO helicopter and killing three Afghan intelligence employees. Later, a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up in a shop in western Afghanistan, killing five people.
The attacks came as a reminder that the Afghan war launched less than a month after 9/11 continues to rage.
At a ceremony at NATO's Kabul headquarters, Marine Gen John Allen says "there should be no doubt" that the coalition's commitment in Afghanistan "remains strong and unshaken" eleven years after the attacks. The top commander of U.S. and coalition troops remembered "the soldiers and civilians of all nations lost in Afghanistan" since 9/11 and Afghan victims who he says have suffered "horribly at the hands of al-Qaida and the Taliban and other terrorists."
%@AP Links
192-a-20-(Marine General John Allen, top commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, at 9/11 memorial ceremony at NATO's Kabul headquarters)-"infamy in 2001"-Marine General John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and coalition forces, says the world should remember the thousands of lives lost in Afghanistan, both military personnel and civilians. ((note cut length)) (11 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *192 (09/11/12)>> 00:20 "infamy in 2001"
191-a-12-(Marine General John Allen, top commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, at 9/11 memorial ceremony at NATO's Kabul headquarters)-"and other terrorists"-Marine General John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and coalition forces, says a 9/11 commemoration in Afghanistan is important. (11 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *191 (09/11/12)>> 00:12 "and other terrorists"
190-a-18-(Marine General John Allen, top commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, at 9/11 memorial ceremony at NATO's Kabul headquarters)-"strong and unshaken"-Marine General John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, says his troops are still firmly behind the post-9/11 cause. ((note cut length)) (11 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *190 (09/11/12)>> 00:18 "strong and unshaken"
158-a-08-(Brigadier General Ricky Gibbs, deputy commanding General of V Corps, during Sept. 11 Remembrance ceremony)-"of our nation"-Brigadier General Ricky Gibbs says it's a day to remember and a day to feel proud. (11 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *158 (09/11/12)>> 00:08 "of our nation"
159-a-14-(Brigadier General Ricky Gibbs, deputy commanding general of V Corps, during NineRemembrance ceremony)-"peace and prosperity"-Brigadier General Ricky Gibbs says that, since Sept. 11, American troops have remained especially vigilant in serving their nation. (11 Sep 2012)
<<CUT *159 (09/11/12)>> 00:14 "peace and prosperity"
APPHOTO XMS113: U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, second left, the top commander of U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan observes a moment of silence during a ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, at NATO headquarter in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012. Gen. Allen said, "Today we remember the victims here in Afghanistan who have suffered so horribly at the hands of al-Qaida and the Taliban and other terrorists. Perhaps more significant to all of us at this ceremony, today we remember the precious soldiers and civilians of all nations lost in Afghanistan since that day of infamy in 2001." (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid) (11 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO XMS113 (09/11/12)>>
APPHOTO XMS112: U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, center, the top commander of U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan salutes during a ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, at the NATO headquarter in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012. Gen. Allen, said, "Today we remember the victims here in Afghanistan who have suffered so horribly at the hands of al-Qaida and the Taliban and other terrorists. Perhaps more significant to all of us at this ceremony, today we remember the precious soldiers and civilians of all nations lost in Afghanistan since that day of infamy in 2001." (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid) (11 Sep 2012)
<<APPHOTO XMS112 (09/11/12)>>
