US military on Paktika mortar attack that killed two

Описание: (8 Jun 2005) SHOTLIST

1. Set up shot of Lieutenant Cindy Moore, Coalition forces spokesperson, outside headquarters
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieut. Cindy Moore, Coalition forces spokesperson
"Two US servicemen were killed today and eight were wounded when a mortar attack occurred near Shkin, near an operating base. Their helicopter, a CH-47, was unloading supplies and they received mortar fire, mortar attack. At this time we do not have a location from exactly where that mortar fire came from. Certainly our hearts and prayers are with the families of those that were killed and with those who were wounded."
3. Lieut. Moore's badge
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieut. Cindy Moore, Coalition forces spokesperson
"I think in some instances in the country we are seeing criminal activity. In some instances, it is insurgents, Taliban or al-Qaida activity. Certainly the Afghan people spoke when they elected democratically last fall, and elected their democratic president. And with elections coming up in the fall, you have some individuals who may be Afghan or from other countries who are not wanting this to occur. They're not wanting, possibly, their activities to change. They're wanting to stay in control, certainly in areas of the country."
5. Colleague of Lieut. Moore

STORYLINE:

Two US troops were killed and another eight wounded in a mortar attack at a base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the US military said.

The attack occurred in eastern Paktika province near the border with Pakistan.

The wounded were rushed to nearby US-led coalition bases for treatment.

Initially, a military statement said only one service member had been killed, but spokesman Lieut. Cindy Moore later said that two had died and eight were wounded.

It wasn't immediately clear why the death toll had risen.

The mortar landed in the base near Shkin while the victims were preparing to unload supplies from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, the military statement said.

Coalition aircraft were deployed to the area but couldn't locate the militants, it said.

The name of the dead service members were withheld as their families hadn't been notified.

After a winter lull, loyalists of the ousted Taliban regime and other militants opposed to the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai have ramped up their insurgency with bombings and other attacks.

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