Babel Bomb

As coalition commanders were trumpeting a major offensive against the Taliban, a minivan carrying Afghans to their jobs at the main coalition base was destroyed today by a bomb that killed 10 people including five interpreters whose work is considered crucial by the military.

“The loss of interpreters is a big loss for us,” said Innis, who added the coalition employs about 50 such interpreters. “It is a big difference to not have those guys there.”

The explosion came a day after the coalition announced the offensive called Operation Mountain Thrust that aims to root Taliban from their strongholds in rural areas to the west and north of Kandahar City.