InfoAnda - U.S. troops do the vampire shift to avoid Afghan sniper |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Ghosts scare off gore for Halloween movies | | 30 October 2012
S.Korea's KIC to resume overseas investment in 2009 | 19 June 2009
Computer beats humans in Day 2 of ‘Jeopardy’ showdown | 17 February 2011

Afghan parliament vote must be held on time: palace | | 29 December 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : U.S. troops do the vampire shift to avoid Afghan sniper |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Slideshow Video Full Focus Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. See more Images of May Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Romney, Republicans raise $76.8 million in May 11:23am EDT Mexican presidency front-runner's image used to promote adultery 06 Jun 2012 Special Report: The lavish and leveraged life of Aubrey McClendon 10:35am EDT Untreatable gonorrhoea spreading around world: WHO 06 Jun 2012 Wall Street pares early gains on Bernanke comments | 11:22am EDT Discussed 353 NY mayor blasts sugar ban critics: ”That’s a lot of soda” 281 Louisiana’s bold bid to privatize schools 277 Florida to continue voter purge in defiance of warning Watched NASA delivers high-def view of Venus transit Wed, Jun 6 2012 Supersonic mini-drone aims for jet speed record Tue, Jun 5 2012 A look at the UK’s most beautiful face Thu, May 10 2012 Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Enterprise in NY The Enterprise shuttle floats by Manhattan. Slideshow D-Day: A look back Images from the Allied landings at Normandy. Slideshow U.S. troops do the "vampire" shift to avoid Afghan sniper Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Dozens dead in Afghan bombing, air strike-officials Wed, Jun 6 2012 Eight Afghan civilians said killed in NATO airstrike Sun, May 27 2012 Afghans back Chicago deal, warn West to keep promises Wed, May 23 2012 NATO endorses strategy to end Afghan war but risks remain Tue, May 22 2012 NATO sets "irreversible" but risky course to end Afghan war Mon, May 21 2012 Analysis & Opinion Little America: An Afghan town, an American dream and the folly of for-profit war For a fistful of dollars, America and Pakistan wrangle Related Topics World » Afghanistan » Related Video U.S. troops work the graveyard shift Wed, Jun 6 2012 1 of 8. A soldier from the U.S. Army's Alpha Company, 1-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, runs across open ground to avoid sniper fire at Combat Outpost Pirtle-King in Afghanistan's Kunar Province June 7, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Tim Wimborne Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:24am EDT (Note strong language in paragraph 12) By Rob Taylor COMBAT OUTPOST PIRTLE-KING, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. Staff-Sergeant Joshua Danison cranes his neck to survey jagged ridges vertical and black above him on the eastern edge of Afghanistan, then reels off the rules here for survival as a Chinook transport helicopter thumps away into the darkness. "Welcome to Combat Outpost Pirtle-King. Here we only move around at night. If you must move in daytime, make sure you stay close in against the northern walls, as most attacks come from there," he says. "If you must move in the open, do it at a run." NATO commanders cite security gains, eleven years in the war, ahead of a 2014 withdrawal by most foreign combat troops, but there are still pockets like this, where the insurgent threat is so potent that U.S. soldiers can barely move. COP Pirtle-King, or PK, is a low collection of rockfill walls, trenches and camouflage net, built to help secure the sole road running through the strategic Kunar River Valley and intersect insurgent supply routes from Pakistan. But the forested mountains on both sides provide perfect cover for the insurgents, including a persistent sniper whose aim has been steadily getting closer to the handful of U.S. and Afghan troops here. Faced with the threat of so-called plunging fire, soldiers have adjusted routines to carry out most tasks at night, apart from sporadic daytime patrols and manning a trio of guard towers where guns angle up to point high into the rocks above. When not filling sandbags and extending their walls or doing vehicle maintenance in darkness, they sleep through the daytime heat or just read books and talk within the dusty walkways inside the walls, waiting to repel the next attack. "PK is kinda like the childhood fortress that we never got when we were kids," quips Danison, 31, a race car fan from Concord in North Carolina, who spends his days following the fortunes of drivers half a world away. "It is pretty interesting, the lifestyle is a lot different, being on kind of a vampire cycle, but it's pretty cool at the same time. We all enjoy it here," he says. In a guard post along the northern wall, two bullet holes through the plywood remind soldiers here from Alpha Company of the 1-12 Infantry Regiment of the threat posed by a sniper they know as "dushman", which is Dari for "enemy". "It reminds us of 'douche'," says Sgt Rios Omar, 21, from Brawley California, using an American expletive. "There aren't many good snipers in this country, but this guy is good." Written in biro beside the splintered holes is a defiant challenge: "fuck you, you missed me twice." USE LATRINES AT YOUR OWN RISK Dushman shoots from somewhere on a green spur known as "the finger", above curved hills known as "A Cup" and "C Cup", but only vaguely similar to breasts. Sometimes fire comes from both sides of the valley, from the south and north. "That kind of crossfire is usually a sign it's not Taliban, but more likely Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin. They're a bit more together," says Danison. "We have pushed them back into the hills though. They used to fire from pretty much right in front." U.S. troops in full body armor run across the central vehicle park and any open area to reach their rooms or shift between fortified positions, and use the exposed wooden latrines and showers at their own risk. "If you have to go, we recommend you wait until night," Danison says. "Here at Pirtle-King, we're pretty much in a fishbowl, so we typically operate at night. It just mitigates any exposure during the day." In a cluster of small rooms more like a submarine than a ground base, as many as 15 soldiers sleep in bunks stacked four high against a plywood wall marked outside by a target drawn where a Taliban rocket grenade hit but did not detonate. "Bet you can't do it again," reads a sign spray-painted in black. A double-head axe on the wall is called the "Alamo Axe", in a dark-humored reference to last ditch defense in the unlikely case the Taliban ever tried to overrun the post. Pirtle-King, named after two soldiers killed at a smaller observation post near here in 2009, is one of a handful of bases here due to be shut down as U.S. troops withdraw from the area and handover to Afghan forces in the Kunar Valley. Battalion Commander Lt-Col Scott Green says Kunar will make the transition successfully, as Afghan security forces were making strong improvements, including running the majority of patrols beyond the walls of Pirtle-King. "We are moving security forces deeper into the valleys," Green says. "I know it's taking time and is not moving as fast as we would like, but we can do it here." (Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Nick Macfie) World Afghanistan Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 7 June 2012
Exclusive: Drones inhumane, dead al Qaeda man's family says |
U.N. reports on Ugandan warlord's crimes against children |
Peru president says economy solid, reserves at hand |
Mexican presidency front-runner's image used to promote adultery |
Guyana oil exploration stirs up Venezuela border dispute |
As violence rises, U.S., allies pulled into Yemen |
Netflix plan seen as no big threat to content delivery firms |
Google deploying planes over cities for 3D maps |
NDS says Cisco deal on track despite allegations |
IPO whisper estimates may be heard after Facebook |
John Mayer wins second week at No. 1 on Billboard |
UK novelist Hilary Mantel numbers Cromwell's days |
John Mayer says he was humiliated by Swift song |
Syria accused of new massacre as U.N. council meets |
U.S. losing patience with Pakistan, says Panetta |
Exclusive: U.S. offers millions in bounty for top Somali militants |
UK wants safeguards if euro zone forges bank union |
France eyes layoffs clampdown as unemployment climbs |
Mexico accounting regulator says no fraud at Pemex |
Malaysia's Najib seen delaying election, boosting spending |
Karzai cuts short China trip after Afghan attacks |
China says to offer $10 billion in loans to SCO member states |
Samsung to build $1.9 billion logic chip line |
Vodafone and Telefonica to spur 4G with shared UK grid |
LinkedIn, eHarmony suffer data breaches |
China proposes strengthening Internet guidelines |
Oracle moves to the cloud, takes aim at Salesforce |
Twitter's mobile revenue surpassed Web on many days: CEO |
HTC says devices in compliance with U.S. ruling |
Samsung says Galaxy S III U.S. launch to go ahead, despite Apple suit |
Elvis Presley to be virtually resurrected |
Miss Pennsylvania resigns crown, organizers question motive |
Samberg says his SNL goodbye in short films |
Katy Perry to star in new comic book |
Miley Cyrus engaged to actor Liam Hemsworth |
Survivor tells of horror in Syrian village |
Senior Saddam aide executed in Iraq |
Bulls, suburbs and the French far right |
U.S. troops do the vampire shift to avoid Afghan sniper |
Clinton backs drones after al Qaeda figure killed |
Airstrike in south Yemen, humanitarian crisis looms |
U.S. soon to grant more waivers to Iran sanctions |
Post your pro-pope postcard to sad pontiff now |
Facebook IPO mishandling hurt investor confidence: TD Ameritrade |
Sprint's Virgin unit to sell iPhone |
Sandvine sales to be hit by project delays; shares fall |
Twitter's mobile revenue surpassed Web on many days: CEO |
Invisible women of a certain age fight back in book |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01