Just a quick post here....I figured with everything that happened here yesterday, and the fact that I received a handful of emails from people who had seen the news reports, that I should touch base and let you all know that all is fine.
It all started around 6:45am, I had just sat at my desk when the siren went off and the "Rocket Attack" alert was given. We thought it was a false alarm as this usually is reserved for night time fun. Less than a minute later we heard the big machine guns from the helicopters firing for about 10 seconds. We thought they were just on a training mission. All went quiet and the "All Clear" was given.
Just before 10am things got a bit more exciting. Again the alarms went off, and immediately we heard a few explosions in the distance, kinda like when you hear the town next door's fireworks on the 4th of July. 3 minutes passed (the time between alarms) and instead of the all clear we got another rocket attack alarm. This went on for about 10-15 minutes, and that's when it got even more "exciting". The rocket attack alarm changed over to "Ground Attack", first time I had heard that one. When the alarm goes off for ground attack they also give a zone call to tell you which part of the base, luckily it was on the farthest point of the base from me, over near the airstrip in a fairly secluded section.
I was able to get some stuff on video (see video section) to try and give you a feel for the atmosphere. It really cannot be described. The base went completely silent. Completely surreal. Only sounds were planes, helicopters, and armored trucks. Civilians are not allowed to be moving during any alarm calls, drive down the street and if you're caught, spend the night in jail. If you are out driving, you are to pull off the road, park, and seek shelter. No messing around on this one.
On one hand it made me wonder what the hell I am doing here. On the other hand, it really was reassuring in a strange way that I am surrounded by the good guys.
All this lasted about an hour until the all clear alarm, at which point I took off my vest and helmet and grabbed some lunch. It even got to the point that I found myself at my desk in all my gear continuing to work on the proposal that is due. Like I said to someone last night "if i can't get my proposal done, than the terrorists have won", or something like that.
I saw some of the new reports, they all seem to be partly accurate. I had a meeting with the head Contracting Officer this morning about a job, we've hit it off fairly well so I figured I would ask for some details. Amazingly he gave them to me. So this is what I am told happened.....
6:45am - 2 rockets fired at the base on the south side.
10:00am - 1 rocket fired at the north side. 1 suicide bomber ran up to the fence and blew himself up on the North side. About 10 others including 2 more in suicide vests tried to run through the hole in the wall, at which point they were met by Canadian & American forces. None made it in. Another small group fled and were "located" by air support. There was some sort of tractor with explosives on it that they were apparently trying to get to the base, but as most of their plans, it wasn't that well thought out....it was stuck in the sand in a gully about a mile away. No more tractor.
It all lasted only a matter of a few minutes, but they kept the place on lock down for obvious reasons.
No casualties for the good guys. Same cannot be said for the Taliban.
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