War News for Friday, September 21, 2007

MNF-Iraq is reporting that a soldier assigned to Multi-National Force-West died on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, in a non-combat-related incident in Al Anbar Province. No further details were given at this time.

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Task Force Lightning Soldier who died in Diyala Province on Thursday, September 20, when an explosion occurred near his vehicle. Another Soldier was wounded

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Soldier assigned to Task Force Lightning who died in a non-combat related incident in Kirkuk province Sept. 20.

According to EUX.TV, Netherlands the Romanian Ministry of Defence has announced the death of a Romanian soldier on Friday, September 21st. The soldier was on patrol in Tallil when the tank he was travelling in hit a landmine. Five others were injured in the explosion.

The Associated Press is reporting through the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier that according to the Illinois State Lieutenant Governer Pat Quinn an Illinois Marine has died from wounds he received two years ago in Iraq. Sgt. Nickolas Lee Hopper, 27, of Montrose died in Havelock, N.C., on Sept. 8, Quinn said Thursday in a statement. The married father of one boy was wounded in June 2005.

The British Ministry of Defence and NATO ISAF have announced the death of two soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters) in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, September 20, 2007. According to the MoD, Shortly after 3am local time, the soldiers were taking part in a re-supply mission in support of Operation Palk Wahel, 5km south west of their patrol base in an area north of Gereshk, Helmand province, when the Pinzgauer vehicle they were travelling in came off the road. Sadly, both soldiers were declared dead at the scene. No enemy forces were involved.

According to the German website KLAMM and other German media reports, a German soldier was found dead in his or her barracks on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at Camp Marmal, near Mazar e Sharif in northern Afghanistan. Force was excluded as cause of death, and most media are listing this death as a suicide. The German MoD has yet to make an announcement

M&C.com is reporting a new death in Afghanistan. The Dutch Prime Minister is quoted as saying that a Dutch soldier was reportedly killed on Thursday, September 20, just north of the Dutch military base at Deh Rawod. Defence Minister van Middelkoop said the death occurred during intensive fighting. "The guerillas were forced to leave a vehicle, which was later destroyed by a Dutch Apache helicopter," Van Middelkoop told reporters.

The French Ministry of defense is reporting the death of a French soldier who died when his convoy was attacked in a bombing on Friday September 21st, 2007. According to the Guardian Unlimited the convoy was attacked in western Kabul by a suicide bomber. Six civilians were seriously wounded.


Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: An Illinois Marine has died from wounds he received two years ago in Iraq, said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. Sgt. Nickolas Lee Hopper, 27, of Montrose died in Havelock, N.C., on Sept. 8, Quinn said Thursday in a statement. The married father of one boy was wounded in June 2005.

#2: U.S. forces killed one gunman and detained eight others during several operations on Friday targeting al Qaeda leaders in central Iraq, the U.S. military said.

Diyala prv:
#1: A Task Force Lightning Soldier was killed in Diyala Province Thursday when an explosion occurred near his vehicle. Another Soldier was wounded and transported to a Coalition medical facility for treatment

Baquba:
#1: Kurdish Peshmerga forces killed a child when they fired in the air to clear a path near Mustafa Jawwad Square in Baquba, an Iraqi police source told independent Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency Friday. Three civilians, including a woman, were also wounded in the friendly fire incident Thursday, the source added.

Muqdadiya:
#1: Unidentified gunmen attacked a mosque in Muqdadiya, setting it ablaze, eyewitnesses said on Friday. "Unknown armed men attacked and burned Ibrahim al-Khalil mosque in central Muqdadiya late Thursday," an eyewitness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), noting that the attack left no casualties.

Khalis:
#1: An armed group attacked a village in Khalis district on Friday morning, leaving three persons killed and injured, while three others were kidnapped at a fake checkpoint in another village, an Iraqi army source said. "A group of 20 gunmen attack albu Aziz village in al-Salam region in Khalis district on Friday morning," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq. "The attack left a local farmer dead and two more injured," he added

#2: the source said that "three people were kidnapped at a fake checkpoint at 10:00 am on Friday in front of al-Mugaded village in the same region and were taken to unknown place."Baaquba, capital city of Diala, is 57 km northeast of Baghdad.


Diwaniyah:
#1: in the city of Diwaniyah, Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Karim Bashir, a representative of the Ayatollah was killed by unknown assailants, security sources said.


Yusufiya:
#1: Three bodies were found with gunshot wounds and torture signs in Yusufiya, 25 km (15 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.


Iskandariya:
#1: Several mortar bombs killed one person and wounded three others in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said


Tallil:
#1: A Romanian soldier has been killed in a landmine explosion in southern Iraq, the Romanian Ministry of Defence announced in Bucharest Friday. The Romanian soldier was on patrol in Tallil, 310 kilometres south of Baghdad, when the tank he was travelling in hit a landmine. Five others were injured in the explosion.

A Romanian soldier died and five others were injured in southern Iraq when an explosion occurred near their vehicle, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced on Friday.


Basra:
#1: Two aides to Iraq's most revered cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, have been killed in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra. Sheikh Ahmed al-Jabani, one of Ayatollah al-Sistani's representatives in Basra, was killed in the west of the city Friday, Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported. A second Ayatollah al-Sistani's aide, Sheikh Adnan al-Jabani, was injured in the attack.

#2: Unidentified gunmen killed a senior police officer and two security guards in Basra, southern Iraq. An armed group opened fire on the convoy of Colonel Nuri al- Mahmdawi killing him and his two guards instantly. The gunmen managed to escape, a Basra police source said.

#3: Another armed group attacked an Iraqi military force in north Basra Friday, took a soldier hostage and brought him to an unknown place, the source added.


Hawija:
#1: Three people were wounded by several rodaside bombs placed by insurgents targeting a deserted house belonging to the previous police cheif in Hawija, 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.


Kirkuk:
#1: A Soldier assigned to Task Force Lightning died in a non-combat related incident in Kirkuk province Sept. 20.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded four civilians in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk when it exploded near their vehicle, police sources said.

#3: A roadside bomb killed a soldier and a policeman and wounded a civilian in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Bajwan:
#1: Police said they found a body in the town of Bajwan, 20 km (15 miles) northwest of Kirkuk. The source said it bore signs of torture.


Mosul:
#1: Gunmen killed an Iraqi radio announcer working in Mosul. Unidentified gunmen shot dead Uraqu radio announcer Mohanad al-Obeidi, who works for Dar al-Salam station, before the Ramadan iftar (breakfast) near a mosque in the Moharebeen neighbourhood and escaped, an Iraqi police source said



Afghanistan:
#1: a bombing, this Friday in the west of Kabul, killed a French soldier who moved within a convoy of the international Force of assistance to the safety (ISAF) of NATO.

#2: HEAVY fighting in southern Afghanistan has killed about 75 Taliban fighters, coalition forces said today. The fighting began when Afghan and coalition troops spotted a dozen insurgents planting roadside bombs in Uruzgan province, sparking a 14-hour battle that included airstrikes against Taliban fighters taking cover in village homes.
Local officials said six civilians were also killed after Taliban fighters sought shelter in their homes, which were then targeted by airstrikes. More air attacks were called in against "anti-coalition militants" in the Garmsir district of Helmand province - where British forces have been involved in months of conflict - early this morning, killing about 40 fighters.


Casualty Reports:

#1: The DoD has identified the soldier who died in Baghdad of small arms fire on Tuesday, September 18: Spc. Aaron J. Walker, 23, of Harker Heights, Texas. Walker was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.

#2: The DoD is also identifying the three soldiers who died in Diyala Province after an IED attack on Tuesday, September 18:

Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Florida
Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, California
Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Florida

The attack took place in Muqdadiyah, Iraq. All three were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Washington.

#3: The DoD has identified the soldier who died in western Baghdad on Wednesday, September 19: Pfc. Christian M. Neff, 19, of Lima, Ohio. Neff died of wounds suffered from an IED. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. This death was previously reported by MNF-Iraq in this release.

#4: The Dutch Ministry of Defense has identified the soldier who died on Thursday, September 20, 2007, near Deh Rawood: Soldaat der 1e klasse (Pfc.) Tim Hoogland, 20. A rough translation of the Dutch suggests that Hoogland was killed during a firefight northwest of Camp Hadrian near Deh Rawod, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, and that he was assigned to the 13e Infanteriebataljon “Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard”, 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade, Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Netherlands Army).

#5: The DoD has identified the soldier reported killed in this MNF-Iraq release. Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers, 23, of Daleville, Alabama, died on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 in Taqqadum, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related accident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado.