War News for Friday, August 07, 2009

The British MoD is reporting the deaths of three British ISAF soldiers in an IED and small arms attack to the north of Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Thursday, August 6th.

The Washington Post is reporting the deaths of four U.S. Marines in an IED attack in an undisclosed location in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Thursday, August 6th.

The Washington Post is reporting the death of a U.S. soldier from "insurgent fire" in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, August 7th.


An important oil discovery in Iraq Kurdish region:

Iraq lets contract for oil export terminal upgrade:

NATO chief wants more troops in Afghanistan:

Iraqis Freed by U.S. Face Few Jobs and Little Hope:

AP NewsBreak: US looks to Vietnam for Afghan tips: (Let me see..We lost Vietnam..lesson learned -- whisker)


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb at the entrance to the sprawling Baghdad Shiite district of Sadr City ripped through a bus, killing three pilgrims and wounding eight as they returned from the shrine city of Karbala in central Iraq, the official said. The bombers struck at around 9:00 am (0600 GMT), the official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

#2: A second bombing at the edge of Sadr City an hour later wounded another five people, also travelling in a minibus from Karbala, 100 kilometres (60 miles), south of the capital.

Another roadside bomb exploded near a car in Sadr City, killing two people and wounding seven others.

#3: One person was killed and five wounded in a separate roadside bombing at around the same time on a minibus carrying pilgrims in the Zayune neighbourhood of central Baghdad, the official said.

Another car carrying pilgrims was targeted in eastern Baghdad, killing one person and wounding nine.

A short time later, two near simultaneous explosions near the Shaab football stadium in eastern Baghdad killed three pilgrims as they were walking home to Sadr City, said another police official. Thirteen pilgrims also were wounded in the two blasts, which occurred less than half a mile apart, the official said.

#4: A civilian man was killed and three others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near their vehicle in southern Baghdad on Thursday, a security source said. “The charge went off on the main road in the area of Abu Dshir, in the southern Baghdad neighborhood of al-Dora, near a vehicle boarding four civilians, killing one of them and wounding the other three passenger,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#5: Thursday A civilian was killed by an IED while he was trying to enter his house where he displaced from in Doura neighborhood in south Baghdad around 5 p.m.


Diyala Prv:
#1: Thursday Around 8 p.m. gunmen attacked an exchange office in downtown Baquba city killing the owner and robbing the money.

#2: Thursday Around 11 p.m. gunmen attacked a checkpoint of Sahwa council in Uthmaniyah area in southwest Baquba killing one Sahwa member and injuring four.


Touz:
#1: A combined force from the Kurdish security agency Asayesh arrested a gunman while planting an improvised explosive device (IED ) south of Kirkuk on Thursday, an Asayesh information official said. “The gunman was emplacing his charge on the main road between the district of Laylan and the district of al-Touz, (25 km) south of Kirkuk city,” Firhad Mohammed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: A car bomb ripped through an outdoor souk (market) in northern Kirkuk on Thursday, according to a senior police official in the province. “The car bomb exploded on Thursday evening in the area of Rahimawa, northern Kirkuk, leaving a number of victims,” Brig. Sarhad Qader, the chief of the Kirkuk Districts’ Police Department (KDPD), told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Casualties from Thursday evening’s earlier car bomb blast in an outdoor souk (market) in Kirkuk rose to five deaths and 32 wounded, according to the Kirkuk Districts’ Police Department (KDPD) chief. “The number of casualties is more likely to rise,” Brig. Sarhad Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: A suicide car bomber targeting worshippers leaving a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in northern Iraq killed 10 people and wounded 52 others on Friday, police said. The attack took place just north of the city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad. Police said the toll was an initial figure and likely to rise.

A suicide car bomber killed 30 people as they left a Shi'ite Muslim mosque just outside the volatile northern Iraqi city of Mosul, officials said on Friday, while a series of bombs in Baghdad killed six Shi'ite pilgrims. Police said 88 people were wounded in the suicide bombing, one of several attacks in recent weeks targeting Shi'ite religious gatherings. A week ago a series of blasts outside Shi'ite mosques in Baghdad killed 31 people.

#2: The attack following a bombing in Mosul late on Thursday in which two Christian women were wounded.

#3: Policemen found an unidentified body with signs of having been shot in northern Mosul city, a police source in Ninewa said on Friday. “Police forces found the body in the area of al-Majmouaa al-Thaqafiya area, northern Mosul, on Thursday night, showing signs of having been shot in the head and chest,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter was forced to land due to mechanical problems in southern Afghanistan on August 6. The crew members suffered minor injuries during the incident and they have been safely recovered. The incident was not caused by hostile fire and is under investigation.

#2: Afghan troops with the support of international forces eliminated 20 Taliban militants in Khost province east of Afghanistan, provincial police chief said Friday. "National forces backed by air power of international troops raided militants' hideout in Sabari district Thursday night killing 20 insurgents," Abdul Qayum Baqizai told Xinhua.

#3: Taliban insurgents as part of spearheading activities in the northern Baghlan province attacked a police checkpoint along strategic highway, killing one police constable early Friday, a local official said. "The insurgents in the wee hours of Friday raided police checkpoint in Gazagil area of Khinjan district killing one police and wounding another," the chief of Khinjan police Mohammad Asif Qazizada told Xinhua. He also added that one rebel was killed in the firefight lasted for a while.

#4: Another blast early Friday in the same province killed a private security guard escorting a convoy ferrying supplies for foreign troops. Niaz Mohammad Sarhadi, the chief of the district where the blast happened, says four other guards were wounded.

#5: Pakistan's security forces killed two militants and apprehended at least 24 others in the continued search and clearance operations with the support of local lashkars in northwest Pakistan's Swat and Malakand districts during the last 24 hours, the army said Friday. The army said in a daily update that two soldiers of the security forces were injured during exchange of fire with militants in the operations conducted in Swat. They also recovered some weapons of the militants, the statement said. In nearby Buner, a police officer said Friday that at least 50 extremists have surrendered themselves to police. A suicide bomber is also among those surrendered.


Casualty Reports:

Australian Paul Warren has now arrived back to Australia following his injuries received in the bomb explosion in Afghanistan on July 18. Paul lost his right leg above the knee in the blast and sustained other injuries but is now commencing rehabilitation and is doing well.

British Rifleman Christopher Gwilt, 19, has been flown back from Afghanistan after suffering burns from an exploding grenade.

British Anthony Matthews bore the brunt of a rocket-propelled grenade blast last month. Only a month ago he was in a wheelchair and suffered constant pain from the cricket-ball sized wound to the back of his left leg.


DoD: Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia