War News for Monday, November 30, 2009

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - South soldier of non-combat related injuries in an undisclosed location in Iraq on Sunday, November 29th.


Body of U.S. soldier found after 27 days in NW Afghanistan:

Taliban slaughters animals in suicide attacks :


Reported security incidents

Diyala Prv:
#1: Three persons of the same displaced family were wounded in an attack on their house in Diala province on Sunday, a local security source revealed. “An improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a house of a displaced family that has just returned to its original dwelling place in the area of Shahrban, Khanqin district, (45 km) east of Baaquba,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Two armed men riding a motorbike shot dead an employee of National Security Directorate (NSD) in Afghanistan's northern province of Jauzjan, provincial police chief Mohammad Khalil Aminzada said Monday. "The criminal incident occurred Sunday evening in Akcha district," Aminzada told Xinhua. However, he did not give the name of the victim but put the attack on Taliban militants.

#2: An Afghan official says six national policemen were killed and two others were injured when a rogue officer opened fire at a checkpoint in southwest Afghanistan. Nimroz province Police Chief Gen. Abdul Jabar Pardeli said Monday that the shootings occurred Sunday morning in Khash Rod district.

#3: Afghan officials said Sunday that 26 militants were killed in a gunbattle with border security guards along the Pakistan frontier. The Ministry of Interior said Sunday that the battle between militants and the border guards occurred Saturday night in the Gurbuz district of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan. The ministry says the bodies of 13 militants were recovered following the fighting. Air support was summoned to the area. No Afghan border security guards were killed in the violence, according to the ministry.

#4: NATO also reported that an Afghan woman was killed when she was struck by an international-forces vehicle in Kabul. In the pedestrian accident, the driver of the NATO vehicle stopped after hitting the woman and transported her and her son to a medical facility at the Kabul International Airport compound. Despite medical treatment, the woman died of severe trauma.

#5: At least four militants were killed in a military operation in northwest Pakistan's tribal areas on Monday, local TV channels reported. According to the Frontier Constabulary (FC) media cell, Pakistani security forces surrounded militants strongholds at Barain Khyber tribal agency, four militants killed and several others injured during clashes, the private TV Express reported.

News of the Day for Sunday, November 29, 2009

British soldiers search Iraqis on the outskirts of Basra in 2003. Britain was told days before invading Iraq that its weapons of mass destruction may have been unusable, a top official told a public inquiry Wednesday, adding the overall intelligence picture was patchy. (AFP/File/Odd Andersen)

Reported Security Incidents

Baghdad

Baghdad city council member Waddah Saadi Saleh al-Obeidi is murdered in a drive-by shooting in al-Ghazaliya.

Near Baquba

Sahwa council member killed, 2 injured -- 1 critically -- in bomb attack on a checkpoint at al-Ghalbiyah town, 16 km northwest of the provincial capital.

One civilian killed, one injured, by roadside bomb near Saif Sa'ad villages, 27 km northwest of the provincial capital.

Other News of the Day

Judges in Mosul live under constant threat of death, reports Deepa Babington of Reuters. Excerpt:

"I know that at any time I can get killed," said the 60-year-old [judge], as he sat behind a wooden desk in his courthouse office and rattled off names of fellow judges who had been killed. He declined to be identified for fear of retribution. "All the judges here get threats. They call me on the phone or send me notes saying, 'If you don't release this person, then we'll kill you or put a bomb in front of your house'."

In the past month alone, there have been at least four attacks on judges in or around Mosul, said an official from the U.S. provincial reconstruction team, which works with judges. . . .

Keen to ensure Iraq's fragile judicial system does not come off the rails, U.S. officials are training local Iraqis to serve as bodyguards for judges. But a basic training exercise outside a Mosul courthouse showed how steep the learning curve is. Four would-be bodyguards surrounded their judge and waved AK-47s about with stern expressions, but recklessly ran over a sandbag and tin bottle -- dummies for roadside bombs. . . . One trainee, Ahmed, 25, had foreseen an even bigger problem.

"We're not allowed to carry any guns," he said, complaining that as civilian bodyguards they had no authorization to carry weapons and that the AK-47s on display were just on loan. "How can we protect anyone without any guns? They'll shoot us at checkpoints if we carry weapons."

The UK is having the inquiry into the Iraq war that the U.S. is apparently never going to have, because we're "looking forward." However, since Blair and Bush were joined at the hip on the Iraq war conspiracy, the UK inquiry is telling us most of what we need to know. Not that the congress or the corporate media are paying any attention. -- C Here's the latest, as reported by Simon Walters of The Mail:

An explosive secret letter that exposes how Tony Blair lied over the legality of the Iraq War can be revealed. The Chilcot Inquiry into the war will interrogate the former Prime Minister over the devastating 'smoking gun' memo, which warned him in the starkest terms the war was illegal.

The Mail on Sunday can disclose that Attorney General Lord Goldsmith wrote the letter to Mr Blair in July 2002 - a full eight months before the war - telling him that deposing Saddam Hussein was a blatant breach of international law. It was intended to make Mr Blair call off the invasion, but he ignored it. Instead, a panicking Mr Blair issued instructions to gag Lord Goldsmith, banned him from attending Cabinet meetings and ordered a cover-up to stop the public finding out.

He even concealed the bombshell information from his own Cabinet, fearing it would spark an anti-war revolt. The only people he told were a handful of cronies who were sworn to secrecy.

AP's Pamela Hess reviews the case of Michael Speicher, shot down in the first Gulf War, abandoned by George HW Bush and then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney (no search and rescue operation was undertaken), and used in the propaganda campaign to justify the invasion of Iraq by Vice President Cheney and GW Bush.

Middle East On-line, in an unsigned analysis, says Hashemi's veto of the election law has backfired and left the Sunni Arabs with an even worse outcome. Excerpt:

"It is simply a catastrophe for the Sunni Arabs," said Ibrahim Sumaidie, a regular writer in the Iraqi press said, referring to Hashemi's November 18 veto of the law. The vice president was seeking to grant votes for Iraqis living abroad, including those who fled after the US-led invasion. There are estimated to be as many as four million such voters, who could boost the Sunni presence in parliament against a probable Shiite-dominated government.

But Hashemi's hazardous hand turned to dust when parliament voted -- at the instigation of Shiites -- for a new distribution of seats. The new provisions do not take into account a real increase in Iraq's population since 2005 and instead increase by 2.8 percent annually the number of seats given to each province, a move that actually harms the Sunnis. "The Kurds are the sole beneficiary of what passed, and this is a slap in the face for the Sunni Arabs," said Sumaidie. "It is a mistake that will have disastrous consequences for the country's political process," he predicted.

Election officials and international observers have said the election will be delayed, possibly until March, but no new date has yet been fixed.

Afghanistan Update

ISAF says it killed 20 people in an airstrike, all of them said to be Taliban, in Khost, after they attacked a police checkpoint.

Jay Price of the Charlotte Observer says Afghan police leave something to be desired. Price also describes a dismal situation facing U.S. occupiers. Worth a read. Excerpt:

Eight years after the U.S.-led invasion, the police appear to be years away from functioning independently. U.S. trainers say they must tell the Afghans repeatedly to do the simplest things, such as separating passengers they've searched from ones they haven't when they stop a vehicle.

The police suffer from a range of problems besides corruption, their U.S. trainers say. Illiteracy is the norm - [U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Hans] Beutel thinks that only about 10 percent of the police officers he works with can read - and drug abuse is common.

Fuel is often in short supply. The central police headquarters in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, provides the district police with whom Beutel works one tank of diesel fuel a month per truck. That often means that when Beutel wants to mount a mission, he has to carry American fuel in jerrycans for the Afghan vehicles.

As we already know, George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld let Osama bin Laden get away at Tora Bora. We still don't exactly know why, but he was much more useful to the Bush administration alive and at large than any other way. Res Ipsa Loquitur. That's all I've got to say about it. -- C. A report prepared for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reviews the incident. Excerpt:

"Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat," the report says. "But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism."

The report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops at least. It says that a review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants "removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora."

On or about Dec. 16, 2001, bin Laden and bodyguards "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area," where he is still believed to be based, the report says.

Gordon Brown is willing to throw in his lot with Barack Obama's esclation of the Afghanistan war, but only if it's labeled as a way out. Excerpt:

Britain aims to set clear goals in Afghanistan at top-level talks next year to move towards bringing its troops home, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said amid public anger at the war.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and major contributors to the coalition fighting in Afghanistan including the US as well as regional neighbours will be invited to the London conference on January 28.

Brown made it clear the international community expected Karzai, who has been slipping from global favour amid widespread allegations of corruption, to step up and assume his responsibilities.Karzai has to realise ‘"that there will be milestones by which he’s going to be judged and he’s got to accept that there will be benchmarks which the international community will set", Brown said.

Quote of the Day

President Obama made the war in Afghanistan his war. The anti-war people are silent because he's their man. Leading Democrats in the House are proposing a "surtax" on income to be used for paying the mounting costs of battling insurgents on the other side of the world. And we're reduced to shouting "C'mon man" as we are driven over that cliff.

Ron Smith

War News for Saturday, November 28, 2009

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier of non-combat related injuries in an undisclosed location in Iraq on Friday, November 27th.

ISAF suffered no fatalities in the last 24 hours.


Baghdad Garden Becomes Graveyard, Full of Grieving:

3 Ukrainians died in Afghan helicopter crash:

Military divorces edge up again:

Afghans Offer Jobs to Taliban Rank and File if They Defect:

2 Afghans allege abuse at U.S. site:


Reported security incidents

Hilla:
#1: Eight persons, including two policemen, were wounded in an attack with six mortar shells that mistargeted the U.S. consulate in south central Iraq, a police source said on Saturday. “The U.S. consulate, which is taking the Babel Tourist Hotel, as its headquarters in central al-Hilla city, was the target of an attack with six mortars. The shells landed outside the building


Diwaniya:
#1: A Katyusha rocket landed in the environs of a U.S. forces camp west of al-Diwaniya city on Friday but no word emerged yet on possible casualties, an Iraqi army source said. “The Katyusha landed in ECHO camp of the U.S. forces, (3 km) west of Diwaniya, but no information is available on casualties,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “U.S. and Iraqi forces cordoned off the area of Khairi, (8 km) south of Diwaniya, with U.S. helicopters hovering intensively overhead,” the source added, noting a missile launching pad was seized near the camp.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: An improvised explosive device (IED) went off near a house east of al-Falluja city on Friday but no casualties were reported, a police source in al-Anbar province said. “An IED laid inside a garbage can near a house in al-Dhubbat neighborhood, east of Falluja, went off today (Friday) but left no casualties,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Thirteen prisoners, including some Taliban militants, escaped overnight from the main prison in the city of Farah, western Afghanistan, the police said Saturday. The inmates used a tunnel to escape from the jail, which holds about 80 prisoners, Farah provincial police chief Faqir Ahmad Askar said.

#2: At least eight militants were killed in the military operation in northwest Pakistan's Khyber tribal agency on Saturday, local TV channels reported. According to the Frontier Constabulary (FC) media cell, Pakistani security forces surrounded militants strongholds in Baratribal area, killed eight militants and injured several others during fierce clashes, the private TV Express reported.

#3: A bomb exploded in a trash can in the centre of the Afghan capital on Saturday causing little damage and no injuries, the Interior Ministry said, Reuters reported. Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary described the device that exploded in the Wazir Akbar Khan embassy district as a "sound bomb", meaning it was designed to make a loud noise rather than cause any damage. A Reuters witness at the scene said there was some damage to a nearby wall but the impact looked small.

#4: Unknown armed men gunned down an acting provincial director of Afghan Red Crescent in Takhar province of northern Afghanistan, a private television channel reported on Saturday. "Makhdom Abdullah was leaving a mosque in Farkhar district after Eidul Adha prayer on Friday, when unidentified armed men opened fire, killing him on the spot, "Tolo television quoted provincial police chief Ziahuddin Mahmodi as saying in a news bulletin.

War News for Friday, November 27, 2009

ISAF suffered no fatalities in the last 24 hours.


Iraqi Lawmakers Hunt for Election Compromise:

Pak Taliban regrouping in remote South Waziristan:

RIGHTS: U.S. Military Unveils New Prison in Afghanistan:

US troop surge to destabilise Balochistan: PM:

Taliban Open Up Front in Once-Quiet Afghan North:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A civilian man was killed and three others wounded on Thursday evening when a sticky explosive charge attached to a vehicle went off in northern Baghdad, an Iraqi police source said. “The improvised explosive device went off as the vehicle was passing on a street in al-Sayediya district, southern Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding three others who were on board,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A driver was wounded when an adhesive bomb that was stuck to his car detonated in Athemiyah neighborhood in northeast Baghdad around 11 a.m. Thursday.


Diyala Prv:
#1: An official from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) who was running for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Saadiya, was assassinated with an improvised explosive device that went off right out of his house on Thursday, a local police source in Diala province said. “The PUK bureau official Raheem Agha Bakhtiyar, who ran in Saadiya, Khanaqin district, was killed when an IED went off in front of his house,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: An Iraqi soldier who was on a leave of absence and clad in civvies was shot dead by gunmen fire in northern Mosul city on Thursday, a local police sources said. “Unidentified gunmen boarding a vehicle in al-Hadbaa neighborhood, northern Mosul, opened fire at an Iraqi soldier who was on a leave of absence from his military unit, killing him instantly,



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistani forces killed 15 militants in the lawless northwest of the country, a security official said on Friday, as part of a campaign Washington hopes will help it defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. Militants in the Khyber area, part of a region regarded as a global militant hub, have been carrying out attacks on Western forces' supplies to Afghanistan and bombings in Pakistan, the Pakistani military says. "The security forces have besieged an important stronghold of the militants in Khyber and have taken control of all exit and entry points into it," said Frontier Corps paramilitary force spokesman Major Fazal-ur-Rehman. "During the action, 15 militants were killed and many were injured...fighting is still continuing."

#2: NATO-led forces have found a foreign helicopter which crashed in eastern Afghanistan earlier this week, the alliance said on Friday. The helicopter had been chartered by Netherlands-based catering and logistics contractor Supreme Global Services from a firm called Airfreight Gulf, according to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). "ISAF forces have helped identify the crash site in eastern Afghanistan of an MI-8 helicopter missing since Monday night," ISAF said in a statement on Friday, referring further enquiries to Supreme Global Services. A spokesman for Supreme declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash or whether there were any casualties.

#3: A planted remote control devise went off, killing an anti-Taliban leader in northwest Pakistan's tribal area Friday, local TV channel reported. Sources said that the improvised explosive device planted by unidentified miscreants near a mosque in Bajaur Agency went off suddenly when the tribal leader Malik Shah Pur along with local people were exchanging Eid greetings after the Eid prayer, the private TV Express reported. Malik Shah Pur were killed on the spot and three others were injured.

#3: Militants in the adjacent tribal region of Mohamand also abducted another anti-Taliban tribal elder, Ameer Saiyed, late Thursday after storming his house and killing his son, Hazrat, local official Jawed Khan said.Authorities found the father's body Friday near his home in Wali Kor village, the official said.

#4: An Afghan-Canadian academic who returned to Afghanistan to serve as governor of the volatile Kandahar province survived an assassination attempt today. Tooryalai Wesa, who lived in Coquitlam, B.C., before he was appointed to the post late last year, was on his way to a mosque for prayers marking the Muslim holiday of Eid. Zelmai Ayubi, a spokesman for Wesa, says a remote-controlled roadside bomb detonated as the governor's three-car convoy passed through the centre of Kandahar city. Ayubi says Wesa's vehicle was damaged in Friday's attack but the governor was not hurt.


DM: Konstabel Kenneth Patrick Nielsen

War News for Thursday, November 26, 2009

Statement: President Mills mourns Ghanaian soldier killed in Afghanistan:


German military's inspector general removed:

U.S. Seeks 10,000 Troops From Its Allies in Afghanistan:

UK: NATO to offer 5,000 troops for Afghanistan:

President vs. party on troop increase:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: One civilian was killed and another one was injured in a sticky bomb blast in eastern Baghdad, a police source said. “A bomb, attached to a civilian car, went off on Thursday (Nov. 26) in Qanat al-Jiesh street in eastern Baghdad, killing two civilians onboard and damaging the car,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: One civilian was wounded when a sticky bomb attached to his car went off, a source from the Iraqi police said on Thursday. “The blast took place in al-Maghrib St. of al-Adhamiya neighborhood, northern Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mussayab:
#1: They said one of the Thursday attacks involved two home-made bombs that targeted a vegetables market in Mussayab, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) south of Baghdad, killing two people and injuring 26.


Youssifiyah:
#1: The second attack took place two hours earlier when a car bomb hit a suburban bus station in the Youssifiyah area just south of Baghdad. Two people were killed and six injured in that attack.


Mosul:
#1: A cart rigged with explosives on Wednesday went off in northern Mosul, causing no casualties, according to a local security source.

#2: Gunmen killed a civilian and wounded another when they opened fire on their vehicle in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, on Wednesday, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Officials say a helicopter belonging to an international military contractor has gone missing in Afghanistan. NATO spokesman Maj. Steven Coll said Thursday that a helicopter for Supreme Global Service Solutions has been missing since late Tuesday. A representative for Supreme, which supplies food and logistics services to the military, declined to comment. A spokesman for eastern Logar province's government said that they were searching for the craft in Kharwar district. Din Mohammad Darwirsh said they did not have any confirmation of a crash and no one had seen any wreckage. He said international military forces and local police were conducting the search.

However, Taliban purported spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in talks with media via cell phone from undisclosed location claimed that his men crashed a helicopter in Logar, saying that they have had the wreckage.

#2: Two policemen were critically injured in a remote controlled explosion on the outskirts of this North West Frontier Province (NWFP) capital Thursday. The remote-controlled device was planted near a school and a power pylon in the congested Rasheedabad area. It went off when station house officer Riaz-ul Islam, accompanied by his police guard, was driving to his office in his private car, Online news agency reported.

#3: Eight militants were killed as Afghan and U.S.-led forces responded their attack in eastern Paktika province in Afghanistan, provincial administration spokesman said on Thursday. "A group of Taliban militants attacked Afghan National Army (ANA) convoy in Sarhawza district late Wednesday," Hamidullah Jawak told Xinhua. To respond the attack, he said ANA called on coalition troops and U.S.-led forces. Gunship helicopters pounded the position, killing eight rebels.

War News for Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Danish Defense Ministry is reporting the death of a Danish ISAF soldier in an IED attack somewhere in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, November 25th.


Hero Navy SEALs to be tried for assault:

U.S. Strategy on Afghanistan Will Contain Many Messages:

UK: NATO to offer 5,000 troops for Afghanistan:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A magnetic bomb stuck to a parked civilian car detonated near Abu Afif Sweets shop in Karrada out, central Baghdad at 7.30 p.m. Tuesday injuring three civilians.

#2: A magnetic bomb stuck to a civilian car detonated near Antar Square, Adhamiyah, northern Baghdad injuring two civilians Tuesday.

#3: A roadside bomb targeted a store that sells alcoholic beverages in Shaab neighbourhood, northern Baghdad injuring two people Tuesday.

#4: A magnetic bomb stuck to a policeman's personal car detonated in Ur neighbourhood, Wednesday, injuring one civilian passer by.

A senior police officer survived an attempt on his life on Wednesday in northeastern Baghdad, a police source said. “A sticky bomb, attached to the car of a police colonel, went off in Ur neighborhood in northeastern Baghdad, injuring a passing civilian,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#5: A roadside bomb targeted the personal car of an employee in the interior ministry near the National Theatre in Karrada, central Baghdad injuring four people, the employee inside the car and three civilian pedestrians.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol on the road to imam Weis, east Baquba at 10.30 a.m. Wednesday injuring three policemen, two of whom are in critical condition.


Amarra:
#1: Three Katyusha rockets were defused on Friday in central Amara, a police source said.
“Anti-explosives experts managed on Tuesday (Nov. 24) to defuse three Katyusha rockets, ready to be launched in al-Iskan region, central Amara,” Colonel Sadeq Salam told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Karbala:
#1: A bomb killed at least four people and wounded 25 others in one of Iraq's holy cities Wednesday morning, an Interior Ministry official said. The bomb detonated in a popular restaurant in Karbala at 8:30 a.m., when it was packed with breakfast diners. The restaurant is about 400 meters (one-quarter mile) from the headquarters of the city's security forces, said Karbala police spokesman Abdul Rahman al-Meshawi.

The first bomb targeted diners inside the restaurant in the heart of the city, located 110 kilometres (69 miles) south of the capital Baghdad, around 9:00 am (0600 GMT), causing several injuries, police said. However, a second bomb minutes later, after an ambulance and medics had arrived to help the wounded, caused most of the casualties.


Tarmoyah:
#1: Gunmen in military uniforms killed six civilians from one family, including three women, in a town in north of Baghdad on Wednesday, a local police source said. The incident took place in the town of Tarmiyah, some 40 km north of Baghdad, when gunmen disguised in military uniforms stormed a house in the town and killed three males and three females, including 13 years old girl, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The attacker left alive a woman and her child, who were relatives of the victims visiting the family when the attack occurred, the source said.


Tikrit:
#1: (area) Firefighters responded to a morning fire which damaged a building at COB Speicher. The fire was extinguished and everyone inside the building was safely evacuated. No one was injured in the blaze.


Kirkuk:
#1: A sticky bomb attached to a car wounded an off-duty policeman on Tuesday in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: A roadside bomb targeted an Iraqi army patrol in al Hadbaa neighbourhood injuring two servicemen and one civilian.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least 12 militants were killed and 14 others injured in Pakistan's northwest during the last 24 hours, official sources said Wednesday. Nine militants were killed and 14 others injured Wednesday during the exchange of fire between militants and Pakistani security forces in Orakzai tribal agency, according to the military sources. In Swat and Malakand area of North West Frontier Province (NWFP),on a tip-off, security forces carried out search operation, killed three militants and apprehended four others.


DoD: Sgt. James M. Nolen

DoD: Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes

DoD: Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino

DoD: Spc. Jason A. McLeod

War News for Tuesday, November 24, 2009

NATO is reporting the death of a U.S. ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, November 23rd.


British panel begins inquiry on Iraq war:

Britain Opens Inquiry Into Iraq War, After Years of Delay:

UAE tops list of foreign investors in Iraq in 2009:

Obama plans to send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Imad Abadi, the star anchor of the independent satellite TV news station Al-Diyar, was badly injured in a clearly targeted shooting attack last night in Baghdad. Abadi was shot twice by unidentified gunmen as he was driving through the central Baghdad neighbourhood of Salihiya. “He sustained a gunshot wound to the head and another to the neck,” Al-Diyar owner Faysal Al-Yasqiri told Agence France-Presse, adding that his condition was now stable. He was taken to Yarmouk Hospital.

#2: Two bodyguards of the former prime minister, Iyad Allawi, were wounded in a shooting on Monday in central Baghdad, a police source said. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on the bodyguards of the former prime minister Iyad Allawi in al-Kefah street in central Baghdad, injuring two of them,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Two civilians were wounded on Monday in a sticky bomb blast in southeastern Baghdad, a police source said. “A bomb, stuck to a civilian vehicle, went off in Baghdad al-Jadieda region, southeastern Baghdad, injuring the driver and the man sitting beside him,”

#4: A mosque imam has been killed in an explosive charge blast that hit his vehicle in the capital Baghdad, the Iraqi police said on Tuesday. “Today, al-Arqam Ibn al-Arqam Mosque’s imam was killed when a sticky explosive device hit his pick-up truck in al-Mikaneek neighborhood, al-Doura area, southern Baghdad. The blast killed and wounded two other civilians, who were inside the car with the imam,” the source noted.


Nassiriya:
#1: Four policemen were wounded on Monday in a bomb blast that targeted a joint Iraqi-U.S. convoy in northern Nassiriya, a well-informed source said. “The bomb exploded near a police vehicle which was backing a convoy of the logistic support of the U.S. troops,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Four cops were wounded in the explosion,” he added. “The blast took place at the northern inlet of Nassiriya city and caused a material damage to a U.S. vehicle,” he noted,


Shirqut:
#1: A bomb attack in Salahuddin province damaged the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline more than four days ago and the damage will take up to four more days to fix, an Iraqi Oil Ministry official said on Tuesday. The official, asking not to be identified, said a memo from the North Oil Company received by the ministry on Monday stated the attack had occurred between the village of Shirqat -- a former hotbed of support for al Qaeda -- and the Baiji oil refinery.


Kirkuk:
#1: One worker from the North Oil Company (NOC) was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in northwestern Kirkuk on Monday, a source from the joint coordination center said. “Unknown gunmen kidnapped a worker from the NOC at 10:30 a.m. on Monday (Nov. 23) in Arafa region in northwestern Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Iraqi army forces foiled an attempt by a suicide bomber of Kuwaiti nationality in Anbar on Monday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. “A force from the 28th infantry division managed to defuse a car bomb and to kill its driver in al-Qaem, Anbar province,” said the statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The suicide driver carries the Kuwaiti nationality, and had on his possession a fake ID issued from Baiji,” the statement added. “The car was loaded with three tons of Chlorine and C4 as well as other chemical materials,” it added.

#2: The imam and preacher of al-Saqlawiya Mosque has been killed in an explosive charge blast that targeted his vehicle in northern Falluja, a local police source said on Tuesday. “On Tuesday, a sticky device hit Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Wael’s car while he was driving in al-Saqlawiya district, northern Falluja, killing him on the spot,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The car was completely burnt in the blast, the source noted.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A remote-controlled bomb planted in a water station exploded in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing six members of a family, including four children, authorities and a relative said. The victims were caught in the blast as they traveled in a car on a shopping trip ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid this weekend, relative Qimat Khan told Associated Press Television at the scene in the eastern province of Khost.

#2: Pakistani troops killed 18 militants in a fresh offensive Tuesday against insurgents blamed for a wave of recent bombings in the main northwestern city of Peshawar. The operation in Bara region was the latest salvo in a broadening campaign against al-Qaida and the Taliban in the lawless lands close to the Afghan border since last year. Authorities claim hundreds of militants have been killed, yet the assaults do not appear to have dented the insurgents' ability to strike.
Maj. Fazlur Rehman, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps, said ground troops, helicopters and artillery were being used in the operation in Bara close to Peshawar.

#3: Some unidentified militants attacked the convoy of NATO oil tankers in Mastong area of Quetta in southwest Pakistan on Tuesday and injured a tanker driver while the tankers caught fire, local TV channels said. According to details, the militants attacked the NATO supply convoy when it was passing through Sindh- Balochistan by-pass. As a result, a driver was injured while many oil tankers caught fire.

#4: Clashes between Pakistani troops and pro-Taliban militants have left at least six civilians dead in the country's violent tribal region bordering Afghanistan. During the fighting late Monday mortar shells ripped through civilian homes, killing six people in Landi Kotal Khyber, AFP on Tuesday quoted local officials as saying. The incident took place after a group of 50 heavily-armed gunmen stormed a Frontier Corps (FC) checkpoint in Landi Kotal. They had to retreat after facing the government forces' return fire which killed six of the militants. It was not clear who launched the mortars.

#5: Six Taliban fighters including a self-appointed district chief have been killed in Afghanistan's central Daikundi province, the private television channel Tolo reported Tuesday. "Mullah Khairullah and five of his men were going from Gezab district to Charchino area when came under air attacks and killed yesterday (Monday) in Daikundi province," Tolo said in its news bulletin. Taliban leadership had appointed Khairullah as the governor of Gezab district months ago, it further said. This is the first time that Taliban militants have penetrated to the peacefully central Daikundi province.

#6: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a car in Khost City, killing four civilians, including two women, Khost governor Sabari said.

#7: A suicide bomber targeting a police vehicle, detonated his explosives in Panjwai district on Monday, wounding five civilians, including three children, the Interior Ministry said.


DoD: Staff Sgt. John J. Cleaver

DoD: Sgt. Daniel A. Frazier

DoD: Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand

DoD: Sgt. Briand T. Williams

War News for Monday, November 23, 2009

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - South soldier in an undisclosed attack in an unreported area in Iraq on Sunday, November 22nd.

NATO is reporting the deaths of two U.S. ISAF soldiers in an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, November 22nd.

NATO is reporting the death of a U.S. ISAF soldier from small arms fire in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, November 22nd.

NATO is reporting the death of a U.S. ISAF soldier in an IED attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, November 22nd.



Antaviliai: Lithuania's alleged US 'war on terror' jail:

US States Govt. debt may exceed $700 billion a year in 2019:

In 3 Tacks for Afghan War, a Game of Trade-Offs:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Four people were wounded in a roadside bomb explosion near a fuel station in the al-Nidhal Street in Baghdad's central district of Karrada, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

#2: Two more civilians were wounded in Karrada when another roadside bomb detonated near a convoy of an Iraqi politician, the source said.

#3: A third roadside bomb went off near a police patrol at an intersection in the same neighborhood, wounding two civilians, he said.

#4: Two others were also wounded when a bomb explosion struck a U.S. patrol while passing in the al-Husseiniyah neighborhood in the northeastern Baghdad, he added. The source could not tell whether the U.S. soldiers sustained any casualty as the troops sealed off the area.

#5: One more civilian was wounded when a fifth roadside bomb detonated at a commercial area of al-Sinek in central the capital, he added.

#6: Gunmen assassinated Brigadier General Talib Radad the head of Karkh Criminal Department. The incident took place in Saidiyah neighborhood in south Baghdad, Saturday evening.

#7: Around 11p.m. Sunday six civilians were wounded by a bomb that was put inside a store for selling compact disks in Bab Al Sharji downtown Baghdad. The explosion damaged some stores in this area.

#8: Around 7 p.m. Sunday a roadside bomb targeted an American patrol in Ur neighborhood northeast Baghdad. One vehicle was damaged.


Nasseriya:
#1: The chairman of the anti-corruption committee in the Thi-Qar provincial council escaped an attempt on his life on Sunday, according to the first deputy governor. “Ali Attiya Shajar was intercepted by two gunmen who went out of a pickup truck parked on the road linking al-Fajr city (140 km) north of Nasseriya, to Qalaat Sokkar, (100 km) north of Nasseriya, while he was returning home in al-Fajr,” Hassan Laayous told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Shajar and his escorts survived unscathed although his vehicle was damaged severely,” he said, adding the incident will be investigated.


Tikrit:
#1: An explosive charge on Monday was found at Tikrit University and was safely defused by bomb squad personnel, according to a local police source.


Kirkuk:
#1: The director of the Criminal Investigations Department in Kirkuk has survived an assassination attempt when an explosive charge went off near his vehicle south of Kirkuk, a security source said on Monday. “This morning, Col. Aras Mohammed Namiq, the director of the Criminal Investigations Department in Kirkuk survived an attempt on his life when an improvised explosive device (IED) hit his vehicle near Kirkuk park on a main street south of Kirkuk City,” Col. Ghazi Ali told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: An Iraqi Turkmen leader was assassinated at his home in the northern city of Mosul on Sunday by gunmen who knocked at his door then shot him, police and Turkmen sources said. "Armed men opened fire at Yauz Ahmad Efendi before making their escape," a police official told AFP. Efendi was a member of the executive committee of the Turkmen Front, Iraq's main Turkmen political party. "His son answered the door and they asked to speak to his father. When he arrived at the door they opened fire," Turkmen MP Safaeddin Arkij said.

#2: Also on Sunday, a child was killed and four other people were wounded when a grenade exploded as a police patrol passed through a Mosul market.

#3: An Iraqi army officer on Monday was killed and a civilian was injured in an explosive charge blast in Mosul, according to a local security source. “At noon, an improvised explosive device hit an Iraqi army patrol vehicle in al-Majmoua al-Thaqafiya area, northern Mosul, killing an army lieutenant and wounding a civilian,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Seven people were killed including four policemen and five civilians were wounded by a care bomb that blew up in a marketplace in Garma town north Fallujah, Sunday at around 11 a.m.

#2: Two policemen were wounded when policemen checkpoint opened fire upon a suicide car bomb in Al Qaem town west Ramadi, around 9 a.m.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistan's army killed 18 Islamist militants in a northwestern region Monday, part of an escalating campaign against insurgents intent on toppling the U.S.-allied government. It was the second day of fighting in Shahukhel in Hangu district close to the Afghan border. In Shahukhel, troops backed by artillery and helicopters killed 18 militants on Monday, intelligence officials said on customary condition of anonymity. There was no word on any military casualties. On Sunday, 12 militants were killed in the same area.

#2: Meanwhile, Afghan officials said three Afghan army soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Helmand province. The Interior Ministry said the bombing occurred on Sunday in Musa Qala district. It did not give further details and it was not clear if there was any connection between the Afghan deaths and the American deaths.

Five Afghan border guards were killed when a roadside bomb blast hit their patrol in the southern province of Kandahar on Sunday, police said. The attack occurred in Spin Boldak district bordering Pakistan during a pre-Our Sources patrol, said General Abdul Raziq, provincial border police commander. “In an explosion this morning all five border policemen were killed when their vehicle was hit,” he told AFP.

#3: Six Afghan soldiers were wounded when insurgents attacked their security patrol in Manogai district on Sunday, the Defense Ministry said.

News of the Day for Sunday, November 22, 2009

Iraqi Shiite protesters chant slogans against the veto made by Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president Tariq al-Hashemi on the election law, in front of a banner which reads in Arabic ' Nothing to fear on Iraq as long as Maliki is in power', in Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

Reported Security Incidents

Fallujah

Suicide car bomb attack on a police patrol kills 3 police, injures 6 police and three other people. Note: Other reports of what I presume is the same incident have lower casualty totals. But the higher reported totals are usually correct as the count goes up over time. - C

Mosul

A sketchy account for VoI seems to be saying that an army officer shot a judge in the courthouse, and also injured a court officer. More on this if it becomes available.

Teacher shot dead in front of his house.

Two Iraqi soldiers injured by a roadside bomb on Saturday.

Baghdad

Six people injured by a bomb in downtown Baghdad.

Sahwa council member shot dead in Azamiyah. AP also reports two police officers killed by a sticky bomb on Saturday. The latter incident was reported too late to make Whisker's post yesterday.

Tikrit

A "sound bomb" explodes at the university, injuring one student. I assume this refers to a device designed to produce maximum noise in relation to its explosive power.

Kut

Unidentified man is killed in a drive-by shooting.

Other News of the Day

Iraq government broadcasts video of former Baathists confessing to the October 25 bombings of government buildings. Excerpt:

Former police officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Hassan Aiyed admitted to plotting Oct. 25 attacks at the Justice Ministry and Baghdad Provincial Council. "I received a call on Oct. 12 from Abdul Sattar Mahdi Najem (a senior Baath party member in Iraq) telling me that we have orders from the party leadership to prepare for a major bombing in Baghdad near the provincial council and the Justice ministry," he said.

The video also showed two other Baath party members named Abdul Sattar Mahdi Najem and Ammar Abdul Aziz Mahdi were also telling details about their role in the attacks and how they passed checkpoints until they reached their targets in central the capital.

As efforts continue to resolve objections to the election law by Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders, the January election date now appears impossible. Kurds are threatening a boycott over the allocation of seats, which they believe underrepresent their numbers, and Sunni Arab VP Hashemi has vetoed the legislation over what he says is underrepresentation of expatriates.

So what else is new? department: UK military had no plans for what to do after Baghdad and Basra were conquered. Obviously, since the U.S. didn't either and presumably if one of them had a clue they would have shared it with the other. -- C Excerpt:

"The coalition plan effectively contained no detail once Baghdad and Basra had been taken and the regime removed," said a confidential army analysis of the first two years of the war in Iraq, published by The Sunday Telegraph.

The analysis warned this caused a "notable loss of momentum" and allowed insurgents to regroup, adding: "The inability to restore security early during the occupation was a critical failure." It said: "There was an absence of political direction for what, overall, the UK wished to achieve."

Oh yeah, Sayeth the Sunday Telegraph (not exactly the People's Daily, BTW) "Tony Blair, the former prime minister, misled MPs and the public throughout 2002 when he claimed that Britain’s objective was “disarmament, not regime change” and that there had been no planning for military action. In fact, British military planning for a full invasion and regime change began in February 2002." The need to keep the plans secret is one reason, according to the Telegraph, that the plans were so lousy. I recommend following this link and seeing all the Sunday Telegraph has to offer. Will we ever see the same accountability in the U.S.? Not if Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress can help it -- they have said they aren't interested in looking back. Obviously the U.S. and U.K. were coordinating their plans throughout. What we see in these U.K. documents is a window into what was also happening in Washington. Not that the corporate media here will pay any attention. -- C

Afghanistan Update

Rocket hits the Serena hotel in Kabul, injuring 4 people. "The Serena Hotel, owned by the Aga Khan, was attacked in January 2008 by a commander of the Taliban, with the deaths of eight people. It is Kabul's only five-star hotel and has been heavily-fortified since the 2008 attack. It is the hotel of choice for visiting VIPs."

Five border police killed by a bomb in Spin Boldak, according to the government. The Taliban claim it was actually an RPG attack, and that the toll was six.

UN officials in Kabul decry the plight of Afghanistan's children. Excerpt:

At a news conference marking the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, officials said children’s rights were being neglected despite vast flows of Western aid into the country. “Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world,” said Catherine Mbengue, country representative for the UN children’s fund UNICEF. “Seventy percent of the population has no access to safe drinking water. Thirty percent of children are involved in child labour. Forty-three percent of girls are married under-age,” she said.

More than one in four children born in Afghanistan die before the age of five, according to UNICEF estimates, although recent research still due to be published suggests this level has been reduced to around one in five.

A member of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, Hamida Barmaki, said: “Violence against children in Afghanistan is widespread. Children are abused and insulted both in society and within homes.” Hansjorg Kretschmer, head of the European Union’s representative office, said the country’s Child Protection Network had received 1,459 reports of sexual exploitation of children in 2008 but this was “the tip of the iceberg”.

A spokesman for Hamid Karzai repeats the possibility of a Loya Jirga to achieve reconciliation with insurgents. Nothing specific is announced, however.

Quote of the Day

The jury is out on whether the Iraqi political class will figure out how to use oil revenues to strengthen national unity or whether they will engage in mutually destructive feuds over how to divide up the pie.

Former U.S. diplomat David Mack. I recommend reading this story, which outlines a key problem for Iraq's future.

War News for Saturday, November 21, 2009

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian M. Patton died in a non-combat accident in an undisclosed location in Kuwait on Thursday, November 19th. He was supporting OIF.


U.S. fears its aid to rebuild Iraq is often wasted:

Gates Says U.S. Could Withhold Aid if Afghanistan Cannot Curb Corruption:

US to drop shooting case against Blackwater guard:

CIA chief asks Pak to expand military operations to target 'all' terrorists:

Iraqi lawmakers seek to end election crisis:

Military experiment seeks to predict PTSD:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Six civilians were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in central Baghdad on Saturday, an Iraqi police source said. “An IED planted by unidentified persons on Haifa street, in the direction of the main Sayyed Ali street, went off, leaving six civilians wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: The official in charge of guards protecting the governor of Kirkuk survived an assassination attempt with an explosive belt worn by a suicide bomber on a bicycle in the city on Friday, a security official said. “Chief guard of Kirkuk Governor Rizkar Tablou escaped an attempt on his life with an explosive belt in the neighborhood of al-Hurriya, northern Kirkuk,” Ahmed Samirani, the city’s quick response police director, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The bomber, a young man who was riding a bicycle, blew himself up near Tablou’s motorcade, but the explosion did not leave any casualties,” he added.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: An improvised explosive device went off near a police patrol in central al-Ramadi city on Friday but left no casualties, a local security source said. “The IED targeted a police patrol on 17 street, central Ramadi, not leaving any casualties but damaged a nearby civilian vehicle,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A 13-year-old Afghan forced by militants to plant a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan was killed when it exploded, the interior ministry said Saturday. The child died while placing the improvised explosive device (IED) on a road in the Zahri district of southern Kandahar province, where Taliban influence is concentrated, the ministry said in a statement.

#2: Three suspected Taliban militants blew themselves up on Saturday as police chased them in Pakistani Kashmir, police said.

#3: Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in a Taliban rocket attack on their camp in the troubled northwestern borderlands, while the forces killed six militants in retaliatory fire, officials said Saturday. The militants targeted the army with artillery fire in Mir Ali town of the volatile North Waziristan tribal district that borders Afghanistan and is a known hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. 'Four soldiers perished in the artillery attack, which our forces repelled and killed six militants,' an intelligence official said on condition of not being named as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

#4: On early Saturday, a bomb struck at the office of a Germany based humanitarian organisation, Comprehensive Health and Education Foundation, on the outskirts of the city, wounding a security guard. It was a timebomb and exploded at 7 a.m. near the perimeter wall of the main building, said Liaquat Ali Khan, a senior city police officer.

#5: Afghan and the NATO-led troops have killed over a dozen Taliban fighters in Kandahar province south of Afghanistan during an operation launched Friday, a private television channel reported Saturday. "In the joint operation of Afghan and Coalition forces launched on Friday in Jalai district, so far 18 rebels have been killed," Tolo reported in its news bulletin. Quoting police officials in Kandahar, the television also added that one police constable had been killed.

#6: Armed men riding a motorbike assassinated two tribal elders in Jauzjan province in northern Afghanistan Saturday, spokesman for provincial administration Mahbobullah Zarif said. "Two rebels riding a motorcycle opened fire on two tribal elders in Qushtapa district at 09:30 a.m. local time, leaving the two dead and made their good escape," Zarif told Xinhua. One of those killed in the attack was a former commander, he further said and blamed anti-government militants for the double murder.


DoD: Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian M. Patton

War News for Friday, November 20, 2009

CIA Chief Panetta meets Zardari, Gilani:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A bomb wounded nine people when it exploded inside a popular restaurant in the southern district of Doura in Baghdad on Thursday, police said.


Mosul:
#1: Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a civilian man on al-Ma’ash souk (outdoor market) in western Mousl city, killing him instantly and escaping to an unknown place.

#2: Meanwhile, the same source added that “a civilian man carrying an Egyptian passport was stabbed to death by an unidentified man on al-Arba’a souk in central Mosul.

#3: Two policemen were wounded on Friday in a bomb blast in western Mosul, according to a security source. “An improvised explosive device went off on Friday (Nov. 20) targeting a police vehicle patrol in Nables intersection in western Mosul, injuring two policemen,”



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle killed 16 people, including two children and a policeman, and wounded at least 23 others Friday in a busy city square in western Afghanistan, officials said. Provincial Gov. Rohul Amin said the blast occurred about 55 yards (50 meters) from his compound in a crowded square in Farah. Amin said the 16 killed included two children. Dr. Shir Agh Asas at the hospital in Farah city said several children also were among the wounded. A police officer also died.

#2: Also Friday, three civilians were wounded by a roadside bomb in Khost province, according to Wazir Pacha, deputy police chief of Khost.

Three civilians were killed and three others were injured as their car hit a roadside bomb in Khost city capital of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, police said. "Three civilians were killed and three more wounded as the vehicle they riding in hit a roadside bomb along the road in Gulzad Aka area of Khost city in the wee hours of Friday," said Guldad, the chief of criminal investigation department of Afghan National Police in the province.

#3: Separately, NATO said Afghan and international forces killed a man in Takhar province in northern Afghanistan on Friday believed to be an operative with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who was responsible for financing militant activities and transporting foreign fighters into the region. The man was killed during a search of a compound in rural Bangi district, it said.

#4: A U.S. drone fired two missiles at a compound being used by suspected Taliban militants in a village near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, according to two intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information. The compound was destroyed and eight bodies were pulled from the rubble, the officials said, adding that two other suspected militants were wounded.

#5: officials said five Pakistani troops and six militants were killed in a gunbattle at a security outpost in the Bajur tribal region — the site of a military campaign against Taliban militants that ended with a declaration of victory in March. The fighting broke out after militants ambushed the outpost near the village of Chinar with rockets and gunfire, according to local administrator Ghulam Sadullah Khan.

#6: Two police officers were killed and four others wounded when a remote-controlled bomb destroyed their vehicle in Peshawar early Friday, said city police Chief Liaquat Ali Khan.

A roadside bomb killed three police officers and wounded six early Friday in Pakistan's troubled north-western city of Peshawar, police said.The casualties occurred when a police vehicle on patrol was hit by a remote-controlled bomb in the Yakka Toot neighbourhood. 'Two policemen died at the scene while one more died in the hospital,' police officer Abdul Qadir said.

#7: Afghan parliament member Abdul Rasoul Sayaf Friday escaped a roadside bomb attack in capital city Kabul, but his four bodyguards were killed and six injured.


MoD: Sergeant Robert Loughran-Dickson

DoD: Spc. Joseph M. Lewis

War News for Thursday, November 19, 2009

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from small arms fire in the Babaji area, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, November 18th.

The Washington Post is reporting the deaths of two American soldiers in a bombing in Zabul province, Afghanistan on Thursday, November 19th. Other news reports this as a suicide car bombing.


Veto of Iraq’s Election Law Could Force Vote Delay:

U.S. Demands Clear Results From Afghan Reforms: (What a joke)


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Wednesday Gunmen tried to kill Mohammed Aziz Al Shamari, an advisor for the Iraqi government, in Sleikh neighborhood. Al Shamri was injured.

#2: Wednesday A bomb stuck to a car of a governmental employee exploded as the employee drove his car inside a governmental complex. The employee was injured.


Diyala Prv:
#1: One civilian was killed and another one was injured Wednesday by a roadside bomb blast in Jalawlaa, according to a security source. “An improvised explosive device went off Wednesday (Nov. 18) targeting a civilian vehicle in Bunayra village in Jalawlaa, southwest of Khanaqin, killing a civilian and injuring another one.


Amarra:
#1: Police forces on Wednesday defused a roadside bomb south of Amara city, Missan province. “The bomb was planted on the al-Kahlaa – Qalaat Salih highway, 25 km south of Amara,” Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Khalid al-Maliki told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Basra:
#1: An improvised explosive device (IED) on Thursday targeted a U.S. patrol vehicle in downtown Basra, according to a security source. “The blast, which occurred in al-Jumhouriya area near the Civil Defense Department in downtown Basra, did not cause casualties or damage to property,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Camp Anaconda:
#1: A number of mortar shells have fallen on a U.S. base in Salah al –Din, but no casualties have been reported, a local police source said on Thursday. “During an early hour this morning, a number of mortar shells landed on the U.S. Camp Anaconda in Yathrib district, southern Tikrit,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. There has been no word on casualties, the source pointed out.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Wednesday A roadside bomb struck a police patrol, wounding two policemen, in Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.

#2: Wednesday A bomb planted on a bicycle wounded a policeman in Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, on Tuesday evening, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber killed 19 people Thursday outside a courthouse in northwestern Pakistan, the latest attack in an onslaught by Islamist militants fighting back against an army offensive in the nearby Afghan border region. The bomber, who arrived in a taxi, was being searched by police officers at the gate of the city's lower court when he detonated explosives on his body, government official Sahibzada Anees said.

#2: The bomb explosion occurred hours after missiles fired from a suspected U.S. drone killed three suspected militants in Shana Khuwara village in North Waziristan, another region close to the Afghan border region where al-Qaida and Taliban hold sway. The missiles hit a house owned by a local tribesman just after midnight, said two intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Ahmed Noor Wazir, who witnessed the attack, said rescuers pulled three dead bodies and four badly wounded men from the rubble of the house, which was being used by Taliban militants. It was the third suspected drone strike since Pakistan launched the operation in mid-October. The pace of the attacks has slowed since the offensive began, possibly to avoid the perception that the U.S. is aiding the Pakistani army with the operation.

#3: Two civilians were injured by German troops in Kunduz province north of Afghanistan Wednesday. "The troops mistakenly opened fire in Ludin area of Kunduz province this afternoon injuring two persons. One is 15 years old and the other is 25," a spokesman with German troops said.

#4: At least six militants were killed while eight soldiers including two officers injured during ongoing military operation in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area in the last 24 hours, an army statement said Thursday.

On Shakai-Kaniguram axis, militants fired with small arms on security forces and five soldiers including an officer were injured. During exchange of fire, six militants were killed, the Inter Services Public Relations said in the daily press release.

On Jandola-Sararogha axis, three soldiers were injured including an officer by improvised explosive devices when security forces were patrolling the area.

#5: A suicide bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives in a crowded market in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing 10 civilians and wounding 13, a provincial police chief said. Uruzgan province police chief Juma Gul Himat said the bomber's vest exploded after he was fired on by troops while trying to attack a convoy of Afghan security forces. A media officer for NATO-led forces confirmed that 10 civilians had been reported killed in a suicide bomb strike in the area.


DOD Announces Army Casualty, Dustwun Status: Sgt. Brandon T. Islip

DoD: Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn

War News for Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Danish Defense Ministry is reporting the death of a Danish ISAF soldier at the the National Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark on Tuesday, November 17th. The soldier was wounded in an IED attack in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Saturday, October 31st.


12 million barrels a day is unrealistic for Iraq:

Afghanistan: it's still about the oil:

Experts question Pak military's success in South Waziristan:

Pakistani Successes May Sway U.S. Troop Decision:

Fazlullah escapes to Afghanistan:

Army suicides expected to rise for 5th straight year:

Hillary Clinton makes surprise visit to Afghanistan:


Reported security incidents

Diyala Prv:
#1: “Army forcs found an unknown body today on the road between Mendli and al-Saadiya,” a military source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The body shows signs of gunshot wounds,” he added.

#2: A Sahwa leader was killed by al-Qaeda gunmen in Baaquba late Tuesday, commander of Sahwa fighters in Diala said on Wednesday. “An al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group launched an armed attack late Tuesday (Nov. 17) targeting Hamied Majied, the official of Sahwa fighters in Bab al-Darb region in Baaquba, killing him,” Houssam al-Majmaai told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “This is the second incident of its kind on Tuesday after the assassination of another Sahwa element in al-Uthmaniya region in Baaquba,” he added.


Tikrit:
#1: Two Katyusha rockets and a mortar shell hit two US bases in Salah el-Din province, a source from the joint coordination center in Tikrit said on Wednesday. “Two Katyusha rockets landed on Tuesday (Nov. 17) on Spiker base, north of Tikrit, without causing damage,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “A mortar shell hit Anaconda base in Yathreb district, south of Tikrit, at dawn, with no word on casualties” the source added.


Kirkuk:
#1: Two persons were wounded on Tuesday in a bomb explosion in central Kirkuk, a senior police officer said. “An improvised explosive device went off on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 17) near an alcoholic beverages store in Atlas street in central Kirkuk.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Two civilians were wounded on Tuesday evening in a roadside bomb explosion in central Falluja, a security source said. “An explosive charge went off near the house of a policeman in al-Dubat neighborhood in central Falluja, injuring two civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “Another bomb exploded near the house of a policeman in Dour al-Sement neighborhood in east of Falluja, injuring three civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Twenty-three Taliban-linked militants were killed in an operation by Afghan and Western troops in the province of Paktika late Tuesday, Hamidullah Zhwak, a provincial spokesman, said in a statement. NATO warplanes pounded insurgent positions in support of ground forces in Paktika's Barmal district on the Pakistani border, the spokesman added.

#2: About 16 other insurgents were killed in separate operations, involving Afghan and international forces, in several provinces mainly in the south where the insurgency is most intense, the defence ministry said.


MoD: Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas

War News for Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier in an IED attack near Gereshk, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Sunday, November 15th.

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - North soldier in a vehicle accident in an undisclosed location presumably in northern Iraq on Monday, November 16th.


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Police forces found four bodies on Monday in western Baghdad, said a security source.
“The forces found four bullet-riddled bodies in al-Raas region in al-Aanaz village, western Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Four civilians on Tuesday were injured in an explosive charge blast in southern Baghdad, according to the Iraqi police. “At noon, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in front of a stationer’s on 60 St., al-Doura neighborhood (southern Baghdad), wounding four civilians.


Diyala Prv:
#1: Unknown gunmen on Tuesday killed a Sahwa member during an attack on a checkpoint in Baaquba, according to a Sahwa leader. “Today, an armed group belonging to al-Qaeda launched an attack on a Sahwa checkpoint in al-Othmaniya area, Baaquba,” Hossam al-Mujammaie told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “One Sahwa member was killed in the attack,” the leader noted.


Mahmoudiya:
#1: At least three civilians were killed and six others were wounded in an explosion in southern Baghdad on Monday, the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said in a statement. “A stockpile of ammunition went off in al-Qura Ghul region, and in al-Mahmoudiya district in southern Baghdad, killing three and injuring six,” said the statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A booby trapped weapons cache in Qara Ghol area in the city of Mahmoudiyah, 40 km to the south of Baghdad blew up while Iraqi security forces were investigating it, Monday. The explosion killed three servicemen and injured six others.


Mahaweel:
#1: A Baghdad police lieutenant kidnapped his wealthy neighbour's 10-year-old son, killed him and then sought 160,000 dollars before being snared when his phone calls were traced, police said on Tuesday. The crime occurred in Mahawil, a town 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Baghdad, in Babil province. "We have arrested him and he has confessed to the crime," a police official in Hilla, the provincial capital, told AFP.


Shurqat:
#1: Police forces on Tuesday discovered a body belonging to a civilian in southern al-Shurqat district, Salah al-Din, according to a local security source. “On Tuesday, al-Shurqat police personnel found a body belonging to a civilian in Shukra village, southern al-Shurqat,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Hawija:
#1: Update The casualties from the car bomb explosion that ripped through central Kirkuk on Monday went up to six dead and eight wounded, according to the KDPD chief. “The explosion that occurred on Monday (Nov. 16) in Salah el-Din street in Khan Khorma region in central Kirkuk killed six and injured eight,” Brig. Sarhad Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: In the city of Kirkuk, police found the body of prominent local businessman Shahin Mahmoud Shahin. Shahin, who had been abducted earlier this week, was found with a bullet in his chest in the neighbourhood of al-Hai al-Sanai.

#2: Elsewhere in the city, police found the body of a young man aged about 30. Police said he had apparently been tortured to death.

#3: Police forces on Tuesday found a body bearing gunshot wounds south of Kirkuk, according to a local police chief. “This morning, a corpse was found in al-Qadissiya al-Thaniya area near the market in southern Kirkuk,” the director of Orouba’s police, Col. Shirzad Mofry, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: Gunmen in a speeding car opened fire upon three people in Rabrin neighbourhood, eastern Kirkuk, Monday, killing one, who was a member of the Kurdish intelligence, the Asayesh and injuring the other two who are civilians.

#5: A parked car bomb targeted civilians near a shrine holy to the Kaka'i sect in one of the crowded marketplaces in central Kirkuk killing six civilians, injuring another eight. The explosion also caused great material damage to the nearby shops.


Mosul:
#1: At least three people were killed and two injured Monday when a bomb exploded in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police told the German Press Agency dpa. The bomb tore through a street in the al-Tahrir neighbourhood of eastern Mosul, police said, adding that the two injured civilians had been brought to hospital.

#2: One civilian was killed and his son was injured by gunmen in western Mosul on Monday, a security source said. “Unknown gunmen shot and killed a civilian and injured his son in 17 Tamouz region in western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: An Iraqi judge on Tuesday escaped an attempt on his life when gunmen attacked his car near Mosul, according to a local police chief. “Unknown gunmen driving a white pick-up truck attacked Judge Rabeea Abdulkareem Sadeq in Kakhorta area, al-Boogha village (60 km northwest of Mosul). “The judge was not hurt in the attack, but his driver was wounded and taken to the hospital for treatment,” Obeid noted.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Three synchronized bombings on Monday evening in central Falluja left 12 civilian casualties, according to a local security source.

Three simultaneous explosions targeted houses in which policemen lived in Fallujah at around 7.30 p.m. Monday, injuring eight people including four policemen, two of whom are critical.

#2: Two simultaneous explosions targeted two houses in which policemen lived in Fallujah before dawn, Monday. In the first house, an IED placed in a large patrol container was used and four family members including children were badly wounded. The second house was partly destroyed by the explosion in which two family members were wounded.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Taliban militants attacked a unit of private security guards in Chardarah district in the northern province of Kunduz on Monday night, killing four guards and injuring another, Abdul Wahid Omarkhel, the district governor, said. The guards were providing security for a bridge construction project in Rahmat Bai village, he said, adding that a Taliban fighter was also killed in the firefight.

#2: Meanwhile, two militants including a district-level commander were killed in an operation jointly conducted by Afghan, German and US forces in Sarakbala area of the same district (Kunduz province) on Monday, Mohammad Razaq Yaqoubi, the provincial police chief, said. He said two pro-government militia fighters were also killed in the operation.

#3: Also on Monday, five insurgents including two rebel commanders were killed in a firefight with Afghan and international forces in Kunduz's Ali Abad district, Yaqoubi said.

#4: Pakistani security forces have cleared the Taliban stronghold of Srarogha in South Waziristan after an intense five-day battle in which 180 militants and seven soldiers were killed, disclosed an army officer Tuesday. Briefing reporters in South Waziristan's largest town of Wana, Brigadier Shafiq, the commander of the Rah-e-Nijat military operation, said troops were now advancing towards Makeen, another stronghold of the militants, and the area would also be cleared within a few days, Online news agency reported.


MoD: Rifleman Andrew Ian Fentiman

DoD: Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Murphy

DoD: Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner

DoD: Spc. Christopher J. Coffland