War News for Friday, November 13, 2009

Rebuilding Its Economy, Iraq Shuns U.S. Businesses:

Former U.S. Diplomat Got Stake in Iraqi Oil:

OIL BILLIONS AND WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION IN IRAQ:

Germany to send more troops to Afghanistan:

Brown: 5K More NATO Troops for Afghanistan:

One option: Get out of Afghanistan:

Afghan Enclave Seen as Model to Rebuild, and Rebuff Taliban:

Another Afghan war: Media leaks spark administration fight:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a secondary school headmistress in eastern Baghdad on Thursday without apparent reasons, police said. “The gunmen opened fire at Safaa Abdulamir al-Khafaji, a principal of the al-Maali secondary school, right off the school gates in al-Ghadeer neighborhood, southeastern Baghdad, killing her instantly.

#2: A roadside bomb targeted civilians near Khullani Square, central Baghdad at 3 p.m. Thursday, injuring three young men.


Diyala Prv:
#1: Three civilians were wounded in a bomb explosion in south of Khanaqin, while two suspected gunmen were arrested in a separate incident in southwest of the city, said a security source Friday. “An improvised explosive device went off on Friday (Nov. 13) near a civilian vehicle in Imam Weis region, south of Khanaqin, injuring three civilians.

#2: Othman Mohammed, commander of Sahwa (a U.S. backed militia now turned over to the government) in Khan Beni Saad, 15 km to the southwest of Baquba, was ambushed and killed by gunmen while on inspection tour of Sahwa checkpoints in his district, Thursday evening. One of his aids, who was with him in his car, was also killed.


Basra:
#1: Security forces found on Friday morning an amount of explosives in a train station in northern Basra, a security source said. “A security force found on Friday morning (Nov. 13) 20 mortar shells and some explosive materials in al-Artawiya train station, north of Basra,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The operation was launched in light of intelligence information,” he added.


Makhmour:
#1: Joint forces found on Friday a female body in northeast of Makhmour district in northern Iraq, an army source said. “A joint force of police and army personnel found on Friday (Nov. 13) the body of a 20-year-old girl on the Makhmour-Qayara road in Makhmour,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: Two policemen were wounded when a hand-grenade blast targeted their patrol in eastern Mosul city on Thursday, a police source in Ninewa said. “A hand-grenade was hurled at the policemen’s patrol in al-Muthanna neighborhood, eastern Mosul, leaving two policemen wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The explosion targeted the patrols of the 2nd Emergency Police Contingent,” the source said, adding the wounded were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

#2: A civilian employee working for a weaving factory in Mosul was killed when gunmen opened fire at him near his house in al-Shurta neighborhood, in the northern part of the city,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Meanwhile, the police found an unidentified body that showed signs of having been shot in the head and chest in the area of al-Sina’a al-Qadima, western Mosul.

#4: The same source said in another incident, a civilian man was severely wounded after gunmen opened fire at him in the al-Siha neighborhood, western Mosul.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1-2: At least 17 persons were killed and over 85 injured in two powerful suicide bomb explosions in Peshawar and Bannu districts on Friday morning, police said. The suicide bombers, who were driving explosive-packed vehicles, detonated themselves while trying to target the buildings of security agencies in both the gory incidents and killed at least 17 people most of them security personnel and wounded around 85.

#1: The first incident occurred on Artillery Road in front of Army stadium in Peshawar where a suicide car bomber exploded his explosive-packed vehicle close to the building of the country’s premier intelligence agency around 6:40am. Resultantly, 10 people were killed instantly and around 60 others injured. Police said that seven security personnel and three civilians are among the dead.

#2: In a similar incident, a suicide bomber targeted police station Bakakhel in FR Bannu by exploding his explosive-laden mini truck with the building of police station and killed seven persons including five police and FC personnel and injuring 25 others.

#3: A suicide car bomber attempting to strike an international military convoy on the outskirts of Kabul wounded at least 19 people Friday, including nine NATO service members, on a road that has become a frequent target. NATO said the assault occurred on the Jalalabad road, which is used extensively by international forces and is frequently attacked. In August, another suicide bomber targeted a NATO convoy there, killing at least eight people. The alliance said nine international service members and 10 civilian contractors were wounded in Friday's attack, which occurred near a logistics base for U.S. forces. The Interior Ministry said five civilians had been wounded.

#4: Separately, a land mine exploded near a police station in Logar province, south of Kabul, killing a member of the Afghan National Police and wounding an Afghan National Army officer Friday, provincial police chief Mustafa Mosseini said.

#5: Suspected Taliban militants on Friday torched five trucks carrying fuel from Pakistan to Nato forces in neighbouring Afghanistan, killing a driver, police said. The attack took place at Bolan pass, some 70 kilometres south of Quetta, the capital of oil and gas-rich Balochistan province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, where both separatists and Taliban militants are active. ‘A truck driver was killed and two others were wounded in the pre-dawn attack by around two dozen gunmen,’ Bolan district police chief Junaid Arshad told AFP. ‘There were about 13 tankers parked at a trucking station. Gunmen set five tankers on fire before fleeing,’ he added.

#6: At least six militants were killed while 12 soldiers lost their lives and two others were injured in the ongoing military operation in Pakistan's tribal area during the last 24 hours, an army statement said Friday. Exchange of fire took place between security forces and militants on Jandola-Sararogha axis, resultantly two soldiers lost their lives and two others injured, while six militants were killed, the Inter Services Public Relations said in a daily press release. On Shakai-Kaniguram axis, security forces conducted search operation in area around Torwam, cleared compounds and recovered cache of arms and ammunition. Ten wounded soldiers due to engagement with militants Thursday in the area succumbed to injuries.


DoD: Lance Cpl. Justin J. Swanson