War News for Saturday, May 29, 2010

FEATURE-Death and betrayal stalk police in Iraq:

Taliban Leave Pakistan, but Afghans Repel Them:

When Afghans Seek Medical Aid, Tough Choice for U.S.

Options studied for a possible Pakistan strike:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: The homes of two Sahwa members and one policeman were blown up in Hor Rijab area, south Baghdad, at 2 a.m. Friday. The families had abandoned their homes many months earlier for fear of retaliation and three civilians from a neighbouring house were severely injured.


Diyala Prv:
#1: Three sahwa (awakening) tribal pro-government fighters were wounded in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) west of Baaquba city on Friday, an official security source in Diala said. “An IED planted in waste dumps in al-Katoun neighborhood, (3 km) west of Baaquba, went off near a sahwa checkpoint, leaving three fighters wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Unknown gunmen on Saturday detonated a policeman’s house east of Ramadi city. “Large portions of the policeman’s house were destroyed due to the blast,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He noted that some nearby houses were also damaged due to the explosion. “The blast caused no casualties,” the source explained.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A SUICIDE attacker with explosives strapped to his body blew himself up on Saturday outside a military caterer in Kabul but caused no casualties, Afghanistan's interior ministry said. The explosion took place east of the capital, close to a warehouse and supermarket run by Supreme Food Services, supplier of food to the foreign military, ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP. 'It was suicide attack and the suicide attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body,' he said. It was not immediately clear what the target of the attack had been, he said, adding the attacker, who was on foot, may have detonated prematurely. The blast took place at the Kabul end of the road to Bagram air base, a huge Nato installation and until recently the biggest in the country, which is about 45 kilometres further north.

#2: Taliban insurgents overran a remote district in eastern Afghanistan after days of heavy fighting in the area, a provincial police official said on Saturday. The battle erupted earlier this week in Barg-i-Matal district of mountainous Nuristan province, a remote area bordering Pakistan, when hundreds of Taliban fighters stormed the district centre, said Qasim Payman, police chief of the province. "The police force in the area has tactically retreated from the district after days of fighting," he told Reuters, adding there were no signs of reinforcements despite repeated requests.

#3: A bomb blast in Khost city the capital of the Khost province in eastern Afghanistan injured four civilians on Saturday morning, police said. "An explosive device was detonated in an ice cream shop in Sargardan square in Khost city this morning at 8:45 a.m. local time injuring four civilians including a 14 years old boy," deputy to provincial police chief Guldad told Xinhua.

#4: Militants ambushed an Afghan police convoy with a roadside bomb and gunfire in eastern Afghanistan, killing five officers before fleeing NATO aerial bombardment, an official said Saturday. Two militants were killed and up to six wounded in the battle Friday in Paktia province, said Ghulam Dastagir, the deputy provincial police chief. He said the convoy was headed toward the Dandi Pathan district when one vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb blast, killing five officers and wounding the district police chief. Militants opened fire after the blast, triggering a gunbattle that lasted several hours before NATO aircraft were called in.

#5: Two missiles fired by U.S. drone aircraft struck militant compound near Afghan border, killing nine militants, including some foreigners, Pakistan officials said. There was no independent confirmation of attack.