War News for Wednesday, June 09, 2010

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier in an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 9th.

CNN is reporting the deaths of four ISAF soldiers in a hostile fire helicopter crash in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 9th. We suspect these are American soldiers.


'Israel Trains Militants In Iraq'

Former sheriff’s deputy killed in Afghanistan: Wayne Willard, who was killed Monday in a suicide attack in Afghanistan while working as a private contractor

Afghanistan Strategy Shifts to Focus on Civilian Effort:


Reported security incidents

Diyala Prv:
#1: Two civilians were killed on Wednesday and five others wounded when a suicide bomber blew up his booby-trapped motorcycle east of Baaquba city. “The bomber targeted a U.S. convoy and an Iraqi civilian car with local officials inside it, 45 km eats of Baaquba city,” a security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He noted that there has been no news so far about casualties among U.S. military in the convoy. “The seven civilian victims were near to the blast’s location by coincidence,” the source explained.

#2: A roadside bomb targeted the motorcade of Police Col. Faisal al Musawi near Basim Restaurant in central Baquba at 10.30 a.m. Tuesday. The explosion hit the chase car and seriously injured four of his security guards.

#3: Six houses belonging to detainees accused of carrying out explosions in the town of Khalis some weeks ago were burned down by angry protesters, Tuesday. The families of the detainees had abandoned their homes some days ago as soon as news was leaked that their sons were involved in the bombings and so there were no casualties today.


Basra:
#1: A bomb attached to the car of a police officer wounded four people, including two policemen, late on Tuesday in the southern oil city of Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a police source said.


Abu Ghraib:
#1: Gunmen attacked the home of a police officer in Abu Ghraib, just west of Baghdad, killing him and his wife and injuring five of their children before fleeing.

#2: Separately, an exchange of fire broke out in Abu Ghraib when gunmen attacked the home of another police officer, who survived with injuries.


Tikrit:
#1: Police forces found on Tuesday an unknown body of a young man in east of Tikrit city, a police source said. “Three unknown gunmen threw a black bag in al-Alam district, east of Tikrit, and fled to unknown place,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Police found the body inside the bag,” he added, noting that the body bore signs of gunshot wounds to the head and the chest.


Samarra:
#1: Police colonel survived assassination in Salah al-Din province when a roadside bomb hit his car south of Samaraa city. “The locally made roadside bomb caused injuries to the colonel and his driver,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He noted that the blast damaged the colonel’s car.


Kakho region:
#1: The Turkish artillery shelled a border village in Zakho region, without causing damage, a source from the border guards said on Tuesday. “The Turkish artillery pounded Nasdour village in Zakho district, without causing damage,” Colonel Hussein Tamr told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Turkish jets started pounding some regions of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the city of Zakho,”


Sulaimaniya Prv:
#1: Iranian artilleries intensively bombarded border areas with the Iraqi Sulaimaniya province on Tuesday evening, said an Iraqi local source. “The bombing caused damage to people’s farms and properties,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He noted that the bombings caused no casualties because people within the attacked area departed their houses days ago fearing death.


Kirkuk:
#1: A roadside bomb went off on Wednesday targeting a U.S. patrol south of Kirkuk city, leaving one American vehicle devastated. “The attack occurred 80 km south of Kirkuk,” an Iraqi security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He did not mention further details, but noted that the U.S. force cordoned off the area looking for the attack’s perpetrators.


Mosul:
#1: Three persons were wounded on Tuesday in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Mosul, a security source said. “The bomb exploded in al-Baladiyat neighborhood in northern Mosul, targeting an army vehicle patrol, injuring a soldier, a civilian and a 90year-old child,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Unknown gunmen killed a policeman in front of his house in eastern Mosul on Tuesday, a police source said. “The gunmen opened fire on the cop in front of his house in al-Jazaer neighborhood in eastern Mosul, and fled to unknown place,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: One person was killed on Wednesday and four others were wounded, all from one family, when unknown gunmen attacked them northwest of Mosul city. “The gunmen launched the attack on today’s dawn while the family was sleeping,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He noted that the gunmen used butcher’s knives to launch the attack.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Men in a speeding car threw home made bombs at a police checkpoint in Shihabi neighbourhood, north Fallujah, Monday, injuring three police officers.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Militants attacked dozens of trucks ferrying vehicles for Western troops in Afghanistan early Wednesday near the Pakistani capital, a bold assault that killed seven people and illustrated the vulnerability of a crucial U.S. supply line. An Associated Press photographer saw around 60 containers damaged at a truck depot on the main road leading to the border with Afghanistan, about six miles (10 kilometres) from Islamabad. Many carried military vehicles such as Humvees. On Wednesday, charred shells of the trucks were jumbled together at the depot, and firefighters were dousing small blazes. The pungent smell of smoke gripped the air as officials surveyed the damage. A group of around 15 suspected militants first opened fire with automatic weapons and grenades before torching the trucks, police officer Kalim Imam said. Police official Shah Nawaz said Wednesday afternoon that seven people died. The victims' identities were not known, but they were believed to be Pakistanis employed as drivers or assistants. Seven people were also wounded.

In a brazen attack, unknown gunmen set on fire 50 oil tankers and trucks parked in Tarnol on the outskirts of Islamabad by lobbing petrol bombs and opening indiscriminate fire, which also left at least seven people dead on Tuesday night. The blaze engulfing the fleet was so intense that 50 tankers and trucks were completely gutted in spite of the brave fire-fighting effort mounted by rescuers.

#2: The attack near Islamabad followed clashes between the Pakistani military and insurgents in the northwest tribal belt bordering Afghanistan that killed 54 people, including eight soldiers, officials said. One clash occurred in Orakzai tribal region when dozens of militants attacked a security convoy, sparking a battle that killed six soldiers and 40 militants, government administrator Samiullah Khan said. The army had declared Orakzai cleared of insurgents earlier this month.

#3: Also Wednesday, government official Maqsood Khan said militants attacked two security checkpoints in Mohmand, another part of the tribal belt that has endured army operations. The overnight attack sparked gunbattles that killed two soldiers and six insurgents and wounded several from both sides.

#4: NATO-led troops killed 19 militants in separate overnight operations in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province, officials said Wednesday. The joint forces eliminated eight militants in Omna district of Paktika province during an operation Tuesday night, the press department of NATO-led forces in southeast Afghanistan in a statement released in Khost city said. The statement also said that some foreign militants were among those killed but did not disclose their nationality, Xinhua reported.

#5: In a separate operation Tuesday night, the national forces backed by NATO-led troops killed 11 Taliban militants including some Arab fighters in Sarobi district of Paktika, Paktika's provincial administration spokesman Mukhlis Afghan said.


DoD: 2nd Lt. Michael E. McGahan

DoD: Sgt. John K. Rankel

DoD: Spc. Brendan P. Neenan