War News for Monday, December 21, 2010

The DoD is reporting a new death unreported by the military. Cpl. Sean A. Osterman died Thursday, December 16th in Germany from wounds received from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan on Tuesday, December 14th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, December 21st.


NATO denies US military pushing for Pakistan raids

U.S. Military Seeks to Expand Raids in Pakistan

'Pak may launch military offensive in N.Waziristan Agency in 6 months'


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: “A group of armed men opened fire from silencer guns on an Iraqi Intelligence officer, with a colonel rank, when driving his car close to central Baghdad’s al-Nisour Square late Tuesday night, killing on the spot” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: A Katyusha rocket hit a house in Kirkuk, causing material damage, while police forces arrested nine wanted men in southwest of Kirkuk, a source from the joint coordination center said on Monday. “The rocket landed on Monday on a house in Baghdad road region in al-Askari neighborhood, southern Kirkuk, causing material damage to the house,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: Three Libyan gunmen were killed in clashes with Iraqi army forces in Mosul's western neighborhood of al-Resala on Monday, a security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The incident occurred when the 2nd division of the Iraqi army fired back at the gunmen, who threw hand grenades at the soldiers in Mosul, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh.

#2: On the same day, gunmen opened fire on the president of Mosul University when he was heading from his house to a mosque in the city's eastern al-Kafaat neighborhood. Saeed al-Diwah was seriously injured in the Monday attack.

#3: Meanwhile, a Katusha rocket hit a house in the al-Askari neighborhood of the northern city of Kirkuk. The attack did not cause any casualties.


Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Afghan forces clashed with suspected militants in the northern part of the country, killing four including a foreign fighter, a local official said Tuesday. The fighting in Khawaja Ghar district of Takhar province began on Monday night after soldiers attacked a Taliban hideout in the region, Mullah Mohammad Omar, the district governor, said. Four other insurgents were injured and a fighter from neighbouring Tajikistan was among those killed, he said.

#2: The governor of Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province was unhurt in a Taliban ambush but security forces returned fire and killed nine militants on Monday, provincial police chief Khalilullah Ziae said. "A group of militants ambushed the motorcade of Syed Fazalullah Wahidi at around 04:00 p.m. local time today in Nurgul district but the governor was unhurt and no security forces were injured in the attack,"Ziae told Xinhua. The police in retaliation returned fire and killed nine militants on the ground, he added. However, Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for Taliban in talks with media from undisclosed location confirmed the incident but said none of the outfit's fighters had been killed in the gun battle lasted for a while.

#3: Clash between police and Taliban fighters left four insurgents dead in northern Takhar province on Monday, a local official said Tuesday. "A group of armed Taliban militants were attempting to disrupt a meeting of local authorities in Khajaghar district yesterday afternoon but police returned fire killing four rebels," district governor Mohammad Omar told Xinhua. Four more militants sustained injuries in the action, he further said.


DoD: Cpl. Sean A. Osterman

DoD: Cpl. Eric M. Torbert Jr.