Reported security incidents
#1: A Taliban shadowy district governor was killed in an operation in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Ghazni overnight, the provincial police chief said Thursday. “A local Taliban leader named Adam Khan who served as the insurgent shadowy district governor for Ghazni’s Andar district were killed and two suspected Taliban fighters detained in an operation conducted by police in Ali Qala area of the district Wednesday night,” police chief Zarawar Zahid told reporters in a press briefing here.
#2: Nine militants were killed and three hideouts demolished in airstrikes in the upper Orakzai tribal region, DawnNews reported on Thursday. According to assistant political agent Rafiq Mohmand, the airstrikes took place in the Arghanjo area of the upper Orakzai tribal area.
#3: Three soldiers were injured when unidentified people attacked a military convoy with an improvised explosive device (IED) on Bannu-Miranshah road on Wednesday, military sources said. The IED planted on the main road went off when the military convoy was passing through the area. A military vehicle was damaged and three soldiers sustained injuries in the blast.
#4: Meanwhile, 10 mortar shells fired from across the border in Afghanistan landed in Loli Faqeeran village of Ghulam Khan area in North Waziristan, officials said.
#5: Two members of a polio team were killed on Thursday in a roadside blast in
Khurram Agency. According to details, a roadside bomb went off in Mani Khel area of the upper
Khurram Agency killing two polio workers. Polio workers were traveling on a
motorcycle to a nearby area where they were to administer polio drops to
children.
#6: At least three people were killed and four others injured when a bomb exploded outside a commercial plaza in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday night, local media reported. Local Urdu TV channel Dunya quoted unknown police sources as saying that the bomb was detonated by a remote control outside a commercial plaza in Sohrab Goth area of Karachi, the largest commercial hub of the country.
#7: At least 22 people including children and women were killed or injured following separate explosions in eastern and northern parts of Afghanistan on Wednesday. According to local authorities in northern Faryab province of at least 15 people including three Afghan police officers were injured and an Afghan woman was killed following a blast in this province. Provincial security chief spokesman Syed Massoud Yaqoubi confirming the report said the incident took place after explosives packed in a motorcycle went off in Pashtun Kot district.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
War News for Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
War News for Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: Twenty militants were killed and several injured during search operation of the
security forces in Khyber and Orakzai agencies, FP News desk reported on
Wednesday. Sources said that security forces went into action this morning in Dawatoi
area of Jamrud resulting clashes that killed 12 militants, while their three
hideouts were destroyed. On the other hand, eight militants were killed and several injured in forces
action in Oblan area of Orakzai agency besides two hideouts were wiped out,
sources said.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
War News for Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Very slow news day today so go enjoy your day.
Reported security incidents
#1: According to reports unknown gunmen on Tuesday assassinated district chief for Hesa-e-Dowom Kohistan. The incident took place in Saha-e-Jamal area early Tuesday morning after unknown gunmen opened fire on Syed Mushtaq Sadat.
Monday, January 28, 2013
War News for Monday, January 28, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: Two police personnel were killed and as many more injured when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Marjah district of Helmand province on Sunday. An IED ripped through a police van in Shingharay area of Marjah, the district police chief Mullah Wilayat Khan told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). The injured were taken to the hospital.
#2: Two ANA soldiers killed: HERAT: (AIP): Two Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed in Herat province, officials said Sunday .The Taliban attacked a vehicle of ANA in the limits of Rabat Sangi district last night, killing two soldiers on the spot, the Herat 207 Zafar military corps operational in-charge Colonel Nizamuddin told the AIP. Two suspects have been arrested in this regard, he added.
#3: A minor lost his leg in a roadside bombing in Nawzad district of Helmand province on Sunday .
The IED blast took place in Nawzad at around 4:30 pm (local time), the district governor Syed Murad Agha told the AIP. A minor lost his leg and sustained critical injuries in the blast, he added.
#4: Fighting between two militant groups has left dozens of rebels dead in part of restive Khyber tribal belt along the Afghan border, officials said on Sunday. The violence began in Tirah valley in the Khyber tribal region three days ago after members of the Tariq faction of the Pakistani Taliban, who operate in Khyber, captured a building belonging to the pro-government group Ansar-ul-Islam. "The Ansar-ul-Islam group re-took their centre after intense fighting, which according to our information has so far killed 30-40 militants on both sides," a senior local administration official told AFP. A senior security official confirmed the approximate death toll and said fighting was ongoing. The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers so it was not possible to confirm the death toll independently.
#5: According to local authorities in northern Samangan province of Afghanistan, at least 10 Afghan civilians were injured following a road traffic incident in this province. The officials further added the incident took place after a civilian bus collided with the NATO troops vehicle in Rabatk highway. Provincial security chief Musadiqullah Muzaffari confirming the report said the incident took place on Monday and accused NATO troops for reckless driving.
#6: According to local authorities in eastern Logar province of Afghanistan, at least three Afghan civlians were killed by NATO-led coaltion security forces in Baraki Barak district. Provincial security chief Raes Khan Abdul Rahimzai confirming the report said the incident took place on Saturday evening while three brothers were on their way towards their home. Mr. Rahimzai further added coalition security forces opened fire on the motorcycle of the three civilians due misperception believing that the three brothers were suspected militants.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
News of the Day for Sunday, January 27, 2013
Eight police and 2 others killed by an explosion in Kandahar city. The police had gone to defuse a bomb, and were driving back to their station with three suspects in custody when they hit a second device, which killed 2 of the detainees as well as the 8 officers.
Karzai condemns suicide bombing in Kunduz Saturday evening
that is now reported to have killed ten people including provincial
counter-terrorism chief and head of the traffic department, and injured
18. (Elsewhere in this report it states the attack took place in Ghazni.
This appears to result from confusion with the attack Whisker posted
yesterday which at that time was reported to have killed two people, in
Ghazni. Bill Roggio indeed identifies two separate incidents.) AFP counts a total of 23 Afghan police killed in 24 hours.
Local officials say NATO troops killed 3 Afghan civilians in Logar province, ISAF denies the report, saying Afghan police killed 3 people suspected of placing IEDs who failed to stop at a checkpoint. (These stories are so entirely disparate that somebody is making something up. -- C)
Seven taliban reported arrested in Nangarhar, a taliban leader and 3 others reported arrested in Helmand.
Officials of Afghanistan's largest private airline Kam Air have rejected the claim that the airline has been smuggling opium to neighbouring Tajikistan. The U.S. military has blacklisted the company, claiming large quantities of the narcotic have been found on its flights.
Afghan government asks for $471 million in disaster relief following various catastrophes in recent years. (And Matthieu Aikins, for Harpers, let's us know what's going to happen when ISAF leaves and the gravy train stops flowing. Apart from opium, Afghanistan is essentially a camp follower economy. The country's enterprises and middle class will collapse.)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
War News for Saturday, January 26, 2013
Attackers blow up main oil pipeline in Yemen-officials
Over 1,000 Afghan army soldiers killed in six months
Reported security incidents
#1: Officials in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni say two people were killed in a suicide attack. Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the deputy provincial governor, told RFE/RL that the suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest on January 26 near a police post in the Qale Sabaz area, killing one police officer and one civilian. Ahmadi said three other people were injured in the attack. However, the head of the local hospital, Baz Mohammad Hemat, said 13 people had been brought to the hospital for injuries they suffered in the attack.
#2: At least four persons of peace militia got killed and five others were kidnapped
on Saturday in a militants' attack in the Dilber area of Dera Bugti district of
Balochistan.
According to the media reports, unknown armed men attacked a camp of peace
militia, pro-government armed force comprises of local people, in the Dilber
area of Dera Bugti district of Baluchistan.
Friday, January 25, 2013
War News for Friday, January 25, 2013
Three killed during clashes with Iraqi army in Falluja.
Reported security incidents
#1: A suicide car bomb blasted through two homes in Afghanistan Friday morning killing five people and wounding 15 others, authorities said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Kapisa province, saying the terror organization was trying to target U.S. troops, said Mehrabuddin Safi, the governor of the eastern province. No troops were killed or wounded, only civilians, Safi said.
#2: Three Georgian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan. As the Ministry of Defense of Georgia told Trend, Corporal Erekle Kharshiladze and Sergeant Iago Kakulia were injured in Taliban attack on Georgian patrol. The two soldiers were slightly injured and their condition is stable. Both were taken to hospital in Landstuhl in Germany. Private Guram Chomakhidze blown up on a mine while on patrol. He was seriously injured and taken to Bastion hospital. His condition is stable at this time.
#3: Five militants were killed and many others injured in a clash between the
outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Ansarul Islam (AI) militant groups
Friday in Khyber tribal region’s Tirah Valley. Officials said that TTP and AI militants clashed in Maidan village of Tirah
Valley in Khyber tribal region leaving five militants dead and several others
injured. The sources said that the death toll was likely to increase as the skirmish
had not ended yet.
#4: A relatively heavy explosion rocked northern Balkh province of Afghanistan on Thursday evening. The incident took place in central Mazar-e-Sharif city at Darwaza-e-Jamhuri area near the city shrine, provincial security commandment and central bank. Provincial security chief spokesman Sher Jan Durani said the explosive device was planted near a police ring of steel by the militants and went off while an Afghan police officer got closer to the stall. Mr. Durani further added that the police officer became suspicious of the explosive device and the blast took place after the device was thrown away by the officer. He said the police officer was injured following the blast and has been taken to the hospital for treatment.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
War News for Thursday, January 24, 2013
Pentagon to remove ban on women in combat
Reported security incidents
#1: Two policemen were killed and two civilians were injured as a roadside bomb struck police van in Nimroz province 790 km southwest of Kabul on Thursday, a local official said. “A mine planted by militants on a road in Mahajirabad area outside Nimroz provincial capital Zaranj, struck a police vehicle at 01:30 p.m. local time today killing two policemen aboard the vehicle and injuring two passersby, both women,” Abdul Hai Khudri the deputy to Zaranj’s governor told Xinhua.
#2: According to local authorities in eastern Paktika province of Afghanistan, a pilot less International Security Assistance Force aircraft crashed in this province. The officials further added the incident took place in Jani Khel district due to unknown reasons.
#3: At least 14 Taliban insurgents including three foreigners have been killed and 21 other insurgents wounded in a US airstrike in eastern Nuristan province, Afghan local officials said. The airstrike happened in the Dahan Baz Gul area of Nuristan's Kamdish district when Taliban insurgents were at a gathering, provincial police chief Ghulaam Mullah said, adding that the strike was carried out by drone.
News: Sergeant Mark Schoonhoven -- Sergeant Mark Schoonhoven succumbed from injuries suffered a month ago when a roadside bomb exploded in Kabul
News: Kpt. Krzysztof Woźniak
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
War News for Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: A suicide bomber has rammed a motorcycle packed with explosives into a convoy of Afghanistan’s national guards in the western Herat province, a local internet news agency has reported. The attack occurred 8 km south of the Herat city, which is the administrative center of the province. The terrorist attacked an armed police vehicle, killing one officer and wounding nine. Two policemen are said to be in critical condition.
#2: Militants on Wednesday dumped the mutilated body of a purported Afghan spy accused of collaborating on US drone strikes that killed prominent warlord Mullah Nazir in South Waziristan this month, officials said. The body of the man identified as Asmatullah Kharoti was found in Wana,
South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.
#3: An Afghan Local Police official was killed as the Taliban attacked security checkposts in Badghis and Herat provinces, officials said Tuesday. The Taliban attacked an outpost of the Afghan Local Police in Ali Charkh area, Qadis district, Badghis province last night, killing a cop, the district governor Mirza Ali told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). He said he did not have information about casualties to the Taliban. Meanwhile, the Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi told the AIP that five Afghan Local Police personnel, including their commander Abdul Rasheed, were killed in the attack in Qadis district. A Taliban fighter was killed in the gunfight, he said, adding their fighters captured one Kalashnikov in the attack.
#4: In Pashtun Zarghun district of Herat province, the Taliban attacked a police checkpoint in Baladash area last night, the district governor Muhammad Daud Nizami told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). He said the police did not suffer casualties, and that he did not have information about casualties to the Taliban in the gunfight. However, the Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmad claimed that three policemen were killed and one more was injured in the attack. The checkpost was also destroyed in the attack, he claimed. The officials rejected the claims as false and said the security forces did not suffer casualties.
#5: In a separate incident, the Taliban spokesman said their fighters killed a commander of the Afghan Local Police, Abdul Manan, in Salimi area of Pashtun Zarghun district yesterday.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
War News for Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Cold weather kills 17 Afghan ‘refugees’
Reported security incidents
#1: Three Australian special forces soldiers have been wounded in a shoot-out with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, with two needing to be flown to Australia for treatment. The soldiers from the Special Operations Task Group, which includes the SAS regiment and the 2nd Commando regiment, were on an operation to ''disrupt insurgent networks'' in Uruzgan province on Saturday.
#2: At least two personnel of Pakistan army were martyred and nine others were injured on Monday when their vehicle hit a landmine in Mohmand Agency, officials said. According to security officials, a vehicle of the security forces hit a landmine in Dozai area of the Mohmand Agency in the restive tribal region.
#3: At least eight militants were killed and four others wounded Tuesday when US drones fired missiles at militant compounds in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region, security officials said. The missiles struck militant compounds in the villages of Haider Khel and Hasookhel some 25 kilometres east of Miramshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district, a stronghold of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants. “US drones fired missiles on two militant compounds. At least eight militants have been killed,” a security official in Miranshah told AFP. The two attacks occurred within an hour, with four militants killed in each compound, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
#4: Up to 15 militants have been killed when a NATO drone launched an attack in eastern Afghan province of Nuristan, police said on Tuesday. "An unmanned plane with the coalition forces attacked a suspected compound in a remote area in Bazgul area of Kamdesh district Monday evening, killing 15 militants," a senior official with the Afghan border police in eastern region, Shams-ul-Rahman, told Xinhua.
Monday, January 21, 2013
War News for Monday, January 21, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: Militants have attacked the traffic
police headquarters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, taking control of the building
for several hours. At least three policemen and five insurgents were killed during the battle to
regain control. The siege began when two bombs were detonated - one a suicide bomb and the
second a car bomb - before armed men stormed the building in the west of the
capital. It took Afghan forces nine hours to dislodge them, Interior Ministry
spokesman Sediq Sediqi told the Associated Press. The militants were armed with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades
and tossed hand grenades out of windows of the four-storey building. Earlier, Gen Salangi told the BBC that four police and six civilians had been
wounded in the attack.
#2: Up to 15 Taliban militants have been killed in separate operations in different Afghan provinces, authorities said Sunday.
Afghan Border Police killed six insurgents during an engagement in Achin District in Nangarhar province 120 km east of Kabul, the ISAF's statement said.
In addition, Afghan army and police launched a cleanup operation on Saturday in the country's Helmand province, 555 km south of Kabul, to clear the militants in areas in Nad Ali and Marjah Districts, killing nine armed Taliban militants, a spokesman for provincial government, Ahmad Zirak, told Xinhua on Sunday.
Nine Taliban fighters were killed and weapons were seized during operation of Afghan security forces in Nadali and Marjah districts of Helmand province, the provincial governor's spokesman Ahmad Zeerak told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). The security force did not suffer casualties, he added.
In a separate incident, he said the Taliban opened fire at an ISAF base in Shna village of Nadali district yesterday when the responsibilities of the facility were being handed over to Afghan forces. The security forces did not suffer casualties but a girl outside the base was injured, he said. The girl succumbed to her injuries at an ISAF hospital, he added.
Meanwhile, an interior ministry press release stated combined forces conducted operations in Nangarhar, Ghazni, Khost and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours, killing 10 Taliban and arresting 10 more. An ISAF statement said some Taliban commanders and suspects were arrested in Paktiya, Helmand and Logar provinces.
#3: At least two people have been killed in a US-led drone attack in Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan, Press TV reports. The US-led drone strike claimed the lives of the two Afghans in Adam Khan region of Khan Abad town in Kunduz Province late Sunday. Earlier on Saturday, at least five people were killed in another US assassination drone attack in the northeastern province of Kunar.
#4: Unknown gunmen opened fire on a Frontier Constabulary vehicle in
Zakakhel market of Khyber tribal region’s Landi Kotal area killing one FC
personnel and injuring two others,FP News desk reported.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
News of the Day for Sunday, January 20, 2013
An attempt to assassinate the governor of Herat fails when the attackers' explosives detonate prematurely.
Afghan army says it is undertaking an offensive in the Alinegar district of Laghman province.
Elsewhere, Ministry of the Interior says 10 Taliban killed in various joint operations around the country.
Pakistan announces it will release all Afghan Taliban prisoners it now holds, including Mullah Baradar. This is evidently in furtherance of the peace initiative as the Taliban prepare to open a diplomatic office in Qatar. Afghanistan and the U.S. do not appear to object to this move. However, some Afghan MPs do object. (Note: The Pakistanis presumably know the whereabouts of Mullah Omar and are already protecting him. It would be surprising if this were not so. -- C)
An Afghan official criticizes Russia for not doing enough to fight demand for Afghan narcotics. The Russians have recently complained about increased drug production during the NATO occupation but the Afghans point the finger at Russia as a major consumer. (Reminiscent of Mexico and the U.S., no?)
This is a slightly weird story, but it appears the U.S. spent millions through a maintenance contract to service vehicles in Afghanistan which had already been destroyed.
Afghan government officials don't bother to register their cars or pay motor vehicle taxes.
Afghan spy agency apologizes for beating up journalists following the recent attack on its headquarters.
Note: An Iranian source, which is probably unreliable, reports that a U.S. drone attack has killed 5 civilians in Kunar province. I'm not going to link to it because I'm skeptical, but if this is ultimately confirmed I'll consider linking to them in the future. -- C
Saturday, January 19, 2013
War News for Saturday, January 19, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: Two suicide bombers were killed Saturday as their explosive vests went off prematurely in Guzara district in Afghanistan’s western province of Heart, an official said. “Two suicide bombers riding a motorcycle were trying to target the district office building through the main gate but their explosive were detonated prematurely near the compound killing both on the spot,” the administrative chief of the district Nisar Ahmad Popal told Xinhua. He said no member of Afghan security force or civilian was harmed in the blast in the province 640 km west of capital city of Kabul.
#2: Up to six militants have been killed and eight others wounded in an operation carried out by the Afghan forces in the country's western province of Herat, an army spokesman said. "A search operation was conducted by the Afghan National Army ( ANA) commandos in Zirkoah area of Shindand district overnight. As a result of the raid six militants, including a Taliban local leader Mullah Akbar, were killed and eight others wounded," spokesman Nasrullah Nasito Nadiri said.
Friday, January 18, 2013
War News for Friday, January 18, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: Four border police personnel were injured in a roadside bombing in Nangarhar province on Thursday. An improvised explosive device ripped through a police van in Joe Hafta area of Jalalabad City, leaving on board border cops injured, the Nangarhar governor's spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai told AIP.
#2: Two women were killed and three children wounded during an operation targeting Taliban in Shindand district of western Herat province last night, an elected representative said Thursday. Foreign forces conducted operation against Taliban in Kalchor area of Shindand district in which two women were killed and three children wounded, Toor Muhammad Zarifi, a member of provincial council from Shindand district, told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). He said two Taliban were also killed and several houses damaged during the clash, adding it was unclear whose fire caused civilian casualties.
#3: At least three Afghan citizens working for the NATO troops died following a non-combat incident on Thursday. NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) following a statement announced, “Three Afghan employees of an Afghan company contracted by the International Security Assistant Force died when the roof of the building they were in collapsed at Bagram Air Field, Bagram district, Parwan province, Afghanistan, today.”
DoD: Sgt. David J. Chambers
UK/MoD: Kingsman David Shaw
Thursday, January 17, 2013
War News for Thursday, January 17, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: Up to six militants have been killed and eight others wounded in an operation carried out by the Afghan forces in the country’s western province of Herat, an army spokesman said on Thursday. “A search operation was conducted by the Afghan National Army ( ANA) commandos in Zirkoah area of Shindand district overnight.
#2: According to local authorities in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, a local police officer opened fire on his commander and killed him. The officials further added the incident took place late Tuesday night in Panjwai district. Provincail governor spokesman Javid Faisal confirming the report said the assailant local police officer poisoned his comrades and then opened fire on his commander.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
War News for Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Bulgaria Formally Moves to Pull Out Troops from Afghanistan
Reported security incidents
#1: A car bomb exploded outside the gates of the Afghan intelligence agency on
Wednesday, injuring at least 10 people, according to witnesses. A spokesman for the interior ministry said three suicide bombers launched the
attack. The first detonated a large car bomb near the entrance of the National
Directorate of Security (NDS), spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said, and local security
forces shot dead two more men strapped with explosives. The explosion happened at around midday in an area of the city that is often
busy with pedestrians and not far from heavily fortified foreign diplomatic
missions, sending a plume of smoke into the sky. Gunfire was also heard.
Six militants wearing suicide vests — including one driving a car packed with
explosives — attacked the gate of the Afghan intelligence in Kabul on Wednesday,
setting off a blast that reportedly caused several deaths and wounded at least
30 civilians, officials said. A high-ranking official with the intelligence agency, called the National
Directorate of Security, said there were deaths from the attack but did not say
how many. He declined to give his name because he was not an official
spokesman. Kabul police said the first attacker detonated his bomb at the front gate of
the NDS compound and the other five, all wearing bombs strapped to their chests,
piled out of a mini-van and tried to storm the gate. All were killed, a police
statement said, adding that the van was also loaded with explosives, which did
not detonate and was later defused by police, the statement said.
#2: The Taliban militant group says it has shot down a US military helicopter in eastern Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Tuesday that the militant group was able to target a US copter inside a military base in the province of Kunar. The militant group did not provide further details regarding the incident, and US military officials have not commented on the group’s claim.
#3: Unknown motorcyclists shot dead an intelligence office in Uruzgan province on Tuesday. Two armed motorcyclists gunned down a National Directorate of Security (NDS) official identified as Ghulam Yahya in the limits of Tarinkot, capital of Uruzgan, the provincial intelligence director Khan Muhammad told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).
#4: An explosion killed two persons while they were trying to plant a roadside mine and wounded two others in the outskirt of Nangarhar province. National defense ministry press office said to BNA, four Taliban wanted to place an anti-vehicle mine in the vicinity of Batikot district. The mine exploded which resulted to the death of two Taliban and wounding two others.
#5: According to local authorities in southern Uruzgan province of Afghanistan, a explosion took place in the central city of Tarinkowt on Wednesday afternoon. An official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the blast took reportedly took place while Afghan security forces were looking to defuse a roadside improvised explosive device planted by militants. He said at least two Afghan security personnel were killed and two others were injured following the blast. The incident took placae in Sar-Shakhlo village.
#6: According to local authorities in western Farah province of Afghanistan, a number of the Afghan police officers attacked Italian troops convoy in this province. A local security official in Farah province speaking on the condition of anonymity said two Afghan national police officer along with a local police officer attacked NATO-led Italian troops convoy in Bakwa district last night and managed to escape the area after the attack. He said Italian troops did not suffer any casualties following the attack.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
War News for Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Military Suicides in 2012 Top Military Deaths in Afghanistan
Afghans want withdrawal of village police
trainers
Reported security incidents
#1: Three Taliban insurgents were killed and 10 others detained in separate operations in Afghanistan on Tuesday, in the latest raids as part of campaign against Taliban in the country, the NATO-led coalition forces said.
#2: At least four Afghan civilians, including two women, have lost their lives in a roadside bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan, Press TV reports. The incident took place late on Monday when a civilian vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Miyanishin district of the Kandahar province, said Rozi Khan, the governor of the district on Tuesday.
#3: Four militants and six security personnel were killed in a clash between the two
in Khyber Agency, FP News desk reported on Tuesday.
According to security sources, the clashes between the security men and
militants took place in Shanober area in Bara District last night that resulted
in the death of six security personnel including four FC men and four
militants. Nine FC personnel and seven Khasa Dar members were also injured in a battle
last night when militants had attacked a check post.
#4: At least three police personnel were injured when a bomb blast occurred in Chaman
police line on Tuesday morning, FP News Desk reported.
#5: At least four policemen were killed on Tuesday afternoon when a bomb blast hit a police convoy in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan, local media reported.
#6: The Taliban-linked militancy and cleanup operations elsewhere in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan have left 11 people including three civilians dead over the past 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday.
Monday, January 14, 2013
War News for Monday, January 14, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: A roadside bomb killed as many as 14 Pakistani soldiers in the northern border region of North Waziristan yesterday, military officials said, a day after the Pakistani Taliban leader called for attacks on the military in the area to stop. The explosion occurred on a road about 50 kilometres south of the provincial capital of Miranshah. Twenty-one soldiers were wounded in the attack, senior army officials said.
#2: Up to three Taliban insurgents were killed and eight others were arrested in different operations carried out by Afghan forces and the NATO-led coalition troops on Monday, said the coalition or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a press release.
#3: At least five Afghan soldiers were killed or injured following roadside improvised explosive device blast and militants attacks during the past 24 hours, Afghan defense officials announced.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
News of the Day for Sunday, January 13, 2013
Seven civilians are killed in an explosion in a mosque in Wardak province, under disputed circumstances. A joint U.S.-Afghan force had conducted a night raid in the Sayed Abad district in which 4 Taliban fighters were killed; the explosion occurred shortly thereafter. Wardak police, and the Taliban, say a NATO air strike killed the civilians, but an ISAF spokesman denies it, saying fire had come from the mosque but that NATO forces had left the area before the explosion occurred. AP says the civilians were digging through the rubble of the mosque, which had apparently been destroyed in the firefight, in order to remove bodies, when the explosion occurred. Khaama has a somewhat different story, saying that airstrikes in the area continued for several hours.
The chief prosecutor of Herat province and 2 bodyguards are killed in a drive-by shooting.
At least 80 people are trapped by heavy snowfall in Barfi pass, northern Baghlan province, and are at risk for their lives. Some people in the area have already been killed by avalanches. The authorities have warned people not to travel but some have ignored the warnings.
Due to the lack of adequate border and trade agreements, 2,500 tons of Afghan raisins are stuck on the border with Uzbekistan, and cannot be exported. (We noted last week the temporary resolution of similar problems with Pakistan. Afghanistan's future prosperity, once the foreign presence is reduced, obviously depends on a functional government that can solve these problems.)
Joint operation said to capture a Taliban leader in Helmand.
TOLO reports on the mixed reaction of Afghan politicians to Karzai's recent visit to Washington. The lack of clarity on what will happen in the next two years and what foreign forces will remain, along with disputes over whether any should, and the path to peace, continues to provoke controversy. (In spite of ubiquitous corruption, violent intimidation in some places, and government ineffectiveness, Afghanistan today does have robust political debate and a vigorous free press. We will see if that can continue. -- C)
Saturday, January 12, 2013
War News for Saturday, January 12, 2013
French hostage killed in Somalia raid, as military operation continues in Mali
French Soldier Killed in Somalia Commando Raid
Obama announces reduced U.S. role in Afghanistan starting this spring
Reported security incidents
#1: Two drivers were killed and 10 NATO containers were damaged on Friday night when several brazen rockets attacks were carried out on a terminal near Hazara Ganji, on the outskirts of Quetta. According to police, unidentified armed men fired four rockets targeting NATO containers which were en rout to Kandahar from Karachi and were temporary parked at the terminal. "Two drivers, identified as Abid and Waheed Shah, received multiple wounds in the attack and died," a police official said, adding that the assailants also opened indiscriminate fire that lasted for about half and hour.
#2: At least fourteen persons were injured when a blast occurred near Umarzai area of Charsadda while ANP leader Basher Khan’s convoy was on way to the court for appearance in some case Saturday, Geo News reported. According to police, 14 persons including ANP leader and former provincial minister Basher Khan were injured in the remote-controlled blast. The injured also include former Naib Nazim Zafarullah Khan and three policemen who have been shifted to Lady Reading Hopsital, Peshawar. Hospital sources told that all the injured are out of danger and in stable condition.
#3: Five Taliban militants were killed and four others injured in eastern Nuristan province on Saturday, Interior Ministry said. "The clash took place after a group of Taliban rebels attacked policemen in Durna village of Kamdish district this morning and police returned fire killing five rebels on the spot and injured four others," the press release asserted.
#4: According to local authorities in western Badghis province of Afghanistan at least 10 Afghan police officers were killed or injured following Taliban militants attack. Provincial police chief Sharafuddin Sharaf confirming the report said the incident took place after a number of Taliban militants attacked a security check post in Moqor district. Mr. Sharaf further added the clashes continued for almost two hours leaving at least four police officers dead, 2 injured and another office was disappeared. He said a Taliban militant was also killed following the clashes. In a separate incident Taliban militants attacked a security check post in Ab-Kamari district leaving at least 3 Afghan police officers injured.
DoD: Sgt. Aaron X. Wittman
SP/MoD: El sargento David Fernández Ureña
Friday, January 11, 2013
War News for Friday, January 11, 2013
Death toll from Pakistan bombings rises to 120
Reported security incidents
#1: Up to five Afghan policemen were killed and five others wounded when Taliban militants launched armed attacks against checkpoints in the country’s western province Badghis, the provincial police chief said Friday. “Five members of Afghan National Police (ANP) were martyred and five were wounded as Taliban militants raided their posts in Abkamari and Muquar districts late Thursday night,” police chief Sharafuddin Sharaf told Xinhua. He said two militants were also killed in the brief battle in the province 555 km northwest of capital Kabul.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
War News for Thursday, January 10, 2013
Pakistanis trucking NATO supplies to Afghanistan go on strike
Reported security incidents
#1: A suspected U.S. drone strike targeted a militant compound in northwest Pakistan Thursday, killing at least four people, two Pakistani intelligence officials said. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drone fired two missiles at the compound near the village of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, one of seven districts in Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
#2: At least 11 people, including a child and two security personnel, were reported killed and 40 others injured in a blast that took place near Quetta's Bacha Khan chowk on Thursday, hospital sources said. A congested market is located at the site of the incident and the explosion took place during peak hours. According to reports, the target of the attack was an FC checkpost. Several vehicles including a vehicle of law enforcement agency, nearby shops and food stalls were badly damaged in the explosion.
#3: Afghan security forces during a cleanup operations in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province with Jalalabad as its capital 120 km east of Kabul, leaving three Taliban militants dead and injuring two others, on Thursday, an official said. "The operations involving units of national army and police began early Thursday morning against Taliban militants in several villages of Khogyani district during which three Taliban rebels have been killed and two others sustained injuries," an army officer Neman Atifi told Xinhua. He also confirmed that one police and one army soldiers had been injured during the operations.
UK/MOD: Sapper Richard Reginald Walker
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
War News for Wednesday, January 09, 2013
US Considering Removing All Troops from Afghanistan by 2014
U.S. may remove all troops from Afghanistan after 2014
Some in administration push for only a few thousand U.S.
troops in Afghanistan after 2014
6 Strikes in 8 days, 35 Dead: The US Drone war on Pakistan is back
Snowstorm, fierce winds and deadly flooding thrash Middle East
In Old Taliban Strongholds, Qualms on What Lies Ahead
Reported security incidents
#1: Police say gunmen have killed two local government officials in separate attacks
in northern Afghanistan.
Deputy Police Chief of Kunduz province Ghulam Mohammad says both attacks
happened Tuesday. He says the commander of a police detention center in Dashti
Archi district was ambushed by gunmen while driving on a main road through the
area in the afternoon. Commander Abdul Salam and his bodyguard were killed.
Mohammad says the commander of the district's government-backed militia force
was also killed in a similar ambush about the same time. He says it was not
clear if there was a connection between the two attacks.
#2: Up to seven militants have been killed and 22 others detained in operations in different Afghan provinces within the last 24 hours, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. “Afghan National Police, army, NDS or intelligence agency and Coalition Forces launched 11 cleanup operations in Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Baghlan, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak, Khost, Paktika and Helmand provinces, killing seven armed Taliban insurgents and detaining 22 others over the past 24 hours,” the ministry said in a statement providing operational updates.
#3: According to reports at least 250 Afghan police officers were poisoned in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan on Tuesday night. A local official speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the report and said the police officers were poisoned in Marmal district at a military compound. The main reason behind the poisoning of the Afghan police officers is not know yet and it is not clear if any officer died following the incident.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
War News for Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Georgian Defence Ministry: 93 Georgian soldiers wounded in Afghanistan in 2010-2012
Reported security incidents
#1: A Pakistan International Airlines aircraft was on the runway at Afghanistan's Kandahar airport when it was attacked with rockets today though there were no casualties or damage to property, officials said. The aircraft with 44 people on board was ready to take off for Quetta. It later flew to Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Balochistan province, though the flight was delayed by over an hour, PIA officials said.
Unknown attackers on Tuesday fired eight to 10 rockets on the airport in Kandahar from multiple directions. There have been no reports of casualties or damage and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
#2: Several missiles fired from American drones slammed into a compound near the Afghan border in Pakistan early today, killing eight suspected militants, Pakistan officials said. The two intelligence officials said the compound was located near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan tribal area
#3: Three policemen injured when unidentified outlaws apparently threw hand grenade on them in Swabi district on Tuesday, police said. Police constables Asad Zaman, Amir Zia and Saddam Hussain were on routine patrolling in Swabi bazaar when came under attack with hand grenade about 930 am.
#4: Afghan forces have killed two Taliban commanders and arrested two others in Nagarhar province 120 km east of Kabul, spokesman for provincial administration Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said Tuesday. "Afghan forces backed by the NATO-led coalition troops raided a Taliban hideout in Khogyani district late Monday night and killed two Taliban commanders named Mullah Azatullah and Mullah Safatullah," Abdulzai told Xinhua.
#5: Units of Afghan police during series of operations have killed four Taliban militants and arrested two others over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here on Tuesday. The operations, according to the statement were conducted in Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni and Helmand provinces during which a number of arms and ammunitions including 50 kg explosive devices have been seized. It did not say if there were any casualties on police. Taliban militants have yet to make comment.
Monday, January 7, 2013
War News for Monday, January 07, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: At least 16 militants were killed and seven others injured in a coordinated attack by US drones which fired a volley of missiles at three Taliban hideouts in the restive South Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan on Sunday. Four CIA-operated spy planes carried out the attack in Babargarh area of South Waziristan, security officials said. The drones fired 10 missiles at three militant compounds, which were destroyed. Some reports said the compounds were being used as hideouts by the Punjabi Taliban. Sixteen militants were killed and seven more injured, TV news channels reported.
#2: A local policeman and two armed opponents were injured in a clash in Shindand district of Herat province last night, officials said Sunday. The Taliban attacked a checkpost of Afghan Local Police in Sanoghan area of Shindand district last night, leaving a cop injured, the Herat police chief Colonel Ghulam Sakhi Hussaini told the AIP. The police returned the fire, injuring two Taliban fighters identified as Mullah Hazrat Jamalzai and Mullah Maodood Sultanzoi, he added. Meanwhile, the Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi told the AIP a cop and a militiaman were killed in the gunfight.
#3: 13 armed Taliban rebels were killed in military operations of Afghan and NATO forces in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. These Taliban targeted by Afghan and NATO forces while carrying terrorist activities in the outskirts of Panjwai district of Kandahar province and Sangeen district of Helmand province. BNA quoting from NATO press statement said, these Taliban lost their lives when they wanted to attack on security posts and a caravan of Afghan forces.
#4: Afghan police have killed seven armed Taliban militants and arrested nine others during operations over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here Sunday. The operations were conducted in Kabul, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Khost and Farah provinces during which a number of arms and ammunitions were seized by police.
#5: According to local authorities in western Farah province of Afghanistan, at least 6 Afghan police officers are missing from a security check post in Pusht-e-Rud district. The Afghan police officers disappeared from the check post on Sunday evening.
#6: In a separate incident and Afghan security service member was killed following attack by unknown gunmen in Farah province. Provincial governor spokesman Abdul Rahman Zhwandai said the attack took place on Monday morning, killing an Afghan security service member and injuring another one.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
News of the Day for Sunday, January 6, 2013
Two suicide bombers attack District Development Council in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province. Four civilians are killed and 15 injured. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claims responsibility, says 9 were killed.
Pakistan will release 3,000 trucks stranded at the Afghan border as a dispute over border control policies.
U.S. drone attack reported to have killed 12 people on the border between North and South Waziristan. The target is reported to have been Pakistani Taliban leader Imran Punjabi.
President Karzai meets with a delegation of U.S. Senators in advance of his trip to Washington, D.C. tomorrow. He tells them U.S. forces should withdraw to their bases. (Inasmuch as he is the president of Afghanistan I would have thought that would be up to him. Evidently not.)
Eighty seven prisoners arrested by U.S. forces are released from Afghan custody in a gesture of reconciliation. However, some object that they will rejoin the insurgency.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
War News for Saturday, January 05, 2013
US plans 9 000 troops in Afghanistan
Soldier, 24, who survived Taliban bomb blast is found hanged at home while on leave
Nearly 130 Afghan prisoners released from Bagram prison
Afghanistan release 250 Taliban militants from jails
Reported security incidents
#1: At least 25 mortar shells fired from the Afghan soil landed in the border area of Ghulam Khan in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency on Friday, Pakistani officials said on Saturday. The sources confirmed the shelling by unidentified people believed to be Afghan security personnel, did not incur any casualties to local residents. The shelling according to the sources continued for four hours. The mortar shells were fired from Tarkhobi area in Afghanistan’s Khost province, the Afghan online newspaper (Khaama Press) reported.
#2: Air strikes by fighter jets have killed at least 20 militants in the Tirah Valley on Friday. The security forces claimed that the slain militants belonged to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. More than a dozen militants were injured in the air raids in Dwatoai area of Jamrud tehsil of the Khyber Agency. The spokesperson of the forces said that the action was taken in the wee hours of Friday and the jets bombed three suspected hideouts of the militants. The security forces' sources could not give an exact number on casualties in the bombings. However, they said that fourteen outlaws were wounded in the strikes. Actual number of casualties was hard to obtain because the strikes were carried out in a remote area that lacked communication facilities. The militant groups have also not confirmed the casualties.
#3: A man and his son were killed and a girl was injured when unidentified men opened fire in Panjgur district of Balochistan, Geo News reported on Saturday. According to police, Sub Engineer of CNW Muhammad Yousuf was standing with his son, Mehboob and 15 years old daughter outside his house in Garamaghan area when unknown armed men on motorcycles sprayed bullets on the family and fled from the scene. As a result, both the men died on spot while the daughter got injured.
#4: Unidentified men threw a hand grenade at a house in Tounsa district of Dera Ghazi Khan that injured two men, Geo News reported on Saturday. The police said that unknown men hurled a hand grenade at a house owned by Riaz in Muhalla Sheikhan Wala. The explosion injured two men and damaged two rooms of the house.
#5: Combined force detained six anti-government gunmen during an operation in Kashrod district of western Nimroz province this morning, an official said Friday. Afghan and foreign forces launched massive operation against Taliban in Goro Dewalak at approximately 10:00 a.m. (local time), capturing three suspected gunmen, Haji Muhammad Hashim Noorzai, administrator of Khashrod district, told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). He said the operations was ongoing. He said foreign forces aircrafts targeted a vehicle of gunmen in the same area, causing casualties to the people onboard, adding the number of casualties was unclear. nThere was no word by Taliban in this regard.
#6: A militant blew himself up instead of surrendering to police after an encounter in Swabi on Friday.
Friday, January 4, 2013
War News for Friday, January 04, 2013
Insider Attacks in Afghanistan Shape the Late Stages of a War
Reported security incidents
#1: At least 20 militants were killed and 14 others injured when Pakistani army launched an operation in the country’s northwest tribal region of Khyber on Friday morning, local media reported. Local Urdu TV channel Geo quoted military sources as saying that the army jet fighters pounded five hideouts of militants in Tirah Valley area in Khyber, a restive semi-autonomous region bordering Afghanistan.
#2: Up to 10 insurgents have been detained in an operation carried out by Afghan forces and the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in the country's eastern province of Ghazni, said the ISAF forces on Thursday. "Afghan and coalition forces detained 10 insurgents and located one weapons cache during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours," the ISAF's Regional Command-East ( RC-East) said in a statement.
DM/MoD: Oversergent René Brink Jakobsen
Thursday, January 3, 2013
War News for Thursday, January 03, 2013
Reported security incidents
#1: An intense fire fight took place during the stay of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili at the Georgian military base at Shukvani in Afghanistan, the president's administration said on Thursday.
#2: A US drone strike killed a Taliban commander, his deputy and eight others in northwest Pakistan, intelligence sources and tribal leaders said Thursday, weeks after he was wounded in a bomb attack believed to have been launched by Taliban rivals. Maulvi Nazir Wazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, was killed on Wednesday night when missiles struck a house in Angoor Adda, near the capital of Wana, South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, intelligence sources and residents said.
A second attack, in North Waziristan, killed four more including Pakistan Taliban commander Shah Faisal.
The second drone strike targeted a vehicle in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, killing four, the officials said. The drone fired a missile that struck the vehicle. It then fired two more missiles as people rushed to try to rescue the occupants, the officials said.
#3: Gunmen kidnapped seven soldiers from a bus on Wednesday, military officials said, just days after Taliban forces executed 21 pro-government paramilitaries they had seized. The gunmen took the seven soldiers and let go a sweeper on the bus with them, one military official said. The gunmen were wearing military uniforms, other sources said. The men were travelling between army headquarters in Rawalpindi and their stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when they were taken off their bus in Jand in Punjab.
