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.