War News for Tuesday, April 22, 2014

US force in Afghanistan may be cut to less than 10,000 troops

SAPD: Navy senior chief shoots wife, kills self

Pakistan’s most prominent journalist shot by gunman in Karachi


Reported security incidents
#1-2: Two militant attacks in northwestern Pakistan killed eight people, including five policemen, on Tuesday, officials said. Both officers said nearly 20 policemen were wounded in the two attacks.

#1: In one of the attacks, gunmen ambushed a police patrol on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar, killing five policemen and a civilian, said police officer Fazal Wahid. He said the police chased the attackers and killed some of the militants in a shootout.

#2: And in the neighboring Charsadda attack, a bomb rigged to a motorcycle exploded close to a police van, killing two bystanders, said police officer Sharifullah Khan. .

#3: A prominent campaign worker in Afghanistan’s presidential election was shot dead outside his home in the country’s east, officials said on Tuesday. The Taliban denied they were involved in the killing. Campaign worker Esmatullah, who like many Afghan men uses only one name, was returning home from visiting a friend on Monday afternoon when unknown gunmen opened fire outside his house in Logar province, provincial spokesman Din Mohammad Darwish said.

#4: In a roadside bomb attack, a senior administrative official was killed and six civilians were wounded in eastern Nangarhar province, the latest in a string of targeted killing. "The Administrative Rights director of Qarghahi district of eastern Laghman province Mohmood Quraishi was killed in a bomb attack while six civilians were wounded in the blast which took place in Sarrah Road district of neighboring Nangarhar province Tuesday morning," the Nangarhar provincial government spokesman told Xinhua.

#5: A local journalist was shot dead in Mianwali town of Punjab. Motives behind his murder are yet to be ascertained, SAMAA reported. Police said Shahzad Iqbal and his brother were on their way on a motorbike when unidentified gunmen intercepted the bike and opened fire on them in Mianwali town.

#6: At least three fighters were killed and three others wounded when the security forces lunched a counterstrike against the insurgents who attacked a police checkpoint in Momand Dara district of eastern Nangarhar province, an official said Tuesday. Two border officials were also injured in the battle, a border police commander, Brig General Wali Khan Shinwari told Wakht News Agency. He said militants attacked a police checkpoint of fifth battalion at about 2am [last night] but faced harsh counterstrike leaving three fighters dead and four others wounded.

#7: At least 12 Taliban militants were killed and 9 others were injured during counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan.