Explosion in Pul-e-Alam, Logar, kills 3 police and 2 civilians. The explosion is said to have targeted "a compound of the local militia" and caused an unknown number of non-fatal casualties. [I assume this means the local self-defense force the U.S. organized in many places on the model of the Iraqi Shawa councils.]
Two Afghan soldiers killed by roadside bomb, but the defense ministry gives no details, including the location. MoD also says six "terrorists" were killed in 3 different locations in the past 24 hours. Whether this means Taliban or some other group is unknown. Khaama says in this story that 4 Afghan troops are killed per day, on average. Most of these (obviously, if you read this blog) are not specifically publicly reported.
Three people are arrested in connection with the rape of four women in Kabul. The police chief, in discussing the case, says crime has increased dramatically in the capital, which he attributes to the dire economic circumstances. [That could contribute to some forms of crime, but rape is not an economic crime.]
Yes, the Afghan economy is collapsing as international aid and spending by ISAF declines. Afghanistan has essentially depended economically on the occupation.
Afghan Minister of Defense may attend the NATO summit in Wales if (as seems likely) the country does not have a president by September 4.
Back in Iraq, the two-month seige of the town of Amerli is broken as Iraqi troops and Shiite militias enter the town after U.S. air strikes against IS forces. The population consists mostly of Shiite Turkmen.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
News of the Day for Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
War News for Saturday, August 30, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: A suicide car bomber followed by Taliban gunmen attacked the office of an Afghan intelligence agency in Jalalabad on Saturday, killing six and wounding dozens. Heavy fighting soon broke out after the attack on the Jalalabad headquarters. Hours after the bombing of the National Directorate of Security headquarters, Afghan and Taliban forces were still fighting, Ahmad Zeya Abdulzai, spokesman for the eastern Nangarhar province governor said.
#2: Unknown armed men opened fire at an oil tanker and killed its driver in the southwestern province's Naseerabad district, police said. Muhammad Ayub, a police official told Dawn via telephone that two armed motorcyclists opened fire at an oil tanker and killed its driver. The cleaner of the tanker was also injured in the attack.
#3: A fierce gunbattle is taking place between army and militants in Kupwara region of Kashmir. One jawan has been reportedly killed and another got injured in the showdown that is taking place at Karlahoos forest. - See more at: http://www.eni.network24.co/india/jandk-one-soldier-killed-in-an-encounter-with-terrorists-in-kupwara-17750_2#sthash.nNuEGt1b.dpuf
#4: Unknown armed men gunned down 11 civilians and wounded four others in the western Farah province with Farah city as its capital 695 km west of Kabul on Saturday, spokesman for provincial government Jawad Afghan said. "Fifteen civilians were going to Iran when a group of unidentified armed men stopped them in Abu Nasar Farahi area in Farah province this morning and after questioning brutally opened fire killing 11 of them on the spot and wounding four others," Jawad Afghan told Xinhua.
#5: Five Afghan police were kidnapped Friday after their checkpoint came under attack by Taliban militants in western Herat province, police said. Militants numbered 10 to 15 raided a security checkpoint in a surrounding area of Obe district at around midday. The kidnapping took place after a gunfight.
Friday, August 29, 2014
War News for Friday, August 29, 2014
Quetta, three journalists murdered as attacks on Pakistani press mount
Leader of Iran’s Baluchi rebels killed in Pakistan
Reported security incidents
#1: Gunmen have opened fire on worshippers at a shrine in southwest Pakistan, killing at least six members of a minority Islamic sect and wounding seven others, officials have said. The attack came at a shrine of the Zikri community in Awaran district, about 650km southwest of Quetta, the capital of restive Baluchistan province.
#2: Unknown gunmen shot dead the provincial high peace council committee chief in capital Kabul late Thursday. According to Nuristani high peace council committee members, Haji Abdul Halim was assassinated by gunmen riding motorcycle.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
War News for Thursday, August 28, 2014
Pakistan’s polio woes continue — funds likely to run out soon!
New Taliban group vows attacks in Pakistan
US moves prisoners from Afghanistan to Yemen
Afghanistan vote audit to conclude on 10th of September, says Kubis
Largest NATO base to be transferred to Afghan forces in Helmand
Reported security incidents
#1: Suspected militants on Thursday opened fire on three tankers in Balochistan's Mastung district, police said. Amir Hamza, a police official told Dawn that four gunmen on two motorcycles opened fire at the tankers carrying fuel for Nato troops deployed in Afghanistan near Mastung bazaar. He said one tanker caught fire, whereas drivers of the other two tankers sped away.
#2: Two security personnel were injured on Thursday in a bomb blast near the Pak Afghan border in Mohmand Agency. According to official sources, the security forces' vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) near the Elbow Kandaow area of Mohmand Agency.
#3: Units of Afghan security forces have killed 21 Taliban militants in Chardara and Khanabad district in the northern Kunduz province, 250 km north of Kabul, over the past two days, provincial police chief Mustafa Mohseni said Thursday.
#4: Thirty-five armed Taliban including eight Pakistani insurgents were killed in a military operation in Urozgan province. The operation continued since three days in Shaheed Hasas district, eight other insurgents were also wounded.
#5: Armed Taliban shot dead head of Ulema council of Nangarhar province.
#6: The ANA forces conducted separate operations in vicinities of Maidan-Wardak, Helmand, Kandahar and Paktia provinces, killed 11 insurgents. Likewise, three ANA forces were martyred in explosion of a roadside mine and two others killed in a clash by insurgents in the operations.
#7: Six armed Taliban militants were killed in recent clashes in Ghazni province last night. The clashes occurred in suburb of Ghazni city, two other insurgents were also wounded.
#8: At least three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following improvised explosive device (IED) explosion.
#9: Unknown gunmen assassinated the municipal court chief for western Farah province of Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
War News for Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Afghan war-boom economy goes bust as foreign troop pullout nears, election dispute rages
Afghan election audit disrupted
Reported security incidents
#1: Afghan security forces are battling the Taliban for control of the northern province of Kunduz, where insurgents are threatening to overrun the capital and terrorising residents who have fled to nearby districts.
#2: At last 5 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following roadside bomb explosion, defense officials said Wednesday. Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, said the Afghan soliers were martyed following improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the past 24 hours.
#3: At least 25 Taliban militants were killed and 6 others were injured during military operations by Afghan national security forces in the past 24 hours.
Monday, August 25, 2014
War News for Monday, August 25, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: A truck driver and a cleaner were killed early on Monday as unidentified gunmen attacked a tanker in Jamrud tehsil on the Pak-Afghan highway. The tanker was transporting goods for Nato forces deployed in Afghanistan. Official sources said the tanker was attacked near the Wazir Dhand area of Jamrud which is situated in the northwestern tribal region of Khyber.
#2: Six foreign security personnel and an Afghan translator were injured in a suicide bombing on a military convoy in Afghanistan Sunday, an official said. "At around 3 p.m. Sunday, a militant rammed his car bomb into a convoy of foreign soldiers in Jalalabad city in eastern Nangarhar province. The blast wounded six troops and their local translator," Xinhua quoted provincial government spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai as saying. One military vehicle was also destroyed in the attack. However, the nationality of the injured remains unknown.
#3: Two prisoners and a child were killed on Sunday during an attempted prison break in southern Afghanistan, a top police official said. The chief of police for Zabul province in southeastern Afghanistan, Ghulam Saki Roghlewanai, said some explosives had been placed earlier near a prison wall.
#4: At least one person was killed and 15 others were injured when a hand grenade was thrown at a restaurant in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province in the southwest, police said today.
#5: A Taliban commander was killed today in a remote controlled IED blast in Pakistan's restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast took place outside the house of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, known as Khabare, in Mehraban Kalay area of Tirrah Valley in Khyber Agency, sources said.
#6: A commander of armed militants killed with his 2 bodyguards during military activities of Afghan National Army (commando) unit last night. Defense ministry press office said BNA, Commander Sanaullah who was involved in organizing terrorist attacks in Behsod district of Nangarhar province, killed with his 2 bodyguards during military activities of (ANA) commando unit.
#7: A member of peace council was killed by unknown gunmen in Ghazni province this morning. Shafiq Nang spokesman of Ghazni governor told BNA, Dr. Mohammad Ghani Bahadri member of peace council and tribal influential, which previously was head of provincial peace council in the province shot dead by gunmen in Ghazni city.
#8: At least five civilians were injured in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan following cross-border shelling from the other side of Durand Line.
#9: At least four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following roadside bomb explosion, defense officials said Monday.
#10: At least 35 Taliban militants were killed during joint military operations conducted by Afghan national security forces in the past 24 hours.
DoD: Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley
Sunday, August 24, 2014
News of the Day for Sunday, August 24, 2014
Suicide car bombing in Lashkargah, Helmand, injures 14 civilians and 2 police. The target of the attack is unclear. The bomber was apparently recognized by police and detonated his device prematurely.
Shelling from Pakistan injures a civilian in Kunar.
Afghan border forces are ordered to retaliate against any provocative moves by Pakistani forces. [Not sure what this means substantively but tensions between the two nations are evidently ratcheting up.]
The usual ridiculous claims from the Interior Ministry. This time they've killed 80 Taliban in the past 24 hours with zero government or civilian casualties. I link to it only to let you know that they put out these press releases every day. Any resemblance or relationship to the truth is unlikely to be found.
The Ministry of Defense, which is more credible, says the Taliban have made gains in Kunduz and elsewhere. Though they give no specific casualty totals, they speak of "the bloodiest operations in the past three months."
Pakistani military says 80 militants entered Balochistan from Afghanistan and killed a Pakistani soldier.
Karzai says his successor will be inaugurated Sept. 2, no fooling around.
Independent Electoral Commission expects to complete the vote audit by tomorrow. Then we'll see.
Woman driving a car in Kabul creates a sensation.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, IS resumes efforts to capture the Baiji oil refinery, government forces so far resisting with the aid of air strikes. It is not specified whether the air support is from the Iraqi air force or U.S.IS besieges the Turkmen town of Amerli, whose 20,000 residents are running out of food, water and medical supplies. Qatari officials deny funding IS.A Spanish tanker loads with Kurdish oil in the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Turkey is cooperating with the sale of Kurdish oil in spite of objections from Baghdad. [The sudden friendship between Turkey and Kurdistan is quite a dramatic development. At Today in Iraq the war between Turkey and the PKK was a prominent feature. This rapprochement is an essential condition for Kurdish independence, and makes it seem likely.] And of course the bombings go on. Three explosions target security forces in Kirkuk, 11 people die in a bombing in Baghdad, and a bomb explodes in Irbil. [That's bad news.] This article also says that 20 sorties a day are launching from U.S. carriers in the Gulf, though I haven't seen that elsewhere nor is it clear what they are doing.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
War News for Saturday, August 23, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: A paramilitary soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with militants who entered Pakistani territory from Afghanistan on Friday, the military said. The incident happened in Muslam Bagh sector in southwestern Baluchistan province near the Afghan border. “About 70 to 80 terrorists intruded from (the) Afghanistan side into Pakistani territory,” the military said in a statement.
#2: Twelve alleged militants were killed in an encounter with Frontier Corps Balochistan in Dasht area of Turbat district, on Friday. A press release issued by FC headquarters, here on Friday night said that following intelligence information, FC teams launched search operation against militants in Dasht area of Kech Turbat where an exchange of fire took place between the FC men and the militants, resulting in killing of 12 armed militants.
#3: Five militants were killed and five others injured in clashes with the Aman Lashkar that took place in Orakzai Agency, Geo News reported on Saturday. According to the sources, the militants ambushed the Aman Lashkar personnel when they approached the mountains in the border area of Sipah in Orakzai Agency on a tip-off regarding the presence of terrorists.
#4: Four civilians were killed and another wounded in drone attack of coalition forces in Logar province yesterday. Abdullah Hashimi one of the residents of the area said BNA, coalition forces bombardment three rounds on Padkhwab Shana region, Pul-e-Alam city, in which three civilians were martyred and another wounded. Colonel Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai police chief of Logar confirmed killing of civilians in the incident.
#5: Two officials of Ainak Copper Mine were martyred in explosion of a roadside mine in Logar province yesterday. Spokesman of Logar security directorate said BNA, two security officials of Ainak Copper Mine were martyred while their vehicle hit a roadside mine in Mohammadagha district.
#6: Thirty-five armed insurgents were killed in a series of clearing operations conducted by security troops in different provinces of the country. According to interior ministry press office to BNA, the security forces carried out several operations in Kunar, Zabul, Logar, Ghazni, Paktika and Ghoor provinces, in which 35 armed insurgents were killed, 24 wounded and another was arrested.
#7: At least five Afghan national army soldiers were martyred following improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in various provinces of the country. Defense ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, said the Afghan army soldiers were martyred in the past 48 hours following IED attacks.
#8: The Pakistani security forces launched attack in Maruf district of southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan on Friday. According to local government officials, the artillery shelling by Pakistani military lasted almost three hours, leaving a number of civilians killed or injured.
#9: At least five policemen were killed following an insider attack in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. According to local government officials, the incident took place late Thursday night in Greshk district after a policeman poisoned his five comrades and later shot them dead.
Friday, August 22, 2014
War News for Friday, August 22, 2014
Thursday, August 21, 2014
War News for Thursday, August 21, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: Gunmen in Khyber district opened fire on Thursday on tankers carrying fuel for Nato troops in Afghanistan, killing a driver and wounding two others, officials said. The attack occurred in Sor Kamar village of Khyber district, some 25 kilometres west of Peshawar. Three oil tankers were burnt in the incident, the official added.
#2: An early morning explosion from a remote-controlled bomb wounded four members of the Afghan National Army in eastern Kabul on Thursday. The incident occurred about 6:30 a.m. near a bus stop frequented by ANA members going to work, said a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry.
#3: In Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of eastern Nangarhar province, a sticky bomb attached to a police vehicle was detonated, injuring one civilian and one police officer, a provincial police spokesman told Xinhua.
#4: Five Afghan military trainers were killed by unknown gunmen in Herat province yesterday. The trainers, were working for Herat military academy targeted by unknown gunmen and killed in Angeel district.
#5: A woman was injured following cross-border shelling in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, local officials said. Gen. Syed Khel further added that 66 rockets were fired which landed in Dangam and Sarkano districts.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
War News for Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Afghanistan orders New York Times reporter to leave
Reported security incidents
#1: Two drivers were killed when gunmen attacked three oil tankers in Hawaldari post in Jamrud on Tuesday, official and tribal sources said. The sources said the empty oil tankers were going to Peshawar after supplying oil to Nato forces in Afghanistan when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them. Two drivers were killed in one of the oil tankers while the occupants of the other two vehicles escaped unscathed.
#2: As per a press release of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 18 militants were killed and their nine vehicles and several motorcycles destroyed in the fresh strikes carried out by Pakistan Army’s Cobra gunship helicopters in the North Waziristan tribal region. However, these claims could not be independently confirmed as journalists have limited access to the restive tribal agency. Separately, in another strike of Cobra helicopter in North Waziristan Agency, the security forces killed 30 terrorists and destroyed their seven hideouts and nine vehicles.
The political administration confirmed the incident and said Pak jets also pounded suspected hideouts of militants in Speen Kabr, Nala, Kajori and Manday Kas of tehsil Bara and inflicted heavy losses on the militants in the area. On the other hand, tribal sources denied the claims of the forces and said the jet fighters targeted civilian population in Bara and killed innocent local tribesmen in the air attacks.
#3: Three persons were killed and two others sustained injuries as a roadside bomb struck a civilian car in the southern Uruzgan province with Trinkot as its capital 370 km south of Kabul on Wednesday, police said. "The gruesome incident occurred at around 10:00 a.m. local time in Charchino district, leaving three persons dead and two others injured,"district police chief Wali Dad told Xinhua.
An engineer of Salam Telecommunication Company along with two others was martyred in explosion of a roadside mine in Charcheno district, Urozgan province this morning.
#4: At least 10 militants and one policeman were killed while a district police chief wounded Wednesday morning in a clash in eastern Ghazni province, a source said. "Taliban militants laid an ambush on police patrol in Andar district early morning. A gunfight took place. Army personnel arrived in the scene. The engagement left 10 militants and one police dead," army spokesman in the province Nazifullah Sultani told Xinhua.
#5: On Tuesday evening, gunmen abducted a former district governor in the country's western province of Herat. "The militants kidnapped former Adrskan District governor Mohammad Dawood Norzai. He also served as campaign manager of Dr. Zulmai Rassoul during the presidential election. A search and rescue operation was launched following the incident," a provincial police spokesman told Xinhua.
#6: Two students of a school were wounded in firing of a rocket in the outskirt of Syeedabad district, Maidan-Wardak province today.
#7: In clashes between Taliban and Afghan security forces 20 armed rebels were killed in Logar province last night. Deen Mohammad Darwish spokesman of Logar province said BNA, Taliban attackers including foreign nationals from three sides attacked on Charkh district, Logar province, which 20 insurgents were killed and 30 others wounded following the clashes.
#8: Four Taliban militants were killed and six others wounded following NATO drone attacks in Kunar province last night.
#9: The anti-government armed militants have suffered heavy casualties during military operations by Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers. Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, said the militants were killed during operations in eight different provinces.
#10: A foreign national was stabbed by an unidentified individual in capital Kabul on Wednesday morning. Preliminary reports suggest the foreign civilian was stabbed following a verbal clash. The incident has reportedly taken place in the vicinity of the airport.
#11: Heavy clashes have been reported between the Afghan national security forces and the anti-government armed militants in eastern Nuristan province of Afghanistan. According to local government officials, clashes started on Tuesday after scores of militants launched attacks on security check posts in Du-Aab district. In the meantime, unconfirmed reports suggest that the control of the district has falled to militants following heavy clashes.
#12: At least six Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following roadside bomb explosions in the past 48 hours. Defese Ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, said Wednesday that the Afghan army soldiers were martyred following separate improvised explosive device (IED) attacks.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
War News for Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Afghanistan reconstruction a multibillion-dollar waste
Deaths of humanitarian aid workers reach record high
Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistan's military says it has killed 48 suspected militants in airstrikes in two tribal regions near Afghanistan. In a statement, the military said army helicopters attacked militant hideouts in the Khyber and North Waziristan tribal regions.
#2: As many as 700 heavily armed Taliban insurgents are battling Afghan security forces in Logar, a key province near the capital Kabul, local officials said on Tuesday, in a test of the Afghan military's strength as foreign forces pull out of the country. Abdul Hakim Esaaqzai, the police chief of Logar province, said the insurgents, armed with heavy machine guns, were fighting Afghan forces from residential areas in Charkh district.
#3: At least six people including two infants were killed when a vehicle hit a roadside bomb in restive northwest Pakistan Tuesday, officials said. The attack came in Salarzai area of Bajaur tribal region, which lies on the Afghan border and has recently been attacked by the militants from across the frontier.
#4: The Pakistani military fired at least 30 more rockets in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.
#5: At least two militants were killed following an airstrike by NATO-led coalition forces in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.
Monday, August 18, 2014
War News for Monday, August 18, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: Armed oppositions carried out two attacks on Arza district, Logar province, but fortunately defeated by Afghans security forces. Deen Mohammad Darwish spokesman of Logar governor told BNA, at least 750 enemies of our country orders by their Pakistani bosses attacked on Arza district of Logar province, as a result of clashes with heroes of Afghan security forces sustained heavy casualties, in which 13 of them were killed and 23 others wounded. According to the source, during the clashes three policemen injured.
#2: Seven kidnapped de-miners were released from grip of Taliban. Shafiq Nang spokesman of Ghazni governor said BNA, the 7 abducted de-miners were released following mediation by the local tribal elders. The de-miners were abducted by Taliban militants from Kabul-Kandahar highway on Friday and the main motive behind their abduction is not clear so far.
#3: A total of 16 Taliban militants including two local commanders have been killed since Sunday night in the northern Kunduz province as clashes going on between security forces and insurgents in parts of the province, officials said Monday. "Security forces launched cleanup operations in Gultapa area outside provincial capital Kunduz city and Gumbaz area in Imam Sahib district last night and so 10 rebels have been killed there," provincial police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini told Xinhua.
#4: Meanwhile, six more Taliban fighters were killed in Aqtash area of Khanabad district, Kunduz province as their hideouts came under air attack on Sunday night, a local official said. "Six Taliban rebels were killed as their hideouts was attacked by unmanned plane on Sunday night in Aqtash village of Khanabad district," Hayatullah Amiri, the governor of Khanabad district told Xinhua.
#5: A businessman was shot dead by unknown gunmen in capital Kabul on Monday morning.
#6: At least 4 Afghan national army soldiers were martyred following improvised explosive device (IED) attack, defense officials said Monday. Gen. Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), confirmed that the four Afghan army soldiers were martyred during the past 24 hours.
#7: In the meantime, Gen. Azimi, said at least 38 Taliban militants were killed during operations by Afghan national army soldiers. He said the militants were killed during separate operations in six different provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
News of the Day for Sunday, August 17, 2014
Eleven de-miners are abducted in Ghazni province, on the road from Kandahar to Kabul. Their whereabouts are unknown.
Pakistani military fires 126 rockets into eastern Kunar province, according to the local police. Although the report in Khaama does not mention any damage, Tolo reports 3 houses destroyed.
The center for prevention of Malaria and Leishmaniasis in Kabul (which is actually a treatment facility) is attacked with a rocket, which strikes a vehicle parked in the yard. Officials fear that people will not come for treatment out of fear of further attacks.
A recount of 6,000 ballot boxes designated by the candidates begins. The results are expected to be decisive. Each candidate was allowed to select 3,000 ballot boxes that they believed may have been originally miscounted in their opponent's favor.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
War News for Saturday, August 16, 2014
Rain-related incidents leave 18 dead in Peshawar
Friday, August 15, 2014
War News for Friday, August 15, 2014
Georgian soldiers leaving base in Afghanistan
Reported security incidents
#1: Gunmen armed with automatic weapons, grenades and wearing suicide vests attacked two military airbases in Quetta early Friday, leaving eight militants dead after security forces opened fire, officials said. Sarfaraz Bugti, the home minister of insurgency-hit Balochistan province, said that militants had tried to storm the Samungli airbase, used by the Pakistan Air Force, and Khalid military airbase, both in the provincial capital Quetta, but had failed to penetrate either perimeter.
#2: At least four suspected militants were killed on Friday when security forces
opened fire on an explosives-laden vehicle in the Fort Slope area of Bara tehsil
in the Khyber tribal region. Security forces signaled a suspicious vehicle which was approaching their base,
directing it to stop but opened fire on it after the vehicle failed to accord
with the directive.
#3: At least three Afghan policemen have been killed and four others wounded in a bomb attack in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Laghman, APA reports. According to a statement released by the provincial government, the blast took place in the Baad Pukh district of the province, located 260 kilometers (161 miles) east of the capital, Kabul, at around 05:00 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) on Thursday when a vehicle touched off a buried explosive device.
#4: The Taliban insurgents executed five civilians on charges of spying for the government in southern province of Helmand on Friday morning, police said.
#5: The head of electoral campaign of Gul Aqa Shirzai candidates in the first round of presidential election in Helmand province was killed by armed gunmen. Abdul Malik was targeted by two gunmen and lost his life in Sofyan village, Lashkarga city. Eyewitnesses said that the attackers riding motorcycle and after the attack fled the site.
#6: Six people including a police were wounded in explosion of a bomb in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province this morning. The explosion occurred while a convoy of officials of the first security precinct of Jalalabad was passing the area. Hazrat Hosain Mashriqiwal police spokesman of Nangarhar said BNA, in the explosion, the head of first security precinct of Jalalabad city with his three bodyguards and two civilians wounded.
#7: An explosion occurred close to Ahmadabad district’s bazaar in Paktia province today. According to reports a convoy of security forces was targeted in Machlagho village in the incident.
#8: At least eight people including the district police chief for Spin Boldak were killed following infighting among the policemen in Kandahar. According to local government officials, the incident took place late Thursday night in Spin Boldak district.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
War News for Thursday, August 14, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: Afghan officials say at least three police officers have been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Laghman Province. A spokesman for the provincial governor said four other officers were wounded when the blast hit a police vehicle in Badpakh district on August 14.
#2: A Frontier Corps (FC) personnel was killed and another was injured after their patrolling vehicle was bombed in the Saryab area of Quetta Thursday morning.
#3: A teenage boy was killed following cross-border shelling from the other side of Durand Line in eastern Kunar province. Provincial police chief, Gen. Abdul Habib Syed Khe, said at least 21 rockets were fired from the other side of Durand Line on Wednesday night.
#4: Unknown gunmen shot dead the campaign manager of former presidential contender Gul Agha Sherzai in southern Helmand province. The provincial government media office in a statement said Thursday that the campaign manager of ex-presidential runner Gul Agha Sherzai was shot dead by unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle.
#5: At least four civilians were killed following an explosion in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. According to local government officials, the incident took place late Wednesday in Khanshin district of Helmand province.
DoD: Sgt. 1st Class Samuel C. Hairston
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
War News for Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: At least 20 people were injured in an explosion in Pakistan's Quetta on Tuesday night, the media said. Superintendent of Police Imran Qureshi told Dawnonline that armed militants hurled a bomb in busy market in Quetta city in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province.
#2: Taliban militants attacked Shibergan jail in the northern Afghan province of Jauzjan with Shibergan as its capital 390 km north of Kabul on Wednesday, triggering gun battle, deputy to provincial police chief Sayed Amanudin Hussaini said. "The police were going to shift 20 Taliban detainees and dangerous criminals from Shibergan jail to Kabul today morning when a Taliban detainee empowered a guard of the jail and snatched his weapon leaving other detainees to run away and take weapons," Hussaini told Xinhua. Police and other security personnel have surrounded the jail to re-arrest the detainees, the official added.
#3: Up to 80 militants have been killed in a series of military operations in Afghan provinces within the past 24 hours, said the country's Interior Ministry on Wednesday morning.
#4: As a result of a roadside mine explosion, two civilians wounded in Kunar province yesterday.
#5: The Pakistani militaries fired 37 rockets in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan yesterday. Abdul Habib Sayedkhail police chief of Kunar province said BNA correspondent, the rocket shells targeted Dangam and Shigal districts of the province. According to Sayedkhail, the attacks have not casualties, but four families left their homes.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
War News for Tuesday, August 12, 2014
NATO warns Afghanistan of total pullout unless election deadlock ends
Reported security incidents
#1: The three policemen died when their patrol vehicle struck a bomb planted along the road in the district of Bahrami Shahid in southern Gazni province, according to the province’s deputy police chief, Asadullha Ensafi. A fourth policeman was wounded in the attack, Ensafi said.
#2-3: At least five people were killed and two injured in two separate incidents in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
#2: According to the police, the first incident of firing occurred in Dera Ismail Khan city when the victims were returning after attending a wedding function, Geo News reported. The assailants, who were waiting for their targets, ambushed the victims' car killing three people and injuring two. The victims included a policeman.
#3: Another incident occurred in Malangi Town where unidentified gunmen entered a house and opened fire at the residents killing two people.
#4: Three more civilians also lost their lives in Ghazni province as a mine planted by militants struck their motorbike Monday morning, according to the official.
#5: However, the security forces during cleanup operations launched Monday morning have killed 22 Taliban militants including two local commanders in Ghazni province, an army spokesman in the province Nazifullah Sultani said. There were no casualties on the security personnel, he said, adding the cleanup operations will continue till eviction of the militants from the district.
#6: "A group of Taliban rebels launched offensive against police checkpoints in Narai district, Kunar province Monday morning and police retaliated killing 12 insurgents on the spot," provincial police chief Abdul Habib Sayedkhili told Xinhua. "During the gun battle which lasted for a while, two civilians were killed and 28 others including 14 Taliban rebels, four police and 10 civilians sustained injuries," the official further said.
#7: Seven civilians including women and children were martyred in joined operation conducted by Afghan and foreign troops in Logar province.
Monday, August 11, 2014
War News for Monday, August 11, 2014
Afghanistan: No justice for thousands of civilians killed in US/NATO operations
Reported security incidents
#1: A blast occurred in Qandhari Bazar area of Chaman Monday morning and reports suggested that several persons were injured in the explosion. According to the sources, a powerful explosion occurred in Qandhari Bazar area today morning that injured several persons. Security forces told that four persons were wounded in the suspected motorcycle blast.
#2: Afghan forces during cleanup operations launched Monday morning have killed 22 Taliban militants including two local commanders in Ghazni province, an army spokesman in the province Nazifullah Sultani said.
#3: About 51 Taliban militants have been killed in Afghan security forces' cleanup operations across the country within day, the country's Interior Ministry said Monday morning. "Afghan National Security Forces conducted cleanup operations and battled the Taliban militants in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunduz, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Logar and Helmand provinces within the past 24 hours, killing 51 armed Taliban rebels,"the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.
#4-5: Six Afghan policemen and three civilians were killed in two separate bomb attacks in eastern province of Ghazni on Monday morning, a provincial government spokesman said.
#4: "A police van set off a roadside bomb in Andar district early Monday morning, and the explosion left six police cops dead and two others wounded," spokesman Shafiq Nang told Xinhua.
#5: In neighboring Gilan district, three men died as their motorcycle ran over a roadside bomb nearly at the same time, according to the spokesman.
#6: In another development, four militants and one policeman were killed and six Taliban rebels and two policemen were wounded in a clash which took place after Taliban attacked police checkpoints in Aqcha district of northern Jawzjan province overnight, the provincial police chief Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani told Xinhua, adding that a Taliban local leader named Qari Sadroddin was among the killed.
#7: 52 rockets shells fired by Pakistani forces on Kunar province last night. Col. Abdul Habib Sayeedkhail police chief of the province told BNA, 52 rockets shells fired by Pakistani forces on Dangam, Shigal and Marawar districts of Kunar province, as a result of which a woman and a man were seriously injured.
#8: The Taliban militants have ambushed senior government officials including the provincial governor in northeastern Badakhshan province. According to local government officials, the senior government officials have been trapped in the area and clashes continue to end the Taliban siege. The incident took place in Jurm district and the provincial intelligence chief, governor spokesman and police chief are also among those trapped in the area.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
News of the Day for Sunday, August 10, 2014
Suicide bomber targeting an ISAF convoy in Kabul kills 4 civilian bystanders, injures dozens. An ISAF vehicle is lightly damaged. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claims responsibility.
I don't know why I bother to link to this garbage, maybe just so nobody will accuse me of ignoring it. The Interior Ministry is really outdoing itself today, claiming 96 Taliban killed in the past 24 hours, which is three or four times the usual, with the usual zero government or civilian casualties. Sure.
The Independent Electoral Commission begins the process of formally invalidating ballots. (This is going to be at least as bad as Florida and the hanging chads, I expect.)
Afghan exports unexpectedly fall 20% in the first quarter. (This refers to legal exports, such as dried fruits and carpets, not Afghanistan's leading export which by all accounts is doing just fine, thank you.) The Chamber of Commerce blames this on political instability surrounding the disputed presidential election, but I must say it's hard for me to see what the link is.
Britain's Prince Harry recalls his service in Afghanistan. "Prince Harry has recalled the ''horrendous'' images he saw during two tours of
Afghanistan when he encountered children who had died from roadside bombs
and soldiers lying on the battlefield." He served as a helicopter pilot who transported casualties to the hospital.
In Iraq, the Interior Minister claims IS murdered 500 Yazidis. In better news, Kurdish forces create an escape corridor from Mt. Sinjar and tens of thousands of people make it to a refugee camp. However, conditions there are still grim. The refugees tell horrific stories. "Maher, 16, of the Qassem family, but from the village of Yarmouk,
said he watched with binoculars that he stole from a soldier, as Islamic
State fighters stopped tens of people. "They separated the men
and women, and they took some of the women away on trucks. They shot the
men," he said. "I went crazy. I couldn't sleep, eat or drink, I
couldn't talk to anybody."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is in Iraq to discuss humanitarian aid while U.S. airstrikes on IS vehicles continue. No major territorial gains on any side are reported.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
War News for Saturday, August 9, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: AT least nine army officers have been killed in separate roadside bombings in Afghanistan. DEFENCE ministry officials say the officers were killed during combat operations while trying to rid the area of insurgents.
#2: Separately, three army officers and three civilians were injured by a bomb planted along a footpath in Kabul Saturday morning, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.
#3: At least four people were killed and two others injured after unidentified militants from Afghanistan stormed the house of an anti-Taliban militia leader in Upper Dir on Friday night.
#4: About 59 militants have been killed in Afghan army operations across the country over the last two days, said the Defense Ministry on Saturday morning. The statement also confirmed that nine army soldiers were killed in roadside bombings over the same period.
#5: 133 rockets shells fired by Pakistani forces on Dangam district, Kunar province last night. As a result of the rocket shells a civilian was martyred and a residential house has been destroyed.
#6: District intelligence chief for Sherin Tagab was killed following an ambush by Taliban militants in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan. According to local government officials, the incident took place on Saturday in Khawajah Sabz Posh district while the district chief was on his way to Sherin Tagab district. The district administrative chief, Loqman Gaharyak, said the driver of Sherin Tagab district intelligence chief was also killed following the ambush.
#7: A heavy explosion was heard in capital Kabul on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least one person dead and another one injured. The official further added that the blast took place after a magnetic bomb planted in a police vehicle went off. Stanikzai further added that the target of the blast was apparently a vehicle of Wardak provincial council member.
#8: A rocket landed within the vicinity of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) facility near the Kabul International Airport late Friday night. The alliance following an online statement statement said, “We can confirm that one rocket impacted NKAIA last night, resulting in minor damage.”
Friday, August 8, 2014
War News for Friday, August 8, 2014
Obama Allows Limited Airstrikes on ISIS
EU deploys 100 additional observers to assess Afghan vote audit
Reported security incidents
#1: An Afghan official says Taliban fighters stormed a police checkpoint overnight in southern Helmand province, killing four policemen. Deputy district Governor Mohammad Rassoul says the attack happened in Sangin district and that the Taliban have captured the checkpoint.
#2: At least 12 people, including two police personnel, were wounded in a remote-controlled explosion in Chaman Town, a township that shares border with Afghanistan, on Thursday. According to a senior police officer, the target was a police patrol vehicle. "The improvised explosive device (IED) was rigged to a motorbike which was parked near a hotel on Mall Road in Chaman. The bomb was detonated remotely when the police vehicle passed by," said Mohammed Ashraf, a police officer in Chaman.
#3: A roadside bomb struck the vehicle of district governor in Sangin district of Helmand province on Friday, killing and injuring several persons. "I along with an army officer were going to inspect a checkpoint in Sarwan Qala area of Sangin district this morning at 09:00 a.m. but a roadside bomb organized by militants struck our vehicle injuring both of us besides killing and injuring few others," Sayed Suliman Shah, the governor of Sangin district, told Xinhua from hospital bed.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
War News for Thursday, August 7, 2014
Kandahar police chief orders execution of militants arrested during operations
Reported security incidents
#1: At least three paramilitary soldiers and two militants were killed today in two separate incidents of violence in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, officials said. Unknown militants attacked the Frontier Corps convoy in Nasirabad area of Turbat district, killing two soldiers and injuring six others, said a security official. In retaliatory fire, two militants were also killed while the others escaped.
#2: Elsewhere, a soldier of Balochistan Constabulary was killed in Quetta when unknown gunmen targeted him. A police official said that the victim was identified as Aziz Khan who died on the spot. The killers managed to escape after the crime.
#3: During a security forces operation in the northern Baghlan province, four Taliban militants were killed and eight others were wounded, the Baghlan Governor's spokesman, Mahmoud Hakmal said. However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that seven security forces were killed, and 12 others injured.
#4: Additionally in a separate incident, the Badghis police department said that eight militants were killed and 12 were wounded during clashes there.
#5: Up to 104 Taliban militants have been killed and 33 others wounded in Afghan security forces' operations in two provinces, the country's Interior Ministry said on Thursday. "As part of exerting pressure against Taliban militants, the security forces launched crackdown in surrounding areas of southern Helmand and eastern Nangarhar provinces over the past 72 hours. The security forces battled the militants, killing 104 Taliban militants and wounding 33 others," the ministry said in a statement.
#6: Furthermore, 171 Taliban militants, including several foreign militants, had been killed during nine-day battle in Zharay district of southern Kandahar province which began on July 27, provincial police chief General Abdul Raziq told reporters there earlier on the day. The police chief said about 73 militants were wounded and 65 others detained during the clashes. Several militants' hideouts were also destroyed. The militants tried to gain control of the district near provincial capital Kandahar city, he said, adding 14 security forces personnel died and 17 others were wounded during the fierce clashes.
#7: According to local authorities in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, the Pakistani military has fired at least 135 rockets in this province during the past 24 hours.
#8: A heavy explosion was heard in capital Kabul late Wednesday night, with preliminary reports suggesting that a rocket landed near the Iranian embassy.
#9: Heavy clashes continue in central Uruzgan province of Afghanistan as scores of Taliban militants launch coordinated attacks in Khas Uruzgan district. According to local government officials, around 900 Taliban militants have taken part in the offensive which was launched five days ago.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
War News for Wednesday, August 6th, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: update -- A U.S. general was killed and more than a dozen people were wounded on Tuesday, including a German general, in the latest insider attack by a man believed to be an Afghan soldier, U.S., German and Afghan officials said.
#2: In eastern Paktia province, an Afghan police guard exchanged fire with NATO
troops near the governor’s office, provincial police said. The guard was killed
in the gunfight.
#3: A third “insider attack” happened late Tuesday in the Uruzgan provincial capital
of Tirin Kot, where an Afghan police officer killed seven of his colleagues at a
checkpoint, then stole their weapons and fled in a police car, provincial
spokesman Doost Mohammad Nayab said. A doctor at a local hospital told The Associated Press it appeared the police
officer drugged his colleagues before the shooting.
#4: At least seven suspected militants have been killed in the latest U.S. drone strike in Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal belt. The latest strike took place in Lawara Mandi village in the federally-administered North Waziristan tribal agency, where the Pakistani military began Operation Zarb-e-Azb against militants in mid-June. This is the fifth drone strike since June 12. “A drone fired two missiles at a compound in Lawara Mandi and at least seven militants were killed,” said a senior security official in the region, adding that the dead included local and foreign militants, including Uzbeks and Haqqani network members.
#5: Two unidentified men opened fire on three members of the Sikh community in Peshawar on Wednesday, killing one and injuring the others, a private news channel reported. According to the report, attackers opened fire on the men around 10am in Shabab Market of Hashtnagri area of Peshawar.
#6: In continuation of operation which was launched recently by Afghan security forces in Helmand province, 35 armed oppositions were killed. Ministry of National Defense press office with sending a written letter stated BNA, the operation conducted under the name of Oqab (Eagle) few days ago in relevant areas of Sangeen district of the province, in which 35 Taliban militants lost their lives, 30 others wounded and several others arrested in the district.
DoD: Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
War News for Tuesday, August 5th, 2014
Reported security incidents
#1: Multiple Western soldiers were killed Tuesday after a shooting at a military academy near Afghanistan's capital, officials said. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force confirmed "fatalities' after "a shooting incident involving ISAF and Afghan troops," but could not confirm the number of victims or their nationalities. The shooting happened at Camp Qargha, which is located west of Kabul, the ISAF spokesman said.
The UK's Ministry of Defence is investigating reports of an Afghan soldier
opening fire at a British-run military academy near Kabul. The BBC's Afghanistan correspondent David Loyn said he understands that an
argument took place late morning or lunchtime between Afghans and an armed
Afghan soldier, who opened fire.
At least four foreign soldiers were reportedly killed when an Afghan soldier fired on them in a military center in Kabul on Tuesday, a source said.
#2: A NATO helicopter strike targeting missile-launching Taliban militants killed four civilians in western Afghanistan, an Afghan official said on Tuesday. NATO said they were investigating the attack. The attack in western Herat province on Monday night in the province’s Shindan district, said Raouf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial chief of police. He said Taliban militants launched a missile at an airport nearby, drawing the NATO helicopter’s fire.
#3: A landmine killed the 19-year-old son of Afghanistan's Kosan district's security director, Qadir Khan, in western Herat province early on Monday, local officials said. The mine was placed near the door of Qadir Khan's house and exploded after he and his son, Tariq, were headed to the office, said Juma Gul Rahmani, the district governor.
#4: At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed and several others injured today when unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in southwestern province of Balochistan. The incident occurred in Mastung district when a Balochistan Constabulary vehicle was on a routine patrol in Splanji area and suddenly came under attack from nearby mountains, the Dawn reported. "Several personnel were injured in the attack," a security official said.
#5: At least 30 suspected militants were killed and six of hideouts destroyed in
fresh air strikes carried out by fighter jets in Datta Khel, Marsikhel, and
Kamsham areas of North Waziristan tribal region, the ISPR sources said.
#6: About 33 Taliban militants were killed while 15 others injured during military operations across Afghanistan since early Monday, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
At least five Afghan national army (ANA) soldiers were martyred in fresh spate of violence during the past 24 hours.
#7: One Afghan civilian was killed along with two of his sons in a drive-by shooting in Guzara District of western Herat province on Monday, the latest in a string of targeted killings, a source said. "Abdul Shokor Robadmirza and two of his sons were killed after two men riding a motorcycle spree bullets on them at the gate of their house at around 6:00 p.m. (local time) in Guzara District," the district governor Nisar Ahmad Popal told Xinhua.
DoD: Staff Sgt. Girard D. Gass Jr.
