War News for Tuesday, January 31, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, January 31st.


Obama confirms U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan

On the Ground in Afghanistan, a Taliban Whose Momentum Seems Anything but Broken

Alternate routes for Nato supplies may come under attack: experts

Reconstructing the bombing of a CIA base

Fear drives new front in Afghan peace talks: analysts

US unilateralism in Afghanistan

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, January 31, Jan. 30th.


Reported security incidents
#1: Dozens of heavily armed Taliban militants attacked a Pakistani military post on Tuesday, sparking clashes that killed seven soldiers and wounded another 10, the military said. At the time, security forces claimed to have taken control of Jogi, which is strategically located near Orakzai district, birthplace of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud. A senior military official told AFP that "more than 300 Taliban attacked" the checkpost at around midnight (1900 GMT Monday) in central Kurram, which is on the Taliban route into North Waziristan and onto the Afghan border. Pakistani security forces retaliated and killed around 25 militants, but seven soldiers were also killed and 10 others wounded, the official said. Independent confirmation of death tolls is largely impossible in the tribal belt, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold barred to journalists and aid workers. "Heavy fighting continued until this morning," the military official said. Local administration official Sher Bahadur confirmed the military deaths but put the number of wounded paramilitaries at 12.

#2: Four armed insurgents were killed during joint Afghan and coalition security operations in several provinces in the past 24 hours, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

#3: Three people were killed and eight others wounded in a suspected suicide bombing at a house in the northwestern city of Peshawar, police officials said. The house belonged to the leader of a pro-government tribal militia fighting against militants in the nearby Khyber tribal region.

#4: According to local authorities in eastern Afghanistan, at least 25 armed militants were killed and injured following a military operation in eastern Kapisa province. A spokesman for provincial police commandment in eastern Kapisa province Asadullah Hamidi said, the operation was conducted in Elasai district by Afghan security forces. Mr. Hamidi further added, at least 19 militants were killed and 6 others were injured during the military operations. He also said, several regions in Elasai district was cleared from the militants and the local residents can continue to their normal lives. In the meantime local officials said, at least eight civilians were also killed and injured during the military operations. The officials said, Afghan civilians were killed during clashes between Afghan security forces and armed militants. According to local officials, Afghan security forces did not suffer any casualties during the operations.