NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Friday, January 7th.
NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, January 7th.
Allied surge fails to dent Taliban strength in Afghanistan
Sadrists Project Confidence in Iraq
In Iraq, apprehension ahead of speech by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
Pentagon Seeks Biggest Military Cuts Since Before 9/11
Reported security incidents
Diyala Prv:
#1: Gunmen shot dead five people, including the sister of an Iraqi policeman, in their beds in a house northeast of Baghdad early on Friday morning, a police official said. The gunmen killed the policeman's sister, her husband's mother and father, their daughter and a child in their home in Husseiniya, northeast of the capital, the official said. The policeman had called his sister, who did not answer the phone. He then went to the house and discovered she and the other four people had been killed, the official said.
Mosul:
#1: Iraqi forces and national intelligence personnel managed to thwart an attempt to blow up a church in central Mosul city on Thursday, according to a military source. “An Iraqi army’s 2nd Division force, in coordination with the national intelligence service, foiled an attempt to detonate a church in the area of al-Dawwasa, central Mosul, as the force seized six improvised explosive devices and two explosive belts prepared for detonation near the church,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber struck a bath house in a southern Afghan town as men gathered to wash up before Friday prayers, killing 17 people, a provincial official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack they said targeted the deputy of an influential border patrol commander. The midday bombing killed 16 civilians and a police inspector in Spin Boldak near the Pakistani border, about 70 miles east of the provincial capital of Kandahar, said the governor's spokesman, Zalmay Ayubi. An additional 23 people were wounded, and officials said many of them were transported to Pakistan for treatment.
#2: A barrage of US missiles killed up to five militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal district on Friday, destroying a vehicle used by Islamist fighters, security officials said. They said strikes killed five rebels in Ghar Laley village, 35 kilometres (22 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, and close to the Afghan border. "US drones fired four missiles, targeting a vehicle and a house," a local Pakistani security official said. "So far five bodies have been recovered," he said. "Taliban have surrounded the area and there are fears the final toll may go up," he said.
DoD: Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado
DoD: Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroyo
DoD: Sgt. Eric M. Nettleton
Friday, January 7, 2011
War News for Friday, December 07, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
War News for Thursday, December 06, 2011
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 5th.
NATO is reporting the death of another ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 5th.
Anti-U.S. Cleric Returns to Iraq, and to Power
U.S. to send 1,400 extra troops to Afghanistan: report
US suspends contractors in Afghanistan
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: “A sticky bomb was detonated in al-Qadissiya neighborhood near the train station in western Baghdad, killing a civilian and injuring another one,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: “Another bomb, stuck to a civilian car, exploded in al-Aamel neighborhood, western Baghdad, injuring two civilians,” he added.
#3: Noting that a roadside bomb went off in Zayouna region, eastern Baghdad, injuring two policemen and one civilian.
#4: An armed group was arrested on Thursday for attacking the Baghdad International Airport. “Anti-terror department arrested on Thursday an armed group for launching missiles toward the Baghdad International Airport,” al-Iraqiya satellite channel said in a breaking news. “The arrest came after an airdrop by the anti-terror department,” it explained.
Kut:
#1: Police forces found on Wednesday two unknown bodies in eastern Kut, according to a police source. “The two corpses, belong to young man and woman, were found in Ghabat al-Karediya region, eastern Kut, and bore signs of gunshot wounds,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: One woman was killed in an armed attack on her house in western Kut, a police source said on Wednesday. “Unknown armed men attacked a house in al-Jihad neighborhood, western Kut, killing the woman using machine guns and fled to an unknown place,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Kirkuk:
#1: An anti-crime department element was wounded in a sticky bomb explosion in southwest of Kirkuk, a source from the joint coordination center said on Thursday. “A sticky bomb exploded late Wednesday targeting an anti-crime department element in al-Qadissiya region, southwest of Kirkuk, injuring him,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Unidentified persons have blown up a gas pipeline in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, which partially disrupted gas supply, officials said Thursday. A spokesman for the Sui Southern Gas company said the pipeline was located at Akhtar Abad area of Quetta, the provincial capital. A police officer said that the explosives were placed under the pipeline, which detonated between the night of Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
War News for Wednesday, December 05, 2011
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, January 5th.
Resurgent Turkey Flexes Its Muscles Around Iraq
China Rolls Out Its First Stealth Aircraft (a photo can be found here)
Tribe's deal with Afghan government offers chance of peace in southwest district
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: An employee in the Iraqi Housing Ministry was killed when gunmen using silenced weapons opened fire on him while driving his car in al-Waziriyah district in northern central Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
#2: A female lawyer escaped an attempt on her life on Tuesday in central Baghdad, a security source said. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on the lawyer while passing near al-Muthanna airport in central Baghdad, injuring her seriously,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: A police captain was wounded on Tuesday in an armed attack by guns with silencers in eastern Baghdad, according to a source from the interior ministry. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on Tuesday evening (Jan. 4) using guns with silencers on a police captain in al-Baldiyat region, eastern Baghdad, seriously injuring him,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#4: A bomb stuck to a gate of a residence in Al Shohadaa’ District, western Baghdad, killed an old woman and wounded her son.
Dalouiya:
#1: Two civilians were killed Tuesday in an improvised explosive device blast in eastern Dalouiya, according to a police source. “The bomb, planted on an old road in al-Mashrouaa village, eastern Dalouiya, went off, killing two passing civilians, 15 and 16,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Taji:
#1: In a separate incident, a roadside bomb went off near a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims travelling in Taji area north of Baghdad, wounding four pilgrims, the source said.
Tarmiya:
#1: Four persons from the same family were wounded on Tuesday in a bomb explosion in northern Baghdad, according to a police source. “Unknown gunmen attacked a house of a Sahwa element in al-Tarmiya region, northern Baghdad, using an explosive charge, wounding four of his family and damaging his car and house,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: The governor of Pakistan’s central Punjab province, a senior member of the ruling party, was shot dead by one of his bodyguards Tuesday, deepening a political crisis in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation. Salman Taseer, a liberal politician close to President Asif Ali Zardari, had no day-to-day role in the central government, but his killing in broad daylight at a shopping center in Islamabad reinforces the sense that the government is incapable of stabilizing the Muslim country of 170 million. A witness said Taseer was stepping out of his car at a shopping area when he was shot.
#2: Taliban-linked militants have attacked a NATO supply convoy carrying food supplies for US-led forces in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Kurram. Witnesses say militants looted and torched seven trucks carrying food supplies for US-led forces stationed in neighboring Afghanistan. The militants have reportedly escaped the area following the attack.
#3: An Australian soldier has been shot in the arm while on patrol in Afghanistan. Defence says the digger was working alongside the Afghan national army in the Chorah Valley region of Uruzgan on Tuesday morning when his patrol was attacked with small arms fire. 'The patrol returned fire, with mortar support, and stabilised the wounded soldier prior to his aero medical evacuation to Tarin Kot,' Defence said in a statement.
#4: Two insurgents were killed during an operation by Afghan troops and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the central province of Wardak on Tuesday, ISAF said. The operaton targeted a Taliban leader, the coalition said.
#5: Several insurgents were killed during an operation by Afghan troops and ISAF in central Ghazni province on Tuesday targeting a Taliban weapons facilitator, ISAF said.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
War News for Tuesday, December 04, 2011
MNF confirms: - US service members killed supporting OND in central Iraq
Iraq's daily oil production exceeds 2.7M barrels
US senator seeks permanent bases in Afghanistan
Iran Invites Some Nations, Not U.S., for Nuclear Tour
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: Unknown gunmen opened fire using muted weapons on a policeman in Al Wasiriya District, northeastern Baghdad. The policeman was killed on the spot.
#2: A bomb stuck to a gate of a residence in Al Shohadaa’ District, western Baghdad, killed an old woman and wounded her son.
Mussayab:
#1: Six mortar shells hit the U.S. base in north of Hilla on Monday, according to a police source from al-Mahaweel police station. “U.S. forces contacted al-Mahaweel police station after six mortar shells hit the U.S. base in al-Musayab region, north of Hilla, and asked the police to investigate the incident,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Diwaniya:
#1: A U.S. military vehicle was damaged on Monday by an improvised explosive device in west of Diwaniya, according to a military source. “The bomb exploded near a U.S. convoy in al-Shamiya district, west of Diwaniya, damaging a U.S. vehicle,” the source, who asked to remain anonymous, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Sulaimaniya:
#1: The house of the mother of Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Barham Saleh was subject to fire in central Sulaymaniya. An unknown gunman driving a motorcycle opened fire on the guards boot at the entrance of the house. The incident did not cause any casualties.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A bomb exploded in central Kabul early Tuesday, killing one police officer and wounding three other people, a government official said. The early morning attack in downtown Kabul took place in an area where several government buildings stand, including the finance and defense ministries, said Abdul Saboor, an official with the interior ministry's counterterrorism unit. He said two police officers and a civilian were wounded. The bomb went off as the police officer approached the device to defuse it, Saboor said.
DoD: Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik
DoD: Cpl. Jacob A. Tate
Monday, January 3, 2011
War News for Monday, December 03, 2011
CNN is reporting the deaths of two U.S. service members in an undisclosed incident in central Iraq on Sunday, January 2nd.
The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from a roadside bombing in the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Saturday, January 1st. Here's the ISAF release.
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, January 2nd.
Iran downs Western drones
Afghanistan casualties mount for Fort Campbell's 101st Airborne
Demise of Iraqi water park illustrates limitations, abuse of U.S. funding program
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: In central Baghdad, gunmen early on Monday broke into the home of a Christian woman, Rafah Toma, shot her dead and made off with a number of her possessions, an interior ministry official said. Toma, who lived alone in Al-Wahda neighbourhood, is the latest victim of a string of attacks on Christians in Iraq, with the official saying she was likely targeted because of her religion.
#2: The interior ministry official, who would not be named, also said that a policeman was shot dead by gunmen with silenced weapons in Taifiya in northern Baghdad. He gave no further details. The policeman’s death followed a string of similar attacks on Sunday night in which a traffic police colonel, two other police, an army captain and an engineer were gunned down in five separate attacks in Baghdad by gunmen with silenced weapons.
The Iraqi capital witnessed on Sunday night the assassination of six security officers and elements, as well as government employees in different parts of the city, a security source said on Monday. “A group of unknown gunmen carried out an assassination campaign, pinpointed against a number of security officers and elements in different parts of Baghdad on Sunday night. The campaign included attempts targeting a Lt. Brigadier in the Traffic Department, who was assassinated in eastern Baghdad’s Canal district,” he said. An Army officer, holding the rank of major, was shot dead in central Baghdad’s Tahariat District, the source noted. An Interior Ministry element was also killed in the center of the city, along with another Interior Ministry element who was assassinated. An engineer in north Baghdad’s Aadhamiya district was killed in Suleikh district, northwest of Baghdad. The security official also said that a Lt. Brigadier in the Interior Ministry was wounded when a group of armed men opened fire on him close to northern Baghdad’s Al-Nidaa mosque.
#3: An Iraqi policeman has been killed by a group of gunmen, using guns with silencers attached, in northeast Baghdad on Monday, a security source said. “A group of unknown gunmen opened fire using guns with silencers attached on a policeman, who was passing in a car on northeast Baghdad’s Sarrafiya Bridge, killing him on the spot,” the security source said.
Diyala Prv:
#1: A suicide car bomber attacked an office of the Iraqi intelligence services in a city northeast of Baghdad, wounding 28 people, officials said. Abdul-Nassir al-Mahdawi, governor of volatile Diyala province, said a roadside bomb blew up shortly before the car bomber attacked the intelligence office's compound in the city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital. Mahdawi said 28 people were wounded in the blasts. The majority of them were female students from a next door school. An Interior Ministry source in Baghdad put the toll at one person killed and 22 wounded, while a local police source said 15 were wounded. It was not clear whether the dead person the source was referring to was the attacker. The suicide bomber was stopped at the gate to the compound, said Major Ghalib Attiya al-Jubouri, a spokesman for the police force in Diyala.
Balad:
#1: Gunmen planted bombs near the house of Hardan Khalaf, a chief judge, wounding him along with eight members of his family and killing his nephew, in a town near Balad, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Kirkuk:
#1: Police said they found the body of a man who appeared to have been tortured and strangled, in eastern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad.
Mosul:
#1: A parked car bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol, killing one soldier and one civilian in the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, army and health sources said. The sources said three civilians were also wounded in the incident.
#2: A roadside bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol and wounded one civilian in Mosul, police said.
Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Gunmen attacked a police checkpoint, killing one policeman and wounding three west of the city of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Monday, January 3rd, 2011 VOA News Officials in Afghanistan say an explosion in the western part of the country has killed one person and wounded five people, including a police officer. Authorities say the blast happened Monday morning in Herat. The Associated Press reports the blast was caused by a bomb placed outside a butcher shop that supplies meat to the Afghan army.
#2: A NATO oil tanker was destroyed completely in a bomb explosion in Pakistan's Khyber Agency, however, no casualties have been reported. According to security authorities, the oil tanker was heading towards Torkham border from Peshawar via Pak-Afghan border highway on Monday morning. The explosion took place at Ali Masjid area of Jamrud district in Khyber Agency, the Dawn reports. Following the blast, the Pak-Afghan border highway was blocked completely with a massive traffic pile-up, resulting in NATO supply suspension.
MoD: Private Joseva Saqanagonedau Vatubua
DoD: Sgt. Michael J. Beckerman
Sunday, January 2, 2011
News of the Day for Sunday, January 2, 2011
Reported Security Incidents
Balad
Unknown attackers bomb the house of the district prosecutor, Hardan Khalaf Jassem, killing his son and injuring him and 8 family members. According to Aswat al-Iraq, the fatality was actually Jassem's nephew.
Al-Filahat, near Fallujah
One police officer killed and 4 wounded in attack on a checkpoint.
Baquba
IED attack injures 3 people, including Mal Allah Abbas Ahmed, head of the Sunni endowment for Diyala province. Aswat al-Iraq reports two bombs were placed near the directorate.
Mosul
Iraqi army says it foiled a suicide bomb plot against the Chairman of Ninevah Provincial Council.
Baghdad
Waad Abdul-Hussein, a lawyer for the Association Defending Iraqi Prisoners (which advocates for political prisoners) is assassinated in a drive-by shooting. Two people are injured. (Hmmm. Now who would want to kill that particular person? -- C)
Kirkuk
Police find the body of a man who appeared to have been tortured.
Other News of the Day
For whatever it's worth, based on official news releases, CNN counts 3,605 Iraqis killed in violence in 2010. This total is higher than the 3,479 they counted in 2009, but includes fewer civilians and more security personnel. However, Aswat al-Iraq (here via Ahlul Bayt) reports a higher total, 4,561, with 12,749 wounded, based on a report by an organization called the Iraqi Observatory of Rights & Constitutional Freedoms. By the way, although CNN doesn't mention it, this includes 34 people killed by U.S. forces. (They probably don't count.)
Anonymous CNN staffers discuss the future of Baghdad's Christian community following Thursday's coordinated attacks. As of now, approximately half of the 1.4 million Christians who had been in Iraq are estimated to have left.
Afghanistan Update
A soldier from the 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is killed by an explosion in southern Afghanistan.
Maiwand Safi for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting reports that some Afghan security personnel are are deserting because they fear a Taliban victory in the event of a U.S. withdrawal. (This may be so but it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy, no? And this certainly indicates the state of motivation of Afghan government forces.)
Perhaps they are more worried because 1,292 Afghan police were killed in 2010, according to the Interior Ministry.
Canada is deploying a fleet of new, modern C-130J Hercules cargo planes to Afghanistan. In case you didn't know it, Canada does most of the bulk cargo and troop transport for the ISAF.
Meanwhile, the U.S. will deploy a new surveillance drone called Gorgon, which carries nine video cameras. According to Air Force Maj. Gen. James O. Poss, "Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city, so there will be no way for the adversary to know what we're looking at, and we can see everything." (Every breath you take and every move you make, Every bond you break, Every step you take, I'll be watching you.)
Quote of the Day
A letter from Guantánamo, by Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif
To Attorney David Remes who dedicated his efforts to work on my dead case. The case that has been buried by its makers under the wreckage of freedom, justice, and the malicious and cursed politics.
Testimony and Consolation
I offer my dead corpse to the coming Yemeni delegation.
They agreed on the torture and agonies that I went through all those years.
They knew that I am innocent and at the same time ill and that I left my country to seek treatment.
This is also a message to the Yemeni people who bear the responsibility of my death in front of God and the responsibility of all of the other Yemenis inside this prison. This prison is a piece of hell that kills everything, the spirit, the body and kicks away all the symptoms of health from them.
A Testimony of Death
A testimony against injustice and against the propagandists of freedom, justice and equality.
Adnan Farhan Abdulatif while in the throes of death. (Signed thus)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
War News for Saturday, December 01, 2011
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in western Afghanistan on Friday, December 31st. News reports this is an Italian soldier killed by small arms attack-sniper fire.
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, January 1st.
U.S. efforts fail to convince Pakistan's top general to target Taliban
Reported security incidents
Baghdad:
#1: An officer of Baghdad’s Rusafa Police has been killed with his driver by a group of unknown gunmen, using silencer guns in central Baghdad on Saturday, according to a security source. “A group of armed men, using silencer guns, have killed Colonel Ihsan Ali from Baghdad’s Rusafa Police and his driver on Mohammed al-Qassim highway, close to the Iraqi Finance Ministry in central Baghdad,” he told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, giving no further details.
Diyala Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb planted inside the house of a local official killed his wife and wounded him seriously when it went off in western Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said.
Tal Afar:
#1: “A soldier of the Iraqi Army’s 3rd Division, has died due to wounds he suffered in an armed attack on his patrol in Talaafar town, 60 kms to the north of Mosul, the center of Ninewa Province,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. A Ninewa police official had informed Aswat al-Iraq news agency last Monday that a soldier had been killed and another solder was seriously injured in an armed attack on an Army patrol in Hay al-Salam district, north of Talaafar.
Al Anbar Prv:
#1: An Iraqi soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack by unidentified gunmen on a checkpoint in eastern al-Falluja city on Friday, a security source said. “Unidentified gunmen waged an armed attack on an Iraqi army checkpoint in the area of Dhira’a Dijla, al-Karma district, eastern Falluja, leaving one soldier killed and three others wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: Two Iraqi military camps have become target for two mortar shells east of Falluja, the largest city in west Iraq’s Anbar Province on Saturday, one of them felll on a police center east of the city, causing material damage only, a security source said. “A mortar shell fell on Saturday morning on a headquarter of an emergency battalion in Garma village east of Falluja city, whilst another mortar shell fell on a police center in Albu-Jassim area, east of the city too,” he added.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Two U.S. missile strikes about two hours apart killed at least 14 men near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, two Pakistani intelligence officials said. At least nine people were killed in the first strike when missiles destroyed a moving vehicle in the Spin Wam area of the North Waziristan tribal region, the officials said. Two hours later drones fired more missiles at people who had gathered to retrieve the bodies, killing five, they said.
#2: The coalition said Saturday that five of the insurgents were killed a day earlier in an operation targeting a Taliban leader in the northern Kunduz province. It was unclear whether the Taliban leader was among those killed or detained.
