War News for Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Separately, three policemen and two bystanders were wounded by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on Tuesday. The bomb was planed near a security checkpoint outside Iraq’s Finance Ministry.

#2: In Baghdad, a sticky bomb attached to the car of Abdul Amir Hussien, director general in the Education Ministry, detonated in the morning and killed him while he was driving in Baghdad southern district of Doura, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Two bystanders at the scene were also wounded by the blast which destroyed the victim's car, the source said.

#3: A roadside bomb wounded Naseer al-Chaderchi, a politician who ran unsuccessfully for parliament last year, along with two of his bodyguards and three bystanders, in Baghdad's northern district of Adhamiya, an Interior Ministry source said.

#4: Gunmen in a speeding car using silenced weapons shot and wounded a policeman in central Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.


Mussayab:
#1: A member of parliament belonging to the Sadrists's; bloc escaped unharmed after a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy in central Mussayab, 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.


Kirkuk:
#1: Police say gunmen stormed a house in a northern, ethnically mixed city in Iraq, killing three women who lived there. Police Col. Sherzad Mofaly says it’s not clear why the women were targeted in the attack late Monday in the city of Kirkuk. The women were Shiites from southern Iraq who recently moved to the city located 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Mofaly says two were sisters, one was a teacher and the other was a lawyer. The third woman was a relative.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: An Iraqi civilian has died and another man was injured in an explosive charge blast, stuck to his car, in west Iraq’s Falluja city on Tuesday, a security source said. “A group of armed men, who stuck an explosive charge to a civilian man's car, blew up while he entered a government office in central Falluja, killing him and wounding another civilian, who was close to the venue of the blast,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least one person was injured Tuesday when a NATO oil tanker was burned out in southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province. According to local media reports, some unknown militants opened fire at the container carrying fuel for NATO force in Afghanistan in Dasht area of Sibi district in central Balochistan. The oil tanker was destroyed and a driver was injured, reports said.

#2: A car bomb exploded outside a charity’s office, wounding two people in Quetta, police said on Tuesday. Ten houses were also damaged in the remotely-detonated blast in the capital of impoverished Balochistan province, which suffers from a separatist insurgency, sectarian violence and Taliban militancy. “Two passers-by including a woman received shrapnel wounds but they are out of danger,” senior police official Zaman Tarin told AFP.

War News for Monday, April 18, 2011

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, April 16th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, April 16th.


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Two powerful car bombs exploded near a security checkpoint at a crowded entrance to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Monday, killing five people and wounding at least 15, a security official said. Baghdad security spokesman Qassim al-Moussawi said two suicide bombers struck during the morning rush hour in a line of vehicles queuing at the western entry to the Green Zone, where government buildings and foreign embassies are located in central Baghdad. The bombers' vehicles were packed with large quantities of explosives and blew up near two motorcades carrying a senior army commander and an official with Iraq's presidential council, Moussawi said. It was not immediately clear if they were the targets. In a statement, the media office of the Iraqi parliament said one of the explosions hit the motorcade of Amjad Abdul Hameed, an adviser to parliamentary speaker Osama al-Nujaifi. Hameed was not injured but one of his bodyguards was killed and three others were wounded, the statement said. The blasts destroyed an Iraqi army Humvee and set fire to several other vehicles at the scene. An Interior Ministry source said the explosions killed three people and wounded 20, including some Iraqi soldiers.

#2: Gunmen using silenced weapons raided a goldsmith shop, killing one person and wounding another in Baghdad's southeastern Ameen district, an Interior Ministry source said.

Three goldsmiths have been killed, together with a gunman, in an armed attack by unknown gunmen east of Baghdad, a security source said on Monday. “A group of unknown gunmen have opened fire on three goldsmith shops in eastern Baghdad’s al-Amin district, killing three goldsmiths and one of the attackers,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Two roadside bombs wounded four civilians when they exploded in southern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

Four persons have been injured in two explosive charges blasts in central Baghdad, raising the number of explosions in the Iraqi capital to four blasts over the past few hours of Monday, a security source said. “Two explosive charges, planted on the roadside in central Baghdad’s Jadiriya district, close to Baghdad University, blew off to wound 4 persons, and cause damage to a number of nearby shops and cars,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: Iraq’s Finance Ministry’s Director-General, Ali Abu-Naila, has escaped an assassination attempt in eastern Baghdad on Monday, a security source said. “A group of unknown gunmen opened fire on the motorcade of the Finance Ministry’s Director-General, Ali Abu-Naila and an advisor of the Central Bank, accompanying him, on southeastern Baghdad’s Mohammed al-Qassim highway on Monday, causing no casualties, but damaging Abu-Naila’s car,” the security source said.

#5: Two explosive charges blew up on Monday targeting two liquor shops in eastern and central Baghdad on Monday, a security source said. “Two explosive charges blew up on Monday morning, aimed at two liquor shops. One of the shops is in southeast Baghdad’s ‘New Baghdad’ district and the other in al-Nidhal Street, in the center of the city,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He said that both explosions did not cause any casualties, but damaged a number of trade shops and civilian cars, close to the areas of the attacks.

#6: The Adviser to the Iraqi Parliament speaker has escaped an assassination attempt by a booby-trapped car explosion, a Parliament statement announced on Monday. “The Adviser to Iraqi Parliament Speaker Amjad Abdul-Hamid has escaped an assassination attempt, when a booby-trapped car blew up in west Baghdad’s Qadisiya district on Monday,” the Parliament’s source said in a statement, a copy of which was received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The source said that one of Abdul-Hamid’s bodyguards was killed and three others suffered serious injures, caused by the explosion.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A bomb attached to a car wounded an off-duty army captain and three passengers in central Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.

#2: Two roadside bombs wounded three civilians on Sunday when they exploded in central Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide attacker entered the Afghan Defence Ministry in Kabul, shot dead two Afghan soldiers and wounded seven others, Defense Ministry spokesman Zaher Azimy said. He said the bomber was shot dead before he could set off the explosives attached to his body.

#2: A powerful landmine exploded under a police vehicle, killing six officers and seriously wounding two more in Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul on Monday, provincial police chief Delawar Zahed said.

#3: Armed men have kidnapped 12 Iranian engineers in Western Afghanistan, as insecurity continues in the war-torn country despite the long-term military presence of US-led forces.

#4: A local official in Khost province was killed and three of his family members injured following a roadside bomb struck their vehicle on Sunday, provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai said Monday. "A senior provincial official Khayal Mohammad was killed and three members of his family sustained injuries Sunday evening when his car ran over a mine," Ishaqzai told Xinhua. The incident happened outside provincial capital the same name Khost city, he further said.


DoD: Spc. Joseph A. Kennedy

News of the Day for Sunday, April 17, 2011

Reported Security Incidents

Baghdad

Gunmen invaded the home of a Shiite family living in a Sunni area and killed all 4 at about 1:00 pm Saturday. The dead are a 16 year old boy, a 14 year old girl, and their parents. Although it is not known whether the attack was motivated by sectarian animus, it is reminiscent of the violence during 2005-2007.

Three rockets launched from southern Baghdad fall on the airport. No information as to damage or casualties at this time. Separately, the Iraqi army discovered a launch pad with rockets aimed at the Green Zone.

Also, a civilian is injured by a roadside bomb in the Tunis district.

The bullet ridden body of a policeman is found in the Shaab district.

Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad

A roadside bomb hits an Iraqi army patrol, killing one soldier and injuring 2 others.

Ramadi

Bomb attack on the director of traffic police for Anbar province causes no casualties, but damages his vehicle. Separately, a police officer is injured by a roadside bomb in central Ramadi.

Kirkuk

Sticky bomb kills a man from Ramadi who was working in Kirkuk. The story describes him as a "contractor," it is unclear what that means. Reuters describes him as a "businessman." Separately, a roadside bomb injures and employee of the city's medical department.

Other News of the Day

Syrian authorities claim they seized a truckload of weapons in an attempted smuggling from Iraq. There is no explanation as to where they might have been going. One good guess might be Kurdish militants. -- C

Kuwaiti Airways is seeking Iraqi assets in compensation for equipment stolen during the 1991 war. UN protection of Iraqi assets against such claims expires June 30.

U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner visits Baghdad, meets with PM al-Maliki. No doubt advises him to cut taxes on the wealthy. -- C

Afghanistan Update

NATO announces three more troop deaths that occurred on Saturday, bringing the total that day to 8. The additional deaths resulted from 2 separate roadside bomb incidents. The nationality of the troops was not disclosed.

Further details emerge on the incident yesterday at FOB Gamberi in which 5 NATO troops, four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter were killed. The perpetrator had joined the Afghan army one month ago. He detonated a suicide vest during a meeting. He was a Taliban agent.

War News for Saturday, April 16, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, April 15th.

NATO is reporting the deaths of five ISAF soldiers from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, April 16th. various news reports that a suicide bomber wearing an Afghan Army uniform attacked a base near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province. Four Afghan soldiers were also killed and 4 afghan soldiers and four Afghan translators were wounded in the attack.


In Afghanistan, Kandahar police chief Mohammad Mojayed killed by suicide bomber

Australian soldier classified as a battle casualty after 2010 IED strike


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Gunmen opened fire at a police patrol and killed one policeman in the southern Baghdad district of Ilaam, an Interior Ministry source said.

#2: A group of unknown armed men have attacked a Federal Police patrol in northern Baghdad’s Kadhimiya district, wounding a policeman and escaping to an unknown destination,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: He said that an explosive charge blew off close to a petrol filling station in central Baghdad’s Karrada district, targeted against a motorcade of Director-General of Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research, wounding 3 civilians and damaging 2 cars.


Kirkuk:
#1: A sticky bomb attached to an Iraqi army vehicle seriously wounded an Iraqi officer in southern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, the Kirkuk police operations centre said.


Kut:
#1: The Wassit morgue received the unidentified body of a young man found dumped in the open north of al-Kut city and showing signs of having been shot, a morgue source said on Friday. “The al-Zahraa Hospital morgue in Kut received today (April 15) the body of a young man found by security forces in the district of al-Dabbouni, (75 km) north of the city,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: A roadside bomb went off at an Iraqi army checkpoint close to a mosque and wounded four people, including two soldiers, in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#2: A grenade thrown at a police patrol wounded a policeman in western Mosul, police said.

#3: A roadside bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol and wounded one officer in northern Mosul, police said.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A sticky bomb attached to the car of a police lieutenant-colonel cut off part of his legs when it exploded in the town of Khaldiya, 83 km (50 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army base near the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing four Afghan soldiers and wounding eight, a Defence Ministry spokesman said. There were also foreign casualties he said, without giving details. A spokesman for NATO-led forces confirmed there had been casualties but declined to say how many were dead or wounded.

A Taliban suicide bomber wearing a military uniform hit an Afghan army base near the city of Jalalabad, the Afghan defence ministry said. Coalition officials said five foreign troops died but gave no more details. Four Afghan soldiers and four translators were said to be injured. the attack was one of the deadliest in months against foreign troops. It took place shortly after 0730 (0330 GMT) when the bomber approached the gate of the military base and detonated his explosives. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, adding that the attacker was a "sleeper agent" who had served in the army for at least one month before launching his attack.

#2: Two civilians were killed, and three others wounded when the rickshaw they were travelling in hit a roadside mine in western Farah province on Friday afternoon, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.

War News for Friday, April 15, 2011

UN confirms 34 killed at Iranian exile camp in Baghdad

CIA will not halt operations in Pakistan: Official

Radioactive Japanese cars seized in Russia's Far East (off topic)


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: An Iraqi Army officer was wounded in a bombing that targeted a military patrol, western Baghdad, a security source told Alsumaria. A policeman was wounded in a bombing that targeted a police patrol in Al Mikanik District, Dora region.

#2: The body of a woman with gunshot wounds in the head and the chest was found in Al Sheala region. Another body of a man with gunshot wounds was found in Al Hurriya region, northwestern Baghdad.


Diyala Prv:
#1: One soldier was killed and another one was wounded by a sniper fire on Friday in the city of Baaquba, a security source said. “A sniper opened fire on a military control tower on the road between Diala and Kirkuk in al-Aadim district in Khales, northern Baaquba, killing a soldier from the 5th division of the Iraqi army and injuring another one,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: Two persons were wounded in a blast that targeted their vehicle in Kirkuk on Thursday, according to a source from the city’s Joint Coordination Center (JCC). “An improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeted a civilian vehicle in southern Kirkuk, injuring two, one of them working for the National Security Center in the city and the other is an employee at a cotton ginning plant, and damaging their car,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Meanwhile, unidentified persons hurled a hand-grenade on the house of the assistant director of the public notary in al-Shurja area, northern Kirkuk, causing damage to the building, the source said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Forty Afghan would-be policemen who were kidnapped by the Taliban last month were freed unharmed Friday, officials said. The men were abducted in the troubled eastern province of Kunar, which borders Pakistan, while travelling back from neighbouring Nuristan, where they had unsuccessfully sought work with the Afghan Local Police (ALP). A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, added: "Our eastern shura (local council) agreed to free them after assurances by local elders that they will not work for the police."

#2: Bomb blast rocked Afghan Kandahar town on Friday killing provincial police chief, an official said. "A terrorist dressed in police uniform strapped explosive device in his boy blew himself up inside police department leaving the police chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid dead," the official told Xinhua, but declined to give his name saying authorized official would brief media after investigation


DoD: Spc. Donald L. Nichols

War News for Thursday, April 14, 2011

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Pvt. Brandon T. Pickering died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany on Sunday, April 10th from wounds received by small arms fire and RPG attack in Wardak province, Afghanistan on Friday, April 8th.


Polish president prolongs Afghan mission

New C.I.A. Drone Attack Draws Rebuke From Pakistan


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol and wounded three soldiers in Baghdad's west-central Mansour district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#2: Three civilians were wounded on Thursday in an improvised explosive device blast in Baghdad, a security source said. "An explosive charge went off in front of a barber shop in al-Zaafaraniya neighborhood, southeastern Baghdad late Thursday, injuring three civilians and damaging the shop," the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: "An improvised explosive device went off in Zeraa Dejla region, northwestern Baghdad, injuring three civilians,

#4: while two more bombs exploded in al-Youssifiya region in southwestern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 13," the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diyala Prv:
#1: The Mayor of Saadiya city in Diala Province and three of his guards, have been injured in an explosive charge blast on the roadside northeast of Baaquba, the center of the Province, a Diala Police source said on Wednesday. “An explosive charge, planted on the roadside between Saadiya and Jalalwla towns in Khanaqin township, 155 km to the northeast of Baaquba, blew off against the car of Saadiya Mayor, Ahmed al-Zarkoushy, wounding him and three of his guards,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: The media director of the Diala police, Colonel Ghaleb Attiya, escaped on Thursday an attempt on his life by a bomb blast in central Baaquba. "I survived an assassination attempt when a bomb went off in front of my house in al-Tahrir neighborhood, central Baaquba," Colonel Attiya told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "Three passing civilians were wounded in the explosion," he added.


Mahmudiya:
#1: Two roadside bombs went off in quick succession, killing two people and wounding 13 in the town of Mahmudiya, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.


Hilla:
#1: A bombing targeted a US military unit, northern Hilla, a security source said.


Taji:
#1: Three people were wounded by a roadside bomb in the town of Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.


Kirkuk:
#1: A car bomb killed one person and wounded 16 others, including three policemen, two women and three children, when it went off in southern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, Kirkuk police operations room said.


Mosul:
#1: A sticky bomb attached to the front door of a house wounded the owner and killed his wife when it went off late on Wednesday in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistani troops and paramilitary forces, backed by helicopter gunships and warplanes, targeted Taliban positions in the tribal region of Mohmand near the Afghan border on Thursday, killing at least 18 militants, a regional government official said. "We are going after them with full force, using every kind of force. They carry out attacks and other activities from there," Masood Khan, the government official, said. He said at least 18 militants were killed and 25 wounded in the fighting. "The operation is still on," he said.

#2: At least three Afghan policemen were killed when suicide bombers attacked a police training centre in the east of the country, officials say. Police said two bombers also died in the raid on the base in Paktia province where dozens of men were being trained. According to police, four men with explosives tied to their bodies tried to enter the police training compound in Paktia and were challenged by security forces. The first attacker blew himself up outside the base, killing three policemen and injuring another three who were guarding the front gate, police said. A heavy exchange of fire followed in which the second attacker was killed. Police said the remaining two attackers managed to escape, the BBC's Bilal Sarwary reports from Kabul.

#3: In the Kabul attack, a truck laden with explosives blew up outside the district governor's office. The attacker was killed and several policemen were injured, officials said.

#4: In the third incident, police killed a suspected militant who was trying to enter a police station in the southern city of Kandahar. Officials said the man was wearing an explosive belt.


DoD: Pvt. Brandon T. Pickering

War News for Wednesday, April 13, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, April 13th.


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A bomb wounded three people in Baghdad's northern Adhamiya district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#2: A sticky bomb attached to a minibus killed the driver and wounded two passers-by in Baghdad's western Yarmouk district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#3: A sticky bomb attached to a car killed the driver in Baghdad's southern Doura district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#4: A mortar round wounded three people in Baghdad's central Salhiya district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#5: A roadside bomb wounded three people when it went off in Mansour district in west-central Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

#6: Gunmen using silenced weapons opened fire at a car and wounded four people, including two off-duty policemen, in Baghdad's southern Doura district, an Interior Ministry source said.


Kirkuk:
#1: A roadside bomb struck a police convoy and seriously wounded Lieutenant-Colonel Najat Hassan in southeastern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: Police said they found the body of a kidnapped prison guard with gunshot wounds in an area south of the city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad.

#2: Gunmen shot and killed a man in western Mosul, police said.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Gunmen using silenced weapons killed a man inside his shop on Tuesday evening in central Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.

#2: A sticky bomb attached to a car carrying a police lieutenant killed him and wounded another person in the city of Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: An old rocket shell exploded in Dadno village in eastern Paktika province, killing two children, and wounding several others, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

#2: A roadside mine detonated under a vehicle belonging to private security firm Watan Risk in Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. One security guard was killed and three injured.

#3: A suicide bomber killed ten people in an attack on Wednesday on a gathering of tribal elders in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, a volatile area where insurgents have gained ground in recent months. The attack took place in Asmaar district when elders from two tribes, some of them former warlords, were meeting to resolve a dispute, provincial police chief Khalilullah Ziaee said. The suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the group, targeting former mujahideen commander Mohammad Zarin, who died along with nine others. At least seven people were wounded, Ziaee said.

#4: A suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region killed six suspected militants on Wednesday, intelligence officials told CNN. Two intelligence officials said the suspected drone fired two missiles on a militant hideout in South Waziristan, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

#5: Afghan and coalition forces have killed more than 10 Taliban insurgents during a two-day operation in northwest Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Wednesday. ISAF said the operation, which began on Monday and ended on Tuesday, was aimed to clear a suspected Taliban safe haven in Tez Nawa village of Ghormach district, located in Faryab province. It said the safe haven is associated with improvised explosive device (IED) activity and is a cache location. During the operation in the area, coalition forces killed more than 10 Taliban insurgents and detained 'numerous' others, ISAF said. "This area has historically been associated with the senior Taliban leader and Head of the Taliban Shura council for Ghormach," it added.

#6: Three Polish soldiers have been wounded by a roadside explosive device in Ghazni province in the south of Afghanistan - there condition is not serious, say media reports. The explosion occurred earlier this morning and caused minor damage to the troop’s Rosomak military vehicle.


DoD: Spc. Brent M. Maher