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

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.

War News for Tuesday, August 12, 2014

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, August 12th.

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.

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.

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.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/08/09/4061390/thousands-from-iraq-minority-flee.html#storylink=cpy

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.”

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.