News of the Day for Sunday, September 7, 2014

Defense Ministry says two Afghan soldiers killed in past 24 hours, gives no specifics.

Taliban attack a police checkpoint on the outskirts of Ghazni city, kill three police and abduct four. A spokesman says 18 militants were killed in the incident.

Just to demonstrate a point, comes now the Ministry of the Interior claiming 19 militants killed in the past 24 hours, with, as usual, zero government or civilian casualties. As we already know there are at least five government forces killed and four captured, something would appear to be missing, no?

And something has been missing for a long time. It seems 200 government forces have been killed in a Taliban offensive in Helmand this summer, but for some reason we haven't heard about it.

Here's another claim, that 48 insurgents were killed in an operation in Balkh in the past 4 days, with two police killed. I don't know what to make of these highly disproportionate casualty claims, which are ubiquitous, and which the Taliban always dispute. (They have yet to comment on this report.) Keep in mind that we are largely dependent on government press releases for our picture of the conflict; independent corroboration by enterprise journalists is almost non-existent, at least in the countryside. 

Afghan court sentences seven men to death for a gang rape in Kabul that provoked widespread outrage. A large group of men, some dressed in police uniforms, stopped a convoy returning from a wedding, dragged four women from the vehicles, and raped them in a field. Violence against women is commonplace in Afghanistan but it is mostly in a domestic context.

Meanwhile, in the other war without end, U.S. launches air strikes on IS in the vicinity of the Haditha dam. Note that this represents an unannounced expansion of the U.S. role in Iraq, as this operation has no conceivable connection to protecting U.S. personnel. It turns out that U.S. air power has been operating extensively in Anbar, and has killed 42 militants in Ramadi and Bervana.

It is a near certainty that U.S. special forces are on the ground in the area to coordinate these actions with Iraqi forces. Even if the U.S. DoD is tight-lipped about it, we can glean some info from the Canadians, who announced they are sending "several dozen" troops to Iraq. " The contingent of special operations forces will work closely with U.S. forces but remain under full command of Canada's Chief of Defence Staff." No word on precisely what they will be doing except that they will not be engaged in combat. Well okay then.

War News for Saturday, September 6, 2014

Heavy monsoon downpours hammers Pakistan, India

Afghans Say Taliban Are Nearing Control of Key District (Sangin district in northern Helmand)


Reported security incidents
#1: A Sikh businessman was shot dead on Saturday in Peshawar’s area of Gulberg, a private news channel reported. According to the report, the victim was a resident of Dabgari. He was attacked by two unidentified gunmen at his shop in Nothia area of Gulberg.

#2: Foiling a big sabotage attack, police on Saturday morning claimed seizing an explosives-laden truck near Maidan Hawai (Airport) road in capital Kabul, an official said.

#3: At least two security personnel sustained injuries when a remote controlled bomb exploded here in Darsamand area (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province) on Saturday,

#4: About 86 Taliban militants have been killed and 62 others got injured as the Afghan security forces carried out cleanup operations in different provinces within the last 24 hours, said the country's Interior Ministry on Saturday morning.

#5: Two mine planters were killed, as a result of their own mine explosion in Badghis province yesterday.

#6: In clashes between Taliban militants and Afghan police forces, 9 insurgents were killed in Shah Wali Koot district of Kandahar province last night.

#7: A policeman was killed and seven civilians wounded in a suicide attack in Kandahar province last night.

#8: At least five Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and militants attacks, defense officials said Saturday.


DoD: Spc. Brian K. Arsenault

War News for Friday, September 5, 2014

US troops killed by friendly fire

Torrential monsoon rains kill nearly 70 in Pakistan


Reported security incidents
#1: Two policemen were martyred in explosion of a bomb in Zabul province last evening. The blast occurred in Shahjou district bazaar while passing of a caravan of militaries forces from the area.

#2: Six armed Taliban were killed in recent conflicts in Kunar province last night. The clashes occurred late last night; five sliders also lost their lives. The clashes started while a group of armed Taliban attacked on a military base in the province.

#3: At least 48 Taliban militants were killed following a military operation in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, local officials said Friday. The operations were conducted by Afghan national security forces in Alborz district on Thursday night.

War News for Thursday, September 4, 2014

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, August 4th.

Reported security incidents
#1: The Taliban has struck a government compound in eastern Afghanistan in a dawn attack that included two suicide truck bombings and left at least 12 people dead, including eight off duty policemen asleep in their quarters nearby. The attack started at sunrise, with the Taliban setting off two massive suicide truck bombs outside the government compound in the provincial capital of Ghazni, followed by an assault by nearly a dozen gunmen. The assault triggered a gunbattle with policemen and security forces at the compound and officials said all 13 assailants were subsequently killed, including the two suicide bombers.

Taliban suicide bombers attacked Afghanistan's regional spy headquarters in Ghazni city early Thursday, leaving 21 people dead and more than 150 civilians wounded, a government official said. Nineteen of the dead were the suicide attackers. The remaining two were members of the National Directorate of Security personnel. The NDS is the nation's spy agency. The assault began when one of the suicide attackers detonated an explosives-filled truck at the front gate of the spy agency, said Shafiq Nang, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province. Twelve of them stormed the NDS. Six others hit the Rapid Reaction Police headquarters in the city.

#2: Seven Afghan army soldiers and 40 Taliban militants have been killed within the past 24 hours, said the country's Defense Ministry on Thursday morning. Up to six army soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing and one army personnel was killed in direct enemy's fire over the same period, the statement noted.

18 armed Taliban were killed and 8 others wounded in the outskirts of Zabul and Ghazni provinces.

#3: At least five Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following an attack by Taliban militants in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan. According to local government officials, the attack was carried out late Wednesday after a group of Taliban militants attacked a security check post. Provincail governor, Shuja-ul-Mulk Jalal, said the assailant militants who attacked the check post were disguised in Afghan army uniform.

War News for Wednesday, September 3, 2014

'Miracle at sea': 25 survive Marine copter crash


Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistan said Wednesday it has killed 910 suspected militants and lost 82 soldiers in a major offensive launched in June in a restive tribal region near Afghanistan.

#2: About 35 Taliban militants have been killed in fresh military operations across Afghanistan, said the country's Interior Ministry on Wednesday morning.

#3: Afghan security forces killed a local Taliban leader along with eight other militants during a security operation in northern Kunduz province, police said Wednesday.

#4: The head of development council of Jaween district was abducted by Taliban this morning. Mohammad Yar governor of Jaween district, Farah province said BNA, the incident occurred while Ghulam Haidar the head of development council of Jaween district  with his men was going from center of Farah to Jaween district, abducted by Taliban and transferred to unspecified place.

#5: Two policemen were martyred and five others wounded in explosion of a roadside mine in Dehraod district, Urozgan province this morning.

#6: The provincial Hajj and Religious Affairs chief Qazi Fazal Ahmad was kidnapped by militants in central Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan.

#7: Cross-border shelling from the other side of Durand Line continues as Pakistani military fired around 100 rockets in Kunar province on Tuesday.

War News for Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Afghan Army Killings Threaten U.S. Aid

As The U.S. Draws Down, Afghan Fighting Is Heating Up

Talks on Afghan unity government collapse


Reported security incidents
#1: A suicide car bombing killed three policemen in the eastern Nangarhar province, said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, the spokesman for the provincial governor. The bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle among a group of Afghan security forces in Ghani Khil district on Tuesday morning, killing the three policemen. The explosion also wounded two people, a civilian and a local policeman, the spokesman added.

#2: In the western Herat province, the Taliban killed four Afghan soldiers on Monday night in the Chishti Sharif district, a military spokesman said. The spokesman, Najibullha Najibi, says the Taliban attacked an army post, setting off clashes that also left 10 Taliban fighters dead..

#3: Two people, including a personal of Khasadar Force and a civilian, were killed and three other Khasadars sustained injuries when unknown militants attacked a Khasadar party at the main Jamrud Bazaar, official sources informed on Monday. The official of local political administration confirmed the incident and said that Khasadars were on their routine duty when unknown armed persons attacked them and as a result two persons, including a personal of Khasadar Force and a civilian, were killed and three other Khasadar personnel received bullet injuries. The militants successfully managed escape after committing the crime. 

#4: A bomb blast occurred in Haji Ayoob region of Mazar-e-Sharif at 4:00 pm today.
It is said that a bomb was placed in a bicycle. Still not clear who is the target of the bomb. Several security sources of Mazar-e-Sharif said BNA that two people were killed and another wounded in the blast.

#5: Eight armed insurgents including two commanders of them were killed in drone attack of foreign troops in Kunar province. The attack took place in Peshigul village, Asadabad capital of that province.

#6: At least four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following roadside bomb explosion in the past 24 hours.

#7: Afghan national security forces repelled another large scale Taliban attack in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. The provincial government media office said Tuesday, the massive offensive by Taliban militant was launched on Sunday in Mosa Qala district.

#8: At least 25 Taliban militants were killed and five others were injured following clearing operations conducted by Afghan national security forces.

War News for Monday, September 1, 2014

Reported security incidents
#1: Eight armed insurgents including two commanders of them were killed in drone attack of foreign troops in Kunar province. The attack took place in Peshigul village, Asadabad capital of that province. General Abdul Habib Syeedkhail police chief of Kunar said BNA, Qari Malang and Mawlawi Hakim two Taliban commanders with their six men lost their lives in the attack.

#2: Four armed Taliban were killed in explosion of their own mine in Jouzjan province yesterday.

#3: At least 3 policemen were killed following an insider attack in central Uruzgan province of Afghanistan late Sunday. Provincial governor spokesman, Dost Mohammad Nayab, has said the incident took place on Sunday night in Shahid Asas district. Nayab further added that the attack was carried out by four policemen who opened fire on their three comrades in a check post in Kekhi area.