The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Marine Staff Sgt. Archie A. Taylor died in a non-hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan on Saturday, March 14th.
Taliban: Attacks to continue till coalition troops’ pull out:
US mulling drone raids expansion to Balochistan:
U.S. Weighs Taliban Strike Into Pakistan:
Iraq issues tender to drill 30 oil wells in south:
Medvedev Pushes Plan to Remake Russian Military:
Two soldiers killed in clash with separatist rebels in S Philippines:
Five killed in S. Philippines clash between troops and kidnappers:
KBR keeps witness info concealed, lawyer says:
Poland likely to increase force in Afghanistan:
Two thirds of British Armys Apache attack helicopters unusable:
Reported Security incidents:
Baghdad:
#1: A Katyusha missile hit al Arasat residential district, Karrada, central Baghdad at 12.30 a.m. Wednesday injuring one woman and causing material damage to the house.
#2: A roadside bomb exploded in Aden Square, Hurriyah neighbourhood, northwestern Baghdad at 10 p.m. Tuesday injuring three civilians.
Diyala Prv:
#1: Police found two dead bodies for two young men of 16 and 18 years in a deserted area in AlUthaim(north of Baquba) in Diyala province and few miles east of Dhuluiyah (south of Tikrit and 60 miles north of Baghdad), the place where the two young men were kidnapped in three days ago.
Baquba:
#1: A civilian was killed and three others were wounded in a bomb explosion in central Baaquba, a security source said. “An improvised explosive device went off on Wednesday afternoon (Mar. 18) in a popular marketplace in al-Mafraq neighborhood in central Baaquba, killing a civilian and injuring three,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: One civilian was killed when a sticky bomb stuck to his car blew up in al Mafraq area, central Baquba at 1.15 p.m. Thursday.
Sadiya:
#1: A police officer says a man and his wife were killed while working in their orchard in the Diyala province town of Sadiya. Police believe the bomb wasn't targeting the couple but was left behind by insurgents who long controlled the area.
Basra:
#1: A roadside bomb targeted a U.S. military convoy near al Gzaiza Bridge, northern Basra at around 5 p.m. Tuesday. No comment was available from the U.S. military at time of publication.
Kirkuk:
#1: A bomb wounded three people in central Kirkuk, 255 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
A roadside bomb went off targeting a provincial headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), central Kirkuk, wounding three civilians, said a police commander from the city. “The explosive charge was planted near the headquarters,” Colonel Ahmed Smerani told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Mosul:
#1: Security officials also say suicide car bomb struck a patrol, killing a policeman and wounding two others in the northern city of Mosul.
A suicide car bombing killed a policeman and wounded three others in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Wednesday, a local police source said. "A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a police patrol shortly after midday in the al-Nabi-Younis neighborhood in eastern Mosul, killing a policeman and wounding three others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. A civilian was also wounded by the powerful blast which badly damaged a police vehicle, the source said.
#2: A student in Management and Administration College in Mosul University was shot dead by unknown gunmen in a southwestern neighborhood of the capital city of Nineveh province, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
#3: An Iraqi soldier was also shot dead in the day when unknown gunmen open fire on an Iraqi army checkpoint in Almuharibin neighborhood in eastern Mosul, the source said.
#4: Separately, the Iraqi police shot dead an insurgent in al Mansur neighborhood in southern Mosul after he threw a grenade at a police patrol.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Two men on a motorcycle threw a bomb at a truck carrying an excavating machine to NATO troops in Afghanistan, halting traffic Wednesday along a supply route through Pakistan's southwest, officials said. No one was injured in the blast near the Pakistani frontier town of Chaman, but the machine was damaged, area police chief Gul Mohammed said. Wednesday's attack happened as the driver awaited security clearance to cross into Afghanistan, Mohammed said. Police closed the crossing and began searching other vehicles, he said. The route was expected to reopen later Wednesday.
#2: Meanwhile in the northwest, dozens of assailants opened fire at a university, killing three police officers and a security guard. A top official said the Taliban later detained some of the gunmen.
#3: Three civilians were wounded in a bomb attack in the west of the capital, Kabul, the Interior Ministry said.
A roadside bomb struck a civilian vehicle in the Afghan capital on Wednesday wounding three people, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The bomb went off as the vehicle passed a gas station in western Kabul, it said, without providing further details. The blast coincided with a visit to Afghanistan by Nato's North Atlantic Council, the military alliance's top decision-making body.
Casualty Reports:
Canadian Master Cpl. Jody Mitic, 32, stepped on a landmine in the early morning hours of Jan. 11, 2007, there was a loud flash, like that of a firecracker. Mitic says his right leg was "pretty much gone" from the initial impact of the landmine. But it was only after waking up following surgery that he learned doctors weren't able to save the left one either. Both were amputated below the knee.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
War News for Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
War News for Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Australian DoD is reporting the death of an Australian ISAF soldier from small arms and RPG fire north of Tarin Kowt, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan on Monday, March 16th.
Iraq beefs up pipeline security:
U.S. Moves to Replace Contractors in Iraq:
BBC video: French soldiers in Afghanistan:
In photos: 'NATO Logistics Attacked in Pakistan':
Flaws abound in FOIA if Obama wants to fix them: (This is a tad off topic but it's worth the expended time to read.)
Kurdish independence just a dream, Talabani tells Turkey:
Iraqi president: Independent Kurdish state in Iraq "impossible":
Pakistan Avoids Pitfall, but Path Ahead Is Unclear:
Reported Security incidents:
Kut:
#1: The al-Zahraa hospital received a civilian body found north of Kut, a source from the Wassit’s morgue said. “The morgue of al-Zahraa hospital received on Monday night (Mar. 16) a 30-year-old civilian body,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The body shows signs of torture and gunshot wounds to the head,” he added. “The body was found behind an ice factory in al-Aziziya district in north of Kut,” he explained.
Dalouiya:
#1: Police forces on Tuesday morning found a body of a young man in eastern Dalouiya district, according to a police source. “This morning, our patrols found a body of a 16-year-old youth with signs of gunshot wounds to the head and chest in al-Basateen area, eastern Dalouiya,” Lt. Col. Mohammad al-Juburi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The victim was with one of his fellow workers cutting down trees and making charcoal when they were kidnapped two days ago,” Juburi noted, adding that the hunt is still on for the other young man.
#2: The bodies of the two young men found this morning in eastern Dalouiya district belong to Sahwa fighters, a police source from Salah al-Din province said on Tuesday. “The two youths, whose bodies were found in different areas in eastern Dalouiya district, were members of Sahwa councils,” Maj. Ali Hussein Abdullah told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Mosul:
#1: The U.S. military says a 12-year-old girl was killed when American soldiers fired at a vehicle speeding toward them and Iraqi police near the northern city of Mosul. The military says Americans fired two warning shots when the vehicle ignored signals for it to stop near the Hurriyah Iraqi police station. The military says the girl was standing about 100 yards (meters) behind the vehicle and was struck by a round. The military confirmed the details in response to a query by The Associated Press. It says Monday's shooting is under investigation. Iraqi police say the girl was shot while in a car with her father near an American base.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: U.S.-led coalition troops killed seven militants and detained three others during a raid on a bomb-making cell in southern Afghanistan. Troops targeted the militants in a compound in Kandahar province's Khakrez district early Tuesday, a coalition statement said. Those killed were suspected of involvement in attacks on coalition and Afghan forces.
#2: Separately, Taliban militants ambushed a police patrol in Kandahar's Panjwayi district, killing five officers and damaging their vehicle, said Bismillah Khan, a police officer.
#3: Two other militants were killed shortly before dawn after attacking a police post in the province of Nimroz, another troubled region, in southwestern Afghanistan, the ministry said.
#4: Authorities set on fire nearly two tons of illicit drug in Paktia province, east of Afghanistan, on Tuesday, an official said. "More than 1,800 kg narcotics including opium and heroin that have been seized over the past four months was burned in Syed Karam district this morning," a senior police officer Aziz Ahmad told Xinhua.
Monday, March 16, 2009
War News for Monday, March 16, 2009
The British MoD is reporting the deaths of two British ISAF soldiers in an explosion (IED) in the Garmsir district, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Sunday, March 15th.
The Turkish Press is reporting the deaths of four ISAF soldiers in an IED attack in the Bati Kot district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on Sunday, March 15th.
The DPA is reporting the death of a German ISAF soldier in a traffic accident in an undisclosed location in Northern Afghanistan on Sunday, March 15th.
MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier from combat related injuries in an undisclosed location in Baghdad on Monday, March 16th.
March 13 airpower summary:
March 14 airpower summary:
Insurgent Attacks on the Iraqi Energy Sector:
US to attack rural rebel bases in Iraq:
Pakistan Leader Backs Down and Reinstates Top Judge:
Red Cross Described 'Torture' at CIA Jails:
Reported Security incidents:
Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb struck a U.S.-backed neighbourhood patrol, wounding three people, including a local Sahwa fighter, in the Doura district of southern Baghdad, police said.
#2: A grenade exploded prematurely, killing a gunman and wounding three civilians in the Mansour district of central Baghdad on Sunday evening, police said.
#3: Two roadside bombs went off in Mahdiyah neighbourhood, Doura, southern Baghdad at around 2 p.m. targeting a U.S. military patrol. No official report of casualties was available from the U.S. military at time of publication.
Diyala Prv:
#1: Five decomposed corpses were found on Monday in a cemetery in Diala province, according to a police source. “The cemetery was discovered in al-Mukhifa village (45 km northeast of Baaquba city),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Jalawlaa:
#1: An improvised explosive device (IED) on Sunday went off near a gas station in Jalwlaa district, Diala province, causing no casualties, according to a local security source. “On Sunday, unknown gunmen detonated an explosive charge near Adnan Abdou gas station in al-Tajneed neighborhood (30 km southwest of Khanaqin), causing damage to the station and the neighboring area,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Hilla:
#1: Police say an Iraqi soccer player has been shot dead just as he was about to kick what could have been the tying goal in a weekend game south of Baghdad. Police Maj. Muthanna Khalid says a striker from the Buhairat amateur team was facing only the goalie during a Sunday match in Hillah when a supporter of the rival Sinjar club shot him in the head in the final minute of play. Sinjar was leading 1-0 when the shooting occurred. Khalid said a spectator was arrested.
Samarra:
#1: Armed insurgents killed four soldiers in an overnight attack in northern Iraq, Iraqi security officials reported Monday morning. According to the officials, the attack occurred at an army checkpoint along a rural road near the town of Samarra. Read more: "Insurgents kill four Iraqi soldiers and one guard"
Kirkuk:
#1: A policeman was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in southern Kirkuk city, a local police officer said on Monday. “An explosive charge detonated today near al-Nour al-Kabir mosque in southern Kirkuk city, targeting an emergency police patrol vehicle,” Lt. Col. Kamel Ahmed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: Two security personnel working for Asiacell Telecom were killed or wounded in an armed attack in Kirkuk city, a local police chief said on Monday. “At a late hour on Sunday (March 15) night, unknown gunmen launched an armed attack on an Asiacell telecommunications tower near Anwar al-Aasi village, killing a security guard and wounding another,” Brig. Sarhad Qadir told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#3: Gunmen threw a grenade inside a car and seriously wounded a doctor in central Kirkuk, 255 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, on Sunday evening, police said.
#4: An oil pipeline exploded in the west of Kirkuk on Monday, a source from the joint coordination center in Kirkuk said on Monday. “A crude oil pipeline exploded late on Sunday (Mar. 15) on the Kirkuk-Dabs road in west of Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, pointing out that a joint police-army forces rushed to the area, where it found out that the explosion happened because of the pressure in the pipeline.
Mosul:
#1: Gunmen clashed with Iraqi forces and killed a soldier in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, on Sunday evening, police said.
Fighting broke out between Iraqi army and gunmen in al Amil neighbourhood, western Mosul, Sunday evening in which one Iraqi soldier was killed.
#2: A bomb attached to a car seriously wounded a civilian in northern Mosul on Sunday evening, police said
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Up to 50 militants attacked a terminal for trucks carrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan early Monday, in the second such assault in northwest Pakistan in two days. Up to 50 assailants attacked the al-Fasil terminal early Monday, outnumbering security guards, before throwing gasoline over 10 container trucks carrying supplies and setting off explosions, said guard Janab-e-aali. There were no reports of injuries or deaths. "They disarmed all the guards and warned us not to be smart, they snatched our weapons too," the guard said.
#2: A suicide bomber killed 11 people, including nine police officers, in southern Afghanistan on Monday. The latest bomber was on foot and detonated explosives attached to his body in a group of officers outside the main police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, on Monday, a local police official said. Two civilians were also killed, the interior ministry in Kabul said in a statement. Another 29 people, many of them police, were wounded.
#3: A would-be suicide bomber armed with a grenade killed a police officer guarding a compound in a separate attack in western Farah province on Monday, an official said. The bomber was shot dead by other police as he tried to enter the compound and blow himself up, the official said.
#4: A missile suspected to have been fired by a US drone has killed at least five people in north-western Pakistan, officials say. The missile hit a house in Janikhel, in the Bannu district of North West Frontier Province, late on Sunday.
Casualty Reports:
PFC Andrew Parker, 21, was on patrol Nov. 20 near the southern city of Kandahar, driving a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, when a roadside bomb exploded. The blast left Parker paralyzed from the waist down, and with almost no movement in his hands and arms.
Canadian Master Cpl. Jody Mitic, 31, lost both legs after stepping on a landmine during a January 2007 tour of Afghanistan. suffered severe lower body injuries, including the loss of a foot, after stepping on a land mine in November 2006 in Afghanistan. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
News of the Day for Sunday, March 15, 2009
Reported Security Incidents
Mosul
VoI reports that U.S. forces killed a civilian woman during a raid on a house when they saw her husband carrying a weapon. According to the report, the U.S. has denied the incident. They always do. Note that Iraq is a dangerous place, and most Iraqis keep weapons in the house, which they are allowed to do. But once the U.S. stops denying the incident, we'll see what they have to say about it. -- C
Daqquq, near Kirkuk
Police find three bodies of people who had been shot.
Kirkuk
Auto store owner is wounded by unidentified gunmen. Could be a politically motivated attack, or an extortion racket, who knows? -- C
Near Baquba
Xinhua reports an Iraqi soldier is killed, 2 injured, by an explosion.
Xinhua also reports a sewage facility in Baquba was stormed by gunmen who kidnapped three workers.
Other News of the Day
Jalal Talabani signals he will not run for reelection as president of Iraq, but will remain active in the PUK. This may be a purely personal decision but it also represents a possible step toward Kurdish secession. Many observers believe it is unlikely Talabani's successor will be a Kurd. -- C
In case you were wondering -- U.S. announces no cessation of combat activities after forces withdraw from FOBs on June 30. No, I wasn't wondering. -- C
In Karbala, hundreds protest on behalf of a populist candidate for governor who was denied the post even though he received the most votes. This apparently hinges on the exigencies of coalition politics, which reporter Hamza Hendawi does not explain very well, but for what it's worth -- Excerpt:
Hundreds of Shiites took to the streets in one of Iraq's holiest cities yesterday to insist that a populist candidate who won the most votes in provincial elections become governor. The rally for Youssef al-Haboubi in the city of Karbala was the latest sign of a backlash against the mainstream and religious parties that have dominated Iraqi politics since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
The 51-year-old independent candidate won nearly 15 percent of the vote in the Jan. 31 balloting but was given only one seat on the provincial council because he ran as
an independent without political allies.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's allies and another Shiite party won fewer votes than al-Haboubi but were expected to join forces to gain the majority on the provincial council, which chooses the governor. Supporters of al-Haboubi carried Iraqi flags and pictures of him and chanted "No to dominant parties" and "We demand the rights of voters" as they converged in the area between two revered Shiite shrines.
Baghdad municipal workers are on a campaign to exterminate stray dogs, but some citizens are more interested in clean water and sewer services. Sam Dagher reports:
While human beings in Iraq were killing each other in huge numbers, they ignored the dogs, which in turn multiplied at an alarming rate. Now stray dogs are such a menace that municipal workers are hunting them down, slaughtering some 10,000 in Baghdad just since December. This is not exactly good news, but it does seem a measure of progress that Iraqis have the luxury of worrying about dogs at all.
"Give us clean water instead of killing dogs!" Hussein Ali, 62, yelled recently at a group of veterinary employees enticing a pack of strays with meat laced with strychnine. "The dogs are not harming us, it is the water."
Many Iraqis still lack the most basic services, like sewage systems and potable water.
One of the dog control officers, out poisoning dogs on a crisp and clear winter morning, explained that he was only doing his part, unglamorous maybe, to make life here better. "Iraq has many problems," he said. "We are here on a mission to kill stray dogs."
With fewer bombs going off and hardly any bodies being dumped anymore, the dogs are perhaps the biggest problem on the filthy and rubble-strewn streets of Baghdad. Packs of strays scare schoolchildren and people who get up at dawn to go to work. They gather at open-air butcher shops where customers choose their meat from flocks of live sheep.
Time Magazine's Nick McDonell reports that Mosul is still not exactly hospitable to U.S. forces. Excerpt:
On a clear afternoon in the week of the Prophet Mohammed's 1431st birthday, the week before the sixth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an American infantry platoon was walking a loop around the neighborhood.
"It's like clockwork," says Lieutenant Richard Kim, 24, of Chicago, leading the foot patrol. Kim is a soft-spoken officer on his first tour. He had always wanted to be a soldier. "Twenty-five to 30 minutes after we get here, they come after us."
He was exactly right. After 30 minutes of walking through the uneven, sepia alleys of Ras al-Koor, his patrol opened fire as a grenade bounced up to the rear guard and then exploded, perhaps 10 meters from the closest man. None of the soldiers were injured, and, even as our ears rang, they very professionally split into groups and bolted after the thrower.
Afghanistan Update
Once again, attackers overrun a NATO supply terminal near Peshawar and destroy dozens of containers and vehicles.
Two killed, six injured, by an explosion in Kabul. Other reports say the target was a NATO patrol.
Mayor of Kandahar survives an assassination attempt by IED, but a bystander is killed and 2 are injured.
On Saturday, a French soldier and five Afghan troops are killed in fighting in Kapisa province.
British soldier killed in Helmand.
Two Afghan armed private security guards killed in Farah Province. Quqnoos also reports two police killed in Lashkargah, Helmand.
Quote of the Day
This confirms the widely-held suspicions that leading officials and political advisers close to Tony Blair were deliberately tweaking the presentation of the intelligence to bolster the case for war on Iraq. The jigsaw of how the public and some MPs were duped nears completion with this crucial revelation, and further strengthens the case for a full public inquiry.
Ed Davey, spokesman for the UK's Liberal Democratic Party, referring to recently disclosed secret e-mails appearing to show that the case for invading Iraq was fraudulent.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
War News for Saturday, March 14, 2009
The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Petty Officer 1st Class Theophilus K. Ansong was lost at sea somewhere in the gulf of Aden on Wednesday, February 4th. She was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Telegraph is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier in an explosion in Musa Qala District Centre, Northern Helmand province, Afghanistan on Saturday, March 14th.
March 12 airpower summary:
Talabani to retire Iraq presidental office at year end:
Money mess created by six years of Iraq: Much is being written and said about the new stimulus law (officially the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). Not enough of us explain or realize why we're in this money mess.
Gen. Petraeus: No Iraq-style surge in Afghanistan:
Reported Security incidents:
Baghdad:
#1: A mortar shell on Saturday morning hit al-Doura refinery in southern Baghdad without causing any casualties, according to an official spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. “The attack only caused holes in an oil tank,” Asim Jihad told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
#2: One Katyusha missile targeted the Green Zone Saturday morning. No casualties were reported.
Diyala Prv:
Baquba:
#1: An Iraqi soldier was killed and two others were wounded in a bomb explosion in the volatile province of Diyala on Saturday, a provincial police source said. The blast hit an Iraqi Army foot patrol near a village, some 30km east of the provincial capital city of Baquba, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
#2: In separate incident, unknown gunmen stormed a sewage facility in southern Baquba and kidnapped three workers, the source said.
Mandali:
#1: Two Iraqi servicemen on Saturday were killed in an explosive charge blast that ripped through Diala province, according to a local security source. “On Friday evening, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Mandali district (55 km northeast of Baaquba) near an Iraqi army patrol vehicle, killing two patrolmen,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.The source did not provide further details.
A roadside bomb targeted an Iraqi army patrol on the main route between Baquba and Mendili, 55 km to the east of Baquba at 2.30 a.m. Saturday killing two servicemen, injuring another.
Iskandariya:
#1: Police forces on Saturday found an unknown body floating in a river in northern Babel province, according to a security source. “The corpse was floating in a river in al-Buhayrat area, Iskandriya district (50 km north of Hilla),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Mosul:
#1: Unknown gunmen killed a policewoman in central Mosul city, a security source from Ninewa province’s police said on Saturday. “The incident occurred in al-Sarai market, downtown Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The gunmen opened fire on the policewoman, killing her on the spot in front of passers-by,” he said.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Afghan police disputed whether five men killed in a raid by U.S. and Afghan troops on Saturday were militants. The predawn raid took place in the Charkh district of Logar province, some 80 km (49 miles) southwest of the capital Kabul. The U.S. military said the operation aimed at disrupting a network that had been carrying out roadside bombings. "A firefight began when armed militants engaged the force, five enemy combatants were killed in the firefight," a U.S. military statement said. Afghan police and officials, however, said the men killed were non-combatants. "I confirm that those killed by U.S. forces were civilians... four brothers and a father," said General Mostafa Mohseni, the police chief in Logar province.
#2: Afghan and the U.S.-led Coalition forces in joint operations killed six suspected militants in the southern region, said a press release of the troops issued here Saturday. "In Charkh District, Lowgar Province, combined Afghan and Coalition Forces conducted operations against militants associated with IED (Improvised Explosive Device) facilitation. A firefight began when armed militants engaged the force. Five enemy combatants were killed in the firefight," the press release added.
#3: In a similar operation carried out against insurgents in Zhari and Maiwand districts early today one armed militants was killed, the press release added.
#4: A mine planted by anti-government militants struck a police vehicle in the peaceful Kunduz province north of Afghanistan but caused no loss of life, a local official said Saturday. "The incident occurred in Imam Sahib district on Friday, and as a result a police van was damaged but no police or civilians were harmed," Abdul Rahman Haqtash told Xinhua.
#5: Hundreds of angry villagers Saturday afternoon attacked district office in Logar province, some 60 km south of Afghan capital Kabul, after the reportedly five civilians were killed in the air raid by international troops, an official said. "The angry villagers clashed with police in front of the district building of Charkh," Din Mohammad Darwish, the provincial administration spokesman told Xinhua. "After protesters attempted to enter the district office, police opened fire and two people were wounded." Earlier Darwish said that air strikes carried out by international troops in the wee hours of Saturday claimed the lives of five civilians in Nowshar village of Charkh district.
Friday, March 13, 2009
War News for Friday, March 13, 2009
March 11 airpower summary:
Surge in attacks in Iraq worrisome for U.S.:
Half of AF C-130s Remain Grounded:
Video: Abrams tank hit by an IED:
New Systems Boost Iraqi Surveillance Capability:
Emeralds of Afghanistan: (off topic but I found this to be a very interesting article.)
Russia to deliver 40 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan:
On patrol in the Afghan mountains:
Opinion: How to Leave Afghanistan: (NYTimes)
10,000 US soldiers discharged for being gay:
Reported Security incidents:
Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb exploded in Durah neighborhood of southern Baghdad, killing a woman and wounding a man, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
#2: The source added that four policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb targeted their patrol in Aljadidah neighborhood of eastern Baghdad,
#3: another roadside bomb wounded two civilians in Ghazaliah neighborhood of western Baghdad.
Diyala Prv:
Baquba:
#1: Gunmen assassinated a school guard east of Baquba around 6 a.m. Sahwa members clashed with the insurgents after the incident. One Sahwa member was injured during the clashes.
#2: Gunmen killed a bus driver in Imam Wis area east of Baquba around 2 p.m.
#3: Around 1 p.m., a bomb detonated near a photo lab in Baquba city belongs to a man that was killed less than a week ago. The lab was destroyed completely.
Basra:
#1: Unknown gunmen assassinated Sheikh Abdullah Adnan al-Neimi, head of the tribal office of Iraq’s Scholars and Intellectuals Group, at an area in southern Basra city, a source from the Group said on Thursday. “The incident took place at Mhejran area, southern Basra,” Mohammed al-Dosari told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Neimi died instantly when the gunmen opened fire at him today (March 12) afternoon,” he said.
#2: The Multinational forces in southern Iraq said the British base at the Basra international airport came under Katyusha rockets attack on Thursday night, but caused no casualties or damage. “Four Katyusha rockets hit the British base at the Basra international airport without casualties,” the spokesperson for the MNF in southern Iraq, Captain Jacklin Hackett, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Mosul:
#1: A policeman was killed in an IED blast that targeted his patrol in the area of Dorat Baghdad, southern Mosul.
#2: another policeman was killed when gunmen opened fire at him near his house in al-Nabi Yunus area, eastern Mosulm” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Northern Iraq:
#1: Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish guerrilla targets in northern Iraq on Thursday, state-run news agency Anatolian reported a military official as saying on Friday. Turkey's military has waged offensives both in Turkish territory and across the border in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Clashes between the Turkish military and the PKK intensify in the spring as heavy snows melt in eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, making it easier for PKK rebels to cross into Turkey and attack military posts. Military sources previously told Reuters that the army was building up troops along the border with Iraq to prevent the entry of guerrillas into Turkish territory. There were no further details immediately available about Thursday's air strikes.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Three missiles thought to have been fired from remotely piloted American aircraft struck a Taliban training camp in the Kurram area of northwestern Pakistan late on Thursday and killed 21 militants, according to a local government official and news reports on Friday. Nine other people were injured in the strike around 9.30 p.m. to 10 p.m., directed at a training camp some 20 miles from Parachinar, the capital of the remote tribal area.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
War News for Thursday, March 12, 2009
March 10 airpower summary:
Iraq shoe thrower sentenced to three years jail:
Basra oil exports fall to 960,000 BPD:
Afghanistan: Food still unaffordable for millions:
Taliban poised at the gates of Kabul:
Reported Security incidents:
Baghdad:
#1: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on two civilians at the busy thoroughfare of Saadoun in central Baghdad and left them dead, before they fled the scene by a car apparently was waiting for them, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
#2: In separate incident, a bomb explosion wounded Brigadier Taha Khudhier, a director general in the Iraqi civil defense police department, in the Yarmouk neighborhood in western Baghdad, the source said. The bomb was planted in Khudhier's car and also wounded his son and another civilian who were in the car during the attack, the source added.
#3: Another senior police officer from the Baghdad traffic police, Major General Samir al-Waili, escaped unhurt a separate roadside bomb explosion near his convoy in the busy area of Nahdha in central the capital, he said. Two of Waili's bodyguards and two bystanders were wounded by the blast, he added.
“A roadside bomb went off targeting the motorcade of General Sameer al-Wailee of the traffic directorate while passing through al-Nahdha neighborhood, central Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Al-Wailee, two of his guards, and two other persons were wounded in the attack,” he said.
Diyala Prv:
Jalawlaa:
#1: A policeman on Wednesday was killed by unknown gunmen in southern Jalawlaa district, according to a security source. “This evening, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a policeman near Banira village, southern Jalawlaa district (155 km northeast of Baaquba), seriously wounding him,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The cop died while being rushed to the hospital,” the source noted, adding that the gunmen fled to an unknown destination before the arrival of police.
Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide blast took place in Pakistan's tribal area bordering Afghanistan on Thursday and casualties were feared, private TV channel DAWN NEWS reported. The explosion occurred near an army camp in Charbagh area of Landi Kotal Tehsil in Khyber tribal agency, said the report.
