News of the Day for Sunday, November 13, 2011

Reported Security Incidents

Quandil Mountains, Kurdistan

Turkish military hits suspected PKK position with an airstrike. No further details or casualty reports currently available.

Kirkuk

Saboteurs damage a pipeline carrying oil to the Baiji refinery on Friday, causing minor damage. (Not reported here previously.)

Baghdad

Aswat al-Iraq reports 3 separate attacks, killing 2 and injuring 7. A bomb in Tarmiya injured 5 civilians; an Iraqi soldier was killed and 2 injured in an assault on an army patrol in Raghba-Khatoun, with the assailants escaping; and a driver was killed and a passerby injured by a sticky bomb.

al-Hajjaj village, north of Tikrit

Assistant Commander of the Iraqi Army's 4th Battalion, Col. Shahin Adid, is killed in a bomb attack on his motorcade. His bodyguard is seriously injured.

Falluja

Police officer killed in a bomb attack.

Other News of the Day

It is revealed that Exxon signed a contract to invest in the oil industry in Kurdistan in October. Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani condemns the deal, which the central government considers illegal. Exxon is the first major oil company to strike a separate deal with Kurdistan; others have demurred not wishing to jeopardize their relationship with Baghdad. NYT reporter Andrew Kramer writes, "Critics say that oil companies that made deals with Kurdistan after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s government were pursuing development in a manner that has heightened ethnic tensions between Arabs and Kurds and that has done little to contribute to economic stability. . . The State Department and the military have sought to tamp down antagonism between Kurdistan and the central government for years, and American troops have died trying to keep the peace along that internal border. With the American withdrawal imminent, concerns are mounting that ethnic tensions could again threaten stability."

Iraq appears to be one of Bashar al-Asad's three remaining friend in the Arab League. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh calls the suspension of Syria from the Arab League "unacceptable" on al-Iraqiya. Iraq was the only league member to abstain from the vote. Only Yemen and Lebanon voted no.

Afghanistan Update

Roadside bomb in Lagham Province kills 9 civilians. (At one point this story says 6 dead; other reports have 8 dead.) Also, a bomb in Herat injures 2 police and 2 civilians.

The Afghan Air Force now has 5,000 personnel and 66 aircraft, mostly Russian. However, due to a shortage of competent maintenance personnel, the operational tempo is low.

British Chief of Staff Gen. Sir David Richards says hundreds of UK troops will remain in Afghanistan as trainers after the scheduled withdrawal of combat troops in 2015.

The head of an Afghan policy think tanks says the U.S. is trying to postpone the convocation of a new Loya Jirga out of fear it will oppose the new security pact between Afghanistan and the U.S., currently being negotiated to replace the agreement with the Bush administration in 2005. "While Afghan President Hamid Karzai has stressed that any agreement with the US should receive the approval of Loya Jirga first, many members of the former Loya Jirga have already voiced strong opposition to a strategic deal with the US." (In case anyone doesn't know, a Loya Jirga is a traditional assembly of tribal and other indigenous leaders. Afghanistan has always been a loosely organized, essentially feudally structured society, so this is how big decisions got made. The current effort to build a unified nation-state with a strong central government is historically unprecedented and, in my personal view, feckless. -- C)

War News for Sarurday, November 12, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Friday, November 11th.


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A bomb attached to the car of a surgeon went off and killed him and wounded his son in Baghdad's southern Doura district late on Thursday, police and hospital sources said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Six civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, a local official said. "A roadside bomb hit a civilian car in Alingar district of Laghman province, killing six people including one woman," said Laghman provincial spokesman Faizanullah Patan. The bombing, which took place at about 10am, was confirmed by interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi in Kabul, who said that four civilians had been killed.

#2: In the second incident, the suicide bomber targeted a police van around noon in Herat, 640 km from Kabul. Five people, including three policemen and two civilians were injured, a police official told Xinhua.

#3: According to local authorities in western Afghanistan, at least three Afghan national police service members were killed following insurgents ambush in western Farah province. The officials further added, the incident took place on Friday after a number of militants ambushed Afghan national police forces in this province. Provincial security chief for western Farah province Gen. Mohammad Ghous Maliyar confirming the incident said, Taliban militants ambushed the Afghan national police forces in Bala Bolok district of western Farah province on Friday and were killed during the clashes.

#4: The defence department in Canberra says the latest soldier to be wounded in Afghanistan is in a satisfactory condition. The department says a Mentoring Task Force 3 soldier was wounded during a patrol with the Afghan National Army when they came under fire from insurgents in eastern Uruzgan province. The incident occurred on the Thursday afternoon in the Deh Rafshan region, 12km east of Multi National Base Tarin Kot. Acting Chief of Joint Operations Rear Admiral David Johnston says the patrol initially came under small arms fire from a group of insurgents earlier that morning and had been involved in a series of skirmishes through to the afternoon. The Australian soldier was struck by insurgent small-arms fire after four hours of fighting, and was given immediate first aid.

#5: A Wisconsin soldier was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan on Thursday, according to his family. Sgt. Adam Alexander, 27, of Potosi, was hit by small arms fire in the head, his father said. Alexander is stable but still listed in critical condition. He was in route to Germany on Thursday night and will go to Texas or Maryland next. His family will go to the hospital once they know which hospital he will be taken to, his father said.

#6: Afghan and coalition forces killed five insurgents during a joint operation in Laghman province on Friday and Saturday, the interior ministry said in a statement.

#7: Afghan and coalition forces killed one suspected insurgent during a joint operation in Ghazni province on Friday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.

#8: A remote-controlled bomb exploded near a police checkpost on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing one policeman and wounding another, police said.

War News for Friday, November 11, 2011

US Soldier Gets Life Sentence In Afghan Killings

Remains of US troops killed in Iraq dumped in a landfill

Taliban target mobile phone masts to prevent tipoffs from Afghan civilians


Reported security incidents

Diyala Province:
#1: A member of the pro-government Al-Sahwa (Awakening) forces was killed and two wounded in two separate incidents in Diala province, security sources said here today. The source told Aswat al-Iraq that unknown attackers, expected as members of Qaeda organization, shot one of the Sahwa members near his residence in Muqdadiayh country, 45 km east of Baaquba city. He died immediately and the culprits fled the scene, as the source said. On the other hand, a bomb exploded injuring two members of Sahwa forces, with no details on the incident.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: An Australian soldier has been wounded after coming under fire from insurgents in Afghanistan. A joint patrol of Afghan and Australian troops came under fire from insurgents in the southern province of Uruzgan. The Australian soldier was wounded by small arms fire after more than four hours of skirmishes between the patrol and insurgent gunmen armed with automatic weapons. The incident happened in the Deh Rafshan district, 12 kilometres east of the Australian base at Tarin Kot.

#2: Taliban suicide attackers stormed a government office in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, killing three Afghan policemen and wounding three US soldiers, officials said. The attackers are believed to have been targeting a meeting between the governor of Chamkani district in Paktia province and local elders who were due to attend a government-organised loya jirga or traditional meeting in Kabul next week. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said it helped end the attack by destroying a mosque where gunmen had hidden, launching a Hellfire missile and rockets from an Apache helicopter. Provincial government spokes­man Rohullah Samoon said there were four attackers, one of whom detonated a car bomb at the gates of the district centre, allowing three others to enter. “They have all been killed,” he said. “Three of our policemen have also been killed and the district police chief has been injured but is in stable condition. The fighting is over now.”

#3: Unknown gunmen killed two women and wounded a child in Ghazni province on Wednesday, said Mohammad Hashim, police chief of the second district of Ghazni, the location of the shooting.


DoD: Pfc. Cody R. Norris

MoD: Private Matthew Thornton

War News for Thursday, November 10, 2011

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from an IED blast in in Babaji, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, November 9th. Here's the ISAF release.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, November 9th.


Reported security incidents

Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least five fighters of Aman Lashkar (peace committee) have been killed in a fight with militants in Aka Khel area of Khyber Agency of Pakistan’s tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Sources said on Thursday, militants of banned terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked on Aman Lashkar and killed five members. The sources said that two militants have also been killed in retaliation.

#2: A pro-government tribal militia clashed with Taliban militants in the Khyber tribal region on the Afghan border, killing one militiamen and wounding another, local government officials said. There was no word on casualties from the militants' side.

#3: A roadside bomb on Tuesday killed the district governor of Sar Howza district of eastern Paktika province and one of his bodyguards, wounding four others, Mukhlis Afghan, a spokesman for the governor of Paktika said.

War News for Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Huge U.S. air base returned to Iraqi control - Joint Base Balad was returned to Iraqi control on Tuesday


Reported security incidents

Diyala Prv:
#1: Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Diyala, gunmen planted a bomb at the residence of a police officer in a town west of the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, wounding a member of the official's family, a source from the provincial operations command told Xinhua. The targeted officer escaped the attack unharmed, and the Iraqi security forces have launched an investigation into the incident, the source said.


Salah al Din prv:
#1: A Pro Iraqi-government al-Sahwa (Awakening) Force commander has been killed in an explosive charge blast in Iraq's Salahal-Din Province on Wednesday, a police source reported. "An explosive charge, planted under the car of Sheikh Ali al-Sheikhani, blew off early Wednesday in Salahal-Din's Railway Station, killing him on the spot," the police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Balad:
#1: In another incident, the police source said that 2 explosive charges blew off against al-Sahwa checking point in Balad township of Salahal-Din Province on Tuesday night, cause no human casualties.


Mosul:
#1: The Mayor of the city of Mosul, the center of north Iraq's Ninewa Province, has escaped an assassination attempt during an attack on his house in southern Mosul, a Ninewa security source reported on Wednesday. "Mosul's Mayor, Hussein Ali Hachem, has escaped an assassination attempt at dawn Wednesday, in an attack against his house that caused material damage to the house at Gayara township, 60 km to the south of Mosul, but the Mayor was not hurt, when his guards returned fire and forced the attackers to escape," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol wounded four policemen in a town just west of Ramadi, which is 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: All Afghan soldiers working in a patrol base in southern Afghanistan have been disarmed and confined to barracks after one of them turned his weapons on Australian troops, seriously injuring three of them. The incident, in Uruzgan province, is the latest attack on western troops by members of Afghanistan's fledgling security forces, who are being recruited and trained at breakneck speed to take over from western combat troops by the end of 2014. Officials say the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldier was standing on a raised watchtower in a patrol base when he opened fire with an automatic weapon and grenade launcher, shooting down into the interior of the compound. As in other such incidents, his victims would have been unprepared to defend themselves, and probably not wearing body armour. In addition to seriously wounding three members of an Australian team responsible for training and mentoring Afghans soldiers, two ANA servicemen were also hurt, although their injuries were minor, the Australian defence ministry said.

#2: An Afghan official says between 60 to 70 insurgents have been killed after they attacked bases used by NATO and Afghan forces in the eastern Paktika province. Mokhlis Afghan, the spokesman for the provincial governor, says insurgents moved from the Afghan-Pakistan border on Tuesday night and attacked the bases in Barmal district. He says Afghan and NATO forces quickly launched a counter attack and called in coalition aircraft. He says the fighting left up to 70 insurgents dead. NATO says the militants attacked the bases with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, but no NATO service members were killed or wounded in the attack.

#3: According to local officials in southern Afghanistan, at least three civilians were killed following a roadside bomb explosion in southern Uruzgan province. The officials further added, the incident took place in Tarinkowt, the central city of southern Uruzgan province. A spokesman for the provincial police chief for Southern Uruzgan province Farid Ahmad Ayil confirming the incident said, the incident took place after a civilian vehicle struck with a roadside bomb late Tuesday night.

#4: A roadside bomb on Tuesday killed the district governor of Sar Howza district of eastern Paktika province and one of his bodyguards, wounding four others, Mukhlis Afghan, a spokesman for the governor of Paktika said.

War News for Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Reported security incidents

Diyala Prv:
#1: In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a policeman and his son were wounded in the morning when a roadside bomb went off in front of their house in al-Gatoon area, just west of the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, a source from the provincial operations command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

#2: Also in the province, four people were wounded in three roadside bombs which separately ripped through the outskirts of Baquba, the source said.


Abu Ghraib:
#1: On Tuesday morning, a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in Abu Ghraib area, some 20 km west of Baghdad, destroying a military vehicle and wounding three soldiers aboard, the source said.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Two policemen were killed late Monday night when gunmen attacked a checkpoint in central Fallujah city, some 50 km west of Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: The Afghan Interior Ministry says a roadside bombing in the country's west has killed 11 people, most of them members of one family. A ministry statement on Tuesday says the bomb went off as a police vehicle was driving by Monday evening in Badghis province's Qadis district. The vehicle was part of a three-vehicle police convoy that had stopped shortly before to pick up a family that needed a ride into town. The ministry says nine of the 11 killed were from one family, including six children and two women. Two policemen were also killed while three people _ a 10-year-old child and two other policemen _ were wounded.

#2: A suicide attack on a jirga member in Baghlan province wounded six policemen including four auxiliary police personnel on Monday, said Munshi Abdul Majid, a governor for the province. The jirga, or council, member, Mullah Alam, was unharmed.


DoD: Lance Cpl. Nickolas A. Daniels

War News for Monday, November 07, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgents attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, November 5th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgents attack in an undisclosed location in western Afghanistan on Sunday, November 6th.


Multiple missteps led to drone killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan


Reported security incidents

Mosul:
#1: A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol killed one soldier late on Sunday in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Police say the governor of Iraq's largest Sunni province has escaped an assassination attempt on a highway in a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad. Iraqi police say the governor of Anbar province, Qasim al-Fahadawi, escaped unhurt Monday morning after a roadside bomb hit his motorcade as it headed to Baghdad. A provincial media official says three bodyguards were wounded in the attack.

A roadside bomb targeting the convoy of Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed wounded three of his security guards in Abu Ghraib on the western outskirts of Baghdad, army and police sources said. An army source said two Iraqi soldiers at a nearby check point were killed in the incident.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A roadside bomb ripped through a police vehicle in southern Afghanistan, killing a district police chief and two of his bodyguards, authorities said on Monday. The blast happened late Sunday as the group drove from Lashkar Gah, the capital of troubled Helmand province, to Garmser district. "Mohammad Saifullah, the police chief of Garmser district in Helmand province, was killed along with two bodyguards when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle last night," said Helmand police chief Mohammad Hakim Angar.

#2: Elsewhere in Baghlan province Monday, six police officers were wounded when a suicide car bomber blew himself up when targeting the house of a local elder involved in efforts to make peace with the Taliban in the area. The attack in Puli Khumri also involved a second raider who exchanged fire with police after the blast but later escaped, Baghlan police chief Asadullah Shirzad said.

#3: A former local government official and his bodyguard were killed when their vehicle was attacked by a suicide bomber in the northwestern town of Swabi, police said. Three other people were wounded.

#4: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a vehicle as it passed through a market in the South Waziristan border region, killing three passengers, including the brother of a pro-government tribal leader, security officials said. One of the attackers was also killed in the shoot-out.

#5: One soldier and two bystanders were killed when militants ambushed a convoy of paramilitary forces in the northwestern Khyber border region, security officials said.