War News for Monday, July 06, 2009

The British MoD is announcing the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack near Gereshk, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Sunday, July 5th.

The Canadian DND/CF is reporting the death of a Canadian ISAF soldier. Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe died in a Quebec hospital on Friday, July 4th. He was originally injured in an IED strike in the Panjwayi District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan on Tuesday, June 23rd.

The AP is reporting the deaths of four ISAF soldiers in an IED attack in an undisclosed location in northern Afghanistan on Monday, July 6th. The governor of Kunduz province is quoted as saying American soldiers were targeted.

The Washington post is reporting the deaths of two more American ISAF service-personal in an IED strike in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, July 6th.


Taliban launch ‘operation’ against Marines:

Turkey: Four killed in explosion in southeast:

U.S. servicemembers withdraw from Iraqi cities, move to main installations:

Sandstorms plague Iraq and are getting worse:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: Iraqi authorities say gunmen have killed five people in an attack on a security checkpoint in Baghdad. An army officer and an interior ministry official say the attack on the checkpoint in western Baghdad on Sunday night killed two Iraqi police officers and three soldiers.

Three Iraqi soldiers and two policemen have been gunned down at a security checkpoint in Baghdad, the worst such incident since US combat troops left the city, a defence ministry official says. The attack occurred just before midnight on Sunday in the western district of Al-Khadrah.

#2: Insurgents threw a hand bomb at a police patrol in Korneesh Street, central Mosul at noon Sunday, killing one policeman.

#3: And another hand bomb was thrown at another police patrol in the same street 30 minutes later injuring one police officer and one traffic policeman.

#4: An insurgent threw a hand bomb at a police patrol in Korneesh Street, central Mosul early Sunday evening, killing one police officer and injuring six civilians.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb hidden in a trash barrel targeted an Iraqi army patrol Saturday evening injuring three service members and destroying their vehicle.

Baquba:
#1: Nine civilians on Sunday were wounded when three explosive charges ripped through an internet café in Diala’s Baaquba city, according to a local security source. “This evening, three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) detonated inside an internet café in Nahr al-Hajiya area, downtown Baaquba, wounding nine civilians and causing considerable damage to the café,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Insurgents blew up a shop that sells entertainment CDs in central Baquba, early Sunday evening. The explosion severely injured six people including the two owners of the business, and completely destroyed the shop.


Makhmour:
#1: Iraqi army forces on Sunday found an unknown body belonging to a young man in northern Iraq, according to an army source. “The body, which bore signs of gunshot wounds, was found near al-Qasimiya village (27 km west of Makhmour),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: Security forces on Sunday defused three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Kirkuk province, according to an informed source. “This morning, two explosive devices were found in al-Barghliya village, Huweija district (65 km southwest of Kirkuk),” a source from the Joint Coordination Center told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “During an early hour this morning, patrol vehicles found a third explosive charge in al-Muradiya village, al-Riyad district (45 km southwest of Kirkuk),” the source noted, adding that all of the devices were defused without causing any damage.

#2: Unknown gunmen have kidnapped a policeman near Kirkuk city, a source from the Joint Coordination Center said on Monday. “The kidnap occurred on Yayji-Kirkuk road (25 km southwest of Kirkuk city),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: A police official in Mosul said a car bomb on Monday targeted a police patrol but missed, killing an 18-year-old man and injuring eight other bystanders. He also spoke on condition of anonymity.

#2: Sunday One policeman on Sunday was killed by unknown gunmen in Mosul city, according to a local security source. “The cop was killed while on duty in front of the electricity department in al-Faisaliya area, eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Eight persons on Monday were injured when a booby-trapped car exploded in Mosul city, according to a local police source. “Today, a car bomb detonated in Wadi Hajar area, southern Mosul, wounding eight persons,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.The blast did not target security personnel, the source noted.

#4: A traffic policeman on Monday was injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on him in Mosul city, according to a local police source. “Brig. Safaaldin Mahmoud from Ninewa’s traffic police was wounded while on duty in al-Darkziya area, eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Sixteen Afghan nationals working for the UN-sponsored demining agency, who were kidnapped over the weekend, have been freed unharmed. The personnel from the Mine Detection and Dog Centre (MDC) -- which is part of the overall UN mine clearing agency in Afghanistan known as UNMACA -- were seized by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province on Saturday. The provincial tribal chiefs were able to secure the release of the men late on Sunday after making contact with the kidnappers, Sherin Agha Ahmad Shah, head of the MDC in Paktia said on Monday. "The kidnappers were thieves and the tribal chiefs negotiated the release of the workers without any ransom or any deal," he told reporters, without giving further details.

#2: Separately, no further information has emerged about two Afghan employees working for Dutch aid agency HealthNet TPO (HNI) -- specialized in rehabilitating healthcare systems in war zones and disaster areas -- who the Afghan Health Ministry said were abducted in neighboring Khost province on Saturday.

#3: A suicide car bomber struck early Monday outside the main NATO base in southern Afghanistan, killing two civilians and wounding 14 other people. The bomber blew himself up near the gates of Kandahar Airfield, said Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazai, the top military commander for southern Afghanistan. Those wounded included 12 civilians and two Afghan soldiers, Zazai said. Initially police said four soldiers were wounded.

Troops engaged in small-arms fire with insurgents, NATO Lt. Commander Christopher Hall said in Kabul, but he did not have further details.

Two Afghan truck drivers were killed when a suicide car bomber blew himself up outside Kandahar Air Field, a major foreign military base in southern Kandahar province, Afghan army General Sher Mohammad Zazai said. At least 10 were wounded, he said.

#4: thousands of U.S. Marines in neighboring Helmand province mounted a major offensive against the Taliban. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Helmand offensive is "the first significant one" since President Barack Obama ordered 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to try to reverse the militant gains. "We've made some advances early. But I suspect it's going to be tough for a while," Mullen told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. The admiral described the goal of Marines' push as not just driving out the Taliban from areas they control, but securing the area to allow the Afghan government to operate.

#5: Afghan forces killed seven Taliban insurgents in a clash in southern Uruzgan province on Monday, a provincial police chief said. Two police officers were wounded. The Taliban could not be reached immediately for comment.

#6: Two Afghan soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a landmine blast in Paktia on Sunday, the Defence Ministry said.

#7: Fourteen militants were killed and few others were apprehended while four soldiers were injured in military operation in northwest Pakistan during last 24 hours, an army press release said on Monday. Security forces carried out search operation in Swat, Dir, Buner and Bannu district in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). 14 militants were killed and several others arrested during exchange of fire with security forces, and a large quantity of arms and devices were recovered, according to the press release.

#8: Two bombs exploded Monday at the main gate of a police office in northwest Pakistan, injuring a pedestrian and damaging the office, according to the local TV channel. According to police, the first bomb planted at the main gate of the police office in Tehsil Shabqadar of North West Frontier Province exploded on Monday morning, injuring a passerby and partially damaging the office, the private TV channel GEO reported. Police recovered another explosive planted at the same place and called bomb disposal squad but the bomb exploded. The office was severely damaged in the second bombing.

War News for Sunday, July 05, 2009

The British MoD is announcing the death of an ISAF soldier from small arms fire/RPG attack near Gereshk, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Saturday, July 4th.

The British MoD is announcing a second death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack near Gereshk, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Saturday, July 4th.


Iraq hit by worst sandstorms in decades:

Attack in Pakistani Garrison City Raises Anxiety About Safety of Nuclear Labs and Staff:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: Five civilians were wounded in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in southwestern Baghdad on Saturday evening, according to a security source. “An IED planted by unidentified persons on the main road in al-Bayya neighborhood, west of Baghdad, went off, leaving five civilians wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diyala Prv:
Baquba:
#1: An Iraqi soldier was wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near his patrol in central Baaquba city on Saturday, a security source in Diala said. “The IED ripped through Khreisan street, central Baaquba, on Saturday evening targeting an Iraqi army patrol. One of the soldiers on the patrol was wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diwaniya:
#1: Two Katyusha rockets landed in the environs of the U.S. forces’ ECHO camp in western Diwaniya during the early hours of Sunday but left no casualties or losses, the province’s council chief said. “Security forces rushed to the scene and imposed a security cordon on the rocket firing areas in the district of al-Sedeer, (15 km) south of Diwaniya,” Jubeir al-Juburi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Tikrit:
#1: Saturday A roadside bomb targeted an Iraqi police vehicle in central Tikrit. One policeman was injured.


Kirkuk:
#1: Unidentified gunmen kidnapped an employee of the Daqquq Public Hospital in Kirkuk, a source from the Joint Coordination Center said. “The Dumez police station was reported that a local resident was kidnapped on Saturday evening by unidentified gunmen in a golden Opel vehicle in the area of al-Askari, southern Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Police found the body of a man with bullet wounds to the head and chest in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, on Saturday, police said.


Mosul:
#1: A booby-trapped car parking near a police office in central Mosul detonated in the morning, wounding four people and caused damage to the office building, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The wounded from Sunday’s earlier car bomb blast in southern Mosul rose to 14, including two policeman, one of them in the rank of first lieutenant, a security source in Ninewa said. “The number of wounded from a car bomb blast that was parked near the citizenship department in southern Mosul rose to 14,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: In a separate attack, an attacker hurled a hand grenade at a police vehicle in the city, wounding a policeman and five civilians, the source said.

#3: A policeman was killed when a hand-grenade was thrown at his patrol in central Mosul city in the second incident of its kind on Sunday, a security source in Ninewa said. “An unidentified person hurled a hand-grenade at a police patrol on al-Corniche street, central Mosul, killing a policeman,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistani fighter jets bombed suspected Taliban positions in a tribal region that could end up the focus of a future military offensive, killing as many as six people Sunday, intelligence officials said. The airstrikes hit several homes in parts of North Waziristan, the two intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. The officials said six people died and several were wounded. They did not say if the dead were militants.
Two local residents, however, said two people were killed and seven injured, and that all the victims were tribesmen. The witnesses, Shanawat Khan and Akhtarullah, told The Associated Press via phone that three local tribesmen's homes were hit in the Degan village area.

#2: But overnight Sunday, an army camp in Angoor Ada, a part of the region purportedly under Nazir's control, came under attack, prompting retaliatory fire from security forces, two other intelligence officials said. No casualties were immediately known.

#3: At least three security personnel were killed and six others were injured during the last 24 hours of the ongoing operation in Pakistan's northwest, according to a military press release Sunday. Security forces conducted search operation south of Kotah near Bari Kot in the Swat valley of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). During exchange of fire with militants, it said, three soldiers were killed.

#4: Also, suspected militants attacked the Chakmalai army camp in South Waziristan with rockets and gunfire, wounding six soldiers. Security forces repulsed the assault with mortars and heavy artillery, said the two officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

#5: gunmen in the east abducted 16 mine-clearing personnel working for the United Nations, officials said Sunday.

The workers, who were de-mining an area between Logar and Paktia, were either taken by unknown gunmen or voluntarily went with their de-mining truck, said Gen Azizullah Wardak, the provincial police chief in Paktia. Only their abandoned ambulance was found. No other details were immediately available.

#6: Troops from a US Marine company in Afghanistan have been under almost constant fire since entering the country with 4,000 other troops during the week. Since flying in by helicopter to Mian Poshteh in Helmand province, troops from the 2/8 infantry battalion have been held down by insurgents. The 200 Marines are still fighting to hold position and have had to call in helicopter gunships for assistance. Taliban fighters have been using small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and rockets against the Marines.

#7: An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopter conducted an emergency landing in a non-standard landing zone due to a mechanical failure today in Nangarhar province. An ISAF quick reaction force from a nearby forward operating base was dispatched to aid in site security and was assisted by Afghan National Policemen. No ISAF service members or other passengers on the aircraft were injured. The exact cause of the mechanical failure is currently under investigation.

War News for Saturday, July 04, 2009

The Canadian DND/CF is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED strike in the Zhari District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan on Saturday, July 3rd. Five additional soldiers were wounded in the attack.

CENTCOM is reporting the death of a U.S. Marine in an undisclosed incident while in combat operations presumably in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Friday, July 2nd.

The BBC is reporting the deaths of two U.S. soldiers in an explosion in the Zirok district, Paktika province, Afghanistan on Saturday, July 4th. Four additional soldiers were wounded in the attack.


Germany to send AWACS planes to Afghanistan:

Russia to Open Airspace to U.S. for Afghan War:

SKorea says North fires 7 missiles off east coast:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: Four electricity towers went down Friday due to acts of sabotage with explosive charges that targeted the Baiji high-tension power line in western Baghdad, said the official spokesperson of the Iraqi Electricity Ministry.

#2: One civilian on Saturday was killed and 12 others were injured in an explosive charge blast that ripped through the capital Baghdad, according to a local police source. “On Saturday noon, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by unknown men detonated near a vegetables market in al-Yousifiya area, southern Baghdad, killing a civilian and injuring 12 others,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kut:
#1: A U.S. unmanned plane went down near al-Kut city, where U.S. and Iraqi military forces are searching for the debris, a Wassit police source said on Friday. “The drone crashed near the Delta Base of the U.S. forces, (7 km) west of Kut, on Friday afternoon,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on condition of anonymity.

#2: A civilian man was shot down by unidentified gunmen who attacked his home in al-Kut city on Friday, a Wassit police source said. “Unknown gunmen stormed a house in al-Damuk, al-Kut city, and opened their machine-gun fire at the owner, killing him instantly,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The dead man’s family said three masked gunmen attacked the house apparently not for the purpose of stealing,” he added.


Kirkuk:
#1: A body of a young man showing signs of having been shot was found in the southeastern Kirkuk on Friday, a source from the Joint Coordination Center in the city said. “The corpse was left in the area of al-Nasr neighborhood, near to a pharmacy in southwestern Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: One policeman has been killed by unknown gunmen in southern Kirkuk city, a local police official said on Saturday. “Unidentified gunmen opened fire from a silencer-equipped pistol on an emergency policeman in southern Kirkuk, killing him on the spot,” Lt. Col. Kamel Ahmed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Gunmen killed off duty Peshmerga soldier in northern Kirkuk, police said.


Mosul:
#1: Police found the body of a man with bullet wounds to the head and chest in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#2: A civilian man was killed by unidentified gunmen in eastern Mosul city on Saturday, a security source with the Ninewa police said. “Unidentified gunmen opened fire today (July 4) on a civilian man working as a contractor in the area of al-Zuhour neighborhood, eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Gunmen killed a man as he left a mosque in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#4: A roadside bomb targeting Iraqi police patrol wounded one civilian in central Mosul, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Pakistani fighter jets pounded Taliban positions in the country's volatile northwest on Saturday, killing at least 12 suspected insurgents, security officials said, as the government kept up pressure on Islamist militants along the Afghan border. The government airstrikes hit three suspected militant positions in the Kurram region, part of the rugged, lawless tribal belt along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, two security officials said. Twelve Taliban fighters were killed and many more were wounded, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The military could not be immediately reached for confirmation.

#2: Elsewhere in the northwest, clashes between tribesmen and Taliban fighters left 16 people dead in the latest violence between pro-government tribal militias and insurgents. The fighting between tribesmen and militants took place in the remote Mohmand region, which also lies along the Afghan frontier. Dozens of fighters attacked the tribal militia after receiving a warning from a council of tribal elders to leave the area, a local government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

#3: A roadside bomb tore through a police vehicle on Saturday in an insurgent attack in a southern Afghanistan flashpoint, killing seven officers, the interior ministry said. The incident took place in Registan district in Kandahar province, a hotbed for the Taliban-led insurgency, the ministry said. "A roadside bomb struck a police vehicle which resulted in the martyrdom of seven policemen," the statement said.

#4: A helicopter operated by a company contracted to carry food and other sustenance supplies for coalition forces made an emergency landing in the Paktika province of eastern Afghanistan today. The helicopter crew reported mechanical issues and landed in remote mountainous terrain. A second contractor helicopter that was nearby recovered the crew and returned them to base without incident. None of the crew were reported injured. A short time later, a small group of unidentified individuals were seen removing items from the helicopter and running away. Minutes later, the helicopter burst into flames, causing unrecoverable damage to the helicopter and its cargo.

#5: Twenty-six Pakistani soldiers were killed when a helicopter in which they were travelling crashed in the Orakzai tribal agency close to the Afghan border, a media report said Saturday.
The MI-17 helicopter crashed Friday due to a technical problem, the Online news agency said citing army officials. Media reports earlier said that Taliban militants shot down the helicopter. There were 30 army personnel on board. The helicopter was returning to Peshawar from Para Chinar when it went down in the Chappar Feroze Khel area.

#6: A roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded another in northern Jawzjan province, the Interior Ministry said.

#7: Two Afghan soldiers were killed and four wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in southern Helmand's Musa Qala district on Friday, the Defence Ministry said.

#8: Afghan security forces killed two insurgents and detained two more during an operation in southwestern Ghazni province on Friday, the Defence Ministry said.

#9: Two Taliban insurgents were killed when a roadside bomb they were planting exploded in the Delaram district of southwestern Nimroz province, the Interior Ministry said.

#10: A man driving explosive-laden car blew himself up next to Italian military convoy in west Afghanistan on Friday, provincial police chief Hekmatullah Alizai said. "The suicide bomber exploded his car very close to a convoy of Italian forces in Shindand district at 3 p.m. local time (GMT1030),killing himself and damaged an armored personnel carrier," Alizai told Xinhua. However, he did not say if there were any casualties on Italian forces but said two civilians died in the accident.

News of the Day for Friday, July 3, 2009

An Iraqi shop owner surveys the damage in a popular market in the center of the northern city of Kirkuk, 225 kms from Baghdad. Bombings in the lead-up to the pullback of US forces from Iraq's towns and cities, resulted in the bloodiest death toll seen in the conflict-hit nation in 11 months, official figures showed Wednesday. (AFP/Marwan Ibrahim)

Reported Security Incidents

Hilla

Body of a woman with bullet wounds to the head is retrieved from the Euphrates.

Reuters also reports three judges traveling together in a car wounded by gunfire Thursday evening.

Kirkuk

Car bomb Thursday evening near al-Zab police station, south of the city, kills 2, injures 9.

Other News of the Day

For those who haven't seen it yet, on Wednesday attorneys representing Iraq families in a lawsuit against Blackwater (now called by the unpronounceable name Xe) filed amended allegations in federal court including:

• the shooting of three Iraqi families in a mini-van that killed nine-year-old Akram Khalid Sa'ed Jasim and wounded his three-month-old sister, who was shot in the face, his mother, his father, and uncle in July 2007;


• the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Suhad Shakir Fadhil as she was driving home from work in the so-called Green Zone in February 2007;


• the shooting of Maulood Mohammed Shathir Husein, a 31-year-old married professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Baghdad in August 2005;


• the fatal shooting of 65-year-old Khalis Kareem Ali Al Qaysi, who was killed while he was being driven in Baghdad in March 2005;


• the severe beating of 35-year-old Iraqi photographer Safeen Hameed Ahmed Qadir in April 2008 as he took photographs at a Ford automobile branch in the Arbil province that was visited by a U.S. diplomat, and;


• the shooting of Husam Hasan Jaber, who was driving three passengers in Baghdad in a taxi cab he owns and operates.

VP Joe Biden is stuck in Camp Victory due to sandstorms, so he's been meeting with U.S. officials. He plans to meet PM al-Maliki later today, and President Jalal Talabani tomorrow.

Democracy Now! interviews Iraqi reporter Sahar Issa, and American reporter Jeremy Scahill. Very brief excerpt from Issa's remarks:

At the same time that [Iraqis] are happy to gain control over their streets and cities, there is a doubt in their hearts whether the Iraqi security forces are actually adequate to the task that is in front of them in the coming days, weeks and months of keeping the peace and keeping the population secure. This is at the bottom of the doubt that you see, is—is the Iraqi force actually adequate to the task?—that the Iraqi force is infiltrated by many. The Iraqi force has been formed upon somewhat sectarian lines. The Iraqi force also, because of the administrative corruption, has many people who have brought in their relatives, their friends, their neighbors, people who are not professional. . . .

[I]f you look back a little bit, you will find that with the height of violence that only started coming down in the beginning of 2008, and while human life was at stake, violence was like a blanket, cutting off a cross-section of what is really happening inside the Iraqi government, because everything was so clouded, people were hurt, they couldn’t look further than their lot.

But when the violence ebbed after the beginning of 2008, people started picking up the reins of their lives, looking around to see what was going on. And they found, horrendously, that the government is totally riddled with corruption. It is totally built on tribal and sectarian bases, where people have their relatives in very sensitive places simply to make the profit. And the confidence in Iraqis that they had at first when they went to elect their government, they lost this confidence. They said, “Then what is the difference, if it is going to be tribal again? What is the difference between this government and the past, even if it is elected, if it is going to use the same lines?”

And that is, of course, part of the problem, is that it is not a matter of just putting the government out there. The problem is this government needs to gain the confidence of the people. It needs to give them something that they can hold onto. It needs to look at their very difficult lives. They didn’t have electricity when the—you know, outside this building, if I walk out now, it is so hot, toys will melt in cars. To just to give you an idea, toys will melt in cars. That is the heat. And people don’t have electricity. After six years, they don’t have water in their homes.

Afghanistan Update

Marine advance into Helmand Valley continues with little resistance. "Troops are moving through towns and villages to “separate the population from the insurgents,” [Capt. Bill] Pelletier said. They fought “light skirmishes” with gunmen who then fled, he added."

Meanwhile British troops continue to secure territory between Helmand Province capital Lashkar Gah and the city of Gereshk.

The Ministry of Defense announces that one of two soldiers killed by a roadside bomb on Thursday was Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe, 40, the commanding officer of the Welsh Guards. He is the highest ranking British officer killed in action since the Falklands war. This article also describes the more powerful bombs the Taliban have developed of late. "The devices have been packed with up to 350kg of homemade fertiliser, triggered by mines or shells salvaged from old arms dumps. They have become so large that on one occasion a 65 tonne Leopard 2 tank was blown onto its turret by one of the bombs."

Two female candidates for president complain that lack of security hinders their ability to campaign.

Quote of the Day

This troop movement should not be confused with a troop withdrawal from Iraq. In reality, this is a small step toward Iraqi sovereignty as Iraqi security forces begin assuming greater control over security operations, but it is a long way from independence and a withdrawal of the U.S. military presence.

-- Dennis Kucinich

War News for Thursday, July 02, 2009

The British MoD is reporting the deaths of two British ISAF soldiers in an explosion near Lashkar Gah, central Helmand province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 1st.


June 29 airpower summary:

June 30 airpower summary:

U.S. forces deployed to 5 new locations in Diala:

FBI notes: Saddam feared Iran more than US attack:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: "A roadside bomb targeted an Iraqi army patrol about 8am in Abu Nawas Street in Baghdad," an interior ministry official said. "One Iraqi soldier was killed and eight people wounded, including two soldiers."

#2 A car bomb later exploded near a market on the highway south of Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding 15, according to a police officer at the regional command.


Diyala Prv:
#1: One Iraqi soldier on Wednesday was killed and three others were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near Baaquba city, according to a local security source. “The device detonated near an Iraqi army patrol vehicle in al-Ibrahimiya area (45 km northeast of Baaquba city), killing one patrolman and injuring three others,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.The source did not provide further details.


Yusufiya:
#1: A car bomb in a commercial street killed two people and wounded 15 in the town of Yusufiya, 20 km (10 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.


Kirkuk:
#1: In the oil hub of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, an army officer named Saddam Hussein was shot dead by gunmen as he was driving to work, a security official said. "Major Saddam Hussein was killed this morning after being attacked by gunmen who pumped 24 bullets into his body," the official said.


Mosul:
#1: Iraqi army forces on Wednesday killed a gunman while he was planting an explosive device in Mosul city, according to a local police source. “An army patrol vehicle saw the man while he was planting his device in al-Tahrir neighborhood, eastern Mosul, and shot him down,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: One Iraqi policeman on Wednesday was wounded when an explosive charge detonated in Mosul city, according to a local police source. “An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a police patrol vehicle in al-Tameem neighborhood, wounding a patrolman,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A roadside bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol, wounding three soldiers in western Mosul, police said.

#3: Gunmen killed a man in a drive-by shooting in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Al Anbar Prv:
Fallujah:
#1: Police forces in Anbar province killed a gunman while he was trying to plant an explosive charge in eastern Falluja city, according to a local source. “The gunman was shot down by patrolmen in al-Karma district (45 km west of Baghdad),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: An Iraqi intelligence officer survived an attempt on his life on Thursday in central Falluja, Falluja’s police deputy chief said. “A sticky bomb went off Thursday (July 2) inside the car of Captain Khaled al-Dulaimi in al-Jumhouriya neighborhood, central Falluja, killing his driver and one of his bodyguards,” Colonel Dawood al-Maraawi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The explosion destroyed the car completely,” he added.

The casualties from the sticky bomb explosion that ripped through central Falluja targeting an intelligence officer on Thursday rose to seven, a media source said. “Six wounded civilians were admitted to the Falluja public hospital on Thursday (July 2), in addition to one body,” Ahmad Mekhlef told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed deep into Taliban territory in an Afghan river valley today, launching the biggest military offensive of Barack Obama's presidency. The Marines say Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword, will be decisive and is intended to seize virtually the entire lower Helmand River valley, the heartland of the Taliban insurgency and the world's biggest opium poppy producing region. The U.S. military said it had suffered no serious casualties in the early stages of the assault. The Taliban said in a later statement one of their fighters had been killed and two wounded. Quoting spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf, it said “11 foreign troops were killed and wounded.”

#2: The U.S. military later said a soldier had been kidnapped in southeastern Afghanistan, before the operation in Helmand began. Kidnappings by Islamist militants were common during the Iraq war but are relatively rare in Afghanistan. A senior Taliban commander, Mullah Sangeen, said by phone from an undisclosed location the soldier was taken as a patrol walked out of its base in Paktika province. The soldier would be held until Taliban fighters held by U.S. forces were released, he said.

#3: Pakistani combat helicopters killed 28 militants from a hardline Islamist group during raids on hideouts in the famed Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, the military said on Thursday. Pakistan military kills 28 militants. Pakistani combat helicopters killed 28 militants from a hardline Islamist group during raids on hideouts in the famed Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, the military said on Thursday. Government troops are locked in battles against Islamist insurgents in parts of Pakistan's northwest and lawless tribal belt where US officials have said al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked insurgents enjoy safe havens. "At least 28 militants of Lashkar-e-Islam were killed in shelling by helicopter gunships," said Major Fazal Khan, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps unit. He said the operation was conducted overnight in the Tirah valley of Khyber, one of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal areas and through which flows the bulk of supplies destined for US-led and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Islam, however, said eight of its members died. "Eight of our members were killed. We don't know about the rest, they might be civilians," said Mistri Gul, a spokesman for the group.

#4: On the outskirts of Peshawar, a remote-controlled bomb ripped through a police patrol on Thursday, killing at least two policemen, said city police chief Safwat Ghayur.

#5: Pakistan’s Army has deployed troops to a stretch of the Afghan border to stop Taliban militants fleeing a major US offensive in southern Afghanistan, a military spokesman said Thursday. Major General Athar Abbas told Geo TV that they had “mustered more troops from the other areas of the border” to deploy opposite the Helmand region. Nearly 4,000 US marines plus 650 Afghan forces moved into Afghanistan’s Helmand province early Thursday to take on the Taliban in one of their strongholds.

#6: Afghan National Security Forces backed by International Troops eliminated nine militants in a joint cleanup operation in southern Afghan province of Zabul on Wednesday, said a press statement of Interior Ministry issued hereon Thursday. "A joint cleanup operation was launched in Deh Rawood district by Afghan National Army, police and international troops, during which nine armed militants were killed and over 1,000 kg explosive materials were found on the ground," the statement added.

#7: In a separate operation in Zabul, four rebels were also arrested in Shah Joi distract on the same day, it said.

War News for Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Foreign firms snub Iraq oil industry:

Pertamina Consortium Withdraws Bid For Iraq Oil Block-Official:

No major Iraq oil production next 5 years: IEA:

Iraq approves BP oil deal, rejects other bids:

Iraq: Mission Not Yet Accomplished:

Have We Forgotten Iraq?:

Foreign forces losing in Afghanistan: UK:

Obama aide says no more troops to Afghanistan:

Second Thoughts on North Korea’s Inscrutable Ship:


Reported Security incidents:




Makhmour:
#1: Iraqi army forces on Wednesday found an unknown body in west of Makhmour district in northern Iraq, an army source said. “Iraqi army forces found on Wednesday (July 1) an unidentified body of a 50-year-old man near Diwazenty village in west of Makhmour,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least one person was killed while four others sustained injuries when four rockets were fired from an unidentified location Wednesday in the northwestern Pakistan's Nowshera district. According to police sources, four fired rockets hit separate areas killing one sweeper besides injuring four others. The injured persons were shifted to hospital where they were provided treatment facilities.

#2: Meanwhile, a tribal chief in Khyber agency bordering Afghanistan was killed along with his driver and bodyguard in an ambush Wednesday morning. Tribal elder Haji Gul Shah of Kokikhel tribe Haji Gul Shah and two others were killed at Tehsil Jamrud when unknown assailants ambushed his vehicle on the way from his hometown to Peshawar, the capital city of the North West Frontier Province.

#3: At least 18 wounded Taliban militants were slaughtered by their own men after the terrorists failed to evacuate them during fierce fighting in Pakistan's tribal belt, the military has said. The military yesterday said it had "reliably learnt that during the clearance of Biha valley (in Swat), 18 wounded terrorists, who could not have been taken to safety, were slaughtered by their own people on the orders of their commanders".

#4: Meanwhile, the Army said it is winding down the operations against the Taliban in Swat and other areas of Malakand division in the North West Frontier Province. It claimed that nearly 1,600 militants have been killed in the operations, however the figure cannot be independently confirmed as journalists are barred from reporting from the conflict zone.

#5: Four Taliban insurgents were killed as they came in contact with Afghan National Police and U.S. -led Coalition troops in southern Afghan province of Ghazni Wednesday morning, police said. "It was 09:30 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) when the rebels ambushed a joint convoy of police and coalition forces, and four rebels were killed after exchanging fire," provincial police chief of Ghazni Khial Baz Shirzai told Xinhua.

#6: In a separate incident, Taliban militants kidnapped 11 community elders Tuesday night in Arizo area in suburban area of provincial capital Ghazni city. According to police chief, Taliban conducted the crime for revenge of which the elders stopped the insurgents from planting mines on the roads to attack security forces.

#7: One Taliban fighter was killed and two others were made captive as they came in contact with German forces stationed in Jauzjan province, north of Afghanistan, a local official said Wednesday. "A team of German forces was on patrol in Qardara village of Darzab district Tuesday evening when Taliban insurgents attacked and the troops returned fire killing one insurgent and arrested two others," Gildi Murad the governor of Darzab district told Xinhua.

#8: Four Taliban insurgents were killed while planting a landmine in Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul, overnight, the interior ministry said.

#9: Three members of a family, including two children, were killed and four wounded when a rocket hit a house in eastern Kunar province, a provincial official said. It was not clear who fired the rocket.

#10: One policeman was killed and three wounded when their checkpoint was attacked by insurgents in Rabaat Sangee district, close to the border with Iran and Turkmenistan, on Tuesday night, said Herat security spokesman Samanwal Nourkhan Nikzad. A spokesman for Harakat-ul Mujahedin, a new Herat-based militant group which says its is a Taliban offshoot, said they killed six police officers and captured six more. Nikzad denied their claim.

War News for Tuesday, June 30, 2009

MNF-Iraq is reporting the deaths of four Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier from combat related injuries in an undisclosed neighborhood of Baghdad on Monday, June 29th. No other details were released.

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier from combat related injuries in an undisclosed neighborhood of Baghdad on Sunday, June 28th.

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Pfc. Peter K. Cross died in a vehicle accident Combat Outpost Carlyle, Afghanistan on Friday, June 26th.

The DoD is reporting another new death. Pvt. Steven T. Drees died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany on Sunday, June 28th. He was origionally injured by small arms fire/shot in the head in an undisclosed location in Konar Province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 24th.


Five years of Moon of Alabama - Time to close it down


June 26 airpower summary:

June 27 airpower summary:

In a Coup in Honduras, Ghosts of Past U.S. Policies:

Wikipedia Censored News of Afghanistan Kidnapping:

Coalition Terms Kandahar Incident an Afghan Clash:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: Iraq’s Electricity Grid Protection Force on Tuesday dismantled a rocket launch base in the capital Baghdad, foiling an attempt to target an electricity station, according to an official spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity. The rockets were directed at the natural gas-powered electricity station of al-Quds in northeastern Baghdad, Spokesperson Aziz al-Shamri told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Two roadside bombs targeted civilians in Mechanic neighbourhood in Doura, southern Baghdad at 1 p.m. Tuesday injuring four civilians.


Diyala Prv:
Khalis:
#1: Police forces on Monday arrested a gunman while attempting to attach a sticky bomb to a civilian vehicle north of Baaquba city, Diala’s police commander said Monday. “The arrest took place in al-Khaliss suburb, 15 km north of Baaquba,” General Abdilhussein al-Shemmary told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Experts were able to defuse the charge,” he said.


Amarra:
#1: Bomb squad experts on Tuesday defused a car bomb in Missan province, according to a local security source. “The car with rigged with a large amount of explosives and parked near al-Hasnawi gas station (5 km south of Amara city),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Shurqat:
#1: Two persons, including a serviceman, on Tuesday were killed when a group of gunmen attacked their vehicle in Salah al-Din province, according to a local police source. “This morning, unknown gunmen attacked a civilian vehicle carrying two persons, including a military serviceman, in downtown al-Shurqat district, killing them on the spot,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: A roadside improvised explosive device (IED) on Tuesday was defused in southwestern Kirkuk, according to a source from the joint coordination center. “During an early hour this morning, a Multi-National Force (MNF) patrol vehicle found an explosive device on al-Matar St. near Tikrit square,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. Iraqi police forces have managed to defuse the device, the source noted, adding that no damage was reported.

#2: Twenty-six people were killed and 56 wounded in a car bomb in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, a high-ranking police official told AFP.

A car bomb in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed at least 25 people on Tuesday, just after U.S. troops handed over full control of Iraq's cities to the domestic security forces six years after the invasion. The bomb, which wounded at least 40 people, struck a busy market in a largely Kurdish part of Kirkuk, a city viewed as a potential flashpoint between the Shi'ite Arab-led central government and Kurds. Police said the death toll could rise.

Mosul:
#1: An Iraqi army force killed a gunman on Tuesday in western Mosul, a source from Ninewa’s operations command said. “Iraqi army forces on Tuesday killed a gunman on Tuesday (June 30) while attempting to open fire on a soldier at a checkpoint in al-Islah al-Zeraai neighborhood in western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The gunman was in possession of a gun of a former policeman who had been killed by gunmen,” he noted.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber dressed as a woman killed at least one person, identified as a child, and wounded eight in an attack on an Afghanistan-Pakistan border checkpoint on Tuesday, government officials and police said. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor of eastern Nangarhar province, said the suicide bomber had crossed into Afghanistan from the Pakistan side of the border. Abdulzai put the death toll at two and said 10 were wounded. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said one person, a child, was killed, and at least eight wounded. Three police officers, including a female officer who worked at the border checkpoint searching women, were among the wounded, it said in a statement.

#2: The U.S.-led coalition says airstrikes have killed over a dozen militants allegedly involved in the movement of foreign fighters into Afghanistan from Pakistan. The coalition said in a statement Tuesday that the strikes targeted insurgents linked to a militant leader Siraj Haqqani in eastern Khost province.It said the airstrikes hit a pair of bunkers on Monday night.

#3: Pakistani police say a car bombing in the country's southwest hit trucks taking supplies to Western troops in Afghanistan. Four people died in the blast. The bomb detonated on Tuesday outside a roadside restaurant in Baluchistan province. The restaurant is popular with truckers who ferry supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Police officer Khuda Bukhsh said a wounded truck driver told him his vehicle carried the troop supplies. At least three trucks were parked when the bomb exploded.

#4: Afghan police killed 15 Taliban fighters and wounded 13 during an operation in northern Baghlan-e-Jadid district on Monday, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sayedkheli said. Two policemen were killed and two wounded. The operation targeted a group of Taliban who frequently attacked convoys belonging to Afghan and foreign forces, Sayedkheli said.

#5: A mortar bomb fired by security forces aimed at a militant hideout struck a house in the Khyber tribal region overnight, killing seven civilians, senior government official Azam Khan Khalil said.

#6: Army helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in Dattakhel village, in the North Waziristan tribal region, where pro-Taliban fighters killed 16 troops in an ambush on a military convoy on Sunday, intelligence officials said. There was no immediate word on casualties