Friday, June 29, 2012

20 rebels killed in massive Nuristan assault

Kamdesh District in the Nuristan Province in A...
Kamdesh District in the Nuristan Province in Afghanistan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
JALALABAD (PAN): Hundreds of heavily armed militants, mostly Pakistanis, attacked security posts in two villages in the Kamdish district of eastern Nuristan province, sparking a fierce gun-battle, officials said on Friday.

The skirmishes in Pirok and Binoz villages erupted early on Friday morning, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties.

The governor's spokesman, Mohammad Zarin, told Pajhwok Afghan News hundreds of militants laced with heavy weapons attacked the two villages near the Pakistani border.

He claimed the Pirok village was completely torched during the clash and 20 attackers, most of them Pakistani fighters, have so far been killed.

He added bodies of the slain insurgents were still lying there. However, he had no information if civilians suffered any casualties because the clash in one of the villages was still ongoing.

Zarin said the clash in Pirok village had ended, but was ongoing in Binoz village. He added they had called for assistance from the defence and interior ministries and international troops.

A border police spokesman Mohammad Idrees Mohmand said a key Taliban commander identified as Maulvi Abbas was among 25 rebels killed in the clash.

But a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Pajhwok over the telephone that nine security check posts were seized and 15 security personnel were killed during clashes in Kamdish district.

He also confirmed that the clash was still ongoing, with the fighters occupying more security posts.

He acknowledged the death of only two fighters in the clash, but stopped short of giving information about who torched the Pirok village.

Security officials said an estimated 60 to 80 militants launched the massive attack on Afghan National Police (ANP) checkposts at around 3am.

The militants used small arm and rocket-propelled grenade during the hours-long clashes.


from Pajhwok
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Car bombing kills 5, wounds 32 in east Iraq

BAGHDAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A car bomb ripped through a popular rural market in eastern Iraq on Thursday night, leaving at least five dead and 32 wounded, a local police source said.

The blast happened in a village east of Baquba, the capital city of Diyala province, with children and women among the victims, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Police have cordoned off the area and an investigation was underway, the source said. As some wounded were in serious conditions, the death toll could rise later, he added.

Diyala province, which borders on Iran, was once the hotbed of Sunni insurgents and Shiite militants. Violence has ebbed in recent years there, but shootings and bombings remain chronic.

from XINHUA
2012-06-29 05:34:12
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Blast targets Somali troops in Bal’ad town

BAL’AD (Sh.M.Network)- An explosion is reportedly targeted a coffee bar located  inside the town of Bal’ad that is frequented by Somali government soldiers, with some reports it caused casualties.

Mohammed Jinow, the governor of Middle Shabelle state for Somali government, confirmed to Shabelle Media the explosion, saying the attack was not caused any loss of life and wounds on the troops and civilians who were nearby at the Bomb site.

Eyewitnesses told Shabelle Media on condition of anonymity that the blast was a huge and could be heard across the district, killed several people at the café.

It could not be immediately verified the exact injured or killed persons in the attack. The governor called for locals to work with security forces to maintain peace and stability.

No group has said yet it carried out the attack in Bal’ad, an agricultural town sits 37 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Mogadishu. The town fell to Somali and AMISOM forces June 26, 2012 after Al-Shabab fighters abandoned.

from Shabelle
June 29th, 2012
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June 29., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force conducted a operation, in Charkh district, Logar province, Thursday.

The target of the operation was Maulawi Sadiq, a Taliban leader and explosives expert who coordinated the movement of insurgents, provided explosive materials and training to insurgents, and planned attacks against Afghan and Coalition forces in the region.

During the operation, the Afghan and coalition security force requested a precision airstrike. After the strike, the security force conducted a follow-on assessment and confirmed Sadiq had been killed.

The precision airstrike did not harm any civilians and did not damage any civilian property.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to detain a Taliban leader in Kandahar district, Kandahar province, today. The leader conducts direct fire and improvised explosive device attacks throughout the district. The security force detained several suspected insurgents as a result of this operation.

East

An Afghan and coalition security force apprehended a Haqqani leader in Sabari district, Khost province, today. The detained leader built improvised explosive devices, purchased weapons, and coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region.

In Khugyani district, Nangarhar province an Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to detain a Taliban leader, today. The leader is responsible for the movement of weapons and personnel throughout the region, and coordinates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force detained numerous suspected insurgents and seized multiple AK-47s, shotguns and illegal narcotics during the operation.

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June 28., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces detained 12 and located one weapons cache during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, June 28.

Khowst province
Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces detained three insurgents during an engagement in Sabari district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Afghan Border Police and coalition forces detained one insurgent during an engagement in Terezayi district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Paktika province
Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Yahya Khel district. The cache contained mortar rounds, mines and ammunition.

Paktiya province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces detained eight insurgents during an engagement in Gardez district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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Qirbi says Yemeni forces regained control of al-Qaeda strongholds

Map by Evan Centanni. (www.polgeonow.com)
The Yemeni forces were able to regain control of al-Qaeda’s strongholds in southern Yemen and other regions, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi told Al Arabiya on Thursday.

“The Yemeni police and army forces were able to kick al-Qaeda militants from the regions that they used to control. They have fled to some mountainous areas,” he Qirbi said.

“It is not over yet. Our forces will continue to chase those operatives,” he told Al Arabiya on the sidelines of an anti-piracy conference in Dubai.

Meanwhile, he told Reuters in separate statements that some al-Qaeda-linked militants may have fled to neighboring states, including Oman, after being driven out of their strongholds in cities in southern Yemen.

Many had fled to mountainous parts of southern Yemen, while others could have fled to neighboring countries using land and sea routes. “There are reports that some of the militants went to Oman, which hasn't been formally confirmed to us.”

“The security services are coordinating with neighboring countries because the militants don’t only pose danger to Yemen but also to other countries.”

Any infiltration into Oman, which sits on one side of the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one third of the world's seaborne oil exports, would raise fears of al-Qaeda setting up a new base in a region of strategic importance.

Yemeni security sources had already suggested some al-Qaeda members may have crossed into Oman, a relatively stable Arab monarchy bordering both Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants, emboldened by waning government control over the country during last year's protests that ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, had seized several southern cities during the turmoil.

In May, the Yemeni army launched a large-scale U.S.-backed offensive against al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate, Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law). The army drove out the militants from their main strongholds this month and regained control of several cities in the country’s south.

But Qirbi said Yemen’s fight against al-Qaeda was far from over. “The task has not finished yet; the security forces still have to chase militants to their hideouts,” he said. “The terrorist elements are on the run, but it’s hard to tell when will we uproot al-Qaeda.”

Qirbi said that fighting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), believed to be the most active branch of the global network which has plotted a number of botched attempts against U.S. targets, needed a multifaceted approach.

“If you look at the experiences of other countries from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia and the United States, uprooting terrorism and extremism is complicated...it can't be dealt with only by military means,” he said.

He said his government would need to track down the sources of funding, identify Islamic clerics who propagated extremist views and create jobs for the country's young population.

“All these measures take time before they bear fruit,” he said.

U.S. officials say that President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi -- who came to power in February as part of a power-transfer deal brokered by the United States and Gulf states -- is more cooperative in the fight against al-Qaeda than his predecessor.

Analysts have suggested that Saleh deliberately gave al-Qaeda free rein in the south during protests against his 33 years in office in a cynical but failed attempt to convince Washington he should remain in power to deal with the threat.

The Yemeni foreign minister said that many of the militants fighting with Ansar al-Sharia were foreigners. Yemeni officials have repeatedly identified Somali fighters among the casualties of their offensive against militants.

By Al Arabiya with Reuters
Friday, 29 June 2012


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Captain, 7 soldiers die in Khyber

LANDI KOTAL, June 28: An army captain and seven soldiers were killed and three others injured when their vehicle was blown up in Bara on Thursday.

According to security officials, the vehicle hit an explosive device placed on the road at Qambarabad chowk near Bara bazaar.
Capt Manan, Tariq, Bahadar Shah, Nawaz Gul, Alibad Shah, Kamran Ali, Muhammad Yousuf and Jan Afzal of Mehsud Scouts were killed.

After the incident, security personnel started firing in all directions and launched a search operation. This was the deadliest attack on security forces in Bara since the launching of a military offensive in Shalobar area in November last year.

Intruding militants killed

Meanwhile, eight militants who tried to attack troops from across the Afghan border were killed and several others injured in a clash on Wednesday night, our correspondent adds from Upper Dir.

“Security forces clashed with militants along the border in Upper Dir when they tried to launch another attack from Afghanistan,” an official source said on Thursday.

The claim about militants’ casualties could not be confirmed from independent sources.

Meanwhile, local people are reported to have contacted militants across the border to get bodies of soldiers killed on Sunday in a similar attack.

At least 13 soldiers patrolling the border in Sunai darra area of Upper Dir were killed in the attack by militants believed to be belonging a group led by Maulana Fazlullah, a fugitive from Swat who is reported to have taken shelter in Kunar province of Afghanistan.

The militants took away the bodies of several slain soldiers.

According to unconfirmed reports, Taliban have demanded the release of some militants in return for the bodies.

A ‘grand jirga’ of Sunai darra and adjoining areas is leaving for Kunar for talks with the militants and a tribal elder has expressed the hope that the jirga would persuade the militants to hand over the bodies.

from DAWN
From the Newspaper | Ibrahim Shinwari | 11 hours ago

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Roadside Bomb Hits Ethiopian Troops in Beledweyne, Central Somalia

BALADWEYNE (Sh. M. Network) - Witnesses say a roadside bomb hit Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia’s central town of Beledweyne, causing heavy casualties.

According to the local residents, who spoke with Shabelle Media via phone under anonymity, said the blast was targeted on Ethiopian soldiers along with Somali troops who were passing a village in eastern part of Beledweyne town early hours on Thursday.

Following the attack which was used a remote-controlled line mine, Somali and Ethiopian forces opened fire at nearby civilians, but no deaths reported so far.

Casualties on Somali and Ethiopian troops are yet to be established. The Ethiopian military rarely comments on its ongoing operations.

Ahmed Abdulla Inji, a TFG security official in the town, confirmed the explosion to Shabelle Media, adding that the attack Ethiopian and TFG forces began a massive security operation in the area, taking several suspects into custody.

Tensions were very high, and many security personnel lined the streets, restricting the movements of residents and vehicles for a while after the attack. No one or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

from Shabelle
June 28th, 2012

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Afghan soldier killed digger: inquiry

LCPL Andrew Jones
previously served as a cook with Townsville's 1RAR
A MILITARY inquiry has concluded that Australian soldier Lance Corporal Andrew Jones was murdered by a rogue member of the Afghan National Army in a "cowardly act".

On the morning of May 30 last year, Shafied Ullah Guhlamon shot LCPL Jones near the latrines at Combat Outpost Mashal (Mashal) in Afghanistan's Chora Valley.

He was treated at the scene and had surgery at Tarin Kowt but doctors were unable to revive him.

The Afghan soldier himself was shot dead by US special forces troops - who had been assisted in their investigation by the Afghan military - near his home village of Khost three weeks later after refusing an order to surrender and drawing his pistol.

Defence force vice-chief Air Marshal Mark Binskin on Friday announced the inquiry into Lance Cpl Jones' death had been completed.

"He was murdered by a rogue member of the ANA (Afghan National Army)," Air Marshal Binskin told reporters in Canberra.

"His killing was a cowardly act of murder."

Air Marshal Binskin said LCPL Jones had worked closely with ANA members at the patrol base and there was no indication the man who shot him knew him or sought him out.

While there were no witnesses to the shooting, the defence force inquiry concluded on all available evidence that LCPL Jones was deliberately shot by Shafied Ullah Guhlamon.

Inquiries have also been completed into the deaths of Sergeant Brett Wood, 32, who was killed by a roadside bomb in May, and Sergeant Todd Langley, 35, who died from a gunshot wound to the head during a battle in southern Afghanistan in July.

The reports into the deaths of the two sergeants will not be released publicly because of privacy and operational issues.

Sergeant Wood, a member of the special forces task force, was a distinguished and highly experienced soldier who had been deployed to Afghanistan three times.

The inquiry found there was no need for a further inquiry into his death.

Sergeant Langley was "an exceptionally experienced soldier" who was on his fifth deployment to Afghanistan, Air Marshal Binskin said.

He was killed instantly on July 4 last year while co-ordinating support for a fellow soldier who was wounded.

While there have been no combat deaths so far in 2012, Afghanistan remained a "complex and dangerous" environment, Air Marshal Binskin said.

"It is a dangerous place and Australians are in harm's way every day," Air Marshal Binskin said.

"But their courage and professionalism is what I think is getting us through at the moment."


from townsvillwbulletin.com.au
June 29th, 2012
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One dead, 5 injured in Baghlan blast

PUL-I-KHUMRI (PAN): One person was killed and five others were injured when a bomb attached to a fuel tanker went off in Pul-i-Khumri, the capital of northern Baghlan province, on Thursday, police said.

With the explosion, a nearby market caught fire, gutting 15 shops, police officer Sikandar told Pajhwok Afghan News. One person was killed and four others were injured in the incident, he said.

But the Pul-i-Khumri civil hospital in-charge Dr. Gul Mohammad Wardak said they had received a dead body and five injured people at the hospital from the blast site. One of the injured persons was discharged after treatment and the four were admitted.

Police said fire fighters had launched efforts to douse the huge blaze.

Mohammad Azam, who owns a mobile phone shop, said the fire quickly engulfed his shop and turned into ashes all his commercial goods worth one million afghanis.

Police said they were investigating the incident, for which no group has so far asserted responsibility.

from Pajhwok
by Habibullah Sherzai on Jun 28, 2012 - 19:04

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