Suicide Attack at Kandahar University

Monday, 02 July 2012 19:48
Written by TOLOnews.com

A suicide bomber detonated a car strapped with explosives in front of Kandahar University on Monday evening, killing at least seven people and injuring 23 others, local officials said.

The Toyota Corolla used in the attack was in a parking area for cars in front of the university which is in the southern Kandahar province's capital city, Kandahar provincial spokesperson Jawed Faisal said.

The bomber detonated the explosives close to 7pm, Faisal said.

The provincial police chief confirmed the attack and the casualties.

This story is developing. The final number of casualties may rise.

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Yemen security forces foil plot to carry out 10 suicide bombings in Sana’a

Yemeni security forces have foiled a plot to carry out 10 suicide bombings against government buildings in the capital Sana’a, the defense ministry’s news website reported on Monday.

A wave of arrests targeting a suspected al-Qaeda cell held responsible for a May attack that killed more than 100 soldiers in the capital netted the 10 militants charged with carrying out the bombings, the 26sep.net website quoted “informed sources” as saying.

The arrests “foiled 10 terrorist suicide bombings in the capital Sana’a which the group was planning to carry out against several government facilities,” it reported, according to AFP.

Security services have also found the last testament of the May 21 bomber, who was less than 18 years old, 26sep.net added.

National security chief Ali Mohammed al-Ansi said in comments published by the ministry’s 26 September newspaper on Thursday that the security forces had made multiple arrests.

They followed the announcement on June 20 of the arrest of Majed al-Qulaisi, a suspected member of the cell that planned the May attack against troops rehearsing for a military parade.

Ansi vowed to continue the “hunt” for al-Qaeda fighters, saying security forces have carried out a “series of operations against al-Qaeda terrorists” across Yemen.

Last month, Yemeni troops recaptured a string of al-Qaeda bastions across the troubled south and east where the militants had seized control last year.

Separately, Yemen’s state news agency SABA reported that Saudi Arabia plans to reopen its embassy in Sana’a, which was closed after the kidnapping of Abdullah al-Khalidi, Saudi Arabia’ deputy consul in the Yemeni port city of Aden. SABA cited a telephone call between King Abdullah and Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Sunday night in which the Saudi king reportedly said he would soon order the opening of the embassy in the Yemeni capital, according to Reuters.

The United States and its Gulf Arab allies have watched with mounting alarm as Islamist fighters, emboldened by political instability in Yemen, went on a rampage in the south of the country.

Hundreds of militants have been on the run since U.S.-backed Yemeni forces drove them out of towns and cities they had seized last year.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is seen by U.S. officials as the most dangerous offshoot of the global militant network.

By Al Arabiya with Agencies
Monday, 02 July 2012

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30 armed insurgents killed, 2 wounded and 14 others arrested by ANP

Publish Date: Jul 02, 2012

30 armed insurgents killed, two wounded and 14 others arrested by Afghan National Police

Counterterrorism:

During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces launched four joint clearance operations in Kabul, Helmand, Maidan Wardak and Ghazni provinces.

As a result of these operations, 30 armed insurgents were killed, two wounded and 14 others were arrested by Afghan National Police.

Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated 12 AK-47 assault rifles, two rocket launchers, three PKM machine guns, 12 different types of mines, seven hand grenades, 2010 kilograms of opium, six magazines, one vehicle and motorcycle.

During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused one AK-47 assault rifle, two hand grenades, four anti-vehicle mines and one remote control mine as a result of security operations in Helmand, Paktika and Herat provinces.

 

Crimes:
The 101 Kabul Zone National Police detained 10 individuals accused of theft, seizing government properties, murder and assault in the Dah Sabz, Chahar Asiab, Paghman, 3rd, 6th and 17th Districts of Kabul-City.

The ANP encourages all citizens to report suspicious activities and criminal acts.

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Two bomb planters die by own explosives in Wardak

Map of Afghanistan with Maidan Wardak highlighted (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

KABUL (PAN): Two bomb planters were killed by their own explosives in the central province of Maidan Wardak, an official said on Monday.

The explosion occurred at 11:00 pm when the militants wanted to plant a roadside bomb in the Badam area of Narkh district, the governor’s spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Four other Taliban fighters wanted to take the dead bodies from the scene, but they were detained by the Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers, he said.

Two Kalashnikovs were recovered from the detainees who were sent to Maidan Shar for being interrogated, he said.

The area people want to hand the two dead bodies over to their relatives, a resident of the area, Naqib, said.

from Pajhwok
by Hakim Basharat on Jul 2, 2012 - 10:33

graphic image of the 2 dead

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July 02., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – In Deh Rawud district, Uruzgan province, elements of the 2nd Afghan National Civil Order Police, supported by coalition forces, discovered a cache of drugs yesterday.

The cache contained 15,300 kilograms (33,660 pounds) of hashish.

During the operation the police arrested three people suspected of being involved in the drugs trade and destroyed all the narcotics.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban leader in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today. The leader directed attacks throughout northern Kandahar, in addition to supplying weapons and explosives to Taliban insurgents operating in the region. The force detained two suspected insurgents during the operation.

East

Afghan and coalition forces conducted an operation in search of an al-Qaida leader in Watahpur district, Kunar province, Sunday. The al-Qaida leader provides training for insurgents and acts as a military adviser to Taliban in Kunar, Nuristan and Laghman provinces. After positively identifying multiple groups of armed insurgents the security force engaged the targets with a precision airstrike killing numerous. No civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged during the operation.

In Ghazni district, Ghazni province, an Afghan and coalition security force apprehended a Taliban improvised explosive device specialist during an operation today. The detained IED expert coordinated and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region. During the operation the security force killed one insurgent and detained two suspected insurgents and seized multiple firearms, grenades and explosives.

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to detain a Taliban leader in Maidan Shahr district, Wardak province, today. The leader coordinates insurgent activity and transports weapons throughout the district, facilitating attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force detained several suspected insurgents as a result of this operation.

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July 01., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed 18 insurgents and detained four during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, July 01.

Paktika province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces responded when an insurgent self-detonated an improvised explosive, killing himself in the process, in Yosuf Khel district. Once on site, coalition forces detained one insurgent. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed nine insurgents during an engagement in Bermal District.

Nagarhar province
An insurgent self-detonated an improvised explosive, killing himself in the process, in Rodat district.

Logar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained one insurgent during an engagement in Charkh District. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Kunar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed nine insurgents during a small arms engagement in Watahpu District.

Khowst province
Afghan Border Police and coalition forces detained two insurgents during an engagement in Bak District. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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Military rescues kidnapped aid workers in Somalia

NAIROBI, Jul 2 – Four foreign aid workers kidnapped in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp were released overnight in southern Somalia after a short gunfight, and were safe with the Kenyan army, officials said Monday.

“They are safe in our hands, they have been freed,” Kenyan army spokesman Cyrus Oguna told AFP, adding that the two men and two women seized on Friday were released after a joint operation of Kenyan and Somali troops.

“They were released in a joint force of Somali and Kenyan forces, during which one of the kidnappers was killed.”

The four aid workers, employed by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), come from Canada, Norway, a dual national from Canada and Pakistan, and the Philippines.

One has a bullet wound to the leg but they are otherwise unharmed.

“They are exhausted, they have walked far and have blisters, and one of the aid workers was shot in the leg, but otherwise they are in good health,” Oguna said, adding they were now in the southern Somali border town of Dhobley.

“They are receiving medical attention at our base while they await transfer back to Kenya,” Oguna added.

Mohamed Dini Adan, the Somali military commander in Dhobley, said the army had stopped the “kidnappers who were trying to hide and sneak past the army.”

A Kenyan driver was killed and two others were wounded during Friday’s attack.

The kidnapping was the latest in a series of attacks in Dadaab, where gunmen last October seized two Spaniards working for Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). They are still being held hostage in Somalia.

Kenya, which invaded southern Somalia in October to attack Al-Qaeda linked Islamist insurgents, has troops some 120 kilometres (75 miles) deep into Somalia. However, the forces control only pockets of the vast territory.

The aid workers’ vehicle, which the gunmen stole after killing the driver, was found abandoned a few hours after the attack.

NRC is working to support some 465,000 inhabitants in the Dadaab complex, which constitutes Kenya’s third-biggest town in terms of population.

The abduction of the Spaniards was one of the incidents that spurred Kenya to send troops and tanks into Somalia to fight the Shabaab insurgents Nairobi blames for abductions and for cross-border raids.

However, Kenya has also voiced concern that Dadaab too poses a security threat, and has blocked registration of new refugees to the camp.

The Shabaab still control large parts of southern Somalia, despite recent losses to African Union troops, government forces and Ethiopian soldiers, who have wrested several key bases from the insurgents.

from capitalfm.co.ke
Posted by ROB JILLO and AFP on July 2, 2012 

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Three British soldiers killed in Afghanistan

A Military Operations news article

2 Jul 12

It is with the deepest sadness that the Ministry of Defence must announce that three soldiers were killed in Afghanistan yesterday, Sunday 1 July 2012.

Two soldiers serving with the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and one serving with the Royal Corps of Signals were killed in an incident at Check Point Kamparack Pul in Nahr-e-Saraj, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
The soldiers were part of a Police Advisory Team which had been to the check point to conduct a shura. On leaving, they were engaged by small arms fire by a man wearing an Afghan Police uniform. During this exchange of fire the three soldiers were wounded and despite receiving first aid at the scene, they died of their injuries.
The spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Major Ian Lawrence, said:

"It is with deep regret that I must inform you that three soldiers, two serving with 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and one serving with the Royal Corps of Signals, have been killed in an incident at Check Point Kamparack Pul in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand Province.
"Their loss will be felt deeply across Task Force Helmand. However, this will be nothing compared to the grief experienced by the soldiers' families. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this extremely difficult time."

The soldiers' families have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before further details are released.

Related articles

• 'Green on blue' attack in Afghanistan claims 3 coalition soldiers (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

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R.I.P. - Lt. Col. Roy L. Tisdale

FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 1, 2012 - The soldier who was shot and killed here June 28 has been identified as Army Lt. Col. Roy L. Tisdale, commander of the 525th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, according to installation officials.

Tisdale, 42, of Alvin, Texas, was shot by a member of his battalion during a safety briefing near the unit's headquarters in the historic district of Fort Bragg around 3:30 p.m., officials said.

Tisdale was killed immediately, officials said, and the assailant reportedly turned the weapon upon himself, causing life-threatening injuries.

Special agents from the Army Criminal Investigation Command are conducting an investigation of the shooting, officials said.

Tisdale graduated from Texas A&M University in 1993 and was commissioned as an infantry officer. He took command of the battalion in January 2012 when the battalion was activated.
Tisdale's previous assignments include 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Brigade and 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Brigade, Fort Benning, Ga.; 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment and the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.; and 1st Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment, and the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Joint Military Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Air Assault, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge and Senior Parachutist Badge.

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Fort Bragg soldier who shot commander dies
By GREG BARNES
The Fayettville (N.C.) Observer
Published: July 1, 2012

The soldier who fatally shot his superior officer during a safety briefing on Fort Bragg and then turned the gun on himself has died.

Col. Kevin Arata, a Fort Bragg spokesman, identified the soldier as Spc. Ricky G. Elder, 27, of Hutchinson, Kan. Elder died Saturday at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said.

Elder is accused of fatally shooting his battalion commander, Lt. Col. Roy L. Tisdale, during a safety briefing Thursday.

A third soldier, 22-year-old Spc. Michael E. Latham, was treated for minor wounds at Womack Army Medical Center and released.
read more here

Related articles

• RIP LTC Roy L Tisdale (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Fort Bragg shooting victim was decorated war vet (msnbc.msn.com)
• Officer fatally shot by solider at Fort Bragg was highly decorated war veteran (foxnews.com)
• Roy Tisdale Killed By Soldier In Fort Bragg Shooting (huffingtonpost.com)
• Soldier Killed in Fort Bragg Shooting Identified (defense.gov)

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Commanders among 32 rebels killed in Farah clash

Map of Afghanistan showing Farah Province. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

FARAH CITY (PAN): Thirty-two militants, including three commanders, were killed during a fierce gun-battle with security forces in the Gulistan district of western Farah province late on Sunday, an official said.

The gun-battle broke out after a large group of insurgents ambushed the security forces in the Boji Bast area, the governor’s spokesman Abdul Rahman Jawandi told Pajhwok Afghan News.

A massive operation has been launched against militants three days ago in the district, where another two armed insurgents were killed when a bomb they were planting on a road went off.

The official said bodies of the 32 slain militants were still lying on the ground at the clash site.

A large number of weapons and explosives were seized during the ongoing offensive, the gubernatorial spokesman said.

An intelligence official said three commanders were among 25 militants killed in a NATO airstrike during the clash. Another 13 rebels were injured, he added.

The National Directorate of Security official said the operation was aimed at paving the ground for a new phase of the security transition from foreign troops to Afghan forces.

A Taliban spokesman said the clash between the fighters and security forces was still ongoing in the district. A number of foreign and local security men were killed and wounded, he added.

from Pajhwok
by Zahin on Jul 1, 2012 - 22:09

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'Green on blue' attack in Afghanistan claims 3 coalition soldiers

(Photo credit: The U.S. Army)

KABUL, Afghanistan — Three coalition soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Sunday when a man wearing an Afghan police uniform turned his weapon against them, coalition officials said.

The incident appears to be the latest in a series of "green on blue" attacks on international forces by their Afghan partners.

The International Security Assistance Force, as the coalition is formally known, refused to confirm the nationality of the three soldiers, but most ISAF forces in southern Afghanistan are U.S. troops.

ISAF spokesman U.S. Army Major Adam Wojack told McClatchy that the shooter was detained after the attack, which happened around 5 p.m. It was not yet clear “whether he’s an actual member of the Afghan police or if he was an infiltrator in uniform,” Major Wojack said.

At least 80 coalition troops have been killed by the Afghans they were working with, according to the Pentagon. Half of those attacks have occurred since May 2009.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and two others wounded in a “green on blue” attack at a joint Afghan-U.S. base in Kandahar province March 1. Two U.S. soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier February 23 at a joint Afghan-U.S. base in eastern Nangarhar province.

Four French soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan soldier at a joint base in Kapisa province on January 20. A fifth soldier later died of his wounds.

The Kapisa killings prompted France’s then-president Nicolas Sarkozy to bring forward the departure date of French combat troops by a year, to the end of 2013. His recently-elected successor, Francois Hollande, has pledged to withdraw them by the end of 2012.

ISAF claims most attacks are carried out by Afghans who are frustrated with the behavior of their Western counterparts, not by Taliban infiltrators.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/01/154602/green-on-blue-attack-in-afghanistan.html#storylink=cpy

Jon Stephenson | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Sunday, July 1, 2012

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ISAF Release

KABUL, Afghanistan – An individual wearing an Afghan National Civil Order Police uniform turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan today, killing three service members.

The incident is under investigation.

It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.

ISAF Joint Command

Date Posted:07.01.2012 14:50
Location:KABUL, AF

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