Saturday, July 7, 2012

96th Transportation Company Memorial Service Package video (720p HD)

Regional Command Southwest

Video by Staff Sgt. Daniel Symonds
Date Taken:07.1.2012


Members of the 96th Transportation Company held a memorial service for

Staff Sgt. Anthony Massarelli and Sgt. Joseph Strachota

who perished on June 24th, 2012 while trying to avoid a civilian vehicle that had struck another military truck, when their vehicle crashed into a roadside ditch.


Includes soundbites from Lt. Col. Edwin Lugo, from Colfax, N.C., with 375th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Capt. Robert Cooksey, from Corsicana, Texas, Sgt. Christopher Lewis, from Chicago, Ill., Sgt. Joseph Behar, from Miami, Fla., and Sgt. 1st Class Michelle Cunningham, from Indianapolis, Ind., with 96th Transportation Company.

(available in 720p HD)
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just a photo - Marine Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan


Taylor Rudd of Lubbock, Texas, kneels to pray with his horse, White Horse, during the funeral services for Marine Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan Friday, July 6, 2012 in York, Neb. Hunter died June 23, 2012 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/The Omaha World-Herald, Alyssa Schukar)
 

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Roadside bombing kills 6 civilians in S. Afghanistan

TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan, July 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of six Afghan civilians were killed and two others were injured Saturday morning when a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in southern Uruzgan province, the police said.

"The incident occurred at around 11:15 a.m. local time in Sangar area of Chora district," head of anti-criminal police department in the province, Gulab Khan, told Xinhua.

Violence has been on the rise since Taliban launched an annual spring offensive on May 3.

The insurgent group uses roadside bombs or Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and suicide bombers in their attacks which also inflicts casualties on civilians.

In neighbouring Helmand province, four children were killed and three other children were injured in two separate IED blasts earlier Saturday and Friday evening.

A total of 3,021 Afghan civilians were killed in 2011, an 8 percent rise compared with 2010, according to the United Nations annual report released in Kabul in February.

from XINHUA
2012-07-07 16:26:51

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17 civilians injured in rocket attack in W. Afghanistan

FARAH, Afghanistan, July 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 civilians were injured Saturday morning in an explosion and ensuing rocket attack in Farah city, the provincial capital of western Afghan province of Farah, the police said.

"A motor bike bomb went off at around 11:00 a.m. local time near the provincial governor office building in Farah city, causing no casualties but minutes later three rockets fired from unknown location hit the city injuring 17 civilians," deputy provincial police chief, Mohammad Ghuos Malyar told Xinhua.

The injured were shifted to a provincial capital hospital where six wounded reportedly were in critical conditions, he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Violence has been on the rise since Taliban launched an annual spring offensive on May 3.

The Taliban insurgent group has warned the civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants.

A total of seven civilians were killed and 23 others were injured when a suicide car bomb targeted a minibus in southern Kandahar province on Monday July 2.

from XINHUA
2012-07-07 15:24:17

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July 07., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces arrested an Afghan National Army deserter turned Taliban insurgent in Khugyani district, Nangarhar province, yesterday.

The deserter stole equipment belonging to Afghan security forces and, prior to his arrest, was planning to attend Taliban bomb-making training in Pakistan.

The Afghan and coalition security force found the deserter in a village in Khugyani. They detained one other suspected insurgent during the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

North

An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader in Kunduz district, Kunduz province, today. The IMU leader is an explosives expert who specializes in making suicide and improvised explosive devices for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Kunduz.

South

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to arrest a Taliban explosives specialist in Zharay district, Kandahar province, today. The Taliban explosives specialist is responsible for coordinating and executing improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region. During the operation numerous suspected insurgents were detained.

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July 06., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed seven insurgents, detained 14, located three weapons caches and cleared eight improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, July 7.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Andar district.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Qalandar district. The cache contained small arms and ammunition, grenades and mortar rounds being used for IEDs.

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

Laghman province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Alingar district and one in Mehtar Lam district.

Logar province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces detained an insurgent while responding to an IED find in Muhammad Aghah district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning and the IED was safely cleared.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs in Pul-E Alam district.

Nangarhar province
Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Shinwar district.

Paktika province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed seven insurgents and detained 11 during two separate engagements in Bermal district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Jani Khel district. The cache contained explosives used for IEDs.

Paktiya province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Shwak district. The cache contained military personnel items, small arms and ammunition, grenades, multiple mortar rounds and items being used to construct IEDs.

Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces detained an insurgent during an engagement in Zurmat district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Wardak province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Sayyidabad district.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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RC(SW) Press Release: Update - Child Killed by Insurgent Device in Helmand Province

Regional Command Southwest

Courtesy Story

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Today (Friday), three young children were struck from the blast of an improvised explosive device in Nahr-e-Saraj District. One of the children died as a result of the blast and the other two have been taken to an ISAF medical facility for treatment.

Update: A total of six local national children were struck from the blast of an improvised explosive device in Nahr-e-Saraj District today (Friday). Four of the children have died as a result of the blast and two are being treated at an ISAF medical facility.


Date Taken:07.06.2012
Date Posted:07.06.2012 12:09
Location:CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF


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Suicide bomber kills seven of his own family in Iraq

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged belt at a gathering of his own family in western Iraq, killing his pro-government cousin and six other relatives, officials said Saturday.

The blast targeting a leader in the Sahwa militias in the city of Ramadi is a reminder of how extremism still divides Iraq’s Sunni Muslim minority, with some working with al-Qaida-linked insurgents against others who support the Shiite-led government.

The killing is part of a surge in violence six months after the last American troops withdrew.
The bomber entered the home of his cousin, the local Sahwa leader, on Friday night as the extended family was gathered for a meal, said a police official in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad.

He approached the militiaman and detonated his explosives, killing his target as well as his wife, three of their teenage children, his brother and another relative, said the official. He could provide no other details including the number of wounded.

A hospital worker in Ramadi confirmed the deaths. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Last Updated: Sat Jul 07, 2012 14:21 pm (KSA) 11:21 am (GMT)
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US drones kill 17 'militants' in North Waziristan strike


The US killed 17 suspected "militants" in a strike in an area of the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan that is known to host la Qaeda's top leaders.
The remotely piloted Predators or the more heavily armed Reapers fired several missiles at a compound in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, according to Retuers. Pakistani officials told Dawn that 17 people, all "suspected militants," were killed in the strike.
The target of today's strike has not been disclosed. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed in the strike.
The Datta Khel area is administered by Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the Taliban commander for North Waziristan. Bahadar provides shelter to top al Qaeda leaders as well as terrorists from numerous Pakistani and Central Asian terror groups.
Datta Khel is a known hub of Taliban, Haqqani Network, and al Qaeda activity. While Bahadar administers the region, the Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, and allied Central Asian jihadi groups are also based in the area. The Lashkar al Zil, al Qaeda's Shadow Army, is known to have a command center in Datta Khel.
Datta Khel serves as a command and control center for al Qaeda's top leaders, and some of them have been targeted and killed there. A strike in Datta Khel on Dec. 17, 2009, targeted Sheikh Saeed al Saudi, Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law and a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council. Al Saudi is thought to have survived the strike, but Abdullah Said al Libi, the commander of the Shadow Army, and Zuhaib al Zahibi, a general in the Shadow Army, were both killed in the attack.
But the most significant attack in Datta Khel took place on May 21, 2010, and resulted in the death of Mustafa Abu Yazid, a longtime al Qaeda leader and close confidant of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.
Yazid served as the leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the wider Khorasan, a region that encompasses portions of Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian states. More importantly, Yazid was al Qaeda's top financier, which put him in charge of the terror group's purse strings. He served on al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or top decision-making council. Yazid also was closely allied with the Taliban and advocated the program of embedding small al Qaeda teams with Taliban forces in Afghanistan, a practice well-established in the country now.
Despite the known presence of al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist organizations in North Waziristan, and requests by the US that action be taken against these groups, the Pakistani military has indicated that it has no plans to take on Bahadar or the Haqqani Network, the other major Taliban group based there. Bahadar and the Haqqanis are considered "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military establishment as they do not carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Yet Bahadar, the Haqqanis, and other Taliban groups openly carry out attacks in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/07/us_drones_kill_17_mi.php#ixzz1zw7nOCiq
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