Wednesday, July 18, 2012

9 Afghan army soldiers killed in southern Helmand province

Lejay is located in the Baghran valley, in Hel...
Districts of Helmand Province. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Up to nine Afghan army soldiers were killed and seven others injured on Tuesday night when Taliban launched an attack against army checkposts in southern Helmand province, a provincial official said Wednesday.

"Nine Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and seven soldiers injured following a Taliban attack on ANA checkposts in Washeer district Tuesday night," a spokesman for provincial government, Daud Ahmadi told Xinhua.

He said seven militants were also killed and five other insurgents were injured in the fighting.

A Taliban commander was killed and six other militants were detained by police following a similar incident in neighboring Nad Ali district also Tuesday night, Ahamdi added.

In another development, three militants were killed in a joint operation carried out by Aghan army and NATO-led coalition forces in Chak-e-Wardak district in eastern Wardak province late Tuesday, a provincial spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, told Xinhua.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual spring offensive from May 3 against Afghan and NATO-led troops stationed in the country.

from XINHUA
2012-07-18 17:59:52

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4 held for plotting attack on Kabul Bank

file photo
KABUL (PAN): The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday said police have nabbed four suspected Taliban militants who wanted to attack a Kabul Bank branch in the capital.

The four were detained while trying to identify the branch’s bank in Pul-i-Bagh Omumi in Kabul to carry out suicide attacks, said a ministry statement.

The suspects are Abdul Wadood, Latif, Ashraf and Dost Mohammad.

According to the statement, during interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were directed by Maulana Azizur Rahman, the principal of madrassa in Haripur city of Pakistan, to execute the attacks.

In February 2011, at least 40 people were killed and 90 others injured when a group of Taliban militants, wearing military uniform attacked a branch of Kabul Bank in Mokhbirat Square of Jalalabad city, in eastern Nangarhar province.

from Pajhwok
by Hassan Khitab on Jul 18, 2012 - 12:37

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25 armed insurgents killed, 8 wounded and 21 arrested by ANP (Jul.18.,2012.)



Publish Date: Jul 18, 2012
25 armed insurgents killed, eight wounded and 21 arrested by Afghan National Police

Counterterrorism:
During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces launched 25 joint clearance operations in Kunar, Nangarhar, Nooristan, Baghlan, Samangan, Takhar, Kunduz, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Balkh, Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Khost, Paktiya, Herat, Badghis and Helmand provinces.

As a result of these operations, 25 armed insurgents were killed, eight wounded and 21 others were arrested by Afghan National Police.

Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated 110 kilograms of opium, 25 different types of weapons with six magazines, three PKM machine guns, one rocket launcher, three radio handsets, 18 different types of mines, 220 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, three motorcycles and one vehicle.

During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused two anti-vehicle mines as a result of security operations in Ghazni and Nimroz provinces.
Crimes:
The 101 Kabul Zone National Police detained two individuals accused of murder and assault in the 2nd and 7th Districts of Kabul-City.
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R.I.P. - Spc. Sergio E. Perez Jr., Spc. Nicholas A. Taylor

DOD Identifies Army Casualties

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died July 16, in Wali Kot District, Afghanistan, from injuries suffered when their vehicle was struck by enemy rocket propelled grenades.  The soldiers were assigned to the 81st Troop Command, Indiana National Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.

            Killed were:

            Spc. Sergio E. Perez Jr., 21, of Crown Point, Ind., and

            Spc. Nicholas A. Taylor, 20, of Berne, Ind.

            For more information pertaining to this release, please contact the Indiana National Guard public affairs office at 317-538-8414 or 317-407-7065.

---
from nbcchicago:

Two Indiana Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan
Soldiers were part of the 713th Engineer Company out of Valparaiso
By Mitchell Grogg
Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012  |  Updated 4:00 PM CDT

Two soldiers from Indiana have been killed in Afghanistan following an attack that included rocket-propelled grenade fire and small arms fire in Kandahar, the Indiana National Guard announced Tuesday.

Spc. Nicholas A. Taylor, Jr., 20, of Berne, and Spc. Sergio E. Perez, Jr., 21, of Crown Point, died Monday, the Guard said. They were members of the 713th Engineer Company out of Valparaiso.

"Every such loss is a heartbreak," said Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. "We are hit with special severity here because of the casualties this heroic unit has already endured. No Guard unit in my memory has been assigned to a more dangerous mission than the 713th, and here again we see the incredible risks these citizen-Soldiers volunteer to run for the rest of us."

Taylor is a graduate of South Adams High School in Berne. Perez graduated from Lake Central High School in St. John. Both are survived by their parents.

"My heart is heavy today as I consider the soldiers of the 713th Engineer Company who, for the second time in their combat tour, have experienced the multiple loss of their team mates," said Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger in a release. "I am so fiercely proud of the service and sacrifice of these Fallen Heroes and so very grateful for their families who loved and supported them."

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10 killed, 6 injured as passenger van hit by bomb in NW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, July 18 (Xinhua) -- At least ten people were killed and six others injured when a passenger van was hit by a bomb in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Orakzai on Wednesday morning, reported local Urdu TV channel Express.

According to the local media reports, the blast took place at about 7:00 a.m. local time when a passenger van carrying an estimated 20 people on board was hit by a remote-controlled bomb planted by the roadside while on its way from Orakzai to Kohat, a neighboring district to the south of Orakzai.

Located in northwest Pakistan, Orakzai is the only one out of the seven tribal areas in the country, that does not border Afghanistan.

Initial reports said that the bomb was planted inside the van, but later most of the local media reported that it was a roadside planted bomb that hit the van.

The van was hit by the bomb in the Spaey area, a place in the border area between Orakzai and Kohat.

All the killed are closely related relatives, said local media, adding that the injured people have been shifted to a nearby military hospital.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

from XINHUA
2012-07-18 10:37:30

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11 militants killed in Somalia fighting, says military

BARADHARE (Sh. M. Network)- Somali military officials say government troops have killed 11 Al-Qaida linked Somali based militants in the latest fighting in the southwest.

The officials say the fighting raged Tuesday until early Wednesday around Bardhare town in southwestern Gedo province, one of the few remaining Al shabab strongholds. Several soldiers were reportedly killed or wounded during the attack.

Somali and AU troops, primarily Kenyan army pounded militant hideouts in the villages surrounding Bardhere on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the officials say casualty figures from those bombings were not available because of the ruggedness of the terrain.

Col.Abdullah Abdulle, a Somali army commander said that the Troops on Wednesday took Takara and Jungal, some of the last town under militant control in Gedo province, which bordersKenya.

Al shabab, which has formally merged with Al Qaeda early this year didn’t release any comments on the Somali military claim.

from SHABELLE
July 18, 2012

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22 Nato supply trucks destroyed in Afghanistan

Oil tankers, which were used to transport Nato fuel supplies to Afghanistan, are parked, in Karachi on Monday. – Photo by AP
KABUL: Afghan officials say a magnetic bomb placed on a truck exploded and destroyed 22 Nato supply vehicles in northern Afghanistan.  

Ghulam Sakhi Baghlani, deputy governor of Samangan province, says many of the fuel tankers and semi-trailers caught fire after the bomb went off around 2 am Wednesday.

All the trucks were parked in the Rabatak area of the province where the truckers had stopped to rest.

The tankers in the convoy were transporting fuel south into Afghanistan from neighboring Uzbekistan to the north.

Earlier this week, three Nato supply trucks were destroyed by militants in Sayd Abad district of Wardak province, south of Kabul.

Pakistan recently reopened its border crossings after blocking Nato supply trucks for seven months in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

from DAWN

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Helicopter crash wounds 2 NATO soldiers in W. Afghanistan

KABUL, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Two NATO soldiers were injured on early Wednesday morning when a helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan, the military alliance confirmed in a statement issued here.

"Two International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members were injured following a helicopter crash in western Afghanistan today," the NATO-led ISAF said in the statement.

The brief statement did not provide details about the incident, only saying "the cause of the crash is under investigation."

In a separate development, an ISAF soldier was killed in an insurgent attack in restive southern part of the country on Tuesday, the ISAF confirmed in another statement.

However, the statement gave neither the nationality of the victim nor the details about the attack under the ISAF policy.

Troops mostly from Italy have been serving in western Afghanistan while U.S., British and Australian forces have been stationed in southern part of the insurgency-hit country within the framework of 130,000-strong ISAF forces.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual spring offensive dubbed "Al-Farooq" from May 3 against Afghan and NATO-led troops stationed in the country.

from XINHUA
2012-07-18 09:48:45


---
ISAF Joint Command

Courtesy Story

KABUL, Afghanistan (July 18) – Two International Security Assistance Force service members were injured following a helicopter crash in western Afghanistan today.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Date Posted:07.17.2012 18:27
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July 18., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan (July 18, 2012) — An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of Ahmadullah, a Taliban weapons expert, in Arghandab district, Kandahar province, Monday.

During the operation, a group of insurgents attacked the security force with rocket propelled grenades and machine guns.  The security force returned fire and killed several of the attackers.

The security force conducted a follow-on assessment and confirmed one of the insurgents killed during the operation was Ahmadullah.

Ahmadullah was responsible for coordinating several attacks against Afghan government officials as well as Afghan and coalition security forces.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to arrest a senior Taliban leader in Nad ‘Ali district, Helmand province, today.  As the security force approached the Taliban leader’s suspected location, an insurgent attacked the Afghan and coalition troops with small-arms fire. The security force returned fire killing the insurgent. The operation also resulted in the detention of multiple suspected insurgents.

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to arrest a Taliban improvised explosive device specialist in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today.  The explosive specialist carries out improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the district.  During the operation, the security force detained multiple suspected insurgents.

East


An Afghan and coalition security force confirmed today that one of the individuals detained yesterday during an operation in Achin district, Nangarhar province, is a known Taliban weapons dealer. The weapons dealer provided firearms and explosives to Taliban insurgents throughout the province.

An Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Rashidan district, Ghazni province, today. The Taliban leader controls multiple insurgents and directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the province.
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July 17., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed six insurgents, detained three, located three weapons caches and cleared eight improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, July 17.

Ghazni province
A coalition airstrike killed an insurgent in Giro district in response to Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces receiving small arms and indirect fire.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained an insurgent while investigating a weapons cache Qarah Bagh district. The cache contained small arms a two-way radio. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Andar district. The cache contained multiple fares.

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

Khowst province
Afghan Border Police and coalition forces killed an insurgent during a small arms engagement in Gurbuz district.

Kunar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed three insurgents during a small arms engagement in Marawarah district.

Logar province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Pul-E Alam district and one in Muhammad Aghah district.

Nangarhar province
Afghan Border Police and coalition forces killed an insurgent during a small arms engagement in Shinwar district.

Afghan Border Police and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Lal’Pur district.

Nuristan province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces detained an insurgent while investigating an IED in Nurgaram district. The IED was safely cleared and the detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Paktika province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Sar Rowzah District.

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

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Gardez district. The cache contained multiple mines and IED making materials.

Wardak province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces detained an insurgent while investigating an IED in Sayyidabad district. The IED was safely cleared and the detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

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R.I.P. - Sgt. Erik N. May

DOD Identifies Army Casualty
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Erik N. May, 26, of Independence, Kan., died July 14, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

            May was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

            For more information pertaining to this release, media may contact the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office at 785-240-1796.

---
from hutchpost:

FORT RILEY  – Army officials say a Fort Riley soldier from southeast Kansas has died in Afghanistan.

The 1st Infantry Division said in a release Tuesday that 26-year-old Sgt. Erik May of Independence died July 14 at a medical facility in eastern Afghanistan. The cause of his death is under investigation.

May joined the Army in September 2007 and was assigned to Fort Riley in February 2009. He was on his second deployment when he died. May also served in Iraq in 2009.

His awards include an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal with one campaign star, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with one campaign star.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran issued the following statement today on the death of U.S. Army Sergeant Erik N. May.

“All Americans will forever be indebted to Sergeant May for his service on our behalf,” Sen. Moran said. “My deepest sympathies go out to his family, and I ask all Kansans to join me in remembering his family and friends in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
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Afghan villagers start fight against Taliban in Laghman

Districts of Laghman.
Districts of Laghman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Local residents in eastern Laghman province on Tuesday announced to step up fight against the Taliban militants at Alisheng and Dawlatshah districts in this province.

Chief of the local cultural youth association  Zafar Abbas said local residents started fight against Taliban militants after 2 pm local time today and several villages were cleared off from militants presence during the campaign.

He said the local government for several times struggled to prevent public campaign the Taliban militants in this province.

In the meantime a local tribal elder speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the report and said similar campaign will be conducted as it has been conducted in other provinces of Afghanistan including Ghazni, Nuristan and Faryab.

Public campaign against the Taliban militants in a number of provinces of Afghanistan recently also led to violence where several Taliban militants were killed and injured.

In the meantime a spokesman for the Taliban group Zabiullah Mujahid denied public campaign against the Taliban militants and said local militia forces were involved in the fight and not the local residents.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Tue Jul 17, 10:02 pm

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100 Taliban militants give up fighting in Afghanistan

(file photo)
QALAI NOW, Afghanistan, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Different militants consisted of 100 Taliban fighters laid down arms and joined the government-backed peace process in Badghis province 555 km northwest of capital Kabul on Monday, spokesman for provincial administration Sharafudin Majidi said Tuesday.

"Seven groups of Taliban fighters composed of 100 people gave up fighting and joined the peace process in provincial capital Qalai Now on Monday evening," Majidi told newsmen here while welcoming the former insurgents.

He also said with joining these former militants who were active in Qadis and Muqar districts, the peace and security will be further improved in the province.

They also handed over their weapons to authorities, he further said.

Taliban militants fighting the government have yet to make comment.

More than 3,000 Taliban militants, according to officials have laid down arms and joined the government-backed peace process over the past one year.

from XINHUA
2012-07-17 19:00:30

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IMU eulogizes Turkish fighter killed in northern Afghanistan

Images from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's martyrdom video for Abu Zubayr al Turki.

By

The al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan eulogized a Turkish trainer who fought against the Pakistani military and was later killed during fighting in northern Afghanistan.

Jundallah Studio, the propaganda arm of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, recently released the 13 minute and 50 second-long video that announced the martyrdom of "Shahid Abu Zubayr al Turki" on its website, Furqon, as well as other Turkish jihadist websites. The video was obtained and translated by The Long War Journal.

The exact date of Abu Zubayr's death was not disclosed in the video, but it appears he was killed sometime before June 2011. The video ends with a picture of his child, Abdullah bin Zubayr, who was born in June 2011. A fellow jihadist inferred that Abu Zubayr was killed while attacking a military base in Kunduz province, Afghanistan.

Abu Zubayr is seen in the opening of the video issuing a pre-recorded statement imploring Muslims to wage jihad.

"I'm Zubayr al Turki. I urge you to embrace the cause and ask God to continue on this path and help Muslims in the name of the religion, for jihad. May God give you patience and takva [fear and love of Allah]. I want to continue to help Muslims and urge you to do the same. That's all I have to say."

The video then shows images from training camps that are dated between 2008 to 2010. Images dated June 2008 show fighters training at the first camp, which is not identified. More images are shown from the summer of 2009 at "Kalkale." A third set of images, dated August 2010, show fighters conducting weapons training at "Badr."

Abu Zubayr is eulogized by several IMU members, including Abu Usman Adil , the group's emir. Adil noted that al Turki fought the Pakistani military.

Another IMU member known as Musab al Turki described Abu Zubayr as a skilled military trainer, and said he was killed while fighting in Kunduz province, Afghanistan.

"He was a good soldier who trained newcomers to the jihad in Afghanistan," Musab said. "He was so good that he was especially requested by those in Kunduz to train newcomers to the jihad. So he went to Kunduz to train them. They conducted a successful attack on a military camp. He was shot in the head by a bullet during this operation. But his fighters took over the camp and as a result of the operation, and killed 18 infidel ANA [Afghan National Army] soldiers."

Another unnamed IMU member described Abu Zubayr as a military trainer.
"He always said that he would try to help with military causes, that was his strength, and he did," the IMU member said.

Abu Zubayr was also eulogized by Yassin Chouka, a German citizen originally from Morocco who is better known as Abu Ibrahim al Almani and who is prevalent in the IMU's propaganda. Chouka's statement was issued in Arabic.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is a key ally of al Qaeda and the Taliban, and supports operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as plots attacks in Europe. The IMU is known to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan and has integrated into the Taliban's shadow government in the north. [For more information on the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, see LWJ report, IMU cleric urges Pakistanis to continue sheltering jihadis in Waziristan.]

The IMU has been a prime target of special operations forces in Afghanistan. So far this year, special operations forces have conducted at least 22 raids against the IMU, in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Faryab, Logar, Helmand, Kunduz, Takhar, and Wardak, or eight of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, according to International Security Assistance Force press releases compiled by The Long War Journal.

This spring, ISAF killed the two previous IMU leaders for Afghanistan, in raids just a few weeks apart in Faryab province. [See LWJ report, Special operations forces kill newly appointed IMU leader for Afghanistan, for more information.]

Kunduz has been a key hub of IMU activity in the Afghan north. Five of the 22 raids this year have taken place in Kunduz. The last such raid, on July 7, resulted in the capture of two IMU leaders who were involved in suicide operations.

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Clashes reported in eastern Nuristan province

Kamdesh District in the Nuristan Province in A...
Wama District in the Nuristan Province in Afghanistan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
According to local authorities in eastern Nuristan province heavy clashes took place between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces in Wama district in this province.

Provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Zarin confirming the report said the clashes started around 12:00 local time on Tuesday after Afghan security forces ambushed a number of armed militants in Terinik area which is the bordering region between Nuristan and Kunar province.

The militants were looking to ambush the vehicle of Nuristan provincial governor.

Mr. Zarin further added an Afghan police officer was killed and two others were injured following the clashes. However he said there were no reports regarding militants casualties.

He also said clashes between armed militants and Afghan security forces were also reported at Kordar area around 5:00 am local time this morning.

Mohammad Zarin said Tamim Nurstani had travelled to the area for the inauguration of Kordar-Noorgeram highway and was ambushed by armed militants.

Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the reports.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Tue Jul 17, 10:21 am

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R.I.P. - Staff Sgt. Carl E. Hammar

DOD Identifies Army Casualty
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Staff Sgt. Carl E. Hammar, 24, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., died July 14, in Khost province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire.

            Hammar was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

            For more information pertaining to this release, media may contact the U.S. Army Alaska public affairs office at 907-384-2072.

---

Statement by Governor Jan Brewer
Mourning the Loss of Staff Sgt. Carl E. Hammar
 
             
              “Please join me today in honoring the sacrifice of a brave Arizona serviceman. United States Army Staff Sgt. Carl E. Hammar, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, died July 14, 2012, due to injuries sustained when his dismounted patrol came under enemy small arms fire. Staff Sgt. Hammar, 24, was deployed to the Khost province of Afghanistan, where he was serving our Nation in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
 
              “Staff Sgt. Hammar was a member of the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, located near Anchorage, Alaska.
 
              “This is a day to offer our condolences, prayers and due respect for Staff Sgt. Hammar and the family he leaves behind. Please also pray for his fellow soldiers, as well as for all of the men and women who nobly serve our country as part of the United States Military.
 
              “The depth of their sacrifice is too often taken for granted until we learn of a tragedy such as this. Today is a stark reminder to honor their service and never stop praying for their safety.
 
              “In honor of Staff Sgt. Carl E. Hammar, I have ordered that flags at all State buildings be lowered to half-staff until sunset today, July 17, 2012. I also will request that flags be lowered from sunrise until sunset on the day of his interment, for which services are pending.”
 ------
from azfamily,
by Catherine Holland
Posted on July 17, 2012 at 7:42 AM
Updated today at 12:15 PM


PHOENIX -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Carl Eric Hammar of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., died July 14, in Khost province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was on a dismounted patrol at the time of the attack.

Hammar was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

According to Hammar's Facebook page, the 24-year-old graduated from Lake Havasu High School in 2005. He joined the Army that December and went on to graduate from basic training, advanced individual training and the basic airborne course at Fort Benning, Ga.

Hammar, a paratrooper, then served as an infantryman at Fort Bragg, N.C.

He had been at JBER since September. He and his 3,500-soldier brigade deployed to Afghanistan in December.

Prior to his arrival at JBER, where he served as a squad leader, Hammer served two tours of duty in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His first tour was January 2007 to March 2008. He returned August 2009 to July 2010.

Hammar's next of kind have been notified. A memorial for Hammar will be held at JBER, but the date has not been set.

Armed forces from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

According to iCasualties.org, nearly 2,000 servicemen from all branches of the military have been killed in and around Afghanistan since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom. More than 40 of those were from Arizona. Another 268 Arizonans have been wounded while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lake Havasu City is about 200 miles (about 3.5 hours by car) northwest of Phoenix, along the Arizona-California border.
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