Inmates’ escape bid at Pul-i-Charkhi jail foiled

KABUL (PAN): The country’s chief director of prisons, Gen. Amir Mohammad Jamshidi, on Wednesday said a jailbreak attempt by some prisoners had been thwarted at the Pul-i-Charkhi jail, east of Kabul, rejecting Taliban’s claim that 15 men had fled.

The Taliban on Tuesday said 15 prisoners, most of them insurgents, escaped Monday night from the fortified jail. The fleeing men had joined the Taliban and were reunited with their families, Zabihullah Mujahid, the rebel spokesman, said in a statement.

He identified the Taliban inmates as Samiullah, Dilawar, Wali Jan, Zia Ahmad Kandahari, Zia Ahmad Ghaznawi, Zabihullah, Saboor, Omar, Massoud, Sadiq and Massoud Sani.

However, Jamshidi said some Taliban inmates attempted to escape, but their bid was foiled by security officials.

“In order the prisoners celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr and share greetings, we opened the jail’s doors to them,” he said. But some inmates, including Taliban and Al Qaeda men, tried to take advantage of the opportunity and reached the jail’s ground, but they were forcibly brought back to their cells by prison officials,” he added.

from Pajhwok
by Hassan Khitab on Aug 22, 2012 - 16:11

Related articles

• Taliban Group: Main Taliban prisoners break jail in Kabul (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

Read More

R.I.P. - Sgt. David V. Williams

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

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

            Sgt. David V. Williams, 24, of Frederick, Md., died Aug. 18, in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  The cause of death is under investigation.

            He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

            For more information the media may contact the I Corps public affairs office at 253-477-3048 or 253-370-9861.

---

from lakewood.patch.com:

By Brent Champaco
The 24-year-old from Maryland died Saturday near Kandahar. The cause of death is under investigation. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

(Editor's note: This is from Joint Base Lewis-McChord)

According to the Department of Defense, Sgt. David V. Williams, 24, of Frederick, Md. died Aug. 18, near Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The cause of death is under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

According to unit records, Sgt. Williams entered the U.S the U.S. Army in August 2008. Upon completion of Army Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, in MOS 42A (Human Resource Specialist), he was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea. He arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in February 2011 and was assigned to the Headquarters – Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He deployed to Afghanistan with his brigade in April 2012. This was his first deployment.

Sgt. Williams’ civilian and military education includes High School Diploma (2006), Combat Life Savers Course (2010), Military Occupational Specialty 42A: Human Resource Specialist (2008).

His awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal (two awards), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, NATO Medal.

On behalf of the entire Joint Base Lewis-McChord military and civilian community, we extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sgt. Williams.
  
 

Read More

Gunmen attack two military checkpoints in southern Yemen

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A group of gunmen attacked Tuesday two military checkpoints in southern Yemen, triggering a fierce firefight with army forces that lasted several hours in the province of Lahj, a local security official said.

Several gunmen launched an armed attack with assault rifles and home-made grenades on two key military checkpoints in Lahj's suburbs, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, adding that there were no immediate reports of casualties among the soldiers.

"The attacks have been repelled. All armored army brigades stationed around and in Lahj province are on high alert," the official said.

The assailants are believed to belong to the Yemen-based al- Qaida offshoot.

Besides Lahj, Yemeni authorities are also searching for them in the neighboring province of Abyan, which used to be the terror group's stronghold in the country, according to the official.

Witnesses told Xinhua anonymously that there were sounds of heavy gunfire and explosions at the scene of the attacks.

Meanwhile, militants of the al-Qaida terrorist group bombed early on Tuesday a gas pipeline feeding the country's only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, Yemeni officials and oil engineers told Xinhua.

Tuesday's attacks occurred despite the Yemeni army's claim that it has won its fight against the al-Qaida militants, who were responsible for numerous acts of violence in the Arab country during the past two years.

A string of high-level assassinations struck Yemen's southern regions over the past few months, targeting intelligence and security figures who hunt al-Qaida militants, after government troops drove dozens of terrorists from their main strongholds in Abyan province.


from XINHUA
2012-08-22 06:05:05

Read More

Taliban Group: Main Taliban prisoners break jail in Kabul

Taliban militants group claimed that a number of a senior Taliban officials imprisoned in Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi jail, escaped from the prison.

A spokesman for the Taliban militants group Zabiullah Mujahid following a statement claimed at least 15 senior Taliban leaders managed to break the jail and have escaped to a safe place.

Mr. Mujahid further added the Taliban group members were kept in the 6th Block of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison and they escaped from the jail after breaking the doors.

He said majority of the Taliban detainees who escaped from the jail were sentenced to death and life sentence to jail.

Afghan government officials yet to comment regarding the statement of the Taliban group.

This comes as a number of individuals in the past escaped from Pul-e-Charkhi jail.

In the meantime an Afghan security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said Taliban detainees struggled to flee the central jail in Pul-e-Charkhi located in eastern Kabul however he denied reports regarding the 15 Taliban militants have succeeded to break the jail.

from KHAAMA
By Sadaf Shinwari - Wed Aug 22, 11:48 am

Read More

R.I.P. - Sgt. 1st Class Coater B. Debose

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

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

            Sgt. 1st Class Coater B. Debose, 55, of State Line, Miss., died Aug. 19 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

            Debose was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, 1st Army Division East, Camp Shelby, Miss.

            For more information, media may contact the 1st Army Division East Public Affairs, Fort Meade, Md., at 301-833-8457 or 240-678-6296.

---

from hattiesburgamerican:

A Mississippi father and grandfather is the second Mississippian - and the 32nd of the U.S. and coalition forces - to die by "insider attack" in Afghanistan.

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Coater B. Debose, 55, of State Line was killed Sunday in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from small arms fire while conducting security force assistance operations.

The incident occurred when two Afghan policemen reportedly opened fire on a group of coalition and Afghan troops.

The gunfire also killed a police sergeant and wounded an Afghan interpreter. One of the shooters was killed in return fire and the other escaped, Afghan officials told the Los Angeles Times.

Debose's commanding officer, Col. Christopher Forbes of the 158th Infantry Brigade, declined comment on the specifics surrounding Debose's death.

"It would be very inappropriate of me to discuss anything at this time until the investigation is complete," he said.

Debose, a communications sergeant, was assigned to the 2nd of the 351st Infantry Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East. He deployed in April to assist and train Afghan uniformed police in and around Kandahar.

Debose joined the Alabama Army National Guard in May 1983. He transferred to the Army Reserves in 2008. Family members say Debose served in the military for more than 27 years including his service in the Coast Guard.

Forbes said Debose often spoke of the joy military service brought him.

"He's been a soldier for a long time, and he absolutely loved soldiering," Forbes said.

A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-2005, Debose is also one of the older U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

"He was 55 years old and probably one of the most fit soldiers we had ... just a great, physically fit example for our younger soldiers," Forbes said. "They all looked up to him, and he was never afraid to go out of his way and mentor them. He was just a special guy."

Forbes said Debose had been training guard and reserve forces for mobilization at Camp Shelby for the past four years.

"Just about everybody in the brigade knew Sgt. 1st Class Coater Debose - just a great leader, great patriot."

A release from Camp Shelby said he is survived by his wife, Juanita; and children Latravis Debose of Moss Point, Caronica Jackson of Hattiesburg, Christopher Debose of Parris Island, S.C., Nekeshia Raybon of Wright Patterson Air Force Base Dayton, Ohio, and Broderick Debose of Petal.

read more: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120822/NEWS01/208220323/Miss-soldier-dies-Afghanistan

Read More

Aug. 22., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan security force, supported by coalition forces, arrested a Taliban leader in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today.

The Taliban leader conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and moved weapons and explosives to other Taliban fighters in the area.

Prior to his arrest, the Taliban leader carried out an improvised explosive device attack against Afghan forces.

The security force also detained several suspected insurgents during the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

North

In Imam Sahib district, Kunduz province, an Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents and seized multiple weapons during an operation in search of an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) leader today. The IMU leader funds and directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Kunduz.

South

Afghan and coalition officials announced today that the insurgent leader Mullah Dost Mohammad was one of several insurgents arrested during an operation in Tarin Kot district, Uruzgan province, August 20. Mohammad is a key member of an improvised explosive device supply and facilitation network in the Deh Rafshan area of Tarin Kot district. He is also responsible for multiple IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation in search of a Taliban leader, in Now Zad district, Helmand province, today. The Taliban leader is in charge of acquiring weapons for Taliban fighters in Marjah and Washer districts.

East

In Pul-e Alam district, Logar province, an Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Haqqani leader today. The Haqqani leader facilitates the construction of improvised explosive devices and oversees IED attacks throughout the district.

Read More

US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in North Waziristan

An unmanned American aircraft fired missiles at a vehicle in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan Tuesday, killing five suspected militants and injuring two, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The officials further added the strike was carried out near Shana Khora village in North Waziristan marking the third drone attack in North Waziristan within three days.

According to local Pakistani officials, the area of the drone attacks is dominated by anti-U.S. militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.

Bahadur’s group is known for frequent attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but generally it does not carry out operations inside Pakistan. Several recent drone strikes have killed militants affiliated with Bahadur’s group.

This comes as at least 10 suspected militants were killed following two strikes in North Waziristan on Sunday.

The covert CIA drone program has drawn strong criticism in Pakistan. Pakistani officials charge such strikes violate their country’s sovereignty. Many Pakistanis complain that the strikes kill innocent civilians.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Tue Aug 21, 9:39 pm

---
US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in North Waziristan

By Bill Roggio - August 21, 2012 - LWJ

The US launched a drone strike today in a village near Miramshah, the main town in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, killing five "militants." The strike is the fourth in Pakistan in five days.
 The remotely piloted Predators or the more advanced Reapers fired several missiles at a vehicle as it traveled in the village of Shnakhura near Miramshah in North Waziristan, according to The Associated Press. Pakistani officials said that five militants were killed; no civilian casualties were reported.
The exact target of the strike has not been disclosed. No senior al Qaeda or allied jihadist commanders from foreign terrorist groups are reported to have been killed in the strike.
Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the leader of the Taliban in North Waziristan, administers the village where today's strike took place. Bahadar is known to shelter al Qaeda, the movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (or TTP), and allied terror groups. Several top al Qaeda leaders have been killed in areas under Bahadar's control.
Bahadar, TTP emir Hakeemullah Mehsud, South Waziristan TTP commander Mullah Nazir, and Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani Network are all members of the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance formed in late 2011. The four commanders agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US and NATO in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.
The deal was brokered by senior al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi, who was killed in a drone strike this year, as well as by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational leader of the Haqqani Network, and Mullah Mansour, a senior Taliban leader who operates in eastern Afghanistan. An al Qaeda leader known as Abdur Rehman Al Saudi was also involved in the negotiations. Mullah Omar, the overall leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is said to have dispatched Siraj and Mansour to help negotiate the agreement [see LWJ report, Al Qaeda brokers new anti-US Taliban alliance in Pakistan and Afghanistan].

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/08/us_drone_strike_kill_11.php#ixzz24GpUGUrq

Read More