Sunday, September 23, 2012

22 dead as tribesmen, rebels clash in Ghazni

GHAZNI CITY (PAN): Twenty Taliban fighters and two local commanders of a public uprising group were killed during a gun-battle in the southern province of Ghazni, members of the anti-rebel movement said on Sunday.

The clash erupted around 3am following a group of heavily armed insurgents attacked checkpoints established by the tribesmen in the Andar district, killing two commanders --- Mastana and Qahraman --- of the uprising group, and injuring three others tribesmen, a commander of the group, Haibat Khan, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Twenty Taliban, including eight Punjabis and four Waziristanis, were killed as the uprising members retaliated, he said, adding the clash ended at 6:30am. “The Taliban killed two tribal elders and seized some others,” he added.

Khan said they had informed security officials in advance that Pakistani soldiers and Taliban from Waziristan were planning attacks on their posts, but no attention was paid to their claim that came true.

A Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said two commanders of the uprising group and eight militiamen were killed and four others were injured when the fighters attacked five checkpoints of the tribal militia. The rebels captured three checkpoints, he added.

from Pajhwok
by Saifullah Mafto on onSep 23, 2012 - 15:23

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Airstrike kills Taliban commander in eastern Afghanistan

Districts of Kunar.
Districts of Kunar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ASSADABAD, Afghanistan, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Two people including a Taliban commander were killed as aircraft of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) raided a Taliban hideout in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar on Sunday, a local official said.

"The air raid took place at 09:00 a.m. local time in Chinar village of Marawara district killing Taliban commander Mullah Bajawar and injuring his deputy namely Hizbullah," police spokesman in the province, Shir Wali told Xinhua.

A civilian was also killed in the raid, the spokesman added.

Taliban militants fighting the government and NATO-led troops have yet to make comment.

from XINHUA
2012-09-23 15:09:33

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Afghan, NATO troops arrest 2 insider attack plotters in Logar

Afghan and coalition security forces arrested two suspected militants who were involved in plotting insider attack on NATO troops in eastern Logar province of Afghanistan.

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force following a statement on Sunday announced, “Afghan and coalition security forces confirmed today the arrest of two insider
attack planners during a security operation in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province, Friday. The detained insurgents were known insider attack – or “green on blue” -
facilitators, and planned several operations throughout Logar province.”

The source further added, “At the time of their arrest, the attack planners were in the advanced stages of preparing for a strike against a coalition base, which included the
construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), recruitment of insurgent fighters, and the attempted infiltration of Afghan security forces. The security force also
detained one suspected insurgent as a result of the operation.”

In a separate operation Afghan and coalition security force arrested a senior Taliban weapons dealer during an operation in Talah wa Barfak district, Baghlan province today,
ISAF said following the statement adding that the detained weapons dealer was a senior Taliban leader in the Talah wa Barfak insurgent network and managed the purchase and
distribution of rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and explosive materials to attack Afghan and coalition security forces throughout the region.

At the time of his arrest the Taliban weapons dealer was believed to be acquiring additional firearms and explosives for future insurgent attacks.

ISAF also said, one armed insurgent was also killed during the operation. As the security force approached the Taliban weapon dealer’s location, an armed insurgent displayed
hostile intent towards the Afghan and coalition troops. The security force positively identified the lethal threat and engaged the armed insurgent, killing him. No civilians
were harmed during the operation.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized multiple firearms as a result of this operation.

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

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Sun Sep 23, 12:49 pm

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Suicide bombing hits Yemen's Aden, 4 injured

ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were injured Saturday evening when a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of anti-al-Qaida militia leader in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, a police officer told Xinhua.

The suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck a convoy of an anti- al-Qaida militia leader in the Khor Maksar neighborhood in Aden, leaving at least four people injured following the insurgent attack, the local police officer spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The suicide bombing that occurred around 7:30 pm (0430 GMT) when a convoy of Abdul-Latif al-Saeed, a prominent leader of anti- al-Qaida militiamen in southern regions, was passing through a main road in Aden's neighborhood of Khor Maksar," the police officer said.

Witnesses told Xinhua anonymously that "the bomber's head has been retrieved from the scene and indicated that the attacker was in his late teens."

"It was a suicide attack... A bomber came on an explosives- laden motorbike and blew himself up in the middle of tribesmen as they were about to start moving on their cars," the witness added.

Earlier this month, unknown gunmen carried out an armed attack targeting the convoy of al-Saeed in southern Abyan province, killing two of his bodyguards.

Saturday's attack was the fifth assassination attempt on al- Saeed.

Yemeni security authorities usually accuse militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot of being behind armed attacks against military officials and army bases.

Attacks and raids have continued since the country's political turmoil last year, when scores of al-Qaida militants took control of certain areas in the restive south but were later purged in army offensive.

On June 20, Yemen's military officials announced seizing al- Qaida's last bastion in the country's troubled south following the army offensive. However, local military and anti-terrorism experts said that the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch is still a major threat to the impoverished Arab country.

from XINHUA
2012-09-23 00:34:50

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Sep. 23., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a senior Taliban weapons dealer during an operation in Talah wa Barfak district, Baghlan province, today.

The detained weapons dealer was a senior Taliban leader in the Talah wa Barfak insurgent network and managed the purchase and distribution of rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and explosive materials to attack Afghan and coalition security forces throughout the region.

At the time of his arrest the Taliban weapons dealer was believed to be acquiring additional firearms and explosives for future insurgent attacks.

One armed insurgent was also killed during the operation. As the security force approached the Taliban weapon dealer’s location, an armed insurgent displayed hostile intent towards the Afghan and coalition troops. The security force positively identified the lethal threat and engaged the armed insurgent, killing him. No civilians were harmed during the operation.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized multiple firearms as a result of this operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

Afghan and coalition security forces confirmed today the arrest of two insider attack planners during a security operation in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province, Friday. The detained insurgents were known insider attack - or “green on blue” - facilitators, and planned several operations throughout Logar province. At the time of their arrest, the attack planners were in the advanced stages of preparing for a strike against a coalition base, which included the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), recruitment of insurgent fighters, and the attempted infiltration of Afghan security forces. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent as a result of the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force killed two armed insurgents, including the leader of a Taliban attack cell, in Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, today. As the security force approached the Taliban leader’s location, the Taliban leader and another armed insurgent maneuvered to a tactical position. The security force positively identified the hostile threat and, after insuring no civilians were in the area, requested a precision airstrike. The Taliban leader and accompanying armed insurgent were killed. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no property was damaged. The Taliban leader is believed to have provided guidance and weapons for attacks against security forces in southeastern Wardak, in addition to coordinating the emplacement of roadside bombs.

South

The Afghan Special Operations Unit, supported by coalition troops, arrested a Taliban improvised explosive device (IED) expert in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today. The detained IED expert is suspected of being directly involved the construction of roadside bombs and other explosives for Taliban attacks, as well as overseeing the emplacement and use of IEDs throughout Kandahar province. At the time of his arrest, the Taliban IED expert was believed to be harboring insurgent fighters and planning future attacks. The security force also detained four suspected insurgents as a result of the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force detained one suspected insurgent during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today. The Taliban leader has direct ties to senior Taliban leaders in Kandahar and enforces their orders throughout the province’s insurgent network. One firearm was also seized during the operation.

Afghan Special Police, enabled by coalition forces, recovered caches of weapons and narcotics in separate operations in Nimroz province yesterday. The first operation, in Zaranji district, resulted in the seizure of 560 kilograms (1,250 pounds) of dry opium and ammunition nitrate. In Chakhansr district, an Afghan-led security force recovered 560 kilograms of opium, 104 kilograms (230 pounds) of heroin and one machine gun. The combined force also detained two individuals suspected of facilitating the movement of weapons and narcotics across southern Afghanistan. All seized drugs were destroyed in place.

Afghan Special Police members of Provincial Response Company Zabul, enabled by coalition forces, seized a quantity of materials used to make IEDs, along with a motorcycle intended for use in a suicide improvised explosive device attack, a machine gun, grenades and ammunition during a search operation in Shinkai district, Zabul province yesterday.

Central

An Afghan and coalition security force detained four suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a senior Taliban leader in Waghaz district, Ghazni province, today. The Taliban leader is believed to be responsible for improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and suicide operations throughout Waghaz district, as well as commanding dozens of insurgent fighters. The security force also seized several firearms and multiple IED components, including explosive material, as a result of the operation.

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Sep. 23., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces detained two insurgents and cleared four improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Sept. 22.

Ghazni Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared three IEDs, one in Ghazni District, one in Andar District and one in Muqer District.

Paktiya Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained two insurgents while investigating an IED in Zurmat District. The IED was safely cleared and the detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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R.I.P. - Sergeant Jonathan Eric Kups (UK)

The Ministry of Defence has named a British soldier, who died in Afghanistan on Friday.

Sergeant Jonathan Eric Kups was 38 years old and from Nuneaton in Warwickshire.

He joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers twenty years ago, training as an electronics technician.

He died on Friday at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province - his death is not thought to be due to hostile action.

Sergeant Kups' leaves behind a wife and three children.

In a statement, they've said:

"Jonathan was a wonderful husband and loving father to three children.

"He was a loyal man with a wide circle of friends, a devoted son, son-in-law, grandson and brother."

His children said: "You're the best Dad; always in our hearts - our hero."

While his wife added: "I love you now, forever and always and evermore."

The MoD says his "untimely death is a great loss to his family and the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers."

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Smyth, Commanding Officer, 104 Force Support Battalion REME, called him "a man of real substance":

"Sergeant Jonathan Kups, or 'Koops' as he was known, arrived at the Battalion in 2011.

"A real character, his dry and quick witted sense of humour made him a pleasure to work with and he was extremely popular across all the ranks".

Lieutenant Colonel Neil Thorpe, Commanding Officer, Theatre Equipment Support Battalion, said:

"Technically brilliant, he invested considerable sweat and tears in developing his technicians ahead of the deployment and his efforts reaped significant success.

"Confident, with bags of humour, he was a SNCO who lived life to the full. His enthusiasm was infectious and he cared passionately for the technicians within his team. He was the father figure and his soldiers loved him for it."

An investigation into Sergeant Kups' death is continuing.

from British Forces News
22 September 2012 | Afghanistan  


---
the official MOD release:


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7 local Taliban leaders killed in airstrike in S. Afghanistan

Lejay is located in the Baghran valley, in Hel...
Helmand Province. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Seven local Taliban leaders were killed and a shadowy district governor detained following an air raid operation in southern Afghan province of Helmand overnight, a provincial police spokesman said Sunday.

"Based on intelligence, a warplane with the NATO-led coalition forces carried out an airstrike against a Taliban hideout in Trikh Nawar area of Naway-i- Barakzai district in the wee hours Sunday, killing seven insurgents' leaders including Mullah Hazrat and Mullah Yasin," police spokesman Farid Ahmad Farhang told Xinhua.

He said a joint Afghan and coalition forces unit launched a post-strike assessment operation, detaining the Taliban shadowy governor for the district named Mullah Ahmad Mubarak, who got injured in the attack in the province 555 km south of Afghan capital Kabul.

The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, have yet to confirm the death of the insurgent commanders.

Notorious for growing poppy and militancy, the Helmand province has been branded as Taliban hotbed in the restive southern part of insurgency-hit country.

The last of 33,000 U.S. additional forces, which were deployed to Afghanistan in early 2010 with the aim of pushing back the Taliban-led insurgency, have withdrawn from Afghanistan, the U.S. military announced on Friday.

from XINHUA
2012-09-23 13:21:57
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