R.I.P. - Guardsman Jamie Shadrake

Guardsman Jamie Shadrake killed in Afghanistan

A Military Operations news article

19 Aug 12

It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Guardsman Jamie Shadrake of the Reconnaissance Platoon, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was killed in Afghanistan on Friday 17 August 2012.

Guardsman Jamie Shadrake
[Picture: via MOD]

Guardsman Shadrake died of gunshot wounds when his checkpoint was attacked by insurgents in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand province.

Guardsman Jamie Shadrake

Guardsman Jamie Shadrake was born on 14 of August 1992 in West Bromwich. He was brought up in the Cardiff area, subsequently moving with his family to Wrexham. He played rugby for his local team at Llanharan and was looking forward to playing for the Battalion team at the first opportunity. A keen sportsman, he also enjoyed kayaking and rifle shooting.

Guardsman Shadrake joined the Army as an 17-year-old in 2009. Upon completion of the Combat Infantryman's Course at the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick he moved to Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards, in London where he conducted public duties at the Royal Palaces and participated in state ceremonial tasks.

In April 2010 he moved to 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in Aldershot, joining his elder brother in The Queen's Company. So competent was his performance on a training exercise in Canada in the summer of 2011, that he was placed into the Battalion's elite Reconnaissance Platoon. He subsequently completed Mission Specific Training and deployed with the Platoon to Afghanistan on his first operational tour.

He was an impressive soldier with a huge number of friends, who had a promising future in the Army and will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Guardsman Shadrake leaves behind his parents, Cathryn and Philip, brothers Carl, Kieran and Shane, and sister Kerry-Anne.

Read more: www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/GuardsmanJamieShadrakeKilledInAfghanistan.htm

Related articles

• Ministry of Defence pays tribute to 'impressive soldier' (itv.com)
• Afghanistan death soldier named (bbc.co.uk)

Read More

R.I.P. - Spc. James A. Justice

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

            Spc.  James A. Justice, 21, of Grover, N.C., died Aug. 17 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany from injuries suffered on Aug. 14 from enemy small-arms fire in Wardak province, Afghanistan.  Justice was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy.

            For more information, media may contact, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs in Heidelberg, Germany at 011-49-1-62271-6685.

---

from charlotteobserver:

Cherryville soldier, 21, dies of combat wounds

James Justice long ‘wanted to be an Army man’ and joined at 18, family says

James Justice of Cherryville always craved the soldier’s life.

At age 18, after years of waiting, he joined the Army. About a month ago, he left for Afghanistan for his first tour of duty there.

On Thursday, Justice died of a head wound he received during a combat mission. He was 21, married and had three stepdaughters.

“He’d made a wonderful soldier,” said Melba Carroll, Justice’s mother-in-law, who lives in Grover. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better son-in-law.”

Justice’s parents, Randall and Melissa Justice, learned on Tuesday that he’d been seriously injured. The Army helped them get passports so they could leave Thursday for Germany, where James Justice was being treated, according to Carroll.

But before they left, they got a call informing them of their son’s death.

James Justice’s wife and children live in Italy, where he had been stationed.

A Kings Mountain native, Justice attended Cherryville High School and received a diploma from Cleveland Community College. He had been married about four years.

Justice’s aunt, Janet White of Blacksburg, S.C., said he was “a very wonderful man who loved his wife and children.”

“He loved to joke and loved to laugh,” she said. “He was so full of life.”

She had connected with Justice’s stepdaughters on Facebook and learned that Justice had saved somebody’s life “before his was taken.”

“We don’t have any details,” White said. “But I’m not surprised at all.”

The Rev. David Chapman, pastor of Kings Mountain’s New Beginnings Church of Jesus Christ, knew Justice from the time he was six years old.

“He was a little mischievous as a kid,” Chapman said. “He grew up in the church. He started playing drums and guitar in church. And he was even ministering in the church as a young man, speaking on youth nights.”

Justice and his wife were members of New Beginnings church “and not long ago he came … and said ‘I’m gonna have to go to Afghanistan,’ ” recalled Chapman, who has a son who served tours there.

“I told him Afghanistan was not a pretty place to be,” he said. “’I know it will be a life-changing experience. But you can’t go anywhere your God can’t go.”

Chapman called Justice’s death a tragedy.

“We’re proud to have known him,” Chapman said. “We’re praying for his family. And we’re praying for all soldiers.”

Family members say Justice realized the danger of being a soldier in war time.

“But this was something he always wanted to do,” said Carroll. “He wanted to be an Army man.”

The last time she heard from him was on Facebook from Afghanistan.

“He told me he loved me,” Carroll said. “And to be praying for him. I told him, ‘I love you, too.’ I miss him. He was my hero.”

By Joe DePriest
Posted: Friday, Aug. 17, 2012

Read More

Three New Zealand soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan

Three New Zealand soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Bamiyan province.
The New Zealand Defence Force has confirmed the three were part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan province.

It says the three men were in the last vehicle of a convoy that was hit by an an improvised explosive device, northwest of Do Abe where the other two soldiers died two weeks ago.

The Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack..

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones says he is deeply saddened by this loss.

"On behalf of the entire New Zealand Defence Force, I extend my deepest sympathies to the families, colleagues and friends of the personnel involved," he said.

Prime Minister John Key has paid tribute to the soldiers and says today's events underscore the gravity of the situation New Zealand's soldiers face daily in Afghanistan.

"The three brave soldiers paid the ultimate price for their selfless work and my thoughts are with their families and friends as they mourn their loved ones," he said.

Mr Key has previously ruled out bringing forward the scheduled withdrawal of New Zealand troops from Afghanistan next year.

Five New Zealand soldiers have died in Afghanistan in two weeks.

Earlier this month, two New Zealand soldiers were killed and six wounded in an insurgent attack blamed on a small band of hardcore militants said to have infiltrated the province to undermine security, targeting foreign and Afghan security forces.

Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae says the latest incident is a 'great tragedy', coming so soon after those deaths.

"The soldiers were part of New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team, which for many years has worked tirelessly to bring peace and security to the lives of the people of Bamyan province," he said.

"Their service has brought great credit to New Zealand and the New Zealand Defence Force."
New Zealand has now lost 10 soldiers in Afghanistan.

from au.news.yahoo.com
Updated August 20, 2012, 6:39 am

Read More

Another ISAF soldier killed in green-on-blue attack in Afghanistan

By Lisa Lundquist - August 19, 2012 - LWJ

A member of the International Security Assistance Force was shot and killed in southern Afghanistan today when a man in an Afghan police uniform turned his weapon on a group of ISAF soldiers, ISAF stated in a press release. The release did not identify the nationality of the dead ISAF soldier, and did not specify whether other troops were injured in the attack.

There has been an extraordinary spike in green-on-blue attacks recently; they now account for over 13% of ISAF casualties this year. Today's attack is the eighth such attack on ISAF personnel in the past two weeks; 11 soldiers have been killed in the eight attacks.

The US is becoming increasingly concerned about the rise in attacks by Afghan forces against their Coalition colleagues, and is pressing the Afghan government to adopt more stringent vetting measures for recruits to Afghan forces, according to Reuters. The US military also issued a directive this week to all Coalition troops instructing them to carry a loaded weapon at all times.

As the attacks have increased, the Taliban have seized on them in their propaganda. On Aug. 7, the Taliban released a video of two Afghan soldiers who attacked ISAF soldiers in Kunar and Uruzgan [see Threat Matrix report, Observations on Taliban video 'welcoming' rogue ANA soldiers].

In a statement released on jihadist forums this week, Mullah Omar, the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or the Taliban, addressed the issue of green-on-blue attacks. Omar claimed that the Taliban have "cleverly infiltrated in the ranks of the enemy according to the plan given to them last year." He urged government officials and security personnel to defect and join the Taliban as a matter of religious duty. He also noted that the Taliban have created the "Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration" department, "with branches ... now operational all over the country," to encourage defections. [See Threat Matrix report, Mullah Omar addresses green-on-blue attacks.]

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/08/another_isaf_soldier.php#ixzz241q9jUdd

---
official ISAF Release:

ISAF Joint Command
Date Taken:08.19.2012
Date Posted:08.19.2012 13:26
Location:KABUL, AFKABUL, Afghanistan – An International Security Assistance Force service member died when an individual wearing an Afghan Uniformed Police uniform turned his weapon against ISAF service members in southern Afghanistan today.

Afghan and ISAF officials are investigating the incident.

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

Read More

Marines bid farewell to friend, brother - Cpl. Joshua R. Ashley

Regional Command Southwest
Story and photos by Cpl. Mark Garcia

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – On a quiet Friday afternoon, more than 100 coalition servicemembers gathered to honor Sgt. Joshua R. Ashley, a fallen comrade during a memorial ceremony in the Regional Command Southwest chapel, Aug. 17.

Before the ceremony, Marines constructed a traditional field memorial providing them the opportunity to pay their final respects. The memorial consisted of a kevlar with identification tags signifying never to forget Ashley, a rifle with a bayonet upside down signifying a time of prayer and a break in action to pay tribute and a pair of boots signifying this was Ashley’s last march.
 

Ashley, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was a dog handler with Military Working Dogs Platoon, Headquarters and Supply Company, 1st Law Enforcement Battalion (Forward), I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group (Forward). He was killed in action July 19 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. During the ceremony fellow dog handlers and friends spoke of the man and Marine Ashley was and what they would remember most about him.

read more and watch more photos on ApacheClips.com:
http://www.apacheclips.com/boards/showthread.php?15669-Marines-bid-farewell-to-friend-brother-Cpl-Joshua-R-Ashley

Related articles

• R.I.P. - Cpl. Joshua R. Ashley (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

Read More

Al-Qaida suicide bomber kills pro-gov't tribal leader in south Yemen

map by Evancetanni (www.polgeonow.com)

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- An al-Qaida suicide bomber killed a prominent pro-government tribal chief and wounded six others at a gathering of tribesmen in Yemen's southern province of Abyan early Sunday, a military official told Xinhua.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives among dozens of pro- government tribesmen in the Mudiyah town of Abyan province, killing himself along with a prominent tribal leader and injuring six others at the scene, the local military official said on condition of anonymity.

The tribesmen joined the fighting alongside army troops in an offensive against al-Qaida militants earlier this year, according to the military official.

"A suicide car bomber first approached a gathering of pro-army tribal fighters and then blew himself up among them," a local resident told Xinhua anonymously.

"Part of a nearby residential building that belonged to the dead tribesman, who was leading a group of anti-Qaida militiamen, was damaged after the huge blast," he added.

A medic at a local hospital confirmed to Xinhua that the facility had received a dead body of a tribal leader and six wounded people.

Witnesses said army soldiers cordoned off the area, preventing people from approaching the bombing scene.

The Yemeni government forces declared victory over the al-Qaida branch after a month-long offensive that succeeded in driving hundreds of terrorists from the territory they had controlled for about a year.

On June 20, Yemeni military officials announced seizing al- Qaida's last bastion in the country's troubled south following the army offensive backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

However, local military and anti-terrorism experts said the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch is still a major threat to the impoverished Arab country despite its being driven out of its main southern bastions by the U.S.-backed military assault. A string of assassinations and suicide bombings have struck Yemen' s southern regions over the past two months, showing that al-Qaida militants retain the capacity to strike.


from XINHUA
2012-08-19 15:27:33

Read More

6 more 'militants' killed in drone strike in North Waziristan

By Bill Roggio - August 19, 2012 - LWJ

The US launched the second drone strike today in the past 24 hour in an area known as a terrorist haven in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more advanced Reapers fired several missiles at a vehicle in the Mana area in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, according to AFP and Geo News. Five drones were seen circling over the attack site before and after the strike.

Pakistani officials said that between four and six "militants" were killed in the strike, but did not disclose their identities. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders were reported killed.

The strike is the second in Shawal in the past 24 hours. On Saturday, the drones hit a compound in the village of Shuwedar in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, killing six more "militants," according to Pakistani officials. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry objected to the earlier strike in Shawal, and called the US incursions "a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and also in contravention of international law," according to Dawn.

Al Qaeda, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and Taliban fighters under the command of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the leader of the Taliban in North Waziristan, are all known to operate in the Shawal Valley, which is near the Afghan border. The area is used to launch attacks across the border in Afghanistan. Bahadar administers the Shawal Valley.

So far this year, seven of the 30 drone strikes in Pakistan have hit targets in the Shawal Valley. Targeting in the area seems to be increasing; three of the last four strikes have taken place in the Shawal Valley. The previous strike in Shawal, on July 23, killed 12 "militants," including a Taliban commander loyal to Hafiz Gil Bahadar. Another, on July 1, is said to have killed several members of the Turkistan Islamic Party, an al Qaeda-affiliated group that operates in Pakistan, China, and Central Asia.

Twelve of the 30 strikes in Pakistan this year have taken place since the beginning of June; 10 occurred in North Waziristan and two were in South Waziristan. Four senior al Qaeda and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leaders were killed in the strikes. [For data on the strikes, see LWJ reports, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2012; and Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2012.]

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/08/6_more_militants_kil.php#ixzz23zBy4L83

Read More

Aug. 19., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition officials confirmed today that a senior Taliban leader, Maulawi Nur Mohammad, and his deputy, Atiqullah were among the dozens of heavily armed insurgents killed in a precision airstrike, in a remote area of Chapah Darah district, Kunar province, yesterday.

Muhammad, also known as Turabi, was the senior Taliban leader for Chapah Darah district. He planned and directed all Taliban activity in the district including attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces.

Atiqullah, also known as Khalid, served as Muhammad’s deputy.

During the operation, the Afghan and coalition security force observed a large group of heavily armed insurgents engaging in insurgent activity. After ensuring there were no civilians in the area, the security force engaged the insurgents with a precision airstrike.

After the strike, the security force conducted an initial follow-on assessment and confirmed the strike had not injured any civilians or damaged any civilian property.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

Afghan and coalition officials confirmed today that Afghan and coalition forces had arrested a Taliban weapons dealer during an operation in Kandahar district, Kandahar province, yesterday. The arrested weapons facilitator purchased weapons and other military equipment for Taliban fighters in the area. Prior to his arrest, he was attempting to deliver an improvised explosive device to insurgents. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents during the operation.

In Nad Ali district, Helmand province yesterday, an afghan and coalition security force discovered a drug cache. The cache included 100kg (220 pounds) of opium, $1000 in cash and communications equipment.


East

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Alisheng district, Laghman province, today. The Taliban leader acquires weapons and ammunition for insurgents and facilitates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. During the operation, a group of insurgents attacked the security force. The force engaged the insurgents killing three of the attackers. No civilians were harmed in the exchange. After the engagement, the security force detained three suspected insurgents.

In Watahpur district, Kunar province, an Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation yesterday. During the operation, the security force identified several insurgents. After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the security force engaged the insurgents with a precision airstrike, killing many of them. A post-strike assessment determined the airstrike had not harmed any civilians or damaged any civilian property.

An Afghan and coalition force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Haqqani leader in Khost district, Khost province, today. The Haqqani leader plans and coordinates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Khost district.

Read More

Aug. 19., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed two insurgents, detained 15, located a weapons cache and cleared an improvised explosive device during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Aug. 18.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained seven insurgents during an engagement in Qarah Bagh district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

A coalition airstrike killed two insurgents in Giro district who were emplacing an IED.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained two insurgents while investigating a weapons cache in Terezayi district. The cache contained mines, grenades and explosives. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Paktiya province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained five insurgents during an engagement in Zurmat district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained an insurgent who was wounded when the IED he was emplacing detonated prematurely in Jahi district. The detainee received medical care and was transferred to a base for questioning.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

Read More

At least 18 killed in Yemen attack on intelligence HQ

A man takes a photo of smoke rising from the site of an attack on the Political Security Agency building, the headquarters of the Yemeni intelligence services in the southern provinces, in the southern Yemeni city of Aden August 18, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Stringer

(Reuters) - Suspected al Qaeda-linked militants killed at least 18 Yemeni soldiers and security guards on Saturday in a car bombing and grenade attack on the intelligence service headquarters in Aden, the Defence Ministry and witnesses said.
The ministry said more bodies were believed buried under the rubble of the building, part of which was levelled in the attack in the southern port city. At least seven others were wounded before the militants fled.

The United States has been pouring aid into Yemen to stem the threat of attacks from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and to try to prevent any spillover of violence into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter.

Last year, a U.S.-backed offensive drove al Qaeda offshoot Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) from cities they had seized in an uprising against the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

But Islamist militants have carried out deadly suicide bombings on high-profile military and security targets since June, exposing the government's vulnerability.

In Saturday's attack, witnesses said militants had fired rocket-propelled grenades at the intelligence service's three-storey building, shattering windows and setting it on fire.

"The operation seemed to have been well planned," a local security source said. He said he believed the attackers belonged to al Qaeda.

He said the militants had stopped their vehicle in front of an adjacent five-storey television building, blown up a military vehicle guarding the compound, and then attacked the intelligence service building with automatic fire and rocket propelled grenades before fleeing.

The Defence Ministry said the militants had also detonated a car bomb next to the building, destroying part of it. Security sources put the death toll at 18.

The ministry earlier said all the casualties were members of the intelligence service and the Central Security forces, which guard the nearby television offices.

Ashraf Ali Ahmed, who lives in the area, said a loud explosion had shaken the area, followed by smaller blasts. "The blasts woke up the neighbourhood from their sleep," he said.

In July, militants attacked a police academy in Sanaa, assassinating the commander of the southern region, and trying to kill the commander of a tribal force allied with the army.

Washington has responded to the series of attacks by stepping up its drone strikes on AQAP, which was behind several failed attacks on the United States, including an attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009.

(Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)

from REUTERS
By Mohammed Mukhashaf
ADEN | Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:02pm BST

Related articles

• Deadly attack on Yemen intelligence HQ (todayonline.com)

Read More