Sep. 17., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of the Taliban insurgent behind the May 11 insider attack that killed one coalition service member.

The insurgent, known as Mahmood, was killed in an Afghan and coalition airstrike in Bar Kunar district, Kunar province, Saturday. The successful strike was the result of Afghan and coalition efforts to track down and find insurgents involved with insider attacks.

Also killed in the strike were more than a dozen armed insurgents, including several Taliban leaders operating in the region.

A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and there was no damage to any civilian structures.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of Asadullah, an al-Qaida-associated facilitator, during a security operation in Asadabad district, Kunar province, Saturday. Asadullah was positively identified during an Afghan and coalition security operation and engaged with a precision airstrike after it was determined no civilians were in the area. Asadullah supported operations of terrorist networks, organizing and conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the Watahpur Valley. He is also believed to be behind an Aug. 8 suicide attack. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and there was no damage to civilian structures.

Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of Mullah Jalal, the Taliban leader for Ghaziabad district, Kunar province, during a security operation Saturday. The security force positively identified Mullah Jalal during the operation in northeastern Kunar and, after determining no civilians were in the area, engaged him with a precision airstrike. Mullah Jalal is suspected of controlling all Taliban activity in Ghaziabad and, prior to his death, issued plans to increase attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces. He also met frequently with other Taliban senior leaders to discuss strategies against the local Afghan forces. At the time of the airstrike, Mullah Jalal and multiple armed insurgents were preparing attacks on nearby Afghan security forces. Several of the armed insurgents were also killed during the operation. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and there was no damage to civilian structures.

An Afghan and coalition security force killed Rashid, a Taliban attack specialist, during a security operation in Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, today. As the security force approached Rashid’s location, the attack specialist and several armed insurgents fired upon the Afghan and coalition troops. The security force returned fire, killing Rashid and several other insurgents. No civilians were harmed in the exchange. Rashid, also known as Zubair, is believed to have planned and conducted several ambush-style attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in recent months. He had been known to use mortars, heavy machine guns and mines to conduct these ambush attacks. At the time of his death, the Rashid was involved in attempting to acquire additional weapons to support further insurgent attacks in the region. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized several assault rifles as a result of this operation.

Read More

Sep. 17., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed three insurgents and cleared eight improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Sept. 16.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed an insurgent during an engagement in Ghazni district.

Kapisa province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared an improvised explosive device in Tagab district.

Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces killed two insurgents during engagements in Tagab district.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared three improvised explosive devices, two in Gurbuz district and one in Khowst district.

Laghman province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared an improvised explosive device in Alisheng district.

Paktika province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an improvised explosive device in Zerok district.

Paktiya province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared an improvised explosive device in Dzadran district.

Wardak province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared an improvised explosive device in Sayyidabad district.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

Read More

R.I.P. - Lance Corporal Duane Groom (UK)

A British soldier who was killed in Afghanistan on Friday when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb has been named as Lance Corporal Duane Groom from The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

The Ministry of Defence said the 32-year-old, who was born in Suva City, Fiji, was protecting his Afghan and British colleagues as they extracted from a successful operation when he was killed in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.

Lieutenant Colonel James Bowder, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, said: "Lance Corporal Groom was an outstanding soldier in every respect. Tough, keen, and unflappable, he was utterly committed to his fellows and the cause.

"We are all tremendously proud of what he achieved during his time in the regiment, and particularly out here in Afghanistan where he contributed so much.

"His many friends and the broader battlegroup will never forget this most talented of men. Moreover, we are determined to finish the mission that he so bravely helped to start.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends outside the regiment at this most difficult of times."

L/Cpl Groom joined the British Army in 2007. Having completed his combat infantryman's course, he moved to Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards, where he participated in public duties and ceremonial tasks at royal palaces.

Two years later he joined 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, training in Kenya before deploying to Afghanistan in September 2009 with The Queen's Company.

He also took part in the Infantry Skiing Championships in early 2011 and attended a Junior Non-Commissioned Officer Cadre in January 2012.

Newly-promoted, he deployed to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty in April as a member of the Operations Company for Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (North).

As well as working with his parent company, for seven weeks of the tour he provided force protection for British military advisors to the Afghan National Army. He was performing this role when he was killed.

Corporal Joe Roligadra, 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, said: "I have known Duane since I was 14 and he was always like a big brother to me.

"He was the sort of person who always had your back covered in good times and in bad times. We have been through a lot together before we joined the Army and he was always very decent and generous to me.

"The loyalty that he showed me was over and above that of normal brotherhood. I remember that when things got rough he would always tell 'Joe, everything is going to be okay,' and he always shared everything he had with me.

"He was a caring and honest person and was full of life; when growing up in Fiji together I always used to say that he had 'the best smile in paradise'.

"The more I think about him, the more I miss him. He was the perfect brother that I had always wished for.

"We always planned to join the British Army together and although we ended up in different regiments, he loved his new job and soldiering was everything to him.

"He loved it because it restored the virtues in life that we had lost and had always hoped to regain. He was the best friend, brother and soldier ever, and I will miss a true and great person."

Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Lance Corporal Duane Groom and my thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.

"Lance Corporal Groom was a dedicated solider and well-respected serviceman, and his loss is a great tragedy.

"Lance Corporal Groom gave his life protecting Britain's national security; his efforts will not be in vain, and he will not be forgotten."

Related articles

• BREAKING - UK MoD : British soldier killed in bomb blast on Friday identified (amyloutarry.wordpress.com)
• Tributes pour in for fallen soldier (itv.com)

Read More

Pakistan: 15 killed, 12 injured in Lower Dir blast

A roadside bomb killed 15 passengers in a van and wounded 12 others in Lower Dir on Sunday morning, police said.

The vehicle was hit in the Jandol area when it was taking people from a border village to the town of Munda early in the morning, said Ejaz Abid, police chief in Lower Dir district where the attack took place.

He said the bomb was planted in a dirt road and apparently detonated by remote control. The injured were rushed to a hospital, where some remained in serious condition.

Local government official Mahmood Aslam said two children were among the dead. He said that the vehicle was not carrying any tribal elders, militia commanders, or others from the area frequently targeted by militants. ”I don’t understand why the passenger vehicle was targeted,” he said. Dilawar Khan, a survivor, said he heard a huge blast, and the passengers suddenly dived to the ground.

”There was a big bang and we all were lying here and there … I was listening to people’s cries but unable to see anything as dust and smoke engulfed the air … Then I found myself in the hospital with my leg and hand bandaged,” said Khan. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

from The Nation

Related articles

• Police: Roadside bomb kills 15 in NW Pakistan (usatoday.com)
• Roadside bomb kills 14 people in Pakistan near Afghan border (uk.reuters.com)

Read More

Afghan police kill 4 NATO soldiers in Zabul

(Reuters) - Four soldiers fighting with the NATO-led alliance were killed in an attack believed to involve members of the Afghan police in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the coalition said.

The attack came a day after two British soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan policeman while returning from a patrol in southern Helmand province, one of the strongholds of the Taliban-led insurgency.

The shooting took place in Zabol, a southern province where U.S. forces are based, according to a local official, who said all four soldiers killed were American.

One attacker who was wearing an Afghan National Police uniform (ANP) was also killed in the fighting, the source said.

At least 51 foreign military personnel have been killed in "insider" attacks this year, attacks which have put a heavy strain on trust between the coalition and Afghanistan as they move towards handing security responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

The rise in such attacks has led to the training of new recruits to the Afghan army and police being suspended.

With foreign combat troops withdrawing from the increasingly unpopular and expensive war, the enormous cultural divide that still separates Afghans and their allies after 11 years of conflict has become more of a concern than ever.

The NATO-led coalition and its Afghan counterparts have created a special Joint Casualties Assessment Team to investigate every attack, which number at least 37 this year.

In more than half of cases, attackers are either killed or escape and the motive never emerges, making it more difficult for the coalition to stem the surge.

Adding to the toll of coalition deaths caused by insider attacks over the weekend, two were killed and nine wounded in Friday's attack on Camp Bastion, one of the worst attacks on a NATO-operated base all year.

Six Harrier jets were destroyed and two were significantly damaged in the raid on the camp airfield, carried out by 15 insurgents wearing U.S. Army uniforms and split between three teams, a NATO statement said on Sunday.

Three refuelling stations were destroyed and six aircraft hangars were damaged. Britain's Prince Harry was at Camp Bastion at the time of Friday's attack, but was unharmed.

All but one of the attackers were killed, with the remaining fighter taken into custody by coalition forces.

In a separate incident on Sunday, NATO-led forces arrested a Taliban fighter responsible for killing two U.S. troops when they were downed in their Kiowa helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, according to a separate statement by the coalition.

from REUTERS
KABUL | Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:19am BST
(Reporting by Jessica Donati in Kabul and Ismail Sameem in Kandahar; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Read More

Sep. 16., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force today arrested the Taliban leader responsible for the death of two American service members following a Sept. 5 helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan.

The Taliban commander was successfully taken into custody by the security force following a joint effort by Afghan and coalition forces to identify and track down the Taliban insurgents responsible for the Sept. 5 attack. No civilians were harmed during the operation.

The Taliban leader and his insurgent cell coordinated the attack that downed an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter, killing both service members aboard.

The security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized improvised explosive device components and Taliban-associated materials during this operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout
Afghanistan:

East

An Afghan and coalition force killed several heavily armed insurgents during multiple operations in Asadabad district, Kunar province, Saturday. During the operations, the security force observed several militants carrying a mortar launcher and munitions toward a populated area. After ensuring there were no civilians nearby, the security force engaged the armed insurgents with multiple precision airstrikes.
Post-strike assessments determined no civilians were harmed and there was no damage to civilian structures.

An Afghan and coalition security force killed several armed insurgents during a security operation in Bar Kunar district, Kunar province, Saturday. During the operation, the security force positively identified a group of armed insurgents preparing to attack Afghan and coalition forces. After ensuring no civilians were in the vicinity, the security force engaged the armed insurgents with a precision airstrike. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged during the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force killed one armed insurgent during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Khugyani district, Nangarhar province, today. As the security force approached the Taliban leader's suspected location, an armed insurgent maneuvered on the Afghan and coalition troops. The security force positively identified the lethal threat and engaged, killing the armed insurgent. No civilians were harmed during the operation. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized one assault rifle and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) components as a result of this operation.

Afghan and coalition forces conducted a security operation resulting in the death of an armed insurgent in Gardez district, Paktiya province, Saturday. During the operation, the security force observed an armed militant engaging in insurgent activity. After ensuring there were no civilians nearby, the security force engaged the insurgent with a precision airstrike. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and there was no damage to civilian structures.

North

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested two suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Qal'ah-ye Zal district, Kunduz province, today. The Taliban leader conducts attacks throughout the region, as well as facilitating the purchase and delivery of supplies and weapons for insurgent fighters.

Read More

Sep. 16., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed 10 insurgents, detained two and cleared six improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Sept. 15.

Ghazni Province
A coalition airstrike killed four insurgents who were emplacing an IED in Gelan District.

Khowst Province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Sabari District.

Nangarhar Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Behsud District.

Paktika Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed two insurgent and wounded one during an engagement in Bermal District. The wounded insurgent received medical care and was transferred to a base for questioning.

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

Wardak Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Maidan Shahr District and one in Sayyidabad District.

Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces killed four insurgents during an engagement in Nerkh District.

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

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

Read More

ISAF provides additional details on Camp Bastion attack

ISAF provides additional details on Camp Bastion attack

2012-09-CA-11   KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept. 16, 2012) — Following the 14 September attack at Camp Bastion, in which two Coalition service members were killed when insurgents attacked the base’s airfield, the International Security Assistance Force provides the following additional details.  Because it is still early in the investigation of this attack, this information is subject to change as new details become available: The attack commenced just after 10 p.m. when approximately 15 insurgents executed a well-coordinated attack against the airfield on Camp Bastion.  The insurgents, organized into three teams, penetrated at one point of the perimeter fence. The insurgents appeared to be well equipped, trained and rehearsed. Dressed in U.S. Army uniforms and armed with automatic rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers and suicide vests, the insurgents attacked Coalition fixed and rotary wing aircraft parked on the flight line, aircraft hangars and other buildings. Six Coalition AV-8B Harrier jets were destroyed and two were significantly damaged.  Three Coalition refueling stations were also destroyed.  Six soft-skin aircraft hangars were damaged to some degree. Coalition forces engaged the insurgents, killing 14 and wounding one who was taken into custody.  In addition to the two Coalition service members that were killed, nine Coalition personnel – eight military and one civilian contractor – were wounded in the attack.  None of their injuries are considered life-threatening.

Related articles

• Official ISAF release of Camp Bastion attack (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

Read More

Afghan policeman kills 2 British soldiers in Helmand

British Soldiers patrol Helmand Province. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Bill Roggio - September 15, 2012 - LWJ

An Afghan policeman killed two British soldiers and wounded four more today before being killed himself in return fire in the southern province of Helmand. The attack is the latest in the long string of so-called green-on-blue incidents, or insider attacks, in which Afghan security personnel have killed or wounded members of the International Security Assistance Force. There have been nearly 60 such attacks reported since 2008.

"An individual believed to be an Afghan Local Police member turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan today, killing two," the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release. "An ISAF service member returned fire, killing the attacker."

ISAF did not state the nationality of the soldiers who were killed, but TOLONews reported that the troops were British. The attack took place in the Gereshk district.

At the beginning of September, training for more than 1,000 new recruits for the Afghan Local Police was suspended by the US's Special Operations Command after five of its soldiers were killed over the course of a week in August. The Afghan Local Police force is an initiative that provides support to Afghans so they can provide security for their own villages. The ALP have been described as vital to ISAF's strategy. The ALP are to provide security in key districts as foreign troops continue withdrawing from Afghanistan.

Today's green-on-blue attack, or insider attack, as ISAF has begun calling them, occurred close to Camp Bastion, where the Taliban executed a suicide assault last evening. A team of 20 jihadists penetrated the perimeter of Camp Bastion, killed two US Marines, and damaged several military aircraft, a hangar, and buildings.

Camp Bastion was also the scene of a green-on-blue attack in March, when an Afghan interpreter hijacked an SUV and then attempted to run down a group of US Marines, including a major general, at the airfield. The attack took place just before Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's plane was scheduled to land. The attacker crashed his truck and then set himself on fire; the attacker's brother and father, also interpreters, were both detained, as was another person also said to be an interpreter. One British soldier was wounded during the attack.

The last green-on-blue attack took place on Aug. 28 on a base in neighboring Uruzgan province. An Afghan soldier gunned down three Australian soldiers and wounded two more. The attacker, a recent recruit named as Sergeant Hikmatullah, climbed over the base's fence after the attack and ran away.
Helmand province has seen the greatest number of green-on-blue attacks. Of the 58 reported attacks since 2008 in Afghanistan, 16, or 28%, have occurred in Helmand. A significant number of green-on-blue attacks have also taken place in Kandahar province, where there have been nine attacks, or nearly 16% of the total number.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/09/afghan_policeman_kil_1.php#ixzz26ZxLIrqQ

Read More

R.I.P. - Sgt. Kyle B. Osborn

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

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

            Sgt. Kyle B. Osborn, 26, of Lafayette, Ind., died Sep. 13 in Muqer, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Camp Ederle, Vicenza, Italy.

            For more information the media may contact the U.S. Army Europe public affairs in Heidelberg, Germany, at 011-49-162-271-6685.

---

from toraradical.com:

ARMY Sgt. Kyle B. Osborn, 26, of Lafayette, IN, died Sep. 13 in Muqer, Afghanistan.

Several years ago Kyle Osborn, a McCutcheon High School alumnus and Clarks Hill native, returned to his alma mater to visit with a handful of his favorite teachers.

Having just made the decision to forgo a college wrestling career for a stint with the U.S. Army, the 2005 McCutcheon graduate was beaming with pride. "He was so enthusiastic about what he was doing," physics teacher Cheryl McLean said. "It was such a warm moment."

Osborn, who served in the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, was reported Friday as having been killed in Afghanistan. He is Greater Lafayette’s 12th member of the military to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since the conflicts began following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

According to the Associated Press, as of Tuesday at least 1,980 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan as a result of the US led invasion.

McCutcheon Principal John Beeker met with members of Osborn's family Friday and said he anticipates that the school will do something to commemorate Osborn's life and service. "We're going to do something, but we've got to let the parents guide that a little," Beeker said. "We're going to do something when the time is right." Beeker praised Osborn’s intelligence. He said he often chose Osborn for leadership roles due to his outspokenness. "He'd always give a nice perspective on things. Just a fun kid. Fun to be around."

Osborn was a member of the football and wrestling teams at McCutcheon. He was an individual state qualifier at 152 pounds as a senior and captain of the Mavericks' 2005 regional championship wrestling team. He planned to pursue wrestling in college until he shifted to the military. His teammates called him "Ozzy."

Kathy Dale, whose son Travis wrestled with Osborn at McCutcheon, remembered him as a great leader and positive person. "It's just a tragic loss," she said. "He was very close with both his parents. My thoughts go out to them. He was very loved here."

Graphic arts teacher Ed Tilley, who coached Osborn in football, said, "He's a short guy but, man, he played like he was 10 feet tall."  Tilley clearly remembers the day Osborn came strolling back into McCutcheon's hallways to update his teachers on his life. "He said, 'Hey, coach Tilley,' and (gave) that smile," Tilley recalled. "I said 'Just be careful. Keep your head down.' You always want to make sure they're safe. I’m sad he's gone, but I know he died doing something he loved to do."

Ryan Walden, director of athletics at McCutcheon, said Friday: "The McCutcheon Athletic Department is saddened by the loss of a great Maverick, outstanding leader from our community, and a true American. We are thankful for everything that Kyle has done for our community and country, and cherish the memories from when he wore a McCutcheon uniform."

McLean, who Osborn once identified as his favorite teacher, described Osborn as "mischievous" but inquisitive and brimming with contagious enthusiasm. Osborn, she said, kept her on her toes. "I am a better teacher because of his input in my classroom, and I am a better person because I knew him," McLean said.

In McLean's class, at least, Osborn's legacy will live on. "I will forever share stories of Kyle in my physics class," McLean said. "He knew how to strike a perfect balance between the hard work of learning and having fun"

Related articles

• RIP SGT Kyle B Osborn (waronterrornews.typepad.com)

Read More