Kismayo Hasn’t Fallen Yet....

English: Kismaayo City, Somalia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kismayo Hasn’t Fallen Yet; Even If It Had, It Wouldn’t Be the End of the Shabab

from the "Inside The Shabab Insurgency" blog
Posted on September 28, 2012

In the early hours of the morning today, reportedly mostly Somali forces – according to Somali sites – were dropped by Kenyan landing ships on the beaches on the outskirts of Kismayo, the southern Somali port city that is the main target of the Kenyan war against the Shabab.

Some Somali sites report that the amphibious force is in the hundreds, but whatever their number, one thing is clear: they have not taken Kismayo contrary to what most news sites are parroting.

The source of the false news that Kismayo had fallen was a Kenyan army spokesman, Cyrus Oguna who had said that the city had “fallen with minimum resistance”. It is easy to jump the gun when, you know, you are not the one really shooting the gun.

As I have written before, losing Kismayo is not such a big deal to the Shabab: they may actually end up making more from discreet “Jihad donations” that they will collect from businesses in the region once they are forced to fully withdraw than from the port itself.

Kismayo is the second biggest city in southern Somalia, after Mogadishu. Holding it has more of a psychological effect than anything.

The battle for Kismayo is not the decisive battle that would decide the fate of the Shabab in southern Somalia, and it is not their “last stronghold” as some news sites report. The Shabab control another port city, Barawe, and many important towns in south and central Somalia. Simply put: the Shabab can drive from Kismayo all the way to near Galka’yo in central Somalia without going through enemy territory. How is that for a “last stronghold”?

it's not finished yet, read more on the blog:
"Inside The Shabab Insurgency"

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R.I.P. - Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz

DOD Identifies Army Casualties

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

            They died Sept. 26, in Pul-E Alam, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an insurgent wearing a suicide vest detonated the device near their patrol. These Soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany.

            Killed were:

            Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, 29, of Tucson, Ariz., and

            Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, of Lakehurst, N.J.

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

---

from TucsonSentinel.com:

by Dylan Smith

A Tucson soldier, Army Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Sparks, 29, and another soldier were killed in Pul-E Alam, Afghanistan, when an insurgent wearing a suicide vest detonated the bomb near their patrol.

The soldiers were serving with the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. The Schweinfurt, Germany-based unit was deployed in Logar province in eastern Afghanistan.

Including Sparks' death, 52 troops with Southern Arizona connections have been killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars—20 in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion of that country.

The other soldier who was killed in the incident was identified as Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, of Lakehurst, N.J.

Both men were members of Anvil Troop, according to the 1st Squadron's Facebook page.

Sparks "touched the lives of many soldiers during his time in Anvil. He is remembered as a contagious optimist who was always in good spirits. Someone that could relate to soldiers on a personal level and helped guide them through life. Orion was an outstanding trainer of soldiers and a leader who was not afraid to get his hands dirty and lead from the front. A true NCO to the end. He was a cornerstone in Anvil Troop," said a statement posted by Lt. Col. Whit Wright, the 173rd Airborne's commander.

"Several other paratroopers were wounded, one severely, in the same incident," Wright wrote.

---

from app.com:
By Charles Webster

A soldier from the Buffalo, N.Y. area originally reported to be from Lakehurst was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan, according to an announcement Friday by the Department of Defense.

Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, of Fedonia, N.Y. and Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, 29, of Tucson, Ariz. died Wednesday in Pul-E Alam, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when an insurgent wearing a suicide vest detonated the device near their patrol. The two soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Schweinfurt, Germany, according to the department announcement.

The department listed Gollnitz’s hometown as Lakehurst but he was actually a Fredonia, N.Y. native, according to his Aunt Kimberly Gollnitz.

Gollnitz was stationed, at one time, at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, now Joint Base: McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Army more than three years ago, she explained.

Lt. Col. Whit Wright, commander of the airborne cavalry unit, characterized the deaths in a prepared statement as the tragic loss of two talented, young leaders.

“Sgt. Gollnitz quickly filled a gap in the platoon's junior leadership. Bringing a quiet professionalism to his work, he was able to build a strong team of soldiers that trusted and respected him. Jonathan was also able to communicate with soldiers on a personal level and would often speak of his son and his plans for the future,”

Several other paratroopers were wounded, one severely, in the same incident, Wright added.

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Sep. 28., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An International Security Assistance Force patrol rescued three Afghans who were being held hostage by Taliban in Panjwa'i district, Kandahar province yesterday.

The ISAF unit, Task Force Arrowhead, observed a number of insurgents load three men, bound and blindfolded, onto a trailer towed by a tractor and move toward a small village. The ISAF patrol pursued and stopped the tractor, at which point the insurgents attempted to flee.

Task Force Arrowhead troops freed the hostages and detained three of their captors, who were later identified as Taliban members.

ISAF learned the three men had been held by the Taliban for up to six days.

The freed men were released by ISAF to Panjwa'i district officials.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force detained a number of suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, today. The Taliban leader is suspected of facilitating the movement of weapons throughout the region and reported directly to senior Taliban leaders in order to coordinate insurgent attacks.

An Afghan and coalition security force detained one suspected insurgent and seized several kilograms of illegal narcotics during an operation in search of a Taliban leader in Washer district, Helmand province, today. The leader is alleged to serve as a link between senior Taliban leaders and local attack cells, directing insurgent activity throughout the district.

East

An Afghan and coalition security force killed multiple armed insurgents during an operation to arrest a senior Haqqani facilitator in Gelan district, Ghazni province, today. As the security force approached the Haqqani facilitator’s suspected location, armed insurgents attacked the Afghan and coalition troops with heavy machine gun fire. The coalition troops returned fire, killing several armed insurgents. No civilians were harmed in the exchange. The senior Haqqani facilitator is believed to be directly involved in several attacks throughout the region, many involving improvised explosive devices, and suicide bombers, resulting in civilian casualties. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized multiple assault rifles, a heavy machine gun and several explosives, including rocket-propelled grenades, as a result of the operation. The weapons and explosives were safely destroyed away from all civilian structures.

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested one of the leaders of the Haqqani insurgent network for Sharan district, Paktika province, today. The arrested leader is suspected of being directly involved in the planning of multiple insurgent attacks, in addition to acquiring weapons and explosives for Haqqani fighters. At the time of his arrest, the Haqqani leader was believed to have been planning an imminent suicide attack in the district. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents as a result of the operation.

An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, arrested a Haqqani explosives facilitator in Bak district, Khost province, today. The arrested facilitator is alleged to be directly involved in the acquisition and emplacement of improvised explosive devices and rockets for attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces in the district. Prior to his arrest, the Haqqani facilitator was believed to have transported several IEDs intended for future attacks in the region. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized IED-making equipment as a result of the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a number of suspected insurgents and seized several firearms during an operation to detain a senior Haqqani leader in Sayyid Karam district, Paktiya province, today. The senior Haqqani leader is suspected of directing attacks and coordinating the acquisition of weapons and funding for insurgent activity throughout the province.

An Afghan and coalition security force detained a number of suspected insurgents and seized multiple firearms during an operation in search of a Haqqani improvised explosive device attack leader in Sharan district, Paktika province, today. The Haqqani leader is believed to be directly involved in the acquisition and emplacement of IEDs for insurgent attacks throughout the region.

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Sep. 28., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces detained an insurgent, located a weapons cache and cleared two improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Sept. 27.

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

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces wounded an insurgent during an engagement in Andar district. The wounded received medical care and then was transferred to a base for questioning.

Khowst province
Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Gurbuz district.

Nangarhar province
Afghan Uniformed Police found and safely cleared an IED in Surkh Rod district.

Paktika province
Afghan Border Police discovered a weapons cache in Terwo district. The cache contained seven anti-vehicle IEDs and IED making materials.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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13 Iraqi police killed in Tikrit prison clashes

Clashes killed at least 13 policemen at a prison in the Iraqi city of Tikrit that was seized by militants but has since been retaken by security forces, officials said on Friday.

And at least 83 prisoners were able to escape during the unrest, the officials said.

The violence at the prison comes after al-Qaeda’s Iraqi front group announced a campaign to regain territory and said it aimed to help its jailed members escape.

Salaheddin provincial deputy governor Ahmed Abdul Jabbar told AFP by telephone that the Tikrit prison had been retaken from militants who seized it on Thursday night, but that 83 prisoners escaped.

A hospital official in Tikrit, the ancestral home of slain dictator Saddam Hussein, said 13 police were killed and 34 wounded in the violence.

A source in the Salaheddin police command meanwhile said 15 policemen and seven prisoners were killed, and put the number of escaped prisoners at about 100.

“We took control of the prison, and the gunmen handed over their weapons,” the official said.

Accounts differed on the specifics of the unrest, but it appears militants attacked from outside the prison, while inmates may have seized weapons from guards inside.

A police lieutenant colonel said Thursday that a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb at the gate of the prison, after which it was assaulted by gunmen.

And a traffic police lieutenant colonel who was near the scene of the attack said militants blew up a portion of the prison fence, and that between 30 and 40 prisoners were able to escape.

A police colonel meanwhile said that riots broke out in the prison, while witnesses in the area said prisoners seized the guards’ weapons, and that more than 100 of them escaped and fought security forces in the surrounding area.

The tactics reportedly employed in the assault were reminiscent of those used in attacks in July and August.

Gunmen attempted to use bombs to breach a prison gate in Taji, north of Baghdad, on Aug. 1, after using similar tactics on the anti-terrorism directorate in the capital the day before in an attack the interior ministry said was an attempt to free inmates.

Al-Qaeda’s front group the Islamic State of Iraq said in July that it was launching a “new military campaign aimed at recovering territory.”

An earlier message posted on jihadist forums said the ISI would begin targeting judges and prosecutors, and try to help its prisoners break out of jails.

from AL ARABIYA 
Last Updated: Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:23 pm (KSA) 09:23 am (GMT)

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Somalia: KDF Finally Takes Over Kismayu Port

Nairobi — Kenyan Defense Forces have finally taken control of Kismayu port in Somalia following heavy battle with the militants on Friday morning.

Military Spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna said the town was liberated at 2 am with jets and ground forces.

"We have taken control of the town. Our forces are already Kismayu," Oguna said.

Several Al Shabaab militants were killed in the attack but the exact casualty figures are yet to be released. "The damage will be assessed and we will give you all the information available."

KDF is now urging residents of Kismayu to move out of the battle ground to avoid falling casualty.

"Residents are advised to avoid areas where KDF & SNA troops are to avoid collateral damage," a tweet posted by the Kenyan Military said with a blaring message "KDF TROOPS HAVE TAKEN CONTROL OF KISMAYU!!!"

More details to follow…

from allAfrica/Capital FM
By Bernard Momanyi, 28 September 2012

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Young rebel surrenders after killing comrades

SHIBERGHAN (PAN): A young rebel on Thursday surrendered to security forces after shooting dead his two senior comrades in the Qush Tapa district of northern Jawzjan province.

The 19-year-old Mahazuddin, who surrendered himself in Traghali village, said he killed the two group leaders after they attempted to sexually abuse him.

"The two asked me for a sex favour this morning, something that made me very angry and I turn my gun on them and killed them," he said, identifying the dead as Mullah Kamal, a local Taliban leader, and Mullah Shafiq, a resident of Quetta city of Pakistan.

Mahazuddin said the slain individuals were loyal to a rebel commander in the district, Maulvi Janan.

An intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mahazuddin had turned in a Kalashnikov, a pistol and a motorbike to security forces.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Mahazuddin was a member of the movement, calling him a short-tempered person. He said Mahazuddun's claim was aimed at disgracing the Taliban as they had no leaders in the name of Mullah Kamal and Mullah Shafiq in the district.

from Pajhwok
by Muhammad Jan Tamkin on Sep 27, 2012 - 20:21

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45 militants killed in one-day Afghan operations: gov't

KABUL, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 45 Taliban militants were killed during military operations in different Afghan provinces within the past 24 hours, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs said Thursday.

"Afghan National Police in collaboration with the army and the NATO-led coalition forces launched six joint cleanup operations in Kunduz, Uruzgan, Wardak, Ghazni, Ghor and Helmand provinces, killing 45 armed Taliban insurgents and detaining 32 other suspects over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates to the media.

They also found and seized weapons, the statement said, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of security forces.

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

The Afghan forces and some 100,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against Taliban and other militants throughout the country recently but the insurgents in retaliation responded by carrying out suicide attacks and roadside bombings especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

Two civilians were killed and two other civilians were wounded when an explosive device fixed in a motorcycle went off in a bazaar in Musa Qala district of southern Helmand province on Wednesday afternoon, provincial police spokesman Farid Ahmad Farhang told Xinhua on Thursday morning.

from XINHUA
2012-09-27 13:25:11

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R.I.P. - Gunners Mate 2nd Class Dion Rashun Roberts

DOD Identifies Navy Casualty

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

            Gunners Mate 2nd Class Dion Rashun Roberts, 23, of North Chicago, Ill., died Sept. 22 as a result of a single vehicle accident in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to an East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit.

            For more information, media may contact Naval Special Warfare Command public affairs office at 619-522-2816.

---

from NEWS SUN:

Updated: September 27, 2012 3:36AM

NORTH CHICAGO — The young sailor from North Chicago who died in Afghanistan on Saturday was the victim of a single-vehicle accident, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Department of Defense.

Gunners Mate 2nd Class Dion Rashun Roberts, 23, a 2005 graduate of North Chicago High School, was serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom when he was killed in the eastern city of Jalalabad, according to the statement. He was assigned to the East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit.

Roberts, the son of John and Janice Roberts of the 1800 block of Elizabeth Avenue, also leaves behind a sister and nephew. He was due to return from a six-month deployment in October. Navy officials told the family that Roberts was killed during a training exercise.

He is the first native of North Chicago to die in the War on Terror. Twenty-eight servicemen with Lake County ties have died since 2001.

Roberts, a Navy petty officer, was recalled as charming, charismatic and friendly by friends and relatives.

“He was very highly thought of,” said North Chicago High School Principal Eric Gallagher, who said Roberts was a student in the school’s Academy of Finance, and that he was on the volleyball and tennis teams.

Roberts was also a leader in NJROTC. He enlisted in the Navy as a high school senior and went through boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes.

“He had a strong character,” recalled a close friend, Aamin Stokes, who said he enlisted with Roberts on Valentine’s Day, but later changed his mind.

“He was one of a kind, an extraordinary personality,” Stokes said. “He could make any situation the most hilarious.”

Related articles

• RIP PO2 Dion R Roberts (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• 23-year-old sailor dies in Afghanistan (wtkr.com)
• Virginia Beach-based sailor killed (wavy.com)

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Sep. 27., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of al-Qaida facilitator during a security operation in Marawarah district, Kunar province, Sunday.

During the operation the security force observed Al-Qaida facilitator Abdul Rauf, also known as Iftikhar, engaged in insurgent activity. After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the security force engaged Abdul Rauf with a precision airstrike, killing him and two other insurgents.

Abdul Rauf was a Pakistani al-Qaida facilitator who coordinated the movement of foreign fighters into the country, as well as constructing improvised explosive devices for attacks against security forces.

A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian structures were damaged.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban facilitator in Washer district, Helmand province, today. The facilitator is alleged to coordinate the movement of insurgent fighters and weapons, as well as coordinating attacks across northern Helmand. The security force also seized multiple assault rifles and several kilograms of illegal narcotics as a result of the operation.

Provincial Response Company Zabul, enabled by coalition forces, recovered a cache of weapons, improvised explosive devices and components during a security operation in Qalat district, Zabul province yesterday. During the operation the partnered forces recovered a number of pressure plate IEDs, 260 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 100 kilograms of potassium chloride, 25 kilograms of homemade explosive, 15 kilograms of aluminum powder, rocket propelled grenades, ammunition, and two Afghan National Security Forces uniforms.

East

An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, killed a number of insurgents during an operation to arrest a Haqqani leader in Sabari district, Khost province, today. The leader is believed to be responsible for conducting multiple rocket-propelled grenade attacks on Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region. As the Afghan-led security force approached the Haqqani leader’s suspected location, multiple armed insurgents maneuvered to attack the Afghan and coalition troops. The security force positively identified the threat and engaged killing the armed insurgents. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized multiple assault rifles and military equipment believed to be intended for future attacks. No civilians were harmed during the operation.

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