5 civilians, army soldier wounded in N. Afghan blast

Districts of Balkh. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Five civilians and an Afghan army soldier were injured Monday morning in a bomb blast in the northern Afghan province of Balkh, an official said.

"Six wounded people including an army soldier were admitted to a provincial capital hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif city at around 11 a.m. local time Monday," a health official told Xinhua.

Earlier, a police spokesman in the northern Afghanistan, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, told Xinhua that three civilians were injured in the explosion caused by a sticky bomb attached to a bicycle near the building of provincial department of culture and information in the city, some 305 km north of the Afghan capital Kabul.

The obvious target of the attack was not clear and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Violence has been on the rise since the Taliban insurgent group launched annual spring offensive on May 3.

Afghan security forces took full control of security in Balkh province, part of a security transition which started in July last year, and by the end of 2014 they are to be in charge across the country, allowing foreign combat troops to either leave or take on supportive roles.

Around 130,000-strong NATO-led coalition troops currently station in Afghanistan.

Under the U.S. President Barack Obama's withdrawal plan, 10,000 U.S. troops already pulled out of Afghanistan in 2011 and another 23,000 will return home by September this year.

At least 16 people were killed and 90 others, including two U.S. soldiers with the coalition, were injured when Taliban carried out twin suicide bombings in Sayyidabad district in eastern Wardak province on Saturday.

from XINHUA
2012-09-03 16:13:31

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US forces halt training new local police recruits

KABUL (PAN): US forces in Afghanistan on Sunday said they were temporarily suspending training of about 1,000 new Afghan local police (ALP) recruits until the current members are re-vetted.

“While we have full trust and confidence in our Afghan partners, we believe this is a necessary step to validate our vetting process and ensure the quality indicative of Afghan Local Police," a statement attributed to Col. Thomas Collins, US Forces Afghanistan spokesperson, said

He said the training of ALP was a US mission, and NATO, through its training mission was continuing to train Afghan National Army (ANA) and national police (ANP). “There is no temporary suspension of training in this (NATO) mission,” the spokesman said.

“We have temporarily suspended training for about 1,000 Afghan Local Police recruits until the current force of 16,000 are re-vetted. The training of Afghan Special Operations Forces continues.”

Earlier, foreign media quoted NATO officials as saying they are temporarily halting training for local police and special operations forces in Afghanistan in an attempt to stop insider attacks on foreign troops.

The New York Times cited a NATO spokesman as saying that training will continue for the more than 350,000 members of Afghanistan's National Army and national police. But training will be suspended for the additional 20,000 Afghans making up the local police and special forces units, while their American trainers introduce a stricter vetting process for new recruits.

from Pajhwok
by Javed Hamim Kakar on Sep 2, 2012 - 14:49

Related articles

• NATO Halting Program to Train Afghan Recruits (nytimes.com)

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Sep. 03., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition security forces today confirmed the arrest of a Taliban bomb specialist in Washer district, Helmand province, Saturday.

The detained bomb specialist is believed to acquire and manufacture various types of improvised explosive devices for Taliban leaders throughout northern Helmand.

Prior to his arrest, the Taliban bomb specialist is believed to have targeted a police commander in Nad ‘Ali district with a self-made IED, resulting in the commander’s death.

The security force also detained numerous suspected insurgents and seized multiple IEDs and explosive components as a result of the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Haqqani leader in Sayyid Karam district, Paktiya province, today. The security force also seized several Afghan National Army uniforms, as well as one assault rifle and multiple components to construct improvised explosive devices.

An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents and seized one firearm during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Ghazni district, Ghazni province, today. The Taliban leader is believed to plan and conduct insurgent attacks throughout the district, specializing in the use of improvised explosive devices.

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Sep. 03., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed eight insurgents, detained six and cleared six improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Sept. 2.

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

A coalition airstrike killed six insurgents and wounded one who were emplacing an IED in Gelan District. The wounded insurgent received medical care and was transferred to a base for questioning.

Kapisa Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed two insurgent and wounded five during an engagement in Tagab District. The wounded insurgents received medical care and were transferred to a base for questioning.

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

Laghman Province
Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Qarghah'i District.

Nangarhar Province
Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Shinwar District.

Paktiya Province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Dzadran District and one in Zurmat District.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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Two American consulate employees wounded in Pakistan bomb attack

Officials and rescue volunteers gather at the bombing site in Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. A car filled with explosives rammed into a U.S. government vehicle on Monday, killing a number of Pakistanis and wounding over a dozen others, police said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

(Reuters) - Two Americans working for the U.S. consulate were wounded in a bomb attack on their vehicle in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, the American embassy said.

The blast also wounded two Pakistani employees of the consulate, the embassy in Islamabad said in a statement.

Earlier, regional Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters at least four people, including two Americans, were killed in an attack by a suicide bomber in a vehicle.

"We can confirm that a vehicle belonging to the U.S. consulate in Peshawar was hit in an apparent terrorist attack," the U.S. embassy statement said.

"Two U.S. personnel and two Pakistani staff of the Consulate were injured and are receiving medical treatment."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which left a crater along a busy street. Firemen could be seen putting out a vehicle that was mangled and blackened from the explosion.

Television stations repeatedly broadcast an image of a U.S. passport at the scene, its corners scorched by fire.

Pakistan's Taliban, who are close to al Qaeda, are blamed for many of the suicide bombings across Pakistan, a strategic U.S. ally.

Those attacks had eased in recent months but it was not clear if the lull was due to pressure from military offensives or a shift in tactics.
from REUTERS
(Reporting by Jibran Ahmad; Writing by Michael Georgy; editing by Miral Fahmy)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan | Mon Sep 3, 2012 8:51am BST

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US drone strike kills AQAP operative involved in Limburg tanker attack

By Bill Roggio - September 2, 2012 - LWJ

A wanted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative who was involved in the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker was killed in a drone strike on Friday. And today, the US launched another strike in Yemen, killing five suspected AQAP fighters.

Yemen's Defense Ministry said that Khaled Batis was one of eight terrorists killed on Aug. 31 when unmanned Predators or Reapers fired several missiles at a car as it traveled in the Hawra district in Hadramout province.

Batis is considered to be the mastermind of the 2002 attack on the French-flagged Limburg, an oil tanker that was transporting crude to Malaysia. The Limburg attack occurred when a small boat laden with explosives rammed into the ship. A Bulgarian crew member was killed and 12 others were wounded in the attack. Batis has been in Yemeni custody, but he escaped from prison last year, according to Reuters.

Batis is the second AQAP operative involved in the Limburg attack to have been killed in a drone strike this year. On Jan. 31, US drones killed Abdul Mun'im Salim al Fatahani near the city of Lawdar in Abyan province. Fatahani was involved in the Limburg attack as well as the suicide attack on the USS Cole in 2000. AQAP said that Fatahani had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

US drone strike in Rada'a

On the same day that the death of Batis was announced, the US launched another strike against AQAP in Yemen. Today's strike killed five suspected AQAP fighters as they traveled in the town of Rada'a, a city in Baydah province that was under AQAP control earlier this year, Reuters reported.

The exact target of today's strike has not been disclosed; no senior AQAP leaders have been reported killed in the attack.

On May 28, the US targeted Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir in the province of Baydah, and his brother Nabil, who is also a senior leader in the terror group, in a strike in Rada'a.


Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/09/us_drone_strike_kill_13.php#ixzz25OYrkYDb

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Taliban insider attacker who killed 2 NATO troops arrested

Afghan and coalition security forces arrested a suspected Taliban militant who was involved behind an attack on NATO troops in southern Afghanistan.

The incident took place in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan in May, killing at least two NATO troops.

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force following a statement on Sunday announced, “fghan and coalition forces confirmed the Aug. 30 arrest of a Taliban insurgent during an operation in Hisarak district, Nangarhar province.”

The source further added, “The insurgent is accused of using his status as a member of the Afghan National Police to conduct a May attack which killed two coalition service members in Helmand province.”

Prior to his capture, he was attempting to join the Afghan National Army, ISAF said following the statement.

Taliban militants group yet to comment regarding the report.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Sun Sep 02, 1:09 pm

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Sep. 02., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces confirmed the Aug. 30 arrest of a Taliban insurgent during an operation in Hisarak district, Nangarhar province.

The insurgent is accused of using his status as a member of the Afghan National Police to conduct a May attack which killed two coalition service members in Helmand province.

Prior to his capture, he was attempting to join the Afghan National Army.

The security force also detained one suspected insurgent during the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

During an operation today to arrest a Taliban leader in Baraki Barak district, Logar province, an Afghan and coalition security force killed multiple insurgents after being engaged with machine gun and mortar fire. The security force returned fire, killing the insurgents. The security force also seized an 82mm recoilless rifle as a result of this operation. The Taliban leader is believed to direct and conduct direct-fire and improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Logar province. No civilians were harmed in the operation.

An Afghan and coalition force killed multiple armed insurgents during an operation in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province, today. During the operation, the security force observed several combatants armed with heavy machines guns and rocket propelled grenades. After ensuring there were no civilians nearby, the security force engaged with an airstrike, killing several. Post-strike assessments determined no civilians were harmed and there was no damage to civilian structures.

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