May 20, 2013 ~ Jim's Military News

Monday, May 20, 2013

U.S. drone kills 2 al-Qaida suspects in central Yemen

5/20/2013 02:50:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

SANAA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed two al- Qaida suspects in Yemen's central province of al-Bayda on Monday, a provincial police official said.

The raid took place on Monday dawn in Khubzat Kaifa in al- Kuraishia district of Radda city, when the suspects left a farm on a motorbike in the area, the official told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity.

The Yemeni defense ministry on its website identified the targets as Abd-Rabbu Jar Allah and Obad Mossad Obad.

Radda city, some 170 km southeast of the capital Sanaa, was the scene of deadly battles before the government troops recaptured the city following a deal with the al-Qaida earlier last year.

On Saturday, a U.S. drone strike killed at least five suspected al-Qaida militants in the southern province of Abyan.

The United States has beefed up anti-terror cooperation with the Yemeni government since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office last February, after a year of political upheaval that allowed al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to capture several cities in southern Yemen.

from XINHUA
2013-05-20 19:53:10

Car Bombs Kills 31 in Iraq

5/20/2013 02:37:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

Civilians gather at the site of a car bomb attack in front of a crowded popular restaurant in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, May 20, 2013.

Car bombs have exploded in mainly Shi'ite sections of Iraq's capital, and in the southern city of Basra, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens more.

Officials say at least eight car bombs blew up in Baghdad on Monday. Two others went off in Basra, which is predominantly Shi'ite and one of the largest cities in Iraq.

The attacks come amid a spike in violence in the country and high tensions between its Shi'ite majority and Sunni minority.

Bombings and other violence have killed more than 150 people in Iraq in the past week, including 70 who died Friday in a series of bombings targeting Sunnis.

For months, Sunnis have been protesting against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, accusing his government of ignoring their needs and targeting them for arrest.

The unrest has raised fears of a return to the sectarian fighting that left tens of thousands dead in 2006 and 2007.

Violence has fallen from that peak, but the United Nations said 712 people were killed in April, making it the deadliest month in Iraq since June 2008.

from VOA News
May 20, 2013

Provincial council chief among 13 killed in Baghlan suicide attack

5/20/2013 02:35:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

A heavy explosion rocked northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan on Monday morning, killing at least 13 people including provincial council chief Mohammad Rasoul Mohsini.

The incident took place after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the provincial council compound.

Provincial governor media office following a statement announced, at least 13 people including provincial council chief Mohammad Rasoul Mohisi were killed and 9 others were injured following the incident.

In the meantime public health department officials said at least 14 people including Mohammad Mohsini were killed following the blast.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the attack and called it a cowardly act against all Islamic teachings and human values, labeling its perpetrators as enemies of the people of Afghanistan who acted on orders by their foreign masters.

No group including the Taliban militants has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.

There has been a considerable growth in violence across the country since Taliban group announced its summer offensive in April, and vowed to carry out attack on Afghan and coalition security forces, government officials and diplomatic institutions.

from KHAAMA
By Mirwais Adeel - 20 May 2013, 10:37 am

May 20., 2013. - ISAF Joint Command Operational Update

5/20/2013 02:31:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested three insurgents during an operation in Sabari district, Khost province, today.

The security force was searching for an insurgent leader with ties to both the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist networks.

The leader serves as a financier for multiple insurgent networks in Sabari district. He also plans and executes assassinations against Afghan civilians, uses his residence as a staging point for insurgent operations, and facilitates weapons and military equipment for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

The security force also seized ammunition as a result of the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

North

An Afghan and coalition force killed two insurgents during an operation in search of a senior Taliban leader in Khanaqa district, Jowzjan province, yesterday. The leader is responsible for illegal tax collection in Jowzjan and Balkh provinces. He and his subordinates intimidate local civilians into paying illegitimate fees in order to fund Taliban operations. He has assassinated multiple village elders who have resisted his extortion activities. He also facilitates the movement of weapons and military equipment for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

East

An Afghan and coalition force killed one insurgent during an operation in search of a senior Taliban leader in Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, Saturday. The leader is responsible for the coordination and execution of attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces in Sayyidabad district. He is involved in manufacturing and emplacing improvised explosive devices, in addition to procuring and distributing IED-making materials, weapons and military equipment for use in insurgent activities. The leader also oversees kidnapping operations against local Afghans.

West

Afghan National Army Special Forces and coalition forces killed two insurgents and detained one other in Shindand district, Herat province, yesterday. The joint forces were en route to a madrassa in Aziz Abad village to speak with religious leaders when they received small arms fire from three insurgents. The detainee is in custody of the Afghan National Police.

May 20., 2013. - RC-East operational update

5/20/2013 02:28:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan National Security and coalition forces killed seven insurgents, detained four suspected insurgents, discovered two weapons caches and found and safely cleared eight improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, May 19.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces killed five insurgents, detained three suspected insurgents, and found and safely cleared two IEDs during operations in the Waghez district. The suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security and coalition forces discovered one weapons cache and found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Saberi district. The cache consisted of four IEDs.

Nangarhar province
Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Shinwar district.

Paktika province
Afghan National Security Forces killed one insurgent during operations in the Jani Khel district.

Afghan National Security Forces killed one insurgent during operations in the Sharan district.

Paktya province
Afghan National Security and coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Chamkani district.

Afghan National Security and coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED, detained one suspected insurgent, and discovered one weapons cache during operations in the Gardez District. The suspect was transferred to a base for questioning. The cache consisted of two AK-47s and military uniforms.

Wardak province
Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared two IEDs during operations in the Sayed Abad district.

Nigeria says 14 Militants, 3 Soldiers Killed in Latest Fighting

5/20/2013 11:58:00 AM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

ABUJA — The Nigerian military says it has killed 14 Boko Haram militants and arrested 20 others. The military says three soldiers died in the fighting Sunday and another is missing.

It was only last Tuesday that Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the immediate deployment of thousands of soldiers to the north to fight Boko Haram, a militant group that has been blamed for thousands of deaths in the past four years. But as of Sunday, the military says 24 Boko Haram members have been killed and another 85 captured in the offensive.

VOA could not independently verify the military claims because roads to affected areas are blocked and communications networks are sporadic at best. Some analysts fear the military, which international rights groups have accused of extra-judicial killings and other abuses, could alienate the people by killing civilians along with suspected militants.

A VOA reporter in Maiduguri, the epicenter of the insurrection, says many locals are suffering through a 24-hour curfew and largely lack the ability to communicate with the outside world. But he says many residents believe the offensive could ultimately bring peace to the region, as long as the soldiers treat residents with care.

Ismail, a schoolteacher in Maiduguri, said “The state of emergency to some large extent (is) a welcome development. But the only fear is how the security operatives will engage themselves in this operation with the rules of engagement in the back of their minds so that we will have minimal collateral damage, unlike the previous times.”

The northern offensive was ordered after an escalation of Boko Haram-related violence recent months. Officials say Boko Haram, which claims to want to impose Islamic law and secure the release of its imprisoned members, now has heavy artillery, like anti-tank guns and machine guns mounted on trucks.

from VOA News
by Heather Murdock
May 19, 2013