Angry Afghans protest Quran disposal at US base

Riot police head to the front gate of Bagram - photo: Ksieff

Hundreds of Afghans staged angry protests at two sites in and around the capital Kabul, incensed by reports that NATO troops had set fire to copies of the Quran.

Protesters shouting "Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar" (God is great) besieged the US-run airbase in Bagram on Tuesday, firing slingshots and petrol bombs.

Guards at the base, about 60Km north of capital, Kabul, responded by firing rubber bullets from a watchtower, an AFP photographer said.

"They are demonstrating over the burning of copies of the Quran inside the base," a local official told AFP news agency.

Sidiq Siddiqi, an Afghan interior ministry spokesman, confirmed the demonstration and said reinforcements were sent to the area to prevent possible violence.

Another protest by about 500 people broke out in the Pul-e-charkhi district of Kabul not far from major NATO bases on the Jalalabad road, police spokesman Ashamat Estanakzai told AFP.

General John Allen, the US commander in Afghanistan, offered his apology and ordered an investigation into reports that troops "improperly disposed of a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Qurans".

"I offer my sincere apologies for any offence this may have caused, to the President of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan," he said.

Allen's remarkably candid statement, apparently aimed at damage limitation after similar incidents led to violence and attacks on foreigners, was played repeatedly on Afghan television.

"We are thoroughly investigating the incident and are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again,'' Allen said.

Allegations that NATO troops working inside the base had set fire to copies of the Muslim holy book were first reported by a senior government official.

Ahmad Zaki Zahed, chief of the provincial council, said U.S. military officials gave him about 30 Qurans and other religious books that were recovered before they were destroyed.

"Some are burned. Some are not burned," Zahed said, adding that the books were used by detainees once incarcerated at the base.

The materials were in trash that two soldiers with the U.S.-led coalition transported in a truck late Monday night to a pit where garbage is burned on the base, according to Zahed, who spoke with five Afghans working at the pit. He said that when the workers noticed the religious books in the trash, they stopped the disposal process.

Allen said he received a report overnight that "a large number of Islamic religious materials, which included Qurans," had been improperly disposed of at the base.

Commander ISAF statement:

a video by guardian.co.uk:

 

   

 

Related articles

• Afghan protests erupt over alleged Koran burning (alternet.org)
• US commander in Afghanistan investigates 'burning' of Qur'ans at base (guardian.co.uk)
• Angry Afghans protest Quran disposal at US base (newsok.com)
• NATO orders probe of Quran disposal in Afghanistan (mysanantonio.com)
• Afghanistan: Probe Into US 'Koran Burnings' (news.sky.com)
• U.S. probes alleged Quran burning in Afghanistan (cbsnews.com)
• Nato in Afghanistan Koran apology (bbc.co.uk)
• NATO commander orders probe of Koran disposal (foxnews.com)

Read More

Militants kill 4 civilians on spying charges in S. Afghanistan

Image via Wikipedia

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants killed four civilians for allegedly spying for the government in southern Afghan province of Helmand, a spokesman for provincial government said on Tuesday.

"Four innocent civilians were beheaded by militants in Washer district on Sunday night," Daud Ahmadi told Xinhua.

He said the victims had no connection with the government or foreign forces in Helmand.

The only reason for killing the four innocent civilians by militants was holding satellite phones, Ahmadi said, adding " Since the Washer district is a far-flanged area in Helmand province people mostly use satellite phone for making national and international calls and that it could not be a motive to kill innocent people for spying charges,"

The number of civilian casualties has been soaring in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan as a total of 3,021 Afghan civilians have been killed in 2011 which indicates, an 8-percent rise in non- combatants' deaths compared with 2010, according to the United Nations annual report released in Kabul in February this year.

The UN report attributed 77 percent of the civilian deaths last year to the attacks of Taliban insurgents and other armed groups opposing the Afghan government.

Another 14 percent of the deaths were attributed to Afghan and NATO-led forces and 9 percent were unattributed.

Read More

Feb.21., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 21) – An Afghan Provincial Response Company, partnered with coalition forces, detained two criminals during an operation in Baad Pukh district, Laghman province, Sunday.

One detainee was tried and convicted in an Afghan court of law for multiple crimes against Afghan people in Laghman province. The crimes included theft of grain and weapons, in addition to kidnapping and severely beating a relative.

The second detainee was apprehended for crimes against local Afghans in the province after a warrant was issued by the provincial chief prosecutor.

During the operation two firearms and two loaded magazines were confiscated.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South
An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban commander responsible for last month’s Kajaki Sofla Bazaar bombing in Kajaki district, Helmand province, today. The leader recruited and moved suicide bombers throughout Helmand province. One additional suspected insurgent was detained during the operation.

East
An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Haqqani leader in Khost district, Khost province, yesterday. The leader operates in Sabari district and coordinates attacks using explosives and heavy weaponry. Multiple suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.

Read More

30 Insurgents Surrender to Afghan Authorities

Insurgents in Kandahar and Herat on Monday laid down their weapons and agreed to support the Afghan government.

Ten insurgents laid down their weapons and surrendered to authorities in southern Kandahar province, local officials said.

The men were active in the Panjwaye district of Kandahar and organised anti-government activities there, provincial spokesman Zulmai Ayoubi told TOLOnews.

Mr Ayoubi added that security will improve as more insurgents renounce violence in the province.

Separately, in western Herat province 20 insurgents including their commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani, surrendered to the government in the Gularan district of the province which lies about 640km from Kabul, provincial governor Daud Saba said.

The men fought against the government in the district, he said.

The commander and their men submitted their weapons to security troops, he added.

In the past eight months, 400 insurgent groups have joined the Afghan peace process in the province, officials said.

Dozens of insurgents have recently joined the peace process in the provinces after Afghan and Nato forces increased military operations to clear the country of insurgents.

from TOLONEWS

Read More

Afghans say 41 child suicide bombers rescued

Afghan, ISAF forces reopen school in Zabul (Photo credit: isafmedia)

KABUL: The Afghan government said Monday that police had rescued 41 children from becoming suicide bombers as they were about to be smuggled across the mountains into Pakistan.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told a news conference that the children aged six to 11 had been released on February 15 from the clutches of four insurgents in eastern Kunar province.

He told AFP their families “were fooled by terrorists”, who promised to send them to seminaries in Pakistan where they would be “brainwashed” and “prepared for suicide bombings against Afghan and international troops in Afghanistan”.

Police arrested the four suspects and the children were returned to their families, the spokesman said.

On February 12, Afghan authorities announced the arrest of two 10-year-old would-be suicide bombers allegedly planning to attack Afghan and international forces in the southern province of Kandahar, the Taliban’s birthplace.

They had been reportedly released last August, along with 18 other children, after receiving a pardon from Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Related articles

• Afghans say 41 child suicide bombers rescued (alternet.org)
• 41 Child Homicide Bombers Rescued (atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com)

Read More

An Albanian army officer shot dead, one injured in Afghanistan, 11 Afghan police arrested

Suspected Afghan police opened fire on Albanian and other foreign troops in the war-wracked country’s south Monday, killing anAlbanian soldier and prompting the arrest of 11 Afghan policemen, authorities said.

The death were the first for Albanian troop in Afghanistan. Another international soldier was wounded.

Monday’s shooting occurred in the village of Robat, in the southern district of Spin Boldak near the Pakistani border, Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq said. The troops were accompanying a USAID team for a meeting about opening two schools and a health cente, Albania’s defense ministry said.

The soldiers “found themselves attacked by a group of persons wearing uniforms of the Afghan police,” Brig. Gen. Viktor Berdo, head of Albanian land forces, told reporters in Tirana.
The Albanian ministry said the remaining soldiers “arrested 11 Afghan policemen who opened fire.”

In Monday’s incident, the attackers opened fire with five assault rifles and one light automatic machine gun, the Albanian Defense Ministry said.

An Albanian captain died later of his wounds in a hospital in the southern city of Kandahar. Albanian officials initially said a corporal also was killed, but later clarified that the soldier was in a coma, adding "there is still hope of improvement."

Another international soldier was wounded in the incident, the ministry said. There was no immediate information on that soldier's nationality.

Albanian President Bamir Topi denounced the attack as a “grave terrorist act” and called for the punishment of those responsible.

Albania has 265 troops in Afghanistan. The two killed were part of a contingent that left Albania in mid-January for six-month tour of duty.

complied from several sources

---
ISAF Press Release:

KABUL, Afghanistan – An individual wearing the uniform of the Afghan Uniformed Police turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan today, killing one service member.

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

---

Related articles

• 2 Albanian army officers shot dead in Afghanistan (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Suspected Afghan police shoot dead 2 Albanian soldiers; 11 police arrested (washingtonpost.com)  

Read More

Djibouti plane crash - names released

DOD Identifies Air Force Casualties

             The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died February 18 when their U-28 aircraft was involved in an accident near Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa.  The cause of the accident is under investigation.
   
Killed were:
   
Capt. Ryan P. Hall, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colo.  He was assigned to the 319th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
   
 Capt. Nicholas S. Whitlock, 29, of Newnan, Ga.  He was assigned to the 34th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
    
1st Lt. Justin J. Wilkens, 26, of Bend, Ore.  He was assigned to the 34th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
    
Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten, 26, of Upper Marlboro, Md.  He was assigned to the 25th Intelligence Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
   
 For more information media may contact the Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing public affairs office at 850-884-8100.


R.I.P.
---

Releated article:


Plane crash kills 4 US military personnel in Djibouti (update) 

Read More

Plane crash kills 4 US military personnel in Djibouti (update)

Image via Wikipedia

Four U.S. military personnel died when their military aircraft crashed in Djibouti, according to a story by Voice of America.

The U.S. Africa Command said the aircraft went down late Saturday during a routine flight, according to VOA. The aircraft was about six miles from Djibouti International Airport.

AFRICOM did not describe the type of aircraft nor the circumstances of the crash, the VOA report said.

A safety board investigation has been launched to determine the cause.

The only U.S. military base in Africa is located in Djibouti, according to the VOA report. The base is home to the U.S. Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Read the Voice of America article.

DOD Identifies Air Force Casualties

             The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died February 18 when their U-28 aircraft was involved in an accident near Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa.  The cause of the accident is under investigation.
            Killed were:
             Capt. Ryan P. Hall, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colo.  He was assigned to the 319th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
             Capt. Nicholas S. Whitlock, 29, of Newnan, Ga.  He was assigned to the 34th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
             1st Lt. Justin J. Wilkens, 26, of Bend, Ore.  He was assigned to the 34th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
             Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten, 26, of Upper Marlboro, Md.  He was assigned to the 25th Intelligence Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
             For more information media may contact the Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing public affairs office at 850-884-8100.
 

Read More

4 killed, 2 injured in Iraq's Anbar province

Image via Wikipedia

RAMADI, Iraq, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and two others wounded in separate gunfire and bomb attack in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial police source said on Monday.

Gunmen using assault rifles stormed the house of Sheikh Ketab al-Issawi, chieftain of a local tribe in southern city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, and dragged him out of his house before they shot him dead, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attackers also wounded Issawi's son during their breaking into the house, the source said.

In a separate incident, a sticky bomb attached to a car carrying three police officers detonated late on Sunday night in central of the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, killing two officers and wounding the third, the source said.

Also in the province, the body of Osama Abdul-Razzaq al-Kubaisy, a judge of the local criminal court in the city of al-Qaim, was found inside his house in the western outskirts of the city, some 230 km west of Ramadi, the source added.

Kubaisy's body was badly charred after being repeatedly stabbed with sharp object, he said, adding that the victim's family was not at the house when the attack occurred late on Sunday.

Insurgent attacks continue in the once volatile Sunni Arab area west of Baghdad that stretches through the province to Iraq's western borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Read More

Three Italian soldiers die in Afghanistan car accident (updated)

Image via Wikipedia

UPDATE:

Three Italian soldiers were killed on 20th February 2012 when the Lynx VTLM vehicle they were in overturned while crossing a river, trapping three of the crew inside.

The incident happened about 20km south-west of Shindand during a recovery and rescue operation of another unit that was stranded by bad weather.

The three soldiers, all serving with 66 Military Aircraft Regiment were named as:

Chief Corporal Francesco Currò, 1st Corporal Luca Valente and 1st Corporal Francesco Paolo Messineo.

L-R: Francesco Messineo, Francesco Curro, Luca Valente

A fourth soldier was injured in the accident and is currently in a stable condition in hospital.

KABUL, Afghanistan  — Three Italian soldiers died Monday in a car accident in western Afghanistan, officials said.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano issued a condolence message expressing his "deep emotion" over the news of the deaths in Herat province.

NATO forces had previously said three soldiers died in "an operation" but Napolitano's statement confirmed that they were killed in an accident.

The Italian soldiers were in a convoy going to survey a canal project in Herat's Shindand district when their vehicle crashed into a canal, said provincial police spokesman Rauf Ahmadi.

---
the original ISAF release:

2012-02-C-020
For Immediate Release

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 20) – Three International Security Assistance Force service members died during an operation in western Afghanistan today.

It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities
---
UPDATE1:

By BNO News

KABUL/ROME (BNO NEWS) -- Three Italian service members were killed on Monday when their armored vehicle overturned while crossing a stream in western Afghanistan, the Italian Ministry of Defense said. It raises the number of Italian troops killed in Afghanistan so far to 45.

Officials at the Ministry of Defense in the Italian capital of Rome said the accident happened about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southwest of Shindand, a town in the Shindand district of Herat province, when an armored vehicle overturned, trapping the soldiers inside. Three soldiers were killed while a fourth was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries.

Italian president Giorgio Napolitano offered his condolences in a brief statement released by his office. "[Napolitano] learned with deep emotion the news of the accident which killed three Italian soldiers engaged in the international mission for peace and stability in Afghanistan, expressing his feelings for joint participation in the pain of the families of the fallen and voicing the deep condolences of the country," it said.

Read More