Friday, July 20, 2012

Roadside bomb kills 5 Afghan police

TRINKOT, Afghanistan, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Five police were killed as a roadside bomb struck a police van in Uruzgan province 370 km south of capital Kabul, spokesman for provincial administration Abdullah Humat said Friday.

"A mine planted by militants on a road in Sarab district struck a police vehicle late Thursday night as a result five policemen including the police chief of Sarab district were martyred," Humat told Xinhua.

He also blamed Taliban militants for planting the mine, saying Taliban insurgents by organizing roadside bombs and other subversive activities want to intimidate both locals and government employees.

However, Taliban militants fighting the government are yet to make comment.

from XINHUA
2012-07-20 13:26:19

Enhanced by Zemanta

2 security members killed, 6 wounded in Iraq's attacks

BAGHDAD, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Two security members were killed and six others wounded Thursday in separate bomb and gunfire attacks in central and northern Iraq, the police said.

In the Iraqi capital, a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in Baghdad's northern district of Adhamiyah, killing one soldier and injuring three others, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

In a separate incident, a police officer was injured when gunmen using silenced weapons attacked his car while driving in Baiyaa district in southwestern Baghdad, the source said.

In northern Iraq, a member of the Kurdish security force, named Peshmerga, was killed and two others injured when a sticky bomb attached to their car went off in the central part of the city of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, a provincial police source anonymously told Xinhua.

The ethnically mix province of Kirkuk and its capital Kirkuk City are part of the disputed areas between the Kurds and both Arabs and Turkomans.

Violence in Iraq has ebbed from its climax in 2006 and 2007, when sectarian conflicts pushed the country to the brink of a civil war, but tensions and sporadic shootings and bombings are still seen across the country.

from XINHUA
2012-07-20 07:30:45

Enhanced by Zemanta

July 20., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force conducted a security operation to find the Haqqani leader Abdul Wali in Sabari district, Khost province, yesterday.

During the operation, the Afghan and coalition security force conducted a precision airstrike. After the airstrike, during the follow-on assessment, the security force confirmed Abdul Wali and one other insurgent had been killed in the strike. The follow-on assessment also confirmed the airstrike had not injured any civilians or damaged any civilian property.

Abdul Wali led a Haqqani cell that specialized in the production of improvised explosive devices that the cell used in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region. He was also responsible for coordinating the shipment and distribution of explosive materials to insurgents throughout the district.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

North

An Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) leader in Ishkamish district, Takhar province, today. The IMU leader controls a group of insurgents responsible for attacks throughout Kunduz province. The security force also seized several improvised explosive device components as a result of this operation.

South

An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Shah Wali Kot district, Kandahar province, today. The leader is a weapons supplier who distributes rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices to Taliban insurgents throughout the region. The operation was completed without injuring civilians.

Enhanced by Zemanta

July 19., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed seven insurgents, detained two and cleared five improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, July 19.

Kunar Province
Afghan National Police soldiers and coalition forces killed four insurgents during a small arms engagement in Ghaziabad District.

Laghman Province
A coalition airstrike killed three insurgents in Mehtar Lam District in response to Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces receiving small arms fire.

Logar Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Baraki Barak District.

Nangarhar Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs in Pachir Wa Agam District.

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

Paktiya Province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained an insurgent who was found possessing multiple small arms in Gardez District. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

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

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained a known IED emplacer in Zurmat District. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Two killed in Thai south as Ramadan starts

Locator map of Narathiwat Province, Thailand
Locator map of Narathiwat Province, Thailand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
NARATHIWAT: Two civilians were killed and four wounded in bomb and shooting attacks in southern Thailand, a military spokesman said Friday, as the region marked the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

A 25-year-old male security guard was shot dead by gunmen in Pattani province on Thursday morning, while a 39-year-old man was killed later in a roadside bomb attack in neighbouring Yala, which also left one person with shrapnel injuries.

A car bomb ripped through a shopping street early Friday in the small town of Sungai Kolok, in the southernmost province of Narathiwat which borders Malaysia, wounding three people and destroying several shops.

“Three people were wounded but none is serious,” Colonel Pramote Prom-in, army spokesman for the volatile region, told AFP.

The explosives had been packed inside pick-up truck parked on the street and triggered as people gathered at a morning market, he added.

Authorities had warned that militants were likely to attempt a large-scale attack ahead of Ramadan.

A shadowy insurgency, without clearly stated aims, has raged in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces, Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, since 2004.

Daily bomb or gun attacks have targeted both soldiers and civilians, Buddhists and Muslims, claiming more than 5,000 lives in eight years.

A state of emergency is in force in the worst-affected parts of the region, which rights campaigners say in effect gives the tens of thousands of military troops based in the area legal immunity and fuels rights abuses.

from DAWN

Enhanced by Zemanta

Four injured in firing in NW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, July 20 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were injured when some unidentified militants fired at shops near paramilitary forces' headquarters in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar on Friday morning, local media reported.

The incident happened at about 11:30 a.m. (local time) when two unknown gunmen riding a motorbike opened fire at grocery shops at Frontier road of Peshawar, the capital city of Pakistan's northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The attackers escaped the scene after the firing, according to the report by local Urdu TV channel Express.

The injured have been shifted to hospital. According to hospital sources, two of the injured people are in critical condition.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast yet.

In another incident, a blast took place in Mattani area of Peshawar but no causality was reported in the explosion.

Early Friday morning, a major attack was foiled when a 14- kilogram bomb, planted near a school building was found and defused by bomb disposal squad.

from XINHUA
2012-07-20 15:23:46

Enhanced by Zemanta

Kenya: Four Hurt in Twin Wajir Grenade Attacks

Nairobi At least four people were wounded in twin grenade attacks in Wajir on Wednesday night.

The latest attack by the Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab occurred at a restaurant and a shop in the town.

"We are investigating the incident. No suspect has been arrested so far, but we are told they threw the grenades and fled," North Eastern Provincial police Chief Philip Tuimur said.

Tuimur said more officers had been deployed to patrol the region to keep the attackers away.

Security forces have become increasingly targeted by the terrorists, mainly at the border towns. Some of the attacks have also occurred in Nairobi.

Nairobi Provincial Police commander Anthony Kibuchi has urged members of the public to remain vigilant and volunteer any information to authorities.

"Al Shabaab is still issuing threats to cause massive destruction in the city; let us remain extra vigilant," Kibuchi said.

Nairobi, Mombasa and towns in North Eastern Province have suffered deadly attacks since late last year, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.

The latest deadly attack occurred in Garissa three weeks ago when suspected militants opened fire and hurled grenades inside two churches, killing 18 people.

More than 60 others were wounded in the attacks.

On Monday, a police officer was killed and his colleague wounded when they were ambushed by people believed to be Al Shabaab militants in Lagdera.

The attack occurred when their vehicle was sprayed with bullets.

Just last week, two police officers were shot and seriously wounded in Mandera in another attack blamed on Al Shabaab militiamen.

The officers who were in a group of three were heading back to Garissa when the militants attacked them in Arabia area, a few kilometres from the border with Somalia.

from allAfrica - CapitalFM
By Bernard Momanyi, 19 July 2012

Enhanced by Zemanta

Three killed as gunmen unleash terror on Ramadan eve in Nigeria's Kano State

ABUJA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and one other person sustained a serious injury on Thursday night when gunmen unleashed terror in Nigeria's northern Kano State, a few hours to the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar.

State police spokesperson Rilwan Mohammed confirmed the killing to reporters, saying two gunmen riding on a motorcycle shot indiscriminately at people in Sharada area of Kano, near the popular Freedom Radio in the state.

"Bodies of the deceased have been deposited in a morgue, while the injured have been taken to the hospital," said the police spokesperson, adding security men have taken over the area.

Other security sources in the state said residents have fled the area to avoid further bloody attacks.

"The men opened fire in a public place and killed some of the people playing cards in the area," a security agent told Xinhua, while wondering why anyone would choose to kill on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar.

Citizens of Nigeria's northern states are predominantly Muslims.

No group or individuals have so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, although Islamic insurgents had been on rampage in the northern state in recent times.

from XINHUA
2012-07-20 05:40:51

Enhanced by Zemanta

Thursday, July 19, 2012

US Navy helicopter with 5 crew crashes in Oman

English: PERSIAN GULF (April 16, 2007) - An MH...
English: PERSIAN GULF (April 16, 2007) - An MH-53E Sea Dragon assigned to Helicopter Mine Counter Measure Squadron (HM) 15 conducts a mine sweeping exercise.  U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Edward G. Martens (RELEASED) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
WASHINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- An MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter crashed near Oman on Thursday while conducting heavy lift support operations, and the fate of its five crew members remained unknown, the U.S. Navy confirmed.

The helicopter, which was assigned to Helicopter Countermeasure Squadron-15, crashed 58 miles (about 92 kilometers) southwest of Muscat, Oman, the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a news release.

It said the crash was not caused by hostile activity, and the cause of the accident was under investigation.

The status of the five crew members was "still being determined, " as another MH-53E helicopter assigned to the same squadron was on the scene to provide search and rescue assistance, the release added.

from XINHUA
2012-07-20 03:09:20


---
Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, gave no immediate word on the fate of the crew. But an Omani air force official said three of them have been found so far and are being treated in a hospital.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Construction project site attacked in Kapisa province

According to local authorities in eastern Kapisa province of Afghanistan, at least three people were killed and four others were injured following an explosion in this province.

The officials further added the incident took place in a construction site of water dam in this province.

Chief of the provincial council Shaista Jan Ahadi said the professional staff of the construction project was attacked.

In the meantime Taliban militants group claimed responsibility behind the incident and said at least 8 security guards who were providing escort to NATO supply convoy was killed following the attack by Taliban fighters.

However provincial council chief denied the claims of the Taliban group.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Thu Jul 19, 3:55 pm

Enhanced by Zemanta

Search this blog