Mali deploys military police to protect civilians in Gao and Timbuktu

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

BAMAKO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- After the deployment by air of the military police to Gao on Sunday morning, two additional units comprised of 400 officers are expected to be deployed Sunday evening to protect people and their properties in Gao and Timbuktu in northern Mali, a security source has said.

The mission of the military police is to prevent any form of abuses and violence against the civilian population.

In this regard, a meeting between Mali's defense minister and his internal security counterpart, will be held on Monday in Bamako to define the rules of engagement of the national police on the ground.

On Sunday morning, a French fighter jet bombarded the mansion of the leader of Ansar Dine movement, Iyad Ag Agaly, and later it also bombarded the number 2 camp in Kidal which has been serving as the logistical base for the rebels.

It is reported that the French and Malian troops have reached Timbuktu Saturday evening without encountering any resistance from the rebels at the city, a desert trading center occupied by the rebels last year. The French and Malian forces have seized Gao, another strategic town, and several other smaller towns in northern Mali in their two-week or so battle against the rebel groups which were believed under the influence of al-Quaida.

from XINHUA
2013-01-27 21:37:06
Editor: Yang Lina

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Jan. 27., 2013. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed three insurgents, detained two, located one weapons caches and cleared three improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Jan. 26.

Logar province
Afghan National Security Forces, operating unilaterally, killed three insurgents during an engagement in Baraki Barak district. The insurgents, who were suspected IED emplacers, were shot by Afghan Uniformed Police when they refused to stop their vehicle at an AUP checkpoint. Upon inspection of the vehicle afterwards, the AUP discovered an AK-47 and IED-making materials.

Nangarhar province

Afghan National Army soldiers found and safely cleared an IED in Bati Kot district.

Khowst province

Afghan Border Police and coalition forces detained an insurgent in Terezayi district. The detained suspect was transferred to base for questioning.

Afghan and coalition forces also detained an insurgent in Khowst district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Sabari district.

Laghman province

Afghan National Army soldiers found and safely cleared an IED in Dowlat Shah district.

Operations in RC-East are ongoing.

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Roadside bomb kills 10 in Afghanistan

A police truck packed with officers and detainees struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan's largest city, killing 10 of those aboard, officials said Sunday.

It was one of four blasts Saturday that left at least 24 people dead across the country. Attacks by insurgents are a daily occurrence around Afghanistan and the Afghan police with their unarmored pickup trucks and remote checkpoints are a common target.

In the Kandahar city blast, police had driven out into a residential neighborhood of the city at night to inspect a bomb that had been found there, said Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the provincial government. They detained three suspects and were driving back with them in a police pickup truck when the vehicle struck another explosive buried in the road. Eight police officers and two detainees were killed in the blast.

Meanwhile, Afghan authorities accused NATO of killing three civilian men in a nighttime ambush in the eastern Logar province. The coalition disputed the account, saying it had no operations in Logar's Baraki Barak district Saturday night. NATO said there were three dead, but they were insurgents killed by Afghan forces.

from ARY NEWS
Updated :   Sunday  January  27 , 2013  5:37:39 PM

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French-Backed Malian Forces Retake Gao, Advance on Timbuktu

Malian soldiers ride in a Malian army pickup truck in Diabaly January 26, 2013. (photo by Joe Penney)

French and Malian forces are advancing against Islamist militants in northern Mali heading toward Timbuktu after more than two weeks of fighting.  

Overnight, French air strikes destroyed the home of an al Qaida linked militant leader in the town of Kidal some 1,500 from the capital, Bamako.

The assault came  a day after French and Malian forces recaptured the strategic city of Gao.

The French Defense Ministry said Saturday that a contingent of troops from Nigeria and Chad was moving into the city to help maintain stability. The ministry also said the city's mayor, who had sought refuge in the capital, Bamako, was returning.

VOA correspondent Idrissa Fall in Mali says the military intervention in Gao is significant because the city had become a haven for rebel groups.

"Gao is the most important city in northern Mali. Gao was a kind of capital for the Movement for the Unity of God and Jihad in West Africa and also a capital for Ansar Dine. It was the former capital of the MNLA, those rebel Tuaregs who proclaimed independence."

Earlier Saturday, French and Malian forces regained control of Gao's airport and a nearby bridge. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the forces used an air and ground operation to cut off the logistic and transportation capabilities of the militants.

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

The U.S. Defense Department announced late Saturday it is expanding its aid to the French mission in Mali.  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Le Drian in a phone conversation that the Pentagon is prepared to conduct aerial refueling missions.  The two defense officials also discussed plans for the U.S. to transport troops from other African nations into Mali.  The U.S. has not planned to send its own troops to Mali.

The conflict in Mali and how to end it is the main topic of discussion at the African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Sunday. The AU has asked leaders of the 54-member bloc of nations to consider committing troops to the mission in Mali.

France began a military offensive in Mali earlier this month, after rebels who seized control of much of the country's north last year began pushing toward the capital, Bamako. The rebels have been imposing a strict form of Islamic law on civilians.

As military operations continue in Mali, defense chiefs from the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS were holding an emergency meeting in the Ivory Coast to discuss Mali's unrest. ECOWAS has been discussing plans to send roughly 3,000 troops to Mali as part of a U.N.-backed mission. 

from VOA News

January 27, 2013

Related articles

• UK News: Mali troops march towards Timbuktu (walesonline.co.uk)
• You: French and Malian forces approach Timbuktu (guardian.co.uk)
• French-led troops advance on Timbuktu (dawn.com)

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131kg opium seized from 2 cars in Nangarhar

JALALABAD (PAN): Police confiscated opium weighing 131 kilograms from two cars and detained two suspected smugglers separately in eastern Nangarhar province, an official said on Saturday. 

Police stopped a car during a cordon at the Daronta check post in Surkhrud district, and seized 110kg of opium from it, police spokesman Col. Hazrat Hussain Mashriqwal told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The driver was arrested, he added. Another 21kg of opium was confiscated from a car in the Batikot district and its driver captured, Mashriqwal said.

from Pajhwok
By Mahbob Shah Mahbob Jan 26, 2013 - 20:41

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Suicide Bomber Kills 10 Afghan Police

A suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan has killed 10 policemen, including the local counter-terrorism chief.

Authorities say the suicide bomber was driving a motorcycle when he blew himself up at an intersection in Kunduz city Saturday. The explosion wounded at least 18 other people.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Suicide attacks by insurgents are frequent across Afghanistan.

On Friday, a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in eastern Afghanistan, killing five civilians. No NATO service members were harmed in the explosion.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.

from VOA News
January 26, 2013

Related articles

• Ten policemen killed in Afghanistan suicide attack: official (dawn.com)
• Government officials killed in Kunduz suicide bombing (khaama.com)

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Clash between Pakistani Taliban, militia said to kill 31

(Reuters) - At least 31 people were killed when Pakistan Taliban attacked a pro-government militia, according to reports from the two sides on Saturday, but the Taliban were beaten back after hours of fierce fighting.

About 300 Taliban armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades launched the overnight assault in the Maiden area of Tirah, a maze of valleys on a route from Afghanistan to the city of Peshawar, a fighter of the pro-government Ansar ul-Islam militia said.

The militia beat the Taliban back, killing 15 and capturing 8, while three villagers, including an elderly woman, were killed in crossfire, he said.

A Taliban fighter said they killed 13 members of the pro-government militia.

Since 2009, the Pakistani military and pro-government militias have been clawing back territory from the Taliban, who once controlled land a few hours' drive from the capital of Islamabad.

Pakistani government officials say the NATO withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2014 might strengthen the Taliban in Pakistan. The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are separate groups but strong allies.

from REUTERS
By Jibran Ahmad
PESHAWAR, Pakistan | Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:30pm EST
(Reporting by Katharine Houreld; editing by Andrew Roche)

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Jan. 26., 2013. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed three insurgents, located two weapons caches and cleared seven improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Jan. 25.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared an IED in Terezayi district.

Afghan and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Spera district. The cache contained small arms munitions and several blocks of C4.

Ghazni province
Afghan and coalition forces killed three insurgents during an engagement in Andar district.

Afghan and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Gelan district.

Afghan and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Moqur district.

Wardak province
Afghan and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Sayed Abad district.

Paktya province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces discovered a cache in Dzadran district. The cache contained mortars, ammunition and IED making materials.

Afghan and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Dzadran district.

Laghman province
Afghan National Army soldiers cleared two IEDs in Dowlat Shah district.

Operations in RC-East are ongoing.

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Suicide bombing kill or injure at least 8 in Ghazni province

According to local authorities in eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, a heavy explosion rocked central Ghazni city on Saturday.

Provincial security chief Gen. Mohammad Hussain confirming the report said the explosion took place due to a suicide bomb attack in Kulah-Sabz area.

He said at least 3 people including the suicide bomber were killed and 5 others including two Afghan security forces were injured following the blast.

Ghazni is among the relatively volatile region in eastern Afghanistan where Taliban militants and other insurgents are openly operating in a number of its districts.

In the meantime provincial hospital chief Baz Mohammad Hemat said at least eight people who were injured following the blast have been taken to this hosptial so far.

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

from KHAAMA
By Sayed Jawad - January 26 2013, 1:17 pm

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Jan. 25., 2013. - ISAF Joint Command Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed al-Qaeda associated Taliban leader, Wali, during a security operation in Dangam district, Kunar province, Jan. 24.

Wali was a Taliban leader and al-Qaeda facilitator who coordinated activities between the Taliban and al-Qaeda within the province, and organized attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Dangam district. He also oversaw the movement of weapons and suicide vest components.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Jan. 25. The leader coordinated and conducted direct fire and improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, and provided weapons and IEDs to other insurgents in the district.

In Nawah-ye Barakzai district, Helmand province, Jan. 25, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader who oversaw a group of insurgents responsible for improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also procured and distributed homemade explosives and IED-making materials to insurgents operating in Nawah-ye Barakzai and Nad ‘Ali districts.

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested an improvised explosive device expert in Spin Boldak district, Kandahar province, Jan. 24. The Taliban IED expert constructed, distributed and emplaced IEDs targeting Afghan and coalition forces. He was also helped acquire explosives, weapons and ammunition for attacks against Afghan National Directorate of Security offices in the province. During the operation, the security force also detained one suspected insurgent.

East

During a security operation in Andar district, Ghazni province, Jan. 24, an Afghan and coalition force killed the Taliban leader, Alaudin. Alaudin oversaw a group of insurgents responsible for conducting remote-controlled improvised explosive device and small-arms fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Prior to his death, Alaudin was planning attacks against Afghan National Police in Ghazni province.

In Khost district, Khost province, Jan. 25, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani leader who distributed weapons to Haqqani insurgents operating within Musa Khel district and planned and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. During the operation, the security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized multiple weapons and ammunition.

An Afghan and coalition force detained three suspected insurgents during a security operation in search of a Taliban facilitator in Khugyani district, Nangarhar province, today. The facilitator coordinates improvised explosive device and suicide attacks against Afghan government officials and Afghan and coalition forces. During the operation, the security force seized IED components, weapons and ammunition.

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