Thursday, January 12, 2012

R.I.P. - Pfc. Michael W. Pyron


DOD Identifies Army Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
          
Pfc. Michael W. Pyron, 30, of Hopewell, Va., died Jan. 10 in Parwan province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 25th Signal Battalion, 160th Signal Brigade, 335th Signal Command Theater, East Point, Ga.
         
For more information please contact Maj. Carla Debro at 678-420-1610 ext 2501 or email at Carla.debro@us.army.mil .

An Army carry team carries the transfer case containing the remains of Army Pfc. Michael W. Pyron of Hopewell, Va. , upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del. on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. The Department of Defense announced the death of Pyron who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.(AP Photo)


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14 Pak soldiers killed in bomb attack

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (red), in Pakistan...
Image via Wikipedia
QUETTA (PAN): Fourteen Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, officials said on Thursday.

The bomb attack took place in Baldia area of Turbat district, close to the border with Iran, late on Wednesday evening, an official told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The official, who did not want to be named, said 15 officials injured in the attack were taken to a hospital. However, he did not comment on the extent of injuries to the troops.

Subsequently, a prolonged erupted clash between Baloch rebels and FC officials, residents said. Some of the wounded officials were in critical condition, they added.

A spokesman for Baloch Liberation Front, Guram Baloch, asserted responsibility for the assault. He claimed 40 FC soldiers had been killed, 15 wounded and three of their vehicles destroyed.

Attacks on Pakistani soldiers have recently increased. This is the third deadly assault on the security personnel in a week. Twenty-five soldiers were killed in two attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.


from PAJHWOK
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Suicide bomb blast killed district governor of Panjawi

Panjwai District Governor, Haji Faizluddin Agha (left), greets district elders before a local shura, Mar. 6, 2011, in Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ben Watson)(Released)

Kandahar suicide car bomb - today at 4:30pm : Panjwai district governor, his 2 sons & 2 bodyguards Killed, 9 Policeman, 1 civilian wounded
Bomb was in a small Suzuki car and hit the district governor's car on the road causing the detonation.
Kandahar Panjwai governor was en route to Kandahar city when the Suzuki filled with explosive approached the his vehicle and detonated

An official at the Kandahar central hospital said 13 wounded policemen had also been brought for treatment.


news complied from tweets/news
(@Mustafa Kazemi, @Ahmad Mukhtarr)
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2 Taliban militants killed and injured in Herat province

At least one Taliban militant was killed and another militant was injured following armed clashes with the Afghan police forces at Adraskan district of western Herat province.

Provincial police commandment in western Herat province following a press release said, the clashes took place at Kotal Palangi area in eastern regions of Adraskan district while the Taliban militants were collecting Zakat in the area.

Zakat is considered to be a religious duty, and is expected to be paid by all practicing Muslims who have the financial means.

The source further added, Afghan polcie forces visited the area after they were informed of the Taliban presence where the clashes started.

According to local officials, at least one Taliban militant was killed and another one was injured during the clashes.

Afghan police forces did not suffer any casualties during the incident.
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American fighter pictured with Shabaab commander identified

A Shabaab fighter who has been seen in pictures with military commander Omar Hammami has been identified by The Long War Journal as an American who is wanted by the US government and who fled the country for Somalia in 2009.



By - LWJ


Left: Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax (Abdullah al Amriki), from the FBI's website. Right: Faarax [right] with Omar Hammami [left], from a posting at a jihadist website on Dec. 7, 2011. Image from the SITE Intelligence Group.

 
A Shabaab fighter who has been seen in pictures with military commander Omar Hammami has been identified by The Long War Journal as an American who is wanted by the US government and who fled the country for Somalia in 2009.
The Long War Journal has confirmed that the Shabaab fighter identified by the terror group as Abdullah al Amriki ("the American") is in fact Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax, an American who recruited for the terror group and left the US in October 2009 to wage jihad in Somalia.
Faarax has been seen in pictures with Hammami that were released on jihadist web forums twice since the beginning of December 2011; first on Dec. 7, and again on Jan. 7. Hammami, another American, is a Shabaab military commander and recruiter who eulogized Osama bin Laden after his death in May 2011. Hammami is on the US's list of specially designated global terrorists for his ties to al Qaeda.
Faarax was one of eight men from Minnesota who were charged by the Department of Justice with links to Shabaab and international terrorism in 2009. The Justice Dept. named all eight men in November 2009.
In October 2009, Farax and Abdiweli Yassin Isse, another Shabaab operative, were charged with "with conspiring to kill, kidnap, maim, or injure persons outside the United States."
"[I]n the fall of 2007, Faarax and others met at a Minneapolis mosque to telephone co-conspirators in Somalia to discuss the need for Minnesota-based co-conspirators to go to Somalia to fight the Ethiopians," the Justice Dept. press release from November 2009 stated.
At another meeting during the fall of 2007, Faarax told the potential recruits that he was wounded while previously waging jihad along the border with Kenya, where he "had experienced true brotherhood while fighting a 'jihad' in Somalia."
"Faarax also described his own fighting in Somalia in detail, explaining that he fought on the Somlia/Kenya border, described that he was wounded during the fighting, that one of his fellow fighters been killed, and described the fighting as 'guerrilla fighting,'" according to the affidavit that was filed by the FBI. "Faarax also told the co-conspirators that traveling to Somalia to fight jihad will be fun and not to be afraid. Faarax also explained to his co-conspirators that they would get to shoot guns in Somalia."
During several interviews with the FBI, Faarax lied about his activities in support of Shabaab, according to the indictment. The indictment also noted that Faraax went by a number of aliases, including: "Adaki," "Hayakallah," "Mardaki," and "Smiley."
Faarax "departed the state of Minnesota in a rental car, with a final destination of Somalia," on Oct. 5, 2009, just before he was formally charged with supporting Shabaab.
Faarax is one of an estimated 50 Somali-Americans who are thought to have been recruited in the US to train and fight with Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia. At least two Americans have carried out suicide attacks in Somalia, and Shabaab claimed that two other Americans have carried out such attacks.
For more information on Americans and foreigners who are fighting for Shabaab, see LWJ report, American Shabaab fighter and commander pictured together. For more information on Shabaab's links to al Qaeda, see LWJ reports, Somalia's Shabaab vows allegiance to new al Qaeda emir Zawahiri, and Al Qaeda leaders play significant role in Shabaab.

Insurgents Commander Renounce Violence in Nangarhar

A 6-member insurgent group - including its commander Yaghistan - laid down its weapons and surrendered to the authorities in Nangarhar province on Thursday, local officials said.

Now that these men have joined the peace process, security will improve in Acheen district of Nangahar province, Malik Nazir, head of Nangarhar peace council said.

The group was responsible for launching direct attacks on Afghan and foreign troops in the province, he added.

Local officials said more 30 insurgents recently have joined in the Nangarhar peace council.



from TOLONEWS
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Jan. 12., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – A combined Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban leader in Khugyani district, Ghazni province, today.

The targeted leader plans attacks against civilians and Afghan forces throughout Ghazni province.

The security force discovered multiple weapons caches during the operation. The caches contained more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of homemade explosives, pressure plates and bomb-making materials, 119 various grenades, 21 rocket-propelled grenade boosters, multiple firearms, approximately 1,200 rounds of ammunition and a suicide vest.

Seven suspected insurgents were detained and one insurgent died after falling into a well while evading the security force.

The weapons caches were destroyed on site without incident.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

In Panjwa‘i district, Kandahar province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered a drug cache during a routine patrol yesterday. The cache consisted of approximately 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of marijuana. The drugs were destroyed on site without incident.

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban leader in Arghandab district, Kandahar province, today. The leader emplaces roadside bombs and conducts attacks against Afghan forces through Kandahar province. The security force detained multiple suspected insurgents during the operation.

In Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator during an operation today. The facilitator provided support for insurgent operations by distributing bomb-making materials and ammunition throughout Helmand province. Two additional suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.

East

A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator during an operation in Achin district, Nangarhar province, today. The facilitator distributed weapons and supplies to insurgents throughout the area. The security force confiscated multiple weapons and detained three additional suspected insurgents during the operation.

In Pul-e Alam district, Logar province, an Afghan led and coalition supported security force captured a Haqqani network facilitator during an operation today. The facilitator acquired explosives and weapons for insurgent attacks in Faryab province. Two additional suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.
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