Monday, June 18, 2012

Police killed in eastern Afghanistan blast

Hesa Duwum Kohistan District (in Orange)
Tagab District (in Green) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Second suicide attack in as many weeks kills four police in Kapisa, including group commander of local police force.

A suicide bomber has detonated himself in eastern Afghanistan killing four police officers and five civilians.

Witnesses told Al Jazeera that local police appeared to be the target of Monday's attack in eastern Kapisa province, where the majority of France's 3,500 troops in Afghanistan are stationed.

The explosion in Tagab, a troubled district of Kapisa, killed the local police commander, his son, and two of his guards, provincial governor Mehrabuddin Safi told the AFP news agency.

Seventeen civilians were injured in the blast in the town's main bazaar, the governor said.

Most of the wounded were Afghan civilians visiting the town for the weekly market day.

Homayoun Rashidi, a local police spokesman, said the bombing targeted a group commander in the force known as the Afghan Local Police, which forms part of the Afghan government's security forces but does not come under the national police set-up.

Monday's blast is the second in as many weeks in Kapisa province.

Four French troops and two of their Afghan interpreters were killed in a suicide bomb attack last weekend, which was claimed by the Taliban.

That attack led French President Francois Hollande to call for the withdrawal of French troops from the Central Asian nation starting from July.

from ALJAZEERA
Last Modified: 18 Jun 2012 11:24
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15 armed insurgents killed, 2 wounded and 6 others arrested by ANP



Publish Date: Jun 18, 2012
15 armed insurgents killed, two wounded and six others arrested by Afghan National Police

Counterterrorism:
During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces launched 14 joint clearance operations in Nangarhar, Baghlan, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz, Uruzgan and Ghor provinces.

As a result of these operations, 15 armed insurgents were killed, two wounded and six others were arrested by Afghan National Police.

Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated nine different types of weapons, 20 heavy rounds, 500 light rounds, three anti-vehicle mines, 180 kilograms of explosive materials, four magazines and one motorcycle.

During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused two anti-vehicle mines as a result of security operations in Zabul and Maidan Wardak provinces.
 
Crimes:
The 101 Kabul Zone National Police detained five individuals accused of theft and assault in the 7th, 9th and 10th Districts of Kabul-City.

We encourage anyone who has information about suspicious activities to contact and protect the people.
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Suicide bombing kills Yemen's southern army commander

Map by Evan Centanni. (www.polgeonow.com)
ADEN, Yemen, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A commander of Yemen's southern military region was killed Monday morning in a suicide bombing that targeted his convoy in the southern port city of Aden, a police officer told Xinhua.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at the convoy of high-ranking military officials, killing Maj. Gen. Salim Ali Qatan, commander of the southern military region, and injuring some of his bodyguards at Reemi neighborhood in Aden's Mansoura district, the local police officer said on condition of anonymity.

"An al-Qaida suicide attacker, detonated his explosives belt on Qatan's car as he was passing through a main street in Mansoura city," the police officer said.

"Body parts of a 25-year-old al-Qaida extremist were scattered everywhere after the incident," he added.

A local medic told Xinhua anonymously that "the military official died after he sustained critical injuries in different parts of his body."

Witnesses said that traffic police and criminal investigators arrived at the bombing scene and moved the body to a nearby hospital morgue.

The country's defense ministry confirmed the attack in a text message obtained by Xinhua, saying that "the suicide assailant who conducted Monday's operation was a Somali national." However, the ministry did not give any more details.

Several military officials have been assassinated in recent months, with government authorities blaming members of the Yemen- based al-Qaida branch.

The Yemeni government troops have waged an intensive military campaign last month, with the support of the United States and Yemen's oil-rich neighbor Saudi Arabia, to uproot the al-Qaida militants in the southern regions.

Last Tuesday, the Yemeni armed forces took control of Jaar and Zinjibar, two major al-Qaida strongholds in Abyan that had been under al-Qaida control for more than a year.

Yemen's al-Qaida wing, locally known as the Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), threatened to spread the fight and suicide attacks all over the country after it was routed from its main strongholds in Abyan.

from XINHUA
2012-06-18 15:11:28
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Rebels blown up by own bombs

Districts of Farah.
Districts of Farah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
FARAH CITY (PAN): Two Taliban bomb planters were killed by their own explosives in the Pusht-i-Rod district of the western province of Farah, officials said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening when the militants were planting a bomb on a road in the Karez Doghi area of the district, the governor’s spokesman, Abdul Rahmand Zhwandi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The two fighters were planning to target security personnel but the bombs went off prematurely, district chief Ghausiddin said. According to the Ministry of Interior, the bodies of the militants were still lying in the area.

from Pajhwok






Publish Date: Jun 18, 2012
Two mine planters killed in Farah province

Two mine planters were killed by their own explosives while they were planting an anti-vehicle mine in the Diwar Sarkh village, Khak Safid District of Farah province, last night.

Afghan National Police are working diligently with local leaders and the public to prevent these types of acts that harms our innocent civilians and security forces.

Working together the public and their police force can create a saver environment for all of us to live.

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Three killed, 35 injured in Iraq's violence

BAGHDAD, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and 35 injured in separate bomb attacks in west and north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Sunday, the police said.

A roadside bomb went off in central the city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, killing a child and wounding three civilians, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

In a separate incident, three Iraqi soldiers were injured when a booby-trapped car struck their patrol while travelling on a main road in central Fallujah, the source said.

Three passers-by were also wounded by the attack, the source added.

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

Earlier in the day, a security source from Salahudin province in north of Baghdad reportedly said that a car bomb went off in the morning near a gas station in central the city of Shirqat, some 120 km north of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, killing a policeman and wounding 24 people including seven policemen.

Also in the morning, the source said that a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle near the city of Tuz-Khurmato, some 90 km east of Tikrit, killing a police officer and wounding another officer and a policeman.

Salahudin province is a Sunni-dominated province. Its capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, is the hometown of the former President Saddam Hussein.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks still common in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease in violence since its peak in 2006 and 2007 when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.

from XINHUA
2012-06-17 22:43:59
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Afghan army officer killed by fellow soldier in Kunar

According to local authorities in eastern Kunar province, an Afghan national army officer was shot dead by another Afghan army soldier in this province.

The officials further added the incident took place in Sarkan district on Sunday.

Provincial governor spokesman Wasifullah Wasifi confirming the report said the assailant Afghan soldier was originally a resident of north-eastern Takhar province.

Mr. Wasifi further added the soldier fled from the area after killing the Afghan national army officer.

The motive behind the attack was not disclosed by Afghan authorities however Taliban militants group said the assailant soldier was a member of the Taliban group.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Mon Jun 18, 1:10 pm
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Local Taliban commander killed in Parwan province

Districts of Parwan.
Districts of Parwan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Afghan interior ministry following a statement on Monday announced, a local Taliban commander was killed following a military operation in northern Parwan province.

The source further added the operation was conducted by Afghan local police forces at Ghorband district in this province on Monday morning.

Afghan interior ministry following the statement also added Mullah Izatullah who was killed this morning was involved in organizing insurgency attacks in Ghorband district of northern Parwan province.

Taliban militants group yet to comment regarding the reports.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Mon Jun 18, 2:14 pm
---

from Ministry of Interior Affairs - Afghanistan:

Publish Date: Jun 18, 2012
Mullah Azatullah a senior commander of insurgents killed in Parwan province
 
Afghan Local Police launched an operation in the Shinwari region, Ghorband District of Parwan province, today.

As a result of this operation, a senior commander of armed insurgents was killed.
Mullah Azatullah was the main planner and organizer of terrorist and destructive activities, armed assault and explosions in the Ghorband District of Parwan province and as well as in different parts of Parwan province.

Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs praises the good work of ALP in ensuring of security to the people of Afghanistan and appreciated people’s cooperation in sharing information with Afghan National Security forces.

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4 killed, 52 injured as school bus hit by bomb in SW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, June 18 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 52 others injured when a roadside planted bomb hit a school bus in Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta on Monday morning, said hospital and police sources.
A damaged school bus is seen at the blast site in southwest Pakistan's Quetta, June 18, 2012. (Xinhua/Mohammad)

Local TV channel Express quoted hospital sources as saying that the injured included 38 men, nine women and five kids. Another local state-run TV channel PTV said the injured also included four policemen who happened to pass by the blast site in a vehicle when the bomb went off.

Local media quoted hospital sources as saying over 20 people out of the injured were in critical condition and the death toll may further rise.

According to Xinhua sources in Quetta and local media reports, the blast took place at about 8:20 a.m. local time when a bus carrying at least 52 students from Balochistan IT University was hit by a bomb fixed inside a small Suzuki car parked by the roadside near a Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) building on the Smangli Road of the city.

The blast left a two-foot-deep crater on the ground, said eyewitnesses, adding that several vehicles including a motorbike and a rickshaw nearby were also destroyed.

Security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site shortly after the blast was reported.

The injured have been shifted to different hospitals in the city and an emergency has been declared in the hospitals of the city.

Bomb disposal squad officials said that an estimated 50 kg of explosives were used in the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rehman Malik, a top official in charge of Home Ministry in the country, condemned the attack and said that terrorists in Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital, were playing in the hands of their foreign masters.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani also condemned the attack and directed the hospital authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured people.

Angry students staged a protest nearby the hospitals where the injured were admitted following the blast.

from XINHUA
2012-06-18 13:37:25
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R.I.P. - Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly, Spc. Trevor A. Pinnick

DOD Identifies Army Casualties

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died in Panjwa`l, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 18th Engineer Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

            Killed were:

            Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly, 25, of Flint, Mich., who died June 14, and

            Spc. Trevor A. Pinnick, 20, of Lawrenceville, Ill., who died June 12.

            For more information the media may contact I Corps public affairs office at 253-477-3048 or 253-370-9861.

---
from mlive:

Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly (U.S. DoD)
FLINT, MI -- U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly, 25, of Flint was serving his second tour of duty -- first in Iraq -- when he died June 14 following an enemy attack in Afghanistan.

Lilly died in a medical facility at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan June 14 after insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, according to a Department of Defense news release.

He was assigned to the 18th Engineer Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. and had deployed to Afghanistan in April.

"It’s obviously a horrible loss for the family and something that brings into perspective to all of us about the ways of war," said Carman-Ainsworth Superintendent Bill Haley of Lilly, a 2005 graduate who had previously served a combat tour from August 2009 to July 2010 in Iraq.

He is the third former student to have died overseas during the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Haley.

A scholarship has been established at the school for 24-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Joseph Dennis Johnson of Mundy Township, a 2004 Carman-Ainsworth graduate who died June 16, 2010 during combat in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

U.S. Army National Guard Capt. Lowell "Tom" Miller, a 1988 Carman-Ainsworth High graduate, died Aug. 31, 2005 when he came under small arms fire in Iraq.

Lilly had received several accolades during his service, including two Army Commendation Medal awards; Army Achievement Medal; Meritorious Unit Commendation; two Army Good Conduct Medal awards; National Defense Service medal; Global War on Terrorism Service medal; Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign star; Korean Defense Service medal; Army Service ribbon; and two Overseas Ribbon awards.

He is survived by his wife and three-year-old son.
---

from thenewstribune:

Spc. Trevor Pinnick, 20, of Lawrenceville, Ill., died Monday when a mine exploded, his father, Thomas Pinnick, told The Telegraph newspaper.

Pinnick, who received a promotion in rank shortly before his death, was assigned to the engineer company under the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He joined the unit after it deployed to Afghanistan in December.

His father told the newspaper Pinnick searched for and defused improvised explosive devices during his deployment and he planned to make a career in the Army.

“He wanted to be Army strong,” his father told the newspaper. “He always hit the ground running when he wanted to do something.”

He is the 13th soldier from Lewis-McChord killed in Afghanistan this year. About 9,300 soldiers assigned to two of the three Stryker brigades stationed at the base are deployed in Afghanistan, and the final one is headed there later this year.

The News Tribune was unable to reach family members for further comment. The Department of Defense has yet to officially announce his death.

Pinnick lived in Lacey with wife, Martha, in July 2010, and their year-old daughter, Melody, according to his Facebook page.

His family said his body was to arrive stateside by Thursday.

In addition to his wife, daughter and father, Pinnick is survived by his mother, Nancy, a brother, Thomas Pinnick Jr., and twin sisters, Kayla Lynn and Bethany Rose, according to the newspaper.
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