War News for Saturday, May 22, 2010

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF Marine in an IED attack near Patrol Base Almas, in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Friday, May 21st.


UK defence minister calls for Afghan troop withdrawal:

Wounded Swedish soldiers in benefits battle:

Vt. soldiers help repel Afghan attack:

In Baghdad Ruins, Remains of a Cultural Bridge:

In Kandahar, the Taliban targets and assassinates those who support U.S. efforts:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A home made bomb that was planted inside a deserted restauratnt in al Ji'aifir neighbourhood, Karkh, central Baghdad, detonated, around dawn Friday, injuring four policemen standing duty in a nearby checkpoint.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A car bomb exploded Friday at an open-air market crowded with shoppers in a Shiite town northeast of Baghdad, killing 23 people and wounding more than 50, Iraqi police and hospital officials said. The bombing struck the town of Khalis, a Shiite enclave 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Baghdad surrounded by the largely Sunni province of Diyala. It is a former al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold that has seen several powerful blasts, one a twin bombing on a restaurant in March that killed 57. Most of those killed Friday were sitting in a cafe in the center of the market that was reduced to rubble. "There was a sudden explosion followed by heavy shooting with smoke, fire and yelling, then sirens, ambulances, police," said Yasser Mohammed, a 28-year-old blacksmith who walked by the cafe minutes before the blast.

#2: Three Iraqi army soldiers and two policemen were wounded on Saturday, when a roadside bomb went off while they were attempting to defuse it, northeast of Baaquba city. “The incident occurred today in a village around 180 km northeast of Baaquba,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Qandil Mountains:
#1: Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq on Thursday, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. The air strike was carried out against a group of Kurdish rebels seen moving toward the Turkish border, the report said. It did not mention any casualties. Private NTV television said 20 warplanes took part in the strike on targets in the Zap and Hakurk regions along the border. The press office of Turkey's military declined to confirm or deny the attack. Ahmed Danis, a spokesman for the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, said Turkish jets bombed at least three villages in the Qandil mountains, near the area where Iraq, Iran and Turkey intersect. But he said there were no casualties among the fighters because the left their bases a while ago and now live in caves in the area. The bombing went on for about two hours, Danis said, adding that planes could be heard overhead for a few hours later.


Mosul:
#1: A car bomb parked near a mosque in Salamiyah neighbourhood, south Mosul, detonated Friday, injuring seven civilians including a woman and child.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Ten people, including two women and two children, were killed when drones operated by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fired missiles at a target in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal district. The strike took place in Boya sub-district, some 25 km west of Miranshah, the main city of the district bordering Afghanistan. The Taliban and Al Qaida are known to use the area for staging hit-and-run raids against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. 'The drones fired four missiles just before midnight at the house of a tribesman, Khyali Dawar,' Online news agency quoted the intelligence official as saying. 'Six people died, and three were injured,' the official added. Two women and two children succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Five women and an equal number of children were injured in the strike. Initially, a Filipino named Ilyas was said to be the target of the attack, as one Arab and four local militants also died in the attack. It was not clear if Ilyas died in the strike. The drones flew overhead for hours, hindering rescue work. There have been several occasions when drones carried out a second strike as people gathered for relief and recovery work at a site of missile attack.

#2: A Sea King helicopter carrying British troops in Afghanistan has been hit by enemy fire while landing. The aircraft was landing at a checkpoint in the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand province on Friday when it was attacked. Taskforce Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith said: "Some of those on board suffered minor injuries and are being treated. "The pilot carried out a controlled landing and it is thanks to the skill and professionalism of all those involved that there were no serious injuries. "The extent of the damage to the Sea King is currently being assessed."

#3: At least a dozen people were killed Saturday south of the Afghan capital of Kabul after U.S. troops spotted two insurgents trying to plant bombs, an Afghan official said. The two were shot dead in Paktia province, district chief Gulab Shah said. Troops saw comrades drag the two bodies away and called in a helicopter gunship which killed 10 more people, whom U.S. officials said were all militants, Shah said. Shah said Afghan authorities had launched an investigation to make sure the dead were all insurgents.

#4: At least 27 militants were killed including a commander of militants in different clashes with Pakistani security forces on Saturday in the country's restive northwest tribal areas, local media reported. Four hideouts of militants were destroyed during the operation. Two security personnel were also injured in an attack by militants at a security checkpoint in the Orakzai Agency. Meanwhile, three volunteers were killed in a clash between tribal security personnel and the militants in Bazai area of Mohmand tribal area bordering Afghanistan.


DoD: Pfc. Billy G. Anderson