War News for Wednesday, October 13, 2010

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, October 13th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, October 13th.


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Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: One Iraqi soldier was killed Tuesday in a bomb blast in western Baghdad, according to a security source. “A roadside bomb went off Tuesday (Oct. 12) targeting the personal car of an army soldier in al-Jameaa neighborhood, western Baghdad, killing him on the spot,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Two soldiers were wounded when gunmen opened fire on them in western Baghdad on Tuesday, a security source said. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on an army vehicle patrol in al-Ameriya region, western Baghdad, injuring two soldiers,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Five policemen were wounded Wednesday morning in a bomb blast in central Baghdad, according to a security source. “An improvised explosive device went off Wednesday morning (Oct. 13) near al-Watheq square in central Baghdad, targeting a police vehicle patrol, injuring five policemen,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: Four persons have been injured in an explosive charge blast in central Baghdad on Wednesday, a Baghdad police source said. “An explosive charge, stuck in a civilian car blew up close to central Baghdad’s Alwiya Telephone Exchange Office, wounding four persons, who were driven to a nearby hospital,” the source added, giving no further details.

#5: An Interior Ministry entourage has come under attack by an explosive charge close to the passport department in central Baghdad, causing no human casualties, according to a Baghdad security source on Wednesday. “An explosive charge blew off against an Interior Ministry entourage close to the Zayouna Passport Department on Wednesday, without causing human casualies,” he said, without giving further details.

A bomb attached to a government car wounded two of its passengers and two passers-by, an interior ministry source said.

#6: Gunmen launched coordinated attacks on three Iraqi army security checkpoints in the Amiriya district of western Baghdad, killing one Iraqi soldier and wounding six others, an interior ministry source said.

#7: At least four explosions rocked western Baghdad on Wednesday. There are no reports about the targets and casualties so far


Diyala Prv:
#1: Ten people were wounded by an improvised explosive device blast in northeast of Baaquba on Wednesday, a police source said. “The bomb exploded on the main road of Sharban district in al-Muqdadiya, northeast of Baaquba, targeting a bus carrying Iranian visitors,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The blast wounded ten people, including seven Iranians and 3 Iraqis,” he added.


Missan Prv:
#1: Seven local-made bombs were defused Wednesday in Missan, media director of Missan police said. “Anti-explosives experts of Missan police department defused on Wednesday (Oct. 13) seven local-made bombs planted in several areas of Missan,” Ghassan Adnan Hamoudi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: An Iraqi civilian has been wounded in an armed attack by a group of unknown armed men in central Kirkuk, north Iraq, on Wednesday, a Kirkuk Joint Coordination Centre Spokesman said. “A group of armed men opened fire early today (Wednesday) on a civilian on the Baghdad Highway passing through northern Kirkuk, wounding the civilian, who is an employee in the North Oil Company,” he said, adding that the attackers escaped to an unknown destination.

#2: Meanwhile, a security source said that unknonwn armed men launched a rocket from a district, south of Kirkuk, against the Kirkuk Air base, home for the U.S. forces in the city. He did not give further details, admitting that the “Kirkuk police patrols failed to locate the site where the rocket landed.”


Mosul:
#1: Two Iraqi soldiers were wounded in a thermal bomb explosion in western Mosul, a police source said on Tuesday. “A thermal bomb exploded targeting an army vehicle patrol in al-Islah al-Zeraie neighborhood, western Mosul, injuring two soldiers, who were carried to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: One civilian was killed on Tuesday by mistake during cracking down traffickers on Iraqi-Syrian borders in northwest of Mosul, according to a security source. “The civilian was killed when border guards were tracking down traffickers in al-Rabiaa district, northwest of Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: An insurgent commander from the Haqqani network and three other militants were killed in a firefight with NATO and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, the alliance said Wednesday. Ansari Khan, a Haqqani leader accused of conducting attacks on coalition forces, died in a clash in Khost province's Spera district in an overnight operation Tuesday, a NATO statement said. As the security force moved in on a compound, two insurgents threw a grenade and opened fire. Retaliatory fire killed four militants, including Khan, it said.

#2: In southern Afghanistan, Ahmed Khan, chief of Dihrawud district in Uruzgan province, was fatally shot by insurgents Tuesday at a market, according to Mohammad Naeem, the district police chief.

#3: In the west, a joint force operation in Herat province killed "several" militants in a raid targeting an unidentified Taliban leader allegedly responsible for a recent ambush that killed two Spanish soldiers, NATO said. The force came under small-arms fire in Obe district and troops responded, killing the insurgents.

#4: Six Filipinos, one Indian national and a Kenyan were killed on Tuesday when a cargo plane crashed outside Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, the Afghan army said on Wednesday. The U.S.-based company operating the aircraft, National Air Cargo, said the civilian cargo transport plane was en route from sprawling U.S. Bagram Air Base to Kabul when it hit a mountain 20-30 km (15-20 miles) east of Kabul.

#5: A government official says suspected militants have killed three anti-Taliban tribal elders tasked with protecting their areas from insurgents in northwestern Pakistan. Two elders also were wounded in the overnight shootout in the Bazai area of Mohmand tribal region near Afghanistan. A government administrator Javed Khan said Wednesday that the shootout occurred at a checkpoint set up along a road. The alleged insurgents fired on the tribesmen when they were asked to halt.

#6: Afghan and ISAF troops killed several insurgents in western Herat province in an operation on Tuesday targeting a Taliban leader from neighbouring Badghis province responsible for attacks and kidnapping, ISAF said in a statement. It was not yet clear if the targeted insurgent was among the dead, the statement said.

#7: update: Taliban insurgents fired a rocket into a US helicopter yesterday, killing an Afghan interpreter and wounding eight soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, a key flashpoint in the country’s war. The US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) took nearly a full day to confirm that an explosion on the aircraft was caused by an insurgent attack, which the Taliban militia had been quick to claim. A correspondent in Kunar province said he saw three helicopters flying over the Ghash area of Marawar district and then heard the sound of rocket fire, after which two helicopters flew off and a gun battle broke out. “Eight people were wounded and one killed after a rocket-propelled-grenade was fired at an International Security Assistance Force helicopter in Kunar province today,” the military said. There were 26 people on board the helicopter, which ISAF identified as a US CH-47 Chinook. The helicopter had just landed at a military outpost and was off-loading through the rear ramp when the RPG was fired into the cargo bay. “The explosion resulted in one Afghan interpreter killed, seven ISAF service members and one Afghan border police member wounded,” the military said. (NATO release)


DoD: Lance Cpl. John T. Sparks

DoD: Sgt. Frank R. Zaehringer III

DoD: Staff Sgt. Dave J. Weigle

DoD: Spc. David A. Hess