War News for Monday, December 20, 2010

The DND/CF is reporting the death of a Canadian ISAF soldier from an IED blast in the Panjwa’i district, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on Sunday, December 19th. Here's the ISAF release.

The French DM is reporting the death of a French ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack/gunfire attack near the Alasay valley, Kapisa province, Afghanistan on Friday, December 17th. Here's the ISAF release. (note: this was posted on Fridays blog)

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a non-combat injury in an undisclosed location in northern Afghanistan on Friday, December 17th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, December 18th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, December 18th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, December 19th.


Infighting delays new Iraq government


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: “An explosive charge, planted in a civilian car, parked close to Kamal Al-Samarrae Hospital in central Baghdad’s Andalus Square, blew off on Monday, wounding three persons that were in the car, along with causing material damage to the car,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: The source also said that “an explosive charge blew off against a police car that passed through southeast Baghdad’s Zaafaraniya district, wounding four of its elements and causing damage to the car.”

#3: “Another explosive charge blew off in central Baghdad’s Rubei Street, wounding 5 persons among them 3 traffic policemen, who were all driven to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the security source added.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Insurgents struck Afghan security forces in Kabul and the north Sunday, killing 13 soldiers and policemen in attacks that show the Taliban’s capability to strike far from their southern strongholds. The attacks, both claimed by the Taliban, began at daybreak in the northern city of Kunduz, when four militants stormed an army recruitment center. At least two of the insurgents detonated suicide vests, and the remaining fighters battled security forces in a daylong firefight that left four Afghan army soldiers and four police dead, Kunduz deputy police chief Abdul Rahman Aqtash said.

#2: In Kabul, two insurgents strapped with explosives ambushed a bus carrying Afghan army officers to work during the morning rush hour on a main road into the city center, killing five and wounding nine, said Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi.

#3: A Pakistani government official says militants have fired rockets at a NATO convoy carrying supplies to Afghanistan, destroying two oil tankers and wounding two people. Iqbal Khan says traffic along the route has been suspended after Monday's attack in the Khyber tribal region. He says two people traveling in the tankers sustained burns when the trucks were engulfed in flames.

#4: Defence says the soldiers, from the Mentoring Task Force (MTF-2), were hurt in separate IED (improvised explosive device) blasts in the Baluchi Valley region of Oruzgan province on Sunday. In the most serious incident, an Afghan National Army foot patrol accompanied by Australian soldiers struck an IED. One of the Australians sustained serious blast and fragmentation wounds. The other incident involved an IED strike on a Bushmaster armoured vehicle. The wounded soldier was treated at the scene for suspected internal injuries. He was then flown by helicopter to the ISAF medical facility at Tarin Kowt.

#5: Afghan forces backed up by NATO air support killed 15 Taliban militants in the northern Kunduz province on Monday, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Syedkhili said. "Security forces supported by air power killed 15 armed Taliban rebels in Gortipa village," Syedkhili told a press conference. The operation was launched in the wee hours of Monday and wrapped up at noon also smashing their training center, he said. A depot of arms and ammunition was destroyed during the operation, he added.


DoD: Lance. Cpl. Jose L. Maldonado

DND/CF: Corporal Steve Martin