War News for Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Today in Afghanistan
Report: Soldier killed herself in Afghanistan

Afghan Army’s Turnover Threatens U.S. Strategy

Reported security incidents
#1: Gunmen shot dead four Shi’a Muslims on Tuesday, in a fresh sectarian attack in Pakistan’s troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan, police said. All those killed ran junk and scrap shops in Kabari Market in Quetta, the provincial capital where sectarian and separatist violence is common. “It was a sectarian attack. Gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on them and drove away,” Asif Ghafoor, a senior police official, told AFP.

#2: Afghan national police have killed four Taliban militants during a series of operations across the country over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday. “In the operations backed by the national army and the NATO- led troops and conducted in Kunduz, Wardak, Ghazni, Herat and Farah provinces over the past 24 hours, four armed Taliban rebels were killed, another injured and four others made captive,” the press release said. It did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces.

#3: Afghan security forces backed by the NATO-led troops eliminated 17 Taliban militants in Andar district of Ghazni province on Tuesday, an army spokesman in the province said. “Units of Afghan national army in coordination with the NATO- led coalition forces raided Taliban hideouts in Sangi and Nazarwal villages of Andar district late Monday night and during the cleanup operation which concluded at around 1:00 a.m. local time Tuesday, 17 rebels had been killed,” Mohammad Hakim Stanikzai who speaks for 203 Thunder Corps of Afghan national army in Ghazni, told Xinhua.

#4: According to local authorities in western Herat province of Afghanistan, at least four people including three health workers were abducted by unknown gunmen in this province. The officials further added the health workers were kidnapped along with their driver in Ghoryan district of western Herat province.

DoD: Spc. Brittany B. Gordon

DoD: Sgt. Robert J. Billings

Today in Afghanistan