Hungary extends Afghanistan mission

Budapest, Hungary (31st March 2011): Hungary's defence ministry says the government has extended the mission of its troops in Afghanistan until October 2011.

Hungary has had troops deployed in Afghanistan since 2006. Their role includes training Afghan troops, providing security at Kabul airport and offering provincial reconstruction.

Two Hungarian soldiers were killed in 2008 and two in 2010.

British prison boss gets job in Afghanistan

A British Prison governor is due to swap Haverigg Prison (UK) for Afghanistan at the end April.

Governor Martin Farquhar will leave HMP Haverigg to take up a two year post as an advisor to the prison service in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Mr Farquhar’s new role as the head of prisons’ rule of law team, working with the provincial reconstruction team, is due to begin around June although he will leave HMP Haverigg at the end of April.

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NATO mobile patrol rammed

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan man rammed his vehicle into NATO troops on patrol in southern Afghanistan Wednesday 30th March 2011, killing his passenger and a nearby pedestrian, the coalition said.

After three service members were struck, others on the patrol fired on the vehicle, which they believed had deliberately attacked them, NATO said.

The vehicle flipped into in a ditch, killing a passenger and hurting the driver, NATO said. The vehicle also hit and killed a pedestrian. Two other passers-by were injured in the incident in Kandahar city.

British Army Major Tim James, a spokesman for the International Alliance, said the driver was taken to a hospital. It was unclear if he was arrested.

6 French soldiers injured by suicide bomber

PARIS - The French military says six of its soldiers were lightly wounded in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber blew up his car near their transport vehicle on 30th March 2011.

Military spokesman Thierry Burkhard says Wednesday's attack also lightly wounded four Afghans, three of them children. The attacker was driving a car filled with explosives.

The attack took place in the Tagab region of Kapisa province, east of Kabul.

U.S Marine recovering after surviving bomb blast

A U.S Marine survived an improvised explosive device blast in Afghanistan earlier this month and faces surgery in California.

Corporal Russ Moseley, a 26-year-old in the 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton, California was injured in the blast on March 13, 2011 his family says.

"He was working his dog and he stepped on an IED, and it shattered everything in his (right) foot and some other spots in that leg," his father, Clint Moseley, said in a call from Naval Medical Center San Diego. "He had the choice to keep it or have it amputated, and he chose to have it taken off so he'll have more mobility."

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Taliban seize Afghan district

ASADABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Taliban insurgents seized a district in Afghanistan's remote northeast after a brief battle with police, provincial officials said on Tuesday, underscoring the difficulty Afghan and foreign forces face in securing the increasingly violent region.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters had captured the Waygal district center in mountainous Nuristan province in the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday, said Mohammad Zarin, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

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Soldiers accused of stealing $1M in Afghanistan

FAYETTEVILLE - Two Fort Bragg soldiers, working along with an Afghan interpreter, embezzled nearly $1.3 million while deployed in 2009, according to court documents filed Thursday.

Edwin Vando and Juan Lamboy Rivera each were charged in a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court. The document, sometimes used in lieu of a grand jury indictment, alleges that the men took $1,297,959.31 in vendor payments owed to Abdul Wasi Faquiri Co. Ltd.

According to court documents, Vando and Rivera were sergeants with the 82nd Finance Battalion who were deployed to Camp Eggers in Kabul at the time, May to June 2009.

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Taliban kidnap 50 Afghan police

ASADABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Taliban insurgents abducted around 50 off-duty Afghan policemen in an ambush in a volatile province in northeastern Afghanistan, the militant group and provincial officials said on Sunday.

Taliban-led militants have stepped up their fight this year against the Afghan government and its Western backers at a time when Kabul has announced security responsibilities for seven areas will be handed to Afghan forces in July.

The policemen were abducted by militants in the Chapa Dara district of remote northeastern Kunar province after returning from neighboring Nuristan province where they had traveled to collect their salaries, Nuristan governor Jamaluddin Badr said.

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Lone Gurkha fights 30 Taliban - and wins!

Sergeant Dipprasad Pun has been honoured for single-handedly fighting off 30 Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

The Gurkha soldier got through more than 400 rounds of ammunition and an assortment of grenades during his extraordinary one-man stand on the roof of an isolated sentry-post.

At one point, when his gun could no longer fire, Sgt Pun resorted to battering one Taliban fighter, who was trying to scale the wall to attack him, over the head with the tripod of his machine gun.

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Germany sends more troops to Afghanistan

HEIDELBERG, Germany — The German parliament voted Friday (24th March) to send 300 additional soldiers to Afghanistan to man AWACS surveillance planes, and by doing so, free up other NATO crews to help the mission over Libya.

The vote was 407-113 with 32 abstentions. The decision is a compromise of sorts; Germany declined to join the mission to impose a no-fly zone over Libya as authorized by U.N. Resolution 1973.

Germany’s lack of participation in Operation Odyssey Dawn has evoked a mix of condemnation and approval.

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New Zealand to stay in Afghanistan for another year

WELLINGTON, 23rd March: Afghan security forces are set to take charge of the province where New Zealand forces have been stationed since 2003, but New Zealand's military presence in Bamiyan province will remain at current levels for at least a year.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced overnight that seven provinces including Bamiyan were ready to begin the transition to Afghan leadership, as a first step toward full Afghan control of the entire nation by the end of 2014.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said on Wednesday that the current ceiling of 140 New Zealand defence force personnel in the provincial reconstruction team in Bamiyan would remain constant for at least the next year.

Karzai's announcement was a major milestone and a tribute to the "outstanding work" of the hundreds of New Zealand military, police, and civilian personnel who had served in Bamiyan, Mr. McCully said.

McCully said New Zealand's transition efforts would be watched carefully by the international community and the transition was not just about security, as Karzai noted in his speech.

Six New Zealand-born soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the war began.

Source: Xinnews

Afghanistan: foreign troop numbers

The latest foreign troop numbers serving in Afghanistan were released by NATO on 4th March 2011.

The United States is the largest contributor of troops with more than 100,000 personnel in Afghanistan, split between NATO (90,000) and Operation Enduring Freedom (10,000).

According to the latest data provided by NATO, these are the other contributors:

Britain: 9,500

Germany: 4,909

France: 3,979

Italy: 3,815

Canada: 2,900

Poland: 2,527

Turkey: 1,799

Romania: 1,726

Australia: 1,550

Spain: 1,499

Georgia: 924

Denmark: 748

Bulgaria: 608

Belgium: 528

Sweden: 500

Hungary: 483

Czech Republic: 463

Norway: 413

Croatia: 299

Slovakia: 296

Albania: 257

South Korea: 246

New Zealand: 236

Netherlands: 197

Lithuania: 188

Finland: 165

Macedonia: 163

Estonia: 158

Latvia: 136

Greece: 132

Portugal: 114

Azerbaijan: 94

Slovenia: 79

Mongolia: 62

Singapore: 48

Bosnia: 45

Armenia: 40

Montenegro: 36

United Arab Emirates: 35

Malaysia: 30

Ukraine: 20

Luxembourg: 9

Ireland: 7

Austria: 3

Iceland: 2

Taliban shut down Helmand mobile phone networks

All mobile telephone networks have been switched off in the Afghan province of Helmand after a Taliban threat.

Correspondents say that the decision of mobile companies to obey the order reflects the militants' power in one of Afghanistan's most restive areas.

The Taliban say that mobile phones are used by their enemies to track their communications.

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U.S soldier gets 24 years for Afghan murders

A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 24 years in prison Wednesday after saying "the plan was to kill people" in a conspiracy with four fellow soldiers to kill unarmed Afghan civilians.

Military judge Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks said he initially intended to sentence Spc. Jeremy Morlock to life in prison with possibility of parole but was bound by the plea deal. Morlock will receive 352 days off of his sentence for time served.

His sentencing came after he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, and one count each of conspiracy, obstructing justice and illegal drug use at his court martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle.

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Australian troops accused of mistreating prisoners

Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith says new allegations of detainee mistreatment have been made against Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Mr Smith says the new claims will be investigated and the outcome will be reported to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and appropriate humanitarian organisations.

"Australia very firmly believes that strict adherence to rules of engagement is essential on the battlefield - the rule of law is an essential basis for international relations and national security policy," he said.

Earlier allegations made by six detainees at an Afghan prison housing suspected insurgents were found to have no substance.

The Defence Force took over the management and processing of insurgents captured by Australian and other coalition forces in Uruzgan province in August, when the Dutch withdrew from Afghanistan.

Two Taliban groups surrender

Two groups of Taliban militants laid down their weapons in Baghlan province on Tuesday and surrendered to Afghan government, provincial officials said.

"A total of 20 Taliban militants laid down their weapons and joined the Afghan government," Abdul Rahman Rahimi, police chief of Baghlan told reporters.

The men were active in Baghlan-e-Jadid district fighting against the government, but have now renounced violence and promised to work for peace, he added.

Mr Rahimi said the security will be further strengthened in the province as more militants embrace the peace process.

These are the first groups of insurgents to have surrendered since the beginning of the Afghan new year.

Baghlan was one of the insecure provinces in the north of Afghanistan, but it was cleared of insurgents after heavy operations by Afghan and foreign forces.

Minnesota soldiers prepare to deploy

Soldiers from the 644th Regional Support group based at Fort Snelling, Minnesota are heading to Afghanistan.

The mission is to mentor and train those serving in the Afghanistan army. The teams will work in three locations, the Religious and Cultural Affairs School, Bridmal Sergeant Major Academy and National Military Academy of Afghanistan.

Many of the 25 soldiers in this group have been deployed before. They say it is toughest on the loved ones left behind.

The group will be gone for about a year.

U.S Marine Medic awarded Silver Star

U.S Marine, Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter Gould, aged 24, has been awarded the Silver Star for his bravery as a medic in Afghanistan. He was in an Afghanistan field hospital in July recovering from severe wounds caused by a roadside bomb when he learned he had been awarded the Silver Star.

Earlier this month, Gould was officially pinned with the star for his bravery during the firefight that took the life of Marine Cpl. Larry Harris Jr., and wounded two other Marines in the unit.

Gould, who suffered severe wounds including crushed facial bones, has undergone a lot of plastic surgery on the right side of his face. Shrapnel hit his carotid artery.

His unit remained in Afghanistan until November. In a company of 89, 17 Marines were killed and about 50 were wounded, during their time in country.

U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan

A U.S Marine, Lance Corporal Christopher Meis, has died in Helmand, Afghanistan during combat operations. The incident happened yesterday 17th March 2011.

American Marine killed in Afghanistan repatriated to USA

The body of a U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan returned to a hero's welcome in Vermont Thursday 17th March, where his body was escorted by police from the Burlington International Airport to St. Johnsbury along roads lined with people paying their respects.

The Legislature recessed briefly on Thursday while the procession carrying the body of Cpl. Ian Muller, 22, of North Danville passed in front of the Statehouse while lawmakers watched.

A wake for Muller is scheduled for Friday in St. Johnsbury and the funeral is set for Saturday.

Muller was killed in combat March 11 in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. He joined the Marines in December 2007. Muller was a member of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.

U.S Embassy Kabul - security contractor fired

The U.S State Department has fired a contractor hired to provide security at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, less than six months after the company won the $274 million job.

The department ended its agreement for embassy security with EOD Technology of Lenoir City, Tenn., because the company was not going to be able to start work on May 1, as the contract required, the State Department said Thursday in a statement.

ArmorGroup North America will continue to guard the embassy for at least the next four months until a replacement for EOD Technology is found.

The State Department said in 2009 that it would not renew its contract with ArmorGroup after its guards were caught engaging in lewd behavior and drinking excessively at their living quarters.

Ranger who died fighting Taliban repatriated to UK

The body of a Royal Irish Regiment soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan is due to be repatriated back to the UK Thursday 17th March.

Lance Corporal Stephen McKee (27) from Banbridge died after his armoured vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device during an operation to disrupt the Taliban last Wednesday.

His remains are expected to be flown into RAF Lyneham later this afternoon.

L/Cpl McKee's widow Carley, his parents Heather and Bobby and other relatives are due to make the journey from their home to the Wiltshire airbase for a private ceremony.

They are also expected to join hundreds of people lining the streets of Wootton Bassett as the cortege passes through the market town on its way to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Royal Navy prepare to deploy to Afghanistan

British Royal Navy personnel are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan in April. Able and Leading Medical Assistants will provide support for 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines.

The Military Training Unit (MTU) at the Royal Navy base in Torpoint is providing Navy personnel of all ranks and rates, including medical staff, intensive pre-deployment training.

The Royal Navy is playing a key role supporting operations in Afghanistan. Elements of 845, 846, 847 and 857 Naval Air Squadrons are among the units currently deployed as part of Operation HERRICK 13 to provide airborne surveillance, troop movement and control capabilities.

Read full story at MoD News

Finnish soldier injured by grenade

A Finnish peacekeeper in Afghanistan was injured on Tuesday 15th March in an accident involving a grenade launcher of his own forces. He was struck in the back by a grenade, which did not explode. 

The incident occurred at Camp Northern Lights in Mazar-i-Sharif.

The man's condition is not critical. However, he is due to be evacuated to Finland on Wednesday because of the recovery time his injuries require, according to the armed forces.

Commenting on the incident to YLE news, Colonel Eero Pyötsiä from the Pori brigade said that the man had not suffered serious injuries.

The accident took place just as the Finnish troops were heading off to a firing range. The details of what led to the accident remain unclear.

Luckily the grenade did not explode, and the peacekeeper was wearing a bulletproof vest. Following the accident, the man was taken to a German field hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif.

The weapon in question fires 40 calibre grenades, which can penetrate a five centimetre iron wall when they explode. The safety catch in the weapon prevented the explosion of the grenade.

YLE

British Commandos prepare to deploy to Afghanistan

3 Commando Brigade, supported by 7th Armoured Brigade prepare to take over operations in Afghanistan from 16 Air Assault Brigade in April 2011.

As the next brigade to take on the role of Task Force Helmand, personnel have been intensively training, preparing for the unique challenges that Afghanistan presents.

Training on Salisbury Plain is one of the final preparations that the force will make before deployment in April 2011. Training has been ongoing for some 18 months and has already involved troops undergoing specialist training in facilities as far and wide as Germany, Borneo, Canada, the USA and Kenya.

About 1,500 relatives and friends of Royal Marines from Plymouth-based 42 Commando were addressed this week by the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ewen Murchison, at the unit's base, Bickleigh Camp.

42 Commando are sending 650 personnel to Helmand in the next few weeks. They are just one element of 3 Commando Brigade which is deploying to Afghanistan for the third time.

Taliban behead two civilians in Afghanistan

Taliban militants killed two civilians for allegedly spying to government and foreign forces in Afghanistan's Nimroz province, some 790 km southwest of capital city of Kabul, police said Thursday.

"Taliban rebels beheaded two innocent civilians in Khash Rod district on Wednesday," deputy provincial police chief, Mohammad Musa Rasouli told Xinhua.

The insurgents abducted the ill-fated men few days ago and their beheaded bodies were found in Khash Rod district Wednesday evening, the official said.

Taliban outfit fighting Afghan and NATO-led troops has yet to make comment.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan continued to rise as a total of 2,777 civilians had been killed in 2010 which indicates a 15 percent increase in compare with 2009, a joint report of Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission(AIHR)and UN mission in the country said on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua

Bombs cleared from 'ghost town'

British bomb disposal experts have carried out their largest clearance of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

An 80-strong team cleared a "deserted ghost town", searching and clearing 75 compounds as well as miles of tracks and alleyways.

During the painstaking eight-day fingertip search of Char Coucha in Helmand the team diffused nine bombs and discovered nine ordnance caches.

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Karzai: "end NATO operations in Afghanistan"

Asadabad (Afghanistan), 12th March. (ANI): President Hamid Karzai has appealed to international troops to stop operations in Afghanistan.

Speaking after visiting the relatives of nine children killed in a NATO air strike, the Dawn quoted Karzai as saying: "I would like to ask NATO and the US with honour and humbleness and not with arrogance to stop their operations in our land."

In an apparent reference to Pakistan's border areas, where insurgents have hideouts, Karzai added: "If this is a war against terrorists and international terrorism, then they should go and fight this war where we have showed them (it is) over the last nine years and is known to them as well."

"We are very tolerant people but now our tolerance has run out." Karzai was visiting Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan to meet the relatives of the nine children who were killed by a NATO air strike earlier this month while out collecting firewood," he said.

A spokeswoman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) could not be immediately reached for comment. (ANI)

German soldiers accused of killing Afghan woman

Police in northern Afghanistan have accused German Bundeswehr soldiers of killing a civilian woman and injuring another in an incident in Kunduz province on Wednesday 9th March.

"German soldiers patrolling in Durman area of Chardarah district started firing in the surrounding area," Gulam Mahidin, police chief of Chardarah district, told the German news agency dpa. "As a result of the firing, an Afghan woman was shot and killed and another injured." 

Mahidin said the woman was inside her house when she was shot in the head and killed, and that the German military had reported being under heavy fire.

"But according to our reports, there were no firefights and German soldiers made a mistake," he said.

The German Bundeswehr is investigating the incident.

British SAS seize Iranian rockets

British Special Forces in Afghanistan have seized a cache of 48 powerful Iranian rockets in an ambush from Taliban fighters. The discovery adds strong evidence of increasing support from Iran to the Taliban.

The cache of 48 rockets was hidden in three trucks and was seized after a fierce fire fight which left several insurgents dead in the remote southern province of Nimroz, on the Iran border, last month, following an intelligence tip- off.

The 122mm rockets, which were seized with 1000 rounds of rifle ammunition and 49 rocket mortars and fuses, have twice the range and twice the blast radius of the 107mm missiles used previously by the Taliban.

The rockets, which have an 80ft blast area, were analysed last week by UK specialists.

Their ID marks had been deliberately removed but the experts found they were identical to Iranian-built rockets seized in Iraq in 2007, British newspaper, The Sun, reports. 

NATO has revealed that there have been more than 1,600 anti-Taliban operations in the last month, with 1,800 insurgents captured, 500 killed and 1,005 arms caches uncovered.

Afghan Police chief killed by suicide bomber

KABUL: A suicide bomber jumped on the police chief of Kunduz Province on Thursday as he patrolled just 150 feet from his headquarters, killing him and two other officers, Afghan officials said. 

The governor of Kunduz, Mohammad Anwar Jigdalak, confirmed the attack, which also wounded the deputy police chief and seven others, including two civilians, in the city of Kunduz, the provincial capital. 

Full story at New York Times

Soldier and his dog arrive back in UK

Hundreds of mourners lined the main street of Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, UK, to honour Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, who was shot while on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan on 1st March. 

The crowds were swelled by family pets and a dozen Police and Prison Service dogs at the repatriation ceremony for the 26-year-old soldier, whose dog Theo died from a seizure three hours after his master was killed.

The body of L/Cpl Tasker, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, and the ashes of Theo had earlier been flown back to RAF Lyneham in the same aircraft.

L/Cpl Tasker was the subject of the repatriation ceremony but Theo’s ashes will be presented in private to his family.

Read more at The Telegraph

Nato 'kills cousin of Afghan President Hamid Karzai'

A relative of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been mistakenly killed by Nato troops in southern Afghanistan, officials say.

Yar Muhammad Khan was at his home in Dand district near Kandahar city when he was shot dead in an overnight raid.

Nato says it is investigating the incident.

Read more at BBC

British Defence chiefs spend over 50 MILLION pounds on VIPs

At a time when 11,000 British troops, many of whom are fighting in Afghanistan, face being made redundant, British Defence chiefs have blown more than £50MILLION hosting VIPs since operations began in Afghanistan.

Civil servants and officers splashed the cash entertaining MPs, Ministers and councillors at lunches, barbecues and lavish black-tie balls.

And foreign bigwigs and their partners are wined and dined on the Navy's ships when they dock at ports around the world.

Read full story at The Sun

British MoD save money by paying 22 pounds for a light bulb

At a time when hundreds of British troops fighting in Afghanistan face being made redundant, British Defence chiefs pay £22 EACH for 65p lightbulbs, Army documents seen by The Sun newspaper have revealed.

Dim MoD bosses incredibly also pay £103 each for SCREWS.

The shocking waste is revealed as 11,000 of Our Boys and Girls face the sack, and ships and planes are scrapped, to plug a £38billion deficit.

The public money spent on lightbulbs represents a mark-up of more than 3,000 PER CENT on their true retail value. 

Read full story at The Sun

U.S Cavalry Officer to be buried at West Point

A 24-year-old Army officer killed in Afghanistan who had deep family ties to the U.S. Military Academy will be laid to rest at West Point's storied cemetery. 

First Lt. Daren Hidalgo of Waukesha, Wis., died 20th February in Kandahar province after insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. 

Lt. Hidalgo was a 2009 West Point graduate. His father graduated from West Point in 1981 and a brother graduated in 2006. Another brother is a captain in the Marines. 

Family members will attend a graveside service at West Point this afternoon. 

Lt. Hidalgo was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany.

Upcoming military deployments

The following units are poised to deploy to Afghanistan:

The U.S 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion. Approximately 100 soldiers will deploy for a 9-month assignment after their training in Indiana is complete. The unit has undertaken two previous deployments in Iraq. This will be their first time in Afghanistan.

The U.S Rhode Island National Guard's 43rd Military Police Brigade HQ are about to spend a month training in Texas before heading to Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan. Their assignment at Bagram will be to oversee detention operations.

The U.S 3rd Brigade Infantry Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, will be deploying to Kandahar for a 1-year tour of duty in the next few weeks. The Brigade comprises around 3,600 soldiers. They will be replacing a battle-weary unit from the 101st Airborne.

US 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Div. ready to deploy to Afghanistan

The U.S Army's 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team marked the start of its year long deployment to Afghanistan with a ceremony Friday 4th March.

The unit's 3,500 soldiers will spend a year just west of Kandahar and know exactly what to expect.

"This will be a tough fight," brigade commander Col. Patrick D. Frank said. "This is the spiritual homeland of the Taliban, so our soldiers are ready for that type of fight."

The brigade will be relieving the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, based out of Fort Campbell, Ky.

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Helping save the British Dogs of War

British Military medical expert, Tom Roffe-Silvester, often gets a sloppy kiss from his grateful patients.

Occasionally they'll even leap on to his lap as a thanks for his life-saving help. 

The Army captain is happy to receive such appreciation - because his patients are dogs. 

He helps run Britain's only military hospital dedicated to saving the canine heroes risking their lives daily in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban alongside British and Coalition troops. 

As the "war dogs" play a greater role in the conflict - sniffing out roadside bombs or finding hidden ammo dumps - the number of four-legged casualties has been rising steadily. 

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British bomb-hunter and dog to fly together to UK

A dog handler and his bomb-sniffing springer spaniel, who died within hours of each other in Afghanistan, are to be flown home to Britain together. They worked as a team searching for bombs and explosives.

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was shot dead on Tuesday while the pair were on patrol in southern Helmand province. His spaniel Theo died of a seizure shortly afterwards.

The Ministry of Defence said on Friday the 22-month-old dog's ashes would be brought back to Britain on the same flight as L/Cpl Tasker.

Three weeks ago, Theo had been praised by the Ministry of Defence for finding 14 hidden bombs and weapons caches in just five months - a record for a dog and handler.

The spaniel, on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan, had uncovered so many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that his time in the country was extended by a month.

Major Caroline Emmett, the officer commanding 104 Military Working Dog Squadron, paid tribute to a handler and dog that were "made for each other".

"Lance Corporal Tasker was an Arms Explosive Search dog handler and trainer of the highest calibre," she said.

"He and his dog had more operational finds than any individual team has had in Afghanistan to date and he saved many lives as a result of this. He was so proud of his achievements and I was so proud of him."

Haqqani network leader detained

Kabul (4th March 2011) - Afghan and coalition forces targeted a Haqqani network leader and detained one suspected insurgent during a security operation in Sabari district, Khost province, yesterday.

The leader is responsible for coordinating attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He is in direct contact with other Haqqani network leaders in the province to include the Haqqani network deputy insurgent leader for the province. Recent reporting indicated he coordinated the movement of Afghan military uniforms and weapons for a future attack against Afghan and coalition forces.

Taliban assination team detained

KABUL (4th March 2011) - Afghan and coalition forces detained two Taliban assassination cell members during an operation in Kandahar district, Kandahar province, yesterday.

According to official reporting, the Taliban assassination cell members were based in Kandahar province where they targeted Afghan civilians and Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials through the use of intimidation, extortion and targeted assassinations.

Intelligence reports led the security force to the targeted compound in the district, where Afghan forces called for all occupants to exit the buildings peacefully before conducting a search. The two targeted insurgents were detained after initial questioning at the scene for their involvement in insurgent activity.

Taliban leader detained

KABUL, Afghanistan (March 4, 2011) – ISAF confirmed today that a Taliban leader was detained during an joint Afghan and Coalition operation in Kandahar province, on 2nd March.

The leader was responsible for coordinating weapons acquisition and distribution for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

British bomb sniffing dog, Theo

A British Army dog that held the record for finding the most bombs and weapons in Afghanistan has died along with his handler in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and Theo, a 22-month-old springer spaniel cross, were killed as they came under small arm fire in the Nahr-e Saraj district in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

L-Cpl. Tasker, who was from Scotland, was shot dead and the dog Theo died later from a seizure at Camp Bastion, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Theo acted as "front man" of the patrol and was dedicated to L-Cpl Tasker. Theo, had been on his first six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Military Working Dog Support Unit, based at Camp Bastion.

Girl scouts donate boxes of cookies to troops in Afghanistan

And now for some nice news...

The six members of Girl Scout Troop 728 in Prescott and their troop leaders sent 300 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to troops deployed in Afghanistan last year, and they hope to send more this year.

Jen MacDonald, one of the troop's leaders, said when the girls sell cookies, they always ask if people would like to donate boxes to the troops or the Arizona Pioneers' Home, and many do.

Read full story

New York Army National Guard prepare to deploy to Afghanistan

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Soldiers from a New York Army National Guard unit will be sent to Afghanistan to help train and fight with that nation's military forces.

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Blind soldier climbs Kilimanjaro for charity

A soldier from the West Midlands who was blinded by a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan has spoken of his pride at scaling Africa's highest mountain as part of his battle to raise £8,000 for charity.

Rifleman Paul Jacobs, who was awarded the George Medal for his bravery while serving with 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, said his ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro had left him feeling "as though someone was sitting on my chest".

The 22-year-old, who lives in Stourbridge, West Midlands, has so far raised £2,600 for St Dunstan's, which provides support for blind and visually impaired ex-services personnel.

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NATO forces kill 9 Afghan children

Nine Afghan boys were killed while collecting firewood on Tuesday in what has been described as one of the worst cases of mistaken identity by the International Security Assistance Force.

NATO issued a statement Wednesday apologizing for the killings in Darah-Ye Pech district in Afghanistan's Kunar province. The victims were aged nine to 15 and included two sets of brothers. A tenth boy was injured but survived the aerial attack by helicopter gunners.

The boys had apparently been collecting wood to heat their mountain homes, the New York Times reported.

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Actress Jolie visits Afghanistan

KABUL (AFP) – US film star Angelina Jolie has made a surprise two-day visit to Afghanistan to meet refugees in the war-torn country, the UNHCR refugee agency said Wednesday 2nd March.

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NATO airstrike kills four Afghan security guards

Kabul - A NATO airstrike killed four guards working for a private security company in southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials said Wednesday 2nd March.

One more guard was injured in the strike in Gerishk district on Tuesday, said Mohammad Hakim Andar, provincial police chief. The men were providing security for a road construction firm in the region, he said.

Major Michael Johnson, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said a joint investigation with Afghan officials was underway into incident.

The military engaged a group of suspected militants in the area after an ISAF ground patrol was attacked, Johnson said.

'Following the engagement we heard allegations that four security guards were killed,' he said.
'Friendly fire' casualties are not rare in southern Afghanistan. where the militants often operate in the vicinity of local forces.

Taliban are still most active in Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar, despite a reduction in their presence after major operations by NATO forces in the region last year.

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur

British troops in Afghanistan face the sack

Almost the entire contingent of Britain’s 10,000 troops in Afghanistan have been told they could be sacked within months after ministers disclosed plans to get rid of one in 10 members of the Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Defence has announced the full scale of redundancies that will take place in the Army, RAF and Royal Navy in an attempt to cut billions of pounds from the department’s budget.

Read full story at The Telegraph

MoD seeks toy-size spy drones for Afghanistan

Contract available worth up to £20m to supply up to 100 miniature drones to improve battlefield surveillance...

Swarms of miniature drones, weighing as little as 200gm (7oz) each, are being sought by the British Ministry of Defence for rapid deployment to improve battlefield surveillance in Afghanistan.

Read full story at The Guardian

Taliban kill four alleged spies in Pakistan

The bodies of four men apparently killed by the Taliban for working as informers for the US, were found Tuesday in Pakistan's lawless tribal zone, officials said.

The bodies of the local men, who had been shot several times, were discovered in the Hamzoni area in the district of North Waziristan, near the Afghan border.

Notes found with the bodies accused the men of spying for the US. 'Anyone spying on the Taliban will face a similar fate,' the text was quoted as saying by an intelligence official.

Authorities said they thought the men were killed overnight and their bodies dumped by the roadside as a warning to the local tribesmen.

'All the dead are locals and belonged to the Muhammad Khel area of Dattakhel,' a second intelligence official said on condition of anonymity.

Source: Afghanistan Sun, 1st March 2011