Nigeria: Taliban kill 25 in beer garden bombings

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - Men riding motorcycles threw bombs into outdoor beer gardens Sunday night in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 25 people in attacks bearing striking similarities to others carried out by a radical Islamic sect in the region, police said.

The bombs exploded in the restive city of Maiduguri, home to the sect known locally as Boko Haram. While the sect did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack late Sunday, the assault bore the hallmarks of the group now waging assassinations and attacks against the Nigerian government.

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Afghanistan: 60 dead in hospital bombing

A HUGE car bombing at a hospital killed 60 and wounded 120 in Afghanistan today, days after US President Barack Obama said 10,000 US forces would leave the country this year.


The brazen suicide attack in Logar province, just south of the capital Kabul, killed women and children and was described as "unprecedented" in the history of the near-decade-long Afghan war by officials.

Brit soldier in court for punching an escaping Taliban prisoner

A British soldier faces a court martial next month - for punching an escaping Taliban prisoner. 

The corporal, who cannot be named, was sent home and charged with assault after preventing the man from escaping. He has since quit the Army in disgust.

The Afghan rebel had been captured during an ambush on British forces last March - and is reported to have no interest in the trial.

A military insider called the case "disgusting" and "madness".

Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and former Army commander, added: "We have to stop abusing our soldiers in this way."

Source: The Sun

Helicopter crash injures 6 in eastern Afghanistan

ASSADABAD, Afghanistan, 15th June: A helicopter crashed in Kunar province 185 km east of capital city Kabul on Wednesday, an official said.

"The chopper crashed in Mandapul, a suburban area of provincial capital Assadabad, at around 10 a.m. local time today. As a result, four foreigners and two Afghans were injured," spokesman for provincial administration, Wasifullah Wasifi, told Xinhua.

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Services held for fallen police officer, Brett Benton

Visitation services were held Tuesday for a Kentucky police officer killed in Afghanistan. Mourners gathered Tuesday afternoon at First Christian Church in Richmond to honor Brett Benton.

Benton, a Madison County native, was recently killed by an explosive device while on a civilian mission in Afghanistan. He had just left the Kenton County Police Department and had only been in Afghanistan for 23 days as a private contractor training Afghan police officers, when he was killed.

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Tears as three heroes are saluted in Wootton Bassett

Hundreds of people united in their grief yesterday as the bodies of three British servicemen killed in Afghanistan within three days were repatriated. 

The bodies of Lance Corporal Martin Gill, of 42 Commando Royal Marines, Corporal Michael Pike, of 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, and Rifleman Martin Lamb, of 1st Battalion The Rifles, were flown into RAF Lyneham. 

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Pakistan: 8 soldiers, 10 Taliban dead in dawn attack

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Eight soldiers and at least ten Taliban were killed after the militants attacked a Pakistani security checkpost in the lawless tribal belt before dawn Thursday, local security officials said.

More than 100 Taliban armed with rocket launchers and other sophisticated weapons attacked the post in South Waziristan, along the Afghan border, triggering a firefight which lasted for more than three hours, officials said.

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Syracuse National Guard unit trains for Afghanistan

Fort Drum (WSYR-TV) - Hundreds of Central New Yorkers are nearly finished training for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan early next year. Members of the 27th Infantry Brigade have rotated through Fort Drum over the past six weeks to prepare.

Syrian town braces for military assault

Jisr al-Shughur residents flee to Turkish border, a day after government vowed retaliation for "deadly ambush".

Libya: Gaddafi vows to fight to the end

Libyan leader says he will not surrender or kneel to enemies as NATO intensifies air strikes in Tripoli.

Switzerland to Prosecute Libya for Taking Hostages

The Swiss government has authorized prosecutors to open criminal proceedings against Libya for allegedly taking two Swiss men hostage following the 2008 arrest in Switzerland of Muammar Qaddafi's son.

IRAQ: Bodies of 3 fallen US soldiers return home

The bodies of three US Army personnel killed in Iraq will arrive back in the United States at Dover Air Base, 8th June at 1.30am.

The three fallen soldiers are:

Sgt. Emilio J. Campo Jr.
from Madelia, Minn.
United States Army

Pfc. Michael B. Cook
from Middletown, Ohio
United States Army

Pfc. Christopher B. Fishbeck
from Victorville, Calif.
United States Army

US Marine Matthew Shank, injured in Afghanistan by IED

A Waynesboro Marine is in good spirits after suffering back injuries when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Saturday morning.

Lance Cpl. Matthew Shank, 21, was driving an all-terrain military vehicle when it hit the IED, according to his mother, Kim Shank. “Fortunately, it flipped the vehicle instead of exploding it,” she said this morning.

Politician found beheaded in Afghanistan

POLICE found the beheaded body of a politician in central Afghanistan yesterday, three days after he was abducted by suspected Taliban-linked militants.

Jawad Zahaak was head of the provincial council in Bamiyan, seen as one of the country's most peaceful areas and among the first wave of places to transition from Western to Afghan security control from around July.

USAF female medic injured in Afghanistan RPG attack

USAF Afc. Bryenna Brooks, age 22, suffered serious injuries last week while her mobile unit was on night patrol in Afghanistan. She is serving as a medic with the 101st Airborne Division.

Taliban insurgents fired a rocket propelled grenade at her vehicle and she suffered shrapnel wounds to her face and neck.

Other soldiers in the vehicle were also wounded including the gunner, who suffered very serious injuries.

Nobody was killed in the attack.

3,000 US troops of 45th Infantry deploying to Afghanistan

Over 3,000 troops with the U.S 45th Infantry Brigade will deploy to Afghanistan later this week. The brigade have completed training at Camp Shelby, Hattisburg, Mississippi.

This will be the largest single deployment of U.S troops since the Korean War.

Foreign traveller killed in Afghanistan

A foreign male traveller - thought to be Italian - has been shot dead in Panjshir province, Afghanistan. A report via AFP indicates that the man had been visiting emerald mines in the area with a female companion when they were confronted by a local drug addict.

The foreigner apparantly fired a pistol at the addict and was confronted by an angry mob, one of whom shot him dead.

Australian Special Forces capture three Taliban leaders

URUZGAN, Afghanistan (3rd June 2011): Australian Special Forces, together with an Afghan National Police team have captured three top insurgent leaders.

The three men were known prominent bomb experts, logisticians and insurgent facilitators.

Australian Special Forces have killed or captured twenty key insurgents since December 2010.

Commandos find remote-controlled bomb - Khanabad

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (3rd June 2011) An Afghan 5th Commando Kandak unit, supported by U.S. Special Operations Forces, recovered a remote controlled improvised explosive device at a possible RCIED training facility in the Khanabad district of Kunduz on Thursday 2nd June.

The troops were searching for an insurgent when they made the discovery. The device was subsequently destroyed.

Libya: British Special Forces on the ground

According to a report in British newspaper, The Mirror, British special forces troops are on the ground in Libya.

The paper reveals images taken of British SAS troops in Libya. It goes on to reveal that the unit, comprising ex-British special forces soldiers, are employed by a private security firm that is sanctioned by the British government.

The Mirror goes on to say "The elite unit is funded by the MoD via a security firm to topple Colonel Gaddafi."

Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, insists no British boots are on the ground in Libya. But a senior military source said: “They’re representing Britain.”

Is this Britain's secret ground war?

Read full story and view photos at The Mirror