ISAF delivers aid to flood victims in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 8, 2011) - Coalition soldiers are providing aid to thousands of flood victims in Shindand district, Herat province.

An estimated 6,000 people are in need of aid in the Zerko Valley and other surrounding areas.

Medical aid stations and supply distribution points have been set up in the two days of ongoing operations managed by Task Force-Central.

Torrential rain flooded rivers in the area and coalition forces are teamed with Afghan National Army, Afghan National Air Force and local police to aid those affected, said Italian Army Col. Giovanni Coradello, Task Force Center commander.

Parmakan Village sustained the worst damage.

There are an unknown number of dead civilians, hundreds of homeless and many injured.

In the past two days, combined coalition and Afghan forces have delivered 3,250 blankets, 400 air mattress, 1,500 pairs of shoes, 200 sweaters and 12 tons (10,885 kilograms) of food.

Additionally, at least 250 people have received first aid from International Security Assistance Force medics at established stations.

Australia planning early withdrawal from Afghanistan?

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has denied claims that the number of Australian troops in Afghanistan will be reduced as soon as this year.

The Fairfax press is reporting there is a plan to withdraw Australian troops from eight of the 11 bases around Uruzgan province.

In the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan last year, Prime Minister Julia Gillard suggested Australia would be in Afghanistan for at least a decade, with no drawdown until at least 2014.

Read full story at ABC News, Australia

Afghan police recruits graduate

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 7) – Afghan Uniform Police recruits completed an eight-week basic training course with a graduation ceremony at the Joint Security Academy Southwest here, Feb. 3.

During the two-month course the students learned the techniques and skills necessary to become effective police officers.

“You’ve learned policing skills, you’ve learned combat skills and many of you have learned to read and write,” said Lt. Col. Marcus Williams, commanding officer, JSAS, during his graduation speech. 
 

Airstrike on Haqqani Network Leader

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 8, 2011) — Coalition forces targeted a Haqqani Network leader with a precision airstrike that wounded two insurgents who were returning from a mountain with a cache loaded on pack mules in Sabari district, Khost province, yesterday.

Two Taliban leaders detained in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 8, 2011) – Afghan and coalition forces detained two Taliban leaders along with two suspected insurgents during a security operation in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province yesterday.

One of the targeted Taliban leaders coordinated direct fire and improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Zharay district. He was directly associated with Taliban leaders in the area.

Recent reporting indicates the second Taliban leader was the district Taliban leader for the past three months. He is responsible for improvised explosive device and direct fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He has replaced leaders who are currently hiding in Pakistan.

“Panjwa’i district has historically been a hotbed for insurgent improvised explosive device attacks in Kandahar province against Afghan civilians, Afghan National Security Force and coalition forces, injuring and killing numerous individuals,” said U.S. Army Col. Patrick Hynes, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director.

U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan

Read more at Fallen Heroes...

U.S. Civil Affairs Reservists Died Underequipped

Army Capt. Benjamin Sklaver

High numbers of U.S. Civil Affairs soldiers, sent into Afghanistan and Iraq to win the hearts and minds of locals by helping restore electricity, build water systems and spread good will, were met with a deadly fate due to lack of protective combat gear and training, according to the findings of an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity.

photo right: Army Captain Benjamin Sklaver was killed in Afghanistan when his Civil Affairs Unit was ambushed by a suicide bomber.

Though the Civil Affairs soldiers tasked with nation building make up only about five percent of the U.S. Army's reserve forces, they accounted for 23 percent of the combat fatalities among reservists in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Center for Public Integrity stated in releasing its report today.

Brit soldier killed in car crash

A SOLDIER recently returned from Afghanistan died with his girlfriend when their car rolled over and hit a tree.

Jamie Hall, 23, and Michelle Swinton, 22, who had a son of four from another relationship, were on a night out.

Driver Jamie was a gunner with 4 Regiment Royal Artillery, based at Thirsk, North Yorks, and returned from the war zone in November.

The crash happened near their homes in Blackhall Rocks, Co Durham. An Army spokesman said: "This is such a tragic accident when he has been through all of that."

Source: Mirror News

Robots on the battlefield

You may think we’re still a few years away from the point when T-800s prowl the battle field, looking for human skulls to crush underneath their robotic heels, but think again: today, right now, one in every fifty soldiers in Afghanistan is a robot, not a human. 

According to Lt. Col. Dave Thomspon, speaking to Wired, there are more than 2,000 robots on the ground fighting alongside human troops right now. These aren’t all Terminators, though: in fact, most of the robots in Afghanistan are still pretty dumb.

Embrace Islam or face gallows: Afghan worker told

An Afghan Red Cross activist, who had embraced Christanity, faces death sentence handed down by a court in Afghanistan.

Physiotherapist Said Musa, 45, will be executed within three days, the Daily Mail reported Monday.