Daily Security Brief: July 28, 2011

GHAZNI: Nine insurgents and two Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed in southern Ghazni province, officials said on Thursday.

A blast hit an ANA vehicle on late Wednesday in the Chaghawer area of Andar district, killing two soldiers. The insurgents then attacked the army patrol again; nine insurgents were killed in the ensuing battle, Maj. Daud Shah Wafadar, the 203 Tandar military corps commander, told Pajhwok Afghan News. He added that two ANA soldiers were injured in the fighting and their vehicle destroyed.

The Taliban claimed that four soldiers were killed and one injured in the blast, and that the ANA vehicle was completely destroyed.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that elsewhere in the province Taliban fighters wiped out a group of robbers. Provincial security officials reject this claim.

— Mirwais Himmat

HELMAND: A local police commander and his son were killed in a Taliban attack in the Marja district of southern Helmand province, officials said on Thursday.

The assault occurred late Wednesday in the Sistani area of the district, Col .Mohammad Ismail, Helmand’s deputy police chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said two unidentified motorcyclists opened fire at Haji Noor Ali’s residence, killing him along with his son. The gunmen fled the scene after perpetrating the assault.

The Taliban claimed the responsibility for the attack. Their spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said Ali, a local police commander, was killed along with his guard.

A police officer in the Sistani area, Sahib Jan, said that Ali, 50, was a former jihadi commander. He led a 30-member local police force, Jan added.

— Zainullah Stanikzai

JAWZJAN: Four insurgents were killed during an operation in the Shor Qaduq area and Qush Tapa district late on Wednesday night, said Col. Mohammad Ibrahim, the deputy provincial police chief.

The dead included an insurgent who had escaped from the Darzab district prison four months ago, said Qush Tapa district chief, Aminullah. Civilians suffered no casualties during the offensive, he said.

A resident of the area, Faqir Mohammad, said that militants often appeared at night to target security forces. He confirmed that four insurgents had been killed during last night’s operation.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid,  confirmed the operation, but said he had no information about casualties.

— Tamkin

LAGHMAN: Unidentified gunmen shot dead Mohammad Aalim, a provincial court judge, in eastern Laghman province, an official said Thursday.

The judge was killed late Wednesday while praying at a mosque in the Dalil Qala area of the city of Mehtarlam, Lt. Col. Abdullah of the provincial police told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The attackers fled the scene after killing Aalim. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Noor Salam, an eyewitness, said: “We were praying, and suddenly heard gunshots.”

— Abdullah Bedar

LOGAR: The provincial police chief and the head of the provincial council survived a rocket attack in the central province of Logar, officials said Thursday. Elsewhere, two insurgents were killed and two arrested with weapons and explosives in the Charkh district of central Logar province, Din Mohammad Darwaish, the governor’s spokesman, said.

Wednesday night, Taliban fighters fired rockets at the house of the provincial police chief, Col. Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Laiwani, in Pul-i-Alam City. They then began fighting with the house’s guards, the governor’s spokesman, Din Mohammad Darwesh, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Abdul Wali Wakil, the head of the provincial council, was a guest at the house when the attack occurred, crime branch chief Col. Mohammad Jan Abid said.

Wakil said there were no casualties from the rocket attacks. The Taliban have not commented on the incident.

The operation that killed two insurgents and resulted in the arrest of two others was carried out in the Dabar area on Wednesday night, said the governor’s spokesman. Five rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and four AK-47s assault rifles were recovered from the militants, the district chief, Abdul Khalil Kamal, said.

— Maqsud Azizi

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