http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/isaf/ en-us Sun, 5 Oct 2008 14:24:14 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097949/posts NATO-led soldiers have captured a Taliban commander said to have links to the most senior figures in the extremist militia that is waging an insurgency in Afghanistan, the force said Sunday. Mullah Sakhi Dad and another insurgent were captured at a compound in the southern province of Uruzgan on Wednesday, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. He had been leading a "significant number of Taliban fighters" and was implicated in suicide bombings, the distribution of ammunition and the kidnapping of Afghan civilians, it said. afp.google http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097949/posts#comment Sun, 5 Oct 2008 14:24:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073562/posts via translation- Pakistan: 15 people killed in a raid of international forces in Afghanistan PESHAWAR (Pakistan) - At least 15 people, including civilians, were killed Wednesday in the north-west Pakistan in an attack involving helicopters international forces based in Afghanistan, told AFP the heads of security services Pakistani. "Four helicopter gunships have crossed the border and launched the attack," assured AFP one of these sources, who requested anonymity. "Helicopters from Afghanistan were involved," confirmed to AFP Mowaz Khan, a senior official of the administration of the tribal district of South Waziristan where the raid took place in the border village... AFP via translation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073562/posts#comment Wed, 3 Sep 2008 06:44:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065578/posts KANDAHAR - Three Canadian soldiers have been killed in Zhari district in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device. One soldier was also seriously injured after the device detonated near their vehicle at about 10:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday. One of the soldiers has been identified as Sgt. Shawn Eades, who was on his third tour in Afghanistan and is being described as a devoted father. The families have all been notified, but the Department of National Defence is not releasing the names of the other soldiers at this point. The three soldiers were combat engineers with 12 Field Squadron,... Canadian Press via Sun Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065578/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:28:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065314/posts France reacted in shock on Wednesday to the death of 10 of its soldiers in an ambush in Afghanistan and questions began to be asked about the country's worst military loss in 25 years. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who flew to Kabul on Tuesday, said France was committed to its engagement in Afghanistan where it took part in the 2001 invasion to topple the Taliban. But the opposition Socialists called for a parliamentary committee to meet and doubts were expressed about the official account of the incident in which the 10 soldiers were killed and 21 wounded in a fierce mountain... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065314/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:21:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064584/posts WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2008 – Ten French soldiers were killed in Afghanistan when their patrol was attacked by Taliban fighters in Kabul province during fighting that spanned from late yesterday until early today, U.S. officials said. Twenty-one other French troops were wounded in the engagement, which reportedly involved up to 100 insurgents, according to a NATO news release. Afghan security forces were with the French soldiers when enemy fighters attacked. “As I understand it, it was a complex attack involving multiple weapons systems, small arms, mortars, rockets, and [it] lasted for several hours,” senior Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064584/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:35:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064165/posts Ten French soldiers have been killed in fighting with the Taleban east of the Afghan capital, Kabul, Afghan and French sources say. The deaths come amid heavy fighting near Kabul after Nato said one of its patrols was ambushed. BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064165/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:24:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064177/posts KABUL (AFP) - Ten French soldiers were killed in battles with the Taliban near the Afghan capital, a French presidency source said Tuesday, as troops thwarted a second attack on a key US military base in as many days. Military officials in Kabul said the fierce clashes started with an attack Monday on an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrol in Sarobi district, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the capital Kabul. The French source, who requested anonymity, said the soldiers were killed following a "Taliban ambush". Most of the 3,000 French troops participating in the 40-nation ISAF are... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064177/posts#comment Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:07:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062460/posts Canada A.M. Special Report on Canadian Soldiers (videos) http://www.ctv.ca/canadaam http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062460/posts#comment Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:16:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051975/posts Excerpt - KHOST, Afghanistan (AFP) — Between 50 and 70 Taliban-linked militants were killed in air strikes by international forces in eastern Afghanistan early Sunday, a provincial governor said. The militants had initially stormed a police post in Khost province near the border with Pakistan, killing two policemen, one of whom was beheaded, provincial governor Arsala Jamal told AFP. International military aircraft were called in to strike back, he said. ~ snip ~ Agence France-Presse (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051975/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:47:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048002/posts Canadian Soldier Killed in AfghanistanCEFCOM NR–08.027 - July 19, 2008OTTAWA – Yesterday, a Canadian soldier was killed just before midnight Kandahar time. The soldier was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device while on a foot patrol in Panjwayi District. The fallen soldier is Corporal James (Jim) Hayward Arnal of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Shilo, Manitoba. First aid was administered to Corporal Arnal immediately following the incident. He was evacuated by helicopter to Kandahar Air Field’s Role 3 Multi-National Medical Facility, but sadly was pronounced dead upon arrival. All members of Task Force Kandahar are... dnd/cANADIAN fORCES http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048002/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:42:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046278/posts CNN) -- NATO-led forces in eastern Afghanistan have left a temporary combat outpost station, a site insurgents tried to overrun earlier this week in a push that led to the deaths of nine American soldiers. But a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Wednesday that ISAF troops and Afghan National Security Forces would "continue to perform regular patrols near the village of Wanat." "The citizens in Wanat and northern Kunar province can be assured that ISAF and ANSF are going to continue with a strong presence in the area,'" said spokesman Capt. Mike Finney said. "We are committed,... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046278/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:30:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044912/posts KABUL, Afghanistan, July 13 — Taliban insurgents mounted a large-scale attack on an American forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Sunday, killing nine American soldiers in fierce fighting that continued through the day. Mark Laity, a spokesman for NATO, confirmed that nine soldiers had been killed and 15 more wounded, but did not give their nationality. Separately, a senior American military official confirmed that the nine soldiers killed were Americans. Four Afghan soldiers also were wounded, Mr. Laity said. The Taliban assault on the base was the deadliest single attack on the NATO security force... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044912/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:38:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044867/posts KABUL (Reuters) - Insurgents killed nine U.S. soldiers in an assault on an Afghan army and NATO outpost in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, making it one of the worst days for foreign troops casualties in the country since 2001. Afghanistan is suffering from a rising tide of violence this year, with a sharp increase in Taliban attacks, especially in the east where NATO says militants have taken advantage of peace deals in Pakistan to cross the border and fight in Afghanistan. --snip-- The dead soldiers were all American, a NATO official said. Fifteen ISAF troops and four Afghan soldiers were... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044867/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:55:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035083/posts KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition troops killed some 55 Taliban insurgents who ambushed them in southeastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, the U.S. military said on Monday. There has been a sharp rise in violence along Afghanistan's eastern frontier in recent months. NATO generals say de-facto ceasefires between Pakistan's new government and militants in its border region free up insurgents to infiltrate into Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents ambushed the coalition forces with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in the Zerok district of Paktika province on Friday, a U.S. military statement said. Among those killed were three Taliban leaders. "Around... Reuters via Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035083/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:54:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031400/posts The outgoing top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan said Friday that attacks increased 50 percent in April in the country's eastern region, where U.S. troops primarily operate, as a spreading Taliban insurgency across the border in Pakistan fueled a surge in violence. In a sober assessment, Gen. Dan K. McNeill, who departed June 3 after 16 months commanding NATO's International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, said that although record levels of foreign and Afghan troops have constrained repeated Taliban offensives, stabilizing Afghanistan will be impossible without a more robust military campaign against insurgent havens in Pakistan. The Taliban is "resurgent... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031400/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:58:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029721/posts OTTAWA -- Conservative and Liberal senators cast doubt Wednesday that Canada will be able to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by 2011 as planned. The Senate's national security and defence committee also urged the government to ease its stance against negotiating with the Taliban, warning that the war could drag on for years without diplomatic intervention, although Conservative members of the panel opposed that position. "I don't think all the troops will be out of there in 2011," said Conservative Senator Michael Meighen, vice-chair of the committee, referring to parts of Afghanistan as "medieval." "I don't think there's any chance... Canwest News Service via National Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029721/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:29:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028067/posts KANDAHAR–Only days before his own death in a tragic accident, Capt. Jonathan (Jon) Sutherland Snyder saved the lives of Canadian and Afghan soldiers. That is but one reason that Afghan National Army troops marched with their Canadian colleagues – and mentors – in a ramp ceremony here late this evening as the platoon commander's flag-sheathed casket was loaded on to a Hercules aircraft for the long trip home. Snyder, 26, was killed Saturday night when he fell into a 20-metre deep well while leading a foot patrol in Zhari District, west of Kandahar. He was the 85th Canadian to die... The Toronto Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028067/posts#comment Sun, 8 Jun 2008 23:26:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028033/posts Three British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, bringing the number of dead to 100. The three soldiers from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment were on a routine foot patrol in the Upper Sangin Valley in Helmand Province on Sunday when a suicide bomber struck. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Four soldiers were injured in the attack and were evacuated to the medical facility at Camp Bastion. "Sadly, one soldier was pronounced dead on arrival and despite the best efforts of the medical team, two of the soldiers died as a result of their wounds. "A fourth soldier is... ITN News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028033/posts#comment Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:45:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024582/posts Missions by special forces and air strikes by unmanned drones have "decapitated" the Taliban and brought the war in Afghanistan to a "tipping point", the commander of British forces has said. The new "precise, surgical" tactics have killed scores of insurgent leaders and made it extremely difficult for Pakistan-based Taliban leaders to prosecute the campaign, according to Brig Mark Carleton-Smith. In the past two years an estimated 7,000 Taliban have been killed, the majority in southern and eastern Afghanistan. But it is the "very effective targeted decapitation operations" that have removed "several echelons of commanders". A member of 2 Scots... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024582/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:25:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003557/posts The son of the Netherlands’ top military officer was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan early this morning, one day after his father was made head of the Dutch armed forces. Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm, 23, was among two Dutch soldiers killed in the blast seven miles northwest of their military base, Camp Holland, in Uruzgan province, the Dutch defence ministry said. The second dead soldier was not fully identified but was said to be 22 years old. The military insisted today that there was nothing to suggest the commander’s son was deliberately targeted. However there were fears that... times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003557/posts#comment Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:15:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999674/posts KABUL (AFP) — More than 2,000 US marines recently deployed in Afghanistan to support a NATO-led military campaign against Islamic rebels have began operations in the country's restive south, the unit said Thursday. The 2,300-strong US Marine Expeditionary Unit was part of Washington's recent contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) efforts to quell a resurgent Taliban insurgency. "The last of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Marines and Sailors are arriving and the unit is beginning operations after weeks of flowing personnel and equipment here," the unit said in a statement. "The Marines have begun their operations in... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999674/posts#comment Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:48:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1989160/posts table> A Marine with the 24th MEU's KC-130 detatchment preps his bird for takeoff. The KC-130j crews have flown throughout the country in support of ISAF. Marines from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (Reinforced), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, NATO International Security Assistance Force, test the controls of a KC-130J prior to a flight. The KC-130J pilots and crew have been crisscrossing the country, flying cargo and passengers for ISAF. US Army soldiers catch a ride on a Marine KC-130j. HMM-365's KC-130 detatchment has been tranporting people and equipment all ove aAfghanistan in support of ISAF since their arival. Marines from... Marine Corps News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1989160/posts#comment Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:05:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987761/posts KABUL, Afghanistan - Some of the 3,200 U.S. Marines slated for a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan's volatile south have begun arriving at the region's largest base following a call from Canada for more troops there. About 2,300 troops from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will be based in Kandahar, the Taliban's former power base. A majority of those Marines arrived in the last several days. Canada has 2,500 troops in Kandahar province but has threatened to end its combat role in Afghanistan unless other NATO countries provide an additional 1,000 troops to help the... Associated Press via Military.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987761/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:44:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980119/posts KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- As the sun rose to the mournful skirl of bagpipes, Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze was given a solemn farewell by about 3,000 fellow soldiers at a grim memorial today in Afghanistan. Hayakaze died Sunday when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device on a road about 45 kilometres west of the Canadian base in Kandahar. He was part of a convoy bringing supplies forward to an Afghan army unit working with the Canadians. The 25-year-old trooper from the Edmonton-based Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) was scheduled to return to Canada in a few... anwest News Service via National Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980119/posts#comment Tue, 4 Mar 2008 13:29:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1977331/posts Royal Marines from 40 Commando have destroyed a drugs factory in the Upper Sangin Valley along with 1.5 tonnes of morphine base - the precursor of heroin. The Commandos from Bravo Company discovered compounds in Sapwan Kala that contained a major drugs lab. They also uncovered evidence - some in English - of bank accounts, along with a weapons cache and identity cards. Part of Operation GHARTSE DAGGER, Bravo Company's 4 Troop began clearing through compounds in the north of Sapwan Kala at first light, talking to villagers as they went, hoping to find evidence of the heroin trade. Second... uk MoD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1977331/posts#comment Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:45:52 GMT