Free Republic

(Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Tuesday, the coalition and officials said, a day after three Georgian soldiers were killed in nearby Helmand. The soldiers were in a vehicle on patrol in Kandahar's Zhari district when they were killed, provincial spokesman Jawid Ahmad Faisal said.

Relatives of Navy SEALs who died when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan in August 2011 spoke at a press conference Thursday to condemn the Obama administration and claim that the U.S. military presented a Muslim cleric at the dead SEALs’ funeral who disparaged “sinners and infidels who are fodder for the hell fire.” FreedomWatch president Larry Klayman, the attorney representing the families, claimed at the press conference, which Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and former Florida Republican Rep. Allen West also attended, that the U.S. military presented an anti-American speaker at the SEALs’ 2011 funeral.

Seven US service members were killed on Saturday in one of the deadliest days for Americans in Afghanistan in recent months and the latest of attacks against international troops since the Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive. The renewed violence came as Afghan president Hamid Karzai acknowledged at a news conference that regular payments his government has received from CIA for more than a decade would continue. Karzai also said that talks on a US-Afghan bilateral security agreement to govern future American military presence in the country had been delayed because of conditions the Afghans were placing on...

even U.S. soldiers and a member of the NATO-led coalition were killed on Saturday in one of the deadliest days for Americans and other foreign troops in Afghanistan in recent months, as the Taliban continued attacks as part of their spring offensive. The renewed violence came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged at a news conference that regular payments his government has received from the CIA for more than a decade would continue. Karzai also said that talks on a U.S.-Afghan bilateral security agreement to govern future American military presence in the country had been delayed because of conditions the...

The heroic last stand of a young soldier who died trying to defeat an insurgent sniper team has been recognised with the posthumous awarding of the Victoria Cross (VC), the country's highest recognition for valour. Lance Corporal James Ashworth, aged 23 from Kettering, Northamptonshire, was killed by enemy fire when he made a lone advance on an insurgent position that was engaged in a deadly battle with his platoon in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand, Afghanistan. His family (pictured top) were invited to a special media event at Lille Barracks, home of 1 Grenadier Guards, today, where Commander 12...

(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night that he will end the war in Afghanistan by the end of next year, and that after that he will keep tens of thousands of American troops in Afghanistan to fight a war in Afghanistan. “And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over,” said Obama. For the period after 2014, he said, “We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again...

US Army distributes guide to troops: "Avoid arrogance" and "respect Islam" in order to avoid attacks by Afghan soldiers Denial, dhimmitude, subservience. What do you expect from today's military establishment? In reality, no amount of "respect for Islam" and humility from American troops will prevent these attacks, because the imperative for them is rooted in Islam's doctrines of warfare against unbelievers. But since the U.S. Army prefers to pretend that those doctrines don't exist, we get this. "Pocket Guide Advises US Troops to 'Avoid Arrogance,' 'Respect Islam' in Order to Prevent 'Green on Blue' Attacks," from Truthout, August 24 (thanks...

WASHINGTON — In December 2009, our commander in chief went to West Point and proclaimed that he would withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by 2014. Since then, he has proudly emphasized that "We are on a course to end this war responsibly." Now U.S. and NATO troops and loyal Afghan soldiers and police officers are reaping the bitter harvest of the seeds that Barack Obama planted with those words. Over the last 10 days, in five separate incidents, seven American military personnel were killed in what used to be called "green on blue attacks" — where Afghan soldiers or...

August 16, 2012: Seven American soldiers were killed Thursday when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, U.S. officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter, although the insurgency often exaggerates its victories and is quick to claim responsibility for any incident involving foreign troop deaths. The area where the helicopter went down is an insurgent hotbed and supply route, lying north of Kandahar city near volatile Zabul and Uruzgan provinces. This story is still developing. R.I.P.

(CNN)– A NATO helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan Thursday killed at least 11 people, including three Americans, the alliance’s International Security Assistance Force said. The Associated Press is reporting that the Taliban is claiming that insurgents are responsible for the attack. ISAF said three were U.S. Forces-Afghanistan service members. The others include four ISAF service members, but it is not clear what their nationalities are. Three members of the Afghan National Security Forces and an Afghan civilian interpreter also died. The cause of the crash is under investigation, ISAF said in a news release.

Pendleton captain killed by Afghan police SAN DIEGO - A captain based at Pendleton was one of three Marines killed Friday in Helmand province by an Afghan police officer with whom he had just shared a meal, it was reported Saturday. Matt Manoukian, 29, of Los Altos Hills, was killed after being invited by an Afghan police commander to a meeting in Sangin district, long a Taliban stronghold, to discuss security issues, The U-T San Diego reported. Before the meeting, Manoukian and the other two Marines killed shared a meal with their killer. The attack was the third of its...

3 Italy-based U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan VICENZA ITALY JULY 25, 2012 BY: SUSY RAYBON The Pentagon announced today the deaths of three Italy-based soldiers who were killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Pfc. Adam C. Ross, 19, of Lyman, S.C., died July 24, 2012, in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire. Ross was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. Of note, the DOD announced last week that the base in Vicenza, Italy, is soon to be closed under the Base Realignment and...

Six American troops were killed in a roadside blast today in eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. official told ABC News. Details about the deadly incident remain vague. Earlier today, a press release by NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said six ISAF servicemembers “died following an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today.” The nationalities of the victims were not identified because “it is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities,” the statement said. A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that the six killed in today’s attack were Americans, but did not have specific details...

KABUL -- A man wearing an Afghan National Army uniform opened fire on coalition troops in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing an American and wounding two others, officials said. "An Afghan Army soldier turned his weapon against US soldiers inside an Afghan-US military base in Kunar Province, killing one US soldier and injuring two others," provincial police chief Ewaz Mohammad Naziri told AFP. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. http://www.myfoxny.com/story/18306795/man-wearing-afghan-army-uniform-shoots-dead-isaf-soldier

A US soldier has killed 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, after entering their homes in Kandahar. Sky sources said the Afghan victims also included women and elderly men. Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs Asadullah Khalid, who is investigating the incident, said the soldier entered three homes, killing 11 people in the first one. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) coalition confirmed the incident but did not release the number of killed or injured. Sky defence reporter Mark Stone said: "Details are still sketchy and various death tolls have emerged. "It appears to be an isolated incident and...

Afghan officials say an American reconnaissance drone has crashed in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Paktia, Press TV reports. A Tuesday statement released by NATO confirmed the incident but claimed that the unmanned aircraft made an emergency landing “due to technical malfunction.” According to locals, US-led forces have cordoned off the site of the incident. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also claimed that members of the militant group shot down the drone in the Ahmadabad district of the province. The Taliban say they have shot down several aircraft and NATO choppers in different parts of Afghanistan over the past few months. Activities...

A roadside bomb killed five American troops in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, the U.S. military said, less than a week after American forces suffered their worst single loss of the Afghan war when Taliban insurgents shot down a helicopter.

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed: Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La., Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif., Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark., Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare...

The Pentagon wants Gen. David Petraeus out of Afghanistan by mid-July, much sooner than the original September target date for his change of command, giving the general time for a break before he takes over as CIA director. Defense Department and military officials confirm there are plans for Petraeus to leave immediately after his deputy and operational commander Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez ends his term in country. Rodriguez’s last day is expected to be July 11, with Petraeus tentatively scheduled to leave July 18. Petraeus’ exit, however, depends on the Senate confirming his replacement, Central Command deputy Marine Lt. Gen....

List – Killed in Action, Global War on Terror, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, Puerto Rico born or Puerto Rico HOR SGT Louie Ramos-Velázquez, USA, KIA May 26, 2011, Kandahar, Afghanistan SGT José M. Caraballo-Pietri, USA, KIA April 10, 2011, Badghis, Afghanistan SGT José M. Cintrón-Rosado, USA, KIA January 2, 2011, Taji, Iraq SPC José A. Delgado-Arroyo, USA, KIA January 2, 2011, Taji, Iraq PVT Francheska Velez, USA, KIA, November 5, 2009, Fort Hood, Texas SPC Israel Candelaria Mejías, USA, KIA April 5, 2009, Near Baghdad, Iraq SrA Jonathan Vega Yelner, USAF, KIA...

Vice President Biden said today that the coalition forces in Afghanistan have “largely arrested the Taliban momentum” in key areas there. But he acknowledged that the gains are “fragile and reversible.” Biden’s comments came after a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in Kabul. Biden emphasized the U.S. commitment to the Afghan government. “We are not leaving if you don't want us to leave,” he said. The vice president said while there are “many hard days that lie ahead,” there is now a “viable path going forward” to the transition from US forces to Afghan security...

London, Dec 24 (IANS) A member of the elite al-Quds force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, wanted for his involvement in smuggling of arms, was captured by NATO troops in Afghanistan.The man was detained last Saturday in Zehri district of southern Kandahar province, which is known as the birthplace of the Taliban movement, the BBC reported. The man was a “key Taliban weapons facilitator” involved in smuggling arms from Iran to Afghanistan, NATO was quoted as having said in a statement. The man was detained “for facilitating the movement of weapons between Iran and Kandahar through (southern) Nimruz province,” a spokesman...

(Dec. 8) -- A new video containing footage of the only American soldier held captive by the Taliban for almost 18 months has been released on the Internet. Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho, was 23 when he disappeared from his combat outpost in Afghanistan's southeastern Paktika province and was last seen in a video released in April. Images from the new footage, released Tuesday, show the soldier wearing an open-necked tan shirt, with a wound just below his left eye. Previous videos showed Bergdahl with a beard, but he appears clean-shaven with tightly cropped hair in the latest release....

(CNN) - President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Friday on a surprise visit.

KABUL, Afghanistan – Airstrikes and ground operations by NATO and Afghan troops killed dozens of insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader who spearheaded attacks against security forces, the alliance said Thursday as the war in Afghanistan entered its 10th year. Sixteen militants were killed in air raids and ground fighting overnight in the Darqad, Yangi Qala and Khwaja Bahawuddin districts of Takhar province, Gen. Shah Jahan Noori, provincial police chief, told The Associated Press. More than a dozen insurgents were wounded. Northern Takhar has been the scene of escalating military operations in recent days, as NATO and Afghan forces step...

A roadside bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan has killed four US soldiers, Nato said. AFP quoted spokesman James Judge as saying that a home-made bomb, one of the main weapons of the Taliban, was used in the attack. The attack comes a day after seven US soldiers were killed in two bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan. The deaths add to the rising trend of casualties for Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). June and July were the worst months for foreign troop deaths since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. Nearly 50 Americans have died in August alone....

KABUL, Afghanistan – Seven U.S. troops have died in weekend attacks in Afghanistan's embattled southern and eastern regions, NATO said Sunday. Two servicemen died in bombings Sunday in southern Afghanistan, while two others were killed in a bomb attack in the south on Saturday and three in fighting in the east the same day, NATO said. Their identities and other details were being withheld until relatives could be notified. The latest deaths bring to 42 the number of American forces who have died this month in Afghanistan after July's high of 66. A total of 62 international forces have died...

Three Die as Militants Lay Siege to Police HQ in Kandahar, 5 More Killed Hours Later in 2 Separate Attacks

We need "a warrior," not "a flower child." The anguished mother of an American soldier killed in Afghanistan said this about President Obama. She objects to the rules of engagement, which she feels caused her son's death. The recent Rolling Stone piece on the former Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, showed widespread troop disapproval of these rules, designed to minimize civilian casualties but which increase the danger to coalition soldiers in the field. But this is the mind-set of Obama. As a candidate for president, Obama criticized President George W. Bush for "wrongly" taking the nation to war in Iraq...

All that mattered Wednesday was the mission. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal deserved to be fired for the contemptuous remarks that he and members of his staff made to a reporter about President Obama and his national security team. But Obama would have been justified in sticking with McChrystal if, in the president's estimation, firing General Loose Lips would have done significant harm to the mission -- achieving our nation's goals in Afghanistan. Fortunately, Obama struck on a way to do what's best for the United States -- reaffirm the primacy of civilian command over the military -- without compromising the...

The deaths of another four NATO troops in an accident in Afghanistan made June the deadliest single month for US-led foreign forces in the nearly nine-year conflict, according to an AFP tally Thursday. The grim landmark followed the sacking of NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, which was greeted with dismay in Kabul where Afghan officials and foreign diplomats praised his bold efforts to reshape the war. The four troops died as a result of a vehicle accident in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force said in a statement that gave no further details. The...

The White House is reviewing a list of possible replacements for Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who admitted to top Obama administration officials that he "compromised the mission" by making disparaging comments in a Rolling Stone interview. The White House has asked the Pentagon for a list of possible replacements, even though administration officials insist a decision on whether McChrystal will keep his job will not come until after he has made his case to the president in their face-to-face meeting. Possible successors that administration officials are reviewing include Gen. James Mattis, U.S. Joint Forces Command chief; Lt. Gen. John Allen ,...

McChrystal Balls President Obama should reprimand his general, but listen to his complaints June 23 2010 General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, has a reputation as the most disciplined soldier of his generation, and one of the brightest. The asceticism of his daily life, to keep himself ready for any threat, is now legendary: an eight-mile run, only one meal and just four hours sleep. It is understandable, then, that yesterday’s revelations stunned Washington — and Kabul. The general had so far forgotten the cost of careless talk that he had griped about the President...

Australian troops have been involved in an incident in Afghanistan that has killed an unknown number of soldiers. Defence has called a snap press conference where Defence Minister John Faulkner will detail the incident.

During a United States Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the status of Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, fell ill. According to NPR's David Welna, Petraeus was slumped on the witness table, next to Michele Flournoy, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, with whom he was scheduled to testify. Minutes ago, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the chairman of the committe, said that the general "appears to be doing very well," and that he is drinking water. With help, Petraeus was able to walk out of the hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building....

A U.S. soldier has been charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, Fox News has confirmed. Specialist Jeremy Morlock, a 22-year-old Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier, was charged Friday with murdering three Afghan civilians this year in Kandahar province. He also was charged with assaulting a soldier in his unit. Morlock, of Wasilla, Alaska, could face the death penalty if convicted.

HO This is photo provided by family shows Darren James LaBonte, 35, in Afghanistan in 2007. LaBonte was one of seven CIA employees who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a U.S. base in Khost, Afghanistan on Dec. 30, 2009. LaBonte and the others were remembered at the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y. on Memorial Day. As part of the ceremony, a B-17 bomber dropped flowers in the Atlantic Ocean not far from the site of the Twin Towers and the World Trade Center. (AP Photo/Courtesy of LaBonte's Family) NO SALES A last...

MIRAMSHAH: A US drone fired three missiles into a militant compound in Pakistan's tribal area near the Afghan border on Saturday, killing seven militants, security officials said. The strike took place at 9:00 pm in Marsi khel area, 20 kilometers east of Miramshah, the main town of North Waziristan. The nationalities of the seven dead militants were not immediately clear, a senior Pakistani security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Another security official confirmed the strike and the death toll.—AFP

Known to US soldiers as the Valley of Death, it's been the scene of the some of the most intense fighting in the war in Afghanistan. After years of intense fighting, the US has left its remote outpost in the Korengal Valley, in the country's east. Al Jazeera's James Bays has more on the move, which the US calls a re-positioning of forces, but which the Taliban has declared a US defeat.

4/15/2010 - JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) -- Members of the 4th Marine Logistics Group, 4th Atlanta Support Battalion, Charlie Company here are moving shipments of mine-resistant, ambush-protected, all-terrain vehicles overseas to a number of remote locations supporting the build-up for Operation Enduring Freedom. M-ATVs are armored vehicles with improved mobility and are currently being deployed to Afghanistan, that has rough and mountainous off-road environments. These vehicles can support four passengers and one gunner, can reach a maximum speed of 65 mph and weigh less than 25,000 pounds. Before arriving at Joint Base Charleston, the members of Charlie Company, who...

Three US service personnel and one civilian were killed when a US Air Force Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor crashed in southern Afghanistan’s Zabul Province on 8 April. “Numerous other service members” were also injured in the mishap, according to a statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. “The cause of the crash is unknown at this time,” it says. The incident, which happened near Qalat City, represents the first crash to have involved an operational version of the V-22, which is also used by the US Marine Corps in the MV configuration. The Osprey programme suffered three fatal...

American troops are often outgunned by Afghan insurgents because they lack the precision weapons, deadly rounds, and training needed to kill the enemy in the long-distance firefights common in Afghanistan's rugged terrain, according to an internal Army study. Unlike in Iraq, where most shooting took place at relatively short range in urban neighborhoods, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are more often attacked from high ground with light machine guns and mortars from well beyond 300 meters (327 yards, or just over three football field lengths). The average range for a small-arms firefight in Afghanistan is about 500 meters, according to the...

CAMP DELARAM II, Afghanistan -- When our Fox News team was here more than a year ago, this was a platoon patrol base. Then this area was a Taliban free-fire zone, and rarely did Marines venture "outside the wire" without some kind of engagement with the enemy -- usually an improvised explosive device planted in the moon dust that passes for dirt here in this arid desert. When we returned to Afghanistan last autumn, this dusty crossroads town had grown to become the headquarters for a battalion. Today Delaram is "home" to Regimental Combat Team 2 -- and thousands more...

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2010 – This summer will mark the first time since 2003 that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan will overshadow the American presence in Iraq, the top U.S. military officer told Congress today. Driving the eclipse is the 30,000-troop surge President Barack Obama announced for Afghanistan in December, roughly a third of which is in place, and with 18,000 of the additional forces expected to be in Afghanistan by late spring as troop levels in Iraq continue to drop. “Indeed, by the middle of this year, Afghanistan will surpass Iraq, for the first time since 2003,...

Whoppers, Dairy Queen sundaes and the latest movies will soon disappear for U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan, according to a blog posting by Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Hall discussing changes to morale, welfare and recreation facilities on U.S. bases there. In an effort to put more focus on fighting the Taliban, the military is cutting back on "non-essentials" in Afghanistan, Hall announced on the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan blog this week. Hall is the command sergeant major for ISAF. On large U.S. facilities such as the Kandahar and Bagram air bases, that includes closing restaurants such as Burger...

The recent battle in Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province was a key test case for new rules of engagement that emphasized protecting civilians rather than killing insurgents. The town was taken, but whether that was because of the new rules or despite them remains to be seen. The rules of engagement are probably the most restrictive ever seen for a war of this nature. NATO forces cannot fire on suspected Taliban fighters unless they are clearly visible, armed and posing a direct threat. Buildings suspected of containing insurgents cannot be targeted unless it is certain that civilians are not also...

More than 120 Taliban militants have been killed and 56 others captured since a major offensive against Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province was launched on Feb. 13, Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said Thursday, DPA reported. "The troops have killed over 120 rebels and captured 56 others, " Azimi told a joint press conference.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2010 – The coalition’s operations in Helmand province are the first stage of a broader offensive to change the course of the fight in Afghanistan, Defense Department leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Operation Moshtarak, as the offensive launched Feb. 13 is known, is “going well so far,” Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, said in a briefing to the committee. “This really is the first large-scale effort to change how we’re doing business.” Flournoy and Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., director of operations for the Joint Staff, said Moshtarak is...

Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of the United States Central Command, said Sunday that the battle being fought in the Taliban stronghold of Marja was the “initial salvo” in a military campaign that could last 12 to 18 months. In an interview on NBC’s news program “Meet the Press,” the general, who oversees the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, sought to put the Marja battle “into context” by explaining its part in the overall effort by American, Afghan and other forces to defeat the Taliban. He said that international forces had spent recent months mapping strategy, gathering resources and...

Courtesy UK Ministry of Defence As Operation MOSHTARAK enters its second week, local people in Marjah have voiced their thanks to the ISAF troops involved in clearing the area of insurgents. In a briefing to the media today, Friday 19 February 2010, UK military spokesman Major General Gordon Messenger said that locals within the agricultural population of the town are welcoming troops arriving in the area. Operation MOSHTARAK is being conducted in Marjah area by predominantly American and Afghan troops, while British troops and their Afghan partners have been concentrating in the Nad 'Ali district. Maj Gen Messenger said...