DTN News - TALIBAN ATTACKS KABUL: Taliban Assault On Kabul Ends With Explosions And Heavy Gunfire

DTN News - TALIBAN ATTACKS KABUL: Taliban Assault On Kabul Ends With Explosions And Heavy Gunfire
*A Taliban assault on the Afghanistan capital Kabul ends after 18 hours of heavy fighting across the city
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Telegraph UK
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 16, 2012: Afghan soldiers stormed a tower block which the militants had seized as a base to launch rocket and machine gun attacks into nearby diplomatic missions including the British embassy.

Six Taliban insurgents in the building were killed during the operation which was part of a coordinated offensive in seven sites across Kabul and in three other cities in eastern Afghanistan.

The ministry of interior reported that Afghan forces had killed 36 Taliban fighters and arrested one across the country.

Eight members of the Afghan security forces and three civilians also died, with around 40 members of the security forces and 25 civilians injured.

The Taliban assault also targetted foreign embassy buildings and the country's parliament.

Shukria Bariklzai, a member of parliament said she was proud of the way the security forces responded to the attack and described the terrifying situation that a fellow MP found himself in.

"The member of parliament was really in a bad situation in the parliament house, in the parliament building, in our places."

"But I am proud about my great brothers and their response to the enemy of the country," she added.

Explosions and gunfire echoed across the city for hours as the Afghan forces tried to dislodge their opponents who are thought to be from the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network.

Nato helicopters are also reported to have fired on buildings at the edge of the Wazir Akbar
Khan diplomatic enclave.


 
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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Telegraph UK
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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Europe Remains Committed To Afghan Mission, Commander Admiral Stavridis Says

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Europe Remains Committed To Afghan Mission, Commander Admiral Stavridis Says
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Lisa Daniel - American Forces Press Service
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 1, 2012: European countries strongly support continuing with the mission in Afghanistan despite violent uprisings there, and NATO is likely to continue its partnership with Afghanistan well past the end of combat operations, the alliance’s supreme allied commander for Europe said here.

Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, who also is commander of U.S. European Command, addressed Afghanistan and NATO and U.S.-European partnerships during testimony today before the Senate Armed Services Committee and yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee.

The admiral said he sees no reason to change the strategy in Afghanistan of transitioning security responsibility to Afghan forces in response to violent uprisings that began there last week after it was learned that some U.S. forces had inadvertently burned copies of the Quran.

“As I look at the broad sweep of our strategy there, I am convinced that we should continue with transitioning Afghanistan’s security to the Afghans,” Stavridis said. “In my conversations – I’ve had many over last week or so with senior leaders in the alliance – there’s solid support on the European side to continue with current strategy.”

Stavridis noted that about 150 demonstrations had left 30 people killed and 150 wounded. “That’s significant activity, but it’s been very much diffused around the country,” he said, adding that Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has said he is pleased with Afghan security forces’ ability to contain the violence.

“If you step back and look at the larger progression in Afghanistan, I remain cautiously optimistic that we can succeed there,” the admiral said. Two years ago, when U.S. and British Marines moved into Marjah, there were 10 coalition troops to every Afghan soldier. Today, there are two Afghan soldiers for every coalition member, he said.

Stavridis said he expects Allen will lay out a “definitive track” in mid-summer for the drawdown of coalition forces. “It has to be conditions-based as we go forward,” he said.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has a “high-level goal” of signing a long-term strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan, showing NATO’s “strong willingness to go forward,” Stavridis said. “I think we will see an enduring relationship between NATO and the Republic of Afghanistan,” he added.

Stavridis told the Senators he will provide them with a classified report on the recent violence in Afghanistan, and in response to a question, said the uprisings appear to be a combination of spontaneous demonstrations and Taliban-driven activity.

The admiral also spoke about the importance of U.S.-European partnerships, noting that European countries have 40,000 troops in Afghanistan and lead operations in the Balkans. Speaking to the need for a continued U.S. presence in Europe, he said, “It does matter that we continue to have Europe as our partner of first resort.”

However, he said, he repeatedly has urged European nations to spend more on defense capabilities. The United States spends about 4.5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, he said, and members of the European Union have pledged to spend 2 percent of each of theirs, but only some are meeting that goal, with most spending only about 1.5 percent of GDP on defense, he said.

“They should spend more, and if they would spend more, it would permit the United States to spend less,” Stavridis said. “I think the United States should press this very hard.”

Also at the hearings, the general gave his assessment of NATO’s capabilities in cyber defense. “We are in the process of catching up,” he said. “We have hard work to do in cyber.”

NATO’s progress on cyber is evident at the recently created Cyber Center of Excellence in Estonia, and in a computer response center being added in the NATO headquarters building in Brussels, the admiral said. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Georgia have had “fairly severe” cyber attacks in recent years, he noted.

Cyber defense was included in the 2010 NATO Strategic Concept, and Stavridis said he expects it to be discussed at the upcoming summit.

European governments struggle with public-private cooperation on cyber defense just as Americans do, he said. “We have more thinking and talking to do within the U.S. military structure as to the precise authorities and structures” in U.S. Cyber Command.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Lisa Daniel - American Forces Press Service
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DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY November 13, 2010 - Airbase Attacked, 8 Killed In Afghan Market Bombing

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY November 13, 2010 - Airbase Attacked, 8 Killed In Afghan Market Bombing

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable source By Sardar Ahmad (AFP)

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - November 13, 2010: The Taliban on Saturday launched a pre-dawn attack on a NATO base while eight people, including six civilians, died in a separate motorcycle bombing, the latest deadly violence in Afghanistan.

Eight militant fighters were killed in a firefight with foreign and Afghan forces stationed at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, which is one of the largest military bases in the country, the alliance said.

The Taliban, which often exaggerates details of its attacks and foreign casualties, said 14 suicide bombers were involved but the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said only one was wearing a suicide vest.

No foreign troops or Afghan soldiers were injured in the attack, it added.

"The forward operating base received small arms fire from an unknown number of insurgents and after gaining positive identification of insurgent fighting positions an ANA and ISAF quick reaction force was sent to the area," it said.

Hours later, eight people -- two police and six civilians -- were killed and 18 others were wounded when a motorcycle packed with explosives detonated in a market in the remote Imam Saheb district of the northern province of Kunduz.

District chief Mohammad Ayoub Haqyar told AFP that the explosion was similar to previous attacks by the Taliban but there was no immediate confirmation of responsibility.

A pro-government militia commander was among the dead and was the likely target, he added.

"It's too early to say what the target was but we believe Commander Abdul Manan could have been the target. He was killed," said Haqyar, adding that an investigation was under way.

The hardline Islamist Taliban were in power in Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when they were ousted in a US-led invasion after the September 11 attacks in the United States.

They have since mounted an increasingly bloody campaign to regain power and drive out tens of thousands of foreign troops now based in Afghanistan to protect the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

Militant fighters have been increasing attacks over the last nine years and 2010 is currently the deadliest for the 150,000-strong international force, with more than 630 foreign soldiers killed.

The Taliban has been widely using improvised explosive devices, which are responsible for the bulk of the military deaths as well as scores of civilian casualties.

The insurgents claimed responsibility for another brazen daylight attack on the Jalalabad air base in June, in which a car bomb was set off and rockets were fired at foreign forces.

A number of assailants were killed and two service personnel were injured during the attack, which came just days before US General David Petraeus took up his post as NATO's top commander in Afghanistan.

Jalalabad has more than 2,500 military and civilian personnel and is one of NATO's largest bases in Afghanistan after Kandahar in the south and Bagram, north of Kabul.

Kandahar and Bagram have also been targets for Taliban attacks in the past.

Saturday's attacks came after a failed suicide attack in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday, which was aimed at a convoy of foreign and local troops near a military base.

ISAF said separately on Saturday that it had detained a "senior Taliban leader" and several other suspected militants after discovering a significant weapons cache in the southern province of Helmand.

Several armed insurgents were killed in an air strike targeting a senior Taliban leader in northern Baghlan province, while Afghanistan's interior ministry said they had uncovered a haul of homemade bombs in Kunduz province.

All the operations happened on Friday.

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: US To Supply 2,526 Humvees To Afghan Forces

DTN News: US To Supply 2,526 Humvees To Afghan Forces

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Reuters ~ Reported by Jim Wolf and Edited by Gary Hill

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 13, 2010: AM General, LLC, has been awarded an U.S. Army contract valued at $619 million for 2,526 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, or Humvees, for the Afghan police force and National Guard, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday. Work is to be performed in South Bend, Indiana, with a projected completion date of Dec. 31, 2013, the Pentagon's daily contract digest said. The contract was awarded July 30. One bid was solicited with one bid received, the notice said. AM General is privately held. In December 1999, AM General and General Motors Co GM.UL finalized a deal to jointly pursue product, marketing and distribution opportunities for HUMMER brand vehicles much like their Humvee military cousins. The High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) uses independent suspensions and portal geared hubs similar to portal axles to make for a full 16 inches of ground clearance. The vehicle also has disc brakes on all 4 wheels, and 4-wheel double-wishbone suspension.

The brake disks are not mounted at the wheels as on conventional automobiles, but inboard mounted disk brakes, which are attached to the outside of each differential.

The front and rear differentials are Torsen type, and the center differential is regular, lockable type. There are at least 17 variants of the HMMWV in service with the United States armed forces.

HMMWVs serve as cargo/troop carriers, automatic weapons platforms, ambulances (four litter patients or eight ambulatory patients), M220 TOW missile carriers, M119 howitzer prime movers, M1097 Avenger Pedestal Mounted Stinger platforms, MRQ-12 direct air support vehicles, S250 shelter carriers, and other roles. The HMMWV is capable of fording 2.5 ft (76 cm) normally, or 5 ft (1.5 m) with the deep-water fording kits installed.

In June 1981, the Army awarded AM General a contract for development of several more prototype vehicles to be delivered to the U.S. government for another series of tests, and the company was later awarded the initial production contract for 55,000 HMMWVs to be delivered in 1985. HMMWVs first saw combat in Operation Just Cause, the US invasion of Panama in 1989. The HMMWV has become the vehicular backbone of U.S. forces around the world. Over 10,000 were employed by coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

International versions

*EQ2050/SQF2040 - Chinese versions of the HMMWV. There are at least two Chinese automobile manufacturers building HMMWV copies. Both HMMWV copies rely heavily on imported U.S.-made parts including chassis, gear box, and diesel engine. It appears that at least one company, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM), has the full consent and cooperation of the General Motors Corporation. Both manufacturers claimed that they will be able to gradually increase the percentage of indigenously made content on the vehicles in the future, since the PLA is unlikely willing to accept any equipment that relies largely on foreign made parts. *Bulgaria - Bulgarian HMMWVs have been fitted with PKS heavy machine guns. Bulgaria usually replaces western machine guns on its vehicles to simplify maintenance, since the country is an active producer of Soviet/Russian-type ammunitions. *Greece - Greek unarmored M1114, built entirely by ELBO in Greece, equipped to fire the Russian 9M133 Kornet ATGM. It has storage room for 10 missiles. Israel's Plasan has developed armored versions of the HMMWV, assembled by ELBO in Greece as the M1114GR and M1118GR. *Plasan has also designed and supplied an HMMWV Armored Protection Kit for the Portuguese Army and a different version assembled by Automotive Industries in Nazareth for the Israel Defense Forces. *Poland - Polish Land Forces currently operate 222 different variants of HMMWVes (5 unknown variants are operated by special forces). Over 200 are used by the 18th Airborne Battalion which is a part of the 6th Air Assault Brigade. The used variants are designated as follows: Tumak-2 - M1043A2, Tumak-3 - M1025A2, Tumak-4 - M1097A2, Tumak-5 - M1045A2, Tumak-6 - M1097A2 (variant used for transport of special containers), Tumak-7 - M1035A2. All vehicles are modified to meet Polish rules of the road and are equipped with Polish communication devices. 140 HMMWVes are equipped with Fonet digital internal communication device. 120 M1025A2s and M1043A2s have a rotatable mount which can be fitted with either the UKM-2000P 7.62 mm general purpose machine gun or the NSW-B 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. M1045A2s are used by anti-tank subunits and are armed with Spike-LR which can be dismounted in field conditions. Additionally Polish forces of ISAF operate 120 HMMWVes on loan from the US forces. *The Swiss MOWAG Eagle light armored vehicle, designed for reconnaissance surveillance, liaison, escort, border patrol and police missions. Early versions of the Eagle utilize the HMMWV chassis, although the latest uses a Duro III chassis. It is an NBC-tight, air conditioned and armor protected vehicle. Eagle is in service and available in several configurations with varying levels of armor protection. The Eagle can be fitted with a wide assortment of armaments which can be manually or remotely operated turrets. *Egypt - AOI has a project of fitting HMMWVs with anti armor weaponry, options include: TOW, Milan, or HOT missiles.

HMMWV replicas

Due to the popularity of the HMMWV, kits have been produced for the general market to build a HMMWV-lookalike at home. While the kits do not allow you to build a HMMWV from scratch (kitcar), they do allow you to turn a sedan into a HMMWV lookalike. An alternative is to buy a preconstructed (or "turnkey") wombat. Various kits exist, but one of the most famous names is the "Wombat" (previously called a HummBug). The former vehicle can be purchased for US$18,000; this puts it considerably cheaper than the actual HMMWV ($56,400.00), or Hummer. In Australia, a Gold Coast-based company called Rhino Buggies produces replicas of the Hummer H1 based on the Nissan Patrol 4WD vehicle for around AU$30,000. Some local vehicle assemblers in the Philippines even make small and full-sized replicas of the HMMWV. They are usually mounted on chassis intended for jeeps, jeepneys, or (in case of the full-sized replica) small trucks, and is powered by surplus gasoline or diesel engines. It looks like a real HMMWV, but it is smaller in size, and is priced the same as an ordinary "owner-type" jeep (Php80,000 upwards).