Afghan War:US Service Member Killed in Action - revised

NATO's Resolute Support Mission said a US service member was killed in Afghanistan on 13 July 2019.In accordance with Pentagon policy,the service member's name will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification is complete.*
The Taliban Islamist extremists have claimed responsibility for an attack which reportedly took place in Sayedabad District,Wardak Province,Afghanistan.They said they used an IED to strike a US vehicle.It is now known this is not the enemy action that killed the Soldier mentioned above.*
Wardak Province is in Central Afghanistan,being located just southwest of the Afghan capital Kabul.

Afghan War:National Guard Soldier Killed in Helmand Identified

A US Army Soldier killed in action in Garmsir district,Helmand Province,Afghanistan has been identified as SPC James A. Slape,23,of Morehead,North Carolina.Serving in support of both the NATO Resolute Support Mission and Operation Freedom's Sentinel,SPC Slape was a member of the North Carolina National Guard's 60th Troop Command,430th Explosive Ordnance Company.
He was an explosive ordnance disposal technician and was approaching a vehicle that had struck an IED,intending to clear a path to it,when a second IED blew up,severely wounding him.He later died at a medical care facility.*
SPC Slape had joined the Guard in 2013 and was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2018,being posted to Camp Dwyer in Helmand Province,which is focused on assisting Afghan National Defence and Security Forces overcome the substantial Taliban militant presence in the Province.He was to have returned home in the spring.SPC Slape's was the seventh American combat death in Afghanistan this year.He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
About 14,000 US troops are serving in Afghanistan at this time,led by General Austin Scott Miller,US Army.*
Righteousness exalteth a nation;but sin is a reproach to any people.
-Proverbs 14:34

Afghan War Update:US Air Force A-10s,UAV Rain Fire on Taliban in Extended Air Operation,USF-A Reveals

New details received from Task Force-Southwest today,30 May,indicate that US Forces-Afghanistan conducted a series of precision strikes over a ten day period,17-26 May 2018,killing more than 70 senior Taliban leaders.Outgoing USF-A and NATO Resolute Support commander GEN John Nicholson,US Army,added:
These strikes represent one of the largest blows to Taliban leadership in the last year,the cumulative effects of which will be felt nationwide for quite some time.*
The most devastating of the strikes was previously reported by this blog on 29 May,having occurred on 24 May.In the course of the HIMARS rocket artillery barrage by US Marines,four HIMARS rockets destroyed a known Taliban command and control node in Musa Qalah during a high-level gathering of Taliban commanders.Among the more than 50 casualties was the deputy shadow governor of Helmand Province;multiple Taliban district governors;intelligence commanders;and key provincial leadership from Kandahar,Kunduz,Herat,Farah,Uruzgu and Helmand Provinces.*
Also on 24 May,USAF A-10s struck a Taliban Red Unit commander for Helmand and his associate as they transited Sangin district.On 25 May,a shadow district governor was killed and a shadow district headquarters was destroyed in Nahr-e-Saraj by A-10s.*
On 26 May,an MQ-1c Gray Eagle UAV killed a senior IED facilitator who had coordinated IED operations against the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces;international forces;and the Afghan people for 13 years.Within the same period of 17-26 May,more than 15 other Taliban Islamist extremists were killed in separate strikes throughout Helmand.*
In conclusion,GEN Nicholson promised that:
As we continue the season of talking and fighting,we will continue to increase pressure on the Taliban and remain vigilant to opportunities for negotiated peace.

As Battle of Mosul Ebbs,US Army Officer Killed in Iraq

Even as the Iraqi Security Forces near perhaps the greatest victory in their history by having liberated all but a pocket of the longtime Islamist extremist stronghold of Mosul,a young US Army officer was killed in action on 29 April 2017 by an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant IED as he helped secure the outskirts of the city.He was identified by the Pentagon as 1st Lieutenant Weston C. Lee,25,of Bluffton,Georgia.1ST LT Lee was on a patrol in support of Operation Inherent Resolve,providing security as part of advise and assist to partnered forces,when the IED exploded.ISIL militants have heavily mined and booby-trapped all the areas of and around Mosul they withdrew from,making the city and surrounding area extremely hazardous.*
1ST LT Lee was a member of the 1st Battalion,325th Infantry Regiment,2nd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division,out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina.An ROTC graduate of the University of North Georgia,he had enlisted in the Army in 2015 and excelled in pistol marksmanship as an ROTC cadet.Commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in December 2014,1ST LT Lee earned his Ranger tab prior to his Parachutist badge.Among his other decorations were the National Defense Service Medal,Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.The paratrooper was on his first tour in Iraq,having deployed there in December 2016,and posthumously received the Bronze Star Medal,Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.*
At this point,the ISF have wiped out most of the 6,000 ISIL fighters that had been holding Mosul.Only 200-300 remain,and they are surrounded in the city's northwest,dug in among about 400,000 civilians running short on food,water and medicine in the historic Old City area.Mostly the US-trained Counter Terrorism Service and Federal Police are fighting inside Mosul;while the Iraqi Army regulars,Shiite volunteers and Kurdish Peshmerga control the perimeter.A total of about 100,000 ground troops supported by OIR coalition airpower and artillery have been battling ISIL in the Battle of Mosul since October 2016,which is expected to be concluded in a maximum of three weeks' time.

Updated Special Report:US Soldier Killed in Action in Afghanistan Identified - American University of Afghanistan Comes Under Attack in Kabul

NATO command in Kabul,Afghanistan has announced the death of a US soldier on while on a joint foot patrol with Afghan National Defence and Security Forces near Lashkar Gah,capital of Helmand Province in the country's south.The patrol triggered an IED blast that wounded another US soldier and six Afghans.The names and service affiliations of the US troops haven't been released yet.They were part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission,training,advising and assisting ANDSF personnel.*
Separately,the US had deployed an additional 100 troops to back up the ANDSF in Helmand recently,where the Taliban have been stepping up attacks in one of their longtime stronghold provinces,focusing on Helmand provincial capital Lashkar Gah,a city of 200,000.The district is on the verge of being overrun by the Islamist extremist group,an Afghan official complained.The US troops involved in the IED attack were not part of the 100 reinforcements.NATO said an investigation of the attack is underway.*
The Taliban may become increasingly aggressive,hoping to expand their territory as this year's fighting season begins to wind down in the face of winter's approach.As well,they could be eager to make a statement by their actions with the 15th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks,which they enabled by hosting al-Qaida on their territory,being just weeks away.*
Meanwhile,the American University of Afghanistan in the Afghan capital,Kabul,has come under nightttime attack by militants using guns and explosives.Fires have been reported inside the compound,which is a private,non-profit institution.The details of the assault are still unclear,with students and others phoning out that they are trapped.ANDSF have reportedly surrounded the campus.On 7 August,an American and Australian professor from the university were kidnapped and their fate is also unknown.
Updates:At least 12 were killed,including seven students,and dozens wounded in the assault by militants on the American University of Afghanistan,which has been resolved by the ANDSF and US military advisors,who assisted the Afghans on scene.Many American staff members were working there yesterday night when the insurgents blew the gate open,opening fire and throwing hand grenades in the course of their raid.No Americans were killed,but some were reportedly wounded.*
Killed in action while serving in the NATO Resolute Support Mission near Lashkar Gah,the capital of Helmand Province,was US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) Staff Sergeant Matthew V. Thompson,28,of Brookfield,Wisconsin.SSGT Thompson,who was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord,Washington,was on foot patrol with Afghan Special Forces and US soldiers,moving toward a Taliban objective,when they triggered an IED explosion.Typically the NATO troops are based at compounds or forward operating bases with their Afghan trainees,but have the authority to accompany them to the front lines and assist them there as needed.This can quickly become a combat situation,so NATO troops such as SSGT Thompson are still in considerable danger in Afghanistan.

War On ISIL:Navy SEAL Killed in Action - how the US responded to the assault

At 9:30 am local time,ISIL militants,having broken through Kurdish Peshmerga front lines near the town of Tel Asqof in Northern Iraq with bulldozers and suicide bombs,including vehicle-borne IEDs,killed a US Navy SEAL with direct small arms fire 3-5 km behind the front lines.He's been identified as Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV,31,of Phoenix,Arizona,grandson of the late banker Charles H. Keating,Jr.,who was imprisoned for five years for financial crimes committed in the 1980s.SWO Keating,based at Coronado,California,was there advising and assisting the Peshmerga,who are regarded as among the most effective fighting forces in the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve.*
The militants had overrun Asqof at dawn in a rare,if temporary,loss by the Kurds.SWO Keating,engaged to be married,was killed in a firefight that erupted in the course of the extended battle that followed.US F-15Cs and drones came to the Kurds' assistance,dropping at least 20 bombs and helping to drive ISIL back out of Tel Asqof.It was the third US combat death in OIR.Besides SWO Keating,according to the Kurdistan Region Security Council,more than 80 militants and at least 10 Kurds died in the Battle of Tel Asqof,which is about 28 km/17 miles from the ISIL stronghold of Mosul.Christian militiamen also assisted the Kurds.*
The US is in the process of moving Special Operations Forces closer to the front lines in Northern Iraq,and bringing in more troops and Apache helicopters as OIR ground forces begin encircling Mosul,having driven ISIL out of Ramadi,Anbar Province in December 2015,and then expelling them from the Hit region,also in Anbar Province,driving the Islamist extremists up the Euphrates River Valley.

Operation Inherent Resolve:Progress in Battle of Beiji;Major Air Strikes

On Friday 22 May,the Pentagon announced in a press release that Iraqi security forces and federal police,enabled by the Operation Inherent Resolve Coalition,have successfully cleared and established a ground route into the Beiji oil refinery.For several months,control of the refinery has been contested by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants and Iraqi security forces.Ground forces,supported by coalition air strikes and reconnaissance,advise and assist elements,have cleared through the area,established route security and reclaimed key terrain.
Brigadier General Thomas Weidly,US Marine Corps,chief of staff of Combined Joint Task Force OIR,stated that,in the past 72 hours,we have seen the Iraqi security forces make steady,measured progress in regaining some of the area leading to the Beiji oil refinery despite the significant ISIL resistance in the form of IEDs,suicide vehicle borne IEDs,as well as heavy weapon and rocket fire attacks.In spite of the isolated nature of where the Iraqi security forces have been operating and the constant threat from ISIL,creating a safe route to the refinery will allow supplies and reinforcements to arrive.This will assist security forces in clearing and securing contested areas in and around the refinery.
ISIL has increased the intensity of its assault on the refinery and adjacent areas since they were pushed out of Tikrit,the Pentagon said.*
In the OIR air campaign between 8 am 24 May and 8 am 25 May,a major series of air strikes on ISIL targets in Syria took place near Hasakah.A total of 7 sorties destroyed 4 fighting positions,a checkpoint,an excavator,a vehicle borne IED and a vehicle.No civilian casualties were reported in the raid,which took place in an area where Kurdish forces had reported that a vehicle borne IED had resulted in an undetermined number of civilian injuries.
Near Raqqah,2 sorties destroyed an excavator and a tank.
Near Dayr Az Zawr,a sortie destroyed a multiple rocket launcher vehicle.*
In Iraq over the same time period,there was a heavy series of 25 air strikes on ISIL targets approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.
Near Baghdadi,5 sorties destroyed 4 structures,2 fighting positions,an armoured excavator,a heavy machine gun and a vehicle borne IED.
Near Beiji,3 sorties destroyed a dump truck,an armoured excavator and a tanker.
Near Fallujah,a sortie destroyed an anti-aircraft artillery piece and a fighting position.
Near Hit,a sortie struck a vehicle borne IED facility.
Near Mosul,a major series of strikes consisting of 9 sorties destroyed 4 heavy machine guns,3 buildings,an armoured vehicle,an excavator and a vehicle borne IED.
Particpants in Syria include the US,Bahrain,Canada,Jordan,Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Participants in Iraq include the US,Australia,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,France,Jordan,the Netherlands and the UK.

Special Intelligence Report:ISAF Afghanistan Status

Lieutenant General James Terry,US Army,ISAF Afghanistan Joint Commander,said the progress there is very substantial.With our partners,we're gonna be working on the challenges.The Afghan National Police and Army can and do fight for the people of Afghanistan.
The general briefed reporters at the Pentagon on the status of International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan,or ISAF.
The ISAF mission is Train,Advise and Assist,he continued.Today the insurgents fear the Afghan National Security Forces,or ANSF.They are taking the lead because long term stability demands it.It undermines the insurgents' doctrine of fighting foreign forces.
The militants have been forced out of urban areas.Cellphone coverage extends to over 80% of the population and the kids are back in school.The people are tired and have no desire to be controlled by insurgents.The majority believe the country is headed in the right direction.
We are now bringing in brigade-size training and assistance forces.These forces are accelerating self-security.We are witnessing examples of increasing ANSF capability.There are Afghan-planned and executed operations using Afghan helicopters and pilots.We are putting our advisors and enablers at the right levels in the ANSF.
The future is not without risk.We are confident we can mitigate that risk.While ANSF move to the lead,coalition forces will still conduct operations in combat conditions.As we look toward national elections in 2014,I am confident the security provided by the ANSF will be sufficient.
It can and will work.They will need a partner and our help,but they are well on the way to taking the lead.From where I'm at,they're at the run phase.I was recently pleased the insider threat has in my mind receded.The vetting and counterintel are ongoing.
We'll be with the ANSF through this fighting season,providing help with logistics;counter-IED;surface fires;and the Afghan helicopter fleet.
Besides the US Army,the US Marines,US Air Force and Individual Augmentees from the US Navy are a part of ISAF Afghanistan,along with NATO and other coalition partners.Around 60,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan and most are slated for withdrawal by the end of 2014.