Wednesday, August 4, 2010

DTN News: New Zealand Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

Defense News: DTN News: New Zealand Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
Source: DTN News / TVNZ
(NSI News Source Info) WELLINGTON, New Zealand - August 4, 2010: A New Zealand soldier has been killed and two others have been injured after their patrol came under attack in Afghanistan.

The New Zealand Defence Force said the soldier was killed in an attack on a New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) patrol in the north-east of the Bamiyan province.

The name of the dead soldier has not been released.

The two injured soldiers were being evacuated and were said to have serious, but not life threatening, injuries. Newstalk ZB have named one of the injured soldiers as Matthew Ball.

BAMIYAN, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 4: Mourners look on as the body of 28-year old Lt. Tim O'Donnell of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment prepares to leave Bamiyan airport  and the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team following his death yesterday, on August 4, 2010 in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. O'Donnell is the first New Zealand soldier to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict, following an ambush which also left another two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter wounded. New Zealand forces had expected to end their 7-year deployment in September this year until New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed in May that he would retain them in the region for a further year.














BAMIYAN, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 4: The plane to carry the body of 28-year old Lt. Tim O'Donnell of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment arrives at Bamiyan airport  and the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team following his death yesterday, on August 4, 2010 in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. O'Donnell is the first New Zealand soldier to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict, following an ambush which also left another two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter wounded. New Zealand forces had expected to end their 7-year deployment in September this year until New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed in May that he would retain them in the region for a further year.














BAMIYAN, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 4: Mourners look on as the body of 28-year old Lt. Tim O'Donnell of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment prepares to leave Bamiyan airport  and the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team following his death yesterday, on August 4, 2010 in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. O'Donnell is the first New Zealand soldier to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict, following an ambush which also left another two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter wounded. New Zealand forces had expected to end their 7-year deployment in September this year until New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed in May that he would retain them in the region for a further year.














BAMIYAN, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 4: The plane to carry the body of 28-year old Lt. Tim O'Donnell of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment arrives at Bamiyan airport and the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team following his death yesterday, on August 4, 2010 in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan,Afghanistan. O'Donnell is the first New Zealand soldier to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict, following an ambush which also left another two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter wounded. New Zealand forces had expected to end their 7-year deployment in September this year until New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed in May that he would retain them in the region for a further year.

A local interpreter taking part in the patrol had also been wounded.

The fatality was New Zealand's first combat death in Afghanistan since New Zealand's troops were deployed there in 2003.

Defence Force chief, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae said they were still trying to piece together the details , but could confirm that the group came under complex attack by as yet unknown assailants at approximatley 12:30 am NZ time.

The dead solider was in one of three vehicles. It was thought an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated, followed by an attack using rocket powered grenades and other small arms fire.

"This is the first time that the IED has resulted in [New Zealand] casualties and a fatality. It is a constant and persistent threat to the soldiers who are operating in Bamiyan," Mateparae said.

Air support was not able to be used to help the New Zealand patrol because of weather conditions.

Mateparae said they were now in the process of working out how they would repatriate the deceased and wounded soldiers back to New Zealand.

Normal procedure would be for the injured soldiers to be taken to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Germany though Lt Gen Mateparae did not want to speculate on whether that would be the case.

He also said he wanted the families to come to terms with the news before he released names.

"One of my soldiers has been killed and I want to support his family," he said.

Mateparae said he was also concerned with continuing the mission in Afghanistan despite the soldier's death.

"Our abilities to provide support to the people of Bamyan is one we need to engage."

"We are working to assist the people of Bamyan but it remains a dangerous place especially where this attack occurred in the north east. Thoughts and condolences go to his family and also the two soldiers who were wounded."

Defence Force Minister Wayne Mapp said the death was a reminder that Bamiyan was still a dangerous place, especially in the north-east of the province.

"I acknowledge the loss to the soldier's family and my thoughts and aroha go to his family and the family of those soldiers who were wounded," Mapp said.

Soldier "paid high price"

Prime Minister John Key, who is currently at the Pacific Forum in Vanuatu issued a statement this morning saying his "thoughts are with [the dead soldier's] family and the families of the injured".

"This is New Zealand's first combat loss in Afghanistan and reinforces the danger faced daily by our forces as they work tirelessly to restore stability to the province," he said.

Key said the soldier's contribution and that of all New Zealand Defence Force personnel should never be underestimated.

"It is with enormous sadness that I acknowledge that this soldier has paid a high price."

However, Key said it was right for New Zealand troops to stay in Afghanistan.

"I have no intention of bringing back our people from Bamiyan or our SAS from Kabul because of this incident," he told TV ONE's Breakfast this morning.

"We owe it to the thousands of New Zealanders who have worked so hard in the past eight years to get Bamiyan in a position where we can hand back control."

Key said he would be phoning the family of the dead soldier later this morning.

Key visited Bamiyan province earlier this year and told Breakfast the area where the incident took place is "a pocket of real insurgent activity".

The government had announced that the NZPRT would extend their secondment until September 2011.

The force works on maintaining security in Bamiyan Province, and carries out frequent patrols throughout the area. It also supports the provincial and local government by providing advice and assistance to the Provincial Governor, the Afghan National Police and district sub-governors.

ONE News reporter Michael Parkin had also recently been in Bamiyan and told TV ONE's Breakfast this morning that Kiwi soldiers in Afghanistan were well aware of the dangers they face.

He said the soldiers in the region knew that this day would eventually come.

"This is the job they are there do, they know the risks and keen to take them on."

The northern region of the province, where the attack took place is, "where the geography is on the side of the insurgents," Parkin said.

The 16th rotation of the NZPRT, commanded by Colonel John Boswell arrived in Afghanistan in April and were expected to remain in the country for about six months.

New Zealand also has Special Air Service personnel serving in Afghanistan. In total New Zealand has about 140 personnel in Bamiyan and about 80 SAS soldiers in Kabul.

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 4, 2010

Defense News: DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 4, 2010
Source: U.S. DoD issued August 4, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 4, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 4, 2010 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Sysco Foodservice Hampton Roads, Suffolk, Va., is being awarded a maximum $250,000,000 prime vendor, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food service distribution. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. The original proposal was Web-solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Aug. 4, 2011. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM300-08-D-3204).

Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., Appleton, Wis., is being awarded a maximum $12,147,165 firm-fixed-price contract for rapid intervention vehicles. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There were originally eight proposals solicited with six responses. The date of performance completion is May 27, 2011. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (GS30F1045D/SPM8E-C-10-FC001).

Altec Industries, Birmingham, Ala., is being awarded a maximum $6,163,000 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for telescopic truck cranes. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There were originally seven proposals solicited with four responses. The date of performance completion is May 11, 2011. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM500-04-D-0090-0107).

NAVY

QinetiQ North America, Inc., Technology Solutions Group, Waltham, Mass., is being awarded a $25,253,501 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of Man Transportable Robotic System (MTRS) production systems, depot-level repair parts, spare kits, and approved accessories for the Army. The MTRS is a small robotic vehicle used by explosive ordnance disposal technicians to conduct remote reconnaissance, render safe and/or dispose of explosive devices. Work will be performed in Waltham, Mass., and is expected to be completed by July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity (N00174-10-D-0019).

Accurate Tool & Mfg. Co., Inc.*, Lexington, Ky., is being awarded a $25,000,000 five-year firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various build-to-print machine shop requirements to support a wide variety of military projects including, but not limited to, the Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Program. Five additional option years are included and the total maximum contract is $25,000,000. Work will be performed in Lexington, Ky., and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $11,396 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-WQ28).

C and S Machine, Inc.*, Plainville, Ind., is being awarded a $25,000,000 five-year firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various build-to-print machine shop requirements to support a wide variety of military projects including, but not limited to, the Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Program. Five additional option years are included and the total maximum contract is $25,000,000. Work will be performed in Plainville, Ind., and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $11,135 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-WQ36).

J & R Tool, Inc.*, Loogootee, Ind., is being awarded a $25,000,000 five-year firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various build-to-print machine shop requirements to support a wide variety of military projects including, but not limited to, the Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Program. Five additional option years are included and the total maximum contract is $25,000,000. Work will be performed in Loogootee, Ind., and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $10,550 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-WQ37).

Leatherwood Manufacturing, Inc.*, North Charleston, S.C., is being awarded a $25,000,000 five-year firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various build-to-print machine shop requirements to support a wide variety of military projects including, but not limited to, the Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Program. Five additional option years are included and the total maximum contract is $25,000,000. Work will be performed in North Charleston, S.C., and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $11,592 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-WQ38).

Olympic Fabrication, LLC*, Shelton, Wash., is being awarded a $25,000,000 five-year firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various build-to-print machine shop requirements to support a wide variety of military projects including, but not limited to, the Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Program. Five additional option years are included and the total maximum contract is $25,000,000. Work will be performed in Shelton, Wash., and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $10,771 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-WQ39).

Specialty CNC, Inc.*, Bloomington, Ind., is being awarded a $25,000,000 five-year firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various build-to-print machine shop requirements to support a wide variety of military projects including, but not limited to, the Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Program. Five additional option years are included and the total maximum contract is $25,000,000. Work will be performed in Bloomington, Ind., and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $13,750 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and 22 offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-D-WQ40).

Weeks Marine, Inc., Covington, La., is being awarded a $5,838,059 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of maintenance dredging at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Fort Story, Little Creek Site. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four bids received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-10-C-7213).

Leetex/Hill & Wilkinson, LLC*, Dallas, Texas, is being awarded a $5,520,100 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a child development center at Meridian Naval Air Station. Work will be performed in Meridian, Miss., and is expected to be completed by February 2012. Funds for this project are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively negotiated via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-08-D-1296; Task Order 0002).

AIR FORCE

Advanced Testing Technologies, Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y., was awarded a $9,283,480 contract which will develop test program sets and supplement technical order change pages for the AN/URC-107 Joint Tactical Information Distribution System. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 448 SCMG/PKHCA, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8539-10-F-0004).

Agate Steel, Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., was awarded a $5,535,724 contract which will provide 54 prefabricated steel aircraft shelters for T-38 aircraft at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCB, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA3020-10-C-0003).

*Small business

DTN News: Chinese Military Continues Air Defense Drills

Defense News: DTN News: Chinese Military Continues Air Defense Drills
Source: DTN News / Xinhua
(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - August 4, 2010: China continued a five-day military exercise on Wednesday as the country's air defense forces carried out reconnaissance, early warning, electromagnetic interference and ground-to-air attack drills.

More than 12,000 Chinese military personnel, along with seven types of military aircraft divided into Red and Blue rivals, took part in the exercise code-named "Vanguard-2010,"-- which started on Tuesday in seven cities across Henan and Shandong Provinces.

Soldiers take part in a military exercise with air defense weapons in east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 3, 2010. An air defense military exercise code-named 'Vanguard-2010' kicked off in Shandong Province and central China's Henan Province on Tuesday. A total of 12,000 military personnel and seven types of military aircraft took part in the five-day military drill.  (Xinhua/Cui Jiongchen) (mcg)

Soldiers take part in a military exercise with air defense weapons in east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 3, 2010. An air defense military exercise code-named "Vanguard-2010" kicked off in Shandong Province and central China's Henan Province on Tuesday. A total of 12,000 military personnel and seven types of military aircraft took part in the five-day military drill. (Xinhua/Cui Jiongchen)

A soldier stands guard during a military exercise in east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 3, 2010. An air defense military exercise code-named 'Vanguard-2010' kicked off in Shandong Province and central China's Henan Province on Tuesday. A total of 12,000 military personnel and seven types of military aircraft took part in the five-day military exercise.  (Xinhua/Cui Jiongchen) (mcg)

A soldier stands guard during a military exercise in east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 3, 2010. An air defense military exercise code-named "Vanguard-2010" kicked off in Shandong Province and central China's Henan Province on Tuesday. A total of 12,000 military personnel and seven types of military aircraft took part in the five-day military exercise. (Xinhua/Cui Jiongchen)

The ground-to-air attack drill will last overnight till 6 a.m. Thursday, military sources said.

On Wednesday morning, the Blue forces used reconnaissance planes and electronics warfare aircraft to conduct surveillance and jam the network systems used by the Red forces for command and communications as well as reconnaissance and early warning.

A ground-to-air attack drill began at Wednesday noon, as the Blue forces launched unmanned aerial vehicles, fighters and helicopters to attack their rivals.

The ground-to-air attack drill will last overnight till 6 a.m. Thursday, military sources said.

Related News

DTN News: South Korea Vows Counter-Attack If North Opens Fire During Drills

Defense News: DTN News: South Korea Vows Counter-Attack If North Opens Fire During Drills
Source: DTN News / VOA By Steve Herman
(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - August 4, 2010: South Korean military officials say they are ready to respond if North Korea carries out its threat to attack during the South's latest military drills. The drills are part of South Korea's response to the sinking of one of its navy ships in March, an act blamed on Pyongyang.

South Korea's Defense Ministry says the exercise, which begins Thursday, will involve a submarine, a destroyer and nearly 30 other vessels, as well as aircraft. Forty-five hundred army, navy, air force and coast guard troops will be deployed.
In this photo released by Korean Navy, South Korean destroyer Choi Young fires during a joint military drills in South Korea's East Sea on Tuesday,  July 27, 2010. U.S. and South Korean naval ships fired artillery and dropped anti-submarine bombs off South Korea's east coast Tuesday, the third day of high-profile military maneuvers intended to warn North Korea against any aggression.




Korean Navy, South Korean destroyer Choi Young fires during a joint military drills in South Korea's East Sea on Tuesday, July 27, 2010. U.S. and South Korean naval ships fired artillery and dropped anti-submarine bombs off South Korea's east coast Tuesday, the third day of high-profile military maneuvers intended to warn North Korea against any aggression.

A North Korean soldier takes picture of the southern side of the cross-border village of Panmunjeom on July 27, 2010, on the day of the 57th anniversary of signing the Korean War armistice. The US and South Korean military practised attacks on potential seaborne North Korean infiltrators on the third day of a major naval exercise designed to deter the communist state.IMAGE

A North Korean soldier takes picture of the southern side of the cross-border village of Panmunjeom on July 27, 2010, on the day of the 57th anniversary of signing the Korean War armistice. The US and South Korean military practised attacks on potential seaborne North Korean infiltrators on the third day of a major naval exercise designed to deter the communist state

.

Military officials say they will keep ships far south of a maritime border that North Korea disputes. But marines on islands near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea will conduct live-fire exercises.

Navy Rear Admiral Kim Kyung-Sik says if North Korea makes good on its threat to open fire, South Korea "will stage an immediate counter-attack."

Admiral Kim says a close eye will be kept on the enemy. He adds South Korea's military will not tolerate provocations and is ready, during the drill, for any circumstances.

North Korea threatens "strong physical retaliation" in response to the South Korean exercise.

A respected daily newspaper in Seoul, the Chosun Ilbo, quotes a military source saying the North has repositioned some missiles near the border, posing a threat to South Korean military jets.

Defense official here say the five-day drill is the second in a series of war games to be staged this year in response to the attack on the
Cheonan. The South Korean navy vessel sank in March after an explosion in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors. An international investigation blames a North Korean torpedo for the sinking.

Last week, the United States joined South Korea in one of region's largest joint military exercises in recent years. The exercise in the Sea of Japan included an American aircraft carrier and stealth fighter jets.

South Korea's military had wanted to hold that exercise in the Yellow Sea, but China strongly objected because it would be close to its territorial waters.

China began its own air defense drills Tuesday. The Xinhua news agency says the five-day exercise involves 12,000 personnel in two provinces.

Later this month, the U.S. and South Korea hold an annual 10-day exercise, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

The U.S. military say that drill is meant to ensure the allies are "fully prepared to respond to any potential provocations."

The latest military maneuvers come as the Korean peninsula marks 60 years since the start of the Korean War. Fighting ended in 1953 with a truce, but since Pyongyang and Seoul have never signed a peace treaty, they remain technically at war.


DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 4, 2010 - Assassination Sets Off Wave of Killings In Pakistani City

Defense News: DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 4, 2010 - Assassination Sets Off Wave of Killings In Pakistani City
Source: DTN News / The New York Times By Salman Masood
(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- August 4, 2010: A wave of violence after the assassination of a senior politician on Monday has left at least 47 people dead in Pakistan’s largest city, the southern port of Karachi.
The violence erupted after the politician, Raza Haider, a provincial lawmaker and the leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was shot to death along with his bodyguard.
Within hours, mobs spread out across Karachi, setting fire to public and private property, including dozens of vehicles. Business centers were forced to shut down. Normal life has since come to a virtual standstill, and schools and government offices remained closed on Tuesday.
President Asif Ali Zardari ordered an immediate inquiry into the assassination, according to the presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar.
Karachi, a sprawling city of more than 16 million people, has a long history of sectarian and ethnic violence, as well as violent political clashes over the economic spoils and ties to criminal syndicates that come with political control of the city.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or M.Q.M., controls the city government with the support of Urdu speakers who migrated to Pakistan after partition in 1947. The party has been criticized for its strong-arm tactics in the past.
Most of those killed since Monday have been ethnic Pashtuns, who have migrated to Karachi in increasing numbers from the north, where the army has opened a series of campaigns against the Pakistani Taliban in recent years.
The Taliban are mostly Pashtun, and the influx to Karachi has led to charges by the M.Q.M. and its supporters of a creeping “Talibanization” of the city.
In recent months, the M.Q.M. has clashed violently with the Awami National Party, a political party that draws its strength from the Pashtuns in the city and elsewhere.
The M.Q.M. says 150 of its workers have been killed in the past three weeks. Local news media have reported that at least 300 people have been the victims of political killings in Karachi this year.
Pakistani analysts say the struggle between the parties may be one for spoils.
“The current violence could have to do with a battle that is political but could also have to do with the various vested interests that have a stake in the criminalized system that runs Karachi — in terms of say, land, water and revenue generation and apportionment,” said Omar R. Quraishi, editor of the editorial pages of The Express Tribune, an English-language newspaper in Karachi.
Nasreen Jalil, a senior leader of the M.Q.M. and a former deputy mayor of the city, blamed leadership of the Awami National Party in Karachi for supporting the Taliban and other militants working with drug traffickers and land-grabbing gangs operating in the city.
“We have pointed out several times that Taliban are present in Karachi,” Ms. Jalil said in an interview.
“They are residing in Pashtun localities, most of which are illegally occupied by land mafia,” she said. “Many Pashtuns are involved in drug trade, selling arms and ammunitions. Whenever there is an anti-encroachment drive, killings increase in the city in retaliation.”
Leaders of the Awami National Party deny the allegations.
Ms. Jalil also blamed some elements of President Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party for supporting criminal gangs in the city.
Rehman Malik, the country’s interior minister, on Tuesday blamed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a banned militant group, which is involved in a series of terrorist attacks against Shiites and other minorities, for the assassination that set off the violence.
Responding to the interior minister’s claims, Ms. Jalil said that Islamic militants had joined hands with the local A.N.P. leadership. “It is syndicate,” she said. “A council of criminal elements.”
Pakistan Related News;

DTN News: Iran Denies Reports of Attack On Ahmadinejad

Defense News: DTN News: Iran Denies Reports of Attack On Ahmadinejad
Source: DTN News / The New York Times By William Yong and Alan Cowell
(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran- August 4, 2010: Reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the target of a grenade attack prompted swift and vigorous denials by the Iranian government on Wednesday, which said that a firecracker had been thrown some distance from the presidential motorcade, according to Iranian news media. By all accounts, Mr. Ahmadinejad was unhurt.
Press TV, the state-run satellite broadcaster, quoted an unidentified “informed source” in the presidential office as saying the reports of an attack were false.
“Some foreign news sources published reports that a grenade exploded near the motorcade of President Ahmadinejad during his visit to the western city of Hamedan on Wednesday,” Press TV said. “The source denied the allegation, saying no such attack had happened.”
ISNA, the Iranian Students News Agency, said a firecracker went off while Mr. Ahmadinejad “was being welcomed” in the city, causing no injuries.
According to Khabar Online, a government-licensed news service, the firecracker was thrown at a minibus carrying journalists in the presidential motorcade, about 100 yards behind the vehicle carrying Mr. Ahmadinejad. The person who threw the firecracker was arrested, the news service said.
Earlier, Reuters quoted an unidentified source in President Ahmadinejad’s office as confirming that the Iranian president’s motorcade had come under an attack on Wednesday but that he had escaped unharmed.
The source was quoted as saying that a homemade explosive device had exploded as the president was traveling from an airport in Hamedan to give a speech in a sports arena. One person had been arrested, according to the source quoted by Reuters.
Mr. Ahmadinejad later appeared on live Iranian television at a sports stadium in Hamedan, Reuters reported. He was apparently well and did not mention an attempted assault.
On Monday, in a speech in Tehran, Mr. Ahmadinejad said he believed Israel had “hired mercenaries to assassinate me.”
Iran Related News;
*Ahmadinejad attack 'was firework' Aljazeera.net - ‎1 hour ago‎

DTN News: First New Zealand Soldier Dies In Afghanistan

Defense News: DTN News: First New Zealand Soldier Dies In Afghanistan
Source: DTN News / AP
(NSI News Source Info) WELLINGTON, New Zealand - August 4, 2010: New Zealand suffered its first combat fatality in Afghanistan when a soldier died in an ambush that left another two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter wounded, an official said on Wednesday.
The three wounded in the attack Tuesday in central Bamiyan province sustained serious injuries that were not life threatening, New Zealand Defense Force Chief Lt. Gen. Jerry Mateparae told reporters in Wellington.
A three-vehicle New Zealand patrol was attacked with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, Mateparae said.
The Defense Department said the dead soldier, Lt. Tim O'Donnell, 28, of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, had been decorated for valor while serving with U.N. peace keepers in East Timor. He died while serving with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team based in Bamiyan.
O'Donnell was the first New Zealand serviceman killed in combat since a soldier died in East Timor in 2000. New Zealand first sent troops to Afghanistan in 2003.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, attending a forum of South Pacific leaders in Vanuatu, said the attack would not hasten the withdrawal of New Zealand troops from Afghanistan.
"This is New Zealand's first combat loss in Afghanistan and reinforces the danger faced daily by our forces as they work tirelessly to restore stability to the province," Key said in a statement.
New Zealand's 140-strong provincial reconstruction team of troops in Bamiyan had been expected to end their seven-year deployment in September. However, Key said in May the posting will roll over for another year, then start reducing as civilian specialists are introduced.
New Zealand also has 40 Special Air Service elite combat troops in Afghanistan.
Afghan War Related News;

DTN News: Egypt Allows Libyan Aid Into Gaza StripDTN News: Egypt Allows Libyan Aid Into Gaza Strip

Defense News: DTN News: Egypt Allows Libyan Aid Into Gaza Strip
Source: DTN News / AFP
(NSI News Source Info) EL-ARISH, Egypt - August 4, 2010: Egypt allowed 200 tonnes of medical aid unloaded from a Libyan ship into the blockaded Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave, an official said on Wednesday.
A further nine trucks loaded with foodstuffs brought by the aid ship, the Jerusalem 5, will be sent to Gaza through an Israeli crossing with Egypt, said North Sinai governor's assistant Osama el-Sirgani.
The vessel, which docked in the port of El-Arish on Tuesday, was organised by several Libyan charities which say they will send another ship after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will end in the second week of September.
An organiser said the ship carried about 1,000 tonnes of aid for the Gaza Strip, which Israel blockaded in 2007 after the Islamist Hamas group took it over.
Israel relaxed the blockade weeks after a botched commando raid on an aid flotilla in May left nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists dead.
Egypt responded to that incident by indefinitely opening its Rafah border crossing, the only passage to Gaza not controlled by Israel.
A ship sponsored by a charity group run by the Libyan leader's son Seif al-Islam Kadhafi was diverted to Egypt earlier this month by Israel's navy.
Kadhafi told an Arab newspaper at that time that Israel would allow reconstruction material sent by Libya into Gaza, which was devastated during a three week war in December 2008.