Casualties of the Iraq War. Casualties of the conflict in Iraq since 2003 (beginning with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and continuing with the ensuing occupation and insurgency) have come in many forms, and the accuracy of the information available on different types of Iraq War casualties varies greatly. The table below summarizes various estimates of the Iraqi casualty figures. For troops in the U.S. -led multinational coalition, the death toll is carefully tracked and updated daily, and the names and photographs of those killed in action as well as in accidents have been published widely.
A total of 4,486 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2012.[11] Regarding the Iraqis, however, information on both military and civilian casualties is both less precise and less consistent. Estimates of casualty levels are available from reporters on the scene, from officials of involved organizations, and from groups that summarize information on incidents reported in the news media. Overview. Overview. Overview. Obama Body Count. Iraq Body Count. Edward Bernays. Edward bernaise. New Zealand Special Air Service. The New Zealand Special Air Service, abbreviated as the NZSAS, was formed on 7 July 1955 and is the special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS).
It traces its origins to the Second World War and the famous Long Range Desert Group that a number of New Zealanders served with. The NZSAS was accorded Regimental status in 2013 and presently has the responsibility of conducting domestic Counter-Terrorism operations, overseas Special Operations missions and performing the disposal of chemical, biological, radioactive and improvised explosive devices for both the military and civilian authorities. History[edit] The NZSAS can trace its roots back to the famous Long Range Desert Group, a British/Commonwealth army unit which fought in the North African desert in World War II. The NZSAS were granted the Freedom of the Borough of Thames on 27 September 1967.[8] Unit Location[edit] Unit Designation[edit] Dress Distinctions[edit] Thailand 1962[edit] Leon Smith | Details of fatal Afghanistan SAS operation. Last updated 15:44 29/09/2011 Graphic: The operation in which Leon Smith was killed.
Leon Smith, who died in Afghanistan yesterday, was the first medic to treat SAS comrade Doug Grant before his death. Smith, in his mid 30s, died after being shot in the head during a raid on a compound in the strife-torn province of Wardak, southwest of the Afghan capital Kabul. It was revealed today that Smith, who joined the Special Air Service (SAS) in 2008, had spent almost 11 of the past 24 months employed as an advanced medic. In that role he was the first person to treat Grant, who died in Kabul last month following a mission to rescue hostages from the British Council diplomatic offices.
In spite of renewed calls to pull out of Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key said this afternoon that New Zealand would not be honouring the deaths of Leon Smith, Doug Grant and Tim O'Donnell if New Zealand pulled its troops out. Mr Key insisted it was wrong to suggest the SAS had a combat role. Pulling the Teeth of the Tiger | Pundit. Extracting information on military operations in Afghanistan from the New Zealand Defence Force is difficult at the best of times. The Christmas Eve NZSAS raid on the business premises of the Afghan Tiger Group in Kabul last year was not one of NZDF’s best times... The so-called “combined forces” Christmas raid on the head quarters of the Kabul company that supplies vehicles to the U.S. military seems to have been a messy operation from start to finish.
It went something like this. International Security Assistance Force headquarters received credible intelligence that a bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy was imminent. The Afghan Crisis Response Unit being mentored by our SAS was called out, and the Kabul police were alerted. Here in New Zealand, we remained blissfully ignorant of the whole schermozzle – until Jon Stephenson stirred the pot last May with his Metro article “Eyes Wide Shut”. What Jones did not mention was the uproar that the shooting of civilians in the raid caused in Kabul. Afghanistan—Let's talk about the war | Pundit. An investigation into the detention of over 50 Afghanis by New Zealand troops in 2002 has revealed that New Zealand may have failed to meet its obligations under the Geneva Conventions In August, Defence Minister Phil Goff told Radio New Zealand News that the Government was considering a paper that proposed an increase in New Zealand’s military commitment to Afghanistan.
[Radio New Zealand News, 14 August 2008]. With the recent deterioration of security in Afghanistan and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday saying he needs 10-12,000 more troops to confront a resurgent Taliban, the military boost may come soon, and perhaps during Campaign 08. Goff’s problem starts with a letter he wrote to Parliament’s Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade in February 2007. Confronted with this news, Goff disavowed any knowledge of the SAS protest. However, he provided some other notable quotes about the detainees that are now coming back to haunt him.
“None.” Rporal Doug Grant: NZ Soldier Killed In Afghanistan. Last updated 19:24 22/08/2011 The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force today revealed the identity and the circumstances surrounding the death of SAS soldier Corporal Doug Grant. Another New Zealand SAS soldier is reportedly on the way to Afghanistan to replace Corporal Doug Grant. Grant was killed in the country's capital, Kabul, helping save the lives of three British civilians and two Gurkha security guards. The 41-year-old SAS soldier from Linton known as "Dougie" died on Friday in a helicopter on the way to a military hospital after an attack by the Taleban at the British Council diplomatic offices.
He leaves behind his wife Tina, their seven-year-old daughter and their five-year-old son. TVNZ reported that another SAS soldier had been sent to take Grant's place. The Defence Force today described the events leading up to his death. "Therefore most of the city, counter-terrorists as well as police and wider military were on standby for some action to occur. . - © Fairfax NZ News Comments. World military expenditures. This article is a list of countries by military expenditure, the amount spent by a nation on its military in a given year. Military expenditure figures[2] are presented in US$ based on either constant or current exchange rates.
These results can vary greatly from one year to another based on fluctuations in the exchange rates of each country's currency. Such fluctuations may change a country's ranking from one year to the next. Currently, the world's six largest military spenders are the United States, China,[3] Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan and France, all of whom are recognized as world powers. The UK, US, Russia, China and France are all veto-wielding permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
The first list is based on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2013 which includes a list on the world's top 15 military spenders in 2012, based on current market exchange rates. SIPRI Yearbook 2013 – World's top 15 military spenders[edit] Whats the Geneva Convention? International Humanitarian Law - Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention. Hijackers in the September 11 attacks. The hijackers in the September 11 attacks were 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda, and 15 of the 19 were citizens of Saudi Arabia.
The others were from the UAE (2), Egypt and Lebanon. The hijackers were organized into four teams, each led by a pilot-trained hijacker with four "muscle hijackers" who were trained to help subdue the pilots, passengers, and crew. The first hijackers to arrive in the United States were Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, who settled in the San Diego area in January 2000. They were followed by three hijacker-pilots, Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah early in the summer of 2000 to undertake flight training in south Florida. The fourth hijacker-pilot, Hani Hanjour, arrived in San Diego in December 2000. The rest of the "muscle hijackers" arrived in the spring and early summer of 2001. Background[edit] Selection[edit] Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were both experienced and respected jihadists in the eyes of al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.
Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda around the world. Al-Qaeda (/ælˈkaɪdə/ al-KY-də; Arabic: القاعدة al-qāʿidah, Arabic: [ælqɑːʕɪdɐ], translation: "The Base" and alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa'ida) is a global militant Islamist and takfiri organization founded by Abdullah Yusuf Azzam and Osama bin Laden in Peshawar, Pakistan,[22] at some point between August 1988[23] and late 1989,[24] with its origins being traceable to the Soviet War in Afghanistan.[25] It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army[26] and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, India and various other countries (see below). Al-Qaeda has carried out many attacks on non-Sunni Muslims,[27] non-Muslims,[28][29] and other targets it considers kafir.[30] Organization Leadership Financing Name.
9/11: Why Did Al Qaeda Attack the United States? « Rich McSheehy's Weblog. I would guess that most of us can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard about the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers and the subsequent attack on the Pentagon. There aren’t many moments in your life, no matter how long you live, that you will recall as vividly as the moment you learned about it. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was also like that for me.
I don’t think anyone really feels that they have heard a satisfactory explanation of why Lee Harvey Oswald killed him. That was over forty years ago, and there are still many people who don’t believe the results of the official U.S. government investigation. The U.S. government’s 9/11 Commission Report has also failed to gain unanimous support.
The report is primarily an analysis of how we failed to prevent the attacks and how we failed to be aware that they might even occur. The World Trade Center could be described as the financial capital of the multinational businesses of the United States. Al Qaeda vs. the United States: Bad News, Worse News. Declaring that "the buck stops with me," President Obama announced a set of new directives in response to the foiled bombing of Northwest Flight 253 by the now-infamous "underpants bomber. " The list of presidential orders is mostly unexceptionable, and may even make a repeat performance less likely. Of course, if al Qaeda is even remotely strategic, trying an exact repeat of this attempt would be silly.
Instead, they'll study the new procedures, look for holes in them, and try some new variation. The good news is that air travel will still be incredibly safe, and no sensible person should alter their normal travel plans because they are worried about the "terrorist threat. " What's missing from Obama's list of new initiatives is any sense that U.S. foreign policy might need some rethinking too.
There are several dimensions to the terrorism problem, only one of which are the various measures we take to "harden the target" here at home. One more thing. Mark Wilson/Getty Images. The Taliban. For more on the Taliban see Timeline: The Taliban. The Taliban ("Students of Islamic Knowledge Movement") ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001. They came to power during Afghanistan's long civil war. Although they managed to hold 90% of the country's territory, their policies—including their treatment of women and support of terrorists—ostracized them from the world community.
The Taliban was ousted from power in December 2001 by the U.S. military and Afghani opposition forces in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S. The Taliban's rise to power The Taliban are one of the mujahideen ("holy warriors" or "freedom fighters") groups that formed during the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-89). Groups of taliban ("religious students") were loosely organized on a regional basis during the occupation and civil war. Afghanistan under the Taliban The Taliban's popularity with the Afghan people surprised the country's other warring factions. War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
U.S. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and expel al-Qaeda. The Taliban requested that bin Laden leave the country, but declined to extradite him without evidence of his involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The United States refused to negotiate and launched Operation Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001 with the United Kingdom. The two were later joined by other forces, including the Northern Alliance.[23][24] The U.S. and allies drove the Taliban from power and built military bases near major cities across the country. In 2003, NATO assumed leadership of ISAF, with troops from 43 countries. Though vastly outgunned and outnumbered, the Taliban insurgents, most notably the Haqqani Network and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, have waged asymmetric warfare with guerilla raids and ambushes in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets and turncoat killings against coalition forces.
Historical background Origins of Afghanistan's civil war Al-Qaeda. Kabul. Kabul is over 3,500 years old; many empires have long fought over the valley for its strategic location along the trade routes of South and Central Asia. It made up the eastern end of the Median Empire before becoming part of the Achaemenid Empire. In 331 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenids and the area became part of the Seleucid Empire followed by the Maurya Empire. By the 1st century AD it became the capital of the Kushan Empire. It was later controlled by the Kabul Shahis, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, and others.[7] Between 1504 and 1526 AD, it served as the headquarters of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire. It remained under Mughal control until Nader Shah and his Afsharid forces seized it in 1738.[8] The city fell to Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, who added it to his new Afghan Empire.[9] In 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of the modern state of Afghanistan.
History[edit] Antiquity[edit] Islamization and Mongol invasion[edit] Timurid and Mughal era[edit] Afghanistan: Why Civilians are Killed? A People’s War: Not a "War on Terror" Introduction: The recent rash of civilian killings by NATO forces in occupied Afghanistan raises several basic questions: Why do US – NATO air and ground forces kill so many civilians, so persistently, over such long stretches of time, in regions throughout the country? Why have the number of civilians killed, increased in the course of the conflict? Why do NATO-US airplanes continue to bomb civilian housing and village gatherings and ground troops indiscriminately assault homes and workshops? Why are the pleas of NATO collaborator President Karzai to desist in home bombings go unheeded? Finally, knowing that the killing of civilians, entire families including children, mothers and the elderly alienates the local population and breeds widespread and profound hostility, why do the NATO-US military refuse to alter their tactics and strategy?
Explanations and Excuses for Civilian Killings: A People’s War: Not a War on Terror The killing of civilians is not “accidental”. NATO. International Security Assistance Force. ISAF - International Security Assistance Force. Afghanistan\'s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) prepare to participate in a march with other Afghanistan\'s security forces in a police training centre in Kabul on October 31, 2011. Afghanistan is increasing its security forces as most of the foreign forces wil. NATO Member Countries Map, NATO Map.
Topic: NATO’s relations with partners across the globe. Timeline: Nato. Fast facts about NATO - World. WikiLeaks.