March 30, 2012, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials reported two more U.S./NATO/ISAF troops killed in southern Afghanistan. Once again they refused to give details. This follows two days of similar ISAF reports.
ISAF officials explained that they defer the explanation of troop details to the “…relevant national authorities.”
From official U.S./NATO sources at least 95 military personnel have been killed since January 2012. 55 U.S. personnel, 13 British troops and 27 soldiers from other countries.
In Paktika Province, on March 29, an Afghan police officer shot and killed nine of his fellow officers as they slept in their barracks. He was killed the next morning. Officials do not know why he killed his peers. However, he was killed with a group of Mujahideen, and people claiming to have connections to Taliban say he was one of them.
Yet again, ISAF and Afghan government forces claim to have captured Taliban and Haqqani leaders. They say the March 29 & 30 operations took place in Khost, Helmand, Logar and Kandahar provinces. (boy those “leaders” are just everywhere)
According to local officials in Ghazni Province not only are U.S./NATO/ISAF forces building up troop presence in the area, but so are foreign Mujahideen.
They say fighters from Pakistan and Arab countries (Pakistan is not an Arab country for those of you who still don’t get it, I’m amazed at how many people I meet on a daily bases that don’t) are flooding in.
It looks like a big battle could take place, as U.S. led forces are also building up in the area.
On March 30, Deputy Provincial Governor, Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, told a BBC reporter that U.S. led forces are building three new military bases in Ghazni Province.
Residents say the increasing number of Mujahideen are conducting recon and harassment operations in the area.
Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi also said that combat has already taken place between U.S. led forces and Mujahideen. He claims four Taliban leaders were arrested (those darn “leaders” again). But he admitted that one Afghan police officer was killed and six others wounded when NATO mistakenly bombed them during the operation!