Iran 'confirms' shooting down drones in the Persian Gulf

Iran on Monday confirmed that it shot down several Israeli, American and British unmanned drones in the Persian Gulf, claims which the Pentagon has denied.

The announcement was made by a senior Iranian military official who spoke under the condition of anonymity, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. The official added that Iran has eliminated several drones during the last 7 years. 

NATO oil tankers attacked in Pakistan

Gunmen on Saturday torched at least 16 tankers in Pakistan carrying oil supplies for U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, Dawn Television reported.

The attack took place in the Dera Murad Jamali district of the southwestern province of Balochistan as the tankers were parked at a roadside restaurant when eight gunmen struck. Two tankers were saved after, while sixteen others were destroyed.

The frequent attacks on trucks carrying supplies for troops have led the United States to rely on other supply routes, including through countries north of Afghanistan. In 2010, more than 170 supply vehicles were torched and six people, most of them drivers, were killed.

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Three American troops die in central and northern Iraq

Three American service members were killed in two separate incidents in central and northern Iraq on Saturday morning, the U.S. military confirmed, but few details were immediately released.

A statement from U.S. Forces - Iraq said two U.S. service members were killed and another was injured while conducting operations in northern Iraq. A second statement said a third U.S. service member was killed in central Iraq.


While the U.S. military refused to provide additional details, saying the details were being held pending notification of next of kin, Iraqi police said three U.S. troops were involved in a shooting incident in the northern city of Mosul. Other details were not available, although media reports indicated that the U.S. service members in Mosul were struck by gunfire from two Iraqi soldiers.

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Blast in southern Afghanistan kills Danish soldier

A Danish soldier was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, Danish officials and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

The Danish military said its soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while he was on a dismounted patrol, about six miles (9 kilometers) northeast of Gereshk, a town in Helmand Province. His identity was not immediately released, although next-of-kin have been notified.

The country's Army Operational Command said comrades and sanitation experts immediately gave first aid to the injured soldier after the explosion. He was then evacuated by helicopter to the field hospital at Camp Bastion, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

IDF soldier killed, four injured after Gaza Strip gunfire

An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier was killed on Friday and four more were injured after gunfire near the Gaza Strip border, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

IDF said that a cell of terrorists was situated along the fence near Kibbutz Nirim, in central Gaza, on Friday night and opened fire on Israeli soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade with automatic weapons and mortars.

The gunfire lasted approximately 20 minutes, the paper said, and the injured soldiers were transported by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. Initially it was reported that the attack occurred as the militants waited in an ambush for an IDF patrol and opened fire when it passed by.

Another NATO soldier killed in Afghan violence

KABUL -- Another coalition service member was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

ISAF said the service member was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the country's south, but provided no other information about the attack.

The nationality of the service member was also not immediately disclosed. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," an ISAF statement said.