Marines Suffer EOD Causality in Afghanistan

Camp Pendleton, California the Marine Corps reported that a 25-year old EOD Staff Sergeant was killed in Afghanistan during his second combat assignment. Staff Sgt. Strickland was reportedly killed by a roadside bomb in the Helmand Province. Strickland, a Florida native and dedicated EOD Technician served one previous combat tour in Iraq. He leaves behind a wife and a 3-year-old son.

U.S. Munitions Supplier Under Investigation

New York An American based munitions dealer (AEY, Inc) is under investigation for allegedly selling illegal and obsolete munitions to Afghanistan military and police forces. AEY Inc, run by a 22 year-old man, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan's Army and police forces when they were awarded a $300M contract last January. However, instead of selling new and approved weapons and munitions, the company was reportedly selling decades-old ammunition from the former communist bloc as well as cartridges manufactured in China.

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Navy EOD Sailor Killed in Iraq

Iraq U.S. Navy EOD Technician 2nd Class Kevin R. Bewley, 27, of Hector, Arkansas, died of wounds suffered from an IED detonation in Salah ad Din province, Iraq. He was assigned to EOD Mobile Unit 11, Whidbey Island, Washington.

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Coalition Munitions Clearance Program Contractor Killed

Iraq  A contractor working for the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program managed by the USACE Huntsville was killed. Raymond Moore, 40 from Northern Ireland, was killed when the vehicle he was driving in was hit by a roadside bomb. He was the 2nd contractor supporting the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program to be killed in less a week and the 40th since the program began in 2003.

Coalition Munitions Clearance Security Contractor Killed

Iraq  A 34-year old contactor supporting the USACE Huntsville managed Coalition Munitions Clearance Program was killed when the vehicle he was driving was hit by a roadside IED. Frans Robert Brand from South Africa was working as a security specialists for the Armor Group Iraq. His death brings the number of contractor casualties killed while working for the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program since September 2003 to 39.

Marine EOD Technician Killed in Combat

Iraq  A Marine EOD Technician based out of Camp Pendleton died while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. The Marine killed was Sgt. Michael E. Tayaotao, age 27, of Sunnyvale, California. He was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force. He joined the Marine Corps just over 9 years ago.

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Navy EOD Chief Petty Officer Killed By IED

Iraq - A 38-year-old Navy EOD technician from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington state was killed by a roadside bomb. Chief Petty Officer Pat Wade reportedly died when a roadside bomb he was working to clear exploded. Chief Petty Officer Wade has been in Iraq for approximately two months. He is survived by his wife and two young daughters.

Canadian Commanders Pay Cash for UXO

Afghanistan  The use of UXO by insurgents to build roadside IEDs has prompted the Canadian military to implement a novel program to locate UXO and explosives. The program pays cash incentives to Afghan locals for tips that lead to the discovery of UXO or explosives.

Payments are made on a sliding scale, up to $250, depending on the type of UXO or hazard. Shape charge munitions such as anti-tank projectiles and rockets and larger weapons caches typically yield the most reward. Individual small arms or machine gun bullets are worth 10 cents per round.

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Bosnian Government Extends EOD Support in Iraq

Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina  The Bosnian Government announced that it would extend its commitment to provide EOD support in Iraq through 2007. Bosnia has been providing EOD support for the past 2 years through a 36 member team. Before extending their commitment, the Bosnia EOD support was scheduled to wrap up in April when the current EOD team deployed in Iraq is scheduled to return home. The current Bosnian EOD team is supporting UXO operations in the West Zone of Iraq near Fallijah.

BlogCFC was created by Raymond Camden. This blog is running version 5.5.002.