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India-Pakistan
Hunt for Rashid Rauf that ended with hellfire
2008-11-23
A British terror suspect was killed by US forces in Pakistan yesterday. MPs want to know: did they tell Britain first?
A long piece with much nutty goodness about Rauf's unfortunate demise combined with a lot of hand-wringing.
At 10pm on Friday night the tribesmen in the villages of North Waziristan heard a sound they have learnt to fear. The hum of American reconnaissance planes high above the lawless tribal lands that span the Pakistan-Afghan border usually presages an imminent strike by Predator drones, targeting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters who shelter in their midst.
Bhwa-ha-ha-ha ...
There have been more than 20 such attacks since August, but this time it appeared to be a false alarm. The locals were relieved when the sound faded at midnight.
Three hours later, however, they were woken by explosions in Khaisoor, as three Hellfire missiles from a Predator destroyed a mud-built bungalow in the village.
3 am? We're taking lessons from the RAB ...
Inside, among the five people killed and six injured, were Rashid Rauf, the British militant alleged to have masterminded a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners in 2006, and two senior Al-Qaeda comrades, Abu Nasr Al-Misri and Abu Zubair Al-Masri, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.
Give our regards to Himmler, boys ...
Posted by:Steve White

#19  Are you sure the Predators always hum...
and the Sky Warriors can cruise at 29K feet... not sure that hum would carry.
Posted by: 3dc   2008-11-23 20:44  

#18  Don't we need 1000 more machines that "hum" like Predators? Don't we need 500 Predators that do not "hum"?
Posted by: whatadeal   2008-11-23 20:17  

#17  "Previously the Pentagon required "90%" confidence that a "high-value target" was at a location before approving a Predator strike. Now that threshold was dropped to 50%-60%."

Yeah, if you look at some of those Predator videos the "Probability Indicator" is generally grayed out. The planes loiter around until the meter hits "55" and then blast whatever is in the crosshairs at the time.
Posted by: crosspatch   2008-11-23 16:21  

#16  We should ask those ball-less MPS if they'd prefer that we deploy the Predators over the Midlands.
Posted by: AlanC   2008-11-23 15:09  

#15  A tip o' the hat to Mahmoud the Weasel

Might be better to tip the hat to Roger the Ridge Runner. Friend of mine just got back from his third trip to Afghanistan. What the average American doesn't know about the US Military is probably a good thing.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2008-11-23 13:19  

#14  "For plants that cannot bloom by day must flower in the night."
Posted by: mojo   2008-11-23 12:54  

#13  "Abu Nasr Al-Misri and Abu Zubair Al-Masri"
Just goes to show: Misri loves company.
Posted by: Darrell   2008-11-23 12:32  

#12  But, the army wants 500 of these Sky Warriors and the air force wants a couple hundred.
I suspect the skies over Pakiwakiland are going to be filled with these things..
Sleep tight in Pakistan - Don't let the bed bugs bite....
Posted by: 3dc   2008-11-23 11:04  

#11  Message to Turbans: Predators - when you hear em, they're there. When you don't hear em, they're still there. Sleep well
Posted by: Frank G   2008-11-23 10:40  

#10  Hasta la vista dirtbag
Posted by: DMFD   2008-11-23 10:36  

#9  Special Relationship? My history class hasn't gotten that far yet.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2008-11-23 07:13  

#8  The hum of American reconnaissance planes high above the lawless tribal lands that span the Pakistan-Afghan border usually presages an imminent strike by Predator drones, targeting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters who shelter in their midst.

Damn de Brits, they got all the newspaper writers.

Posted by: .5MT   2008-11-23 06:44  

#7  But their location had been betrayed, either by their own use of a mobile telephone, or by the spies and special forces tracking them.

Was it Lenin who said that when something like this goes down that all you had to do to find the culprit was to look around and see who benefitted?

I sure hope they don't figure it out and execute any of our spies who stepped up to fill one of the positions that was vacated when everyone moved up.

Ahem. :-|
Posted by: gorb   2008-11-23 05:44  

#6  One might suspect a few public-spirited citizens back in the U.K. might be pretty well done with plans to firebomb his old pad there. If the Muzz bastard who answered the door was pissed then, well, afterward he'd have a real reason to be. If he survived, that is.
Posted by: Jolutch Mussolini7800   2008-11-23 03:51  

#5  If you go to the original link and read the comments to the article, nearly all the Brits are as pleased as punch about the killing of Rauf. A few limp-wristed politicians and journalists don't speak for the majority,
Posted by: Apostate   2008-11-23 02:41  

#4  No. We did not tell you first. If your citizens turn to terrorism, we reserve the right to detain, dismember or destroy them by whatever means we desire to deploy.

In the future, we will continue to take such actions. You are hereby notified.

Also, if you need any help removing the red and blue from the Union Jack...
Posted by: USA   2008-11-23 02:11  

#3  Hmmm. That story fairly drips with sympathy for all the wrong people. Ain't it funny how all those MPs and "experts" can only feel good about themselves when filth like Rauf are safe and you and I are not?
Posted by: M. Murcek   2008-11-23 01:21  

#2  In answer to the MP's question: we did not tell Britain first. Do we have to get permission to kill every a$$hole.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2008-11-23 01:21  

#1  Did Britain ask to be told first?
Posted by: ed   2008-11-23 01:09  

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