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India-Pakistan
Haqqani Commander among Dead in U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan
2014-10-31
[AnNahar] A U.S. drone strike killed at least seven Lions of Islam in Pakistain's restive tribal belt on Thursday, including an important commander of the feared Haqqani network, security officials said.

The attack happened early Thursday in Nargas village of Birmil area, some 30 kilometers west of Wana, the main town of South Wazoo tribal region near the Afghan border which is considered a stronghold of Talibs.

Officials and a bad boy source said four foreigners and an important commander from the ruthless Haqqani network, which is blamed for numerous bloody attacks in Afghanistan, were among those killed.

"At least seven Lions of Islam were killed in the drone strike," an intelligence official based in Wana told AFP, adding that the dead included four foreigners and a top Haqqani commander.

"Abdullah Haqqani (the commander) was responsible for sending jacket wallahs to Afghanistan," the official said.

Another official in the neighboring garrison town of Bannu confirmed the corpse count and killing of the commander.

A source in a bad boy group said that a vehicle loaded with arms and ammunition was also destroyed in the attack.

South Waziristan is one of the seven lawless tribal districts of Pakistain that border Afghanistan.

These semi-autonomous areas have for years been a hideout for Islamist Lions of Islam of all stripes -- including Al-Qaeda and the homegrown Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) as well as imported muscle such as Uzbeks and Uighurs.

Washington pressed Islamabad for years to wipe out the sanctuaries in the North Waziristan tribal area, which Lions of Islam have used to launch attacks on NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
forces in Afghanistan.

The Pak military launched a major offensive in North Waziristan in June and say they have killed more than 1,100 Lions of Islam so far, with 100 soldiers losing their lives in the operation.

The area is off-limits to journalists, making it impossible to independently verify the number and identity of the dead.

The army assault was launched after a dramatic attack by Lions of Islam on Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
airport, which killed dozens of people and marked the end of faltering peace talks between the government and the Pak Taliban.

Pakistain routinely protests against U.S. drone strikes, which have been targeting Lions of Islam in the tribal areas since 2004, saying they violate its illusory sovereignty and are counterproductive in the fight against terror.

But most analysts believe the resumption of the drone program after it was suspended at the start of the year -- reportedly to give Pakistain space for negotiations with the Taliban -- is evidence of collusion between the two countries.

The Islamabad government and military officials strongly deny this.
Posted by:trailing wife

#3  it's when they call them a Commodore that I call hi-jinx
Posted by: Frank G   2014-10-31 09:41  

#2  They do seem too have alot of commanders. Maybe they say this after every strike too make it sound like a better hit.
Posted by: chris   2014-10-31 07:27  

#1  Is there a rank equivalence table for Haqqani relative to, say, US Army? Is a 'high commander' like a sergeant, or like a captain or like a general? Or maybe a corporal, with a plain 'commander' like a PFC?
Posted by: Glenmore   2014-10-31 07:20  

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