At least 17 people were killed or injured in an attack on a bustling marketplace in western Afghanistan by supporters of a powerful warlord, a local commander said Saturday, November 2. Forces loyal to Herat provincial governor Ismail Khan bombarded a packed bazaar in the Zirkoh valley near the southern Herat city of Shindad, killing two and wounding 15, a spokesman for rival commander Amanullah Khan said. Abdul Karim Afghan said fighting between the two Khans erupted as a delegation representing Amanullah paid a second visit to Kabul, to persuade Afghan President Hamid Karzai to replace Ismail Khan as governor. How convenient it should happen precisely at that moment...
Afghan said the attack was an attempt by Ismail Khan, an ethnic Tajik, to harass one of Afghanistan's largest Pashtun communities. "The forces of commander Ismail Khan made a rocket attack on innocent civilians on Friday (November 1). It was very crowded in the bazaar and the forces of Ismail Khan attacked it using tank rockets," he said. "A rocket also hit a house and killed two innocents. They were in their house. They were not military people." It's the "poor, put-upon Pashtuns" ploy again...
He said Ismail Khan's troops then turned their artillery on Amanullah's forces before retreating from their forward positions. If they'd just beaten them up, why retreat? Doesn't sound like Ismail...
No one from the governor's office was immediately available to confirm the attacks. Guess they retreated, too...
Afghan said a delegation representing Herat's 50,000-strong Pashtun community had been recalled to the Afghan capital after an earlier meeting, in which they were promised a comprehensive disarmament program for the area. "Attacks like this on innocent people are against humanity in Islam. We can no longer tolerate Ismail Khan in charge of Herat and we have asked for a new governor," he said. My guess is that all this can be traced back to Gul Agha Shirzai, in Kandahar. He's been casting covetous eyes upon Herat since before the last Talibs were out the door in his own backyard. Herat's a prosperous town, for Afghanistan, and it would make a rich prize for a greedy and ambitious second-level warlord...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 09:20 am ||
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Source: Agecnies, Jihad Unspun
In Paktia, American soldiers have arrested Barmalâs commander allegedly for install planting missiles against them. Americans have deployed specially-trained âdetectiveâ dogs in different parts of Afghanistan to track down crazed killers âterrorists.â American forces were tipped about four missiles installed near Barmal District by Commander Dawood Jan. The Americans disabled these missiles with the help of detective dogs who later on recognized Commander Dawood Jan himself. Ooops. Bad move, Dawood. That's probably why the Muslims don't like doggies...
Dawood was arrested. After the investigations, it was revealed that in retaliation for decreasing the salary of Afghan soldiers, Dawood hit the American base with several rockets. A driver working with the American forces said that the Northern Alliance Commanders installed land mines or rockets in order to claim a $500 reward from the Americans. He also added that the Americans are growing tired of this game. Dawood has been shifted to Bagram Airbase after preliminary investigations with the hope of determining more Northern Alliance tactics. That's a cute story, if it's true. Dawood was setting up some phony attacks to pick up some reward money and to get back at the Merkins for cutting the pay of his gunnies. And the Merkins turned out not to be a dumb as he thought they were. It leads one to wonder how many of the other inept rocket attacks on the U.S. positions are generated for similarly stupid reasons.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 10:33 am ||
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It's still Afghanistan. This is what they have done forever.
Kuwait's government is sealing off nearly a quarter of the country - including the area near the Iraqi border - to the public as U.S. and Kuwaiti soldiers train ahead of a possible showdown with President Saddam Hussein. Kuwaiti authorities say the move, which takes effect Saturday, is intended to safeguard the public during ongoing military exercises in the country's northwestern desert. But Kuwaiti officials say privately that the closure is also designed to protect U.S. troops after shooting incidents in which one U.S. Marine was killed. Maybe it's intended for both things. The gunnies who killed the Marine didn't walk away from their next encounter, did they?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 10:45 am ||
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There is also the possibility that there is something besides training going on up there, but that might be my devious mind at work.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/02/2002 18:24 Comments ||
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Steve, I agree, however the easiest reason may be just to screw with Saddam's mind. He has no satellites, UAV's or planes (no-fly zone...heh heh) to get intel
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/02/2002 20:22 Comments ||
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The Iraqi authorities yesterday re-opened the border Ar'ar crossing with Saudi Arabia to permit the passage of persons and commodities for the first time since its closure during the Gulf crisis in 1990. Wotta coincidence that it should happen right now, when the U.S. is threatening war with Iraq. That couldn't mean the Soddies are on the Iraqi side, could it?
This is the largest Saudi delegation to visit Baghdad since severing relations between the two states following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait since 12 years. The delegation is led by Abdul Rahman al-Zamel, of the board of the Saudi center for exports promotion, who is also a member in the Saudi Shoura council. Iraqi trade sources said that 43 of major Saudi companies are intending to take part in Baghdad's trade exhibition. So they headed the delegation with a Shura member. That's so it has lotsa prestige...
Ar'ar border crossing permits the transport of Saudi exports directly to Iraq instead of passing a third country as used to happen before. This sort of thing is a pretty obvious slap to the American face, and I don't know to what end. Even the Arabs â most of them, anyway â admit that Sammy's a bloody-handed dictator. The U.S. is probably going to trounce him within the next six months and chances are good he won't survive the experience. So why do the Soddies intent on not only being on, but leading the losing side? Are they trying to delay? Are they hoping to avert an attack? Or are they looking toward the postwar situation? Or are they simply not imaginative enough to plan any move that doesn't involve opposing the U.S.? I confess: I'm not smart enough to figure it at this point.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 11:39 am ||
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Not smart enough here either, but willing to speculate: they fear a state on their border with the beginnings of a democratic or parliamentary republic, with American control of the oil, and the ability to broadcast open media into Saudi - Iran has (or should have) similar fears
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/02/2002 16:18 Comments ||
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Source: CNN, Jihad Unspun
Chechnya's leading Mujahideen Commader has claimed responsibility for the Moscow theatre siege in which 119 hostages died. Shamil Basayev said on a Web site on Friday that his group was behind last week's hostage-taking in which 800 theatre-goers were held for three-days. "The next time, those who come won't make any demands, won't take hostages," Basayev said. He warned his group's "... main goal will be destroying the enemy and exacting maximum damage," The Associated Press reported. The next time they come they'll be shot down like dogs...
The statement's authenticity could not be confirmed, but the Chechen terrorists captors involved in the siege had placed their demands of Russian military withdrawal up on the Web site at the time of the standoff. The Commander's statement came after the Russian lower parliament overwhelmingly voted in favour of curbing media coverage of terrorist activity, including the war in Chechnya. Probably just as well. What's going to happen isn't going to be pretty, nor for the faint of heart...
Basayev claimed the attack was planned without the knowledge of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov, and offered his resignation from all posts in the rebel hierarchy. Kremlin officials, who accuse Maskhadov of being a chief organiser of the hostage attack, called Basayev's statement a smoke screen designed to divert attention from the rebel leader. "Basayev is trying to shield Maskhadov from blame, to save him for further political games," the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted the Kremlin's spokesman on Chechnya, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, as saying. Sounds like a pretty good assessment. Unless Shamil can produce a tape of a conversation with Aslan, where Aslan's saying "Are you guys nutz?!?" the Russers aren't going to buy it.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 10:09 am ||
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I'm with Sergei: Basayev's trying to catch the spear intended for Maskhadov.
Posted by: G ||
11/02/2002 18:46 Comments ||
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Source: Daily Islam, Translated By Jihad Unspun
Russian Defense Minister Sergy Avanov said that according to plans initiated by Russian President Putin, Russia will call back its surplus troops from Chechnya. I'd imagine they'll be replaced by other troops, from more combat-ready units. This isn't the moment to be backing off in Chechnya, either militarily or politically...
The announcement comes as Russia is being criticized for the use of gas in the recent Moscow Theater incident. Amnesty International has accused Russian military and Chechnyan attackers of violating human rights. Germany has also stressed that the conflict should be resolved politically. Germany's become one of the usual suspects in this sort of thing — nobody expects Schroeder's government to take a stand against any terrorism that's not in Germany. If somebody takes a few hundred Germans hostage, or blows up the Brandenburg Gate, his tune might change, but probably not before that.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 10:39 am ||
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Pakistan's pro-military government party nominated its candidate for the post of Prime Minister in the recently elected but splintered national parliament, party officials said Saturday, November 2. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), which scored the highest tally with 103 seats won in the October 10 polls, formally agreed to nominate Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. We knew that...
No single party secured the simple majority required to form a government in the 342-seat house in the first polls since President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in October 1999. Parties remain deadlocked some three weeks after the elections, despite frantic efforts to form coalitions. Hussain said Jamali's nomination followed consultations with the pro-government National Alliance and the Muhajir-based Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), which together control 33 seats. That makes 136 seats...
The PML-Q parliamentary leader said his party did not need to enter into a coalition with the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of banned ex-premier Benazir Bhutto - which landed 80 seats, the second highest number in the polls. They don't want to ally with Benazir's party because it's so dirty...
Hussain also said there would be no need for the PML-Q to coalesce with the newly-powerful Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of six Islamic parties, which won an unexpectedly high 59 seats. ... and they don't want to ally with the fundos because they're all lunatix. Glad I'm not a Pak pol... Glad I'm not a Pak, for that matter.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 09:20 am ||
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Pakistan media photos of the MMA bearded ones, reveals gross obesity. I wonder what starving Pakistanis will think when they these clowns are on daily political display.
#2
From the Friday Times:
According to Khabrain, JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, already on the heavy side, arrived in Lahore in connection with MMAâs train march and asked for a good Lahori breakfast. The items he got were: halwa-puri, siri-pai, nihari-gosht and special lassi. He found that the items mentioned above were extremely delicious, after which he fell upon them with gusto and finished them off. After that the maulana found it hard to open his eyes as attacks of sleepiness made him helpless. He was quoted saying that the nashtah was delicious but he felt like sleeping throughout the day. The maulana has been nominated by the MMA as Pakistanâs next prime minister
Posted by: Paul ||
11/03/2002 2:13 Comments ||
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Source: Agencies, Jihad Unspun
Eleven Al-Qaida suspects who were earlier arrested from Jalozai and Shamshato camp have been released from jail after personal bail was posted. Meanwhile, Osama Bin Ladenâs close companion Abdul Wahid Urf Abdul has been shifted to Rawalpindi where he awaits departure to Cuba anytime. He sounds like a good catch, if he's Binny's buddy...
The early morning raids on 8th October in Shamshatu refugee camps which are run by Hikmatyar, led to the arrests of five men; Khan Mohammad, Mohammad Zamir Gul, Syed Ullah, Ameer and another. However Hizb-e-Islamiâs Kutb ud Din Hilal staged a strong protest against these arrests. Sources revealed that these men were released on a personal bail from Kutb ud Din Hilal. No link could be established between these men and Al-Qaida so they were released on a bail. Nice of Hekmatyar to go bail for them...
In Jalozi camp during FBI raids, six men were arrested which included Abu Abdul Rehman Idrees who was released on bail by Molvi Mohammad Siafâs brother and Molvi Mohammad Nabiâs cousin. According to details, the released are innocent. As long as clergymen are going bail for them, I'm assuming they're not...
Those arrested in the October 23 raid on Jahangir abad University road and Dala zak Road proved to be linked to Al-Qaida. Reliable sources tell us that Abdul Wahid is a close ally to Osama bin Laden who was arrested from Jahangirabad and powerful bombs where also seized. Sources also tell us that Abdul has been shifted to Rawalpindi from where he will be shifted to Cuba. Investigation teams have also gathered important intelligence in statements from those arrested which is why they are being shifted to Cuba. It looks like they managed to catch one of the upper-middle managers and a bunch of small fry and/or wannabe's. I don't know if the small fry are being dumped because they're innocent, they're people whose acquaintances might be of interst, or if they're Bad Guys but the local cops want to stay on the good side of the newly-empowered local mullahs. Since they did ship Abdul off for a Caribbean vacation, I suspect it's the second alternative. The link with Hekmatyar is definitely something to keep an eye on.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 10:24 am ||
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Three weeks after its breathtaking gains in Oct 10 polls, cracks have emerged in Pakistan's Islamic party alliance, with the two main parties bickering over key government posts. The six-party Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) landed the balance of power in the national assembly, sparking concerns among liberals they would use their new influence to enforce Islamic law and throw US troops and intelligence agents out of the country. But veteran observers have said the fragility of the alliance, which unites traditional rivals, could see it break up before becoming a powerful political force. 'This MMA alliance is like a marriage of convenience between two people who hate each other,' said writer and analyst Mohammad Afzal Niazi. 'It is only a matter of time before it ultimately breaks up.' Hmmm... This sounds interesting. It couldn't be that their egos were arguing over who gets to...
Simmering tensions between the fundamentalist Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) erupted on Wednesday when JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed was nominated to lead the MMA in the national assembly. JUI executives, whose leader, Mr Maulana Fazlur Rehman, was nominated as prime minister, stormed out of the MMA meeting in fury, claiming the JI reneged on an agreement to keep the post free should Mr Rehman lose his bid for the premiership. 'This decision makes a mockery of the alliance,' a JUI leader said. "If we can't be in charge, we ain't playing!"
He said the JI had agreed it would get the parliamentary leadership only if Mr Rehman secured the post of prime minister - which pundits say is unlikely. If Mr Rehman misses out on the prime ministership, he and his JUI - which won most of the MMA's seats - will have no post in the national assembly. Meaning that Qazi grabbed off the goodies for himself, leaving them as spear carriers...
JUI and JI have a history of enmity but sidelined their differences to forge an alliance with four other religious parties to contest Oct 10 polls. The 'marriage of convenience', as analysts term the Islamic coalition, paid off. Islamic parties in the last national polls in 1997 won only four federal seats; on Oct 10, as an alliance, they won 45. "United we stand, divided we're putzes. But why should everybody pull so Qazi can grab the power for himself?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 09:28 pm ||
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Israeli soldiers stopped two Palestinians in a car at a checkpoint in the West Bank Saturday and found an explosive belt inside, the army said. The men were stopped at Tappuah junction, south of Nablus and later taken in for questioning. The belt was detonated, an army spokesman said. Being civilized people, they didn't make the gunnies wear it when they did.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 10:48 am ||
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Malaysiakini
Thai Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha is to visit Kuala Lumpur next week, officials said today, reportedly for talks over a series of bombing and arson attacks in the Muslim-majority south. "He will make a one-day visit on Thursday Nov 7, mainly to hold talks with his Malaysian counterpart (Syed Hamid Albar)," an interior ministry official told AFP. They can compare notes on bad guys...
Two bombs exploded Tuesday at a Buddhist temple and a hotel in the provincial capital of Pattani, causing minor damage, while five schools were set ablaze in neighbouring Songkhla province in pre-dawn attacks the same day. The attack on a temple certainly sounds like Islamists. I'm not sure about the school attacks — the kiddies weren't in them.
One suspect has been arrested over the incidents, which Thai authorities have said were carried out by local gangsters and were not the work of international terrorists. Of course, it's often so hard to tell the difference...
Thailand's five southern provinces have in recent years been plagued by Muslim separatism but most analysts now believe the remnants of the militant groups are incapable of carrying out major attacks. Authorities have failed to make any arrests over an earlier spate of violence in the region where since December more than 20 policemen have been killed, trains bombed, government offices attacked and weapons depots raided. Provincial leaders and Islamic authorities say the culprits are not Islamic separatists, but criminals fighting over the profits from illegal businesses including smuggling and prostitution. If they don't clean up that kind of nonsense they're going to have the Islamic kinds of nonsense. When local crooks are knocking over weapons depots and gunning down a couple dozen coppers, you've lost control. If they don't reassert it, they've got big problems.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 09:20 am ||
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Most of the separatist movements in the Muslim world have over the past decade been taken over by Islamic hardliners. For instance, the Hezbullah in Lebanon, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, the Hezbul Mujahideen, the Lashkar-i-Taiba, the Jaish-i-Mohammed and many others fighting in Indian Kashmir, the RSM in Myanmar and the Moro Liberation Front in the Philippines. However, although the leaders of these groups sympathize with al-Qaeda and broadly agree with its program, they do not want to deviate too far from their main goals of bringing about change in their own regions. And, apart from Hezbullah, all of the above-mentioned organizations are funded to some extent by Saudi Arabia. Hezbullah receives its financing from Iran. By showing too much solidarity with bin Laden, then, these organizations would risk having their financial arteries severed. There's the solution to the entire War on Terror right there: sever those "financial arteries." That means both Iran and Soddy Arabia have to go. Since it's a matter of us or them, I'd much rather it be them.
But while the leaders might think this, within the rank and file of the groups there are many who have been inspired by al-Qaeda, and they have taken over its fight, but in their own way. Al-Qaeda aims for US-specific targets, and not Western ones in general. However, this is not the message that has trickled down to local groups across the Muslim world, especially those who have not had training in al-Qaeda's camps in Afghanistan. The understanding of al-Qaeda's jihad for these local groups means the West, in general terms. At the same time, US targets are also not generally available to attack because of the high security that surrounds them. To Salafists, infidels are infidels, so the nationality is of merely tactical consideration. If the United States was to collapse tomorrow, they'd just move on to killing Brits, Frenchies, Germans, Dutchies, Swedes, and what have you. They've declared a religious war, and the fact that it's against us and Israel at this moment doesn't mean that in the next moment it's not going to include someone else. If the Americans were to collapse, think how much easier it would be to roll up the Euros...
Militants embracing this broader concept of al-Qaeda's jihad are now joining together, such as the Rabitatul Mujahideen, an alliance formed by Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiyah to act as a central committee for leaders of the various militant groups in Southeast Asia, and which is spreading to South Asia. Others include dissidents within the Lashkar-i-Taiba, a Pakistani-based militant group that has been active in Indian-administered Kashmir, and another Pakistani militia, the Ansarul Islam. Their number one priority now is US and Western targets. Observers of al-Qaeda have long pointed out that the network has been obsessed with creating a situation in which the US would be drawn into conflict with Muslim countries, so as to generate a backlash among the Muslim world in general, which appears to be happening now, with elements within fundamentalist groups broadening their activities to stir fear in the Western world. The U.S. is refusing, at this point, to make it a "religious" war, despite the provocations by the Islamists. Bush has gone out of his way to make it something else, to the point of sounding mealy-mouthed. But making it a war against Salafism â which is a synonym for Soddy imperialism â would be a different matter. The rubes in turbans haven't followed the "khalifate" idea through to its logical conclusion: who is the most logical Khalif? Qazi, with his inbred Pashtuns, raving and spewing spittle? Bashir, with his slanty-eyed, mixed blood Indons? No, no! The khalif must be a pure-blooded Arab, from the Land of the Prophet! And who better than a Keeper of the Holy Mosque, by whose largesse and through whose wisdom the evil infidels are even now being fought in every corner of the world, yea, even in their native lands! Get the idea?
And while there seems to be no strong hand of al-Qaeda in all of this, the climate of fear that is being created is exactly what the network would like until it again is in a position itself to execute another major strike against the US. That's assuming the network isn't dead, which if it's not now, it may soon be. It may well have outlived its usefulness to the Learned Elders of Islam, since jihad has become generic, rather than specific to a single group. Now that the ball is rolling, the kicker can be retired — perhaps even with prejudice, if there's a tactical advantage to be gained.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
11/02/2002 11:09 am ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
