BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan Coalition forces medically treated and evacuated an Afghan woman after the Taliban shot her for not supplying help in Shaheed Hasas District, Oruzgan Province Nov. 13.
The Taliban came to her tribal camp asking for food and supplies, said the detachment commander. The tribal elders explained they did not have any extra food to give the Taliban, and that they were in short supply themselves the Taliban retaliated by shooting at the civilian residents homes.
An innocent Afghan woman received a severe gunshot wound to the hand. Her husband, knowing that ANSF and Coalition forces are willing to help Afghan citizens, brought her to a Coalition base for treatment. Upon examination by a trained medical staff, it was determined that the wound required extensive treatment at a more sophisticated facility. Friendly forces treated the womans wound and medically evacuated her, along with her escort, for further treatment.
The Taliban continue to display their brutality, said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a CJTF-82 spokesman. Fortunately, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Afghan National Security Forces, and Coalition forces continue to improve their ability to provide emergency services to the people of Afghanistan.
Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed dozens of Taliban fighters in the south of the country after an ambush by a large group of insurgents, the US military said on Wednesday.
Despite the high casualty rates among Taliban rebels whenever they clash directly with Afghan and foreign troops, the insurgency shows no sign of abating.
Despite the high casualty rates among Taliban rebels whenever they clash directly with Afghan and foreign troops, the insurgency shows no sign of abating, but instead has spread from the south and east to areas previously considered safe.
In the latest fighting, Afghan forces, backed by US-led coalition troops were ambushed by a large group of insurgents using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in the Deh Rawud district of Uruzgan province on Tuesday, a US military statement said.
The Taliban fighters attempted to break contact and moved into a nearby compound causing women and children to flee the area, it said. Four separate precision air strikes effectively eliminated the insurgents who were trying to reinforce the enemy positions. Dozens of Taliban insurgents were killed, a US military spokesman said. Afghan and foreign forces accuse the Taliban of courting civilian casualties by operating from homes and populated areas.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2007 00:13 ||
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Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
#3
Anything approaching bare minimum success represents spectacular triumph in Afghanistan. Anything beyond simply denying the enemy a sanctuary and rear base is gravy. We can't say that in public, of course.
But wait - Afghanistan is much closer to a pure civil war than Iraq. And, and, we all know that civil wars are magic, and can't be won or even influenced by outsiders, and .... dang, it's hard being a bright Donk strategic analyst. So complicated.
#4
dang, it's hard being a bright Donk strategic analyst. So complicated.
it appears that it helps if you can shamelessly deny reality
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/15/2007 8:44 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Big media and big dhimmicrats are fully invested in anything that weakens, destroys or negates Bush, America and traditional values of God, Family, Country. If that means slanting the news or just down right seditious rhetoric than fine by them.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/15/2007 9:24 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The Taliban fighters attempted to break contact and moved into a nearby compound causing women and children to flee the area,
#7
It impresses me that we could have a great deal of sport if we arranged for a "pirate" radio to broadcast the names of some of the identified dead Taliban to Pakistan.
Slip in a few details of their being engaged in activities repugnant to Muslims, and specify that they were doing ucky things when killed by the Afghan army, police and tribesmen, guaranteed to humiliate his family.
If done craftily, it could imply that the Taliban are homosexual pagan junkie cowards, that are cannibals when starving, and are killed by the Afghan Muslim army more out of disgust and horror than in combat.
Killed while sodomizing each other and chanting Satanic prayers. A few survivors are reported to be begging to be killed in the belief that they will become living undead who will feast in graveyards and cesspits.
Even suggest that the Imams who send them give them drugs in their food and make them pray to the Imams as living gods and prophets, using black magic and offering the souls of their followers to the devil.
You can't go wrong by overestimating the superstition, ignorance and gullibility of such people. All you need to do is start rumors.
#8
"But wait - Afghanistan is much closer to a pure civil war than Iraq. And, and, we all know that civil wars are magic, and can't be won or even influenced by outsiders, and .... dang, it's hard being a bright Donk strategic analyst. So complicated"
I agree that the meme that a civil war is uninfluencable by outsiders, like the related one that military force plays NO role in resolving insurgencies is stupid, and that its politically vulnerable, since it logically should apply to Afghanistan as well as Iraq.
I think thats missing the political reality though. Policy people can make the logical distinction between why we entered a war, and the best strategy going forward. Lots of voters, though, conflate the issues - they can deal with frustrations and difficulties in Afghanistan, cause Osama WAS sheltered there, and they can't on Iraq, cause we didnt find WMD's.
And while Afghanistan may be more of a true civil war, its a much simpler one - the Taliban and their supporters among the rural Pashtun, versus everybody else. And its clear what side we are on, even if we have our issues now and again with Kharzai.
Iraq is hard enough for the informed to understand. Theres AQ, and Sunni insurgents, but theres Shiite militia who commit atrocities, theres Sadr whos sometimes a rebel, and sometimes part of the govt, theres rogue Sadrists, theres an Iraqi govt that seems to be connected to at least some illegal militias, there are places like Basra where AQ has no standing and its "safe" for coalition troops to leave, but local Shiite militias make life hard for Christians and secularists, etc, etc.
Does that mean Iraq is unwinnable, or even that its harder to win there then in Afghanistan? Not necessarily. It DOES mean that it wont be that easy to make the case that if Iraq is a quagmire as claimed, then Afghanistan must be one as well.
#10
Liberalhawk, while what you wrote may all be well and good with respect to the mind of the voter, the fact of the matter is that Afghanistan really is more of a quagmire than Iraq and potentially far less winnable.
Afghanistan has the following:
1. A source of income for the Taliban (opium) that the coalition forces refuse to deal with.
2. Neighboring sancutary for Taliban fighters and senior leadership where they are actually running the "government"...think Hanoi with a near complete air cover shield.
3. Huge numbers of ready and willing tribal savages ready to come over and have gun sex.
4. Basic backwardness and tribal nature of Afghanistan. The concept of a nation is something that is probably not on most of its citizen's radar, regardless of tribal affiliation.
How long until the voter forgets or even doesn't give a damn why we got into Afghanistan, but instead just wants out? Watch the Euros grow tired and run away in the next 12-18 months.
#11
How long until the voter forgets or even doesn't give a damn why we got into Afghanistan, but instead just wants out?
Depends on how the MSM plays the story. We aren't leaving Iraq any time soon, so Afghanistan will probably continue to be the good war as long as we are engaged in Iraq. The cost and casualties are sustainable. Afghanistan certainly isn't as much fun to cover as Iraq, what with the absence of three star hotels and restaurants. So I could see it being a low profile story for some time.
#12
"1. A source of income for the Taliban (opium) that the coalition forces refuse to deal with."
I dont know that they refuse to deal with it, but that theyve discovered that spraying it only alienates the locals more. Anyway the Iraqi insurgency rarely seems to have been constrained by lack of money.
"2. Neighboring sancutary for Taliban fighters and senior leadership where they are actually running the "government"...think Hanoi with a near complete air cover shield."
which is more likely succeed, doing something about Waziristan, or about Iranian meddling in Iraq. And Iran can do more than smuggle weapons, they can intervene in the politics to muddy the waters. At least the govt of Afghanistan KNOWS the taqfiris in NWFP are their enemies, Maliki doesnt seem to know if the Iranians are his enemy or not.
"3. Huge numbers of ready and willing tribal savages ready to come over and have gun sex."
Im not sure what the total number of available Pashtuns is. Anyway, until recently the Iraqi insurgency wasnt constrained by numbers.
"4. Basic backwardness and tribal nature of Afghanistan. The concept of a nation is something that is probably not on most of its citizen's radar, regardless of tribal affiliation."
Whereas in Iraq the concept of a nation IS on the citizens radar, except that for 20% of the citizens its the Kurdish nation, and for 25% its either the Arab nation, or at least an Iraq run by Sunni Arabs, and for the rest its an Iraq in which Sunni Arab power is crushed beyond all hope of recovery. Afghanistans tribes may be a better base for a stable state, if not a democratic one. Afghanistan in the decades prior to the Daud coup was in fact quite stable.
"How long until the voter forgets"
Impossible. The meme that "Iraq was a mistake, cause Saddam wasnt involved in 9/11" serves as a constant reminder that Afghanistan WAS involved.
"or even doesn't give a damn why we got into Afghanistan, but instead just wants out?"
hmmm, several thousand more US combat deaths would be needed at a minimum. Which is unlikely anytime soon, considering the much smaller footprint we have in Afghanistan.
"Watch the Euros grow tired and run away in the next 12-18 months."
Well that hardly proves anything even if it happened, theyre all weenies anyway, right? And I dont think the French and Germans are going to run - since their troops arent really in harms way, why should they? Brits, coming out of Iraq, arent about to come out of Afghanistan.
Maybe Canadians and Dutch will pull out, I dont know.
#13
I dont know that they refuse to deal with it, but that theyve discovered that spraying it only alienates the locals more. Anyway the Iraqi insurgency rarely seems to have been constrained by lack of money.
The way I see it, nothing changes between leaving the poppy farmers alone and spraying their crops. The only difference is that they go from pouring money into Taliban coffers to picking up a gun. If I were king, I'd take option two. The best way to do that would be to bomb the village first then spray the poppies. In fact, why the heck don't they declare these poppy farmers to be enemy financiers or combatants or something?
(SomaliNet) Somalias U.S. and Ethiopian-backed government has forced three prominent private radio stations off the air since Monday over their coverage of the bloody conflict centered in Mogadishu, according to news reports and local journalists.
In a press conference today, Mogadishu Mayor Mohamed Dheere Omar Habeeb accused the private stations Radio Banadir and Radio Simba of coverage undermining the government, according to local journalists. The closures come as government forces backed by the Ethiopian military, were pursuing suspected Islamic insurgents in city neighborhoods.
The mayors statements came a few hours after Somali government troops led by agents of Somalias National Security Agency stormed the studios of Radio Banadir and Radio Simba, dispersing staffers, and ordering the stations to stop broadcasting until further notice, according to the same sources. Ethiopian troops later occupied the building housing the studios of Radio Simba, according to the stations chief editor, Mustafa Haji.
Dheere accused Radio Simba of inciting antigovernment sentiment in a Sunday interview in which a spokesman for Mogadishus dominant Hawiya clan protested the arrest of clan elder Ahmed Dirye, Haji told CPJ. The mayor accused Radio Banadir of disseminating false news in reporting that mortar shells had landed in and around the presidential palace on Monday night, according to Abdirashid Abdullahi Haydar, an official with the National Union of Somali Journalists.
Todays closures followed Mondays forced shutdown of Radio Shabelle, a leading independent station broadcasting from Mogadishus main Bakara market, a suspected insurgent stronghold and the scene of house-to-house security sweeps.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/15/2007 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic Courts
#1
Wish they'd do that up here. We've already got two that have gone "All Christmas Music All the Time"...
The radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza can be extradited to the US to face terror charges, a court has ruled.
London's City of Westminster Magistrates Court ruled that Abu Hamza al-Masri can now be tried in the US for allegedly trying to set up an al-Qa'eda training camp in Oregon.
He is wanted by US authorities on a total of 11 charges.
Following the court ruling, the extradition can go ahead provided it gets the approval of Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary.
Egyptian-born Hamza, 49, who is fitted with hooks on both partially-amputated arms, is currently serving a seven-year jail term for inciting followers to murder non-believers.
He was arrested on an extradition warrant issued by the US administration in May 2004 but the process was put on hold when he stood trial in Britain and attempted to appeal against his convictions.
A decision by the House of Lords in January this year to refuse him leave to make a further appeal against his convictions left the path clear for extradition proceedings.
#1
Even odds that "jacqui" refuses on the grounds he the poor fluffy bunny may end up at Guantanamo. Never mind he's already in the legal system and wouldn't...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/15/2007 10:25 Comments ||
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#2
The US prison system will treat him to nicely. Bacon for breakfast, ham for lunch, and pork chops for dinner every night.
A strong blast shook a conference centre near Tajikistans presidential palace on Wednesday killing a security guard and scattering debris, just as a European Union-run conference was due to start.
The blast, described as a terrorist act by the prosecutor general, occurred at the centre only 350 metres from President Emomali Rakhmons palace. Observers said it may have been timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of Rakhmon becoming head of this Central Asian ex-Soviet state. The president had left Dushanbe a few minutes earlier for anniversary ceremonies in the north of the country. Police said the dead man was a guard who picked up the device concealed in a plastic bag while inspecting the site. The conference, which was organised by the European Union, was to be devoted to disaster preparedness. The EUs ambassador in the region, Adriaan van der Meer, said there was no reason to believe the blast was aimed at the EU. There is no indication whatsoever that it was against the EU.... We are waiting for exact news, and expect a thorough investigation, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2007 00:23 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
In an extremely rare public expression, North Korea officially thanked the United States for helping the crew of a North Korean cargo ship hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast late last month, describing the rescue as a symbol of Washington-Pyongyang rapprochement.
"We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen. This case serves as a symbol of the DPRK [North Korea]-U.S. cooperation in the struggle against terrorism," the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said.
Seven pirates, "disguised as guards," boarded the North Korean vessel on Oct. 29 and demanded that the sailors pay them $15,000.
Responding to a distress signal from the North Korean vessel, the USS James E. Williams and a helicopter rushed to the scene and "helped the [North Korean] sailors in fighting, threatening the pirates over walkie-talkie," KCNA said. The U.S. response was basically, "just doing our job."
It was an unprecedented move in the half century of hostility between the Cold War foes. The U.S. sailors also provided medical assistance to the crew.
"The pirates' recent armed attack on our trading ship was a grave terrorist act perpetrated against a peaceful ship," KCNA said. "It is the consistent principled stand of the [North Korean] government to oppose all sorts of terrorism, it said.
"We will continue to render international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, in the future, too," said the official mouthpiece of North Korea, which has been on the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism since 1988 and labeled by President Bush as part of an "axis of evil."
The United States and North Korea are technically at war since the Korean War ended in an armistice agreement in 1953. Under a recent landmark deal, the United Sates has promised to improve bilateral ties as a reward for North Korea to disable its nuclear weapons facilities.
In other symbols of thawing ties, the North's Taekwondo demonstration team made its first-ever visit to the United States in September and officials from the New York Philharmonic visited Pyongyang in October to consider a possible concert there next year.
The Korean Central News Agency released Thursday the following detailed report on the recent pirate attack on the DPRK-flagged trading ship Taehongdan in waters off Somalia:
On Oct. 29, 2007 when it was anchored at roads ready for departure after discharging cargo at Mogadishu Port, Somalia the ship came under a surprise attack by seven armed pirates disguised as guards.
All the crewmen were detained at a steering room and an engine room.
The pirates demanded the crewmen pay a ransom of 15,000 U.S. dollars and navigate to the waters designated by them, opening fire to threaten them.
The sailors, however, remained unperturbed under this dangerous situation created all of a sudden. They fought to beat back the pirates attack.
They switched on an automatic warning device and waged a fierce gunfight against the pirates after seizing weapons from two terrorists who were standing guard over the engine room.
As the steering room was occupied by the pirates, they sailed towards the open sea by use of steering engine for emergency operation and life boat compass, while battling on to overpower the remaining pirates.
In the meantime, upon receiving a SOS sent by the ship, an institution concerned in the DPRK officially informed the International Maritime Organization and the Piracy Reporting Centre of the IMB stationed in Malaysia of the incident and asked for help.
At the request of the above-said centre, U.S. navys destroyer James E. Williams and a helicopter rushed to the scene and helped the DPRK sailors in fighting, threatening the pirates over walkie-talkie.
As a result, at around 16:30 on Oct. 30, i.e. about 20 hours after the start of the fight, the pirates dropped arms and surrendered. The ship was completely recaptured by its sailors.
One pirate was killed and six crewmen of the DPRK were wounded in the fight.
A surgeon of the U.S. destroyer provided first-aid treatment and other medical service to our wounded crewmen.
Our cargo ship made a safe voyage to its destination through a regular sea route.
The pirates recent armed attack on our trading ship was a grave terrorist act perpetrated against a peaceful ship.
It is the consistent principled stand of the DPRK government to oppose all sorts of terrorism.
As shown by our crewmen through their actions, it is the disposition of the Korean people to fight out any terrorist act on the spot though they are empty-handed.
We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen.
This case serves as a symbol of the DPRK-U.S. cooperation in the struggle against terrorism.
We will continue to render international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, in the future, too.
Democratic leaders in Congress said Thursday that if lawmakers are unable to pass a war spending bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, they'll probably drop it until next year, prompting a threat of military layoffs from the Pentagon.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Pentagon can tap into its $471 billion annual budget instead.
However, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that unless Congress passes funding for the Iraq war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corp. to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year.
"There is a misperception that this department can continue funding our troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers, that we can shuffle money around the department. This is a serious misconception," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.
He only has the flexibility to transfer about $3.7 billion -- which is just one week's worth of war expenses, he said.
The House passed a $50 billion bill Wednesday that would pay for the wars but require that troops start to leave Iraq in 30 days. It sets a goal of ending combat by December 2008, as well as standards that would make waterboarding illegal.
The White House said that it is already on track to meet the requirement that troops start coming home because the surge is winding down. And President George W. Bush promised to veto the bill if it arrives with a withdrawal provision.
A Senate vote on the bill is expected before Sunday...
#2
cutting off funds for the troops in a time of war? Bring it on, beetches
Look for the Republican ads to use this vote, starting ASAP, the "conservative" democrats won't back Pelosi/Reid, and it's not strong enuf to satisfy the nutroots. Lose-lose, 0-41, and even closer to bringing back a Rep congressional majority, in the house, if not the senate too. Somewhere, Karl Rove is smiling
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/15/2007 20:55 Comments ||
Top||
#3
If they do try to push it through and have this be little more than political poking, they will lose the election. Big time. Nothing pisses the American public off more than people snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
#4
TOPIX > COMMENTARY MAGAZINE -THE CASE FOR BOMBING IRAN. Author - 9-11 plunged USA + World into another World War, wid Iraq, Afghanistan, and now potens IRAN being "war fronts"/sectors in WWIV.
Compare wid RIAN > THE THIRD WORLD WAR - WHERE DOES IRAN FIT? + ASYMMETRICAL ISKANDER MISSLE WARFARE; + KOMMERSANT > USA PUSHES RUSSIA, IRAN TOWARDS NEW GAS CARTEL. Larger, more World influential than OPEC, etc. ASIANEWS/TOPIX/
WORLDNEWS > ASIA WORLD:IS POWER OF EMPIRE SHIFTING TO ASIA? Asia-centric/domin Global Order is closer than you think.
#5
ION, GOOGLE VIDEO > US Education System promotes + protects ANTI-MINORITY "CASTE SYSTEM"; + REDDIT > Approxi 40% of all US Blacks born in the 1960's to middle-class parents-families now living in abject poverty.
TOPIX > INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY - GEOPOLITICS: A NUCLEAR CHAVEZ? Hugo = Iran/Moud = wants a "peaceful" nucenergy program; + AMERICA IN 2008:THE NEXT REALIGNMENT? Shift in CORE NATIONAL BELIEFS???
#1
Great stories. Note that we have Air Force on the ground snatching bad guys using OSI, Air Force combat cameras on foot patrol in Anbar and we have Air Force in Afghanistan heading up Afghan army convoys. The W0T has changed a lot of doctrine.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/15/2007 9:33 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Good site. Site must not be complete or up-to-date. I could not find MOH winner Lt. Michael Murphy.
#4
I have always thought the United States Post Office ought to run a series of commemorative stamps featuring Medal of Honor winners. I'm not certain how they might do this as there have been a large number of MOH winners since the inception of the medal. Such an issue would serve two purposes: 1) honor these very special people, and 2) provide a continual reminder to the rest of us of the price of freedom.
State-run television in the Maldives has been ordered not to employ women who cover their heads and to stop praising Palestinian suicide bombers, a government minister told AFP. The measures are part of a package of restrictions designed to stem a feared spread of militant Islam that could damage the Indian Ocean archipelagos status as a top destination for rich tourists.
We have instructed Television Maldives to stop hiring female anchors who wear headscarves and not show fully veiled women, even in news reports, Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed said in an interview late Tuesday. He said state-run television had also been ordered to no longer refer to Palestinian suicide bombers as jihadis - and to cease glorifying holy war.
We are taking off panellists on programmes who are not moderate, going through scripts, checking terminology to make sure there is no language that contains extremist kinds of things, he said.
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ordered a crackdown on radicalism after a bomb attack in the capital Male on September 29 wounded a British honeymoon couple, eight Chinese and two Japanese tourists. Tourism has since recovered. There was a slight dip after the blast. But we cant afford another blast, it will kill the industry, Nasheed said. We cant afford to ignore the rise of extremism in the country. We cant afford to look back thousands of years, or go back to that era, he added.
Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid also argued that covered-up women were a security risk. Its purely a security issue, people have a right to know the identity of those around them, especially when they enter public buildings, government offices, he said. People are free to cover up elsewhere.
Other measures include cracking down on underground mosques and preventing firebrand preachers from working in the chain of 1,192 tiny islands.
But the opposition Islamic party, Adalaath, called the restrictions a disgrace. We have asked women who want to wear the veil not to obey the court ruling. Its a denial of their basic religious freedom, the right to seek justice, said Mohamed Didi, chairman of the Adalaath Party. The Maldives is one of the few 100 percent Muslim countries. Those who passed this law should be ashamed of themselves, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2007 00:22 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
We cant afford to look back thousands of years, or go back to that era
Mugged by jihad.
Seems Iraq is on the same page, overall. Can we duplicate it elsewhere?
Its a denial of their basic religious freedom
Just FOAD, if you don't like it. But do it on your own, no shahid boomer crap.
Former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General (r) Hameed Gul was shifted from Adiala jail to his residence located in Chaklala on Wednesday.
Clownish though he appears to us, Hamid is one of the more dangerous godfathers of terrorism in Pakistain.
He was detained after the proclamation of emergency in the country. His residence has been declared as sub jail. His daughter, Uzma Gul, said that Hameed was not feeling well in the jail. A heavy contingent of police had been deployed outside the residence, she added.
This article starring:
Hameed Gul
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2007 00:09 ||
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[5 views]
Top|| File under: ISI
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/15/2007 9:36 Comments ||
Top||
#2
If Perv had only arrested this guy, Id be cool with the state of emergency. I could even have accepted arresting Imran Khan, though Im not sure that would have been wise at this point.
Mischievous thought:
Lets say Perv really WAS working with Bhutto. To not arrest her, would an open signal that shw was working with him, and would be political death for her. Arresting her, though it makes him look worse, is NECESSARY for her to remain credible. In which case Perv is valiantly falling on his sword, to make possible a future secularist govt led by Bhutto.
MINGORA: Around 33 militants, two soldiers and five civilians were killed as army helicopters continued targeting Taliban positions in various areas of Swat for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. Separately, eight military personnel were injured as unidentified miscreants targeted their convoy with a remote-controlled bomb in Batkhela.
Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP that 17 militants were killed when gunship helicopters attacked their vehicle, while the remaining 16 were killed in separate clashes. Six loyalists of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah were eliminated as they tried to free four colleagues that had been arrested by security forces near Saidu Sharif Airport, Arshad said, adding that two soldiers died in the clash. The military spokesman said that another four militants were killed in Hazara village. We will make sure that the militants are completely wiped off before we end the operation, he vowed. Troops also arrested four militants carrying radio sets and grenades, Arshad said, reported AFP.
Without confirming or rejecting the casualties, Fazlullahs spokesman Sirajuddin told Daily Times that he was in a war-like situation and could say nothing about the casualties at the moment.
Five civilians killed: Area residents said five civilians, including two minors, were also killed in bombing by army helicopters in Shangla and Kabal tehsils. However, the military spokesman confirmed the deaths of only two civilians.
Shops remain closed: Meanwhile, a curfew was in place till 12pm as army troops moved into Swat. Almost all government and private offices, educational institutions, shops and business centres remained closed in Mingora and its adjacent areas.
Meanwhile, local sources said security forces and Taliban exchanged fire in the Baily Baba area located around six kilometres from Alpuri, the Shangla town taken over by militants on Tuesday. At Liloni, the militants locked the police lines and vacated the area after talks with local elders, residents said, adding that the elders told the militants they did not want any interference by army or Taliban. Meanwhile, according to Online, two music centres were destroyed partially when a bomb planted near Gam Ghol in the Kohat area went off. No casualties were reported.
This article starring:
Major General Waheed Arshad
Maulana Fazlullah
TNSM
Sirajuddin
TNSM
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2007 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: TNSM
Imran Khan, one of the last remaining independent political voices at liberty in Pakistan, was attacked by hardline Islamic students yesterday and handed over to police.
Imran, like most of Pakistain's leadership and wannabe leadership, is also a religious nutcase.
Mr Khan made his first public appearance yesterday since going into hiding when the emergency was declared on 3 November. Police had sealed off all entrances to Punjab University in Lahore, where he had announced that he would address students. Somehow he made it through the cordon, appearing suddenly just after midday, where hundreds of students had gathered, chanting slogans against the regime. He was immediately hoisted on to people's shoulders, raising his fist in the air, amid scenes of jubilation.
But events turned nasty very quickly as the "beards" - students belonging to the feared Islami Jamiat Talaba - moved in. The crowd was pushed towards a nearby building. Mr Khan was bundled inside and the gates were locked. Some claimed that he was punched repeatedly. The entrance was guarded by Jamiat students. An hour later, a van drove up and Mr Khan was shoved inside and driven off at high speed.
At the exit from the campus, he was handed over to police, who put him in a van and sped off. Rashid Mahmood Bhullar, 25, a Jamiat student, said: "Imran Khan came here and he interfered. We do not like interference from any politician."
Islami Jamiat Talaba activists push Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan into a van at the Punjab University, where he had come to lead a student rally on Wednesday.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/15/2007 5:39 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Only certain kinds of teaching are permitted. Student and professorial outrage will soon be evident in the US.
Just think if the heist was somehow linked to Perv...
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/15/2007 6:33 Comments ||
Top||
(life isn't fair)
:) Imran Khan, the former Pakistani cricket star turned politician who sparked the "Newsweek Riots" came out of hiding yesterday to lead a student rally at Lahore's Punjab University where he was snatched away from his followers, manhandled, detained and handed over to Pakistani police by students affiliated with the radical Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
/boo hoo
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
11/15/2007 9:29 Comments ||
Top||
SRINAGAR A National Conference leader was shot dead yesterday morning when he was returning after offering prayers at a mosque in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital. Police said Ghulam Nabi Wani, a National Conference councillor in Srinagar's Khanyar locality, about three km from the city centre Lal Chowk, was killed when suspected separatist rebels pumped bullets into him.
Wani represented the opposition National Conference party in the citys Municipal Corporation.
"Wani was immediately taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. He had received critical bullet injuries including one in his head," a police officer said. No militant group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Did they need to?
The early morning shooting led to tension in the Khanyar neighbourhood. Police and paramilitary forces have surrounded the area and have begun searches, the officer added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/15/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Part of factional rivalry within the Shia leadership? Which faction is he?
Highlights:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The head of police intelligence in Iraq's Kerbala province has been detained after roadside bombs and other weapons were found in a raid on his house, a police spokesman said on Sunday.
Kerbala police spokesman Rahman Emshawi said acting on a tip-off, a police rapid reaction force raided the home of Lieutenant-Colonel Hashem Chalub on Saturday night and seized a quantity of weapons and explosives.
Chalub was later arrested at a restaurant and was now in police custody. A special committee, including representatives of the Ministry of Interior, had been set up to investigate the affair, Emshawi said.
Three US soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in northern Iraq, the US military said on Wednesday.
Two US soldiers died and four were wounded when they were hit by a roadside bomb in restive Diyala province northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday, the military said in a statement. Another US soldier was shot and killed near the volatile city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/15/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Duty, honour, country.
May their memory be for a blessing, their legacy peace abroad and at home.
via e-mail from MNF-I PAO
Coalition forces killed 25 suspected terrorists and detained 21 suspects, four of whom were wounded, late Tuesday and early Wednesday during operations targeting senior terrorist leaders in central Iraq.
During a series of coordinated operations west of Tarmiyah, Coalition forces targeted associates of senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders believed to be in the area. Coalition forces observed several armed men in the target area and, perceiving hostile intent, called for supporting aircraft to engage. The supporting aircraft fired on the target, but intelligence reports indicated the men unloaded an anti-aircraft weapon from the target and moved to a secondary location. The ground force engaged the armed men, killing one, wounding another and detaining one suspect. Upon securing the area, the ground force found a weapons cache, to include anti-aircraft weapons and artillery. Supporting aircraft was used to safely destroy an associated building, vehicle and site believed to be used for anti-aircraft attacks against Coalition forces.
The ground force also followed suspects from the initial meeting to several buildings in the area. As Coalition forces approached the target areas, they were engaged by enemy fire from both locations. Responding in self-defense, ground forces called for supporting aircraft to engage, killing 24 and wounding three.
As the ground forces secured the areas, they found two substantially large weapons caches, which were safely destroyed by supporting aircraft to prevent further use by terrorists. The caches included numerous anti-aircraft machine guns, surface-to-surface missiles, rifles, pistols, grenades, mortar rounds and artillery shells. Coalition forces also found a large quantity of ammunition and components used to manufacture improvised explosive devices. Coalition forces also detained 16 suspects at the two locations.
All of the injured received immediate medical treatment on site by Coalition forces medical experts and were taken to a near-by military medical facility for further treatment.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins ||
11/15/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
#1
That's gotta hurt.
I like the idea of being able to follow them. That's gotta be unnerving.
Not enough detail to know, but I wonder whether this (and other, similar incidents) indicates a more aggressive ROE with respect to air (targets were engaged based on perceived threat, doesn't appear that a committee of JAGs, chaplains, and inspector general staff back in the US was given a written proposal to approve before structures were hit with lethal force). Or did the circumstances just allow for fairly free use of air power.
Would be nice to know how many of the harvested ones were Iraqis. But regardless, this sort of attrition of the enemy and demonstration of will and capacity are one of the principal benefits of continuing engagement in Iraq, even if the administration never imagines hinting at the fact, and 90% of Beltway types can't seem to figure it out for themselves.
An "ambiguous" explosion? That's a new one...
Gaza Ma'an Palestinian medical sources announced on Thursday that two activists from Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades were injured when an ambiguous explosive device detonated in the area which used to be known as "Atzmona" before the Israeli disengagement, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. What do you think, Mahmoud?
It looks ambiguous, Jabril. Let's kick it around and see if it explodes or not.
Both victims lost their feet in the explosion. Oh, no! There's no place to shoot them in anymore!
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubayda said the devices were very small and that there was still no accurate information about their nature. So remember, kids. Naboul the Dead Bee sez "Grenade soccer is dangerous, even for Lions of Islam! Don't let this happen to YOU!"
#4
Cooperation between the research labs of Saturday Night Live and the DOD has finally paid off with the deployment of the AGB-69 - Ambiguously Gay Bomb.
"It was a horrific scene. We had to pry the two shahids loose with a crow bar." - Palestinian medic.
Posted by: ed ||
11/15/2007 12:07 Comments ||
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#5
Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of jerks.
MANILA, (Xinhua) -- Three rebel Abu Sayyaf members suspected to be involved in Tuesday's blast at the Philippine Congress complex were killed and three others captured during a joint raid Thursday afternoon in a depressed community in the country's capital region, said the police.
The explosion took place Tuesday night while congressmen were going out of the House after the session adjournment, claiming four lives including a lawmaker from the southern Philippines.
"There are indications that this group has involvement in the blast," said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres after the raid staged by elements of the Army and the police of the Philippines.
The joint team swooped down on a safe house in the community at around 4:20 p.m. local time (0820 GMT), ensuing a five-minute exchange of gunfires, Torres told reporters.
When asked what are the indications that the suspects were indeed involved in the bombing on Tuesday night, Torres said, "I cannot ascertain. That is the report that reached me. They are suspected Abu Sayyaf Group members and the reason for the raid is somewhat related to the investigation on the blast."
"They are suspects (in the blast). The initial report that we received is that there are indications that they have something to do with the blast," he said.
On Wednesday, a leader of Abu Sayyaf Group, by the name of Kumander Noth Mudalam, denied that the group was responsible for the explosion.
"We are not responsible for the bombing in Congress," said the Abu Sayyaf commander in Basilan, South Philippines.
#1
This one is great fun. The blast killed a Philippine congressman named Wahib Akbar. Wahib was the governor of Basilan Island. He was one of the founding fathers of the Abu Sayyaff and a mentor to Janjalani and Hamjarabi Sali, the guys who took the Burnhams and beheaded Gene Sobrerro. This guy Akbar should have died years ago!
Yesterday was a good day but my only question was if Akbar was the target or was he planting the bomb when it went off?
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/15/2007 17:43 Comments ||
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An al-Qaida-affiliated terror group has admitted to trying to assassinate Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah (possibly Hizballah paid them to make this claim), the Lebanese newspaper A-Saphir reported on Thursday.
The admission came following the arrest of three members of the terror cell last summer.
#1
I find myself feeling slightly ill-at-ease to so suddenly be wishing for once that such a thing existed as Arab competence. (Another fine oxymoron!)
#2
Since the war last year Nasrallah hides under a thousand burquas and is buying more.
/not to mention 100 meters of concrete.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
11/15/2007 13:01 Comments ||
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#3
I should have explained the AlQaida hostility to Nazrallah in more detail.
Nazrallah has done a number of things that are heretical (or worse) in the view of Salafi sharia.
He praises Iman Ali and Iman Hussain before (and with more enthusiasm) than he does when praising Mohammad. Similarly, he invokes the Shia Saints (I don't have a good handle on the priority order of these). Supposedly he has interfered with (or robbed) Sunnis who wanted to go on Haj. Also these are acts that justify a death sentence.
Iran has embroiled Britain in an escalating domestic row over the country's nuclear policy by charging Tehran's former senior nuclear negotiator, Hossein Mousavian, with passing classified information to the British Embassy. He has been informed of the charges that he has given the British Embassy information contrary to the security of the country, Gholam Hossein Ejehi, Iran's hardline Intelligence Minister, was quoted as saying by the country's official news agency. It did not say when Mr Mousavian would be put on trial.
Your current negotiator is an American spy. Ooops, shouldn't have told you that. My bad.
By involving the British Embassy in the row, supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the firebrand President, appear to be attempting to embarrass Mr Mousavian's supporters.
He was Iran's top nuclear negotiator under Iran's reformist former President, Mohammad Khatami, and spent ten days in jail in May on unspecified charges of espionage before being released on bail. As former nuclear negotiator, Mr Mousavian regularly met European envoys in Tehran from October 2003 in talks to resolve the nuclear dispute.
It was normal diplomatic activity in that we sought to find out what the Iranian position was and he conveyed the Iranian position, one European envoy told The Times. Whether they are simply claiming that in doing their government duty people like Mousavian were traitors or whether they are claiming that over and above their government duty Mousavian passed sensitive information we don't know, the envoy added. They could be criminalising normal diplomatic behaviour or they could be accusing him of something much more precise.
Gary Sick, an Iran expert at Columbia University in New York, said he really did not think that Mousavian was a spy. "He was the appointed representative - he was supposed to meet with representatives: that was what he was all about. Professor Sick told The Times: I see this all in the context of domestic politics. In my view, Ahmadinejad is making a real play for power. He said that Mr Ahmadinejad had come back from his recent trip to New York feeling triumphant after all the publicity he received there. He came back feeling now or never hes going to reassert himself.
Mr Mousavian is an ally of Hashemi Rafsanjani, another powerful former President who, with Mr Khatami, accused the current president of endangering the Islamic Republic with his confrontational rhetoric on the nuclear issue.
Without naming either of his predecessors, Mr Ahmadinejad lashed out at them indirectly on Monday by branding domestic critics of his nuclear policies as traitors working for the West. His outburst highlighted a growing rift within the upper echelons of the Iranian regime.
It came on the same day that Mr Rafsanjani, a leading rival of Mr. Ahmadinejad, made a public speech in which he warned of a serious danger to Iran from the US. Significantly, he was accompanied by Mr. Mousavian, who was making his first public appearance since May.
The charges against Mr Mousavian will be seen as a challenge to Mr Rafsanjani, who is a pragmatic conservative who believes in accommodation with the West. From the viewpoint of the Intelligence Ministry, he [Mousavian] is a criminal ... this is definite and provable. But the decision [on the case] rests with the judge, Mr Ejehi said. He made clear Mr Mousavian had powerful allies, saying: Influential persons have called the judge and tried to get him acquitted.
Professor Sick sees the accusations against Mr Mousavian as an attempt by the President to undermine Mr Rafsanjani. Similarly, the abrupt removal of Ali Larijani as chief nuclear negotiator in September was seen as an attempt by the president to seize more control of the nuclear file from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader.
Because many Iranians are steeped in the history of British imperial meddling in Iran in the 19th and 20th centuries, Britain is often a convenient whipping boy for Iranian hardliners who invariably portray it as perfidious Albion.
This article starring:
Hossein Mousavian
Posted by: mrp ||
11/15/2007 00:00 ||
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[8 views]
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#1
WORLDNEWS/TOPIX > IRAN DRAWS UP RETALIATION PLANS FOR ANY ISRAELI ATTACK; + WORLDNEWS > IRAN: REVOLUTIONARY GUARD READY TO "DEFEND THE REVOLUTION".
#2
WORLDNEWS/TOPIX > IRAN DRAWS UP RETALIATION PLANS FOR ANY ISRAELI ATTACK; + WORLDNEWS > IRAN: REVOLUTIONARY GUARD READY TO "DEFEND THE REVOLUTION" + TEHRAN EDGES CLOSER TO PROVOKING ISRAELI ATTACK [Canada Dot.com]
#3
LUCIANNE > BRITAIN - AQ PLANS XMAS BLITZ. Iff you see a RED NOSE in the sky on a stark Xmas nite, or a RED DOT weirdly fixating on Mall-SHop Buildings, etc. LONDON SEZES IT MIGHT NOT BE RUDOLPH!?
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.
Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed dozens of Taliban fighters in the south of the country after an ambush by a large group of insurgents, the US military said on Wednesday. 
(SomaliNet) Somalias U.S. and Ethiopian-backed government has forced three prominent private radio stations off the air since Monday over their coverage of the bloody conflict centered in Mogadishu, according to news reports and local journalists. 
Former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General (r) 
MINGORA: Around 33 militants, two soldiers and five civilians were killed as army helicopters continued targeting Taliban positions in various areas of Swat for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. Separately, eight military personnel were injured as unidentified miscreants targeted their convoy with a remote-controlled bomb in Batkhela.
SRINAGAR A National Conference leader was shot dead yesterday morning when he was returning after offering prayers at a mosque in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital. Police said Ghulam Nabi Wani, a National Conference councillor in Srinagar's Khanyar locality, about three km from the city centre Lal Chowk, was killed when suspected separatist rebels pumped bullets into him.
Iran has embroiled Britain in an escalating domestic row over the country's nuclear policy by charging Tehran's former senior nuclear negotiator, 
