KABUL, Afghanistan - A newly released report says an Afghan army commander told a government investigative commission that U.S. and Afghan troops came under fire first from an Afghan village where the commission says scores of civilians were killed. The commander told the commission that shots were fired from Azizabad in the early morning hours of Aug. 22.
But the report, released by the office of President Hamid Karzai on Sunday, does not specify who fired the shots.
The commission found that 90 people were killed in the Azizabad operation, a finding backed by a preliminary U.N. report. The report also says all the victims were civilian. The U.S.-led coalition maintains that 25 militants and five civilians died. The U.S. is investigating.
#3
Nah, the Surprise Meter's arrow wrapped around the negative stop peg six or seven times, that's all. Fred will have it fixed as soon as he gets a bigger crowbar.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/31/2008 13:45 Comments ||
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#4
No. The Surprise Meter was hit with EBP* and smoked.
*EBP---Electro Bozonic Pulse, the only known countermeasure is a stout heart, an iron will, and a platoon of clinical psychologists in reserve. Oh, and some automatic weapons and ammo. Can't forget that.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/31/2008 14:32 Comments ||
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#5
You're all wrong: the SurpriseMeter™has an auto-shutdown feature that prevents damage from EBPs. We just didn't bring it out 'cause we already knew what the reading would be.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2008 15:45 Comments ||
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#6
Living in this age of wonder as we do, y'all need to get one of them new digital surprise meters with the auto-ranging feature. No more bent needles and you don't have to put a big nail in the fuse holder like with the olden kind.
A suicide car bomb exploded near international troops in the Afghan capital on Saturday, leaving one wounded, while soldiers killed more than a dozen militants in clashes elsewhere, authorities said.
The Taliban insurgent movement said it had carried out the bombing. A suicide attacker blew up a bomb-filled vehicle in the west of Kabul, city police chief Muhammad Ayoub Salangi told AFP. "There was a suicide bombing against international forces. Thank God there were no casualties. The bomber died and the vehicle is in pieces," he said. NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed an improvised explosive device had blown up near a convoy and said it had one soldier wounded. It would not give the nationality of the affected troops.
The defence ministry said meanwhile that more than 10 militants were killed in battles in Helmand that erupted after insurgents attacked an Afghan army patrol. About 14 other militants were detained in other operations by Afghan troops in Khost near the border with Pakistan, it said in a statement.
The United States-led coalition said separately its soldiers, working with Afghan troops, had killed "several" militants after coming under attack in Kapisa. Air strikes were called in against a rebel compound after civilians were cleared from the area, the force said in a statement.
Civilians: Meanwhile, two senior Afghan police officers alleged on Saturday that the US-led coalition killed five civilians in air strikes aimed at Taliban insurgents, but the force denied causing any civilian casualties. "Five civilians, including two women and a child, were killed in an air strike by coalition forces early this morning," Sayed Sakhidad, criminal investigation police chief for Kapisa province, told AFP. Five Taliban were also killed, he said. Kapisa's deputy provincial police chief Abdul Hamid Hakimi also said "five civilians and as many rebels, including a militant commander, were killed in the strikes." He gave the names of the civilian dead, whom he said were from the same family and included two females and three males, one of them 17 years old.
The coalition dismissed the allegations. "There were no civilian casualties in that incident," a spokesman said. The coalition said in a statement earlier that "several militants" were killed in the operation in Kapisa's Nijrab district, which started on Friday.
Troops were looking for a Taliban commander involved in smuggling weapons and attacks on foreign soldiers when they came under attack from a compound, the coalition said. The troops then ordered militants to leave the compound. "Several women and children exited the compound and were moved to a safe area at which time coalition forces again came under AK-47 and RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) fire," the statement said. "Coalition force responded with precision air strikes, killing several militants." Allegations of civilian casualties are difficult to verify.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Heavily armed Somali pirates have seized another Malaysian tanker in the latest such attack in the waters off the Horn of Africa country, a maritime official said on Saturday. "We believe it's a Malaysian bulk carrier and it was hijacked last night," Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told Reuters.
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian national carrier MISC said its ship was the hijacked vessel. The tanker, Bunga Melati 5, was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemicals and heading towards Singapore from Yanbu in Saudi Arabia. It had 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos on board when it was hijacked in international waters off the coast of Yemen.
"MT Bunga Melati 5 was sailing within the vicinity of the designated security corridor. The vessel attempted evasive manoeuvring before being overpowered by the hijackers," it said. "The coalition (naval) forces within the vicinity were alerted but were unable to prevent the hijacking as safety of the crew onboard is of priority," it said.
Q-ships. Now.
Somali gunmen have hijacked at least 30 ships in the area so far this year. Last week, they seized four in 48 hours, and are now holding about 130 crew hostage on at least eight vessels from Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Germany, Nigeria and Iran. Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.
This week a Djibouti-based coalition anti-terrorism unit, Combined Task Force 150, set up a Maritime Security Patrol Area or safe corridor that navy warships will roam while coalition aircraft fly overhead.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) An international maritime watchdog report said pirates failed to seize a Japanese ship off Somalia after four successful attempts. The attempted hijack comes just days after pirates seized four other vessels - Malaysian, Iranian, Japanese and German - in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast.
Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur said the Japanese-operated vessel with 20 crew started its journey from Singapore and was heading to the Middle East when the attack took place in the Gulf of Aden.
The Associated Press quoted Choong as saying two speed boats chased and opened fire on the Japanese-operated cargo ship on Saturday, attempted to board the vessel but failed to seize it. The reason the Japanese ship managed to escape was that the captain increased speed and took evasive maneuvers.
Choong also said that the ship's crew was safe and no one was injured in the hour-long chase. He added that a suspected mother ship was in the vicinity.
On Tuesday, pirates seized a Malaysian palm oil tanker with 39 crew. Two days later, they hijacked an Iranian bulk carrier with 29 crew, a Japanese-operated chemical tanker with 19 crew and a German-operated cargo ship with nine crew, all in the Gulf of Aden, a busy waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. "It appears pirates are still trying to hijack ships in the location," Choong said and added that it's high time the United Nations and the international community take action to secure the area.
Heavily-armed pirates from Somalia have hijacked at least 30 ships this year. Spreading lawlessness, a rampant insurgency and a worsening aid crisis onshore look set to drive that number higher.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
. . . said pirates failed to seize a Japanese ship off Somalia after four successful attempts.
I'm not really up on my piracy but why would you need to seize a ship after you have already seized it (four times)? :)
Just a guess but I'll betcha that hanging a dead pirate from both the starboard and port bow anchor chains would cut down on unauth boarding attempts.
#2
I'm wondering why ships that sail in that area are NOT armed, a small deck gun would make a huge difference.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/31/2008 13:20 Comments ||
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#3
The hijackers are all in small boats - difficult to hit with any type of precision arms. What's needed is something like an AC-130, or arming the ships with 50-cal machine guns.
Of course, to REALLY stop the nonsense, the rest of the world would have to come together and assault the Somalis behind the hijacking where they live. I'm not sure you could bring together a group of military personnel from 50-60 countries, and have them operate effectively under a single commander, although that's exactly what it will take to put an end to this mess.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/31/2008 13:54 Comments ||
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#4
Of course, to REALLY stop the nonsense, the rest of the world would have to come together and assault the Somalis behind the hijacking where they live.
In the old days, I think this meant looting their ill-gotten gains, hanging the pirates* and burning down the village. These days, you might seize some weaponry, but have to accept surrenders. What do you do with the prisoners? If you imprison them at home, you incur the cost of their upkeep. If you set them free, you're setting yourself up for the next series of pirate attacks.
* This probably wasn't just deterrence - more like a simple question of economy.
#5
I really am at a loss for determining why the commercial vessels cannot arm themselves with at least small caliber automatic weapons and small arms. Can someone identify if there is a reason behind their defenseless posture? I can only imagine it is some form of international maritime law?
#6
It is 99% maritime law. The rest is a combination of ship-owner concern about seizure of the vessel on legal grounds by a foreign authority upon entering port as an 'armed vessel', insurance liability, the costs involved as opposed to the risks, the weapons training requirements for the crew, or the hiring and maintenance of trained security personnel aboard the ship, or hiring of an escort vessel.
The options are: increase the international naval presence, greatly increase insurance rates for that area, place a total embargo on both Yemen and Somalia, or an international declaration that Somalia is a 'non-nation' and that its territorial waters fall under international purview.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/31/2008 16:12 Comments ||
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#8
The options are:
or issue letters of mark to privateers from a sovereign country who'll be paid sponsored by a consortium of insurers and shippers. Hell, we could get the next Deadliest Catch deal going as well with video options. Sign up Mike Rowe to do the talk over.
Adds detail to yesterday's story... Morocco's security services have rounded up a dangerous gang of radical Islamists linked to al-Qaeda that planned to carry out attacks in the North African country, state news agency MAP reported.
MAP on Friday quoted police as saying members of a group called Fath Al Andalous (Conquest of Andalusia) were found in possession of chemicals and electronics "used in the making of explosives".
"Members of this structure ... were planning attacks in Morocco and had established operational links with foreign extremists of al-Qaeda organization," MAP quoted police as saying. Police did not say where the suspects were arrested but said the network was present in several Moroccan cities.
Those arrested would be taken before a court. No identities were given.
Security analysts say rebels in Algeria with links to al-Qaeda are trying to step up cooperation with Islamist radicals in neighboring states where poverty, unemployment and alienation from politics can be exploited by armed groups seeking to recruit disillusioned youths.
Since suicide bombings killed 45 people in Casablanca five years ago, Moroccan authorities have rounded up thousands of Islamists suspected of planning to overthrow the secular-minded monarchy. Hundreds have been jailed.
Seven men blew themselves up in Casablanca in March and April last year, killing themselves and a police officer.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
They are very concerned and very alert to any jihadi kind of influences due to their tourism and its major impact on their economy. I've gone there many times to play golf and to me it is extremely safe and well organized.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/31/2008 10:38 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) An Israeli embassy source said on Friday that gunmen in Nigeria have demanded $12 million for the release of an Israeli expatriate kidnapped earlier this week at his home in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt. The 60-year-old project manager, who works for Israeli construction firm Gilmor Engineering Limited, was abducted by four gunmen late on Tuesday who fled by stealing his vehicle. Speaking on conditions of anonymity, the embassy official, said the gunmen did not give a deadline for the ransom payment.
More than 200 foreigners have been seized in the Niger Delta, the heart of Nigeria's oil industry, since early 2006. Almost all have been released unharmed.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The Israeli government placed an especially large "Kidnap Me" sign on the back of every Israeli when they made the murderers for corpses exchange with Hizb'Shaitan. This deal can't even be blamed on the usual Olmert incompetance because, remarkably, it reflected the wishes on the majority of the population.
#2
I'd bet my last dime there will be some "strangers" walking around Port Harcourt within the next two weeks, if they're not already there. Innocuous looking, well-behaving strangers that can shoot the eye out of a sparrow at 500 yards. I do think the "gunmen" have bitten off more than they can chew. I hope my predictions come to pass - Israel doesn't need to be "at war" with every group of thugs in the whole world.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/31/2008 13:59 Comments ||
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Nigeria's main rebel group has claimed it launched a series of attacks on the Nigerian army, killing 29 soldiers, but the military has denied there has been any fighting. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said in an email statement on Saturday that near-simultaneous battles had taken place in the three main oil producing states of southern Nigeria.
The group reported six of its own fighters were also killed in the clashes, which Mend says it launched as reprisals for attacks it alleges the military carried out on civilians.
But Lieutenant-Colonel Rabe Abubakar, a military spokesman for Bayelsa and Delta - two of the three main states in the Niger Delta, - denied the army was under attack. "All of our men are intact ... We are not under attack. We are not engaged in any fighting in Bayelsa or Delta states," he said.
Mend members said the attacks in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states came shortly after sunset, and involved fighters wielding machine guns, rocket propelled grades and anti-tank missiles.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claims made by either side.
The Niger Delta is the heartland of Nigeria's oil industry, which is currently pumping around 1.9 million barrels per day, making it the world's eighth biggest oil exporter. Insecurity in the region has cut the West African country's output by around a fifth since early 2006, when Mend began blowing up oil pipelines and kidnapping foreign workers, helping push up world oil prices.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) The Ugandan government on Friday deported two South African nationals arrested at Entebbe last week on suspicions of being of terrorists.
According to media reports, the decision to deport the South African suspects was taken by the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by the Internal Affairs Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda on Thursday.
NSC comprised Ministers for defence, security, foreign affairs, internal affairs and heads of security agencies. ''We deported them they are out of Uganda,'' Minister Rugunda said yesterday. ''They were deported so that the South African authorities can follow up the matter from there,'' he added.
On August 17, 2008, the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT) arrested Mr Hussein Bhayat and Mr Haroon Saley on arrival at Entebbe International Airport.
This move prompted lawyers from Muwema, Mugerwa and Co Advocates to withdraw the case they had filed before High Court compelling the commanding officer of the Joint Anti Terrorism Task Force to produce the men before court since they were detained for over the legal requirement of 48 hours.
Mr Ali Siraj appearing before the presiding Justice John Bosco Katusi said the matter had been overtaken by events and therefore it was not proper to pursue it.
''We have instructions to withdraw the matter since it has been overtaken by events. The basis of this matter was on detention of the two men not being produced before Court to answer any charges, but we have received information from Mr Yosha Tayob the Attorney representing the two men in South Africa that the Uganda government put them on a plane that set off for Johannesburg at around 7.35 am,'' Mr Siraj told Mr Katusi.
Mr Katusi consequently withdrew the matter as requested by the lawyers.
In the application that was supported by the affidavit of Mr Roscoe Yiga, a city lawyer, he stated that it was illegal to detain the men in ungazetted safe houses because this violated their right to personal liberty as provided in the Constitution.
According to Yiga apart from the media reports, relatives and friends of the men including the South African Commission office in Uganda were denied access to the men to find their condition while in custody.
The lawyers wanted Court order directing the commanding officer of the Joint Anti Terrorism Task Force to produce the two men in Court immediately.
However, Daily Monitor has been reliably informed that three agents of America's intelligence apparatus the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) interrogated the two South African men last week and flew back to Washington on Tuesday. The trio came from the global terrorism squad interrogation department
US embassy claimed they were unaware of the visit of CIA agents to Uganda.
''I cannot confirm that CIA agents visited Uganda because I have not heard about it. That is real news to me because I know nothing about that,'' US embassy deputy spokesperson, Ms. Lauren Ladenson said on Wednesday.-
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Encounter specialist and former head of the Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai police Pradeep Sharma has been dismissed from his service, Commissioner of Police Hasan Gafoor said on Sunday.
Sharma, a senior police officer, has been dismissed after a probe found that his past records were undesirable, Gafoor said. Sharma, who was posted in the Dharavi police station in northeast Mumbai, was served the dismissal order on Saturday, he said. Asked if any further action was to be taken against Sharma, Gafoor said, "Not at the moment. If required later, we will take appropriate action."
The Commissioner also refused to elaborate the reasons why Sharma had been dismissed. Sharma, who entered the police force in 1980s earned a reputation as being an encounter specialist he has reportedly killed over 100 alleged gangsters in shootouts.
He had also come under a cloud during investigations intothe 2003 custodial death of Ghatkopar blast accused Khwaja Yunus and had been posted to Amravati, following High Court order.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/31/2008 08:30 ||
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#1
charges of corruption, amassing illegal wealth and having links with the Dubai based D-Company mafia.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/31/2008 8:33 Comments ||
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#2
Posted by: john frum ||
08/31/2008 8:34 Comments ||
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#3
Dubai is taking the lead on all sorts of economic endeavors, some of them pretty unsavory.
#4
Bombays Dirty Harry counts 103 kills in war on gangsters
Broad-shouldered and six-feet (1.83-metres) tall, Pradeep Sharma keeps a .38-calibre quick-action revolver within easy reach as he drives through the slums and bylanes of this seaside city in a jeep with dark-tinted windows. An AK-47 lurks in a squash bag on the back seat.
Zig-zagging through the bustling financial and entertainment capital for possible wanted gangsters he eyes a street toughie outside a teashop and notes the motorcycle that just pulled up next to him. In this game, no one is to be trusted.
Sharma, 42, is one of the famous five cops selected 15 years ago to put an end to daylight shootouts and street killings of businessmen and film dons.
Their brief was simple: fight fire with fire.
Sharma claims to have personally killed 103 gangsters of the total 350 police say have been gunned down in the past 10 years by the entire team. He says he and his colleagues swoop down the backstreets and dark alleys, chase gangsters and gun them down if they refuse to surrender.
Their critics say the gangsters are killed in cold-blood often driven to a lonely spot outside the city, told to run and then shot. Human rights activists breathe down their necks, saying that because these Dirty Harrys shoot first and ask questions later, theyre no better than the gangsters they kill.
But with unblinking conviction, Sharma denies any of his 103 hits were in cold-blood.
They fired at me. I fired in self-defence. They had weapons. Obviously they were not going to a temple, he says.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/31/2008 8:35 Comments ||
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#5
some of them pretty unsavory.
In Ahmed Rashid's new book he alleges that India is funding the Baloch insurgencies via RAW's Dubai operations
Posted by: john frum ||
08/31/2008 8:37 Comments ||
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#6
Sharma, give Bobby Jindal a call. He may be looking for a good chief of police in New Orleans.
#7
often driven to a lonely spot outside the city at 2AM to look for a hidden arms cache, told to attempt to escape from custody run and then shot by his own men in a crossfire.
Funny, that story sounds familiar. Wonder where I've heard it before?
Posted by: Steve ||
08/31/2008 14:40 Comments ||
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#8
Y'know I've heard this story many times before, find/recruit a "TopCop" who then does his job so well that he's just gotta go.
Seems like the criminals really run the police dept. (Behind the scenes)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/31/2008 18:31 Comments ||
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At least three more people were killed and eight injured in the ongoing clashes between the Bangash and Toori tribes in Kurram Agency on Saturday, source said. Fighting has been going on in Bagzai, Andzai, Sadda, Balishkhel, Karman, Para Chamkani, Nasti Kot and Pewar areas for 25 days and has claimed more than 500 lives and injured 700 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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At least 18 militants from the Mattani and Adezai areas surrendered to the Peshawar police at the police lines here on Saturday.
The militants surrendered after three days of negotiations between the elders of the area and the city police. The militants took oath on the Quran to co-operate with the police and the government.
According to a statement issued here, City Police Chief Dr Muhammad Sulaiman Khan asked those present on the occasion to work for peace in the area. It was decided that law enforcement agencies would take action against those who violate the deal.
It was not clear whether the militants had surrendered conditionally, nor was it known if there were any cases pending against the militants. The city police chief was not available for comments.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Fighter jets pounded the Swat valley, killing 40 Taliban militants as ground troops tried to flush them out of their fortified hideouts, the Army said on Saturday.
Army spokesman Maj Nasir Ali said 40 Taliban were killed on Friday when fighter jets pounded the valley. A cache of ammunition exploded when it was hit in one of the air strikes, he said, adding that, the ground troops were advancing in the region on Saturday to root out other militant fighters. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said eight of his men, including a local commander, were killed.
Musa Khankhel and Delawar Jan add from Mingora and Peshawar: Militants on Saturday blew up a girls' school and eight houses owned by a union council Nazim and his brothers, while a policeman kidnapped a few weeks ago was killed. Taj Muhammad, along with his colleagues, was abducted a couple of weeks ago when he was taking ration to a security forces' check-post in Mamdheri, the former headquarters of the Fazlullah-led Taliban.
The body of Taj Muhammad was found in the Chuprial bazaar on Saturday. Of the 38 security officials held hostage by the Taliban militants, 33 had been abducted from the Deolai area of Kabal.
The killing of the policeman could be a reaction to the Friday's bombing by the security forces, which killed a militant commander, Mufti Saeedur Rahman, said to be the chief of a Shariah court established by the Taliban in the area.
Abdul Aziz, a local journalist working for a Mingora-based Urdu language newspaper, and two children had also fallen victims to the blitz, which destroyed seven houses.
In the Aka Maroof Bamakhel area, the militants blew up eight houses, owned by Jamshed Ali and his brothers, Qamar Ali, Muhammad Alam, Khurshaid, Hazrat Ali, Akbar Ali, Mehboob Ali and Shamsul Haq.
The militants are targeting public representatives and have killed several local politicians and their family members besides destroying their houses.The militants have prepared a hit list of several dozen notables and have pasted it in numerous areas.
In the Bishbanr area, the insurgents blew up a girls' primary school.The ISPR has announced the imposition of curfew in the Malakand region till further orders, while it would remain in force in Swat from 7 am to 8 pm on Sunday (today).
Meanwhile, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani said on Saturday that the security situation in the tribal areas and the province had improved due to the measures taken by the government.
Addressing a function at the Governor House, he admitted that the people were dejected over the suicide attacks and bomb blasts, but he claimed the situation was improving. "The poor law and order has caused despondency among the people which is not a good sign, as a nation without willpower cannot overcome such crisis," he said. The government has initiated firm measures to remove despondency and succeeded in a number of efforts, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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Four militants, including two Arabs and two Taliban from the Punjab, were killed and another sustained serious injuries when a US Predator fired two Hellfire missiles on a house at Gangikhel village in South Waziristan Agency on Saturday.
Sources close to pro-government militant commander Maulvi Nazeer also confirmed to The News that four people -- two Arabs and two Taliban from the Punjab were killed in the attack. Other reports suggested that three Arabs and a militant, hailing from the Punjab, were killed in the attack.
Tribal sources said two US spy planes were seen hovering over the village during the air attack on the house of Amanullah Gangikhel. They said one of the planes fired two Hellfire missiles on the house. The mud-house was razed to the ground along with a white-colour car and two motorcycles parked there.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#3
JohnQC - the next-to-last on the right is very hairy. Either it's a man or Pakistani women have exceptionally hairy legs.
AH9418 - there ARE no civilians in the Tribal Areas, only enemies and co-conspirators. Neither wear "uniforms", unless you call a beard and a turban a "uniform".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/31/2008 14:08 Comments ||
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Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh has asked the people of Landi Kotal to follow his organisation's manifesto with immediate effect.
He conveyed the message through his FM radio station on Friday night in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber Agency. He asked the people to voluntarily hoist LI's black flags on their rooftops and warned them armed LI militants would force them to do so if they failed to comply.
Mangal: The LI chief asked men to cover their heads with caps and keep their ankles visible to avoid punishment and fines. The shopkeepers selling caps said that a large number of people had bought caps to avoid insult and punishment by the armed LI supporters. Sales of radio sets are also up, as people have to listen to the orders given by Mangal in his speeches every night when warnings are broadcast.
Every prayer leader will have to follow the timetable for five prayers set by the LI, so that all people offer their prayers at the same time, Mangal said. People belonging to different political and religious organisations have not publicly denounced LI orders, but have expressed their frustrations covertly. Assistant Political Agent (APA) Landi Kotal Muhammad Tuhab Khan failed again on Saturday to gain a consensus of Shinwari tribes' elders concerning Mangal's expulsion from Landi Kotal.The Shinwari elders sought further time to reach a decision. One of the Shinwari elders reportedly favoured LI's steps for peace in the area.
Meanwhile, members of the Piro Khel and Sheikhmal Khel Shinwari tribes have taken positions in trenches to stop LI gunmen from entering the area. The APA has asked the elders of the Zakha Khel and Shinwari tribes to unite for expelling the LI from the area, but both tr ibes have refused to raise weapons and jeopardise the security of their tribesmen.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
He asked the people to voluntarily hoist LI's black flags on their rooftops and warned them armed LI militants would force them to do so if they failed to comply. Says it all.
Pakistan has announced a suspension of military operations against fighters in the tribal regions during the month of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.
But a senior official said on Saturday that security forces would respond if attacked.
Rehman Malik, an interior ministry official, said that security forces would suspend operations from Sunday night for the month of Ramadan, which ends at the beginning of October. "If militants take any action the security forces will respond with full force," Malik told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore. "It is not a ceasefire," he stressed, "if they fire a single bullet we will respond with 10 bullets."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Pakistan halts fighting for Ramadan
Pakistan:
The Most Holy Muslim Plenipotentiary of Islamic "Peace" is Preparing For RamaDamaDingDong.
[translation: Pakistan Is Resupplying and refitting while it Manuvers to Attack their "Brothers In Muslim Love"]
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/31/2008 12:20 Comments ||
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Hundreds of terrorists have been killed by the SAS waging a "secret war" against al-Qaeda in Iraq, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose. More than 3,500 insurgents have been "taken off the streets of Baghdad" by the elite British force in a series of audacious "Black Ops" over the past two years. It is understood that while the majority of the terrorists were captured, several hundred, who were mainly members of the organisation known as "al-Qa'eda in Iraq" have been killed by the SAS. The SAS is part of a highly secretive unit called "Task Force Black" which also includes Delta Force, the US equivalent of the SAS.
The prime targets have been those intent on joining the wave of suicide car bombers that claimed around 3,000 lives a month in Baghdad at the height of the terrorist campaign in 2006. Using intelligence gleaned from spies and informers, Task Force Black has nearly broken the back of the terrorist network and reduced bombings in Baghdad from about 150 a month to just two.
But the success of the covert mission came at a price -- six members of the SAS were killed and more than 30 were injured. Delta Force has suffered in the region of 20 per cent casualties. A senior British officer told The Sunday Telegraph: "We took over 3,500 terrorists off the streets of Baghdad in around 18 months. "You could say it was a very successful period. But the butcher's bill was high. The attrition rate is equivalent to that experienced by the SAS during the Malayan insurgency 50 years ago. "The relationship between the SAS and Delta Force is very close," he added. "If anything, the attrition rate in Delta Force is higher. Two years ago the SAS made a donation to Delta Force's 'widows and orphans' fund of £10,000."
Senior sources denied that the SAS was taking part in "extra-judicial killings"... There never are enough members of the judiciary on the front line.
...and added that any incident which appeared to be in breach of the British Army's rules of engagement would be investigated internally by the unit and by the Royal Military Police if any wrongdoing was suspected. The source said: "There is no shoot-to-kill policy in Iraq, but there are only a few ways of stopping a suicide bomber. A British lawyer is present during the planning stages of every operation and our troops operate under British rules, not American rules."
The SAS began to concentrate almost exclusively on reducing the car bomb threat in Iraq at the same time that the US military launched its so-called "surge", which saw an additional 30,000 American troops move into the most dangerous areas of Baghdad, in early 2007. Gen David Petraeus, the head of the US forces in Iraq, who is due to leave his post shortly, has praised the courage of the SAS. He said: "They have helped immensely in Baghdad ... they have done a phenomenal job."
Posted by: Bulldog ||
08/31/2008 05:44 ||
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#1
In one incident, SAS troops rented a pink pick-up truck, removed their body armour to blend in with locals, and drove through the traffic to catch a key target.
For some reason the idea of the truly tough guys of the SAS ramming around through Baghdad traffic in a pink pickup made me laugh. Bet on it, pink isn't their "color of choice."
There are a LOT of things wrong with Britain these days. The SAS is one of the few bright spots. When you hear that our SO personnel don't want to work with them anymore, it will be time to turn out the lights in the U.K.
#4
3,500 to 6? Unless the SAS were all eating health food and chaste, I would expect higher fatalities if they were on holiday at Blackpool amusement park.
#6
Oh, and the pink pick-up? These guys are clearly secure in their manhood. They probably did pick the pink one as being most effective for the task, although probably not the best colour for their skin tone. ;-)
(VOI) -- Policemen on Saturday captured nine persons on the security authorities' wanted list during a military operation conducted in different areas of Baaquba district, an official security source in Diala said. "Iraqi policemen carried out a security campaign in the neighborhoods of al-Katoun, al-Mafraq and al-Mualimeen, inside Baaquba district, resulting in the capture of nine wanted persons," the source, who declined to have his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI). "The campaign, part of Operation Bashaer al-Kheir, started since the morning and lasted until Saturday afternoon," the source said, not revealing more information about the crackdown.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) --A Syrian gunman was killed in clashes that took place in eastern Mosul on Friday, according to the Ninewa police chief, announcing a new security plan in the province during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "Among the three gunmen killed on Friday evening by police forces in the clashes that occurred in eastern Mosul, there was a Syrian citizen," Maj. General Khalid Hussein al-Hamdani told Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI). "The Ninewa police department prepared a security plan for the occasion of Ramadan to impose security in the province," he said. "The people would recognize improvement in security during this month," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) -- Iraqi security forces captured three gunmen and seized an arms cache in two separate operations west of Mosul city on Saturday, a spokesman for the Ninewa Operations Command (NOC) said.
"An Iraqi army's 3rd Division force station in the area of al-Kasak captured two wanted men in al-Qadissiya neighborhood, Talafar district, (60 km) west of Mosul," Brig. Khaled Abdelsattar told Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI). "The detainees are remanded under investigative custody," Abdelsattar said, not giving more details.
Meanwhile, he added, Border Guard's 2nd Division force, thanks to accurate intelligence tips, seized a large arms & munitions cache in al-Madfaa village, al-Biaaj district, (126 km) west of Mosul, and arrested a gunman guarding it. "The weapons and munitions were found buried inside a hole in the ground covered by nylon," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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A bomb has gone off in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, wounding at least 44 people, police and hospital sources say.
A package left near a fruit seller exploded in Pettah, the main commercial hub of the capital on Saturday, police said. They added that the blast was a short distance from the main bus station.
A spokesman for the Colombo national hospital said 44 wounded people, including two children and four women, had been brought in after the blast. "We have sent 44 people to hospital," a military official at the scene told reporters. A spokesman for the Colombo national hospital said three of the victims were in a serious condition.
Police cordoned off the bustling area following the bombing, which came as government forces kept up a major offensive against separatist Tamil Tiger fighters in the north of the island. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, but police and military officials said they suspected the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Tigers have also been blamed for a string of bomb attacks against public transport in recent months as the military intensified pressure on the rebels' mini-state in the island's north.
The attack came as the defence ministry said another 18 fighters and a government soldier were killed in fresh fighting across the island's north on Friday. The latest fighting brought the number of rebels killed by troops since January to 6,185, according to government figures. The government says 582 of its troops have died over the same period.
The bombing in Colombo's Pettah area came a day after Tiger rebels accused government forces of setting off a roadside bomb and killing two civilians inside guerrilla-held territory. A man and a child died when their motorcycle was caught up in the bomb attack at Nedunkerni in the vast Wanni region on Thursday evening, the LTTE said in a statement on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2008 00:00 ||
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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.
(SomaliNet) An international maritime watchdog report said pirates failed to seize a Japanese ship off Somalia after four successful attempts. The attempted hijack comes just days after pirates seized four other vessels - Malaysian, Iranian, Japanese and German - in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast. 
Morocco's security services have rounded up a dangerous gang of radical Islamists linked to al-Qaeda that planned to carry out attacks in the North African country, state news agency MAP reported.
(SomaliNet) The Ugandan government on Friday deported two South African nationals arrested at Entebbe last week on suspicions of being of terrorists. 
Fighter jets pounded the Swat valley, killing 40 Taliban militants as ground troops tried to flush them out of their fortified hideouts, the Army said on Saturday.
Four militants, including two Arabs and two Taliban from the Punjab, were killed and another sustained serious injuries when a US Predator fired two Hellfire missiles on a house at Gangikhel village in South Waziristan Agency on Saturday.
Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh has asked the people of Landi Kotal to follow his organisation's manifesto with immediate effect.
(VOI) -- Policemen on Saturday captured nine persons on the security authorities' wanted list during a military operation conducted in different areas of Baaquba district, an official security source in Diala said. "Iraqi policemen carried out a security campaign in the neighborhoods of al-Katoun, al-Mafraq and al-Mualimeen, inside Baaquba district, resulting in the capture of nine wanted persons," the source, who declined to have his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI). "The campaign, part of Operation Bashaer al-Kheir, started since the morning and lasted until Saturday afternoon," the source said, not revealing more information about the crackdown.
(VOI) --A Syrian gunman was killed in clashes that took place in eastern Mosul on Friday, according to the Ninewa police chief, announcing a new security plan in the province during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "Among the three gunmen killed on Friday evening by police forces in the clashes that occurred in eastern Mosul, there was a Syrian citizen," Maj. General Khalid Hussein al-Hamdani told Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI). "The Ninewa police department prepared a security plan for the occasion of Ramadan to impose security in the province," he said. "The people would recognize improvement in security during this month," he added.
(VOI) -- Iraqi security forces captured three gunmen and seized an arms cache in two separate operations west of Mosul city on Saturday, a spokesman for the Ninewa Operations Command (NOC) said.
