Taliban militants stopped a bus traveling on Afghanistan's main highway through a wild and dangerous part of the country's south, captured some 50 people on board and slaughtered around 30 of them, officials said Sunday. any kittens, fluffy bunnies or ducks? No? Just civilians, ya say?
Remember this next time we're accused of inadvertently bombing civilians ...
A Taliban spokesman said the militia's fighters carried out the attack but that the insurgents killed 27 Afghan army soldiers riding on the bus. Militants stopped one bus in a two-bus convoy in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province -- a Taliban-controlled area about 40 miles west of Kandahar city, said Matiullah Khan, the provincial police chief. Around 50 people were taken hostage, though several were freed, he said.
Officials offered varying death tolls from the attack, which occurred in an area of Afghanistan that government forces cannot safely travel to without heavy military protection. That may explain why news of the Thursday hijacking did not emerge until Sunday.
The Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, said 31 people were killed. Six of the dead were beheaded in a separate area of Maiwand from where the other 25 bodies were found, he said.
Khan offered a higher toll, saying around 40 civilians were killed. He said his information came from "local sources."
It was not possible to reconcile the differing figures. The spokesman for Kandahar's provincial governor said officials would hold a news conference later Sunday.
Azimi dismissed the Taliban claim that 27 soldiers had been killed. "Our soldiers travel by military convoy, not in civilian buses. And we have military air transportation," Azimi said. ahhh so they were civilians. Yet, the AP puts that earlier paragraph up first, so youze think it's the truth if you don't read further. Bastids
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said militants looked at the documents of those traveling on the bus, released all the civilians and killed 27 soldiers. Taliban spokespersons often exaggerate their claims but occasionally their information matches up with the government version of events.
Khan said two buses had been traveling together and that the militants tried to stop the first one but failed. He said the insurgents fired at the first bus and killed one child on board. brave brave lions o' Islam
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2008 14:38 ||
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Thinking man's army. Professional soldiers. Leaders. Unlike the Soviet army and any other foreign armies - the taliban are toast as well as AQ. If may take 5 years or more but it is only a matter of time. Of course, this all depends on whether it is McCain or Obama bin Biden.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
10/19/2008 14:12 Comments ||
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An increase in violence in North Darfur last month has displaced at least 40,000 people, many of whom could be short of food and water, a United Nations official said on Saturday.
Gregory Alex, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in northern Darfur, said around 24,000 people fled their homes after clashes between government and rebel forces near the areas of Birmaza and Disa. The rest were displaced because of other forms of violence, including tribal fighting, Alex told reporters in a telephone interview from al-Fasher, North Darfur's state capital.
"Some of them left with what they could carry. We are presuming that whatever resources they took with them are now depleted," Alex said. "Anybody who leaves home abruptly and moves to the countryside will have all these needs. And the longer they stay, the more problems they have." Alex earlier estimated the total number of people who had fled their homes in North Darfur at 50,000.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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North Korea is set to make an "important announcement" on Monday amid speculation over the health of its leader Kim Jong-Il, a Japanese newspaper has reported. The Sankei newspaper said there was speculation within Japan that the announcement could be about Kim's death or a change in government brought about by a coup.
The 66-year-old Kim disappeared from public view in mid-August and failed appear on two important national holidays, leading to speculation that he was seriously ill. United States and South Korean officials said he had suffered a stroke and had undergone brain surgery, but North Korea has denied that he is unwell.
Quoting unidentified sources at Japan's defence ministry, the Sankei said Tokyo had information that "there will be an important announcement on (October) 20th". It said that announcement is also expected to include a ban on foreigners entering North Korea from this week.
The Sankei report came a day after Japan's biggest-selling Yomiuri daily said North Korea had ordered its diplomats abroad to be on standby for an important announcement.
Quoting several unidentified sources, the Yomiuri said the announcement could be about Kim's health or North Korea's relations with neighboring South Korea.
In Seoul, Kim Ho-nyeon, chief spokesman at the South Korean Unification Ministry, said the ministry had not detected any unusual signs in North Korea. South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it was trying to verify the Japanese media reports.
North Korea released photos earlier this month showing Kim inspecting a military unit and appearing healthy, but it did not say when the pictures were taken.
On Thursday, North Korea threatened to break off all relations with South Korea if its new conservative government continues what the North called a policy of reckless confrontation with it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2008 13:08 ||
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Kimmie has been given a 9mm retirement present?
#2
Maybe the PRC finally got tired of him and decided to go over to supporting an old-fashioned military dictatorship.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
10/19/2008 14:15 Comments ||
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#3
sleeping with the fishes in a sea of fire
/Army-first guy
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2008 14:35 Comments ||
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#4
OK so Kimmi is dead or near dead. Who will follow him and what will that mean to us??
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/19/2008 17:07 Comments ||
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#5
Kimmie may be more dead than initially estimated.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/19/2008 17:31 Comments ||
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#6
Poor fishes.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/19/2008 17:56 Comments ||
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#7
Speculation on KIMMIE is all over the Net this AM.
Reminds me of the so-called TEFLON DON's JOHN GOTTI's last Court hearing - you knew Gotti was facing serious trouble this time when the bulk of his "Crew" and even Celebs started routinely visiting him. Either He as Big Boss was dead or dying, or the Feds finally had his butt.
Indian warships are patrolling the Gulf of Aden to protect Indian vessels transiting through this vital trade route from Somali pirates. The fate of the 18 Indian sailors on board the Japanese-owned Stolt Valor hijacked on September 15 in Somali waters still hangs in the balance, a source said Friday.
The source also said that another warship has now been dispatched from Mumbai to replace INS Tabar, a Talwar-class guided-missile stealth frigate, which was already patrolling the Gulf of Aden to protect "Indian interests" in this "strategic choke point" of the Indian Ocean region, Times of India reported Friday.
The presence of helicopters and elite marine commandos, trained for covert combat missions, on board the warships points to the possibility of a mission being mounted to rescue the 18 Indians held captive by the brigands. But the defense ministry denied any such possibility.
The Gulf of Aden provides access to the Suez Canal through which a sizable portion of India's trade and Middle East oil is transited.
Attacking ships has become a regular source of income (over USD 100m a year) for Somali pirates, a war-torn country without a functioning government since 1991. International pressure on the pirates is growing. NATO is sending seven ships to the treacherous waters and the Russian missile cruiser Intrepid is on its way as well.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/19/2008 08:36 ||
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The Talwar class guided missile frigates represent the cutting edge of technology in stealth, reach and punch. They have ushered in highly automated integrated weapon platforms that are essential for blue water operations by the Indian Navy. Commissioning of these new frigates not only enhances Indias defensive potential at sea but also dramatically affects the power equations in Asia. [snip
The weapon suite includes a long range surface-to-surface missile capable of striking targets at a range in excess of 200 kms, a 100 mm artillery gun with capability of firing 100 rounds per minute, advance torpedo launchers and anti- submarine rocket launchers. The ship has a wide array of state-of-the-art electronic warfare equipment. They also operates Kamov 31 helicopter for airborne early warning.
(APP): The security forces backed by jet fighters, gunship helicopters and artillery Saturday heavily targeted militants' hideouts in parts of Bajaur Agency, killing at least twelve more militants in the ongoing operation. The jet fighters and chopper gunship targeted hideouts of militants in Charmang, Chinar, Loisam, Sarlara and other areas, security official told APP.
The officials of security forces said 12 militants have been killed in today's operation besides demolition of their strongholds. The government's writ was being speedily established in these areas after the eliminatin of the militants and life was returning to normalcy.
All the trading and commercial centres in Khar headquarters of Bajaur agency remained open on Saturday with routine business going on.
People have been moving to safer places.
Meanwhile spokesman of Tehrik Taliban Pakistan Maulivi Umer in a telephonic talk with the local journalists reiterated the Taliban offer of negotiations with the government. Negotation is the best option for resolution of disputes, he added.
He said the government should stop operation before talks. To a question, Maulvi Umer said the government has not yet responded to the talks offer.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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(APP): Security forces have apprehended one hundred and sixty eight alleged militants apparently of Uzbek and Afghan nationalities during last two days from various areas in NWFP. "The arrests were made by the security forces while patrolling in hilly and plain areas of Darra Adam Khel and Kohat district," informed a spokesman of ISPR while talking with newsmen at Kohat Fort on Saturday.
ISPR arranged a visit of newsmen to two separate locations in Peshawar and Kohat for showing the nabbed foreign nationals to media person.
About 37 alleged militants, all Uzbeks, were detained in Peshawar for interrogation and 161 were held in Kohat among which majority were Uzbeks and other were Afghans. ISPR spokesman informed that majority of the detained persons were arrested in groups trekking the hilly area of Darra Ademkhel towards Orackzai Agency. Suicide jackets and hand grenades were also recovered from the possession of some of arrested persons, he added.
In response to a question, ISPR official said some of the arrested persons are innocent who reached Pakistan for earning bread and butter for their families. However, he continued, those arrested on suspicion of doubt would be cleared during interrogation and deported to their homeland.
The ISPR official said out of 168 arrested militants, 37 were apprehended by the Police and Frontier Corps troops on Thursday from Darra Adam Khel. These foreigners were riding three vehicles and when checked by security forces at a check post, tried to flee the scene. Security forces arrested them after a chase.
Another one hundred and thirty persons were apprehended on Friday. Those arrested persons were without any legal documents and were being interrogated by security forces to ascertain more details on their activities.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - Suspected militants on Friday blew up a girls middle school in Mingora, in the volatile Swat valley in North West Frontier Province, Pakistan's Geo News reported. This would happen a lot less often if every time a girls' school went up a boys' school was sure to follow in a day or two.
The bombing follows a rocket and suicide attack on Thursday against a police station in Mingora that killed at least four Pakistani security officials and wounded twenty-six.
Meanwhile, a curfew imposed on the town of Tehsil Khwazakhela on Monday after deadly overnight clashes between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces has been relaxed from 8am to 5pm, Geo News said.
Twenty-five militants and two soldiers were killed in the Tehsil Khwazakhela clashes, Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
Geo News reported that American drones were on Friday continuing their flights over various areas of the Khyber Agency and North Waziristan tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, spreading panic among local villagers.
Unnamed sources quoted by Geo News said six people were killed and five others injured Thursday in air strikes by US spy planes on the village of Sam, believed to Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud's base.
It was the first airstrike by a US drone in territory controlled by Mehsud - Pakistan's most wanted militant. It may have been been targeting a group of Uzbek militants, reports said.
There have been a series of US drone attacks inside Pakistani territory along the border with Afghanistan in recent weeks, which have angered the public and increased tension between the US and Pakistan.
In other news, a grand jirga of tribal chieftains from Kurram Agency on the Afghan border on Thursday brokered a peace deal between warring sectarian groups in the region.
The accord is expected to end the violence between Sunni Bangash and Shia Turi tribesmen that has plagued Kurram for 18 months and led to the deaths of hundreds of people.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud's opponent faction in North Waziristan announced on Friday the creation of a new parallel organisation, called Muqami Tehrik-i-Taliban or local Taliban, effectively splitting from Mehsud's Tehrik-i-Taliban.
The announcement was made by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a top Pakistani militant from North Waziristan and former lieutenant under Mehsud. Bahadur also said that a decision by a 'shura' or consultation council said that attacks against Pakistani security forces only weaken the cause of the Afghan resistance against foreign forces. Instead, militants can focus on fighting against NATO troops in Afghanistan, said the council.
It is said that the Tehrik-i-Taliban movement fell apart due to Mehsud's violent policies against the Pakistani security forces. However, Gul Bahadur remained a silent spectator and entered into a peace agreement with the Pakistani government in January 2008 after a long conflict which left over 100 members of the security forces dead. Badahur also announced on Friday that he would not break the peace agreement reached with the government.
The announcement takes place a day after six people were killed and five others were injured during air strikes by suspected US spy drones on the village of Sam, believed to be the headquarters of Mehsud - Pakistan's most wanted militant. Mehsud, 35, reportedly suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney disease. Earlier this month rumours of his death were circulating. However, he rapidly recovered and celebrated his second marriage to a young girl from Mehsud's Shabikhel tribe.
Mehsud was believed to have been responsible for the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto who was killed in December last year when she returned to Pakistan from exile.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds like good news if we have 'em killing each other. Shouldn't be any surprise. They just can't help it.
Earlier this month rumours of his death were circulating. However, he rapidly recovered and celebrated his second marriage to a young girl from Mehsud's Shabikhel tribe.
A "young girl"? Is he celebrating his miraculous recovery with a 9-year old?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/19/2008 10:50 Comments ||
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Srinagar, October 18 : After the Royal Marines, the US marines will also be holding a joint military exercise with the Indian Army in Ladakh.
US Army Chief General George Casey along with his Indian counterpart Deepak Kapoor visited Ladakh and its adjoining areas to select the location where the Indo-US military exercises would be held. Dates for these joint exercises could be decided only after the US Army chief will get satisfied with the venues for these exercises, Defence spokesman, Lt Col Anil Mathur told The Indian Express.
The visiting US General Casey was briefed about different venues and glacial peaks in Ladakh by the senior formation commanders of the Army. Mathur said the aim behind the joint exercise would be to impart warfare techniques to each other especially in handling mountain warfare. The joint exercise would be small and could take place at the company level, he said.
The mountainous region of Ladakh assumes significance for the joint exercise as its terrain resembles that of the mountainous regions of Afghanistan, where the US marines are fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda militants as part of the NATO peace force. Sources said the aim behind the exercise is to learn from the military experiences of Indian troops, who have been dealing with insurgency for the past two decades.
Earlier in 2006, Indian and US Special Forces held mountain warfare exercises in the same region close to the China border. Pakistan, already had expressed annoyance over the visit of US Army chief to the Siachen glacier. However, it is not clear whether General Casey visited Siachen or not. The defence spokesman denied General Caseys visit to Siachen. He (Casey) only visited Ladakh, not Siachen, said Mathur.
Last year, the UK marines were in Ladakh to participate in a similar joint exercise. The exercises were held for three weeks in September.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi soldiers killed the commander of the so-called Islamic Army group in the area of al-Furat al-Awsat after tracking him down between the provinces of Karbala and Baghdad, an army source said on Saturday. "The Iraqi soldiers killed Abdelhadi Abees al-Janabi, the commander of the so-called Islamic Army, in al-Furat al-Awsat," the source, who asked not to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq. "Janabi was killed in the area of Djerf al-Sakhr of Babel province, (60 km) north of Karbala," he said, not giving more details.
Al-Furat al-Awsat, a geographical area in southern and central Iraq at the Euphrates River Basin, encompasses the provinces of Najaf, Karbala, Diwaniya and Babel and sometimes al-Muthanna.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - Iraqi police arrested two female would-be suicide bombers on Friday in two separate operations in the volatile province of Diyala, northeast of the capital, Baghdad. "Policemen on Friday carried out a security raid in al-Ameen region in central Baquba, where they arrested Nedal Abdul Wahed al-Azawi who was preparing to implement a suicide attack at the centre of the city," an unnamed official police source to Iraqi news agency told Voices of Iraq. "Police forces also launched another operation in Abi Saida district in Muqdadiya, east of Baquba, where they arrested Rabieea Kazem Mohamed, a suspected suicide bomber," the source added.
Diyala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shias, extends as far as the Iranian border and is considered to be an Al-Qaeda stronghold.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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11 decomposed bodies, believed to have been victims of al-Qaeda affiliated militants a year ago, have been found in northern Iraq.
The bodies were discovered in the village of Banat al-Hussein, northeast of Samarra said Sheikh Khaled Fleyih Hassan, leader of a Sunni anti al-Qaeda group which found the corpses. Hassan said that one of the victims was the son of the Samarra municipality chief and that two others were bodyguards of the city's mayor.
All the 11 men were kidnapped during the fasting month of Ramadan in October 2007, he said. Samarra police chief Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Khalaq al-Samarraie and a local doctor, Abid al-Samarraie, confirmed the report.
Al-Qaeda affiliated militants had also used a nearby house as a prison and torture chamber.
Sunnis who have formed groups that oppose the harsh rhetoric and tactics of al-Qaeda affiliated militants have constantly been targeted by them. The groups known as the Awakening Councils are comprised of local neighborhood fighters, including former Sunni insurgents, who are now doing battle against the al-Qaeda network are primarily responsible for their degradation as a fighting force in most areas where they once held sway.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Five members of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), including an amir (leader) for the area of al-Adhim, north of Baaquba city, were arrested on Saturday, a security source in Diala said. "Forces from the al-Adhim emergency contingent on Saturday afternoon targeted AQI strongholds in different areas of al-Khalis district, (15 km) north of Baaquba, resulting in the capture of five members of the network, including an amir of al-Adhim area called Wessam al-Azzawi," the source told Aswat al-Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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An Israel Defense Forces soldier was moderately wounded early Saturday after two individuals infiltrated the military base of Tzrifin near Tel Aviv.
The soldier was rushed to Assaf Harofeh hospital after being severely beaten, and his M-16 rifle snatched.
The perpetrators were apparently hiding behind a boulder in the dark, and managed to surprise the soldier without being noticed.
IDF officials said the incident was probably of a criminal, rather than terrorist, nature. Israel Police, Military Police and Shin Bet Security Services have been searching the area, so far to no avail.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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A one year old boy has been shot dead in a suspected terrorist separatist attack in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, police said on Sunday, while a man was killed in another shooting nearby.
The baby was killed when suspected terrorists rebels opened fire on his father in front of their home in Pattani province late Saturday. The 32-year-old father was wounded, provincial police said. In neighbouring Yala province, a 60-year-old rubber tapper was killed in a drive-by shooting as he returned from a local market on Sunday, police said.
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.
North Korea is set to make an "important announcement" on Monday amid speculation over the health of its leader Kim Jong-Il, a Japanese newspaper has reported. The Sankei newspaper said there was speculation within Japan that the announcement could be about Kim's death or a change in government brought about by a coup.
(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud's opponent faction in North Waziristan announced on Friday the creation of a new parallel organisation, called Muqami Tehrik-i-Taliban or local Taliban, effectively splitting from Mehsud's Tehrik-i-Taliban.
Aswat al-Iraq: Five members of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), including an amir (leader) for the area of al-Adhim, north of Baaquba city, were arrested on Saturday, a security source in Diala said. "Forces from the al-Adhim emergency contingent on Saturday afternoon targeted AQI strongholds in different areas of al-Khalis district, (15 km) north of Baaquba, resulting in the capture of five members of the network, including an amir of al-Adhim area called Wessam al-Azzawi," the source told Aswat al-Iraq.
