ASADABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) Foreign and Afghan forces launched an assault on Monday against a group of Taliban in an area of eastern Afghanistan where the militants killed eight American soldiers at the weekend, an official said.
Saturday's attacks in remote Nuristan province near the Pakistani border were the deadliest on U.S. forces in more than a year.
Nuristan's governor, Jamaluddin Badr, said foreign and Afghan troops besieged a group of Taliban in an area of the province's Kamdesh district on Monday, but did not give further details.
"The operation started this morning," Badr told Reuters by phone. A press officer for U.S. and NATO-led troops said there was "activity ongoing" in the area but gave no further details.
At least two Afghan security forces members were killed in Saturday's battle along with the eight Americans. Provincial authorities on Sunday said they had lost contact with the police force in the area after the day-long battle.
Badr said 13 police, including the top commander for the district, had gone missing and the rest were believed to have abandoned their posts and gone home.
The Taliban say they are holding 35 police, including the police chief. In Kabul, the Interior Ministry said that the government had lost contact with a "number of police", but did not say how many.
The Taliban attack coincided with a plan to abandon the two outposts as part of a new strategy by the commander of NATO and U.S. forces, General Stanley McChrystal, to focus on population centers.
Militia from a local mosque and a nearby village launched the attacks on two joint NATO and Afghan outposts with rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and rifles, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said.
The attacks were the deadliest for U.S. forces since nine were killed in a July 2008 battle in nearby Kunar province. U.S. forces have suffered some of their worst casualties in the east, where they have tried to control remote mountain passes used by Taliban fighters as infiltration routes from Pakistan.
In other attacks, one U.S. service member was killed by insurgents on Sunday in southern Afghanistan, and a NATO service member was killed on Monday by a bomb in the south.
#3
"The Taliban attack coincided with a plan to abandon the two outposts as part of a new strategy by the commander of NATO and U.S. forces, General Stanley McChrystal, to focus on population centers.
...
U.S. forces have suffered some of their worst casualties in the east, where they have tried to control remote mountain passes used by Taliban fighters as infiltration routes from Pakistan."
You don't win a war by surrendering most of the ground to the enemy, especially in a third world country like Afghanistan where the population are relatively dispersed and rural. The strategy of retreating to population centres can only be intended to limit casualties in the short term. In the long term, this makes the rest of the place bandit country, and sends the message that, to get from A to B, you'd better be friends with the Taliban. Development? Forget it. Hearts and minds? Forget it. Allies outsides of the cities? Forget them.
#4
"You don't win a war by surrendering most of the ground to the enemy, especially in a third world country like Afghanistan where the population are relatively dispersed and rural."
Not all rural areas there are equally dense, or equally accessible. I dont think population focus means withdrawl to the cities, but it DOES mean concentrating on the rural areas that strategically most important, in terms of density and geography.
#5
It doesn't matter how you spin it. Retreat is defeat. The enemy knows it. The civilian population knows it. The soldiers know it. The only people who don't know are those who wish to delude themselves.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
10/05/2009 17:31 Comments ||
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#6
"The only people who don't know are those who wish to delude themselves."
delude themselves into thinking withdrawal equals peace or an absence of a merciless enemy.
delude themselves into thinking peace equals peace.
delude themselves into thinking passivity equals peace.
peace=illusion or a nice symbol for t-shirts and bumper stickers.
#7
Of course the taliban leadership knew we were planning on leaving. That's why they attacked the NATO outpost--so they could claim victory over the infidels. Also, agree that leaving the countryside to the enemy and retreating to the cities doesn't sound like a recipe for victory. Even most members of our congress--who lack any military background whatsoever, should be able to see that.
Isn't nursistan the "land of light" that was the last part of Afghanistan to be forceably converted to Islam? Used to be Kafaristan? Very nasty bunch there...
#8
ION TOPIX > DEADLY AFGHANISTAN BATTLE: IT WASN'T JUST THE TALIBAN [Tribal forces > "reconstituted BRIGADE 55"]; + NEW PAKISTAN TALIBAN COMMANDER SHOWS "LOVE AND AFFECTION" FOR AL QAEDA.
#9
Not all rural areas there are equally dense, or equally accessible. I dont think population focus means withdrawl to the cities, but it DOES mean concentrating on the rural areas that strategically most important, in terms of density and geography
Which is why the troop increase was asked for.
A pull-back is a pull-back, is a pull-back. You can't spin that to the Taliban.
This administration had better decide what it want to do, and soon.
KABUL, Oct. 4 -- Firing rockets and rifles, Taliban militiamen attacked American and Afghan military outposts in a daylong siege on Saturday that killed eight U.S. soldiers and two Afghan security forces in one of the deadliest battles in months, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.
The fighting began early Saturday morning and raged throughout the day in a remote region of eastern Afghanistan in Nuristan province, which borders Pakistan. Staging their attack from steep mountainsides that overlook the outposts in the valley below, on a morning when weather made visibility poor, the Taliban fighters attacked the small American and Afghan bases using rifles, machine guns, grenades and rockets, according to U.S. military officials.
By Sunday morning, when the U.S. military made the attack public in a statement, the area was "largely secure but I do think there is still some activity," said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman.
In addition to the eight soldiers killed, several others were injured, said Rear Adml. Gregory J. Smith, but he did not specify the number. The American soldiers called in ground reinforcements, along with attack helicopter, airplanes and surveillance drones during the fighting. U.S. forces eventually repelled the attack while inflicting "a significant amount of casualties" on insurgents, Smith said.
Due to the "very challenging terrain," the insurgents had "pretty effective firing positions," Smith said. "It was obviously a very, very difficult day."
"Virtually everything that could be thrown at it was thrown at it," Smith said of the American response to the attack.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I believe I have read that a large number of Afghan police were captured in this battle. Makes me wonder if they were 'captured' instead - allies of the attacking Taliban rather than opponents.
Question for the military guys - how can you safely operate a base where you don't control the high ground within attack range, especially in a 'weather-challenged' environment like A'stan?
#2
how can you safely operate a base where you don't control the high ground within attack range, especially in a 'weather-challenged' environment like A'stan?
You quit playing games and start fighting a war. That means napalming the ridges when the "insurgents" attack. That means using WP and flachette rounds to respond to attacks on areas you can't reach with rifle fire. That means ensuring you always have a couple of recoilless rifles assigned to one of these outposts that can "dust" ridgetops from within your compound. That means telling the "World Court" to go hang, and that anyone trying to "arrest" a US servicemember will be returned to his nation of origin minus his head. That means sending a Tomahawk missile into the ICC to prove your seriousness. That means telling the Afghan government they have two choices: let the US and its allies fight a war to win, or we pull out and nuke the place until it's sterile - including the Pakistani side of "Pashtunistan". That means telling Pakistan that if one more "insurgent" attack is staged from Pakistani territory, there won't be a Pakistan any more. You DON'T fight a war making your servicemembers wear boxing gloves and keep one foot in a gallon pail all the time. Of course, our "political leadership" is too "civilized" to do that, so we'll probably lose - just as we did in Vietnam. I HATE the idiot "government" of the United States.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/05/2009 13:47 Comments ||
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#3
BTW, these eight soldiers were part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, about 10 miles south of my house. Their families live here.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/05/2009 13:49 Comments ||
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#4
I thought we learned how to defend FOB's during the war in Vietnam.
#7
The Battle of Wanat occurred on July 13, 2008 in Nuristan, Afghanistan. The position was being defended members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Five soldiers were killed; four in the first 20 minutes. The Taliban surrounded the remote base and its observation post and attacked it from both the village and the surrounding farmland. They were repelled by artillary and airpower.
Thought this story sounded familiar. We'd better decide whether we are going to fish or cut bait. If we are going to fight a war, let's fight the war unfettered and get on with it. I'm not certain we have too many choices here. There's a lot at stake if we don't do it right.
An Egyptian border guard died of gunshot wounds sustained 20 km south of the Rafah crossing on the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, security sources said. The guard was shot twice in the legs and bled to death before he arrived at Rafah hospital, they added.
The sources said investigations were under way to determine the source of the gunshots.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Look HARD at the Gaza tunnelers.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/05/2009 18:07 Comments ||
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The Court of Grave Crimes finalized trial on the case of Lebanese and Azerbaijanis, who are accused of having links to Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps of Iran (SEPAH) and attempting to commit terror attacks in Azerbaijan, on Monday, APA reports.
Ilgar Murguzov presided over the final session held behind closed doors. The court sentenced Karaki Ali Mohammad to 15, Najmaddin Ali Hossein to 15, Mammadov Javad Mammadrasul 12, Rasulov Vidadi Rahil 14, Amanov Mushfig Ayyub 13 and Balashov Afghan Yunus 12 years of imprisonment.
According to the indictment, the group members declared Jihad against the policy of US, Israel and other Western countries. They prepared plan to attack the Israeli embassy from several directions at the same time. They rented apartment opposite to the Israeli embassy and Jewish Cultural Center in Baku. The group members were detained before realizing their plans.
Lebanese citizens Karaki Ali Mohammad, Najmaddin Ali Huseyn and Azerbaijani citizens Mammadov Javad Mammadrasul, Rasulov Vidadi Rahil, Amanov Mushfig Eyyub, Balashov Afghan Yunus face with charges under articles of the Penal Code for spying, treason, illegal arms bearing and other articles.
#2
The Arabs are going to continue to push the Jews, push the Jews, until there's no other recourse except for the Jews to lash out at their tormentors with every weapon in their arsenal, including nukes. There will be a huge number of casualties, but the hate will continue.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/05/2009 13:50 Comments ||
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An act of terror has been prevented at a gas pipeline in Dagestan. When examining the pipeline on Saturday morning, a security service found a suspicious object under one of the pipeline sections, a source at the Federal Security Service's Dagestan department told Itar-Tass.
Sappers were called to the site. They examined the dangerous object and decided to remove it and destroy. It was an explosive device consisting of a 10-litre zinc-covered bucket filled with ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder with a detonator and a clockwork set for 12:30 Moscow time. It was deactivated at 10:10 Moscow time.
The device was found under the Mozdok-Kazimagomed gas pipeline near the village of Bashlykent. A criminal case is opened over the case.
Posted by: Pappy ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
They must be taking lessons from the Canadian eco-terrorists.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2009 9:24 Comments ||
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#3
I wonder what inspired the notably lax security service to check the pipeline, and check it well enough to find the device? Did they place it themselves?
A teenager from Jordan who is accused of trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper returns to federal court Monday for a hearing to decide if there is enough evidence to move ahead with his prosecution. The probable cause hearing for Hosam Maher Smadi allows prosecutors to lay out their case against the 19-year-old, who is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. A judge will then decide whether the case can go to a grand jury.
On Sept. 24, Smadi drove a truck he believed held a live bomb and parked it in the garage underneath the 60-story Fountain Place office building, authorities said. Later, he allegedly sat in a car at a safe distance from the Dallas tower and dialed a cell phone he thought would ignite a blast. If convicted, Smadi faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
An FBI agent who infiltrated an online group of extremists discovered Smadi. Officials say he stood out because he seemed intent on actually conducting terror attacks in the U.S. Two other undercover agents posed as members of an al-Qaida sleeper cell and communicated with Smadi. During that time, agents said Smadi continued reiterating his intention to carry out a terrorist attack. "By God who created me, there will not be a retreat at all, even if they take me to Guantanamo for the rest of my life," the FBI said Smadi told an undercover agent in Arabic on March 19.
Believing the agents were al-Qaida members, Smadi told them he would have kept looking for such a group, even if he had to leave the U.S. and join Hamas or the Taliban, according to an affidavit in the case. Investigators have determined that Smadi acted alone and was not affiliated with any terrorist organizations.
Smadi's attorney, assistant federal public defender Peter Fleury, did not returns calls for comment. In Jordan, Smadi's father has said the family does not condone terrorism and that his son is innocent. The government of Jordan has been following the case and remains in contact with U.S. authorities about it, Jordanian Embassy spokeswoman Merissa Khurma said. Smadi is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
His father, Maher Hussein Smadi, said his son entered the U.S. with a student visa. But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Smadi came to the United States legally in 2007 using a tourist visa and overstayed the time he was allowed to be in the country. A student visa would have made Smadi easier to track since a program was established after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to monitor educational visitors. However, such a system doesn't exist for tourists.
Friends and acquaintances say Smadi and his brother came to the U.S. after their mother died. They lived in Santa Clara, Calif., before Smadi left the Silicon Valley neighborhood last year and moved to a tiny town near Dallas.
In Italy, Texas, Smadi was known as "Sam," a kind, fun-loving guy who enjoyed dancing to techno music. Neighbors say Smadi, who is Muslim, let them know when he was fasting for religious reason. But also would occasionally drink alcohol something prohibited in Islam. He worked as a cashier at a large gas station that also houses a barbecue joint, a fast-food restaurant and a convenience store.
ICE officials would not say what aspects of Smadi's case the federal agency might be investigating, but it's likely looking at how Smadi got a job and who hired him, since a tourist visa doesn't entitle a person to work in the U.S. Mohamad Alhalwani, who operated the business where Smadi worked in Texas, said the manager who hired the young man looked over his documents and saw he had legal status to work. "We do not hire anybody illegally," Alhalwani said.
#1
And so it begins. The 19 year old 'teen' is not an adult and therefore...
"We do not hire anybody illegally," Alhalwani said. No No, certainly not, Lies all lies!
#2
An arrest warrant should be issued against anyone who hires a illegal allien. It is my understanding that a copy of identifying papers on an employee should be kept on file. "Looking over" a potential employee's documents does not legally work. Bust Mohamad Alhalwani's hard for facilitating illegals.
#3
funny... i have always had to file an I-9 and a W-4 every time i was employed. am i doing something wrong? seems i could keep about %35 more of my gross if i could get away from the darn forms...
just explained to my kid how $15/hr under the table is more in my pocket than $20/hr legit. then showed him the diff to the employer. his response "no Sh!t?... i would hire nothing but illegals."
Posted by: abu do you love ||
10/05/2009 15:33 Comments ||
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Kozhikode (Ker), Oct 4 (PTI) A North Korean ship, sailing from Colombo to a Pakistani port, has been detained by the Coast Guard and the Navy after it was found anchored in Indian territorial waters off Vatakara coast without mandatory permission.
The ship, 'Hyang Ro', was detained on Friday after it was found anchored in suspicious circumstances about 35 kms off Vatakara coast, a Coastguard Commandant at Beypore, near here, said. All its 44 crew, who were North Koreans, are being questioned, Commandant Sri Kumar said.
Navy PRO in Kochi, Commander Roy Francis, said, "The vessel had entered Indian waters without mandatory clearances from the authorities. They (crew members) stated that they had anchored there because of an internal leak in a tank. We are investigating".
A senior Coastguard official in Kozhikode told PTI, "The ship has been surrounded and detained by two Coastguard ships and a Navy vessel."
(Bloomberg) -- A suicide bomber at the Pakistan headquarters of the United Nations World Food Program killed four people and injured several others, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.
A man wearing a bomb under a soldiers uniform entered the compound after asking the UN guards to let him use a toilet inside, Malik told reporters in Islamabad, the capital, today. It was the deadliest attack in the Pakistani capital since April.
The WFP said four of its staffers were confirmed dead. This is a terrible tragedy for WFP, and for the whole humanitarian community in Pakistan, WFP Deputy Executive Director Amir Abdulla said in a statement. These were people working to assist the poor and the vulnerable on the frontlines of hunger in Pakistan.
The explosion ignited a fire in the WFP office and raised a column of smoke over the upscale Islamabad neighborhood where President Asif Ali Zardari has his home only a few blocks away.
While no one claimed responsibility for the blast, Malik blamed Pakistans Taliban guerrilla movement, which has fought an escalated war this year against army troops in the countrys northwest.
Five days ago there was a meeting of Taliban and they decided to attack cities and towns with suicide bombers, he said. There may be a few more attacks in the near future, but I assure you we will finish the remaining terrorists.
Posted by: tipper ||
10/05/2009 07:26 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
[Dawn] Security forces killed nine militants, including two commanders, in weekend battles in the Swat Valley, the military said Sunday.
Security forces killed three militants in the Swat Valley Saturday and arrested 16 others, according to a statement from the forces. In a subsequent battle Sunday, security forces and special police battled militants in a firefight that killed six of the insurgents, including two commanders, Noorul Amin and Fazl-e-Rabbi, the army said. One soldier was wounded, the statement said.
It was not possible to independently confirm the statements.
Meanwhile, police in Peshawar arrested a militant Sunday who was involved in attacking and looting convoys taking supplies to US and Nato forces in Afghanistan and recovered a substantial quantity of stolen goods, Peshawar police chief Liaquat Ali Khan said.
Khan identified the arrested man, Hukam Khan, as an important member of a militant band of looters who also kidnapped people for ransom to generate funds for the militants.
The police recovered military medals, military and spare parts, he said.
'This is an important arrest that will help us eliminate the militants and bring an end to attacks, looting and kidnapping,' Khan said.
The Pakistani military has largely beaten back a Taliban insurgency in Swat in recent months and intelligence officials say the country is preparing a major offensive against Al Qaeda and Taliban in their stronghold in South Waziristan.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq: Ten civilians on Sunday were injured when a bicycle bomb went off in northern Babel province, according to a local police source.
A bicycle rigged with explosives exploded at the entrance of a market in al-Haswa district (50 km north of Babel), wounding 10 civilians, including some in a critical condition, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The bombing caused damage to nearby buildings, the source added.
Hilla, the capital city of Babel province, lies 100 km southwest of Baghdad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency
Ma'an -- Israel's air force launched three strikes on the tunnel area in Rafah, between Egypt and southern Gaza, on Sunday morning. The attacks reportedly terrified residents, but no casualties were announced after the fourth consecutive series of airstrikes in as many days.
Israeli warplanes have continued to pound the Gaza Strip all week, purportedly in response to homemade projectiles fired from Gaza.
On Saturday, the country's air force said it targeted tunnels in Rafah twice, as well as a third strike in an open area in eastern Gaza City.
On Wednesday, six Palestinians sustained light wounds in airstrikes on northern and southern Gaza.
On Tuesday, Israeli jets, artillery, and tanks fired missiles and shells at different sites in the Strip, injuring five people, two of them at a farm in the northern city of Beit Lahiya.
The past week saw at least four Israeli announcements of projectile fire, with no damage or injury. Israeli media reported projectiles landing somewhere in the Negev desert. Friday night marked the first time in five days militant factions claimed to have launched projectiles at Israeli targets.
Late last month, two Palestinian fighters were killed in an airstrike that targeted their car in central Gaza.
Meanwhile, there have been regular reports in recent weeks of naval fire on Palestinian fisherman, including one incident in which five fishing boats were commandeered and their owners detained.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh, the inhumanity!
The attacks reportedly terrified residents
Of course they do. Whatever they think gains international sympathy, that's where you'll find them.
Ma'an -- The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it fired on an Israeli military bulldozer reportedly operating in Gaza on Sunday.
The purported attack occurred north of Kissufim, according to the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades.
In a statement, the group claimed that both the military bulldozer's driver and another soldier were seen falling to the ground after the leftist faction's fighters opened fire.
Israel's military denied the report.
Approached by Ma'an, a military spokeswoman said she was unaware of any such attack. She added that after an initial inquiry, the army found that no gunshots or other type of fire was reported in the area in question.
Ma'an could not independently verify either of the two claims.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Poor bulldozer---it was just looking for Rachel Corry.
#3
#2 Is it time for the annual running of the bulldozers in Gaza again? Posted by: Pappy
Not hard enough or far enough, Pappy. Israel is going to have to stop using million-dollar responses to $100 rockets, or go broke. Start taking Arab land for each rocket attack, and see how fast they stop.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/05/2009 14:16 Comments ||
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#4
Arabs won't stop. just kill fverything inside a 100 yd area for each missile or rocket, it's called Unequal response.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/05/2009 15:56 Comments ||
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Authorities are on heightened alert in Zamboanga City following the fighting between troops and rebels in Sulu province. Zamboanga City, which had been previously bombed by Abu Sayyaf, is currently celebrating the weeklong Hermosa Festival in honor of the Virgin Mary locally known as Our Lady of the Pilar, its patron saint.
A regional military commander, Marine Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, said they would launch Monday a new hotline that would allow citizens to send text messages from their cell phones or inform authorities about suspicious persons or information that could prevent terrorism.
We are going to launch this on Monday so citizens can easily and quickly provide information through SMS [short message system] from their cell phones, Dolorfino said. Besides the new hotline number, police also have telephone numbers 166 and 117 posted in many areas in Zamboanga City where citizens can call at anytime in case of an emergency similar to 911 in the United States.
Government forces are battling Moro rebels since last month in the province and had already killed at least 45 gunmen and soldiers, including two members of the US Special Forces.
The Bangsamoro National Liberation Army (BNLA) warned of more attacks against the military and civilian targets in the Philippines in retaliation to the continued government offensive against rebels in Sulu. The shadowy group, an ally of the Moro National Liberation Front, has claimed responsibility for the September 29 roadside bombing in Sulu that killed US soldiers Sergeant First Class Christopher Shaw and Staff Sergeant Jack Martin 3rd.
Madarang Sali, BNLA deputy supreme commander, rebel forces have declared a holy war against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine government. He said the BNLA is headed by Lt. Gen. Abdulnasser Iskandar, while the Moro National Liberation Front are under the command of Ustadz Habier Malik, Khaid Ajibun and Tahil Usman. Sali said only 10 MNLF rebels were killed in the fightingseven under Malik and three more under the command of Ajibun.
Dolorfino said troops were tracking down at least four most senior Abu Sayyaf leadersDr Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasanincluding two foreign Jemaah Islamiah terrorists Mauiya and Quayem and some 200 followers.
Posted by: Pappy ||
10/05/2009 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.
