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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| They're pounding hi value AQ target in Pakistan/Afghan border with artillery |
| 2004-03-18 |
| From Sky News... Osama bin Laden's second in command has been surrounded in Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf has told CNN. Troops say they have cornered Ayman al-Zawahri in an operation near the Afghan border. The operation, involving hundreds of troops and paramilitary rangers, has been carried out in the South Waziristan region. The identity of the man surrounded has not been confirmed. But President Musharraf said: "(Judging by) the resistance that is being offered by the people there, we feel that there may be a high value target." Sky News' Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "Most people believe the number two is actually the brains (behind the al Qaeda network)." And he added: "If it's true it is an enormous strike. It cannot be underestimated." |
| Posted by:Damn_Proud_American |
| #46 In that region, borders are not well marked, nor well delimited (not many surveyors in that part of the world). And FLIR, SLAR and other things like that are typically found on aircraft that just happen patrol close to borders. As do night trained helicopters on joint service training missions. And air or artillery delivered ICM can do a lot to counter mobility. Its such beautiful weather - finally losing the storminess, but still cold. I wonder if heat sources have better contrast in the cold? As long as nobody drops the ball it would be very difficult for anyone leave unnoticed/unharmed if such things were near a given area. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-3-18 9:15:32 PM |
| #45 It just occured to me that this 'waiting for daylight' is a result of the Pakis not having night vision equipment like we do. you know it wasnt all that long ago that we didnt have it, now its basic staple. I hope the pakis kept the jihadis in their hole all night with lots of crunchy mortar goodness. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 7:34:38 PM |
| #44 Naw, the solution here is light infantry, heliocopers, night vision equipment, and money, lotsa money. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-18 6:46:01 PM |
| #43 it could very well be 25 sq miles - towns in this area are built medival....mud huts surrounded by large mud walls...and they are inhabitated by 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th..ect cousins.keepin it in the family.........B1B is the perfect solution here but now if we him alive. |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-3-18 6:21:08 PM |
| #42 some goof on the T.v said the area was 25 miles square,must be a fuckin huge fort if it is a fort,sounds more like a load of mud huts scattered around the countryside.Send a B1B over and let the pressure wave of its speed blow the huts down.Any chance this place thier in has sat t.v? could they now know an airstrikes due at sunrise? do we want them to think that while something is sprung on them in the night,just a thought |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-18 5:53:14 PM |
| #41 Scrum down. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-3-18 5:44:58 PM |
| #40 BTW: I'll be needing some Palm Oil does Sam's carry the stuff? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-18 5:38:52 PM |
| #39 Please stop the disinformation Matt. This is serious biz. :> |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-18 5:37:43 PM |
| #38 "I swear, from some angles Zawahiri looks like Dennis Hopper with a turban and a beard..." Come to think of it, I've never seen the two of them together. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-3-18 5:23:28 PM |
| #37 The Paks are said to be 'well equipped'. This probably means that US is doing infrared and vis surveillance and maybe a few other things. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-3-18 5:22:29 PM |
| #36 Goooo, Redlegs, baby!! Lob an extra DPICM round for me!! |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-3-18 5:01:27 PM |
| #35 Most of the Pentagon folks have been quite content to state that its fully a Paki operation. I think if we did drop a MOAB or a Daisycutter or a cave buster that they would have a hard time keeping our involvement quiet. :) |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-3-18 4:43:24 PM |
| #34 Given the ease of obtaining a Paki passport, I'm hoping some of our SF boys drove through the embassy in Kabul before heading towards the border. That way...they're technically paki's, right? (Hey, if it works for terrorists...) |
| Posted by: mjh 2004-3-18 4:42:27 PM |
| #33 While I would be willing to bet that there are CIA types and US/UK Special Operators on the ground, the fact that the airstrikes are coming at dawn signal that US air assets are less likely to be involved. Otherwise, the dawn info would likely be a ruse since the US doesn't have a problem raining death from above at night and in adverse weather conditions. I imagine that Pakistan's air capabilities are limited to daylight operations (especially since I doubt they have JDAMs and may have to do visual targeting). |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-3-18 4:29:11 PM |
| #32 No, they gotta go with targetted bombs on defended positions. Capturing this guy alive is way to valuable to bomb indiscriminately. There could be terrorist attacks they are in motion that we could stop by capturing and interrogating him. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-3-18 4:16:23 PM |
| #31 sky now says a big airstrikes on the way, please be MOAB,please be MOAB... |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-18 4:12:32 PM |
| #30 Hmmmm..... I'm getting a troll 404. ? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-18 3:36:56 PM |
| #29 #24 Carl in N.H "Would this be a splodeydope and a trampoline ?" Brilliant. |
| Posted by: Evert Visser in NL 2004-3-18 3:27:40 PM |
| #28 The Paki's Mil SpokesGuy said 5 min ago that there are ONLY Paki regular and special forces involved - not even using any US air assets. 100% Paki operation... he sez... Other source (don't recall who - mebbe Fox's Ijaz guy) that there was a US Predator involved (early on, I guess) to pinpoint the location for the attack. Would be flying high now if arty and helicopters are in the air. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-18 3:27:37 PM |
| #27 Monsoor Ijaz on FoxNews was just saying that it's still night in Pakistan and we're waiting for dawn there to see where we are... Go Force 121! WOLVERINES! |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-3-18 3:20:44 PM |
| #26 is it some sort of fort thier in.if so hope for thier sakes it has 100 foot thick chobam armour walls.Is it night or day there yet,can't we just tire them out,hell even end up starving them to death,wear them down over a couple of days then send in the 160th,AFSOC,rangers and delta operaters to bag em. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-18 3:14:41 PM |
| #25 I swear, from some angles Zawahiri looks like Dennis Hopper with a turban and a beard... |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H 2004-3-18 3:13:54 PM |
| #24 "Fox news just said it's 200 AQ guys and they have artillery too" Would this be a splodeydope and a trampoline ? |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H 2004-3-18 3:12:15 PM |
| #23 Fox news just said it's 200 AQ guys and they have artillery too. If US forces are involved, their artillery doesn't get more than one shot. Sounds like the plan to flush them from the bushes seems to have worked. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-3-18 3:09:15 PM |
| #22 Fox news just said it's 200 AQ guys and they have artillery too. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-3-18 3:05:14 PM |
| #21 DAMN - TYPO - "not" should be "NOW" - sorry for the fat finger |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2004-3-18 3:04:12 PM |
| #20 Sky News is not calling it as Zawahiri now!!! PLEASE let it be so!!! Hmmm... Notice how we haven't heard anything from OldSpook? ;) |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2004-3-18 3:03:28 PM |
| #19 probably end up being a local shiek or some ehit or just another 'tall' binny lookalike, i wouldn't want to be a very tall turban binny lookalike,could also just be dumb Paks getting overexcited too of course. Fuckin better be someone good otherwise i'm gonna write Perv an angry letter for getting our hopes up! |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-18 2:46:20 PM |
| #18 !!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-3-18 2:45:10 PM |
| #17 They are now saying that the fighters they are encountering are Chechen, not Arab, and it may be a high profile Chechen leader. But it may still be Zawahiri. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114571,00.html |
| Posted by: Lil Dhimmi 2004-3-18 2:38:00 PM |
| #16 AP offical statement, issued at 1:32 EST http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Al-Qaida-Hunt.html?hp key -point is in the lede - 3 paki officials confirm. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 2:25:26 PM |
| #15 wow! |
| Posted by: B 2004-3-18 2:22:26 PM |
| #14 top of the hour video media check CNN - AP confirming musharraf statements MSNBC - Jim maceda confirms statements on zawahiri FOX - Monsour ijaz confirms suspicions as well Reuters - "its not bin laden" All seem to be backing the 'surrended to" meme. All are asking " are US troops involved". A discussion going on all three stations about how pakistan who will they turn him over to and under what circumstances, which is interesting to talk about if theres still doubt. Brit Hume on in 5 minutes. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 2:16:18 PM |
| #13 If anyone deserves the privilege of holding up severed heads, it's Rummy and Giuliani, one each. |
| Posted by: Evert Visser 2004-3-18 1:58:53 PM |
| #12 FM -- I doubt Zawahiri would surrender, but I guess it's possible that he's a little bitch like Saddam. For the conspiratorial among us, can it be a coincidence that Colin Powell is in the region? It would be a master stroke by Bush -- having the member of the War Cabinet most fawned over by the media, the UN and the EU and the left in general hold up the severed heads of Zawahiri (and maybe even Binny) on every TV channel in the world. PS - IMHO, if anyone deserves the privilege of holding up severed heads, it's Rummy, but I am not against playing to the crowd. |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-3-18 1:53:22 PM |
| #11 They getting the effective A/Q leader? I still don't think Osama bin Decaying gonna be found. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-18 1:53:20 PM |
| #10 Agree with alive... He is one of the few who can point us to OBL's compost pile... |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2004-3-18 1:51:18 PM |
| #9 We need to capture him alive. I hope that piece of SkyNews surrendering news is true. |
| Posted by: Daniel King 2004-3-18 1:49:02 PM |
| #8 I wonder if he'll surrender, or go down fighting. I would like to see him captured alive as he would be a wealth of information. |
| Posted by: Lil Dhimmi 2004-3-18 1:47:52 PM |
| #7 "Osama bin Laden's second in command has been surrounded in Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf has told CNN." http://www.sky.com/skynews/home?CMP=ILC-6UL712550356 |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 1:44:48 PM |
| #6 for me its a bit of both - UK friend on AIM getting it live via their TV. only local US person is CNN's aaron brown, I suspect he will be the first to pick it up for confirmation. Watching Fox news for confirmation now. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 1:41:04 PM |
| #5 on-line or on tv? |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-3-18 1:35:50 PM |
| #4 Sky News reporting Zawahiri has surrended!!!!!! |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 1:33:32 PM |
| #3 AP confirms. Aaron Brown who is in Islamabad is confirming as well. I detect a sigificant uptick in media attention, so I sense that more is know than can be confirmed publically. Slow news out of the area is due to extreme remote nature of the area and a need by the paki military to make sure that no one knows that US troops are assisting in the kill. This will be trumpeted by the left as a success of the UN not a triumph of the US. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2004-3-18 1:32:49 PM |
| #2 They're saying it could be bin laden too... but no one is sure. Might be no one... |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-3-18 1:31:46 PM |
| #1 ....Fox News is saying as of 1326 EST that it's al-Zawahari... |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-3-18 1:25:54 PM |