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India-Pakistan
Al-Qaeda tribal allies protest US airstrike
2006-01-14
As I noted to Bill Roggio via telephone this evening, Damadola and the villages like it have basically been under de facto al-Qaeda rule since at least 2004 if not earlier - which may have been one of the reasons why we were able to track Ayman's movements, since he felt secure enough to start moving openly again.
Thousands of tribesmen on Saturday protested a purported US air strike that targeted Al Qaeda’s No. 2 near the Afghan border and left at least 17 people dead, witnesses said. The demonstration, which was peaceful, took place in Inayat Qala, about six kilometers (four miles) from Damadola where the strike happened early Friday.

Pakistani officials and US news networks reported the target of the attack was Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenant. Witnesses estimated that more than 8,000 people attended the protest. A local Islamic party lawmaker, Sahibzada Haroon ur Rashid, said all the victims of the attack were local people and condemned it as “open terrorism.” Obaidullah, a local doctor, said the protesters included supporters of various political parties.
Posted by:Dan Darling

#10  Wicked, tw.
Posted by: lotp   2006-01-14 19:33  

#9  Of course the locals are angry: What will people think about their sacred hospitality, when their bestest guests keep getting blown up? I think a public, "Thank you for your help in this matter, we couldn't have done it without your help, you know who you are," would be ever so helpful to ram that message home.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-01-14 17:53  

#8  Thousands of tribesmen on Saturday protested a purported US air strike that targeted Al Qaeda’s No. 2 near the Afghan border and left at least 17 people dead, witnesses said.

Stop harboring terrorists and this won't happen. Shelter them, and the number of targets can only increase. So will the number of casualties.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2006-01-14 14:22  

#7  #1 The demonstration, which was peaceful,

Did they run out of ammo?
Posted by Raj 2006-01-14 07:24|


No. There was insufficent media, especially a marked absense of video cams.
Posted by: The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen   2006-01-14 12:19  

#6  Quick, airbrush out that dead cow in the rubble, we don't want to loose the Indians as an ally.
Posted by: hammerhead   2006-01-14 10:42  

#5  Kind of like what happens when a suicide bomber sets himself off in a public place. I think they call this sort of thing collateral damage.

How do they like us now?

Posted by: bigjim-ky   2006-01-14 10:24  

#4  These guys are into the Book. Next time send MOAB.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-01-14 09:42  

#3  Just imagine the severity of the protests if the US had managed to kill al-Zawahri. Those tribesmen just love al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Whutch Threth6418   2006-01-14 09:39  

#2  A local Islamic party lawmaker, Sahibzada Haroon ur Rashid, said all the victims of the attack were local people and condemned it as “open terrorism.”

*sound of a JDAM being locked into place*

Sahi, ol' buddy, you ain't SEEN terrorism...And Dan - if this hasn't been said before, it needs to be - THANK YOU for your info and insights.

Mike

Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2006-01-14 07:24  

#1  The demonstration, which was peaceful,

Did they run out of ammo?
Posted by: Raj   2006-01-14 07:24  

00:00