#2
Thanks again, Fred. She is a lovely way to start the day, though I need to remember to take my heart medicine before coming to Rantburg. I'm confused, though. What in the world is she supposedly doing in this photo?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/18/2009 8:24 Comments ||
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#5
Obviously, it's attached to the back of her leg under her dress, .5MT. You'll note the top leg is suspiciously straight compared to the bottom one. ;-)
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/18/2009 16:57 Comments ||
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#2
Piss on it.
Really. My son was a USMC mortarman (96-2000). He said that you do anything you can to cool it down.
They also did it in We were Soldiers.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
09/18/2009 18:11 Comments ||
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#3
"Don't get in front!"
good advice
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/18/2009 18:51 Comments ||
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[Quqnoos] US forces claim to have killed and detained more than 400 militants in recent months as insurgency has reached a record-level in Afghanistan Many of the militants removed include Taliban and Haqqani network senior leaders, known for spearheading the planning and undertaking of deadly attacks, US military says in a statement.
Afghan and international forces have killed and captured more than 400 militants throughout the eastern Afghan region since 1 June, 2009, the statement adds.
Meanwhile, at least 229 international forces -- more than half of them Americans -- stationed in Afghanistan have been killed in hostile incidents in the same period, according to icasualties.
The statement names a number of 'prominent' militant leaders who have been arrested or gunned down in military operations, mostly carried out in eastern provinces.
"We stepped up our efforts throughout the region ... bringing more than 400 of the worst criminals by either killing or capturing them," said a US forces spokesman, Lt Col Clarence Counts.
A number of foreign fighters and bomb makers have been also killed in multiple military offensives, the statement further notes.
"The elimination of these terrorists represents a significant step forward in protecting the Afghan people, and a definitive blow to the enemy's networks and capabilities, especially at such a critical time," said Counts.
A UN report released in early August showed a 24 percent rise in the level of civilian deaths during the first half of 2009, compared with the same period last year. According to the UN, at least 1,013 civilians were killed between 1 January and 31 June this year compared with 818 for the same period in 2008 - an increase of 24 percent.
The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) also pointed to stepped-up military operations by the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Are we really doing as badly in Afghanistan as conventional wisdom decrees? We stepped up operations and the militants did, too, so caulisties of all kinds are up. But, I keep reading that we are penetrating areas that we haven't been before and taking out more of the Taliban's middle management. It sounds to me like we are the ones on the offensive and they are the ones on the run. Am I wrong? Also, it seems to me that it's too early to be making judgements on the overall success or failure of the drive.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/18/2009 8:54 Comments ||
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#2
I'm not an expert on this conflict nor do I play one on the internet, but what I'm hearing from people who are is that
a) we've lost or are losing the people, in part because of unintended consequences of our actions. For instance, security measures have resulted in lower inter-village marriage rates. But inter-village marriage traditionally discouraged local violence and provided a sense of responsibility to the larger community. Not only has that declined due to the fighting and security measures, but with the appointment of unaccountable governors under Karzai, there is an even greater alienation from the government which the Taliban are exploiting heavily. This is one area I expect McChrystal to address but not until they have a strategy well thought out for it since half-baked interventions are likely to backfire big time. McChrystal was SpecOps and will be informed by their method of planning and prep, but he's under heavy time pressure and must work within the constraints of the existing, less-than-optimal constitution there.
b) The logistics of this conflict are difficult. With the increasing implosion of Pakistan, those logisitics have gone from complex to fragile and enormously expensive. And that's *with* the Russian approval for air base use. Pakistan is a huge problem in multiple ways and needs to be contained, one reason not to pull out of Afghanistan.
c) Most of the NATO troops present have been .... less than effective. With the Germans singled out for particular ridicule over incessant drinking, poor discipline and ROEs that are unhelpful. If they were in fact being effective at training and mentoring a relatively non-corrupt, disciplined police force the cities could be used as centers for widening stability and improved infrastructure. If the allies were in fact improving education, health care, local governance tec. then ditto.
Those allies who've engaged in combat, e.g. the Brits, Canadians and Aussies, have badly depleted their reserves of equipment, men and funds. We can b*tch all we like about how they should have invested more in the past, but the fact is that right now they are near tapped out.
So yes, it's a tenuous situation AFAICT. OTOH if we fail there the result will be a swath of nuclear armed Islamicism from Iran through Pakistan and extending down to Indonesia. It is impractical to atttempt an external firewall to contain such a region - consider how 'well' that worked with Iran alone. So what to do next is a huge concern.
#3
"Are we really doing as badly in Afghanistan as conventional wisdom decrees? We stepped up operations and the militants did, too, so caulisties of all kinds are up. "
Not to disagree with LOTPs interesting points, but heres My impression.
1. This is standard early surge stuff. I mean the reaction in DC sounds STRIKINGLY like it did in the early days of the Iraqi surge when US casualties spiked. Yeah, going after the enemy means more casualties. But not going after the enemy, allows the enemy to consolidate and build their own strength. 2007 in Iraq was hard cause of how the insurgency had build strength from 2004 to 2006. In afghanistan, 2009 is hard, cause of whats been going on from 2006 to 2008
2. Some folks are just waking up to Afghanistan. "OMG, we've been there 8 years!" well where were you when we had been there 7 years? Focused on Iraq, focused on the election whatever. When people who have forgotten Afghanistan turn to it, in addition to realizing how long weve been there, they also see all the deterioration that has taken place since 2005 or so.
3. The political situation. Which is pretty sucky, arguably worse than Iraq at the beginning of the surge. Kharzai, who I still think was absolutely necessary in 2001-2002, is now a corrupt nepotistic leader, who is particularly alienating key constituencies in the Pashtun areas (despite his relying on Pashtunistan electorally). IE, hes far worse as a leader than Maliki turned out to be.
Personally I think the best outcome politically would be revisions to the Afghan constitution to allow locally elected governors. Someone pointed out, no third world country has recovered recetnly from this kind of disorder with a polity as centralized as Afghanistans. Kabul does not have the capacity to run the provinces - let them do more to run themselves.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/18/2009 10:08 Comments ||
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#4
Thanks, lotp and liberal hawk for your insights into a mirky situation. Looks like we are doing better militarily than it looks, but politically it is a godawful mess in Afghanistan. the region and in our White House. I certainly would not risk my life and resources based on any commitments this adminstration has made.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/18/2009 11:15 Comments ||
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#5
in our White House
at least re Afghanistan, its no more a mess now then its been at any time since 2003.
#6
as for the region, theres certainly been major improvement on the ground in Pakistan since the spring. The political situation there is more opaque, but Im not sure its deteriorating lately - Zardari and even the paki military certainly look as commited to fighting the taliban as they did in the spring. I mean in the larger sense Pakistan remains unstable, but its polity has been a mess since, well, the last 50 years. Certainly Perv wasnt helping things.
And the crescent of Islamism, well thats an odd map. It requires for one, overlooking all the non-muslim states between Pakistan and Indon. And of course Bangla is muslim, and barely keeping Islamism at bay, but its hardly a nuke power. And Indon has no nuke program Ive heard about, and seems to making major progress against AQ.
#8
LET? you mean Lashkar E Taiba? Isnt that a Pakistani group? How does that relate to anything east of India?
And that India was attacked from Pakistan - well if you want to call that India being part of an arc of nuclear armed islamism, you can. I'm still not quite sure what that means though.
#9
There is a flow of information, funding and sometime more from Al Q. in Pakistan to LeT in Kashmire to Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia .... JI has been alleged to have observers with the United Jihad Council in India, to which LeT (or its successor groups since it is officially outlawed) belong.
#10
AQ and its affiliated jihadi orgs are an international conspiracy with many links, and with presence across the muslim world. I agree. That is why we have a Global War on Terrorism (by whatever name its politically correct to call it today)
An arc of nuclear islamism implied, to me, nuclear armed states. Pakistan is nuclear armed, if fighting Islamists. Iran is Islamist, and is close to nuclear weapons. East of Pakistan, there are no islamic states with nuclear weapons, and in fact, no muslim states ruled by hardline Islamists (not even Malaysia, quite). Now its true, that if the Paki Taliban were to takeover Pakistan than the jihadi networks would likely have access to a nuke, and that would be a disaster. But Indon is no more implicated in that than ANY place where a jihadi linked group is active. and indeed, JI in Indon really seems somewhat on the ropes right now.
#11
This war is just like the cold war in many ways. And Afghanistan has way too many similarities to Vietnam. It is one battle in a long war, and not one which will determine the outcome of the war. Unquestionably this war can be won technically by the US military. But defeat or victory will be achieved in the American living room.
Bush did a lousy job on that battlefield during the War in Iraq, despite Petraeus ultimately pulling his chestnuts out of the fire. Barry seems equally committed to Afghanistan but equally incapable of making the case, especially in terms of the larger war, something Bush understood but could never express without dealing with the truth about Islam.
There is very little value to be gained by achieving victory in Afghanistan. Particularly if it comes at the cost of utterly breaking Pakistan. It is only a dimple in lotp's arc, an arc that assumes a monolithic Islam like monolithic communism. We risk breaking our alliances and risk a serious domestic setback in the larger war for achieving a technical military victory of dubious value. For what?
Get out gracefully now.
We can always utterly destroy it if we need to deal with it again. And when we leave we should make it unmistakeably clear to the world that that is exacly what we will do.
#12
Islam is not monolithic. However, an India that loses Kashmir to nuclear Pakistan and is pressured by China, Pakistan's ally and possibly source of nuclear transfer, will be hard pressed to interdict WMD and other cooperation among JI, Al Q and other Islamicist groups in the area.
I don't know what the right policy is but we need to be clear about the risks involved in all choices.
#13
Moreover I'm not entirely convinced of the Vietnam analogy, although there are some similarities. There are differences as well. We lost ~58000 US troops in the Vietnam war, which was waged against a northern state which had significant open backing from a unified China. Things are a bit different WRT the Taliban, Al Q, LET etc. and fractured Pakistan.
But if you mean how things have been handled at home, I totally agree.
NATO-led forces are investigating the death of four Marines in eastern Afghanistan after their commanders reportedly rejected requests for artillery fire in a battle with insurgents, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
A McClatchy newspapers' journalist who witnessed the battle reported that a team of Marine trainers made repeated appeals for air and artillery support after being pinned down by insurgents in the village of Ganjgal in eastern Kunar province.
The U.S. troops had to wait more than an hour for attack helicopters to come to their aid and their appeal for artillery fire was rejected, with commanders citing new rules designed to avoid civilian casualties, the report said.
Morrell said the helicopters were not hampered by any restrictions on air power but had to travel a long distance to reach the Marines at the remote location near the Pakistan border.
"I think that it did take some time for close air support to arrive in this case, but this is not a result of more restrictive conditions in which it can be used," he said.
"It was the result, as is often the case in Afghanistan, of the fact that there are great distances often between bases where such assets are located and where our troops are out operating."
Morrell could not confirm whether appeals for artillery fire were denied by commanders.
According to the McClatchy report by Jonathan Landay, the U.S. advisors assisting Afghan forces had been assured before the operation that "air cover would be five minutes away."
#1
so per morrel, the absence of air support was not due to the commanders read of the ROE.
That leaves two things to be further investigated - 1. Why or how was it communicated that air support was close? 2. What about the artillery support?
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/18/2009 9:54 Comments ||
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#2
Last I heard the Marines were calling for smoke. All the guys had was WP and didn't want to hurt any "civilians" in the area. I don't know if this has changed in the last day or two.
#3
Bottom line is this is BS. Our troops should not be placed in this situation. No wonder the tide is turning in public opinion. We are going back to the Vietnam mentality. May LTC. Hackworth rest in peace cause if he was alive, you wouldn't hear the end of this.
Posted by: Art ||
09/18/2009 10:58 Comments ||
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#4
I have to agree with Art - we're doing all the stupid things we did in Vietnam, and it's all coming from the top.
The one thing that the Marines or SF people could do that would help the situation the most is to take out Karzai and his top 10-20 "advisors". As long as we're unwilling to do that, things are going to deteriorate, regardless of what the US does.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/18/2009 16:57 Comments ||
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#5
The one thing that the Marines or SF people could do that would help the situation the most is to take out Karzai Diem and his top 10-20 "advisors".
#6
Probably the same ROE that we had in I-Corps way back when.
Freaking desk jockeys in Washington and the morons on the Hill never work khaki or camo and don't know which end of a rifle to point, so it doesn't surprise me.
Every time we have a shooting war with a demo president we wind up with this kind of crap.
Posted by: James Carville ||
09/18/2009 20:20 Comments ||
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[Maghrebia] A Nouakchott court arraigned two young Mauritanian men on charges of recruiting terrorists for al-Qaeda, Journal Tahalil reported on Wednesday (September 16th). One of the suspects had just returned to Mauritania from Mali, where he allegedly attended a terrorist training camp. Three others suspects were charged with "inciting religious extremism".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] More than 80 civilians were killed in an air raid which blasted a makeshift camp of displaced people in northern Yemen, witnesses said on Thursday, as the army pursued its offensive on Shiite rebels.
One witness, reached by telephone, told AFP that most of those killed in Wednesday's raid were women and children.
The attack was carried out by a "warplane (that) targeted displaced families who had gathered under trees in the area of Adi," in Amran province -- scene of heavy fighting between the army and the rebels, the witness said, asking not to be identified.
Another witness, also reached by telephone, told AFP that "at least 87 were killed" in the attack, which was acknowledged by a Yemeni official.
"The jet fighter targeted Huthi who were firing (while hiding) among the displaced people," the official told AFP requesting anonymity. He declined to comment on the death toll.
A rebel statement condemned the attack, accusing the Sanaa government, which has vowed to crush the five-year-old rebellion, of thirsting for blood. "The bloodthirsty authorities have committed a new massacre," said a statement issued by the Huthi rebels.
It said that government MiG warplanes at 12:00 noon (0900 GMT) on Wednesday had targeted displaced people gathering along the Barata road, near Harf Sufyan, which lies on the route linking Saada to the capital.
"Dozens were killed and the bodies were blown away by the impact of the strike," the statement said.
The Yemeni army, which launched operation Scorched Earth against the rebels on Aug. 11, said Thursday it has delivered heavy blows "over the past hours."
A military commander claimed the army had killed and wounded many rebels, whom it accused of using civilians as human shields.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the Yemeni government to "promptly and impartially investigate responsibility for any attacks on civilians."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Police say unidentified assailants hurled several bombs at Bangladesh's ruling Awami League office in a western region, killing a local party leader.
The area's police chief, Didar Ahmed, says the incident occurred in Jessore district late Wednesday. He says it also left another six people wounded.
He said Thursday that Emamul Hasan, 42, died instantly after the attack in the district. The area is 85 miles (136 kilometers) west of the capital, Dhaka.
There are many members of outlawed communist political groups in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I guess Jessore District doesn't have a RAB group yet...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/18/2009 17:01 Comments ||
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DEVELOPING: The man under FBI investigation for alleged ties to a New York subway terror plot has admitted he has ties to Al Qaeda and is in negotiations to plead guilty to a terror charge, FOX News confirmed Friday.
Zazi reportedly told officials that he had received explosives training and his possible guilty plea would be part of a deal to cooperate with the government.
An attorney for Zazi issued the following statement on Friday: "The FBI has asked to speak to my client's father, Mr. Mohammed Zazi, and we are cooperating fully with the FBI's request."
The 24-year-old Zazi had earlier insisted that he had no connection with Al Qaeda. But after two eight-hour interrogations at the FBI offices in Denver on Wednesday and Thursday, Zazi told law enforcement a different story Friday.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force went through Zazi's home, as well as the nearby residence of his aunt, Rabia Zazi. Zazi denies that he's a central figure in a terrorism investigation that fed fears of a possible bomb plot and led to several police raids in New York City on Monday.
Zazi, who authorities have said trained at a Pakistani terror camp, reportedly had bomb-making diagrams on a computer that he carried with him on a visit to New York. Zazi's attorney had denied these allegations.
The laptop was in Zazi's car as Zazi drove from Colorado to New York City, arriving the day before the 8th anniversay of the attacks of Sept. 11.
Zazi has cooperated with the investigation, answering all the FBI agents' questions except for one requiring him to speculate about the actions of the NYPD, his lawyer told The Associated Press.
At least 33 people have been killed and dozens injured in a suicide car bomb attack at a village market in north-west Pakistan, police say. The explosion is said to have taken place at a busy intersection close to the garrison town of Kohat. Most of the dead are said to be members of the Shia Muslim minority. The area has a history of sectarian tension. A little-known militant group calling itself Lahskar-e-Jhangvi al-Almi says it carried out the attack. Meet the new Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, same as the old Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
It says the attack was in revenge for the death of a prominent religious leader, Maulana M Amin, who was killed in Hangu in June. Correspondents say the group is likely to be linked to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni extremist group which has links to the Taliban. D'oh! Really? LeJ is also kinda the domestic Pak face of al-Qaeda, a source of cheap and disposable krazed killers.
Astarzai village, where the blast took place, has a substantial Shia population and is close to the Orakzai tribal region, a stronghold of the Taliban's present chief. Hakimullah Mehsud took over as the leader of the Pakistani Taliban - a Sunni group - after his predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed by a US missile strike.
The head of Astarzai's village council told the BBC that it was still waiting for machinery to help lift the debris and pull out bodies. "The blast took place at 11am, and now it's 5pm, but there is still no shovel or crane available to lift the debris or pull out dead bodies. "People are doing it with their bare hands," Mehtabul Hasan told the BBC. Police officials said that not all of the bodies had been identified because of the extent of the injuries.
The car bomb was detonated close to a hotel owned by a Shia Muslim businessman. A local police official told the AFP news agency: "Dozens of shops were destroyed. Their roofs caved in and many people were trapped under the debris."
Television footage from the local hospital showed bloodied and bandaged patients being treated by medical staff. "I was standing in front of my shop when all of a sudden, a car blew up outside a restaurant," Sohail Ahmed told AFP from his hospital bed.
At the time of the explosion, the area was reported to be thronged with shoppers buying supplies for the weekend and for iftar, the break of fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Astarzai lies 18km (11 miles) west of Kohat, where a bomb was detonated on Thursday wounding at least six people.
[Dawn] The CCPO Quetta has said police have arrested twelve high profile terrorists including the man behind recent target killings in the city, DawnNews reported.
Quetta capital city police officer Abid Hussain Notkani said that the militants have confessed to blowing up railway tracks and gas pipelines.
Police say that the arrested include some who were involved in recent sectarian killings.
The accused men were involved in the killing of a high school principal in Quetta's sariab area.
Notkani says that police have also apprehended three gangs involved in car snatching.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
these terrs would be baluchi rebels, not Taliban, I guess ???
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/18/2009 10:13 Comments ||
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Two Taliban were killed and one injured in clashes with security forces in Charmang area of Nawagai tehsil in Bajaur Agency on Thursday, said official sources. The sources said two security personnel were also injured in the clashes, which ensued a Taliban attack on a security post in Charmang. Troops have also launched an operation to hunt down Taliban in Charmang, and the political administration has set up special checkposts in the area to protect tribesmen.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Security forces demolished the houses of a Taliban and his brothers in Sultankhel Khyber on Thursday, after cordoning off the quarters early in the morning.
The political administration had already served a notice on Zafar Iqbal Afridi's father, warning him that stern action would be taken against the family if he did not surrender his son to security forces.
The father, Janas Khan Afridi, told Daily Times that troops cordoned off all of the family's houses in the morning, although they cut off all ties with Iqbal more than two years ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I remember when house demolition was one of the "zionist regime's" unique crimes.
Security forces killed 10 Taliban, including a local Taliban commander, on Thursday in a pre-dawn exchange of fire near a river in Swat.
The Taliban were trying to cross a river at night and infiltrate Mingora when police and troops intercepted on them, said the military in a statement from Swat. "Police and army acted jointly, and as a result of an exchange of fire, 10 Taliban were killed," said the military.
The municipal administration and local people buried the bodies in a graveyard after daybreak, said Major Mushtaq Khan.
Residents who identified the dead said they included an important local Taliban commander, identified as Amjad Ali.
Meanwhile, security forces said they had also arrested at least 39 more suspected Taliban in Swat. "Troops conducted a search operation in Mam Berai, and arrested 15 suspects," said the ISPR, adding that 10 Taliban surrendered to security forces in Chuprial and Amluk near Sakhra, four in Bar Shaur, six in Shahdand Banda and another four in Bishbanr and Shah Dheri.
Troops discovered three tunnels near Tatarai and Sardari during a search operation. Four tunnels were also demolished near Mangaltan.
Meanwhile, four children were injured in an explosion in Doshagram near Fatehpur.
Separately, Pakistani officials said on Thursday an Al Qaeda operations chief in Pakistan and an Uzbek commander were believed killed in US missile strikes earlier this month in North Waziristan. The operations chief has been identified as Ilyas Kashmiri and the Uzbek as Nazimuddin alias Yahyo.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Insurgents in Pakistan have reportedly killed two relatives of Baitullah Mehsud on suspicion of spying on their former leader, who died last month in a strike in Waziristan.
The commander had been killed along with his second wife in a drone attack by the US on Waziristan last month.
The militants had seized a number of Mehsud's relatives on suspicion of providing information to the US and Pakistani military about the commander's whereabouts.
The slain commander's nephew and his father in law were subjected to brutal torture in custody by the militants, according to a Press TV correspondent.
A t least two of the captives were reported to have died in the insurgents' custody.
Mehsud, a warlord in his late 30s, had been involved in the deadly cross border attacks against US-led troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
The former head of the so-called Tehrik-e-Taliban had also claimed responsibility for dozens of devastating attacks on both civilians and security forces across Pakistan.
The recent deaths are expected to spark a split among militants' high ranks in the nuclear armed country.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Sher Mohammad Qasab, one of 15 Taliban 'commanders' carrying a head money of Rs10 million, was captured in Swat on Wednesday, along with 16 other militants.
Thirty-seven terrorists laid down their arms in different areas of the valley. Qasab's is the third high-profile arrest announced in five days.
According to the Swat media centre, security forces arrested 17 militants, including Mohammad Qasab and his son Adalat Khan, during a search operation in Gat Kandao area of Charbagh.
Qasab, who was injured in the operation, was presented before local people in Charbagh Bazaar. His other three sons, Zahid, Shah Wazir and Perwanat, had been killed in a clash with security forces a couple of days ago.
Qasab was wanted in various cases of terrorism, including attacks on government installations and beheading of security and police personnel.
(According to AFP, military officials confirmed Qasab's arrest. 'He was injured during an exchange of fire with security forces. In the same exchange of fire, three of his sons were killed,' Col Akhtar Abbas, the military spokesman in Swat, said.
'Troops encircled him for days,' a military official in Peshawar said. Col Abbas accused Qasab of personally beheading members of security forces and setting fire to a dozen girls' schools in different parts of the valley. 'He was running a slaughter centre in Charbagh where he himself used to slaughter opponents and security personnel,' he added.)
According to the ISPR, 37 militants, including one Shamakhel and his two sons, laid down arms in Shah Dheri, Shah Dand Banda, Kanju and Bar Shor areas.
Eight tunnels were discovered and three bombs defused in Ashar, Banr and Mangaltan areas. A woman and her child were injured when a mortar shell hit their house.
Muhammad Irfan Mughal in Dera Ismail Khan adds: Eight militants were killed when security forces backed by helicopter gunships pounded their hideouts in Paharpur area near here on Wednesday.
Six militants were arrested and a large quantity of weapons and ammunition was seized. Officials said that several militant hideouts near Lakki Marwat had also been destroyed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Things seem to be going well in western Pakistan, while we seem bent on losing the war in Afghanistn by political correctness.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/18/2009 8:44 Comments ||
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#2
This guy sounds like a real butcher, its irritating he didnt suffer a painful death. Well, I hope the Pakistanis get some useful info out of him.
We are failing to win in Afghanistan due mainly to inadequate troops to carry out clear hold and build. We will see if the Admin has the balls to defy their base on this.
The old ROE, with the old underresourced effort, was losing already.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/18/2009 9:58 Comments ||
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Authorities on Thursday registered two cases against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, chief of the banned Jamaatud Dawa, on charges of delivering anti-state sermons and collecting charity to fund terrorist activities, a private TV channel reported. The channel reported that the cases were registered in Faisalabad with the Madina Town police station and the People's Colony police station.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Fifteen officers survived a booby-trap bombing and ambush while driving to a mosque in the mainly Muslim province of Narathiwat in Thailand's deep south on Friday. The police were attacked as they travelled in three armoured pick-up trucks, heading for a mosque in Ban Ai Pa Yae to distribute supplies to Muslim residents during the religious fasting month of Ramadan, said Pol Col Pirapat na Badalung of Cho Ai Rong Police Station.
Col Pirapat, who was also part of the team, said that as the three armoured pick-up trucks approached the village, about one kilometre from the mosque, suspected insurgents detonated a home-made bomb buried under the road surface. The 15-kg bomb, adapted from a cooking gas cylinder, hit the third pick-up truck which tipped over and fell into a roadside ditch.
The assailants, hidden in bushes, immediately stormed the convoy and exchanged gunfire with police for 20 minutes before fleeing, according to local police. The three vehicles were bullet-proof and no one was injured.
In another incident on Friday, a one-storey building of the Yarang subdistrict administrative organization in Pattani burned and official documents as well as office equipment were destroyed
Pol Col Poonsak Prasertmeth of Yarang Police Station said initial investigation into the 40-minute fire concluded that an estimated five men, wearing masks and carrying rifles, stormed into the office where nine government workers were working. They forced all officials to leave the office and poured gasoline before setting fire to the building. They fled the scene on motorcycles, the police officer said.
JOHOR BAHARU, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The body of Asia's number one terrorist, Noordin Mohammad Top, is only expected to be brought back to Malaysia next week for burial in his family's village in Pontian. According to a source, Indonesia needed between four to five days more to examine Noordin's body before handing it over to Malaysia and his family. Taking the time to make sure he's really, really dead.
"Two of Noordin's family members, probably his elder brother known as 'Yahya' and his younger brother known as 'Isa' will go to Jakarta next week with Malaysian police officers to identify and claim the body. "Noordin's wife who lives in Kampung Sungai Tiram, Johor Baharu will not go to Jakarta to claim the body," the source told Bernama in an interview Friday. No doubt deep in mourning, or shopping for a new husband Isn't that generally taken care of by her brother?
Observation by Bernama of Noordin's family house today in Kampung Kayu Ara Pasong, Pontian found that it was uninhabited.
Noordin, 41, who headed a more radical splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was killed yesterday after his hideout in Solo, Central Java was raided by Indonesia's elite anti-terrorist unit Densus 88. Noordin's death ended a six-year hunt for the person believed to be responsible for a series bomb attacks that killed tens of people in the republic. Asia's number one terrorist was alleged to be responsible for the bomb attacks on the Ritz Charlton Hotel and the J.W Marriot Hotel in Jakarta on July 17 which killed nine people including the two suicide bombers.
According to the source there was no need for Noordin's family members and police officers to go to Jakarta now as the process of examining his body was not completed. Driving a stake through his heart takes time.
However, the source said, the process of identifying Noordin by DNA that takes about 30 hours would be completed tonight or tomorrow and the result announced. Another site which won't open for me seems to indicate the DNA test is positive
The Indonesian authorities have already identified the body as Noordin's based on fingerprints and other physical marks.
Meanwhile the source also denied local media reports that the death of the most wanted terrorist was due to his blowing himself up to avoid being taken alive.
"Noordin died due to being shot on several parts of his body including the feet, hands and head. He had a serious wound on the back of his head behind his right ear, probably due to being shot," the source said. Interesting shot distribution. Almost like someone was taking their time...
Still, the source said, the face was in good condition and this made the identification process easier.
#2
"Observation by Bernama of Noordin's family house today in Kampung Kayu Ara Pasong, Pontian found that it was uninhabited."
For sale as is. Those vacant homes have all kinds of issues.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
09/18/2009 10:16 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Yup LH, in this country you have to worry about a meth lab in the basement of a long-vacant house, whereas in Thailand, it's a bomb factory ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/18/2009 14:17 Comments ||
Top||
#4
WORLD NEWS > NOORDIN'S DEAD BUT INDONESIA'S WAR ON TERROR GOES ON, + FACTBOX: FIVE RISKS TO WATCH FOR INDONESIA [after death of Noordin Top], + WAR ON TERROR GOES ON.
Most important will be the willingness of INDONES GOVT to adopt innovative, pro-democratic pluralist secular reforms, + INDONES SOCIETY TO ACCEPT SAME [espec Muslims].
* SAME > ISLAMIC INSURGENTS IN AFRICA VOW MORE ATTACKS [after deadly attck on African Union peacekeeping base]; + ROBERT FISK: IS HEZBOLLAH PLANNING MORE ATTACKS TO TAKE THE HEAT OFF ITS LEADERS?
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[Quqnoos] US forces claim to have killed and detained more than 400 militants in recent months as insurgency has reached a record-level in Afghanistan Many of the militants removed include Taliban and Haqqani network senior leaders, known for spearheading the planning and undertaking of deadly attacks, US military says in a statement.
At least 33 people have been killed and dozens injured in a suicide car bomb attack at a village market in north-west Pakistan, police say. The explosion is said to have taken place at a busy intersection close to the garrison town of Kohat. Most of the dead are said to be members of the Shia Muslim minority. The area has a history of sectarian tension. A little-known militant group calling itself Lahskar-e-Jhangvi al-Almi says it carried out the attack. 
Authorities on Thursday registered two cases against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, chief of the banned Jamaatud Dawa, on charges of delivering anti-state sermons and collecting charity to fund terrorist activities, a private TV channel reported. The channel reported that the cases were registered in Faisalabad with the Madina Town police station and the People's Colony police station.
JOHOR BAHARU, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The body of Asia's number one terrorist, Noordin Mohammad Top, is only expected to be brought back to Malaysia next week for burial in his family's village in Pontian. According to a source, Indonesia needed between four to five days more to examine Noordin's body before handing it over to Malaysia and his family.
