On this day in history:
1830 - The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.
1917 - First Battle of Gaza - British troops are halted after 17,000 Turks block their advance. (Nothing changed)
1942 - In Poland, Auschwitz receives its first female prisoners.
1945 - US forces declare Iwo Jima "secure."
1953 - Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.
1971 - East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form People's Republic of Bangladesh.
1979 - Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, DC.
1982 - A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, DC.
#5
Fred, I think you have the wrong man, er... person. This is not Sir Francis Drake of the high seas. Rather, it is Surly Francis Drake of moviedom. She also studied opera.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/26/2009 5:26 Comments ||
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KABUL: Afghanistan's intelligence chief accused Pakistan's spy agency of helping Taliban militants to carry out attacks in his country like the ones that killed 10 policemen Thursday and wounded eight others.
Afghanistan has repeatedly called on Pakistan to sever all links with the Taliban, which came to power in Afghanistan in the 1990s with significant support from Pakistan's military intelligence agency, known as the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI. Pakistan's government insists it no longer supports the militant group, but the country's civilian leaders have limited control over the agency.
Afghanistan's intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, told the parliament Wednesday that the Pakistani agency provides support to the Taliban leadership council in the Pakistani city of Quetta headed by the group's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. He said the council sends militants over the border into Afghanistan to attack Afghan and international forces.
The intelligence chief's allegations resembled similar claims made by US and other Western countries with troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where most of the Taliban attacks take place.
Saleh criticized Pakistan for denying that Omar is based in its territory and said they refuse to crack down on Taliban militants on their border, viewing them as ``a kind of weapon'' that can be used in both Afghanistan and India.
``The Pakistani government is making excuses by saying these areas are out of their control,'' said Saleh.
Afghanistan has accused militants based in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas or Pakistan's spy service of being behind several major attacks in Kabul, including the bombing of the Indian Embassy last July, an assassination attempt against President Hamid Karzai in April and an assault on the luxury Serena Hotel in January 2008.
By focusing the blame on militants in Pakistan, Saleh reinforced recent remarks by President Barack Obama, who has warned that militants using Pakistani territory to launch attacks should not be allowed free reign. Obama is expected to announce an overhauled strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday, focused on dealing with the militant problem in both countries.
US-led forces toppled the Taliban government in 2001, but many militants fled south and east into Pakistan. With the help of bases inside Pakistan, the Taliban have staged a violent comeback in the last several years that has threatened Afghanistan's weak central government.
The New York Times carried a report on its Web site late Wednesday saying ISI operatives provide money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders, with proof of the ties coming from electronic surveillance and trusted informants. The report cited American, Pakistani and other security officials who spoke anonymously because they were discussing confidential intelligence information.
The Pakistani officials said they had firsthand knowledge of the connections, though they denied that the ties were strengthening the insurgency. The US Embassy in Kabul could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Obama has already pledged to send 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to battle the Taliban and could send even more as part of the administration's new strategy.
Many of the troops will be sent to the south, the heartland of the Taliban insurgency, where militants attacked a police checkpoint Thursday, killing nine policemen in Helmand province's Nahri Sarraj district, the interior ministry said. It blamed ``enemies of Afghanistan,'' a common reference to Taliban militants.
Another officer was killed and two others were wounded in a search operation the police launched after the attack, said the deputy provincial police chief Kamal Uddin.
Taliban militants also attacked a police convoy in central Ghazni province Thursday, wounding six policemen, regional police spokesman Iqbal Gul Sapan said. Four militants were killed in the clash in Nani village near the provincial capital, he said.
The interior ministry said the police were transporting a militant prisoner at the time, adding that two civilians were wounded in the attack.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/26/2009 18:13 ||
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#1
"sever their links"? Cut the puppet strings?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/26/2009 18:28 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON -- Concerned about the faltering war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama plans to dispatch thousands more military and civilian trainers on top of the 17,000 fresh combat troops he's already ordered, people familiar with the forthcoming plan said Thursday.
Obama, who plans to lay out his revamped strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday, also will call for increasing aid to neighboring Pakistan as long as its leaders confront militants in the border region. Several sources told The Associated Press the strategy includes 20 recommendations for countering a persistent insurgency that spans the two countries' border, including sending 4,000 U.S. trainers to try to increase the size of the Afghan army.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs would not discuss specifics of the plan, but said Obama is beginning to discuss its findings with members of Congress and others. Obama's top military advisers briefed key lawmakers Thursday.
Continued on Page 49
KABUL, March 26 (Reuters) - A would-be suicide bomber accidentally blew himself up on Thursday, killing six other militants as he was bidding them farewell to leave for his intended target, the Interior Ministry said. And people say there's no good news from Afghanistan.
"The terrorist was on his way to his destination and saying good-bye to his associates and then his suicide vest exploded," a statement from the ministry said. "Give us a hug, not so hard!.....KABOOM!
Taliban-led attacks in Afghanistan have escalated in the past year with suicide and roadside bombings insurgents' weapons of choice. The incident happened in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan where mainly British troops are struggling against a growing Taliban-led insurgency.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/26/2009 14:57 ||
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#1
Next time don't include a pressure-sensitive activation switch.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/26/2009 15:23 Comments ||
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#2
Well, men. I'm off. Wish me luck.
Good luck, Mahmoud. I wish there was some way we could go with you.
Well, if you insist...
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/26/2009 17:08 Comments ||
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#7
one does wonder if there was perhaps a bit of an epiphany there.... "um. why is it again that I get to blow myself up while youse guys are too important to the cause?"
With results like this we should provide maps and trail markers to the Talibs so that they can arrive at the right place ...
Royal Marines have killed 130 Taliban fighters during a major three-day battle in Afghanistan in which a key enemy stronghold was destroyed, the Ministry of Defence has said. A force of 700 troops from 42 Commando along with Danish and Afghan troops swooped on the Taliban base of Marjah in a helicopter air assault that took three waves to offload the men.
With Marjah a main base for processing opium and training forces, the enemy put up a fierce fight as the commandos swept through a network of mud brick compounds. Fighting was at very close quarters with troops using pistols, machine guns and in one instance a £49,000 Javelin rocket to take out the enemy. They were also supported by Dutch F16 jets, British Apache attack helicopters and American Cobra helicopter gunships.
Only two commandos were injured during Operation Blue Sword compared to an estimated 200 to 300 Taliban wounded. It is believed that the enemy dead included a Mullah regarded as a “high value target” by the military.
The Taliban were said to have been so determined to hold onto the stronghold that reinforcements were called for from the Pakistan border 160 miles away.
“This was a very successful, deliberate joint operation that demonstrated clearly to the enemy that the Task Force continues to operate where and when it chooses,” said Lt Col Al Lister, chief of operations for Helmand Task Force. “Marjah has previously been a safe haven for the enemy; we have shattered that illusion and more will follow. We will continue to erode the capability."
“Marjah has long been a region that the insurgents claimed as their heartland, a place they felt secure and where they could gather, equip and train their forces,” the MoD said in a statement. “It was also where they moved and stored weapons and explosives, and where the links between the insurgents and narcotics trade have been at their strongest.”
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/26/2009 11:32 ||
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#1
However, no effort way made to hold the area. Until we hold the ground, these numbers are just spring training scores. Nice, but meaningless.
#2
hey as long as they killing them it's good, also if they don't hold the area they know they will come back so more can be killed later. I know it would be much better too hold onto the battlefield but then again you would have too have an outpost abouut every hundred yards in afgahanistan, which i don't see as doable
#3
130 dead is a nice number, 200-300 wounded. brits should feel proud, the the taliban embarrassed, drugs off the market, training facility out of action, joint forces working together....nice tactical success in my book but it would be nice if they held the area
#4
"However, no effort way made to hold the area."
Yeah, that is pretty much the crux of the problem. Until you get enough troops in there, you don't have enough "boo-boo kissers" to follow up behind the "a$$ kickers" and the "a$$ kickers" are needed elsewhere.
#5
Part of the problems the Soviets had faced in ashcanistan is the fact they specifically HELD ground. It made them targets of opportunity for mortar attacks or raids. What we learned is its easier to keep fewer large bases here and keep your forces mobile for strikes.
#6
Staying there would require digging in. And as Patton said, "Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man." Or as Tim Leary put it, "mobility is nobility." I tend to agree with both sentiments.
#8
Well, I wouldn't go for "fixed fortifications" either but you do need some kind of infrastructure there to maintain order even if it is just a police garrison. If the Taliban attempt to take the place over again, you spot it quickly, call the a$$-kickers back in, nip it in the bud.
This notion of letting them come back and get organized and stay there for a year before going back in after them doesn't work. It also won't win the people over either because out of any given 5 year period they will have to live with the Taliban controlling them for 4.5 years and our forces for a month or so out of every year.
They aren't going to exactly be our best friends if they know we are gone on the first chopper out of town.
(RIA Novosti) - Seven civilians were killed and about 10 injured when a bus hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan early on Wednesday, the country's Interior Ministry said.
The explosion occurred in the Sabari district of the Khost province, notorious for attacks on Afghan and foreign troops staged by Taliban and other militant groups. The victims to the attacks have been mainly civilians.
More than 2,100 Afghan civilians were killed last year, by both extremist groups and the U.S.-led coalition troops, according to official statistics.
The Taliban regime was ousted by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, but the Central Asian state has experienced a rise in violence in recent years, with skirmishes and suicide bomb attacks being reported daily.
The United States plans to send thousands of more troops into the country to try to reverse the Taliban insurgency.
#1
and the villagers rioted, condemning the Taliban occupation, teh bombing of civilians, and demanding reparations, while President Karzai clucked his tongue and condemned them as well, right? No?
Oh, that's right. Only the eeeevil Merkins and NATO troops are bad.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/26/2009 7:53 Comments ||
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The Taliban's widening campaign in southern Afghanistan is made possible in part by direct support from operatives in Pakistan's military intelligence agency, despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, according to American government officials.
The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to confront the international force in Afghanistan that will soon include some 17,000 American reinforcements.
Support for the Taliban, as well as other militant groups, is coordinated by operatives inside the shadowy S Wing of Pakistan's spy service, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, the officials said. There is even evidence that ISI operatives meet regularly with Taliban commanders to discuss whether to intensify or scale back violence before the Afghan elections.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
03/26/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I see no difference between the Pak army and its ISI operatives.ISI orders/operations comes from the PAK Military leadership.
Let India take out their army/miltants on the Eastern Flank and USA/Nato take out their militants/Army on the Western flank!
#3
The way this report sounds, the sooner India moves on Pakistan the better so they don't have to worry about a two-front war when China moves on them.
Yemeni authorities arrested on Wednesday six suspected al-Qaeda members suspected of planning a dozen attacks on oil installations, foreign targets and tourists in the Arab country, the Interior Ministry reported.
Violence in Yemen has affected Western and other foreign firms developing its oil and gas sector. Attacks on foreigners, including kidnappings by tribesmen, also hit the tourism industry in the country.
"Security bodies succeeded in detaining six terrorist elements who had been assigned to carry out the terrorist plans," according to statement on the ministry's web site, adding that other suspects were still being hunted.
" al-Qaeda's criminal plans (consisted of) 12 terror actions against oil installations, interests of friendly countries in Yemen and foreign tourists "
Interior Ministry
The cell was suspected of organizing two suicide bombings against South Koreans which killed a total of five people, one against a group of tourists visiting the historic eastern city of Shibam and the other against a group of officials who had been dispatched to join the investigation.
"Al-Qaeda's criminal plans (consisted of) 12 terror actions against oil installations, interests of friendly countries in Yemen and foreign tourists."
The bombings followed calls by Qaeda leaders' regional wing to attack non-Muslim foreigners in the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.
The government of Yemen, which hosts tens of thousands of Somali refugees, has also faced an insurgency in the north, riots over unemployment and the potentially disastrous economic impact of dwindling water and oil reserves.
Analysts say Yemen's multiple challenges put it in danger of becoming a "failed state" whose problems could spill into neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, which has been fighting its own campaign against Qaeda.
Posted by: ||
03/26/2009 00:00 ||
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North Korea has positioned what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile on the launch pad at a facility in Musudanri, sources close to Japan-U.S. relations said Wednesday night. North Korea has said it plans to send a satellite into orbit from the facility between April 4 and 8. But Japan, the United States and South Korea suspect the planned launch may actually be a test-firing of a ballistic missile.
#1
i cant think of a better target for one of our airborne lasers...
"uncanny about your accident there mr nork"
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/26/2009 1:59 Comments ||
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#2
BIGNEWSNETWORK > KCNA - AIM FOR US IN RELOCATING ITS MILITARY FORCES DISCLOSED. US seeks REGIONAL MILITARY SUPREMACY/DOMINATION throughout ASIA-PACIFIC, potent unilater ability to quickly react militarily in case of trouble in KOREAS + TAIWAN STRAITS, and espec MIL CONTAINMENT OF RUSSIA + CHINA.
Also from BNN + KCNA > NORTH KOREA WARNS ANY LAUNCH SANCTIONS WILL END NUCLEAR TALKS.
#6
I'd look for a Friday-Sunday week end launch sequence...when Barry is out of town, Chicago or at the G20. He'll need to get back home and "get the facts" before he does anything or nothing.
#7
I like the airborne laser idea, but with a twist. Don't use it full power, just enough to weaken the metal. It might even be fairly invisible light. This would be an excellent opportunity to try out the theory. And then, only if it doesn't work, they should use their "love light" at full power.
The Danish Supreme Court on Wednesday convicted six people of supporting terrorist groups by selling T-shirts, but handed down suspended sentences.
The six were charged under anti-terrorism laws with using proceeds from the T-shirt sales to fund the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The defendants were members of the activist group Fighters+Lovers that said it wanted to fund a FARC radio station and a PFLP print shop. Both FARC and PFLP have been labeled by the European Union as terrorist groups.
Two of the six were sentenced to six-month suspended terms, the Supreme Court ruled. The other four received suspended prison sentences ranging from 60 days to four months.
After the Supreme Curt ruling, one of the six, Katrine Willumsen, told Danish news agency Ritzau it was "a political sentence."
The group planned to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
In September, the Eastern High Court sentenced two of the defendants to six-month jail terms. The others received suspended prison sentences ranging from 60 days to four months. A seventh suspect was acquitted of the charges.
The activist group began selling the T-shirts over the Internet in January 2006. A few weeks later, the T-shirts were seized and the bank accounts frozen.
The Eastern High Court in its ruling cited reports from human rights watchdogs, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and the Danish security and intelligence service PET listing alleged terrorist acts by FARC and PFLP.
According to highly placed intelligence sources, the Pakistan Army has recently installed eight low-level radars along the LoC in North Kashmir—the area through which the recent infiltrations took place near Kupwara.
The principal radar, of a Chinese make, has been positioned at Tangdhar, very near to the Indian ArmyÂ’s Eagle Post. The other seven radars are scattered along other nearby sectors of North Kashmir.
Sources have told Headlines Today that the radars are technically calibrated to detect major movements of troops or machinery and weapons. They can even terrain hugging helicopters.
Experts believe the radars would give the Pakistan Army, and through them, Lashkar militants, a clear picture of where and when to intrude. The radars can also track which patrolling gaps can be exploited and how much warlike stores would be feasible to carry.
While infiltration is nothing new, what is different is the Pakistan Army facilitating the logistics of the ongoing militant activity in Kupwara. The rapid deployment of these radars is a proof against the sinister designs of the Pakistani army.
The agenda is simple, to get as many militants in with as less fuss as possible. These men can then lie low for some time before strike during elections.
Clearly the ISI planned – army executed – low-cost war against India shows no signs of stopping. Indeed, the establishment now appears to be investing in high technology equipment that will actually make intruding militants into India much easier.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/26/2009 16:03 ||
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#1
...what is different is the Pakistan Army facilitating the logistics of the ongoing militant activity in Kupwara.
Oh, yeah. I'm sure they've never done that before.
#4
India got any HARMs? Might be fun to see the reaction in those radar vans when that little trilling noise comes up.
Probably wouldn't smell too good though...
#5
This won't work for three reasons. First of all, the Indians will quickly plot the radar coverage area and blind spots. Second, they will be the easiest thing to jam. And third, it will "back light" any militants approaching the Indian side, revealing their exact location.
SRINAGAR : At the end of the five-day Kupwara encounter that killed eight Army personnel and 17 Lashkar operatives, all evidence points to “extremely sophisticated planning and logistics” behind the biggest infiltration attempt across the Line of Control this year, security officers involved in the operation said.
Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said the high casualties of Indian Special Forces — all eight from the crack 1 Para — indicated a “high level of military training.” As did the nature of the infiltration attempt — through treacherous terrain and the recovery of highly detailed maps of the forests, along with GPS devices, radios, satellite phones, snowboots and ice axes.
At 10,273 feet, a narrow, winding road over the Sadhna Pass — its surface covered by frozen ice — is the only entrance into the stunning valleys of Karnah in the Kashmir Valley. To its left, in the vast isolated swathe, walled by the snow-capped peaks of the Shamsabari range, is the heavily guarded Line of Control. It was here on March 19, that 25 militants sneaked in — watched by both the Army and the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Sources have confirmed to The Indian Express that militants who crossed over were well on their way to hideouts in Rajwar where Lashkar’s commander Abu Saad was waiting. Saad, it’s learnt, had sent three of his experienced militants to “receive” this new group. But this time, the Army knew and it had Lashkar’s key OGWs (Over Ground Workers) under watch.
Sources said intelligence from across the LoC had alerted security agencies a week in advance. Moreover, early this month, two smaller groups of militants had already crossed over into the Rajwar area and a third group of 10 had sneaked into the valley through Gulmarg. “So we were expecting them. We knew they were coming but our information was about a group of 10 militants,” a source told The Indian Express.
Army officials say the infiltration was launched most probably from somewhere in the Lepa valley. After they crossed over, the militants trekked the ShamsabariÂ’s high ridges that divides the Keran sector from the Kashmir bowl.
In parallel, the Army began moving to lay an ambush. The plan was to avoid engaging the militants near the LoC and thus prevent them from retreating. “They were allowed to sneak in under constant watch,” a source said. The infiltrators were first spotted at Ragni post where one militant was killed. The first major contact with the militants took place at around 3 am on March 20 at Drangyari. “Three were killed there,” said Army spokesman Col J S Brar, “one of them escaped and was killed at Chamb”.
By then, the group had scattered under night’s cover and the Army had expanded its operation across the Shamsabari range, pushing reinforcements into the dense Hafruda forests — one of the thickest stretched across Kupwara and Handwara districts. The Army’s Trehgam Brigade, two battalions of the Rashtriya Rifles and para commandos were deployed. Sources said the Lashkar “reception party” had already joined the infiltrators but somehow the guide possibly lost his way.
The next afternoon, on March 21, Major Mohit Sharma along with a party of para commandos, decided to go deep inside the Hafruda forests. A group of militants, however, had been hiding over the ridge — which gave them an immediate advantage. Major Sharma and three of his men were killed in the firefight.
By Monday, the Army had sent out dozens of parties inside Hafruda, expanding the operation to almost an area of 20 sq km. Fierce gunbattles raged across the area. Close-quarter encounters took place at two places — one inside the Hafruda forests and another in Drangyari. Five militants were killed while four Army men, Havaldar Rakesh Kumar, Nayak Sanjay Anna and Para troopers Manoj Kumar and Shabir Ahmad, were killed. All were officers and men from the Para unit — equipped with AK 47 and Israeli Tavor rifles, new generation night-sights and tracking equipment.
On Tuesday, the troops were again in control and the cordon had been tightened around the militants holed up in Hafruda. Seven militants were killed that day.
Army officials said they found this group of infiltrators “exceptionally trained” and “well-kitted” wearing multilayered warm clothing, jackets, snowshoes and even armed with ice axes. The militants also had modern communication gadgets and were using GPS, compasses, one Thuraya set and Army maps. “They had 10 radio sets as well. We also recovered 23 AK rifles,” said Col Brar. “They had boots and axes, the kind we use in Siachen. The boots were made in Iran.”
The militants, who communicated in codes, also had elaborate maps of Kupwara and Handwara especially of the dense forest ranges. The seriousness of the plan was evident in the specially tailored T-shirts for this group. The T-shirts had “Jihad is my life, Shahadat (martyrdom) is my real life” printed on them. There were T-shirts which “Commando” inscribed as well.
The Army estimates that the level of infiltration will go up in coming months as the snow starts melting in the passes. “Over 300 militants are waiting to infiltrate from 40-50 terror camps across the LoC,” the Army Chief said. Army officers said that with less than 400 active militants estimated in the valley, handlers across the border are getting desperate to send in more foot soldiers.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/26/2009 07:58 ||
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#1
The T-shirts had "Jihad is my life, Shahadat (martyrdom) is my real life" printed on them.
Congratulations, boys. Hopefully, Allah hasn't run outta virgins...
A SUSPECTED US missile strike has killed at least four militants in a tribal region of Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan.
The strike took place in the Essokhel area, around 30km east of Mir Ali town in the North Waziristan tribal region, early this morning.
"Two missiles fired from a suspected US drone hit the compound of a local pro-militant tribal elder Malik Gulab Khan, killing four residents,'' a local security official said.
Confirming the strike, another official said the nationality of those killed in the strike was not immediately known.
The strike is the second in as many days by the drones, with a missile yesterday killing up to seven alleged al-Qaeda militants in the nearby Makeen area of South Waziristan.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/26/2009 5:27 Comments ||
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#2
Work accident?
ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Senior officials in Pakistan on Thursday denied there had been a suspected US missile strike in the northwest said to have killed four militants.
The officials rejected earlier reports from local officials of a missile strike overnight in North Waziristan, a tribal area which is semi-autonomous from the Pakistan government.
"There was no missile strike," said Habibullah Khan, a top official in the semi-autonomous administration of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which have become a virtual safe haven for Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
Two senior security officials, who declined to be named, also denied there had been a missile strike but declined to speak on the record.
Local officials earlier said a suspected US pilot-less plane had fired two missiles on the compound of a pro-militant tribal elder, killing four people.
Residents in the area said they had heard an explosion in a house, but witnesses had no details about any possible casualties or bodies.
#7
I am frankly SHOCKED. Shocked I tell you!
It's a disgrace.
We violated a sovereign nation's national borders and we can't even take credit for it?
Come on now.
Take credit. I mean we should take credit for every training accident, bad meal and case of clap in the area....make them afraid.
Posted by: James Carville ||
03/26/2009 14:46 Comments ||
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Hardline Pakistan-based terrorist group Laskar-e-Taiba warned on Wednesday of fresh attacks against Indian troops, and said its fighters were responsible for days of fighting in Kashmir.
Eight soldiers and 17 terrorists were killed in gunbattle that started on Saturday in Kashmir's Kupwara district, close to the Line of Control (LoC).
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) said its members were involved in the fighting, one of the fiercest in recent years. "The gunbattle should serve as a message to India that struggle for Kashmir's freedom is on with full vigour," Lashkar spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi said, warning of more attacks on Indian troops. He was speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Ghaznavi said Lashkar members had initiated the gunbattle by ambushing an army column in the forest area. He said the fighting left 25 Indian soldiers and ten Lashkar men dead. The Indian army said eight soldiers and 17 rebels were killed, and that the operation was launched by the soldiers after they were tipped off.
NOWSHERA: One person was killed and eight others injured during firing on Bajaur affectees protest demonstration in Nowshera.
According to sources, clash erupted when Bajaur affectees of Jalozai camp hold protest demonstration for lack of facilities. Police suddenly started baton-charge on protestors that made them angry. The protestors in reply, hurled stones on police whereas police opened fire and used tear gas to dispersed the protestors.
One person was killed and eight others injured during the clash. Two injured were reported in a critical state. The protestors made hostage three policemen who were later released after negotiations between administration and protestors.
Protestors blamed police for the clash and said they were holding a peaceful demonstration when police opened fire on them.
Another suspected US missile attacks has left at least six people dead and several others injured in Pakistan's troubled northwest.
The unmanned US drone fired several missiles in Makeen area of South Waziristan tribal agency on Wednesday, a Press TV correspondent reported. Death toll may rise further as some of injured are said to be in critical condition.
The tribal regions along the shared border between Pakistan and Afghanistan have become a usual target of suspected US drone attacks, which are in some cases acknowledged by Washington.
Over 500 people -- suspected militants as well as civilians -- have been killed in such attacks, which started under the Bush administration.
The drone attacks are allegedly aimed at targeting Taliban insurgents who found safe havens in Pakistan's tribal regions following the 2001 US-led invasion of the country.
US drones have carried out nearly 40 missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas since the new Pakistani government came to power a year ago.
US President Barack Obama has said that he is prepared to bomb inside Pakistan if he gets relevant intelligence about the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.
Islamabad, on the other hand, has repeatedly condemned the strikes, saying that they threaten the country's sovereignty and fuel public anger.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/26/2009 5:16 Comments ||
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#2
Not enough for my tastes...
more.. faster
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/26/2009 6:31 Comments ||
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#3
#1 How many missles can a drone carry?
IIRC, a Predator usually carries two, and a Reaper can carry 6 to 8. The army's testing a drone that can carry 24 Hellfire missiles in two 12-shot pods, similar to those used on Apache helicopters. The Air Force is testing a modified Sentinel Hawk that can carry two 500-lb bombs.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/26/2009 15:53 Comments ||
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The U.S. Department of State has authorized a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction of Baitullah Mehsud, the senior leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Mehsud is regarded as a key al-Qaeda facilitator in the tribal areas of South Waziristan in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities believe that the January 2007 suicide attack against the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad was staged by militants loyal to Mehsud.
Press reports also have linked Mehsud to the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the deaths of other innocent civilians.
In addition, Mehsud has stated his intention to attack the United States. He has conducted cross-border attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and poses a clear threat to American persons and interests in the region.
The United States is determined to bring Baitullah Mehsud to justice. We encourage anyone with information on Mehsud's location to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, any U.S. military commander, or the Rewards for Justice staff via the website
Government officials are not eligible for rewards based on information furnished in the course of their official duties.
All information will be kept strictly confidential.
Since its inception in 1984, the Rewards for Justice Program has paid more than $80 million to more than 50 persons who have provided credible information that has resulted in the capture or death of terrorists or prevented acts of international terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/26/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Just look for the hippie with a pie on his head and let us know. We'll do the rest...
#3
Use as many weapons as necessary, of any size or type necessary, and eventually you'll get this POS. For one thing, the rest of the Pashtuns will get tired of dying to protect his sorry a$$. We need to get as mean as is necessary to clean out this nest of cockroaches, something we haven't learned yet. We will - just give Obambi a year or two.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/26/2009 16:06 Comments ||
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A car bomb ripped through a crowd in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 20 people, including women and children, a day after the US military said violence in Iraq was at its lowest in six years.
The blast occurred near a market in the capital's Shaab neighbourhood, defence and interior ministry officials said, with a further 38 people wounded. Eyewitnesses described a scene of charred bodies and burnt-out vehicles. Four children and three women were among those killed, according to officials at two local hospitals.
"I tried to escape and the fire was everywhere," said Umm Hatam, 45, who was heading home with groceries when the shock wave from the bomb knocked her off her feet. "I saw the dead bodies of women and children, and about 10 small buses were burned," she said.
Karim Ibrahim, 40, an oil ministry worker, said "a large flame rose from the explosion, then I just found myself in the hospital."
"I was about 50 metres away from the explosion and I fainted because of my wounds," he said in Al-Kindy hospital, referring to injuries to his shoulder and a hand.
Shaab, a mixed neighbourhood, is located north of Sadr City, an overwhelmingly Shiite area in the Iraqi capital.
The car bomb occurred on a main road just after midday and although two security checkpoints were located nearby the site of the explosion was not restricted.
At least four Iraqi children have been killed and seven others have been injured in an explosion near a school in the northern city of Mosul.
The bomb, planted in a garbage container, apparently was meant for a passing US convoy in Rashidiyah neighborhood, but missed the target and instead hit the female students who were leaving the primary school for their homes. All the victims were under 12 years of age.
In a separate incident, an Iraqi civilian was killed and three others were wounded in a bomb explosion in the al-Bakr neighborhood of eastern Mosul. The second incident, likewise, was originally aimed at targeting US soldiers patrolling the area.
The blasts came after Iraqi security forces arrested 19 insurgents in the restive city, where insurgency remains strong despite security crackdowns being in progress.
#1
The average Iraqi Sunni had better hope their terrorist faction gets wiped out before US forces leave, because I would not be surprised to see the Shia-dominated government apply Hama rules to communities they suspect of harboring such terrorists.
The Israel Air Force carried out an attack last January against a convoy of trucks in Sudan carrying arms for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the American network CBS. According to the report, 39 people riding in 17 trucks were killed, while civilians in the area suffered injuries.
Official Israeli sources refused to confirm or deny on Wednesday any report of Israel's involvement in an air strike in Sudan. but they did helpfully point out that from Hatzerim to Kartoum is about 1150 miles and its only about 750 from Hatzerim to Tabriz
However, Sudanese State Minister for Highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem was quoted in the Paris-based Sudan Tribune Web site as saying that a "major power bombed small trucks carrying arms, burning all of them."
#4
Bubbas's pistol down in Texas is a threat to all humanity, but smoke a convoy of arms destined for killing Jewish children and the international left gets a bad tummy ache. Boo Hoo...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/26/2009 13:57 Comments ||
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#5
Actually, I'm rather angry. Taking out the trucks full of weapons was a good thing, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, they stopped with doing only that. A couple of additional aircraft putting some weapons on target at the presidential palace would have ensured there wasn't a second or third convoy.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/26/2009 16:10 Comments ||
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IDF troops on Tuesday night foiled a terror attack against soldiers in the West Bank, the army announced Wednesday morning.
According to the IDF, troops arrested three Palestinian near Nablus. The three were in possession of a bomb, weapons and detailed maps of the area. They were picked up while soldiers were scanning the area in the wake of a Molotov cocktail attack on an Israeli car near Elon Mo're. The three admitted that they were planning to carry out an attack against soldiers, the IDF said.
They were taken to security forces for further interrogation.
Meanwhile, Givati Brigade troops shot and moderately wounded a Palestinian at the Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, Tuesday night, after he began to throw sharp objects at the soldiers. The troops followed the correct procedure of first shooting in the air, before firing at the attacker's lower body, the IDF said.
The Palestinian was evacuated to an Israeli hospital for treatment.
Overnight Tuesday, IDF troops arrested six Palestinian fugitives in the West Bank. The detainees were all taken to security forces for questioning.
#1
The troops followed the correct procedure of first shooting in the air, before firing at the attacker's lower body, the IDF said. The Palestinian was evacuated to an Israeli hospital for treatment.
#2
the idiot throwing sharp objects at someone with a gun deserves idiot of the day award. Which he will be reminded of every time he looks at where his knee caps used too be
(IsraelNN.com) Israeli security forces have foiled a terrorist attack for the second time in less than a week since a key security checkpoint was dismantled near the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Shechem in Samaria.
The IDF announced Wednesday morning that soldiers arrested three PA Arabs overnight who were carrying a bomb near the Biblical city.
The terrorists were discovered in the course of a search that was carried out following a firebomb attack on an Israeli citizen earlier in the evening as he drove to the nearby community of Elon Mor'eh.
The terrorist cell was also carrying a makeshift weapon and a map of the region. They confessed to planning to carry out an attack on IDF soldiers, and they were turned over to security personnel for questioning.
On the southern side of Shechem, meanwhile, soldiers from the IDF's Givati Brigade were kept busy fending off an attack by a Palestinian Authority Arab who hurled sharp objects at the troops.
The incident, which took place at the Hawara checkpoint, ended with soldiers being forced to shoot the attacker after he ignored the warning shots they first fired in the air. The attacker, who was moderately wounded, was evacuated to an Israeli hospital.
Approximately 100 security incidents -- an average of at least one attempted or potential terrorist attack every 10 days -- have been recorded at the Beit Iba checkpoint in the past three years.
Within hours of the early-morning removal of a key security checkpoint on March 15, two police officers met their deaths at the hands of terrorists. The attack occurred at nightfall on a lonely road in the nearby Jordan Valley near the community of Masuah, about 25 (15 miles) kilometers north of Jericho and 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Tel Aviv.
Police denied there was any connection between the dismantling of the security checkpoint and the terrorist attack that followed but did not explain how they know that the terrorists, who have not been identified, did not pass thorugh Shechem.
A little more than a month earlier, a terrorist was caught in the area of the same checkpoint. The would-be attacker was arrested after a search by Border Police officers produced three pipe bombs and a cache of gunpowder in his bag.
Other Checkpoint Removals Blamed for Past Attacks
The removal of checkpoints has been a bone of contention between terror victims' organizations and the government for years.
Last September an IDF soldier stationed at the Almog junction, just north of the Dead Sea near Jericho, was stabbed by a Muslim terrorist living in the PA-controlled city of Ramallah. The attacker also stole the soldier's weapon.
Three days earlier, an Arab resident of Samaria had stabbed a 9-year-old Jewish boy several times when he discovered the terrorist setting fire to a house in the community of Itamar. The attacker managed to escape.
The Almagor Terror Victims Organization slammed the removal of checkpoints in the area at the time in a letter sent to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, noting that the "good will gesture" to the PA had led to unmonitored travel by tens of thousands of PA residents.
The Ministry of Defence said troops had captured a safe house of Pottu Amman, chief of the LTTE intelligence wing, south of Iranapalai on the Mullathivu battlefront. It said the safe house was used by both Pottu Amman and Kapil Amman, "two of the most wanted terrorists of the LTTE outfit for war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry quoted the U.N. Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, as saying he was unable to confirm the veracity of the figures of civilian casualties since January 20 in the conflict area of Mullathivu district.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama informed Mr. Buhne that the figures of 2,683 civilian deaths and 7,241 injuries cited in the report titled "Sri Lanka Civilian casualties Wanni Overview| March 2009," emanating from his office, had not been attributed to any reliable or independent source.
The statement maintained that the government with the assistance of the ICRC had, up to March 18, evacuated 4,120 sick and injured people, as well as 1,485 accompanying carers. It said Mr. Buhne acknowledged that the report had been prepared by his office and was meant only for circulation among the donor community.
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.
KABUL, March 26 (Reuters) - A would-be suicide bomber accidentally blew himself up on Thursday, killing six other militants as he was bidding them farewell to leave for his intended target, the Interior Ministry said.
ISLAMABAD: Police arrested 8 persons accused of carrying out attack at the gate of special branch of police near Sitara Market in Islamabad.
Another suspected US missile attacks has left at least six people dead and several others injured in Pakistan's troubled northwest. 
The U.S. Department of State has authorized a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction of Baitullah Mehsud, the senior leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. 
A car bomb ripped through a crowd in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 20 people, including women and children, a day after the US military said violence in Iraq was at its lowest in six years.
