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Afghanistan/South Asia |
Qaeda videos show fierce Waziristan fighting |
2005-06-07 |
A major US television network has obtained videos not seen so far, showing fierce fighting between Pakistani troops and Al Qaeda forces in South Waziristan last year. According to ABC, the videos made by Al Qaeda for propaganda purposes showcase the intensely violent fighting and unique difficulties that surround the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the remote tribal areas of northwest Pakistan. "It is a view from Al Qaeda's side of the battle. The videotapes were said to be made last year, when the Pakistani army undertook a major offensive into South Waziristan ... where the fiercely independent Waziri tribe resides and where Bin Laden is believed to be in hiding," said the network. The Pakistan Army declared the campaign in Waziristan to have been a major victory. However, states ABC, "In at least four cases, the video shows (that) Pakistani army troops were driven into ambushes. One scene shows the insurgents tracking a Pakistani convoy from the mountains above before opening fire. Another scene focuses on the fiery aftermath of an attack on an army convoy." The footage also shows what appear to be new Al Qaeda training camps inside Pakistan, similar to the ones that were dismantled in Afghanistan. The tapes show a new generation of militants, some no older than 10 or 12, carrying automatic weapons. "These are infidels and they deserve to be killed," a youngster tells the camera. |
Posted by:Fred |
#7 South Waziristan Agency...can you say above ground nuclear weapon test site? I knew you could. |
Posted by: remoteman 2005-06-07 14:00 |
#6 So if someone were to come in the back way - say from, oh, Afganistan - who besides the bad guys would know? And how would anyone know it was not just "tribal warfare"? |
Posted by: Bobby 2005-06-07 12:35 |
#5 i don't think i will plan my vacation there anytime soon |
Posted by: Thraing Hupoluper1864 2005-06-07 11:32 |
#4 Actually, the Bad Guys pretty much did win the Waziristan fighting at the end of the day. They and their tribal allies sent the Pakistani military home with a bloody nose and remained free while doing so. As a result, the region remains a terrorist nest despite all the proclamations that it's now safe. |
Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-06-07 10:41 |
#3 Wny not? ABC is the propaganda arm of Al-Qaeda. |
Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-06-07 08:44 |
#2 I saw it the other day. ABC did a fair job, admitting it was al-Q footage from last year and the Paks were going on the offensive again. |
Posted by: Steve 2005-06-07 08:21 |
#1 So does ABC plan to show what it admits is AlQueda propaganda? That the terrorists won a few battles does not, after all, mean Pakistan lost the campaign. Even I, civilian that I am, know that much. |
Posted by: trailing wife 2005-06-07 01:54 |