Russian officials say an Islamic militant suspected in a number of fatal attacks in Daghestan has been killed following a protracted gun battle with authorities.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) said Rappani Khalilov was killed in the village of Novy Sulak in Daghestan's Kizilyurt Raion. Khalilov and a second fighter, Naby Nabiyev, were killed after Russian tanks razed the house from which the two men had engaged in a 12-hour battle with Russian and Daghestani Interior Ministry troops. Both bodies were reportedly recovered from the ruins.
According to yesterday's story there's a third, as well...
Vyacheslav Shanshin, the head of the FSB's Daghestan directorate, said the September 17 confrontation was the culmination of a extended operation to track down Khalilov. "The special operation was the logical conclusion of a set of investigative operations that had been carried out by the relevant structures of the Federal Security Service. This was a long process, more than just a year, and, as a result, it became possible to find Rappani Khalilov's location in the Republic of Daghestan," Shanshin says.
Allow me to extend my hearty congratulations to the Russers on the occasion of a job well and truly done.
Russia considers Khalilov the prime suspect behind a number of attacks, including the May 2002 bomb attack on a Russian barracks in the Daghestani town of Kaspiisk, in which 45 people were killed.
Influential Figure Khalilov, who had ties to Chechen rebel commander Shamil Basayev, was last year named by Chechnya's separatist leader, Doku Umarov, as the commander of the Daghestan front. Basayev was pretty near vaporized killed in June 2006 in an operation by Russian special forces.
Journalist and Caucasus expert Ivan Sukhov told RFE/RL's Russian Service that Khalilov is considered one of the most influential of the North Caucasus's underground leaders. "Rappani Khalilov, if I may say so, was the No.1 star among the field commanders of Daghestan's underground.
"If information about his killing is true, then this is comparable with news of Shamil Basayev's death in Chechnya."
If information about his killing is true, then this is comparable with news of Shamil Basayev's death in Chechnya. Khalilov's name and reputation was indeed comparable to that of Basayev," Sukhov says.
This is not the first time Russian media has announced Khalilov's death. This time, however, authorities appear confident of the claim, releasing details about the operation and photographs showing bodies being pulled from the rubble of the razed house in Novy Sulak. Daghestan's prosecutor, Igor Tkachev, said today that Russian antiterrorism law prohibits returning the bodies of Khalilov and Nabiyev to their families. "Since both militants were eliminated when they were committing a terrorist attack, their bodies, in line with federal legislation, will not be given to their relatives," Tkachev told Interfax.
Unrest in the North Caucasus republics has been on the rise, with violence flowing beyond the continuing conflict in Chechnya. Sergei Markedonov, an expert at Moscow's Institute of Political and Military Studies, says Khalilov's death, while significant, will not improve regional security, as his role will quickly be filled by others. "It's very clear that the elimination of Rappani Khalilov, or any other militant, is not going to make the situation in North Caucasus more stable or secure. For this, systematic measures from the government are needed -- so that the situation really becomes more stable. Elimination of a random guerrilla fighter, mastermind, or militant is not going to solve the situation," Markedonov says.
Markedonov says much of the unrest in Daghestan is that the republic's inhabitants do not see themselves as enjoying full rights as Russian citizens.
Yeah, yeah. Whoopdy doo. That's the same bitch the Kalmyks, Urmurts, and Veps have. How often do you have to use tanks to drop a house on one of them?
This article starring:
DOKU OMAROV
Chechnya
RAPPANI KHALILOV
Chechnya
SHAMIL BASAIEV
Chechnya
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 11:54 ||
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#1
Ever the argument - killing one terrorist won't end terrorism. But it ends that terrorist, and that's a start...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/19/2007 12:22 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I'm a little disappointed. The Russian stories usually tell you how many pieces they found him in.
"Since both militants were eliminated when they were committing a terrorist attack, their bodies, in line with federal legislation, will not be given to their relatives,"
Awwwww...too bad. But I'll bet there'll be some lucky pigs on some Daghestan farm...
Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed 12 Taliban fighters on Tuesday, including two militant leaders involved in the kidnapping of 23 South Koreans in July, a provincial police chief said.
Two prominent Taliban commanders, Mullah Abdullah Jan and Mullah Muslimyaar, who were involved in the abductions of the South Koreans were killed.
Two prominent Taliban commanders, Mullah Abdullah Jan and Mullah Muslimyaar, who were involved in the abductions of the South Koreans were killed, he said. Precision munitions were used to destroy a building, a US military statement said. Ali Shah said another of the leaders of the kidnappers was killed in a clash two weeks ago.
In the southern province of Helmand, Afghan and US-led coalition forces killed 15 Taliban insurgents in two different clashes. At a third location in Helmand, a British soldier was killed and another injured when an explosion shattered a dump truck, British Defence Ministry said.
Meanwhile, Poland plans to extend the presence of its up to 1,200-strong military contingent in Afghanistan for another year, its government said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said he would ask the president to approve the extension.
This article starring:
Ghazni Police Chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai
MULLAH ABDULLAH JAN
Taliban
MULLAH MUSLIMYAAR
Taliban
Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
God bless the fallen Brit soldier. I hold my breath every time I read that a Brit is killed in Afghanistan. My wife's cousin, a recently-married officer who was awarded the Military Cross for the 2005 Rorke's Drift redux battle in Afghanistan, has just redeployed back there.
Posted by: Tibor ||
09/19/2007 1:42 Comments ||
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#2
The british soldiers seem to be excellent warriors, but their MOD has its head where the light never shines.
#3
It's apparently ever been so. Read up on Wellington's Peninsula campaigns.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 11:31 Comments ||
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#4
Our own revolution was won primarily because the British "high command" were such idiots. Some of their mid-rank generals weren't too swift, either. Brave soldiers, lousy leadership - almost sounds like Vietnam...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/19/2007 12:19 Comments ||
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One person was arrested as investigations on a minivan loaded with explosives found in a multi-story parking lot in Ankara last week continue. The other six suspects taken into custody in Van Province's Baºkale district Sunday were still interrogated.
The search revealed weapons and ammunition in the houses of the suspects. Nationwide operations continue upon instructions of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The joint operation in Van included Van Police Department's anti-terror team and Special Operations teams along with the Gendarmerie.
Detainees might be members of the outlawed terrorist Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) although they have no connections with Hezbollah in Turkey or al-Qaeda, stated officials from Van Police Department. Suspects were brought to the Van anti-terror division under heavy security measures for interrogation. The reports said the suspects could be sent to Ankara for further investigation on the incident.
#1
I believe just as the Basques were blamed in Spain that the PKK will get the blame for any terrorist attacks in Turkey unless there is 100% incontravertable or hidable evidence to the contrary.
Authorities retrieved 15 bodies of army commandos killed in clashes with tribal militants near the Afghan border through a pro-Taliban cleric in North Waziristan on Monday.
Tricked into talks: I was called to the military base [in Miranshah] where army officers told me I have to accompany them to Shawal to recover the bodies of killed militants. But when we reached Shawal, they changed their story, Qari Muhammad Roman, head cleric at a mosque in Miranshah, told Daily Times on Tuesday. Roman, who says militants killed in clashes with security forces are martyrs, said what the army officers said in Shawal shook him.
I was told that they had brought me to help them retrieve bodies of fallen commandos, he said. He said the army told him to make arrangements for the burial of 18 militants killed in a clash with security forces, so he had raised over Rs 10,000 from local tribesmen for the purpose. Roman said army officers told him that the commandos, airdropped over the area to take back the Sur Narai checkpost, had run into militants at a hilltop. The militants attacked the commandos, killing 15 and wounding two others, while one soldier is still missing, he said. Chief military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said he had no information that a soldier was missing.
The bodies were taken to Shawal base in a truck, from where they were airlifted to Military Hospital in Bannu district, sources in Miranshah told Daily Times. Most bodies were bullet-ridden and one of them was beheaded, the cleric said. The two wounded soldiers were lying close to the bodies when we reached there.
Gen Waheed said 14 militants were killed in clashes on Monday, but the cleric said he had not found a single body of the militants to take back to Miranshah, nor had the militants asked for their comrades bodies in return for the soldiers.
Four soldiers injured in rocket attack: Four Pakistani soldiers were injured early on Tuesday when militants fired rockets at their camp in Datta Khel village in North Waziristan, AFP quoted a security official as saying. Residents said gunship helicopters hovered in the sky periodically but they did not hear any firing. Online reported that three tribesmen were released after a week in the captivity of local Taliban for allegedly providing facilities to security forces. They were released after negotiations with a jirga headed by MNA Merajud Din.
FC soldiers kidnapped: Local Taliban kidnapped two Frontier Constabulary (FC) (Shawal Rifles) soldiers in the Razmak subdivision of North Waziristan on Tuesday as they were strolling outside the army fort of the Razmak subdivision, around 70 kilometres south of Miranshah. One of the soldiers belongs to Swat, while the other belongs to Mardan. Taliban spokesman in North Waziristan Ahmedullah Ahmedi claimed responsibility for the soldiers abduction. However, Gen Waheed said that he had no such reports. In neighbouring South Waziristan, militants are still holding around 250 soldiers who were captured late last month.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
Local Taliban kidnapped two Frontier Constabulary (FC) (Shawal Rifles) soldiers in the Razmak subdivision of North Waziristan on Tuesday as they were strolling outside the army fort of the Razmak subdivision, around 70 kilometres south of Miranshah. One of the soldiers belongs to Swat, while the other belongs to Mardan. Taliban spokesman in North Waziristan Ahmedullah Ahmedi claimed responsibility for the soldiers abduction.
Oh my, it seems like only yesterday when the Pak army agreed to withdraw from Wazibillistan and allow the FC to 'take responsibility for security'. Where does the time go?
#2
The term 'commando' must have a different meaning in Pakistan than what I'm used to; if 15 non-Pakistani commandos were killed in an attack by a bunch of tribal militants I would expect there to be a noticable number of militants killed, at least 100.
After rejecting calls for a ceasefire during Ramazan, the Indian Army has launched a major offensive in the northern Bandipora forests in Jammu and Kashmir.
The operations have seen five militants, including a commander, killed in two separate battles.
The operations have seen five militants, including a commander, killed in two separate battles, an army spokesman said.
A defence spokesman here said two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, identified as divisional commander Abu Bakar alias Osman of Pakistan, and district commander Mohammad Tariq of Muzaffarabad, were killed in a joint operation conducted by the Rashtriya Rifles and Khayyar village police in Bandipora. One militant, Ammanullah Bukhari, escaped, he added. In another encounter, the spokesman said, three Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed at Sarewal forest in Bandiporas Sumblar area early today.
Bandipora has been regarded as a safe haven for militants over the past two years. The army spokesman said militants used the area as a transit route to enter the central part of Kashmir Valley.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jaish-e-Mohammad
. . . IEDs are easy to emplace. The bombs can be emplaced in just a minute, and the enemy knows that if they can predict which way we are going, and get in front of us, they can get us. That tire on the front right could contain enough explosives to obliterate us. One of those shops could be stacked to the ceiling with explosives, or enemy fighters who could do a quick and hard ambush.
We walked over what Soldiers later thought was a deep buried IED. Right here. I just happened to shoot a photo. If there was a bomb, they didnt find it. There is water to the right. If fire comes from the left and you dive for cover and fall into water too deep, the heavy gear can drown you before you get it off. Threats are everywhere.
Small holes sometimes are punched through walls where an AK barrel can suddenly stick through. The enemy could make dozens of holes in the walls, keeping camouflaged, and then suddenly dozens of AKs can be firing from the walls and you can't hit them easily because they are behind the walls. Urban combat is among the most stressful environments in the world. . . .
Do I even need to tell you? Go read it all.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/19/2007 15:01 ||
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SEVEN people were killed when a car bomb and a mortar shell blasted Baghdad's main morgue as families were engaged in the grim search for the bodies of missing relatives. The bomb detonated in the car park of the morgue in central Baghdad's Babel Muaddam neighbourhood about 9.30am (3.30pm AEST), and was followed minutes later by a mortar shell exploding, security officials said.
The double assault came at a time of day when the morgue, behind the health ministry building, fills with anguished people who come to view bodies of victims of the relentless sectarian violence ravaging the Iraqi capital. Police scour the streets of Baghdad early each morning for bodies that have been dumped during the night. Most are found blindfolded, hands tied behind their backs and bullets in their heads. Many also shows signs of torture.
In a later attack, six people were killed and 15 were wounded when a car bomb exploded in a busy street in northeastern Ur neighbourhood, security and medical officials said. Ur is a flashpoint district lying between the Shiite militia bastion of Sadr City and Adhamiyah, a dangerous Sunni neighbourhood.
Insurgents have stepped up attacks in and around Baghdad since the start of Ramadan, a period of increased violence in Iraq since the US-led 2003 March invasion.
The latest deaths bring to 66 the number of people killed in bombings, shootings and mortar attacks across the country since the start in Iraq last Thursday of the Muslim fasting month, which al-Qaeda warned would be bloody.
Coalition forces killed 7 terrorists and detained 31 suspected terrorists during operations in central and northern Iraq Monday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operational networks.
Coalition forces continued operations to secure Baghdad and the surrounding belts during two operations targeting terrorist networks in and around the city. West of Yusufiyah, Coalition forces raided a group of buildings while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who organize foreign terrorists to conduct suicide attacks. When the assault force approached the target building, two men in the yard drew weapons. Coalition forces, responding in self-defense, engaged the two armed men, killing them. A number of men from inside the buildings were maneuvering into tactical positions in the surrounding area, indicating they had advance warning of the raid. When the assault force followed the men, they encountered four individuals acting as lookouts and passing information to other enemy elements. Coalition forces defended against the hostile threat by calling for close air support, engaging and killing the four terrorists. The assault force engaged and killed another man who refused to comply with Coalition forces instructions to surrender. The ground forces detained 19 suspected terrorists during the raid.
North of Taji, Coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists while targeting members of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the Rusafa neighborhood of Baghdad.
Farther north in the Tigris River Valley, Coalition forces conducted two raids targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists. Near Balad, the ground forces detained two individuals allegedly tied to an al-Qaeda in Iraq group responsible for moving terrorists in and out of Iraq, as well as sniper and bombing attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces. In Bayji, Coalition forces used information from an operation Sep. 7 to conduct a raid that netted four suspects believed to move weapons, supplies and foreign terrorists for al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Coalition forces near the Syrian border used information from an operation Sep. 11 to target a foreign terrorist facilitator there and detained four suspected terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
Coalition forces captured an Iraqi terrorist with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Forces (IRGC-QF) and eleven other suspected terrorists during coordinated early morning operations in Baghdad Monday.
The operations targeted a senior Special Groups leader directly linked, according to sensitive intelligence, to several other high-ranking terrorists operating in and around Baghdad.
Those in custody are believed to be involved in smuggling and storing weapons from Iran used to attack Iraqi civilians and the security forces that protect them. Intelligence further indicates that the group is linked to the production and distribution of deadly Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) and the supporting of foreign terrorist operations.
Coalition forces detained six individuals at the first target area without incident, and followed on with operations at two other sites where they captured the other individuals.
A vehicle approached the security perimeter of the ground force during the operation. The vehicle, which was out after curfew, was warned with lights and warning shots before Coalition forces engaged the hostile threat with machine gun fire and destroyed it. The ground forces assess the driver was killed. The capture of key Special Groups leaders will allow us to further disrupt the activities of those who attempt to undermine the security and stability of Iraq, said Maj. Winfield Danielson, MNF-I spokesman.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: IRGC
During the final air assault of Operation Marne Husky, Soldiers detained an insurgent and discovered bomb-making materials along the western bank of the Tigris, 20 miles south of Baghdad, in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
The detainee, who had high-level contacts in a local al-Qaeda cell, was wanted for IED manufacturing and weapons transport. His story kept changing, so we brought him in, said Capt. Pete Peters, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigades intelligence officer. Once he was at our detention facility, three sources positively identified him as an al-Qaeda guy.
Another man was detained after troops found IED components in his house. During the operation, four Apache attack helicopters circled overhead, firing hundreds of 30mm cannon rounds at the insurgent positions.
Over the past month, Soldiers from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Divison, teamed up with aviators from 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and conducted seven air assaults in the Tigris River Valley.
Operation Marne Husky disrupted insurgents who fled the towns of Salman Pak and Arab Jabour in front of earlier U.S. offensives, said Lt. Col. Robert Wilson, 3rd CABs executive officer. We were able to use our combined-arms capability to insert forces into areas that the enemy previously thought were safe havens, Wilson said. By disrupting and capturing insurgents in this area, we set the security conditions for Baghdad.
From Aug. 15 to Sept. 15, troops from 3rd CAB and Co. B, 3-509th PIR, captured 80 suspected insurgents and killed another 43. Pilots flew 420 hours during Marne Husky. The mission was unique for Multi-National Division Center, in that the unit primarily responsible was the aviation brigade. Typically an infantry brigade or battalion would control the ground and artillery forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Iraqi Army Scouts, with U.S. Special Operations Forces as advisers, conducted a series of helicopter assault raids near Taji Sept. 16, resulting in the detention of a senior Al Qaeda in Iraq member of the Abu Ghazwan network.
He is suspected of conducting attacks that target local citizens in the Tarmiyah area who join the Iraqi Police or Iraqi Army forces. His cell has attacked the Tarmiyah Regiment of the 9th Iraqi Army division, the 9th Oil Protection Division, guards at the Al Karkh water treatment plant and Coalition Forces in the Taji area. The cell is also suspected of distributing propaganda and installing illegal check points.
This terrorist is additionally suspected of being the second in command to Abu Ghazwans network and the gatekeeper for access to Abu Ghazwan himself. This criminal network is known to commit robberies, kidnappings, murder, and is responsible for the Sept. 6, 2006 attack against a British Contractor convoy near Tarmiyah.
This terrorist network is believed to be linked to the kidnappings of employees from the Nasr Industrial Plant and is known to stage attacks from a local mosque. The cell provides salaries and materials for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices to be used in the Baghdad area. The cell is further suspected of storing and supplying weapons such as surface-to-air missiles, mortar rounds, mortar launchers, and heavy machine guns to be used in future terrorist attacks.
Iraqi soldiers raided a series of residences in a remote area northwest of Taji, detaining the alleged terrorist, two snipers, and 15 additional suspects. Three AK-47 assault rifles, three tactical assault vests and various explosive components were seized during the operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
#1
Do Iraqi's have their own choppers that they fly these assaults with?
#2
3dc - while there might be some of the Soviet helicopters around, most of the aerial sorties are flown by US choppers. The Iraqis had about 200 MI-6 "Hip" helicopters prior to the invasion, but I don't think there are any flyable aircraft remaining.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/19/2007 13:02 Comments ||
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#3
This is from a coalition news release from 2004 on the rebuilding of the Iraqi Air Force:
Helicopters: A squadron of six UH-1H Iroquois helicopters will be operational in July and stationed at Tadji Air Base. This fleet will increase to sixteen Iroquois by April of 2005. Each is manned by two pilots and capable of carrying 13-troops at 120-knots over a 180-mile range. Its main tasks are border and coastal patrol, troop transport and search and rescue duties.
I expect it's been increased since then.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/19/2007 16:43 Comments ||
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Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 13 suspected terrorists during several operations Tuesday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives and mid-level leaders in the Tigris River Valley.
Three operations around Baghdad were aimed at improving security in the city and surrounding area. In an operation in Arab Jabour, Coalition forces targeted a key operative in the al-Qaeda in Iraq network. When the assault force arrived at the target building, armed men attempted to maneuver into position against them. Coalition forces responded to the hostile threat by calling for close air support, and two terrorists were killed by fire from the aircraft. Another man refused to comply with the ground forces instructions to surrender. Responding to the hostile threat, Coalition forces engaged the man, killing him. Six suspected terrorists were detained in the raid.
During two coordinated operations in the capital city, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be a key operative for al-Qaeda in Iraq and its international network. Intelligence reports also indicate the man works for the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of the southern belts around Baghdad. The ground forces detained two additional suspected terrorists during the raids.
In Bayji, Coalition forces used information from an operation Aug. 4 to capture a suspected mid-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leader and two other suspects. About 50 miles farther north, ground forces detained one suspected terrorist believed to help smuggle weapons for al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Coalition forces captured a suspected Iraqi terrorist linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Force network and two others during an operation early Tuesday in Baghdad. The operations were targeting a Special Groups criminal that is believed to be a leader of an improvised explosive device network and is also believed to have close ties to the production and distribution of explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).
Reports indicate the targeted individual has been involved in the procurement of weapons and the facilitation of foreign terrorists in order to target Iraqi and Coalition security forces.
Information from concerned citizens in the neighborhood led the assault force to a local facility, where the suspected Special Groups officer was also working as a security guard. The forces apprehended the man there without incident after close coordination with Iraqi police. We will continue to target any group with followers who commit hostile actions and oppose security and stability in Iraq, said Maj. Winfield Danielson, MNF-I spokesman. Each time we capture one of these terrorists, it brings us one step closer to a secure future for Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Coalition airpower supported Coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations Sept. 17, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles targeted enemies in a tree line near Kajaki Dam with cannon rounds, Guided Bomb Unit-38s and GBU-31s. The JTAC confirmed the weapons hit the target and the desired result was achieved.
Near Garmsir Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs targeted enemies in tree line with cannon rounds. The pilots continued the engagement firing cannon rounds on enemies trying to relocate to a new position. The Joint Terminal Attack Controller confirmed the strikes were successful.
The A-10s also provided overwatch for a convoy awaiting medical evacuation which had been hit by an improvised explosive device
Royal Air Force Harrier GR-9A and GR7A targeted enemy mortar positions near Sangin with rockets and a general purpose 540 pound bomb to cease enemy fire. The JTAC confirmed the weapons hit the target and enemy fire ceased. F-15Es in Sangin provided overwatch for a Coalition ground forces.
An A-10 near Gereshk conducted a show of force with flares to deter further enemy attacks on a Coalition convoy that had been hit by an explosive device. The show of force was considered successful.
Also near Gereshk an Air Force B-1B Lancer provided a show of force with flares to deter enemy attacks on another Coalition convoy. The JTAC confirmed the show of force as successful.
In total, 36 close air support missions were flown in support of the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan security forces, reconstruction activities and route patrols.
Nine Air Force Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Afghanistan. Additionally, two Royal Air Force aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.
In Iraq, Navy F/A-18 Hornets targeted an enemy weapons cache in Baghdad with GBU-38s. The JTAC confirmed the strikes were successful.
In Baqubah F-16s targeted a building containing explosive making material with GBU-38s. The JTAC confirmed the target was destroyed.
An F-16 conducted a show of force in Miqdadiyah to deter hostile persons in the vicinity of Coalition forces. The show of force was deemed successful by the JTAC.
An A-10 provided a show of force over a convoy in Al Kut that was investigating a suspected IED. The show of force successfully deterred hostile activity.
In total, Coalition aircraft flew 61 close air support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions supported Coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided over watch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.
Seventeen Air Force, Navy and Royal Australian Air Force ISR aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Additionally, seven Navy and Royal Air Force aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.
U.S. Air Force C-130s and C-17s provided intra-theater heavy airlift support, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.
Approximately 160 airlift sorties were flown; 490 tons of cargo was delivered, and approximately 4,800 passengers were transported. This included approximately 42,300 pounds of troop re-supply air-dropped in Afghanistan.
Coalition C-130 crews from Australia, Canada, Iraq, and Japan flew in support of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.
On Sept. 16, U.S. Air Force, French Air Force and Royal Air Force aerial refueling crews flew 54 sorties and off-loaded approximately 3 million pounds of fuel to 250 receiving aircraft.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency
#1
"confirmed the weapons hit the target and the desired result was achieved."
So understated. Describe the desired result - terrorists now all fit in a coffee can?
"A-10 Thunderbolt IIs targeted enemies in tree line with cannon rounds."
The tree line is now thirty yards up the hill from where it used to be.
#3
The 30mm GAU-8/A gatling is commonlycharacterized as a seven-barrel "cannon". I haven't been able to find any reference supporting an exclusive definition of cannon as a heavy gun firing explosive projectiles, just references to cannon as ordinance firing "heavy projectiles". I'd call 30mm DU rounds "heavy".
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
09/19/2007 8:49 Comments ||
Top||
The standard ammunition mixture for anti-armor use is a four-to-one mix of PGU-14/B Armor-Piercing Incendiary (API), with a projectile weight of about 15.0 oz (425 grams or 6,560 grains) and PGU-13/B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) rounds, with a projectile weight of about 12.7 oz (360 grams). The PGU-14/B round incorporates a depleted uranium penetrator. The Avenger is lethal against tanks and any other armored vehicle.
A very important innovation in the design of the GAU-8/A shells is the use of aluminium alloy cases in place of the traditional steel or brass. This alone adds 30% to ammunition capacity for a given weight. The shells also have plastic driving bands to improve barrel life. They are imposing to examine and handle, measuring 11.4 in (290 mm) in length and weighing 1.53 lb (694 g) or more.[1]
************************************************
Ever Wonder did yee,
how the durn electromagneticforce9 and bullets work inside a gun in full nudity?
well 'ears a CRUDE ANIMATION click the pic!
NSFW maybe, because the motion is reel Anthropomorphic girls your mind may play reel dirty.
~:)
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/19/2007 20:20 Comments ||
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The United States suspended all land travel by US diplomats and other civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, amid mounting public outrage over the alleged killing of civilians by the US Embassy's security provider Blackwater USA.
Tuesday's move came even as the Iraqi government appeared to back down from statements Monday that it had permanently revoked Blackwater's license and would order its 1,000 personnel to leave the country.
Tuesday's move came even as the Iraqi government appeared to back down from statements Monday that it had permanently revoked Blackwater's license and would order its 1,000 personnel to leave the country - depriving American diplomats of security protection essential to operating in Baghdad. "We are not intending to stop them and revoke their license indefinitely but we do need them to respect the law and the regulation here in Iraq," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told CNN.
The US order confines most American officials to a 9-square kilometer (3.5 sq. mile) area in the center of the city, meaning they cannot visit US-funded construction sites or Iraqi officials elsewhere in the country except by helicopter. The notice did not say when the suspension would expire.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
That's one way to blunt the Surge, cripple the US civil functions in Iraq &/or divert the US military to protect its civilian officials. A cunning plan, indeed, O Mullahs...
#2
If the non-military of not only the U.S. but all non-Iraqis are effectively confined to the Green Zone, they can spend all their time conferencing with Mr. Maliki and members of parliament about how to change the situation. In the meantime, the Military have a Surge to win.
#7
While I don't know what really happened in THIS instance (or others, for that matter), it is very clear that it is a perfect psyops opportunity for our enemy, and we know they are good at psyops (helps to have the media on your side.) If I was AQ I would set some guys up with American arms, trigger an ambush, and then start shooting the heck out of surrounding civilians. I'd do it every chance I got. I note too that one of the surviving Iraqi victims is a lawyer who had already filed suit in a previous incident. We have ambulance chasers, they have convoy chasers.
Better late then never...
JERUSALEM - Israel's Security Cabinet declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity" Wednesday, Israeli radio stations reported.
The decision would let Israel cut off vital electricity, water and fuel supplies to the Palestinian territory, which the Islamic militant Hamas group took over in June.
The action would be the most severe of the retaliatory measures Israel has taken recently against near-daily rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. Israel hopes to force Hamas to stop the projectile attacks because Israeli airstrikes and land incursions against the rocket launchers have not been effective. Ah, I'll bet there's some good seething tonight...
#2
Israel has a JAG corp like ours? Surely they didn't declare enemy entities in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973... Did they do so before invading Lebanon the first time? Or the second time, last summer?
Bethlehem Ma'an The Israeli security cabinet declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity" on Wednesday and voted to gradually cut off fuel and electricity supplies to the poverty-stricken territory, according to Israeli press sources.
However they voted against disconnecting the Gaza Strip's water supply.
The pretext for the isolation is that it is a response to the Qassam rockets continually being fired at Israeli targets. Their aim is to use the civilian population to put pressure on Hamas to halt the rocket attacks, by cutting off vital resources gradually.
Initially electricity supplies will be disrupted if rocket fire continues.
Also, crossings will be closed to prevent the entry of goods and people into the Gaza Strip. People will only be permitted access to Gaza through Egypt.
Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, described the cabinet vote as "a declaration of war."
The Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reported that Ehud Barak advised the cabinet that a major ground incursion into the Gaza Strip is becoming more likely every day. Although he said other options would be considered before a major offensive.
Israeli sources said that Israeli will maintain the supply to the Gaza Strip of fifty-megawatts of electricity, one third of the usual supply. This electricity is solely meant to enable the functioning of hospitals and other vital services.
#6
"Of course you realize, this means war!"
-- Bugs Bunny
About time! I am boggled by Israel's apparent indiffence to what most would consider an act of war. If the Canadians persisted in shelling Detroit, we would be over there in a jiffy. Getting tanks through the Windsor Tunnel might be problematic, though. (in all fairness, it must be noted that if this happened back in the Mayor Coleman Young era, the rest of Michigan would most likely join in with the Canadians.)
#13
Clearly the Israelis are not playing by the rules. It is Hamas that threatens relentless violence to destroy them, not the other way around.
Imagine if Hamas had control of "vital electricity, water and fuel supplies" to Israel. You think we would hear preliminary declarations about what they might do if provoked by further violence? Me neither.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
09/19/2007 12:07 Comments ||
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#14
In the Jerusalem Post article on this:
"Following the decision, a UN official called the move problematic, telling Army Radio that since Gaza was still under Israeli occupation and Israel controlled all crossings in and out of the area, collective punishment of all Gaza residents would constitute a violation of international law."
#15
Their aim is to use the civilian population to put pressure on Hamas to halt the rocket attacks, by cutting off vital resources gradually.
This exact same strategy must be used throughout the Islamic world. Sufficient "pressure", coercion or just plain violence should be applied until civilian populations independently eliminate their jihadi co-religionists. Just as Israel is discovering, we are idiots to try and clean Islam's house for it. If we wish to avoid a Muslim holocaust, it is by these methods that they must be spurred into cleansing terrorists from their midst.
The Palestinian people know damn well who is firing the rockets, smuggling the arms and making the raids against Israel. Just as with this world's larger Muslim population, at no time have any consequences for inaction ever been severe enough whereby they are goaded into countering the problem. As all the food spoils in their stalled refrigerators and freezers, as they once more must wash all laundry by hand, when sundown idles entire towns and not even the flicker of a television set provides any respite, maybe then these genocidal psychopaths will finally reconsider their profound stupidity.
#17
There may be a few innocent Palestinians in Gaza who are now in effect being held hostage and used as human shields by their own government. It sucks for them but the first priority of the Israeli government has to be the security of its own citizens.
Ask the Germans and the Japanese about the effectiveness of "collective punishment".
Anyone who is outraged or morally squeamish about the use of collective punishment needs to take another look at the concept of dhimmitude. It is the epitome of collective punishment. Islam's cultural arson must be fought with a hotter flame. The interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq amount to using mere firebreaks against a massive blaze. The West must begin to set backfires and bring the flames of real war to Islam's door. One of the only alternatives to such destructive measures is decapitating Islam's power structure and nobody seems to have the courage required to pursue this.
#22
Collective subscription to undying hatred must reap its own reward to burn the Palis up sooner or later. Make it sooner after ages of that by denying easy water now. They can always dig their own wells btw.
#24
This 'collective punishment' meme is starting to chap my caboose. Welcome to the world of nation states, losers, where what your government does has a direct effect on your well-being and happiness. Can't stop miscreants from waging war on your neighbors? Don't be surprised if someone else's cavalry shows up to save the day.
This is good practice for the paleos. And like TW says, anyone with any sense has already left.
#25
Cutting off fuel and water to Gaza is going to look an awfully lot like the Nazi treatment of the Warsaw Ghetto, a scene Israel should be sensitive to. I'm not saying it is not deserved, or that there are even 10 innocents there to be harmed, but perception is reality in situations like this and Israel will not benefit.
Paratrooper St.-Sgt. Ben-Zion Henman was killed on Tuesday during heavy clashes with Palestinian gunmen in Nablus. Henman, 22, from the community of Nov in the southern Golan Heights, sustained a severe wound from a bullet that penetrated the seam of his flak jacket and entered his chest. He died in a helicopter en route to hospital. Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Henman, who was scheduled to complete his military service with the Paratrooper Brigade's elite Reconnaissance Unit in two weeks, was laid to rest late Tuesday night in the Hispin cemetery. He is survived by his parents and nine siblings.
Despite the death of their comrade, the reconnaissance unit remained inside Nablus throughout the day and continued operating against the local terror infrastructure. A dog from the elite Oketz canine unit that participated in the operation was also killed by Palestinian gunfire.
The army said troops were involved in exchanges of fire and encountered violent riots as they entered the Ein Bet Ilmeh refugee camp in Nablus, in hot pursuit of terrorists believed to be in the planning stages of terror attacks. As the soldiers fought their way into the camp, a huge D-9 armored bulldozer waited at the entrance, ready to smash obstacles as the army searched for Palestinian gunmen.
The troops entered the camp in two dozen armored jeeps and were met by a volley of rocks and several explosive devices. A PFLP operative, aged 17, who the IDF said was the gunman who shot Henman, was killed in the exchange of fire. He was identified as Muhammad Ridah Khaled. "We will follow in your path, Muhammad, until we expel the military occupation and achieve our own state," the group said in a statement. Witnesses claimed that soldiers used a resident as a "human shield" to protect their movements as they searched for suspected terrorists. The IDF said it was looking into the charge.
Troops imposed a curfew in the camp of 5,000 and searched from house to house, witnesses said. Nine Palestinian fugitives were arrested in the West Bank overnight.
Meanwhile Tuesday, another 17-year-old Palestinian was killed by an IDF patrol near the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian medical officials, the youth was shot by troops on the Israeli side of the northern Gaza security fence. The IDF said the youth was in fact an "armed terrorist who opened fire at soldiers patrolling the northern Gaza security fence."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/19/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic Jihad
#1
Any artillery available? It worked for the Lebanese.
Or are only Muslim brothers allowed to kill Muslim brothers?
Suspected terrorists separatists have shot dead five people in Thailand's troubled south, police said on Tuesday, as the government warned that rebels were stepping up attacks against teachers.
A Buddhist man and a Muslim man were killed in Pattani province, police there said, while two Muslim men were shot dead in separate attacks in Narathiwat and Yala, all today. Suspected terrorists insurgents yesterday evening killed a Muslim woman in Yala, local police told. Three of the five people killed in the Muslim-majority region were heads of village administration bodies.
In Bangkok, government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalap told a cabinet meeting that separatist rebels were increasingly targeting teachers and schools. Since the beginning of the school year on May 6, nine teachers have been killed and six schools set on fire, he said. "The attacks rose sharply compared to last year and attacks were more bold," Yongyuth told reporters after the cabinet briefing. He said authorities were trying to devise a security plan aimed at keeping teachers safe, especially as they travelled to and from schools.
A bomb rocked a Christian suburb east of the Lebanese capital Wednesday, killing an anti-Syrian lawmaker and six other people, security officials said.
Antoine Ghanem is the eighth prominent anti-Syrian figure assassinated since 2005. Ghanem, 64, a member of the right-wing Christian Phalange Party, was targeted by the bomb, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
The Voice of Lebanon radio station, which is owned by the Phalange party, confirmed Ghanem's death. The identities of the others killed were not immediately known. The attack came six days before parliament was scheduled to meet to elect a new president in a vote expected to be deeply divisive. Three of the slain lawmakers have been from the U.S.-backed majority coalition, reducing its margin in parliament.
A local television station, LBC, said 20 people were wounded in the blast in the Sin el-Fil district. Video showed severe damage in nearby buildings and several cars on fire. The explosion sent a cloud of gray smoke over the area, and blood covered parts of the street.
The assassinations of anti-Syrian figures began with former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a massive car bombing in February 2005. Syria's opponents in Lebanon have accused Damascus of being behind the killings, a claim Syria denies.
His death sparked massive protests that helped bring an end to Syria's nearly 30-year domination of Lebanon. Damascus was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in 2005, and a government led by anti-Syrian politicians was elected. Since then, the government of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has been locked in a power struggle with the opposition, led by Syria's ally Hezbollah. Government supporters have accused Syria of seeking to end Saniora's slim majority in parliament by killing off lawmakers in his coalition. After the assassination of Parliament member Walid Eido in June, many majority legislators spent the summer abroad for security reasons. Others who stayed took extra precautions.
#1
The evil little bastards are playing way way harder than any of their opposition is in or out of the Levant.
The Syrian Pin Head and his Expert killers have almost single handedly succeeded in stretching out the Iraq War, thereby enabled the Losers and Quitters, The Defeat0crats IOW, to lose the whole shootin match for us.
The M'Fers received the heart of the WMD program from Saddam. The M'Fers received enough of the Iraqi hard core, and enough billions $$$ to fund all the mischief needed to start a Civil War in Iraq.
To this day they organize and facilitate Saudis & Sunnis centers & bag men in Syria to collect and funnel jihadis and money into Iraq.
They allow Hezbollah free movement, staging, depots, cash flo, weapons and funnel them into Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, West Bank and most likely Israel.
They have their own spy nets, safe houses, cash and facilities throughout e-URP-e, the Levant & the USA.
btw, I haver links
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/19/2007 13:55 Comments ||
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#2
Could be the only retaliation they could come up with for the September 6 festivities.
We believe you Red Dawg. What they need's a damn good whacking. But Iran first.
#5
To all those who believe that the U.N. will NOT take action regarding Syria on this I say you are wrong!!!!!!!
[hattip LGF]
Today the U.N. voted Syria voted co-chairman of the IAEA Two weeks after Israel's alleged bombing raid in Syria, which some foreign reports said targeted North Korean nuclear material, the UN's nuclear watchdog elected Syria as deputy chairman of its General Conference on Monday.
If you see a White Rabbit going down a hole DO NOT FOLLOW IT!!!
Israeli warplanes swooped low over southern Lebanon in defiance of a United Nations ceasefire resolution, Lebanese police said Tuesday.
Six aircraft violated Lebanese airspace throughout Tuesday by swooping low over the port cities of Sidon and Tyre, causing sonic booms as well as panic among residents, police said. The planes also flew over the Bint Jbeil region, a stronghold of the militant Hezbollah group, they said.
Israeli warplanes have been violating Lebanese airspace on a near- daily basis in the past two weeks, but on Tuesday the aircraft were seen flying lower than usual.
Israel has drawn intense international criticism by continuing overflights after UN Resolution 1701 was adopted and a ceasefire was implemented on August 14, 2006, ending 33-days of Israeli war against Hezbollah. The UN says such overflights undermine the credibility of UN peacekeepers who are monitoring a fragile ceasefire in southern Lebanon.
#2
Saddam's WMDS, after all, reportedly were secretly sent to locales/protective enclaves in the Bekaa Valley. *OTOH, POSTER > Israel is doing to Syria and espec IRAN what Dubya is doing wid Moud, i.e. daring the other(s) to blink = try something???
#3
It's a cease fire? The story doesn't say the Israelis are firing - did I miss something?
It seems to me this would undermine Hizb'allah credibility a good deal more than UN peacekeeper credibility, since everyone knows the peacekeepers are there to protect the bad guys from Israel.
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
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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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.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) said 
Khalilov, who had ties to Chechen rebel commander 
For this, systematic measures from the government are needed -- so that the situation really becomes more stable. Elimination of a random guerrilla fighter, mastermind, or militant is not going to solve the situation," Markedonov says.
Authorities retrieved 15 bodies of army commandos killed in clashes with tribal militants near the Afghan border through a pro-Taliban cleric in North Waziristan on Monday. 
After rejecting calls for a ceasefire during Ramazan, the Indian Army has launched a major offensive in the northern Bandipora forests in Jammu and Kashmir. 
In a later attack, six people were killed and 15 were wounded when a car bomb exploded in a busy street in northeastern Ur neighbourhood, security and medical officials said. Ur is a flashpoint district lying between the Shiite militia bastion of Sadr City and Adhamiyah, a dangerous Sunni neighbourhood.
Coalition forces captured a suspected Iraqi terrorist linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Force network and two others during an operation early Tuesday in Baghdad. The operations were targeting a Special Groups criminal that is believed to be a leader of an improvised explosive device network and is also believed to have close ties to the production and distribution of explosively formed penetrators (EFPs). 
Coalition airpower supported Coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations Sept. 17, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles targeted enemies in a tree line near Kajaki Dam with cannon rounds, Guided Bomb Unit-38s and GBU-31s. The JTAC confirmed the weapons hit the target and the desired result was achieved.
A bomb rocked a Christian suburb east of the Lebanese capital Wednesday, killing an anti-Syrian lawmaker and six other people, security officials said. 
Israeli warplanes swooped low over southern Lebanon in defiance of a United Nations ceasefire resolution, Lebanese police said Tuesday. 
