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India-Pakistan | |
Pakistan army kills 40 militants near Afghan border | |
2006-03-01 | |
Why it's almost like the Pakistani's were expecting an important visitor. Pakistan's army killed around 40 Al-Qaeda suspects in a ground and air strike in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. One soldier also died and 15 were wounded. The raid came as US President George Bush, on his surprise first trip to Kabul, said he would discuss cross-border infiltration by militants when he meets President Pervez Musharraf during his visit to Pakistan starting Friday. Pakistan army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said the raid on a sprawling hideout at Saidgai village in North Waziristan tribal region followed intelligence that there was a big gathering of foreign militants. Helicopter gunships pounded the militant complex, which housed eight residential quarters, before ground troops moved in for a search operation, prompting a fierce gunbattle. Local administration official Zaheerul Islam said the militants were targeted following information that they were carrying out attacks across the Afghan border. "We have reports up to 40 militants, mainly foreigners, were killed in the raid on the compound where there was a big gathering of foreign militants," a security official in the region told AFP. Another 20 were wounded. Sultan said foreign militants and their local supporters were killed in the operation but he did not have the exact death toll or the nationalities of those involved. A local official said among those killed was an Al-Qaeda Chechen commander who was targeted when he tried to escape the raid. He was identified as Imam. The Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the raid was conducted on specific information that Al-Qaeda was using the compound as a base to launch attacks across the border. "It was an Al-Qaeda camp and a training center," the official said. Sultan said militants had stored a big cache of ammunition in the compound which caught fire after the air strike. Explosions were heard an hour after the raid. Kabul has frequently said Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters were using Pakistani border areas to launch attacks inside Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai, when he visited Islamabad last month, handed over a list of around 40 Taliban rebels said to be in Pakistan. Bush told reporters in Kabul after talks with Karzai that the cross-border attacks were harming US troops, some 20,000 of whom are deployed in Afghanistan -- mainly along the border with Pakistan. "I will bring up the cross-border infiltrations with President Musharraf," Bush told reporters. "These infiltrations are causing harm to friends, allies and cause harm to US troops. And that will be a topic of conversation."
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Posted by:ed |
#23 Great commentary, Fred. using weapons so precise that the pilot has to toggle the "Men's Room or Ladies' Room" selector switch. As someone who has helped develop the circuitry for those weapons, I give that one a hearty ... bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!! |
Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-01 21:42 |
#22 OK, I got a serious question for everyone, just as soon as I'm able to breathe again: What's been the actual ratio of forces deployed in this manner in Waziristan compared to those deployed in Balochistan? |
Posted by: Phil 2006-03-01 21:05 |
#21 Great countercommnetary Fred, but I'd like to see some of those terms and phrases we get in the local reports that get edited out in by the big news agencies. A couple of examples picked at random from a PakTribune article on the same event; He said that gunship helicopters are being used in the operation whereas a security forces person also embraced Shahdat. |
Posted by: phil_b 2006-03-01 19:33 |
#20 Yeah, Classic Fred. Likely took him several days to right that. |
Posted by: 6 2006-03-01 17:01 |
#19 LOL! Love the inline comments! ROFLMAO indeed! Classic! Classic! Classic! |
Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-03-01 16:59 |
#18 I second that idea, Frank. w00t! Y'know, this should be emailed to Dubya - I have zero doubts that he'd be howling by the 3rd paragraph, lol. Magisterial, Fred! |
Posted by: .com 2006-03-01 15:46 |
#17 I give Fred's update a RB classic nod! |
Posted by: Frank G 2006-03-01 15:34 |
#16 I'm not sure we can force anything in Pakistan, except the disintegration of Musharraf's government and in the installation of open Islamacists in his place. What we need at the moment is for Afghanistan to continue to progress and for our relationship with India to solidify and deepen. Then when Pakistan falls apart the shrapnel will be contained mostly within its own borders. |
Posted by: lotp 2006-03-01 15:03 |
#15 Pakistan has done 1/1000th of 1/100th of 1% of the actual effort required. Much more is required to stablize the region. Draining the pool of more lamers that will continue to destabilize the region and try to continue to live as if they are in the middle ages with modern weapons is required. Zero effort or political will has been applied by Pakistan. I give GWB a F on his actual results in regards to getting Pakistan to act. Try harder. |
Posted by: SPoD 2006-03-01 14:28 |
#14 We Demand A Switch of Our Own! Down with discrimination .... League of transvestites, transexuals and transgendered persons |
Posted by: lotp 2006-03-01 14:19 |
#13 Ahem, that toggle switch is labeled "Men's Room or Wimmin's Room". |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-03-01 14:02 |
#12 No, no, Em. No baby ducks are hurt when the Pakistani army attacks a village using their patented "spray and pray" firing technique. Baby ducks are only hurt when the ChimpyMcBush's military attacks, using weapons so precise that the pilot has to toggle the "Men's Room or Ladies' Room" selector switch. Haven't you been paying attention to Human Rights Watch? |
Posted by: Matt 2006-03-01 12:56 |
#11 I protest. This "reporter" for this alleged "news service" failed to account for the wimminz, chilluns, minorities and fluffy baby chipmunks that were undoubtedly affected the worst by this oppressive action by an illegitimate colonialist regime trying to curry favor with the evil overlord, Chimpy W. McHitlerburton. In addition, this "reporter" also failed to mention the gruesome images from Abu Ghraib, the impending civil war in Iraq, or the fact that it didn't snow again today in Washington DC on account of Monkeyboy not signing Kyoto. I intend to complain most vigorously to the Newspaper Guild, just as soon as they call off their strike. |
Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-01 12:32 |
#10 ROFl North Wazoo bhawaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa can't breath! |
Posted by: djohn66 2006-03-01 11:37 |
#9 I really like the Rantburg News Service. It gives you the, um, local flavor of things. |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-03-01 11:37 |
#8 "Local administration official Zaheerul Islam, a devout fellow with a long beard and a large turban" Fucking brilliant reporting from North Wazoo. ROTFLMAO!!! |
Posted by: Danking70 2006-03-01 11:33 |
#7 Let's see if we can clear Dubya's schedule for a monthly visit to PakiWakiLand. Perv's list is gonna need some updatin' |
Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-01 11:09 |
#6 Imam is Daniar, the Chechen al-Qaeda leader who commanded their forces in their largely successful victory against the Pakistani military back in 2004. |
Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-03-01 10:49 |
#5 Comments by the site boss and owner are priceless! (sucking sound) |
Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-01 10:41 |
#4 Too bad, we can't take Paks unsupported word. |
Posted by: gromgoru 2006-03-01 09:55 |
#3 Too bad Bush cant visit there every week. Hmmm. |
Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-03-01 09:39 |
#2 So, I assume new intel will be available presently, as these boyz are |
Posted by: wxjames 2006-03-01 09:21 |
#1 it's a start - now do 10 times more |
Posted by: Frank G 2006-03-01 09:20 |