Taliban fighters executed Afghan civilians, including women, who refused to join them during a recent fierce battle against NATO and Afghan government forces in the south, the Dutch military chief said Friday.
Citing "solid reports" from Afghan police, Gen. Dick Berlijn said Dutch and Afghan forces, supported by Dutch and U.S. air strikes, fended off an attempt by about 500 Taliban fighters to overrun the southern town of Chora last weekend.
During the attack, Taliban fighters tried to force local civilians to fight alongside them, "and killed citizens who refused - they were hauled out of their houses by the Taliban and executed," Berlijn told reporters.
"One police checkpoint commander saw two brothers murdered before his eyes by the Taliban," Berlijn said. Another police report "said that eight women were murdered - they had their throats slashed," he added.
Berlijn said reports suggested that between 30 and 70 enemy fighters were killed in the fighting that started June 15 and raged for several days.
He said he had no reliable figures for civilian casualties, but local officials have said more than 100 people were killed in the fighting, including 16 police. It was not immediately clear if the figure included Taliban casualties.
One Dutch soldier died. Berlijn said he appeared to have been killed by accident from a Dutch mortar and not by enemy fire. Three Dutch troops were injured.
Two Taliban commanders of the Chora attack were killed. Berlijn identified them as Mullah Mutalib and Mullah Ismael.
"We have delivered a heavy blow to the enemy," Berlijn said. "Many fighters have been killed, including two important Taliban leaders."
The heavy fighting in Chora and a deadly suicide attack on a convoy in nearby Tirin Kot a week ago killed two Dutch soldiers, bringing the number of dead among the country's 2,000-strong NATO force in southern Uruzgan province to eight since they were sent there nearly a year ago.
In an indication of the danger Dutch troops and local forces fighting the Taliban face, Berlijn said Dutch forces on Thursday night dismantled a factory for making so-called improvised explosive devices.
"We found various materials to make roadside bombs ... including detonators, explosives and a vehicle that was being transformed into a suicide bomb," Berlijn said. Troops detained 13 suspects at the factory, which was in Tirin Kot, close to the main Dutch base.
The Dutch mission is due to finish in August 2008 and lawmakers and the government will debate in coming weeks whether to extend their mandate.
The troops were sent last year after weeks of heated debate in parliament with the primary task of rebuilding the war-shattered country, but Berlijn conceded that work cannot always be carried out.
"The motto of our mission is, 'rebuild if we can, fight if we must,'" he said. "In recent days in Chora, we have fought."
#4
No mystery here. Killing civilians is what the Taliban does best. Afghani people need to begin killing the Taliban whenever they show their faces. Nothing will change until then. Not doing so makes them complicit by default. If they do not take an interest in killing those who would destroy their newly-freed country, they have no right to criticize our own actions in putting down this threat to global security.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/22/2007 18:23 Comments ||
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#10
'"Taliban fighters executed Afghan civilians, including women"
This must be some new, postmodern, definition of the word 'fighter'.
As yet, the West is fighting with one hand behind its back and the other one in its mouth, and all killing of Taliban filth is happening by the fortuitous farting in their general direction. and yet still they die by the bucketload.
However, this is not enough.
This needs to stop. Our soldiers need to kill them by the truckload. Chase them, harry them, follow them over 'borders' and kill them in their beds, their villages, their camps and in their shitters. Kill them. And when you think you've killed enough, think of the women whose throats were cut because they woudn't 'fight' to remain slaves.
And then kill more of them.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/22/2007 18:52 Comments ||
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#11
Word, Tony. Every last letter and dot. Bravo author!
(Weird! The deleted spam shows up in the commenting review text.)
Kandahar, 22 June (AKI) - A United States-led airstrike overnight killed at least 12 members of an Afghan family and 20 Taliban fighters in the volatile southern province of Helmand, provincial police chief Hussein Andiwal said on Friday. As many as 25 civilians died in the raid, including women and children, according to villagers and the district police chief. NATO has confirmed the incident occurred and that casualties were involved, but said it could not confirm if these included civlians.
Andiwal said the raid took place as part of an operation against Taliban fighters in Girishk district of Helmand, long a Taliban stronghold. It is the leading drug producing province of Afghanistan, the world's major heroin supplier.
Embattled Afghan president Hamid Karzai has stated his concern at the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan this year during operations by foreign and Afghan forces. These number 230, according to an umbrella body for aid groups in Afghanistan. A series of protests demanding the expulsion of U.S. forces and the resignation of Karzai have been held in recent months over civilian casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 07:41 ||
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#1
Lotsa of ducks and kittens too I am sure.
Posted by: Ol Dirty American ||
06/22/2007 8:22 Comments ||
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#2
On the long run more lives (both ours & Muslim) will be saved by disregarding human shields.
#4
Is Karzai concerned enough to order Afghan infantry to assault Taliban fortifications and hostages?
Posted by: ed ||
06/22/2007 8:57 Comments ||
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#5
A United States-led airstrike overnight killed at least 12 members of an Afghan family and 20 32 Taliban fighters in the volatile southern province of Helmand...
There that's fixed. The news media never gets it right.
#6
What I have never understood is how you can tell them apart (civvies from talibunnies)? Marcus Luttrell's goat herders were civvies according to him and the fricking lawyers in the pentagon but they turned him and his team in and were co-collaborators with the talibunnies. No, forget your "style" book Rooters and AP and APF, there is no difference in this war and if you believe it to be so, prove it.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/22/2007 9:44 Comments ||
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#7
AKI: Embattled Afghan president Hamid Karzai has stated his concern at the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan this year during operations by foreign and Afghan forces. These number 230, according to an umbrella body for aid groups in Afghanistan. A series of protests demanding the expulsion of U.S. forces and the resignation of Karzai have been held in recent months over civilian casualties.
I guess if the government encounters protests, then the leader is "embattled". This must mean that democratic governments around the world are embattled.
#8
Embattled Afghan president Hamid Karzai is facing an increasingly sophisticated and resilient resistance, resulting in a surge of sectarian violence.
A landmine killed a NATO soldier and injured four more on Thursday in eastern Afghanistan, where fighting between US-led forces and suspected Taliban left eight militants and a policeman dead, officials said. NATO said two of the soldiers hit in the mine blast were taken to a hospital, where one of them died. Three others were treated at the scene for minor injuries, an alliance statement said. The nationality of the troops was not released, though most of the NATO soldiers in the east are American. Troops from the separate US-led coalition and the Afghan army, meanwhile, launched an operation against an important group of enemies in Paktika province late Wednesday, said Mohammad Ekram Akhpelwak, the provinces governor. Eight suspected militants were killed and seven others were detained and held for questioning, said a statement from the Interior Ministry. One police officer was also killed during the clash, it said. Coalition officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Lt Col Maria Carl, spokeswoman for NATOs International Security Assistance Force, said on Wednesday Afghanistan was in the midst of the so-called fighting season, but insisted that a spate of suicide bombings and other attacks were militarily insignificant.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Why is it that the talibunnies are always "suspected" but the press knows for sure that civilians are just that without any qualifiers?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/22/2007 9:46 Comments ||
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Sanaa, 22 June (AKI) - A man identifying himself as Abu Basir Nasir al-Wahishi - one of 28 terrorist suspects who in February 2006 fled a high security prison in Sanaa - has claimed in an audio message posted on Islamist internet forums that he is the leader of al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen. The man who also uses the battlename Abu Hureira al-Sanaani, said his group's full name is al-Qaeda of the Jihad in Yemen. Most of those involved in the 2006 jailbreak were re-arrested while those who successfully escaped are believed by Yemeni authorities to have sought refuge in Somalia or in Yemen's remote southern Hadramawt province.
I have been nominated leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen and I say no to any surrender to government forces. Ignorance and Islam can never blend together. Several tyrants have tried to insert ignorance in Islam but they have all failed," the man said in the 20 minute-long recording.
I have been nominated leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen and I say no to any surrender to government forces. Ignorance and Islam can never blend together. Several tyrants have tried to insert ignorance in Islam but they have all failed," the man said in the 20 minute-long recording. "They want us to renege our beliefs and to repudiate some of our principles. But during this time when they have been waging their crusader war, the enemies are being defeated as is happening in Afghanistan at the hands of the mujahadeen,"
Yemen authorities have for some time suspected an al-Qaeda presence in the country blaming the terror network for a failed attempt to attack two oil plants last September.
This article starring:
ABU BASIR NASIR AL WAHISHI
al-Qaeda in Yemen
ABU HUREIRA AL SANAANI
al-Qaeda in Yemen
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 07:50 ||
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SPAIN'S civil guard, on national alert after Basque separatists called off a ceasefire, said it had found a car packed with explosives near seaside resorts next to the border with Portugal.
Spanish media said the civil guard found 100kg of explosives as well as detonators inside the abandoned car, though a military police spokesman in Madrid refused to confirm the quantity.
The find in Ayamonte, 200km west of Seville, comes just over two weeks after the Basque separatist ETA organisation formally called off a 14-month-old ceasefire. Police made their find after a tip off, media reported.
The car bore false Portuguese number plates and police officers found a bomb-making manual written in Basque, media said, adding that the explosives were not primed to detonate.
How's that deal with the ETA working out for y'all?
#5
Yay negotiating with terrorists!!! It makes the politicians look like they're doing something and shifts the bloodshed to someone else's watch!
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/22/2007 8:36 Comments ||
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#6
Watch for the saem sort of stories from around the States as the 4th of July nears; up here on the lefthand upper coast the many Indian reservations are doing a booming business (yes, I WILL be here all week) with their fireworks sales.
The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of a dangerous terror suspect to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Haroon al-Afghani, who was captured as a result of our ongoing efforts in the Global War on Terror, is known to be associated with high-level militants in Afghanistan, and has admitted to serving as a courier for al-Qaeda Senior Leadership (AQSL).
There is significant information available that Haroon al-Afghani is a senior commander of Hezb-e-Islami/Gulbuddin (HIG), a declared hostile terrorist group associated with AQ in Afghanistan and commanded multiple HIG terrorist cells that conducted improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Nangarhar Province. He is assessed to have had regular contact with senior AQ and HIG leadership.
The capture of Haroon al-Afghani exemplifies the genuine threat that the United States and other countries face throughout the world in the war on terror.
Due to the continuing threat this terrorist represents and his high placement in the Hezb-e-Islami/Gulbuddin, he has been transferred to the DOD Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay. The detainees being held at Guantanamo have provided information essential to our ability to better understand how Al Qaeda operates and thus to prevent future attacks.
As with all detainees in Guantanamo, Haroon al-Afghani will undergo a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, where he will be given the opportunity to review an unclassified summary of the evidence against him and contest his enemy combatant status. The International Committee of the Red Cross will be granted access to this detainee. With todays transfer there are approximately 375 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 11:55 ||
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#1
As with all detainees in Guantanamo, Haroon al-Afghani will undergo a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, where he will be given the opportunity to review an unclassified summary of the evidence against him and contest his enemy combatant status. And he will enjoy the orange-glazed chicken and rice pilaf.
#4
Question these bastards in the field. Dispose of immediately if nothing is forthcoming. Most BS they produce is not usable anyway. Put a 45 in their ear, cock it, tell them they've got 10 seconds. More likely to talk then than at any other point. No Red Cross meddlers, no press, no lawdogs. No detention of rotten meat.
President General Pervez Musharraf gave the green signal to the military and security agencies to crack down on madrassas promoting militancy, particularly in the tribal areas and NWFP, at a meeting earlier this month, sources told Daily Times on Thursday.
Sources said this decision was made at the National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on June 4, when a detailed discussion was held about the law and order situation in the tribal areas and NWFP. They said Gen Musharraf had also in that meeting approved a fast track operation against militant commanders active in the tribal areas and NWFP. Sources said the meeting unanimously decided to re-deploy 46 platoons of the Frontier Constabulary from other provinces to the NWFP immediately, and that the army would provide artillery and other facilities to the Frontier Corps for its operations.
Sources said that it was also agreed that the army would supply the NWFP police with small arms, bullet proof jackets, night vision devices and other equipment. Meanwhile, the NWFP government was also asked to recruit more policemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What about the "Red Mosque"? They just get a pass?
A former Kashmiri rebel was wounded when a tiny detonator planted in a cigarette by suspected militants exploded when he lit it up in a police station, according to a newspaper report on Thursday. The small blast, the first of its kind in the revolt-torn Himalayan region, took place in a remote village of Doda district where former rebel Mohammad Rafiq had surrendered to police, the Daily Excelsior said.
Indians taking lessons from the Israelis?
The small detonator, planted inside the cigarette, exploded when Rafiq was smoking, causing him minor injuries. He has been hospitalised, the newspaper quoted a senior police officer as saying. He said police were investigating how a cigarette with a detonator hidden inside reached Rafiq in the police station.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Heh, heh, Ima ever tell yawl about putting the Johnson & Smith loads in my cousin Debbie's MarbleRows prior to a hot date back in the summer of '68. I laughed, I ran, I screamed, I bruised.
#7
Hospitalized from a cigarette load? Is he in the bed next to the guy who poked his eye out with the Groucho glasses with the fake nose?
Whatta loser...
#13
Is this part of the "military equipment" imported from China? Hey, they're trying to kill us with bird flu, bad fish, and tainted grain. Who knows what other kind of stupidity they might try.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/22/2007 14:11 Comments ||
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A man threw a grenade into a religious gathering in Bannu on Thursday, killing one person and wounding 12, police said. The motive for the attack on the gathering organised by the Tableegi Jamaat group on Miranshah road, near Bannu airport was not immediately clear.
The man threw the grenade after he was challenged at the entrance of the building where the meeting was being held, said town police officer Dar Ali Khan. The attacker was also wounded in the blast, he said.
Militants, opposing President Pervez Musharrafs support for the US-led campaign in Afghanistan, have carried out attacks in Bannu and elsewhere in the country, but the Tableegi Jamaat preaching group has not been a target for militants. Four of the wounded were reported being in critical condition. Bannu DIG Hamza Masood told a TV channel that the suicide bomber had been arrested, and was being interrogated.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
This guy's just practicing a higher form of the Religion Of Peace, jihad.
They never learned 'Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat"?
Mahdi Army Members Threaten Teachers
License to Cheat: Some Students "Protected" during Final Exams
As Iraqi high school students sit final exams, members of the Mahdi Army have threatened Iraqi teachers, warning them that some students must be allowed to cheat.
In a move reminiscent of something out of The Sopranos, members of the Mahdi Army have warned teachers in Baghdads 'Allawi district not to interfere with students as they take the final exams, a Slogger source reports.
The exact wording of the threat was not to upset the students as they take the exams, but the meaning is well understood as granting protection to students connected to militia members to cheat on the exams.
It is not known how widespread these threats are within the Mahdi Army organization. The militia's organization structure is opaque, and the Sadrist current, led by the young Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has struggled to purge or discipline individuals who call themselves Mahdi Army associates but who do not follow official Sadrist policy. As with many acts committed by Mahdi Army members, it is unknown whether the threats against Iraqi schoolteachers are sanctioned by the leadership of the Sadrist organization.
Mahdi Army members interference in the final exams is part of a wider pattern of interference by armed groups in the examination process. Militias controlling predominantly Sunni Arab areas of Baghdad, such as al-Jami'a, al-Khudraa, and al-'Amiriya have threatened students from attending the exams at all.
Upon learning of the Mahdi Army threats in 'Allawi district, one Slogger contact, in classic Iraqi dark humor, joked that the Sunni and Shi'a militias approach the exams in the same way they approach the political process: Sunni militias seek to block them altogether and threaten all who participate, while members of the Mahdi Army accept the legitimacy of the exams but seek to influence them from inside the system.
Posted by: Glenmore ||
06/22/2007 13:18 ||
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#1
A few weeks ago the Pak Daily Times had a article about the endemic cheating going on in the PakiWaki secondary schools and college entrance exams. I was planning to post it here but didn't for some reason...
#5
This is the Madhi Army's way of defeating the limiting nature of the Peter Principle. Depending on the percentage of these "connected" students that will be seeking medical and engineering degrees (using the same study method) I predict an acceleraion of selection throughout Shiite communittees.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/22/2007 23:21 Comments ||
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You know the sound a slot machine makes when it jackpots? Imagine you hear it.
Coalition Forces attack helicopters engaged and killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen southwest of Khalis, Friday.
Iraqi police were conducting security operations in and around the village when Coalition attack helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and ground forces from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, observed more than 15 armed men attempting to circumvent the IPs and infiltrate the village.
The attack helicopters, armed with missiles, engaged and killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen and destroyed the vehicle they were using.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins ||
06/22/2007 11:11 ||
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#1
killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen and destroyed the vehicle they were using
I'm picturing 17 guys stuffed into a VW Bug, like the clowns from the Ringling Brothers circus.
BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops are searching houses and vehicles to root out hundreds of al-Qaida insurgents believed holed up in Baqouba, north of Baghdad, which has become the centre of a massive U.S. military offensive, a commander said Friday.
But more than three-quarters of senior rebel commanders have already escaped the city, said one U.S. officer.
Those who remain are a "hardline group of fighters who have no intention of leaving," added Brig.-Gen. Mick Bednarek, assistant commander for operations with the 25th Infantry Division.
Baqouba, capital of Diyala province, is less than an hour's drive northeast of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi forces are fighting to take back the province - part of a string of offensives targeting insurgents in districts flanking the capital.
Bednarek estimated that several hundred al-Qaida fighters remain in the western half of the city.
"They're clearly in hiding, no question about it," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But they're a hardline group of fighters who have no intention of leaving, and they want to kill as many coalition and Iraqi security forces as they possibly can."
"It's 24-7 for us here, and it's probably the same for our adversary as well," he said. "It's house-to-house, block to block, street to street, sewer to sewer - and it's also cars, vans - we're searching every one of them."
U.S. commanders have acknowledged, however, that al-Qaida's sophisticated intelligence gathering meant its top leaders knew the attack, which began Monday, was imminent.
More than three-quarters of the senior al-Qaida leaders holed up escaped as American soldiers launched an offensive earlier this week, Lt.-Gen. Raymond Odierno, the U.S. ground forces commander, said Thursday during a one-day trip to the battlefield.
"We believe 80 per cent of the upper level (al-Qaida) leaders fled, but we'll find them," Odierno said after meeting with battalion commanders in a bombed-out hospital in downtown Baqouba. "Eighty per cent of the lower level leaders are still here."
Soldiers spread maps across rubble and pulled up charred concrete blocks as stools inside the crumbling building. Controlled explosions of roadside bombs boomed in the distance. Soldiers laden with body armour mopped sweat from their faces.
Days before the offensive, unmanned U.S. drones recorded video of insurgents digging trenches with backhoes, said Maj. Robbie Parke, spokesman for the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division that is doing most of the fighting in western Baqouba.
Odierno, who was in charge of Baqouba as head of the 4th Infantry Division in 2003 and 2004, said he was shocked at how entrenched al-Qaida had become.
"This is not the Baqouba I knew, and we can't let this happen again," he said.
Rebel activity spiked in Baqouba in the summer of 2006, Odierno said. A U.S. air strike killed "al-Qaida in Iraq" leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi near Baqouba in June 2006, but not before he could turn the city into a major base for insurgent operations.
Since last fall, the U.S. has kept a single brigade - 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division - in charge of all of Diyala province. It was enough to conduct sporadic attacks on al-Qaida, but not sufficiently strong to hold the entire province, Odierno said.
Since Monday, two U.S. Army battalions have launched air assaults to the south and west of the area, a tangle of narrow dirt and paved roads crisscrossing a residential area. Troops discovered at least seven homes booby-trapped with trip wires, said Col. Steve Townsend, commander of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Two more units moved in to flank the north and east to block escape by the rebels. But by then, Odierno said, many were already gone.
"It's like jelly in a sandwich - it squirts when you squeeze it," Parke said. "We're fooling ourselves if we think we can hold them in."
Four days into the offensive, about 15 per cent of western Baqouba has been cleared, and a vehicle ban is in place, Parke said. The entire operation was expected to last 30 to 60 days, he added.
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC ||
06/22/2007 11:07 ||
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#2
Those who remain are a "hardline group of fighters who have no intention of leaving,"
Also known as "cannon fodder".
It's odd how often the guys who preach how noble it is to die for Islam get the heck out of Dodge when the shooting starts. You'd think they'd be anxious for the paradise they preach.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/22/2007 11:56 Comments ||
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#3
Rob, no, they have to live to recruit more fighters for Allan, ya know.
#4
I hope the lessons learned in Fallujah are applied to Baqouba. Better to just blow up houses or use D9s to turn houses into rubble where resistance occurs rather than try to clear the house.
Im having comms problems here which is greatly slowing the flow. My Thuraya satellite phone and RBGAN satellite dish are not working for hours each day. The AP reporter is having the same problems. The signal degradation is caused by a special sort of RF interference. Moving our antennas around wont work. We simply get cut off for long periods. Sounds like one of those secret weapons to me. Any mosque basement bomb factories blowing up spontaneously?
The combat in Baqubah should soon reach a peak. Al Qaeda seems to have been effectively isolated. The initial attack on 19 June achieved enough surprise that al Qaeda was caught off guard and trapped. They have been beaten back mostly into pockets and are surrounded and will be dealt with.
Our commanders have their hands full with the local Iraqi commanders who seem less competent (to be kind) than those I have seen elsewhere, such as in Mosul. Sounds a lot like Fallujah.
Our guys are winning. Al Qaeda is about to be strangled and pummeled to death in this town, but the local Iraqi leadership is severely wanting. If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
This was most obviously noted in one area in particular, where there were some slight indicators of a possible humanitarian need. Crisis certainly is not the correct word, but there are displaced persons numbering at least in the hundreds.
After seeing the humanitarian need building with no action to abate it underway, (LTC) Johnson was very unhappy. He immediately started jerking choke chains on the people who are supposed to be handling humanitarian need, trying to avert having it build into a crisis.
This is where the inept local Iraqi commanders come in. Ive seen them in meeting after meeting, over the past few days, finding ways to be underachievers. The Iraqi commanders have dozens of large trucks and have only to drive to our base to collect the supplies and distribute those supplies to the people displaced in the battle. Our troops are fully engaged in combat, yet the Iraqi leaders were not able to carry that load without LTC Johnson supplying the initiative. The Kurds would have had this fixed yesterday. The Iraqi commanders in Mosul would have fixed this. The local Iraqi command climate is disappointing by comparison.
On information flow, as of noon in Baqubah on 22 June, the press is starting to flood in. The Public Affairs Office and the press climate at this Brigade are A+. Access is actually better than I have ever seen, and that is saying a great deal. A PAO officer told me that about 20 press should be here over the next days, so we should be able to get reports from many independent sources and compare and contrast. The access is unbelievably good. They are not holding back the good, bad or the ugly. Press who arent here in Baqubah with 3-2 Stryker Brigade are missing out. However the press who are here are wasting huge amounts of time on trivial matters that are occurring above the level of 3-2.
A big fight seems to be brewing. As of about noon in Baqubah on the 22nd, there seems to be a lull in the fighting. A calm. This is about to get wet. At the going rate, al Qaeda in Baqubah will soon have two choices: Surrender, or die.
#2
With all due respect to the charming and delightful Seafarious, Glenmore, I think you'll agree a blank space is preferrable to that of the esteemed Moderator - which seemed rather common yesterday.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/22/2007 8:28 Comments ||
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#3
If the Iraqi Def Forces are as bad as M Yon says, who is in charge of them and why hasn't he been replaced (or shot).
#4
A big fight seems to be brewing. As of about noon in Baqubah on the 22nd, there seems to be a lull in the fighting. A calm. This is about to get wet. At the going rate, al Qaeda in Baqubah will soon have two choices: Surrender, or die.
Die works better. Otherwise these fanatics come back another day.
#5
Note the compliment to the Kurds! My same opinion when I was there pre-Gulf war. The high level Iraqis had no initiative and looked down on average citizens. Whether they were military, professionals, or refinery managers. Its a cultural thing. That's why in Soddie and Kuwait and Iraq you had so many Filipinos, Indonesians and Indians working at the semi-skilled jobs so the hotshot Iraqis could have someone to abuse.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/22/2007 9:58 Comments ||
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#6
That is pretty much how most of the Arabs run things.
#7
Actually, I'm not surprised at the low level of effectiveness of the Diyala IA. The area was unsecured before the Baghdad surge, with the police and the army just staying in the background, bottled up in their barracks. And this is why all the al-Qaeda came flooding there with the surge.
So now, with us there, we will have to get their house in order, much like in Anbar, so that Diyala will be able to fend for itself and keep al-Qaeda out after we leave.
Trick headline. Ya gotta go to #7 for headline details. This is more correctly titled the "State Dept. Weekly Executive Summary of News From Iraq." Some interesting thoughts from Ayatollah Sistani at the end of #8. More details at link. 1. Defeat the Terrorists and Neutralize the Insurgents
Suspected al-Qaida terrorists destroyed the two minarets of the Askariyah shrine in Samarra early June 13, in a repeat of the 2006 attack that shattered the mosques famous golden dome. To ward off a surge of violence, Prime Minister Maliki quickly imposed a curfew on vehicle traffic and large gatherings in Baghdad. The following day, bombers posing as television cameramen destroyed the Talha Bin al-Zubair mosque, an important Sunni shrine outside of Basrah, causing Maliki to order a curfew for that city as well. The attack appeared to be the work of Shiite militants seeking revenge for the Samarra attack. Overall, however, the 2007 Samarra attack has not yet ignited the same waves of sectarian violence seen in the wake of the 2006 Samarra bombing.
2. Transition Iraq to Security Self-Reliance
The Department of Defenses June 2007 report to Congress, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, reports trained and equipped Iraqi Security Forces increased by 18,000 since the last quarterly report in March. In addition, nine Iraqi divisions, 31 brigades, and 95 battalions are in the lead or operating independently in their areas. That is an increase of one division headquarter and two battalions since March. These troops are working alongside Coalition forces to provide greater security to the Iraqi population.
3. Help Iraqis to Forge a National Compact for Democratic Government
A handful of Sunni mosques were attacked or burned in Baghdad June 14, and two major Sunni mosques were burnt down in Basrah. Imposing immediate curfew and increased troop levels kept Iraq in relative calm a day after suspected al-Qaida bombers toppled the towering minarets of the Samarra mosque. Additionally, the U.S. military said Iraqi forces had arrested the Emergency Service Unit commander and 12 policemen responsible for securityat the shrine at the time of the explosions.
4. Help Iraq Build Government Capacity and Provide Essential Services
Approximately 20,000 people in Baghdad, Karkh, Baghdad province,will receive improved sewage and wastewater
5. Help Iraq Strengthen Its Economy
Fifteen Basrah senior bankers representing government and private banks met to discuss constraints on the development of the banking sector, and proposed new institutions to assist the business community, especially small and medium projects. The banks also discussed the possible establishment of a formal association, and ways to utilize available funding for increasing use of the banking system, rather than the current cash-based methods.
6. Help Iraq Strengthen the Rule of Law
As part of the continual, standardized training of the Iraqi security forces, more than 2,000 national policemen from the 6th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, graduated from a four-week training course at the National Police Academy in al-Numaniyah June 8. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth W. Hunzeker, the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team commanding general, tasked with training, equipping and mentoring the Iraqi civilian police forces, talked to the national policemen about their role in Iraqs developing democracy. Hunzeker said, You are the blue line between insurgency and peace. Youll be the champion of justice and an enforcer of the rule of law.
7. International Support for Iraq
The UN Security Councils routine mid-year review of the mandate of the U.S.-led multi-national force resulted in its continuation as requested by Iraq.
8. Strengthen Public Understanding of Coalition Efforts and Public Isolation of the Insurgents
Several religious leaders in Iraq used their June 15 sermons to discuss the bombing of the Askariyah shrine in Samarra. A representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Karbala reportedly implicated lax security in the attacks and questioned whether political sensitivities had prevented proper disclosure of information available to the Iraqi government. He also argued that the more serious political problem will be the sectarian violence that can result from attacks on holy places.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/22/2007 07:09 ||
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#1
The UN Security Councils routine mid-year review of the mandate of the U.S.-led multi-national force resulted in its continuation as requested by Iraq.
Wait a minute! The liberals and Democrats are telling us this is an illegal war. Bush invaded Iraq illegally. The UN supported our efforts? How can that be?
The Democrats and liberals re-write history on a daily basis as suits their purpose which is the defeat of the U.S. and allies.
#2
See? The trick headline was worth the whole trip, wasn't it, John?
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/22/2007 10:43 Comments ||
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#3
Minor nit but important if you are going to report on military matters.
"one division headquarter"
The word is "headquarters" even when in the singular. Think of it like where a person stays ... their quarters. Headquarters is where the head people stay, it is their quarters.
Like I said, a minor nit, but to someone with any military background at all, seeing someone write "one division headquarter" might case them to disregard the information as coming from someone that has no idea what they are talking about.
Just consider it constructive criticism and a little coaching to improve future reports. Overall, nice job.
#4
Oh, and I realize the original source is the state dept, which explains a lot, but I would have either corrected it in the post here or added (sic).
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq Soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, recovered a weapons cache June 20 in eastern Baghdad.
Responding to a tip, members of the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery and the Iraqi Soldiers found five 107-milllimeter rockets, three fuses, and 23 rocket stands. Some of the rockets had been prepped for launch. The rockets were blown in place by an explosive ordnance disposal team. The find highlights the joint effort between U.S. and Iraqi forces to root out insurgents and clamp down on sectarian violence, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesperson for the brigade. The surge of U.S. forces is complete and a fresh offensive was launched this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD Five Iraqi citizens were killed when a 122MM rocket struck a building causing it to collapse in the Al Mansour district of Baghdad June 19. Both Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces responded to the scene of the attack after a rocket struck the building in the neighborhood of Yarmouk, causing it to collapse and kill five Iraqi citizens and wound six others. The Yarmouk hospital confirmed the casualties U.S. Forces confirmed that the rocket was fired from north of the city approximately 10 miles away.
The 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, was the first U.S. Force on site of the attack. This attack was not aimed at any specific targets. It is most likely a way to incite sectarian violence, said Capt. Aquila Knopf, an intelligence officer for 2-32 FA. Knopf went on to explain that the attack most likely originated from Jaysh Al-Mahdi militants and was directed at the Sunnis region of Al-Mansour.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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Over the past two days Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces discovered and removed several caches and captured three suspected al-Qaida operatives across Ninewah province, due in part to local tips and cooperation from local citizens.
On June 19, soldiers from 2nd Iraqi Army Division, and Coalition Forces from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment Ghost discovered pipe bombs, artillery shells, and between 200-400 lbs. of explosives during a raid at a house in west Mosul. Unknown gunmen engaged the Soldiers with small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire but were turned away by Coalition attack helicopters, armed with rockets.
Four hours later, and 50 miles south, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division conducted a raid on a suspected explosives storage house in the village of Heschel. 2IA soldiers detained one suspect and discovered over 200 pounds of TNT, as well as other IED making materials.
Shortly after midnight, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division and 2-7 Cavalry detained a key suspected al-Qaida financier who had been operating in Mosul. Coalition Forces detained two more suspects during an early morning raid, June 20, in southeast Mosul, including a known IED maker and a weapons dealer from TalAfar.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldiers stopped an insurgent team placing an improvised explosive device during clearing operations in the East Rashid security district of the Iraqi capital, June 20. Soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment Warriors positively identified two individuals placing an initiator at the end of a command wire on an IED and opened fire killing one and wounding another. Later in the day, Tomahawks of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment discovered a 100-pound bag of homemade explosives with wires, and improvised rocket launchers during operations.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"100-pound bag of homemade explosives "
'Homemade' explosives are a sure sign that at least some munitions storage or transport logistics are being disrupted.
Task Force Marne continues its sixth day of offensive operations to clear extremist sanctuaries in the Arab Jabour area which is located southeast of Baghdad.
To date, Marne Torch and Iraqi Army units have detained more than five dozen suspected extremists and destroyed more than 17 boats on the Tigris River that are responsible for transporting accelerants into Baghdad. Ground and air forces disrupted insurgent operations by capturing, seizing, and clearing caches that support instability in the area.
U.S. forces killed five insurgents, discovered and destroyed 12 improvised explosive devices, and detained 13 wanted individuals.
More than 2,500 Coalition and Iraqi army forces are participating in Marne Torch, an operation named for the historic British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II that took place in 1942. Members of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, continue to clear the area north of the Arab Jabour area and restrict movement of insurgents and bomb-making material into the area.
A sizable cache found in the Jisr Diyala area Tuesday netted 54 mortar rounds, two artillery rounds, 29 cell phones, 29 nine-volt battery connectors and more than 20 circuit boards all commonly used in the manufacturing of improvised explosive devices. There have been a total of 17 caches found throughout the Arab Jabour and Salman Pak area.
Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, continue to clear houses and set-up checkpoints around Arab Jabour to stop the flow of accelerants in and out of Baghdad. There have been 237 houses cleared since the start of Marne Torch.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#8
Torch was a learning experience. My dad landed a few days after the initial landing, and made it all the way to the Med coast. He said about a third of the senior officers of his unit were "transferred elsewhere" - i.e., fired - for acting incompently. They still pushed the Vichy French, Italian, and German forces out of West Africa.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/22/2007 14:38 Comments ||
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TAJI Iraqi Forces conducted an early-morning raid June 19 to breakup a terrorist sniper cell in the Bayji area of northern Iraq. During the raid, Iraqi Forces successfully raided the target objectives, detaining their primary suspect and four others for further questioning. Besides the five individuals detained, Iraqi Forces confiscated a sniper rifle, three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm pistol, associated ammunition as well as improvised explosive device making materials. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces, who were present for support, were injured during the operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Only one sniper rifle for the whole cell?
You boys play nice, and share with your little friends.
MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq A joint operation geared toward curbing terrorist activity southwest of Baghdad is yielding results almost immediately. Operation Commando Eagle, a mix of helicopter-borne air assaults and Humvee-mounted movements, included Soldiers from several battalions of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.
The operation, which began today, targeted a series of houses which local citizens indicated were being used by al-Qaeda cells to intimidate them and launch attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces. Troops of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd BCT, detained three men when their truck was found to contain documents requesting rockets as well as a spool of copper wire, commonly used to build improvised explosive devices.
Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, IA Division found a cache containing four AK-47s, a 60mm mortar tube with three rounds, an SKS rigged with sniper optics, three bolt-action rifles, a camcorder with tapes, a roll of copper wire, 20 homemade grenades, four ski masks, 75 CDs of propaganda and terror techniques instructing methods to commit kidnappings and to shoot down coalition helicopters, and various other IED-making materials.
Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd BCT discovered multiple series of caches during the operation. The first cache complex contained five AK-47s with three magazines, a roll of IED wire and a shotgun. A second cache included seven AK-47s. The third complex included an anti-tank mine, an anti-personnel mine, two rocket propelled grenade rounds, an RPG launcher and multiple pounds of TNT. Task Force 2-15 detained 16 individuals.
Company A, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment detained nine men and Troop B, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment detained four, all wanted for terrorist attacks or for possessing illegal weapons. Commando Eagle was named after the 2nd BCT, known as the Commandos, and the 4th Bde, 6th IA, called the Baghdad Eagles.
The caches were seized and disposed of. The individuals are being held for questioning.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Speed is your friend, but unlike in football, battle speed can be coached. The key to this campaign will be how fast we can follow up opportunities - and that we recognize the traps that only look like opportunities. Hope we have some reserve spear points, because these boys are going to be tired in a few days - but their enemy will be even more tired, and ripe for roll-up. When you get your enemy on the run you don't want to slow down and let him regroup.
#2
More bad boys being 'detained', eh ?
I hope when they are finished answering questions, they are detained in Antartica, where death by natural causes is a common ending. I just can't see ever releasing them back into society without shock treatments to snap them outta jihad mode.
#4
cache containing four AK-47s, a 60mm mortar tube with three rounds, an SKS rigged with sniper optics, three bolt-action rifles, a camcorder with tapes, a roll of copper wire, 20 homemade grenades, four ski masks, 75 CDs of propaganda and terror techniques instructing methods to commit kidnappings and to shoot down "
Is'nt it a waste of time to inventory such a small amount like this. Would'nt it be more efficent to just blow the weapons up, send the cd's for interpretaion, and move on?
FALLUJAH, Iraq Iraqi Army Forces conducted a series of raids June 18 detaining an alleged insurgent leader and his associate in the Al Shuhada District of Fallujah. With Coalition Forces present as advisers, Iraqi soldiers detained their two primary suspects and an additional person of interest without incident. Various documents and identification cards were also seized during the operation. The detained individuals are suspected of supporting insurgent activities throughout the Al Anbar Province. The alleged leader was also purportedly very active within the insurgency during the first and second battles of Fallujah. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces were injured during this operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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Iraqi Special Operations Forces conducted an early morning operation June 20 and detained a key insurgent leader in Sadr City. This individual is allegedly responsible for coordinating and conducting kidnappings, death squad killings and improvised explosive device attacks against innocent civilians and Iraqi and Coalition Forces.
During the operation, Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained their primary suspect without incident. Iraqi SOF also detained two other suspicious individuals who were present during the operation. The primary suspect is allegedly responsible for supplying vehicles, identification materials, and uniforms to support insurgent activities such as the kidnappings and extra-judicial killing of Iraqi citizens. He is also alleged to have received new technologies to upgrade improvised explosive devices that would be used to target Iraqi and Coalition Forces. Coalition Forces served as advisors during the operations. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces members were injured during the operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD, Iraq Coalition Forces detained 11 suspected terrorists Wednesday and Thursday during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq. Wednesday morning, Coalition Forces conducted two operations in Mosul targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders in the area. Two suspected terrorists were detained for their suspected involvement with a Kurdish extremist in the al-Qaeda network and a terrorist emir of western Mosul.
Thursday, Coalition Forces raided five buildings east of Karmah searching for an al-Qaeda in Iraq emir suspected of attacks against Coalition Forces and Iraqi infrastructure. The ground force captured three suspected terrorists, including an alleged subordinate of the al-Qaeda emir. East of Fallujah, a raid targeting associates of al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders netted four suspected terrorists.
North of Baghdad Thursday, Coalition Forces detained two suspected terrorists for their association with a key member of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network linked to several terrorist groups and vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks. Each operation we conduct provides additional information about the best way for us to attack al-Qaeda and strike their networks, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. Its getting more difficult for them to hide.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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Coalition forces positively identified an al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist in an operation June 17 southeast of Karmah. Hussayn Awath Hussayn Hawawi, also known as Abu Thabbit, was a Libyan foreign fighter with connections to the North African foreign fighter network and ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq. Hawawi was positively identified through photo comparison with his previous detention photo. He was incarcerated at Badush prison in Mosul for an illegal border crossing and involvement with al-Qaeda in Iraq, but escaped March 6. Intelligence reports indicate he moved at least 30 North African fighters into Iraq in the month after his escape.
Hawawi is also believed to be involved in suicide bombing operations, and his foreign fighters allegedly conducted a number of attacks on Coalition Forces in Anbar province in late May. Additionally, Hawawi was allegedly trying to procure Iraqi police uniforms, falsified documents and vehicles for use in an attack against an unspecified target.
Hawawi was killed when Coalition Forces raided a series of buildings associated with him. As Coalition Forces approached the first building, seven armed terrorists engaged the ground force with small arms fire. Coalition Forces, responding in self-defense, engaged the seven armed men, killing six and wounding one. The wounded suspected terrorist fled the scene, but Coalition Forces caught him and two other suspected terrorists as they moved from the first building into the second. The wounded individual was taken to a military medical facility for treatment. Two suspected terrorists were detained.
During a search of the area, Coalition Forces found IED-making materials, weapons, and a vehicle containing a heavy machine gun and hand grenades. Coalition Forces safely destroyed the IED materials, vehicle and weapons on site and detained another seven suspected terrorists for their involvement with foreign fighters and al-Qaeda in Iraq suicide bombing operations. Coalition Forces also found jihadist propaganda and a letter congratulating Hawawi on escaping from prison. This dangerous criminal is no longer aiding terrorists and supporting al-Qaeda in Iraq, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. Terrorists who seek to derail Iraqs progress have no place in this countrys future.
This article starring:
ABU THABIT
al-Qaeda in Iraq
HUSEIN AWATH HUSEIN HAWAWI
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Got them my mother hated me with good reason eyes.
#4
Perhaps he has one of those intestinal parasites that drain one's energy and intelligence. Someone please tell him that's not a good colour for him; it hurts my eyes just to look.
#5
When the press start referring to these knuckle draggers as "foreign fighters." Seems like that dignifies what they do more than it should. They are friggin terrorists. They do friggin terrorist's things.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/22/2007 9:58 Comments ||
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#7
"Foreign Fighters"? So what - this is and always will be a global war not an Iraq war or Afghan war but a truly global war. It is without doubt and UN approval WW3 and we again have the lead no one else wants or could even deliver on. America alone except for the Brits (soon to whimper out), the Aussies, a few Koreans and our new best friends in New Europe. The trouble is that the ones with their 'neck in the sand'(Spain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France) have as much trouble brewing as do the Iraqis and Afghans. Its only a matter of time....tic, tic, tic,
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/22/2007 10:26 Comments ||
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#8
And the Japanese, the Mongolians, etc. I'm not sure of the exact number, but I seem to recall there are contingents from something like 40 countries in Afghanistan, about half that in Iraq. (Afghanistan having become something of a Special Forces playground, I think. You know, you ain't nobody if you ain't in the game, that kind of thing.) lotp, do you recall who is in which country? You're generally on top of such things
#9
Here's a summary as of Feb 2007 of the contingents in Iraq, those that pulled out and promised troops for the future.
It gets more complicated re: Afghanistan, insofar as there were significant contributions by countries that allowed e.g. the use of their territory for logistical supply points, but didn't send troops. NATO's ISAF includes US, UK, Canadian, Danish, Estonian, Dutch, Portuguese and Romanian troops. The French have some Mirages in Tajikistan, some regular troops in the north and has deployed some special forces. German activity in Afghanistan has been mostly limited to non-combat roles and locations. Australians were also involved (not NATO members) but withdrew in 2006 IIRC.
I recently heard a German general who commanded at the NATO level there note that because of the tendency for units to be small, it's hard to coordinate ops & the potential for friendly fire casualties is higher than in previous conflicts - a problem exacerbated by the inclusion of some non-NATO troops as well. NATO's planning to deploy a Friendly Forces Tracker next year, but no decision has been taken re: extending that to non-members who deploy troops (so far as I know).
.
#10
I left out the Norwegian air wing in Afghanistan (a detachment, really, of 4 F16s).
Those are the major players ... there may also be unacknowledged contingents of special ops from other countries, but I'm not aware of who they might be, if so.
#13
Other countries who have or have had troops in Afghanistan:
Finland, New Zealand, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania ....
I did a (very rough order-of-magnitude) estimate of the degree of military commitment by some of these coalition members to Iraq &/or Afghanistan (high point of commitment, current or past).
The '% of troops deployed' is the ratio of deployed troops to the strength of their regular armed forces (not counting reserves, home guard etc.). It doesn't include special forces who might be deployed but weren't in the summary #s I had at hand.
Country - % of troops deployed - % of population
US - 8.40% - .041%
UK - 4.34% - .026%
Australia - 2.45% - .009%
Netherlands - 2.07% - .019%
Denmark - 1.87% - .016%
Romania - .92% - .002%
Poland - .72% - .002%
Note that these figures are rough estimates. They don't count troops deployed elsewhere or any troops committed to logistical and other support roles - just those deployed in theatre in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Poland, for instance, has troops in Kosovo and a number of additional places besides Afghanistan and Iraq.
Equally important, these figures don't take into account the large disparities in economy and wealth among some of the coalition partners. Latvia, for instance, has only a small contingent, but that deployment represents a major commitment of resources for them.
'Whimper out' is totally out of line - we've been hit with terrorist strikes for quite some time. We have dealt with it the best we could under the circumstances. Our 'leaders', like many US 'leaders' are not worthy of the name, and in general, do not speak for the country as a whole.
When you say 'The Brits' are going to 'whimper out', you're really saying the Socialist swine who are in government at the moment (on a historically tiny proportion of the vote) want to get out of Iraq to appease their own left-wing shit-heads.
You owe an apology.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
06/22/2007 18:35 Comments ||
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A status update on the operations in the Baghdad Belts and beyond
Operation Phantom Thunder, the name of the overarching operation to secure the Baghdad Belts, is now in its fifth day. As noted yesterday, Phantom Thunder is a corps level operation, with multiple U.S. and Iraqi divisions engaged on multiple fronts. Iraqi Security Forces and Multinational Forces Iraq are engaged in intense fights in four main theaters: Baghdad proper, and the belts regions consisting of Diyala and southern Salahadin province to the north, northern Bail province to the south, and eastern Anbar province to the west of Baghdad. The fighting has been the most intense in the city of Baqubah, the provincial capital of Diyala.
The concurrent operations in each theater have been named in most cases. Operation Arrowhead Ripper, managed by Multinational Division North is underway in Baqubah and greater Diyala province. Multinational Division Central is running two operations: Operation Marne Torch southwest of Baghdad and Operation Commando Eagle to the southeast. The current operation in eastern Anbar, managed by Multinational Forces West has not yet been named. Operation Fardh al-Qanoon (Otherwise known as the Baghdad Security Plan), which officially kicked off in mid February, is managed by Multinational Division Baghdad and the Iraqi Baghdad Operational Command.
Operation Arrowhead Ripper
The large portion of the media attention has focused on the battle in Baqubah, as this is where the brunt of the heavy fighting is occurring. Baqubah is the provincial capital of Diyala as well as al Qaeda's proclaimed capital of its rump Islamic State of Iraq. Hundreds, and upwards of 1,000 al Qaeda fighters are believed to be holed up in the city in prepared fighting positions. The city has been mined with IEDs and booby trapped homes, and seeded with snipers.
Michael Gordon reported troops moving into western Baqubah, where al Qaeda is holed up, found well prepared medical aid stations and field hospitals. "The hospital, uncovered by troops from the Fifth Battalion, 20th Infantry, was equipped with oxygen tanks, defibrillators, generators and surgical equipment, as well as pieces of insurgent propaganda," noted Mr. Gordon. Baqubah and greater Diyala province is al Qaeda country.
"At least 41 insurgents have been killed, five weapons caches have been discovered, 25 improvised explosive devices have been destroyed and five booby-trapped houses have been discovered and destroyed," Multinational Forces Iraq reported last evening.
The 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division (3/2) appears to be shouldering the brunt of the combat. The soldiers from the 3/2 "killed 24-36 enemy fighters and detained nine," according to Mike Gilbert of the News Tribune. "They found and destroyed 16 other roadside bombs, four houses that had been rigged to explode, and two car bombs. They found two safe houses, destroyed what he described as a mobile weapons cache, and captured two other weapons caches, including 'a significant IED cache.'"
Both Michael Gordon and Michael Yon, who are embedded in Baqubah, reported U.S. and Iraqi troops are receiving valuable intelligence from the resident of Baqubah. "A positive indicator on the 19th and the 20th is that most local people apparently are happy that al Qaeda is being trapped and killed," Michael Yon noted. "Civilians are pointing out IEDs and enemy fighters, so thats not working so well for al Qaeda."
While the reporting from the regions outside Baqubah is sparse, there are indications engagements are also ongoing in the Diyala River valley.
Operations Marne Torch and Commando Eagle
Multinational Division Central, the newly created command to deal with the southern Baghdad Belts, has two concurrent major operations ongoing in its area of operations. Marne Torch is focusing on the city and surrounding regions of Arab Jabour, which is southeast of Baghdad. Commando Eagle is focusing on the Mahmudiyah region southwest of Baghdad.
"To date, Marne Torch and Iraqi army units have detained more than five dozen suspected extremists and destroyed more than 17 boats on the Tigris River that are responsible for transporting accelerants into Baghdad," Multinational Forces Iraq reported in a press release. "U.S. forces killed five insurgents, discovered and destroyed 12 improvised explosive devices, and detained 13 wanted individuals."
Operation Commando Eagle began on June 21, and was described as a " mix of helicopter-borne air assaults and Humvee-mounted movements, included Soldiers from several battalions of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division."
The operation has yielded 29 suspected insurgents and numerous weapons caches, including one containing "75 CDs of propaganda and terror techniques instructing methods to commit kidnappings and to shoot down coalition helicopters."
The Mahmudiyah region contains the notorious "Triangle of Death," an area where al Qaeda and Sunni insurgents have established bases of operations to attack Baghdad and launch attacks on the Shia areas to the south. Three U.S. soldiers were captured in the region in mid May, and two of the soldiers are still missing.
Operation ??? in eastern Anbar
Multinational Forces West has yet to release the name of the ongoing operations in eastern Anbar province. But the scope of the operation in eastern Anbar is now clearer. In an Associated Press interview with Brigadier General John Allen, the deputy commander of Multinational Forces West, the hot spots in the province were identified.
Brig. Gen. Allen noted there are three main focal points: Fallujah, Karma and the Thar Thar region. The Fallujah piece includes moving into each of the 11 neighborhoods of the city and "establishing very quickly neighborhood watch organizations and a police precinct headquarters." [See The Fourth Rail's interview with Colonel Richard Simcock, the commanding officer of Regimental Combat Team - 6 for more details on the operation to clear Fallujah].
The operation to secure the Fallujah neighborhoods is called Alljah. "The operation is similar to what another unit did in the city of Ramadi, said Maj. George S. Benson, executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines Were capitalizing on the success of Ramadi and using many of the same techniques.
Fallujah is expected to be fully secured by August. U.S. forces expect to clear Karma, the poisonous al Qaeda haven northeast of Fallujah, and the Thar Thar region by July. "We're going to clear Karma here very shortly," Brig Gen Allen told the Associated Press, as he described the town as a "way station" to and from Baghdad. "We're going to start churning up the ground north on the grounds of Thar Thar ... a spot where we haven't had forces before."
Captain Eric Coulson, a the commanding officer of a Army Engineer company in the Fallujah Ramadi corridor and author of Badgers Forward described the situation in eastern Anbar in an interview today. "Al Karma continues to be the most challenging area in Multinational Forces West's area of operations, followed by Zaidon. Karma is the one place we can be guaranteed to find IEDs every night."
Captain Coulson also noted the improved security situation in Fallujah and the Habbaniyah and Amiriyah regions. "Fallujah gets better by the day," he noted. "Most of the area west of the river seems to be stable. There are lots of tribes and Iraqi Police providing local security in the Habbaniyah and Amiriayh/Ferris areas. The truth is it is very quite."
Battling the Mahdi Army; raiding al Qaeda
As the major offensive is ongoing in the belts, the pressure is being kept up on Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army as well as al Qaeda's network throughout Iraq.
Iraqi Special Forces raided Sadr City and captured a key insurgent leader on June 20, along with two associates. This individual is allegedly responsible for coordinating and conducting kidnappings, death squad killings and improvised explosive device attacks against innocent civilians and Iraqi and Coalition Forces, noted Multinational Forces Iraq. The primary suspect is allegedly responsible for supplying vehicles, identification materials, and uniforms to support insurgent activities such as the kidnappings and extra-judicial killing of Iraqi citizens. He is also alleged to have received new technologies to upgrade improvised explosive devices that would be used to target Iraqi and Coalition Forces.
This comes as General David Petraeus announced that an Iran-backed secret cell of Mahdi Army was behind the kidnapping of five British civilians in Baghdad last May. We think that it is the same network that killed our soldiers in Karbala in an operation back in January, General Petraeus told The Times. We killed the head of that network less than a week before the operation that detained those British civilians. It was already planned and carried out by his followers. It is a secret cell of Jaish al-Mahdi [al-Mahdi Army] not all of which are under control of Moqtada al-Sadr. General Petraeus is referring to the Iranian backed Qazali Network, which the U.S. has been actively working to dismantle.
The operations against al Qaedas nationwide network also continue. Raids on Wednesday and Thursday in Mosul, Karma, Fallujah and north of Baghdad netted 11 al Qaeda. Coalition forces have positively identified an al Qaeda leader from the Karma region who was killed on June 17. Hussayn Awath Hussayn Hawawi, also known as Abu Thabbit, was a Libyan foreign fighter with connections to the North African foreign fighter network and ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq Intelligence reports indicate he moved at least 30 North African fighters into Iraq after escaping during a prison break in Mosul in March. Hawawi is also believed to be involved in suicide bombing operations, and his foreign fighters allegedly conducted a number of attacks on Coalition Forces in Anbar province in late May.
The concurrent operations in the Baghdad Belts, combined with the effort to secure Baghdad and the Special Forces raids on al Qaedas network will place a great strain on the terror group if the momentum is carried through the summer. Iraqi and Coalition forces are striking hard in the heart of al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent havens in Diyala, Babil and Anbar while squeezing the terror groups in the capital and conducting intelligence driven raids to keep the enemy off balance.
Al Qaeda can chose to stand and fight, and may do so in some places. But will eventually attempt to flee the hot zones in central Iraq for safer grounds. This will push them further from Iraqs center of gravity, while placing them at risk while attempting to reestablish their networks. Northwestern Iraq Niwena, Salahadin and Kirkuk will be a likely destination, however some of the most experienced Iraqi Army units are operating in the region. Some of them are taking up blocking positions to prevent the infiltration of terrorists attempting to escape Operation Phantom Fury.
#1
Operation "Phantom" Thunder. I wonder who comes up with these names? How about: How about Operation Real Thunder? Operation Kick Terrorist Asses? Operation Total War? Operation 911 Revenge? Operation Decapitate the Terrorists? Operation Arrowhead Ripper. Now there's a decent name. You ask what's in a name? Why not use names that strike fear in the hearts of the terrorists? You need a name that communicates a certainty with a certain amount of vagueness.
#2
Perhaps the human name generator has a model of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 on his desk and he used that as inspiration. Gotta admit, a whole flight of those loud smoky brutes coming in at tree top level in AB would cause the terrs to shit in their turbans. and if they had napalm canisters under the wings that would not be a bad thing either.
(AKI) - The head of a Palestinian clan in the Gaza Strip holding BBC reporter Alan Johnston wants Hamas to guarantee his and his relatives safety in exchange for the reporter's release, the daily Jerusalem Post said Friday. Clan leader Mumtaz Dagmoush, is refusing to release the journalist - kidnapped over 100 days ago - for fear that Hamas will kill him and most of his clan members, the Jerusalem Post said, citing Hamas sources. Dagmoush, who is known as Abu Muhammad, is negotiating Johnston's release with Hamas leaders in return for assurances that he and his relatives will not be killed, the report said.
Since last Saturday, the sources said, dozens of Hamas militiamen have been surrounding the area where the Dagmoush clan lives in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood. Hamas has warned that it will use force unless Johnston is freed by Monday.
"This man is a big thug," an unidentified source was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post.
"He is claiming to head a group calling itself the Army of Islam. In fact, this is just a group of murderers and thugs who want money and jobs," the source said.
On Wednesday, a member of the clan, Munir Dagmoush, was shot by unknown gunmen in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood. His killing raised fears that the clan might try to kidnap another foreigner.
Dagmoush said his Army of Islam group did not consist only of members of the Dagmoush clan. "I'm only a soldier in this group," he said. "This is a group that is based on the principle of jihad [holy war]."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 08:08 ||
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[5 views]
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#4
This is an interesting note. Unlike Fatah, whose rule resulted in clans ruled by strongmen, Hamas probably wants complete and utter control over all aspects of the Gaza Strip.
This means systematically wiping out any and all resistance, any authority alternative to the Hamas executive council, whatever they are.
In effect, from Israel's point of view, it is exchanging two dozen different independent enemies for one big enemy. While on the surface this seems to be a bad thing, it is actually far easier to deal with than the chaos and anarchy that existed before.
#5
If he needs a job, get BBC to hire him as a cameraman or producer. What differnce would it be and he has all the right qualifications for working at the beeb.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/22/2007 10:42 Comments ||
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#6
In fact, this is just a group of murderers and thugs who want money and jobs
Wanting jobs is soooo.... criminal! True, Dagmoush seems to go wrong way about it.
#7
As a muslim, Dagmoush of all people should know the value of a muslim's promises.
Bingo, ed! If there is no honor amongst thieves, imagine the perfidy and nefarious back-stabbing that must go on between Muslims. This is the true consequence of taqiyya. Claiming a god-given right to lie, cheat and steal makes for some pretty damning public relations. Were it even possible to overlook Islamic terrorism and shari'a law, taqiyya would still stand as an insurmountable obstacle to any acceptance of such filth. Granting oneself free license to violate every moral and ethical canon simply is intolerable.
Ghoulish terrorists Separatist militants in southern Thailand shot a Muslim man and then partially severed his head, while the nation's junta leader was visiting the region, police said today. The man, a 29-year-old local government official, was returning from evening prayers late Thursday when he was ambushed by suspected insurgents in Narathiwat province, police said.
Ten people, including five soldiers, were hurt in two separate bombings early Friday, while a 54-year-old Buddhist was gunned down in a drive-by shooting late yesterday, police said. The attacks came as General Sonthi Boonyaratglin was making a two-day visit to the troubled region along the southern border with Malaysia. The junta chief, who is the first Muslim army head in this mainly Buddhist nation, met yesterday and today with local religious leaders and military commanders. Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said in Malaysia yesterday that the insurgents were on their "last legs" and trying to escalate the conflict in a last-ditch bid for international attention. Unless the Thai terrorists can find a way to incorporate some anti-Bush (or America or Israel) spin to their slaughter, they can forget about major international attention.
(Antara): The Semarang district court on Monday sentenced terror suspect Agung Setyadi alias Pakne to six years in jail for sending a laptop to Bali bombing mastermind Imam Samudra who is awaiting death sentence at the Kerobokan penitentiary in Bali. Setyadi, who is also a lecturer of the school of informatics technology at a Semarang university was proven guilty of violating the law on combating terrorism, Edi Sudharmuhono, who presided over the panel of judges, said.
Sudharmuhono said Setyadi received a remittance of Rp 3 million (US$330)from death-row convict Imam Samudra in return for the laptop. The panel of judges gave the defendant seven days to appeal the verdict.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah
#1
Did the laptop have a bomb in it? If so, tell agung he can cut his sentence short by opening it and turning it on while alone in the prison yard...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/22/2007 9:50 Comments ||
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#2
Agung got busted for the files.
Posted by: ed ||
06/22/2007 9:59 Comments ||
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Top Indonesian terror suspect Abu Dujana will face charges of weapons and explosives possession under anti-terror laws that carry a maximum penalty of death, a police spokesmansaid Wednesday. Dujana, arrested June 9 on Indonesia's Java island, has been identified by police as the military head of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah. "He will be charged under the anti-terror law over possession of weapons and explosives," said Maj. Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto.
Sisno said Dujana would also face charges of harboring Malaysian fugitive Noordin Top, wanted for alleged involvement in a series of bomb attacks in Indonesia. Militants linked to Jemaah Islamiyah have been blamed for several bombings in Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim nation - including the 2002 nightclub attacks on Bali island that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, and three otherbloody strikes against Western targets since then. Sisno did not rule out that Dujana would also face charges over those bombings and the beheadings of three Christian school girls in eastern Indonesia in 2005.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Jemaah Islamiyah
(Antara): Five defendants of violence in Central Sulawesi's town of Poso face a 15-year jail term each during a court hearing in South Jakarta district court Thursday. During the hearing, prosecutors said the five defendants -- Arnoval Mencana, Bambang Tontou, Jonathan Tamsur, Dedy Dorus Serpianus Tempali, and Roni Sepriyanto Rantedago Parusu -- were found guilty for committing various crimes.
They were accused of carrying out terrorism, violence and murder, following the executions of three catholic militants, who were found guilty for attacking Islamic boarding school, killing a number of people. Police had also arrested at least 13 Islamic militants, who were accused of being involved in various violence in the town. Religious conflicts in late 1990s up to early 2000s reportedly had killed some 1,000 people from both Muslim and Christian communities.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#2
Wherever there are Muslims, there is trouble. So why are we: allowing them to immigrate; allowing Saudi and Iranian governments to finance the construction of mosques and Islamic Centers?
#3
Exactly, McZoid. Many here have been saying the same for a long time, especially Zenster. The general public is not informed and plainly doesn't get it. This is like seeing fire ants heading into your bedclothes and ignoring it, thinking they may not bother you afterall.
When Iranian Revolutionary Guards captured the British sailors and Royal Marines in March, it was not exactly their first attempt. It turns out that Iranian forces made an earlier concerted attempt to seize a boarding party from the Royal Australian Navy. The Australians, though, to quote one military source, "were having none of it".
The BBC has been told the Australians re-boarded the vessel they had just searched, aimed their machine guns at the approaching Iranians and warned them to back off, using what was said to be "highly colourful language". The Iranians withdrew, and the Australians were reportedly lifted off the ship by one of their own helicopters.
Posted by: doc ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
And we would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling aussie infidels.
#2
I did not notice and posted a dupe. Mods, please bit-bucket it.
The most interesting aspect of it all is that IRG tried 5 times to capture Ozzies. After the last attempt, seems that they decided Brits may be an easier target. Unfortunately, they were right.
As for the colorful language, a rumor has it that it went like this: "Get the fuck back! Get the fuck back NOW! Or we'll blow your monkey arses away!"
But them the BBC were'nt distacting that ships captain and using his helicopter like the UK ones were. I wonder did the BBC forward their movements to the Iranians?
Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias al-Murr said on Thursday the army's military operation against al Qaeda-inspired militants was over after the military destroyed all the militants' positions. "I can tell the Lebanese that as of now the military operation in Nahr al-Bared is finished. The army mission has been accomplished. " Murr told Lebanon's LBC television in a live interview.
Lebanon bulldozers wait for orders to enter the Palestinian Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon June 21, 2007. The Lebanese army's insistence on the surrender of the leaders of a militant group holed up at a Palestinian camp is complicating efforts to mediate an end to fighting there, a Palestinian political source said on Thursday. A Lebanese security source confirmed the army wants the surrender of Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Absi and his military commander known as Abu Huraira. Both were severely wounded but vowed not to surrender . The army insists that the militants are terrorists and murderers and they should be tried in court . Prime Minister Fouad Siniora promised a fair trial.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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A leader of Fatah al-Islam was killed today and another was severely wounded . Hassan al Dahal , who is also known as Abu el Shaheed (father of the martyr) was killed this afternoon . Another leader , Abu Hureira was severely wounded . The army will continues to pound the terrorists until they all surrender , an army spokesman told reporters . There is no place for them to hide anymore and they lost all their positions. This will continue to be our position . This decision he added came from the top and is irrevocable .
Mediators in Tripoli are complaining that the armys insistence on the total surrender has made their mission in ending the fighting impossible. One of them said: Our mission has so far failed and we are afraid this will mean the fighting will continue for some time.
"Dammit, man, I'm fighting for my *job*, here. Will you have me stand idly by while my kids starve? And my sainted mother needs new dentures. I cannot in all conscience allow this fire to cease while I still draw breath."
Fatah al-Islam fighters have deserted their positions and now are trying to hide inside the local mosques. Their snipers have been shooting at the army from inside the mosques but te army has not been responding to the fire out of respect for the houses of worship.
This article starring:
ABU EL SHAHID
Fatah al-Islam
ABU HUREIRA
Fatah al-Islam
HASAN AL DAHAL
Fatah al-Islam
Fatah al-Islam
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
#1
There is no place for them to hide anymore and they lost all their positions. This will continue to be our position .
Here's how to fight. Make yourselves an Army, maybe a people will find you.
#2
Their snipers have been shooting at the army from inside the mosques but te army has not been responding to the fire out of respect for the houses of worship.
"Fine. Go ahead and starve to death in there. We can wait. Oh, and you might want to reconsider drinking the footbath water. We all know what's been in that."
#4
"Fine. Go ahead and starve to death in there. We can wait. Oh, and you might want to reconsider drinking the footbath water. We all know what's been in that."
ima shocked tw, LOL.. way funny btw
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
06/22/2007 10:05 Comments ||
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The militants may have fallen back from their original bastion in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in Lebanon, but those remaining are putting up a fierce fight, according to army sources. "They're fighting like rats -- it's very hard to see them," a Lebanese army sergeant resting behind the lines told reporters on condition of anonymity on Thursday.
Tanks and mortars resumed pounding suspected Fatah al-Islam positions in the camp, focusing their fire on the center and south of Nahr al-Bared, areas so far relatively unscathed since the clashes began more than a month ago, on May 20. "Their firing points are camouflaged. They are in several, and run from one to the other," the sergeant said. "When they open fire from one position we spot them and reply with everything we've got. But it's often too late -- the shooter has already gone."
Motivated, trained, well-armed and mobile, the Sunni Islam militants of Fatah al-Islam are thought to contain veterans of the anti-American insurgency in Iraq among their ranks. The army has been taken aback by the ferocity of their resistance. "They made holes in the walls of the houses so they can pass from one to the other without coming out into the open," the sergeant said. "We think they also have tunnels. They're operating in rapid reaction teams of two or three. That's why the fight is so hard."
Lebanese army heavy guns have concentrated their fire for weeks on the northern sector of Nahr al-Bared -- the "new" camp which is a spillover of the original Palestinian refugee camp whose boundaries were set in 1948 by the United Nations. It was there that Fatah al-Islam chief Shaker al-Absi, a Palestinian, had set up his command post. The northern part of the camp is now a blasted wasteland, devastated by tons of high explosive shell bursts by the Lebanese army.
The soldiers are advancing slowly as they secure the northern area, fearful of mines and booby traps that have already killed several of their number. De-mining teams precede them as large bulldozers, protected by sandbags and metal plates, wait in the rear, ready to go into action.
The surviving militants have now withdrawn into the southern part of Nahr al-Bared, which is in principle controlled by more moderate factions such as the mainstream Fatah of Palestinian president Amhmoud Abbas. Fatah officials have said the order was given to prevent such a move, but clearly this has not been obeyed everywhere. "It is impossible that they could hold out for more than a month without the help of at least some local fighters," said Mustafa Adib, director of the Centre for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies in nearby Tripoli. "Their cause is a popular one among some of the younger people in the camps, but also among radical jihadists who are well established in the area," he told reporters.
"More broadly speaking, this fighting illustrates the urgent problem of Palestinian weapons in Lebanon, both inside the camps and elsewhere." Time to disarm completely all these camps he added.
Despite mediation efforts by local and Palestinian clerics, the Lebanese army is determined to accept nothing less than unconditional surrender by the militants. The credibility of the military is at stake. According to military sources the position of the army on the surrender isirrevocable "There will be no negotiations before the military operations end and the army is in control of Nahr al-Bared," Defense Minister Elias Murr was quoted as saying in Thursday's An-Nahar daily newspaper.
Update 4:00:PM June 21,2007 Beirut time
According to army sources, Fatah al-Islam terrorists have dispersed and are now hiding inside the camp mosques . Their snipers are shooting at the army from inside these mosques but the army is not responding out of respect for houses of worship. Fatah al- Islam according to PM Siniora have nothing to do with Islam they are a gang of terrorists he said . Their lack of respect for the mosques today proves Siniora is right . The army appears to have taken over the camp and is in the process of clearing the rubble and demining the booby traps left by the terrorists .
Posted by: Fred ||
06/22/2007 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
#1
Do not repeat IDF mistakes. Change tactics. Gas their ass. Burn them out. Don't let them pick you off. Use artillery. Just obliterate the entire area they are dug into.
#7
The Lebanese Army needs to be supplied with napalm cannisters and cluster munitions. That'll put a stop to this "running from place to place". Losing a leg to a cluster munition will stop it right now! Use tear gas on the mosque, then fire a willie pete round. It might do some damage to the mosque, but the fighters won't bother you any more. The only way to fight terrorists is wide-open, no-holds-barred militarily-inflicted brutality. It worked against the Germans and the Japanese, against the Koreans and Chinese, and against the Viet Cong. It's only the lawyers and the dummycritters that are keeping us from using these tactics elsewhere. Anything less than total force is a waste of time, energy, and soldiers' lives.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/22/2007 15:30 Comments ||
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#8
The only way to fight terrorists is wide-open, no-holds-barred militarily-inflicted brutality.
Word, Old Patriot. Anything less is self-defeating.
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.
Kandahar, 22 June (AKI) - A United States-led airstrike overnight killed at least 12 members of an Afghan family and 20 Taliban fighters in the volatile southern province of Helmand, provincial police chief Hussein Andiwal said on Friday. As many as 25 civilians died in the raid, including women and children, according to villagers and the district police chief. NATO has confirmed the incident occurred and that casualties were involved, but said it could not confirm if these included civlians.
But more than three-quarters of senior rebel commanders have already escaped the city, said one U.S. officer. 
Over the past two days Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces discovered and removed several caches and captured three suspected al-Qaida operatives across Ninewah province, due in part to local tips and cooperation from local citizens. 
Task Force Marne continues its sixth day of offensive operations to clear extremist sanctuaries in the Arab Jabour area which is located southeast of Baghdad. 
TAJI Iraqi Forces conducted an early-morning raid June 19 to breakup a terrorist sniper cell in the Bayji area of northern Iraq. During the raid, Iraqi Forces successfully raided the target objectives, detaining their primary suspect and four others for further questioning. Besides the five individuals detained, Iraqi Forces confiscated a sniper rifle, three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm pistol, associated ammunition as well as improvised explosive device making materials. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces, who were present for support, were injured during the operation.
MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq A joint operation geared toward curbing terrorist activity southwest of Baghdad is yielding results almost immediately. Operation Commando Eagle, a mix of helicopter-borne air assaults and Humvee-mounted movements, included Soldiers from several battalions of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division. 
FALLUJAH, Iraq Iraqi Army Forces conducted a series of raids June 18 detaining an alleged insurgent leader and his associate in the Al Shuhada District of Fallujah. With Coalition Forces present as advisers, Iraqi soldiers detained their two primary suspects and an additional person of interest without incident. Various documents and identification cards were also seized during the operation. The detained individuals are suspected of supporting insurgent activities throughout the Al Anbar Province. The alleged leader was also purportedly very active within the insurgency during the first and second battles of Fallujah. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces were injured during this operation.
BAGHDAD, Iraq Coalition Forces detained 11 suspected terrorists Wednesday and Thursday during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq. Wednesday morning, Coalition Forces conducted two operations in Mosul targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders in the area. Two suspected terrorists were detained for their suspected involvement with a Kurdish extremist in the al-Qaeda network and a terrorist emir of western Mosul.
The wounded suspected terrorist fled the scene, but Coalition Forces caught him and two other suspected terrorists as they moved from the first building into the second. The wounded individual was taken to a military medical facility for treatment. Two suspected terrorists were detained.
Operation Phantom Thunder, the name of the overarching operation to secure the Baghdad Belts, is now in its fifth day. As noted yesterday, Phantom Thunder is a corps level operation, with multiple U.S. and Iraqi divisions engaged on multiple fronts. Iraqi Security Forces and Multinational Forces Iraq are engaged in intense fights in four main theaters: Baghdad proper, and the belts regions consisting of Diyala and southern Salahadin province to the north, northern Bail province to the south, and eastern Anbar province to the west of Baghdad. The fighting has been the most intense in the city of Baqubah, the provincial capital of Diyala.
"To date, Marne Torch and Iraqi army units have detained more than five dozen suspected extremists and destroyed more than 17 boats on the Tigris River that are responsible for transporting accelerants into Baghdad," Multinational Forces Iraq reported in a press release. "U.S. forces killed five insurgents, discovered and destroyed 12 improvised explosive devices, and detained 13 wanted individuals."
As the major offensive is ongoing in the belts, the pressure is being kept up on Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army as well as al Qaeda's network throughout Iraq. 
Top Indonesian terror suspect Abu Dujana will face charges of weapons and explosives possession under anti-terror laws that carry a maximum penalty of death, a police spokesmansaid Wednesday. Dujana, arrested June 9 on Indonesia's Java island, has been identified by police as the military head of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah. "He will be charged under the anti-terror law over possession of weapons and explosives," said Maj. Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto.
Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias al-Murr said on Thursday the army's military operation against al Qaeda-inspired militants was over after the military destroyed all the militants' positions. "I can tell the Lebanese that as of now the military operation in Nahr al-Bared is finished. The army mission has been accomplished. " Murr told Lebanon's LBC television in a live interview.
A leader of 
The militants may have fallen back from their original bastion in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in Lebanon, but those remaining are putting up a fierce fight, according to army sources. "They're fighting like rats -- it's very hard to see them," a Lebanese army sergeant resting behind the lines told reporters on condition of anonymity on Thursday.
