A recent U.S. intelligence assessment has raised the estimated number of full-time Taliban-led insurgents fighting in Afghanistan to at least 25,000, underscoring how the crisis has worsened even as the U.S. and its allies have beefed up their military forces, a U.S. official said Thursday.
The U.S. official, who requested anonymity because the assessment is classified, said the estimate represented an increase of at least 5,000 fighters, or 25 percent, over what an estimate found last year.
On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry assured Afghans that America would continue to fight until "extremists and insurgents" were defeated in the war-torn nation.
The new intelligence estimate suggests such a fight would be difficult. Not included in the 25,000 tally are the part-time fighters - those Afghans who plant bombs or support the insurgents in other ways in return for money - and also the criminal gangs who sometimes make common cause with the Taliban or other Pakistan-based groups.
The assessment attributed the growth in the Taliban and their major allies, such as the Haqqani Network and Hezb-e-Islami, to a number of factors, including a growing sense among many Afghans that the insurgents are gaining ground over U.S.-led NATO troops and Afghan security forces.
"The rise can be attributed to, among other things, a sense that the central government in Kabul isn't delivering (on services), increased local support for insurgent groups, and the perception that the Taliban and others are gaining a firmer foothold and expanding their capabilities," the U.S. official said.
"They (the insurgents) don't need to win a popularity contest," said Michael O'Hanlon, a military analyst at the center-left Brookings Institution in Washington. "They are actually doing a good job in creating a complex psychological brew. The first part is building on frustration with the government. The second part is increasing their own appeal or at least taking the edge off of the hatred that people had felt for them before. But on top of that they are selectively using intimidation to stoke a climate of fear. And on top of that they have momentum."
James Dobbins, a retired ambassador who served as the first U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, said the new estimate shows how the war, which entered its ninth year this month, has been intensifying.
"It tells you that things are getting worse, and that would suggest that the current (U.S.-led troop) levels are inadequate," Dobbins said. "But it doesn't lead you to a formula that tells you what the adequate troop levels should be."
The estimated increase in the insurgents' ranks occurred as the numbers of U.S., British and other Western troops also increased, possibly suggesting the growth in international forces is bolstering an impression among many Afghans that they're under foreign occupation.
The new estimate comes as the Obama administration debates its new strategy for Afghanistan amid public divisions between senior officials and military commanders.
Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is seeking as many as 45,000 additional U.S. troops, which would bring the number of U.S. soldiers to more than 100,000. There are 39,000 forces from other countries and an effort is under way to double the size of the Afghan army to 134,000 by 2011.
Administration critics of McChrystal's assessment - led by Vice President Joe Biden - are promoting a more limited strategy that would require far fewer U.S. troops.
Eikenberry's remarks came at a ceremony honoring the more than 5,500 Afghan police and soldiers who have died since the war began.
"We will continue to stand side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder with you and the brave members of your security forces," said Eikenberry at a wreath-laying ceremony in a courtyard of Afghanistan's National Assembly. "We will fight with you, grieve with you, and build a future with you."
Eikenberry is a former U.S. military commander who as ambassador has taken a key role in the Obama administration's efforts to partner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to try to beat back the Taliban insurgency and stabilize the country.
However, the administration's relationship with Karzai has frayed amid allegations of widespread corruption in the Afghan government. In recent weeks, Karzai's relationship with the U.S. has been further strained by mounting evidence of large-scale fraud on his behalf during the Aug. 20 presidential election.
Karzai didn't attend Wednesday's ceremony, and some of his recent public statements have reflected increased tensions with Western diplomats.
At a Sunday news conference, Karzai accused some foreign diplomats of trying to interfere in Afghan affairs. He also said his government was investigating reports unidentified foreign helicopters were flying in insurgent-controlled areas in northern provinces.
Karzai never said what nation might be providing those helicopters, but his remarks helped stir speculation that somehow the U.S. was involved.
Eikenberry said Wednesday he had heard rumors and read articles the U.S. was secretly helping Afghanistan's enemy with weapons and helicopters. He denounced those reports "as outrageous and baseless. We would never aid the terrorists that attacked us on September 11, that are killing our soldiers, your soldiers, and innocent Afghan civilians every day."
A Karzai campaign team member said Karzai never meant to imply the helicopters were American.
"We believe what the American ambassador has said, and that the helicopters don't belong to America," said Moen Marastyal, an Afghan parliament member who has worked on the Karzai re-election campaign.
The election has yet to yield a final tally as an electoral complaints commission, which includes three United Nations appointees, reviews about 10 percent of the polling sites for fraudulent ballots. A final tally had been expected this week but it now appears those results won't come until later this month.
In a preliminary tally, Karzai had more than 54 percent of the vote, and under Afghan electoral law, he would win the election outright if his final tally remains above 50 percent. If it falls to 50 percent or less, Karzai would face a run-off with the second-place finisher, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
As the vote review drags on, some Western diplomats have proposed Karzai and his main rival form a coalition government.
Marastyal said Karzai has been told he has two options: Either agree to form a coalition government or be forced into a runoff election as the final tally tosses out fraudulent votes. In contrast, Marastyal said Karzai is under pressure from his own supporters not to forge a coalition government.
"We would have divisions in the government, and there would not be a good result," Marastyal said.
Sarwar Jawadi, an Abdullah spokesman, said his candidate has not agreed to join in a coalition government.
On Wednesday, Eikenberry's public remarks didn't mention any proposals for a coalition government. He said that the U.S. seeks a "reliable Afghan partner," and that the "long, but important election process" should yield a government elected upon the genuine votes of the people."
#4
The Afghans are backing what they perceive as the strong horse, and is is not us. What would you do if you were an Afghan, and emigration was not an option?
#6
The Pashtun Taliban have been merrily wandering off with the sons and some daughters of the Afghan villages they've claimed by right of conquest. Some other Afghans are working as Taliban for pay when no other jobs are available, just as in Iraq, or so it seems to me. I agree my understanding is not very deep, but I'd venture to guess that the number of willing and enthusiastic Talibs is considerably less than the number waving guns and making faces at the people counting them.
#11
If I was Obama (praise be I am not), I'd be pointing out to the Pakistani that 40,000 additional US troops are going to be pushing those Taliban forces down into Waziristan, and maybe further south.
[Bangla Daily Star] Two criminals were killed in "shootouts" with law enforcers in the capital and Noakhali early yesterday.
They are Kala Badsha, 45, of Nijhum Dwip in Hatiya upazila, Noakhali, and Jinnah Chowdhury alias Ratul, 30, one of the listed criminals of the capital's Mirpur area.
Acting on a tip-off, Information gained from Mahmoud the Weasil in a hive of Scum and Villiany
a Rab team cordoned off a place at Dholaikhal around 3:45am Formation and roll cacll being held previously at 0100
where members of a gang gathered. Sensing their presence, Like the Spider who uses his spider sense
the criminals opened fire BANG! BANG! BANGETY BANG!
on the Rab personnel. The members of Rab-10 fired back causing Ratul's death on the spot. aghhhh! *rosebud*
His accomplices, however, managed to flee the scene. Bad guys' security chief sux again...
The body was sent to Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. He's ded. He can't get no dedder...
Rab personnel recovered a pistol and four bullets from the spot. and back in its wooden case and in the local constabulary's fire arms locker for next time...
In Noakhali, Kala Badsha, leader of the pirate gang "Badsha Bahini", was shot dead at Carring Char in Hatiya upazila, reports UNB.
Police apprehended Kala Badsha from Hathazari upazila of Chittagong Thursday morning. "Come on, Badsha, youse coming wit us."
On information, police went to the char along with Badsha in a bid to arrest his cohorts and recover hidden arms Thursday night. They assigned a rookie to watch Badsha while the RAB went after his cohorts
Badsha came in the line of fire when his accomplices opened fire on police and died on the spot. The RAB just hadda bring his sorry ass along
Police said Badsha was accused in several cases of murders, extortions and rape. Baby, he's a Bad Man...
Locals said Badsha with his gang members committed piracy on Meghna and coastal waterways.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Them: The members of Rab-10 fired back causing Ratul's death on the spot
#4
I dunno, Badanov, it just doesn't have that special feeling about it I get when TW does the narrative. And before you ask, no I can't look up these placematsnames on my "huge map". Some idjit stole it to make a balloon out of it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/17/2009 13:54 Comments ||
Top||
#7
badanov brings his own special touch, which I greatly appreciate. Who else would have though of a hive of Scum and Villainy? Or the poor Bad Man's sorry ass? Or the song so subtly reference in the last line, that's been lingering in my head ever since --- WHAT IS IT CALLED? I think badanov is climbing the learning curve very nicely indeed.
Old Patriot -- stolen? I'm devastated! We're going to have to go back to the map file in the back of the fourth sub-basement of the Peshawar city hall, which means spiders and high mold counts and remembering the name of that cranky file clerk who so hates to share.
[Bangla Daily Star] The seven arrested members of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were taken on a fresh five-day remand last afternoon.
The court of Metropolitan Magistrate BM Tariqul Kabir granted the five-day remand after police had produced the militants before the court with remand prayers for eight days, said Sub-Inspector M Hafizur Rahman, investigation officer (IO) of the case.
On October 10, the militants were taken on a seven-day remand that ended yesterday. A team of Special Branch of police arrested them from four greater Rajshahi districts.
Senior police officials said, the seven militants during interrogation on remand denied their involvement in JMB activities.
Many of Galib's foreign connections eventually turn into sources of funding for JMB pointing finger at the Ahle Hadith chief's patronisation of the JMB underground, said the investigation sources.
During the seven-day remand in police custody, the militants lived a camp life. As six of them go to sleep, another keeps watch on others, fans them or protects them from mosquito bites. They say their prayers and take meals together.
This article starring:
ABDUR RAHIM
JMB
ASADUL ISLAM
JMB
ASADULLAH AL GALIB
Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh
ASHRAF ALIAS HAIDER
JMB
ISARUL ISLAM
JMB
MD MOMTAZ
JMB
ROHIDUL
JMB
SHAHABUDIN
JMB
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2009 00:00 ||
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Oussama Kassir, a self-proclaimed al-Qaida tough guy, flew into a rage after his late-night arrival at a remote Oregon ranch. The barren rangeland, suggestive of Afghanistan, was to become an Islamic fighter training base.
Kassir expected to be welcomed by Muslim recruits, eager to learn the ways of war. Instead, he got an Islamic leader from Seattle, a mentally impaired 18-year-old and two women more interested in canning jars than jihad. Kassir expected access to a weapons armory. He got one pistol and a .22-caliber rifle.
The events that led to the effort 10 years ago to establish a jihad camp outside Bly have been well-chronicled. But testimony and exhibits from Kassir's trial in New York provide the fullest account to date of what went on behind the gates of the Dog Cry Ranch. What emerges from the trial record is an almost comic account of passwords, night patrols and target practice. Jihad, it seems, couldn't take root alongside the sagebrush and weeds that greeted Kassir.
Kassir recently was sentenced to life in prison for his effort, and his two partners in the enterprise are awaiting extradition to the U.S.
Kassir recently was sentenced to life in prison for his effort, and his two partners in the enterprise are awaiting extradition to the U.S.
The whole set up was in fact a hustle by a petty crook from Seattle named James Ujaama. Ujaama envisioned the Oregon camp as an Islamic time share, selling visits to foreign Muslims. Twice he lured groups from his Seattle mosque for weekend visits to the ranch. They thought they were going on a bit of a Western adventure -- riding, shooting and chasing cows.
In late 1999, Ujaama pitched a more grave version to a London imam, Abu Hamza al-Masri. The hook-handed preacher was known for fiery oratory, lashing the West while secretly arranging entree for Muslims to militant camps in Afghanistan. Ujaama promised al-Masri a safe haven, recruits and weapons to transform the desert ranch into a Muslim military training camp.
Al-Masri bought the pitch, and Kassir soon found himself on a trans-Atlantic flight to the U.S. He would later boast that he had trained in al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan. He brought along a partner, Haroon Aswat, supposedly an al-Qaida trainer himself. Aswat later would spend time in an al-Qaida safe house in Pakistan, his visit recorded in a ledger bearing the fingerprints of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
For the Oregon trip, the wiry Aswat packed homemade training CDs with graphic instructions on how to make bombs and poisons. One manual warned that making poison was "more dangerous than making explosives. Always use good protective clothing. I know too many mujahedeen whose lungs and bodies are messed up due to the lack of quality protection equipment."
Kassir brought with him a wad of British currency, but this was a low-budget affair. To save money, the trainers endured a two-day ride across the U.S. on a Greyhound bus to reach Seattle and Ujaama.
In early December 1999, they drove south to Bly, arriving at the Dog Cry Ranch about midnight. They were welcomed by Semi Osman, a mechanic and part-time imam from Seattle. He had recently moved into a ramshackle mobile home on the ranch with his wife, their daughter, and his wife's teenage brother. The only other person on the ranch was the Islamic wife of the sheep rancher who owned the place.
Kassir looked around the scruffy compound of two mobile homes and a few outbuildings. In the kitchen of one of the mobile homes, Kassir turned on Ujaama. Over and over, he demanded of Ujaama: Where are the recruits? Where are the recruits? Ujaama and Osman said the would-be jihadists had families and jobs in Seattle and couldn't move down. Where, then, are the guns, Kassir demanded. The men from Seattle said they had a couple and would get more.
Kassir raged on, asking about housing for their beloved imam once he arrived from London. "Where are you going to put this man?" Kassir hissed. By morning, Ujaama was gone and so was his idea of a Muslim retreat.
Kassir later confided to one of the women at the ranch that he intended to kill Ujaama on the spot and bury him in the woods.
Kassir later confided to one of the women at the ranch that he intended to kill Ujaama on the spot and bury him in the woods. He was talked out of it and warned that Ujaama's wife surely would come looking for him.
Kassir wasn't ready to give up on the idea of a training camp. He initiated night patrols, leading Aswat, the Seattle imam, and the mentally impaired teenager on all-night forays. They dressed in black, checked fence lines, looking for signs of intruders. Kassir explained they were practicing reconnaissance. He blackened his eyes with coal, explaining that made the whites stand out in a more menacing way in battle. Using the guns they had, they practiced shooting in an advancing line, from a crouch and from sniperlike positions on the hills. They bought a shotgun for their tiny arsenal, but Kassir took it for himself. From then on, he carried it over his shoulder wherever he went on the ranch.
Kassir taught the men to throw knives and claimed he got his curved Gurkha knife in fighting overseas. One day, they gathered at the horse corrals for Kassir to teach them how to kill with a knife. The teenager was instructed to drop to his knees to serve as sort of a practice dummy. Kassir asked the teen whether he could kill a man. The boy replied that he could because he had killed sheep. "Killing a man is not like killing a sheep," Kassir said.
Al-Masri called the ranch from London one day to check on progress. The call alarmed Osman. "You can't have him call here, because he has heat on him," Osman told the others. Too late.
Al-Masri called the ranch from London one day to check on progress. The call alarmed Osman. "You can't have him call here, because he has heat on him," Osman told the others. Too late. British and U.S. authorities had been tracking developments at the ranch almost from the start.
Aside from such lapses, Kassir did impose security measures. He instructed Hyat Hakimah, the ranch owner's wife, to use a password before leaving her mobile home. Hakimah was growing uneasy with developments. She had expected to run a sort of Home Extension Service for Muslims at her place. "They were, you know, training for war," she later explained. She and her husband were never implicated in any wrongdoing. "I was just wanting, you know, people to be able to raise their own vegetables and preserve them and eat more healthy," she said.
Kassir suggested that she send the Arab horses she was raising overseas to Afghanistan. She saw the poison-making manual and its recommendation to test poisons on horses. "That was a needless thing," Hakimah later testified. She soon abandoned the ranch to the visitors, and a month later they were gone too.
Kassir and Aswat took refuge in a Seattle mosque and tried taking the training to the Muslims who hadn't wanted to move to Bly. After a few classes, the men from London gave up and packed their bags for home. Kassir explained his exasperation to Osman. "I've been trying to train these brothers," Kassir said. "They're not taking it seriously."
#2
"Instead, he got an Islamic leader from Seattle, a mentally impaired 18-year-old and two women more interested in canning jars..." So was that three or four weasels? sometimes i can't differentiate?
#3
All the serious wannabe jihadis go to Pakistan to be trained, anyway, like that Afghan lad who just pled innocent in New York. But hey -- whatever happened to that Muslim enclave in the hills of one of the Carolinas or Alabama or someplace like that? That was an entirely different level of seriousness.
#4
Although this sounds like the "gang who couldn't shoot straight" I wonder nonetheless what their connections might have been in the U.S. Kassir came here in 1999; I wonder if they had any connections to the 9/11 murderers.
An under-22 cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir staying at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) complex in the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been arrested by the Bangalore police in connection with a suspected presence of explosives at the venue. Two matches of the Champions League are scheduled to be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday but police have said they will be played only after a thorough check of the ground.
Police have asked Cape Cobras and Victoria, whose match was supposed to begin at 4.00 pm (10.30 GMT), to remain in their hotel and the start time was pushed back by an hour. Spectators were being allowed into the venue after thorough checks.
Briefing the media, Bangalore's police commissioner Shanker Bidari said the police acted on a tip-off on Friday night from the stadium staff: "When the police entered the room, the instruments pointed towards a bag but no explosives were found in it. Even then, as a measure of precaution, we have taken the person possessing the bag into custody. His antecedents are being verified from the Jammu and Kashmir police."
Bidari said the bag might have been used to transport explosives, which could have been shifted to another place.
Ehsan Mirza, a senior official at Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, however, said they had been assured by KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel there was nothing untoward but they were not happy with the incident. "Our Under-22 team reached Bangalore on Friday evening from Bhubaneswar," Mirza told Cricinfo.
"Today morning some people - not sure whether Karnataka police or any other security agency - came to the KSCA and carried out interrogations and picked two of our boys Pervez Rassol and Mehrajudin (both from Kashmir). We spoke to Brijesh Patel and he assured us there was nothing untoward. But we are not happy with the incident. This is the height of indecency, the way our boys have been treated, and we are speaking to our president Farooq Abdullah to get the team back."
An official from the Jammu and Kashmir U-22 team said they were "shocked". "We are going to Mumbai soon. But now this has happened. All the boys are shocked. We are just waiting for further orders."
Investigators have arrested more than 100 suspects -- including Afghan and Tajik nationals -- after terrorists unleashed coordinated attacks in Lahore on Thursday, reported a private TV channel and news agencies.
According to the channel, Punjab police arrested four terrorists from Lahore and Multan. Police sources claimed the arrest of Bilal Engineer -- an "important terrorist" who is said to be an expert in making suicide jackets and a member of the TTP faction that claimed responsibility for the Lahore attacks. Bilal later divulged "some important information" on three other terrorists who were arrested from Sherakot in Lahore, the channel said. Those arrested from Lahore include a would-be suicide bomber and an Afghan national, it said. Suicide jackets and material used in making bombs were also seized.
Police arrested three alleged terrorists from Faisalabad, and seized suicide jackets.
Karachi police arrested 38 "suspected terrorists" -- including 33 clad in FC uniforms -- from Sharafi Goth area.
Kashmore police arrested 19 Afghan and Tajik nationals from passenger buses.
Karachi police arrested 38 "suspected terrorists" -- including 33 clad in FC uniforms -- from Sharafi Goth area. Police also seized various types of weapons.
APP reported that intelligence agencies arrested two terrorists from Sohrab Goth and four suspects "in an injured condition" from a Karachi hospital. The agency also said that two terrorists arrested in Islamabad had disclosed plans for targeting the main F-8 market and a police station. A suicide jacket and a grenade were also found, and the men confessed to being members of the TTP, said APP.
This article starring:
BILAL ENGINIR
TTP
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10/17/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] At least six militants among 12 persons were killed during security forces' operation in parts of South Waziristan Agency (SWA) while 18 others sustained injuries, ISPR said on Friday.
According to a foreign news agency, as many as three army soldiers embraced martyrdom and three sustained injured in Taliban's rocket attack at Landi Nor Camp set up in Shakai area of SWA.
According to sources, 12 persons including six miscreants were killed as security forces' jet planes shelled suspected militants' sanctuaries located in Makeen, Ladda, Badr, Seena Taga, Oasta, Nano and Saam areas of SWA, leaving 18 others wounded.
Total six militants' hideouts were pounded during bombardments through security forces' jet planes which was part of forces' operation being carried out for last two months in different stronghold areas of Mehsud, sources said.
The fresh security forces' troops have arrived Razmak area in order to launch a massive operation against Taliban, sources added.
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A twin suicide attack tore through a police compound in Pakistan on Friday, killing 13 people and heightening public anger over security breaches behind a wave of recent attacks.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed power with a weak government on the frontline of the U.S.-led war on terror, has been battered by assaults that have left more than 170 people dead in 11 days.
A woman suicide bomber on a motorbike and a car bomber unleashed fresh chaos Friday, detonating near a police investigations office in a garrison area of the northwestern city of Peshawar, heavily damaging the building, police said.
It was only the second suicide bomb attack by a woman in Pakistan. The twin blasts flung human limbs across the street, splattering blood on the ground and scattering shoes, an AFP reporter at the scene saw.
It was the second bomb attack in Peshawar in 24 hours, striking a day after 40 people died in a wave of militant attacks against security targets in Pakistan's eastern city Lahore and the country's volatile northwest.
Army attacks on Taliban
"I have counted 13 dead bodies and 13 wounded in the emergency unit of the hospital," police official Mohammad Gul told AFP by telephone from the main government-run hospital in Peshawar.
Ambulances screeched through the streets, sirens blaring as rescue teams rushed to the scene of the attack, where TV footage showed smoldering wreckage and a damaged brick wall.
North West Frontier Province police chief Malik Navid told Pakistan's state PTV it was an apparent suicide attack, with the bomber driving a car.
The bomb ripped through the police-run Central Investigation Agency (CIA) building in Peshawar -- the largest city in northwest Pakistan which lies on the fringes of the lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border.
The government, meanwhile, says a ground offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in their South Waziristan lair is imminent and the army has been stepping up its air and artillery attacks in recent days to soften up the militants' defenses.
Aircraft and artillery struck militant positions in their strongholds of Ladha, Makeen and in the mountainous Shahoor region overnight, hours after killing 27 militants in the region in various strikes.
"We could see thick smoke and flames leaping into the sky from caves in the mountains after the bombing by jet fighters," said a resident near Shahoor who declined to be identified.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan is under U.S. pressure to crack down on Islamic militancy as President Barack Obama considers a boost in troop numbers fighting in neighboring Afghanistan.
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Pakistan imposes an indefinite curfew in parts of the South Waziristan Agency beginning from Saturday while at least 14 people are killed in clashes with security forces.
The government decision to impose an indefinite curfew has come in connection with a possible military operation against the pro-Taliban militants in the region, officials told a Press TV correspondent on Friday. The curfew will begin from 7 a.m. on Saturday.
Fresh security forces have arrived in the area in order to launch a massive operation against militants, the officials said on condition of anonymity. Mass evacuation of civilians has started from parts of the South Waziristan Agency in order to minimize civilian deaths, they said.
Meanwhile, military jets shelled suspected militant hideouts in Makeen, Ladda, Badr, Seena Taga, Oasta, Nano and Saam areas on Friday, killing at least 12 people, including six militants and injuring 18 others. Two security personnel were also killed while three were injured.
This is while a high-level meeting was held in Islamabad on Friday between the country's parliamentary leadership of key political parties with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and military chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani.
It was agreed to kick off a massive army offensive against suspected pro-Taliban militants in the agency.
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[Dawn] The country's top civil and military command and most of the major opposition parties' leaders decided in principle on Friday to launch a military operation in South Waziristan, terming it 'imperative' to eliminating terrorism and extremism from the country.
According to sources, participants of a meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, agreed that a recent spate of suicide bombings in different parts of the country had roots in South Waziristan and suicide bombings and terrorist attacks could not be curbed without crushing terrorists' leaders hiding in tribal areas.
Chief of Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, gave a detailed briefing and the meeting is reported to have decided about the timing of the operation, but it was not officially disclosed to the media.
According to the sources, the operation might be launched within 24 hours. President Asif Ali Zardari did not attend, but he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Gilani shortly before the meeting.
Security sources said it was going to be a three-pronged operation supervised by the corps commander concerned with the aim to block all routes of militants present in the region, particularly the Mehsud area.
The operation will be supported by the air power, including helicopter gunships and jet bombers. The army has reportedly sent two divisions totalling 28,000 men and blocked different routes in the area.
Analysts said an immediate push would be needed with winter approaching. It was learnt that military authorities had completed all arrangements for the operation. Over 8,000 families of South Waziristan moved to Dera Ismail Khan on Friday to seek shelter.
There was no significant opposition to the operation in the meeting, except some concerns expressed by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-N. A source quoted PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar as saying: 'We were invited to discuss the law and order situation, but the whole discussion focused on South Waziristan.'
The army chief said the situation had become so 'dangerous' because of terrorist activities being planned in South Waziristan that a military operation had become unavoidable.
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha briefed the meeting about intelligence reports and said: 'You cannot imagine how many people are on the hit list of terrorists.
They are not only important personalities and politicians but some ordinary people in different professions.' Interior Minister Rehman Malik gave a separate briefing when Chaudhry Nisar asked why the operation had become necessary.
He presented an overall picture of militant organisations and their activities in South Waziristan and claimed that not only the current spate of terrorist attacks, but also those that took place in the past had links with Taliban in the region. The PML-Q supported the decision to launch the operation.
'We condemn slaughter of innocent people by terrorists and support any operation to be launched in South Waziristan,' said the party's chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
A PML-Q leader, Ameer Muqam, said the meeting had extended complete support to the army in the war against terror.
'Our forces are fighting against militancy and we know that there is no other way to deal with the situation.'
In reply to a question, he said the timing of the operation would depend on the government, its resources and the military authorities, 'but one clear message the political leadership gave in the meeting is that the entire nation is behind the army in this war'.
The meeting was attended by Awami National Party's Asfandyar Wali Khan, PML-N's Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Dr Farooq Sattar, Balochistan National Party-A's Senator Israrullah Zehri, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao of the Pakistan People's Party-S, Munir Khan Orakzai from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Mian Raza Rabbani of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Pir Sadruddin Shah of the PML-F, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister Amir Haidar Khan Hoti, the chief of the Intelligence Bureau and other officials.
'It has always been our stand that whatever resources and economic support are required would be given in the war on terror,'
Senator Rabbani of the PPP said.The meeting decided that the writ of the government would never be compromised in any part of the country.
'There was consensus that all efforts to eradicate extremism and terrorism will be taken forward,' Rabbani said.
The army has spent months softening targets in the region with air strikes, but refuses to set a timeframe for a ground offensive.
A handout said the political leadership noted that there already existed an across-the-board consensus to root out extremism and restore the writ of the state.
The leadership acknowledged the army's successes in Malakand and Swat, condemned the recent upsurge of terror incidents and agreed that militancy posed a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state.
In the given circumstances, the national consensus was reaffirmed to establish and maintain the writ of the state and weed out those elements.
The sources said that the first draft of the statement was rejected on the suggestion of the army chief, who wanted some applause for the armed forces' personnel who had sacrificed their lives in the war on terror.
'The political leadership assembled together appreciated the sacrifices and the ongoing efforts of the Pakistan Army in this regard,' the handout said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
'It has always been our stand that whatever resources and economic support are required would be given in the war on terror,'
[Dawn] In the backdrop of recent acts of terrorism in various parts of the country, the Sindh Home Department has enforced Section 144 Cr.P.C. with immediate effect and banned motorcycle pillion riding in Karachi and Hyderabad for the next 30 days.
An official announcement said, however, handicap people, elderly persons, children below 12 years of age, women, journalists and members of law enforcing agencies will remain exempted from the restriction imposed.
In this regard Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Ali Mirza has issued directives to provincial police officer to ensure the enforcement and implementation of section 144 as per the orders issued.
He said the security personnel should be warned for not exceeding their powers and harassing the peaceful citizens.
He called for a separate plan for fool proof security of installations of Pakistan Army and Navy, sensitive places like oil terminals, gas fields, Karachi Port Trust, oil refineries, Coast Guard offices etc.
He said that steps for an organised and coordinated security be ensured in consultation with the aforesaid places and installations under the special security plan devised for the purpose.
Home Minister directed that steps be taken for deployment of commandos of Elite Force for security of army installations in particular besides police patrolling and picketing in the surrounding areas as well as activating the personnel of secret agencies.
Taking notice of a press report about stoppage of fuel to police department, the home minister called for a detail report thereof.
He pointed out that there is high security alert in Karachi in view of acts of terrorism in the country and therefore such steps be taken whereby police patrolling and snap checking are not affected, particularly in red zones.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Malaysia has detained a fugitive Iraqi lawmaker, Mohammed al-Daini, after he was caught using a fake passport at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, local media reported on Friday.
Daini was detained on Oct. 10 when an immigration officer at the departure checkpoint stopped him after checks revealed he was carrying someone else's traveling document, according to the online version of the New Straits Times.
State news agency Bernama said Daini was still under detention pending deportation.
"The suspect is still being detained because we still have to wait for a new travel document from the Iraqi Embassy before he can be sent back to his country of origin," Abdul Rahman Othman, director-general of the Immigration Department, was quoted by Bernama as saying.
In February, the Iraqi parliament lifted the immunity of Daini, paving the way for his arrest on charges of orchestrating a series of sectarian murders and attacks, including a suicide bombing in parliament.
Daini, a Sunni legislator, has been accused by the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of ordering car bombings, mortar attacks and mass murders during the height of the violence unleashed by the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/17/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq
#1
Will an escort come with that paperwork or is it on the honor system for him to return to Iraq?
#2
If they're smart, he'll go back in handcufs with two guards. (Guard's gotta pee sometimes)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/17/2009 11:37 Comments ||
Top||
#3
#2: If they're smart, he'll go back in handcufs with two guards. (Guard's gotta pee sometimes) Posted by: Redneck Jim||
Waste of time, manpower and money. Send one police officer with a "new set of travel documents" coated with a fast-acting contact poison. Daini dies of a "heart attack", the body is buried in Malaysia (or tossed into the ocean for the sharks, whichever is cheapest), case is closed. No chance of "rescue", no money wasted on a trial, and Daini isn't a drain on the Iraqi Treasury, not even for a few days. Win-win.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/17/2009 14:08 Comments ||
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#4
They'll bring him back. There's constituents to appease.
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.
[Bangla Daily Star] Two criminals were killed in "shootouts" with law enforcers in the capital and Noakhali early yesterday.
An under-22 cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir staying at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) complex in the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been arrested by the Bangalore police in connection with a suspected presence of explosives at the venue. Two matches of the Champions League are scheduled to be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday but police have said they will be played only after a thorough check of the ground.
Investigators have arrested more than 100 suspects -- including Afghan and Tajik nationals -- after terrorists unleashed coordinated attacks in Lahore on Thursday, reported a private TV channel and news agencies.
[Geo News] At least six militants among 12 persons were killed during security forces' operation in parts of South Waziristan Agency (SWA) while 18 others sustained injuries, ISPR said on Friday.
[Dawn] The country's top civil and military command and most of the major opposition parties' leaders decided in principle on Friday to launch a military operation in South Waziristan, terming it 'imperative' to eliminating terrorism and extremism from the country.
[Dawn] In the backdrop of recent acts of terrorism in various parts of the country, the Sindh Home Department has enforced Section 144 Cr.P.C. with immediate effect and banned motorcycle pillion riding in Karachi and Hyderabad for the next 30 days.
