Press Trust of India | NDTV | Islamabad: Pakistan has taken unprecedented security measures to fend off a looming threat by Taliban militants to launch the "biggest attack" on some unspecified important installation, officials said today.
Joint teams of commandos from the army, navy and air force went into action yesterday and took control of important facilities like the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Rawalpindi and several key sensitive security buildings in Islamabad.
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Showing posts with label Taliban. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taliban. Show all posts
August 5, 2013
August 1, 2013
3 al Qaeda Military 'Training Experts' Killed in US Drone Strike in Pakistan
Bill Roggio | Long War Journal | A Pakistani Taliban commander said that the US killed three al Qaeda military "training experts" in a drone strike in North Waziristan that took place last weekend. Al Qaeda continues to support Taliban military operations in Afghanistan and conduct its own attacks despite claims from US commanders that the terrorist group is merely fighting for its survival in the country and maintains a minimal presence.
The US drone strike, which took place on July 28 in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, a known hub for terrorists crossing into Afghanistan, is reported to have killed four Arabs and four Taliban fighters.
The Taliban commander told Reuters that the Arab fighters were "al Qaeda training experts who had crossed the border from Afghanistan to look at ways of setting up a similar camp on Pakistani territory." The al Qaeda fighters were identified as "Abu Rashid from Saudi Arabia, Muhammed Ilyas Kuwaiti from Kuwait, and Muhammed Sajid Yamani from Yemen."
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The US drone strike, which took place on July 28 in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, a known hub for terrorists crossing into Afghanistan, is reported to have killed four Arabs and four Taliban fighters.
The Taliban commander told Reuters that the Arab fighters were "al Qaeda training experts who had crossed the border from Afghanistan to look at ways of setting up a similar camp on Pakistani territory." The al Qaeda fighters were identified as "Abu Rashid from Saudi Arabia, Muhammed Ilyas Kuwaiti from Kuwait, and Muhammed Sajid Yamani from Yemen."
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The U.S. Military Has Awarded Contracts To Al-Qaeda In Afghanistan
Tyler Durden - Michael Krieger | Zero Hedge | I suppose it just wasn’t enough that our allies, “the rebels” in Syria, have significant Al-Qaeda elements to them. No, we are the USA! USA! Best country ever. Defender of human rights. City on a hill. We must do far more than that. So we did.
This story below from Bloomberg, highlights a 236-page report by the U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office, which shows that military contracts have been granted to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yep, this is exactly what happens when an empire gets too big, too corrupt, and ends up in the hands of a bunch of sociopaths. From Bloomberg: "Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing “due process rights” as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending." READ MORE
This story below from Bloomberg, highlights a 236-page report by the U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office, which shows that military contracts have been granted to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yep, this is exactly what happens when an empire gets too big, too corrupt, and ends up in the hands of a bunch of sociopaths. From Bloomberg: "Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing “due process rights” as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending." READ MORE
July 31, 2013
Women’s Rights at Risk in Afghan Peace Process
Selah Hennessy | Voice of America | July 30, 2013 | LONDON — Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the rights of Afghan have progressed: Women are in school, the workplace and government.
But those advances could well be jeopardized in coming months, according to a new report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
While CEDAW chief Nicole Ameline has received assurances of Afghan officials that women’s rights will be upheld after international troops depart in 18 months, the U.N.'s most recent gender-inequality index indicates the status of women in Afghanistan remains among the worst in the world.
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But those advances could well be jeopardized in coming months, according to a new report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
While CEDAW chief Nicole Ameline has received assurances of Afghan officials that women’s rights will be upheld after international troops depart in 18 months, the U.N.'s most recent gender-inequality index indicates the status of women in Afghanistan remains among the worst in the world.
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July 30, 2013
Obama Admin Quietly Releases Taliban Inmates From Gitmo To Open Peace Talks In Afghanistan
AWR Hawkins | Big Peace | Without an official announcement or any publicity, the Obama administration released five members of the Taliban from Gitmo in order to open peace talks in Afghanistan.
Ynetnews.com reports that "a top U.S. official said the prisoners were released under the condition that they will not engage in any violent activity." The terror activity of those released is not in question.
Rather, their release is intended as a gesture to get peace talks rolling between the U.S., Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
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Ynetnews.com reports that "a top U.S. official said the prisoners were released under the condition that they will not engage in any violent activity." The terror activity of those released is not in question.
Rather, their release is intended as a gesture to get peace talks rolling between the U.S., Afghanistan, and the Taliban.
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The Taliban is Not the Biggest Barrier to Education for Malala's Peers
Kevin Watkins | The Guardian | Last October, the Taliban thought they had solved a problem. When one
of its gunmen shot a 15-year-old girl in the head for publicly opposing
a ban on girls' schooling, it looked as though they had silenced a
source of dissent. Instead, their intended victim has emerged a powerful
voice for education. Speaking at the UN two weeks ago, Malala Yousafzai capitivated a global audience when she called on children worldwide to demand universal primary education and for governments to deliver free schooling.
"I raise up my voice so that those without a voice can be heard," she said. Her speech was a passionate call to action. But it was also a stark reminder of the failure of governments to deliver on their promise to get all of the world's children into school by 2015. And no government has failed more comprehensively than that of Pakistan.
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"I raise up my voice so that those without a voice can be heard," she said. Her speech was a passionate call to action. But it was also a stark reminder of the failure of governments to deliver on their promise to get all of the world's children into school by 2015. And no government has failed more comprehensively than that of Pakistan.
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Afghanistan Bombings Kill 14
Jill Langlois | Global Post |Two bombings — one overnight and another early Monday morning — killed at least 14 people in southern Afghanistan.
The first blast hit Zabul Province late Sunday night, killing 11 people and wounding another 20.
Local officials said the dead included a senior police official, two policemen and eight civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing.
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29 Militants Killed in Afghanistan
SINA | Afghanistan Sun | Monday 29th July, 2013 | Twenty-nine Taliban were killed and 24 others wounded in clashes and operations since Friday morning, said the Afghan Interior Ministry and officials on Saturday morning. "In the past 24 hours, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and Coalition Forces conducted several cleanup operations in Herat, Ghazni, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktiya provinces. As a result 20 armed Taliban were killed, 12 wounded and six other armed Taliban were arrested by the ANSF," the ministry said in a press statement.
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July 26, 2013
Warzone Photos: Inside a Combat Landing in Afghanistan
C-130 crew contends with anti-aircraft weapons, dangerous conditions to link critical air bases
U.S. News | Paul D. Shinkman | BAGRAM AIRBASE, Afghanistan—The nose of the Air Force C-130 cargo plane dips sharply as it hurtles toward the oncoming runway at one of this country’s largest military bases. It’s an alarming descent for the uninitiated, more used to the easy 3-degree glide path that most commercial jets employ.
But for pilots heading into Bagram, it’s the standard operating procedure. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans live within eight miles of the perimeter here, and Taliban fighters still operate among these towns.
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July 25, 2013
Taliban Abducts Afghan Policemen After Drugging Them
Radio Free Europe | Taliban militants have reportedly abducted 12 local policemen after poisoning their food in southern Afghanistan.
Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewani, police chief of the southern Zabul Province, said on July 25 that the incident happened in the province's remote Shahjoi district. He said the Taliban militants approached the post posing as guests and apparently mixed drugs into the food the policemen had prepared for themselves.
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Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewani, police chief of the southern Zabul Province, said on July 25 that the incident happened in the province's remote Shahjoi district. He said the Taliban militants approached the post posing as guests and apparently mixed drugs into the food the policemen had prepared for themselves.
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Heritage Foundation Slams Barack Obama's 'Zero Option' Policy on Afghanistan
The Economic Times | WASHINGTON: Hitting hard at the Obama Administration on considering "zero option" - meaning no troops on the ground in Afghanistan - after 2014, an eminent American expert on South Asia has said that it was a "dream option" for the Taliban militants in the war-torn country.
"The zero option is the Taliban dream option. An abrupt drawdown would pave the way for Taliban to regain influence and cripple the US ability to conduct counter-terrorism missions in the region," Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said at a conference on Afghanistan here. "The problem with trying to use the 'zero option' as a bargaining chip is that the Afghans already believe the US will cut and run, similar to the way we turned our backs on them over two decades ago when the Soviets left. Putting this idea out there only confirms what they already believe and fuels hedging behavior," Curtis said yesterday.
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"The zero option is the Taliban dream option. An abrupt drawdown would pave the way for Taliban to regain influence and cripple the US ability to conduct counter-terrorism missions in the region," Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said at a conference on Afghanistan here. "The problem with trying to use the 'zero option' as a bargaining chip is that the Afghans already believe the US will cut and run, similar to the way we turned our backs on them over two decades ago when the Soviets left. Putting this idea out there only confirms what they already believe and fuels hedging behavior," Curtis said yesterday.
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REPORT: US Troop Withdrawl to Cause Reunion of Afghan-Pak Taliban Militants
Afghanistan Sun (ANI) | Thursday 25th July, 2013 | An official strategy document on counter-terrorism has warned that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan will further boost the morale of the Pakistani Taliban.
The assessment by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in a document named 'Checkmating Terrorism: A Counter-Terrorism Strategy' has revealed that US-led foreign troop withdrawal will create a sense of euphoria among the Afghan Taliban and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants, the Dawn News reports.
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Militants Storm ISI Headquarters in Sukkur, killing 4 and wounding 40
Bailey Cahall | AfPak Channel | Foreign Policy | At least four security officials died and 40 more people were injured in the town of Sukkur in Sindh province on Wednesday night when militants stormed the local headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's powerful military intelligence agency. According to multiple reports, at least five attackers broke in to the heavily guarded compound and detonated four bombs before seizing control of a government building and exchanging gunfire with security personnel; all five militants were among the dead. While many government officials are attributing the attack to the Pakistani Taliban, no one has claimed responsibility for the assault.
During his weekly press briefing on Thursday, Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, the spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign office, said the Afghan Taliban's political office in Doha would reopen soon, but he provided no information to support that claim. Chaudhry also said the dates for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to Pakistan would be decided shortly, and that the CIA drone campaign would be addressed with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry when he visits Islamabad next week.
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During his weekly press briefing on Thursday, Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, the spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign office, said the Afghan Taliban's political office in Doha would reopen soon, but he provided no information to support that claim. Chaudhry also said the dates for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to Pakistan would be decided shortly, and that the CIA drone campaign would be addressed with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry when he visits Islamabad next week.
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July 18, 2013
Ft. Hood Suspect Declares Support for Taliban
CBNNews | The Army major on trial for the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood told potential jurors he supports the Taliban and Islamic Sharia law. Maj. Nidal Hasan, 42, is accused of killing 13 people and wounding nearly three dozen at the Texas Army base Nov. 5, 2009.
He reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire on a crowd of soldiers.
Insurgents Kill Eight Laborers
The New Zealand Herald | KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan officials say insurgents have shot
and killed eight day laborers on their way to work at a U.S. base in
eastern Afghanistan. Thursday's attack in Logar province is the
latest in an intimidation campaign against Afghans working for the
government or NATO forces.
Provincial spokesman Din Mohammad Darwesh says the laborers were killed just after dawn as they headed to Forward Operating Base Shank, a U.S. base located near the capital of Puli Alam.
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Provincial spokesman Din Mohammad Darwesh says the laborers were killed just after dawn as they headed to Forward Operating Base Shank, a U.S. base located near the capital of Puli Alam.
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Pakistan Taliban's letter to Malala Yousafzai
Pakistan Taliban's letter to Malala Yousafzai: We tried to kill you because you were smearing our cause - but we regret attack
The Independent | Omar Waraich | Wednesday 17 July 2013 - A leading commander of the Pakistani Taliban has written to Malala Yousafzai – the 16-year-old schoolgirl and education advocate who survived a near-fatal assassination attempt last October – to express his regret at the attack.
The letter is written by Adnan Rashid, a prominent member of the Pakistani Taliban who joined the militant group after a career as a technician in the Pakistan Air Force.
“When you were attacked, it was shocking for me,” wrote Mr Rashid, according to the letter published by Channel 4. “I wished it would never happened[sic] and I had advised you before.”
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Gunmen Kill Eight Afghan Civilians
Bahrain News Agency | Kabul, July 18 - At least eight Afghan civilians working as labor in a NATO-led coalition security forces military base were killed by unknown gunmen in eastern Logar province of Afghanistan, according to local authorities.
Officials further added that the dead bodies of the civilians were found in Khushi district.
Deputy provincial security chief Raees Khan Sadiq Abdul Rahimzai confirming the report said the deceased individuals were residents of Kalanghar area in Pul-e-Alam district and were working in a NATO military base.
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Deputy provincial security chief Raees Khan Sadiq Abdul Rahimzai confirming the report said the deceased individuals were residents of Kalanghar area in Pul-e-Alam district and were working in a NATO military base.
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July 3, 2013
Wednesday Hero - SSgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr.
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Staff Sergeant Robert Gutierrez,
Jr., United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an armed enemy of the United States in Heart
Province, Afghanistan, on 5 October 2009. On that date, while assigned as a combat controller to an Army Special Forces Detachment, Sergeant Gutierrez and his team conducted a high-risk nighttime raid to capture the number two Taliban leader in the region. During the initial assault, the team was attacked with a barrage of rifle and heavy machine-gun fire from a numerically superior and determined enemy force. Sergeant Gutierrez was shot in the chest, his team leader was shot in the leg, and the ten-man element was pinned down in a building with no escape route. In great pain and confronting the very real possibility that he would die, Sergeant Gutierrez seized the initiative and refused to relinquish his duties as joint terminal attack controller. Under intense fire, he engaged Taliban fighters with his M-4 rifle and brought airpower to bear, controlling three "danger close" A-10 strafing runs with exceptional precision against enemy forces just 30 feet away. After the first A-10 attack, the team medic performed a needle decompression to re-inflate Sergeant Gutierrez's collapsed lung, allowing him to direct the next two strafe runs which decimated the enemy force and allowed the team to escape the kill zone without additional casualties. Throughout the four-hour battle, Sergeant Gutierrez's valorous actions, at great risk to his own life, helped save the lives of his teammates and dealt a crushing blow to the regional Taliban network. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Sergeant Gutierrez reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
July 1, 2013
Pakistan Tells Britain it Backs Afghan Peace Efforts
Khurram SHAHZAD | Fox News | AFP | ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan assured Britain's visiting prime minister on Sunday that it would promote peace efforts in neighbouring Afghanistan as the West pushes for talks with the Taliban ahead of NATO's withdrawal.
David Cameron's talks in Islamabad were conducted as three attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least 25 people, underscoring the Islamist militant violence plaguing both sides of the Afghan border. His two-day visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan was part of a Western push to end a 12-year Taliban insurgency after recent efforts to start peace talks collapsed in ignominy over the manner in which the militants opened an office in Qatar on June 18.
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David Cameron's talks in Islamabad were conducted as three attacks in northwest Pakistan killed at least 25 people, underscoring the Islamist militant violence plaguing both sides of the Afghan border. His two-day visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan was part of a Western push to end a 12-year Taliban insurgency after recent efforts to start peace talks collapsed in ignominy over the manner in which the militants opened an office in Qatar on June 18.
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US Marks 4 Years Since Soldier Captured in Afghanistan
Fox News | AFP | KABUL (AFP) – The US commander in Afghanistan said Sunday he hoped that an American soldier held by the Taliban would soon return home safely as troops marked the fourth anniversary of his disappearance.
US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl vanished on June 30 2009. He is the only known American soldier held by the Taliban, who have released several videos showing him to be alive. "Four years later, we are still waiting for Sergeant Bergdahl's safe return and it is my sincere hope that the wait will soon come to an end," said US General Joseph Dunford, commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan.
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US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl vanished on June 30 2009. He is the only known American soldier held by the Taliban, who have released several videos showing him to be alive. "Four years later, we are still waiting for Sergeant Bergdahl's safe return and it is my sincere hope that the wait will soon come to an end," said US General Joseph Dunford, commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan.
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