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Datta Khel is a hub of al Qaeda activity
The Datta Khel region is a known hub of Taliban, Haqqani Network, and al Qaeda activity. Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the Taliban commander for North Waziristan, administers the region, but the Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, and allied Central Asian jihadi groups are also based in the area. The Lashkar al Zil, or al Qaeda's Shadow Army, is known to have a command center in Datta Khel.
The Datta Khel region has been hit hard by the US, especially in the past several weeks. The US has conducted 13 airstrikes in the Datta Khel region this year, nearly 25 percent of its current total of 58 airstrikes in Pakistan in 2010. Of the 156 strikes in Pakistan since 2004, 19 strikes have taken place in Datta Khel.
A strike on Dec. 17, 2009, targeted Sheikh Saeed al Saudi, Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law and a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council. Al Saudi is thought to have survived the strike, but Abdullah Said al Libi, the commander of the Shadow Army or Lashkar al Zil, and Zuhaib al Zahibi, a general in the Shadow Army, were both killed in the attack.
But the most significant attack in Datta Khel took place on May 21 this year and resulted in the death of Mustafa Abu Yazid, a longtime al Qaeda leader and close confidant of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.
Yazid served as the leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the wider Khorasan, a region that encompasses portions of Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian states. More importantly, Yazid was as al Qaeda's top financier, which put him in charge of the terror group's purse strings. He served on al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or top decision-making council. Yazid also was closely allied with the Taliban and advocated the program of embedding small al Qaeda teams with Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
Datta Khel borders the Mohammed Khel and Jani Khel regions in the settled district of Bannu. The Jani Khel region has long been a strategic meeting place and safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban. Jani Khel was identified as the headquarters for al Qaeda's Shura Majlis back in 2007. Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command, has operated in the Jani Khel region. The US has struck al Qaeda safe houses in Jani Khel twice since last year. These strikes are the only two Predator attacks that have occurred outside of Pakistan's tribal areas since the US airstrikes began in 2004.
The town of Jani Khel is a known haven for al Qaeda leaders and fighters. Senior al Qaeda operative Abdullah Azzam al Saudi was killed in a Predator strike in Jani Khel on Nov. 19, 2008. Azzam served as a liaison between al Qaeda and the Taliban operating in Pakistan's northwest.
In addition, Al Qaeda is known to have deposited its donations received from Europe into the Bayt al Mal, or Bank of Money, in Jani Khel, according to a report at the NEFA Foundation. The Bayt al Mal served as al Qaeda's treasuryRead more:
The Rest @ The Long War Journal
Showing posts with label Pakistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pakistan. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
A website connected to al Qaeda's military arm in Pakistan has sprung up on the Internet in the past month. The website, called Al Qaeda Brigade 313, was registered on June 2, 2010, and became active in early July.
(By Bill Roggio, via Crazy Horse)
The site has 86 registered users and five administrators, according to a report at the Open Source Center that was obtained by The Long War Journal. The website contains a forum and a blog, and posts links to Taliban propaganda, including a statement by failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad.
Several authorities, including US intelligence officials and an expert on terrorist websites, all of whom wish to remain anonymous, said that the Al Qaeda Brigade 313 website appears to be legitimate and may be directly associated with al Qaeda.
The Rest @ Crazy Horse
*********
There are new sites linking to and apparently associated with this site that are of interest as well...
- of course, ansar
- Jamia Hafasa Forum
- Etc,
-Shimron Issachar
Monday, January 04, 2010
Lashkar al-Zil Takes Credit for Pakistan Bombing
The following Asia Times article is Interesting, but possibly disinformaitonn to discredit attempts to gather intelligence from ANA Sources....
Shimron Issachar
ISLAMABAD - The suicide attack on the United States Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) forward operating base of Chapman in the Afghan province of Khost last week was planned in the Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan.
The attacker - a handpicked plant in the Afghan National Army (ANA) - detonated his explosive vest in a gym at the base, killing seven agents, including the station chief, and wounding six. The base was officially for civilians involved in reconstruction.
The plan was executed following several weeks of preparation by al-Qaeda's Lashkar al-Zil (Shadow Army), Asia Times Online has learned. This was after Lashkar al-Zil's intelligence outfit informed its chief commander, Ilyas Kashmiri, that the CIA planned to broaden the monitoring of the possible movement of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Well-connected sources in militant camps say that Lashkar al-Zil had become aware of the CIA's escalation of intelligence activities to gather information on high-value targets for US drone attacks. It emerged that tribesmen from Shawal and Datta Khel, in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, had been invited by US operatives, through middlemen, to Khost, where the operatives tried to acquire information on al-Qaeda leaders. Such activities have been undertaken in the past, but this time they were somewhat different.
"This time there was clearly an obsession to hunt down something big in North Waziristan. But in this obsession, they [operatives] blundered and exposed the undercover CIA facility," a senior leader in al-Qaeda's 313 Brigade said. The brigade, led by Ilyas Kashmiri, comprises jihadis with extensive experience in Pakistan's Kashmir struggle with India.
Once it became clear that efforts to track down al-Qaeda were being stepped up and that the base in Khost was being extensively used by the CIA, the Lashkar al-Zil (Brigade 055) moved into top gear.
Shimron Issachar
ISLAMABAD - The suicide attack on the United States Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA's) forward operating base of Chapman in the Afghan province of Khost last week was planned in the Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan.
The attacker - a handpicked plant in the Afghan National Army (ANA) - detonated his explosive vest in a gym at the base, killing seven agents, including the station chief, and wounding six. The base was officially for civilians involved in reconstruction.
The plan was executed following several weeks of preparation by al-Qaeda's Lashkar al-Zil (Shadow Army), Asia Times Online has learned. This was after Lashkar al-Zil's intelligence outfit informed its chief commander, Ilyas Kashmiri, that the CIA planned to broaden the monitoring of the possible movement of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Well-connected sources in militant camps say that Lashkar al-Zil had become aware of the CIA's escalation of intelligence activities to gather information on high-value targets for US drone attacks. It emerged that tribesmen from Shawal and Datta Khel, in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, had been invited by US operatives, through middlemen, to Khost, where the operatives tried to acquire information on al-Qaeda leaders. Such activities have been undertaken in the past, but this time they were somewhat different.
"This time there was clearly an obsession to hunt down something big in North Waziristan. But in this obsession, they [operatives] blundered and exposed the undercover CIA facility," a senior leader in al-Qaeda's 313 Brigade said. The brigade, led by Ilyas Kashmiri, comprises jihadis with extensive experience in Pakistan's Kashmir struggle with India.
Once it became clear that efforts to track down al-Qaeda were being stepped up and that the base in Khost was being extensively used by the CIA, the Lashkar al-Zil (Brigade 055) moved into top gear.
- It is the soul of al-Qaeda, having being involved in several events since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.
- Under the command of Ilyas Kashmiri, its intelligence network's coordination with its special guerrilla action force has changed the dynamics of the Afghan war theater.
- Instead of traditional guerrilla warfare in which the Taliban have taken most of the casualties, the brigade has resorted to special operations, the one on the CIA base being the latest and one of the most successful.
Lashkar al-Zil comprises the
- Pakistani Taliban,
- 313 Brigade,
- the Afghan Taliban,
- Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan
- former Iraqi Republican Guards.
It has taken on special significance since the US announcement of a 30,000 troop surge in Afghanistan, due to kick into action this week.
Leaders of the Lashkar al-Zil now knew that CIA operatives were trying to recruit reliable tribal people from Afghanistan so that the latter could develop an effective intelligence network along the border with North Waziristan's Shawal and Datta Khel regions, where high-profile al-Qaeda leaders often move around.
Laskhar al-Zil then laid its trap.
Over the past months, using connections in tribal structures and ties with former commanders of the Taliban and the Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan, the militants have planted a large number of men in the ANA.
One of these plants, an officer, was now called into action. He contacted US personnel in Khost and told them he was linked to a network in the tribal areas and that he had information on where al-Qaeda would hold its shura (council) in North Waziristan and on the movement of al-Qaeda leaders.
The ANA officer was immediately invited to the CIA base in Khost to finalize a joint operation of Predator drones and ground personnel against these targets.
Once inside, he set off his bomb, with deadly results.
"It's a devastating blow," Times Online quoted Michael Scheuer as saying. "[Among others] we lost an agent with 14 years' experience in Afghanistan." Scheuer is a former head of Alec Station, the unit created to monitor bin Laden five years before the attacks of September 11.
Unlike the Taliban's mostly rag-tag army, Laskhar al-Zil is a sophisticated unit, with modern equipment such as night-vision technology, the latest light weapons and finely honed guerrilla tactics. It has a well-funded intelligence department, much like the Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan had during the resistance against the Soviets in the 1980s when it had access to advance information on the movement of the Red Army.
However, Laskhar al-Zil is one step ahead of the Hezb's former intelligence outfit in that it has been able to plant men in the ANA, and these "soldiers" are now at the forefront of al-Qaeda-led sabotage activities in Afghanistan.
In addition, a large number of senior government officials both in the capital, Kabul, and in the provinces are sympathetic to the Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan, and, by extension, to the Taliban. Similarly, several former top Taliban commanders have been given responsibilities by the central government in district areas, and as the insurgency has grown, these former militants have been increasingly useful to the Taliban-led insurgency.
In sum, the US troop surge, coupled with increased US efforts to track down al-Qaeda, has resulted in a shift in southeastern Afghanistan. There has been hardly any uprising against foreign troops in which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could hit the Taliban hard. The insurgents now select specific targets for the most effective outcome, such as the spy base in Khost - it took just one insurgent's life for the "devastating" result.
Consequently, for the first time in the many years that Afghanistan has been at war, the winter season is hot. Last October, the US withdrew its troops from its four key bases in Nuristan, on the border with Pakistan, leaving the northeastern province as a safe haven for the Taliban, under the command of Qari Ziaur Rahman. Kurangal Valley in Kunar province is heavily under siege and Taliban attacks on US bases there could see US forces pulling back from Kunar as well.
And in the meantime, Lashkar al-Zil can be expected to be planning more strikes of its own.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
The Rest @ The Asia Times
Friday, January 01, 2010
Friday, December 04, 2009
Pakistan Reserved on Obama's Troop Plan
4 December 2009 LONDON — Pakistan’s prime minister on Thursday defended his country’s efforts in fighting terrorism, saying he didn’t believe Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan and that Pakistani security forces had been successful in tackling terrorism within the country’s borders.
Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was meeting with his British counterpart Gordon Brown in London, was responding to Brown’s demands earlier that Pakistan needed to do more to find bin Laden.
“I doubt the information which you are giving is correct because I don’t think Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan,” Gilani said at a joint news conference.
“Pakistan is fighting the war on terrorism, and we have a good intelligence and defense cooperation with the United States,” he said, adding that the U.S. and Britain have not provided any actionable intelligence about bin Laden’s purported whereabouts.
Gilani also signaled his country’s cautious response to President Barack Obama’s new policy for Pakistan and Afghanistan by declining to endorse the U.S.-led troop surge. He said his government needs more information about Obama’s plan to expand the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and at the same time increase aid to Pakistan.
Gilani said Pakistan was looking into the policy announced by Obama on Tuesday, including the suggestion that more covert CIA resources would be deployed in Pakistan, where the central government faces a strong threat from Islamic extremists.
“Regarding the new policy of President Obama, we are studying that policy,” Gilani said. “We need more clarity on it, and when we get more clarity on it, we can see what we can implement on that plan.”
Unlike Brown, who strongly supports Obama’s approach and is sending 500 more British troops to Afghanistan to augment the surge, Pakistani leaders had remained silent until Gilani’s carefully worded comments.
Analysts said the lack of a public endorsement of U.S. policy is in part a response to rising anti-American sentiment in Pakistan that prevents national leaders from publicly embracing expanded U.S. aid — even if they need the support.
Since 2001, the U.S. has given the Pakistani army billions of dollars to try to get it to fight Islamic militants along the Afghan border. Starting last year, the U.S. began a sustained program of covert missile strikes against militant targets close to the border.
The results have been mixed. While the army has taken on the Pakistani Taliban, it has failed to go after Afghan Taliban leaders who base their operations in the tribal areas in the border region. At the same time, anti-Western sentiment, spurred by the security forces, has grown.
Many Western officials and analysts believe Pakistan is playing off both sides — accepting U.S. funds to crack down on Pakistani militants while tolerating the Afghan Taliban in the expectation that the radical Islamic movement will take power in Afghanistan once the Americans withdraw.
Shaun Gregory, an expert on Pakistani security at the University of Bradford in Britain, said the Pakistanis will take note of Obama’s pledge to start bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan in July 2011.
“The Pakistanis are smart enough to read the signals coming out of Washington,” Gregory said. “It seems to me that the army’s longer-term strategy of broadly backing the Afghan Taliban is paying off now. They have their tails up.”
Gilani said his government expects to learn more about U.S. plans when Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visit Pakistan.
Gilani has been lukewarm to the idea of a troop surge, saying he fears it would merely push Afghan militants across the mountainous border region into Pakistan.
The U.S. and Britain have been putting pressure on Pakistan to root out the militants already on its side of the border, in a lawless area from which they frequently attack NATO and Afghan troops.
Senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have castigated Pakistan for its failure to find al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, believed by many to be hiding in tribal regions of Pakistan.
Gilani stressed Thursday that Pakistan has been “extremely successful” in tackling terrorism and that most Taliban terrorists are not in Pakistan but in neighboring Afghanistan.
The Rest @ Khaleej Times
Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was meeting with his British counterpart Gordon Brown in London, was responding to Brown’s demands earlier that Pakistan needed to do more to find bin Laden.
“I doubt the information which you are giving is correct because I don’t think Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan,” Gilani said at a joint news conference.
“Pakistan is fighting the war on terrorism, and we have a good intelligence and defense cooperation with the United States,” he said, adding that the U.S. and Britain have not provided any actionable intelligence about bin Laden’s purported whereabouts.
Gilani also signaled his country’s cautious response to President Barack Obama’s new policy for Pakistan and Afghanistan by declining to endorse the U.S.-led troop surge. He said his government needs more information about Obama’s plan to expand the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and at the same time increase aid to Pakistan.
Gilani said Pakistan was looking into the policy announced by Obama on Tuesday, including the suggestion that more covert CIA resources would be deployed in Pakistan, where the central government faces a strong threat from Islamic extremists.
“Regarding the new policy of President Obama, we are studying that policy,” Gilani said. “We need more clarity on it, and when we get more clarity on it, we can see what we can implement on that plan.”
Unlike Brown, who strongly supports Obama’s approach and is sending 500 more British troops to Afghanistan to augment the surge, Pakistani leaders had remained silent until Gilani’s carefully worded comments.
Analysts said the lack of a public endorsement of U.S. policy is in part a response to rising anti-American sentiment in Pakistan that prevents national leaders from publicly embracing expanded U.S. aid — even if they need the support.
Since 2001, the U.S. has given the Pakistani army billions of dollars to try to get it to fight Islamic militants along the Afghan border. Starting last year, the U.S. began a sustained program of covert missile strikes against militant targets close to the border.
The results have been mixed. While the army has taken on the Pakistani Taliban, it has failed to go after Afghan Taliban leaders who base their operations in the tribal areas in the border region. At the same time, anti-Western sentiment, spurred by the security forces, has grown.
Many Western officials and analysts believe Pakistan is playing off both sides — accepting U.S. funds to crack down on Pakistani militants while tolerating the Afghan Taliban in the expectation that the radical Islamic movement will take power in Afghanistan once the Americans withdraw.
Shaun Gregory, an expert on Pakistani security at the University of Bradford in Britain, said the Pakistanis will take note of Obama’s pledge to start bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan in July 2011.
“The Pakistanis are smart enough to read the signals coming out of Washington,” Gregory said. “It seems to me that the army’s longer-term strategy of broadly backing the Afghan Taliban is paying off now. They have their tails up.”
Gilani said his government expects to learn more about U.S. plans when Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visit Pakistan.
Gilani has been lukewarm to the idea of a troop surge, saying he fears it would merely push Afghan militants across the mountainous border region into Pakistan.
The U.S. and Britain have been putting pressure on Pakistan to root out the militants already on its side of the border, in a lawless area from which they frequently attack NATO and Afghan troops.
Senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have castigated Pakistan for its failure to find al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, believed by many to be hiding in tribal regions of Pakistan.
Gilani stressed Thursday that Pakistan has been “extremely successful” in tackling terrorism and that most Taliban terrorists are not in Pakistan but in neighboring Afghanistan.
The Rest @ Khaleej Times
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Pakistani Islamist Preachers Killed in Somalia
Seven Pakistani preachers were killed by several masked men at a mosque in Somalia's Puntland region on Wednesday, residents said.
Western security agencies said Somalia is a haven for insurgents plotting attacks in the region and beyond. Puntland is a base for pirates targeting the Gulf of Aden, but has been more peaceful than the south of the failed Horn of Africa state.
Residents said the attack took place after early morning prayers at the mosque in Galkayo in the semi-autonomous region, and was aimed at a group of 25 sheikhs who arrived on Tuesday.
" Six Pakistanis died on the spot while another Pakistani died from his injuries in the hospital. These men are Islamist preachers from Karachi, Pakistan "
Hussein Abdullahi, Galkayo
Western security agencies said Somalia is a haven for insurgents plotting attacks in the region and beyond. Puntland is a base for pirates targeting the Gulf of Aden, but has been more peaceful than the south of the failed Horn of Africa state.
Residents said the attack took place after early morning prayers at the mosque in Galkayo in the semi-autonomous region, and was aimed at a group of 25 sheikhs who arrived on Tuesday.
" Six Pakistanis died on the spot while another Pakistani died from his injuries in the hospital. These men are Islamist preachers from Karachi, Pakistan "
Hussein Abdullahi, Galkayo
- "Six Pakistanis died on the spot while another Pakistani died from his injuries in the hospital.
- These men are Islamist preachers from Karachi, Pakistan," Hussein Abdullahi, chairman of Galkayo, told Reuters.
"Puntland forces have now surrounded the area around the mosque to protect the other sheikhs."
Somalia has been torn by civil war since 1991, and the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls only small pockets of the rubble-strewn capital Mogadishu.
It is battling hardline Islamist rebels in southern and central regions, including the al Shabaab group, which the United States accuses of being al-Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.
Puntland's information minister was killed in the same area last week, and residents said Wednesday's attack may have been motivated by suspicions the preachers were linked to al-Qaeda.
Resident Sheikh Abdiqadir Ali said masked gunmen opened fire in the mosque immediately after prayers. A village elder said the bodies were removed from the scene by the security forces. - "There were 25 of these foreigners, mostly Pakistanis, and they arrived from Pakistan yesterday," the elder, Mohamed Hussein, told Reuters.
- Abdullahi Said Samatar, Puntland's security minister, said the dead were preachers who travelled the world to spread Islam. "We were very shocked to hear seven Pakistanis were killed in our region," he said.
The Rest @ Middle East News
Sunday, October 25, 2009
How Baitullah Mehsud Came to his End
On August 5, Baitullah Mehsud, the all-powerful and utterly ruthless commander of the Pakistani Taliban, was killed in a US missile strike in South Waziristan. At the time of the strike, he was undergoing intravenous treatment for a kidney ailment, and was lying on the roof of his father-in-law's house with his young second wife.
At about one o'clock that morning, a missile fired by an unmanned CIA drone tore through the house, splitting his body in two and killing his wife, her parents, and seven bodyguards.
His death marked the first major breakthrough in the war against extremist leaders in Pakistan since 2003, when several top al-Qaeda members based in the country were arrested or killed. Over the last few years, Mehsud's estimated 20,000 fighters gained almost total control over the seven tribal agencies that make up the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan.
Mehsud's death plunged the Pakistani Taliban, composed of some two dozen Pashtun tribal groups, into an intense struggle over leadership, creating an opportunity for the CIA and Pakistan's Interservices Intelligence (ISI) to take action against the extremists. After ousting in April and May the militants who had seized the Swat valley—which is not in the tribal areas but north of the capital city of Islamabad—the Pakistani army is now pursuing the Pakistani Taliban with more determination: in mid-August, two of Mehsud's senior aides were arrested, one in FATA and the other in Islamabad while seeking medical treatment.
The US is anxious for Pakistan to continue its pressure by launching an offensive in Waziristan, the region in the southern part of FATA—first in South Waziristan to eliminate the Pakistani Taliban there and then in North Waziristan, where al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban leaders are based.
Much More @ New York Review of Books
At about one o'clock that morning, a missile fired by an unmanned CIA drone tore through the house, splitting his body in two and killing his wife, her parents, and seven bodyguards.
His death marked the first major breakthrough in the war against extremist leaders in Pakistan since 2003, when several top al-Qaeda members based in the country were arrested or killed. Over the last few years, Mehsud's estimated 20,000 fighters gained almost total control over the seven tribal agencies that make up the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan.
Mehsud's death plunged the Pakistani Taliban, composed of some two dozen Pashtun tribal groups, into an intense struggle over leadership, creating an opportunity for the CIA and Pakistan's Interservices Intelligence (ISI) to take action against the extremists. After ousting in April and May the militants who had seized the Swat valley—which is not in the tribal areas but north of the capital city of Islamabad—the Pakistani army is now pursuing the Pakistani Taliban with more determination: in mid-August, two of Mehsud's senior aides were arrested, one in FATA and the other in Islamabad while seeking medical treatment.
The US is anxious for Pakistan to continue its pressure by launching an offensive in Waziristan, the region in the southern part of FATA—first in South Waziristan to eliminate the Pakistani Taliban there and then in North Waziristan, where al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban leaders are based.
Much More @ New York Review of Books
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Pakistani Comando Raid Saves 25 Hostages
This attack demonstrates a step-up in hostage
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — Pakistani commandos raided a building inside army headquarters early Sunday and freed 25 people held hostage for more than 18 hours by Islamist fighters, a military spokesman said. Three captives and four hostage-takers were killed, while one militant was believed to be on the run.
The audacious assault on the country's military establishment showed the strength of militants allied with al-Qaida and the Taliban ahead of a planned army offensive on their heartland in South Waziristan along the Afghan border and signaled that any push there would be met with more attacks across Pakistan.
The government said the siege had steeled its resolve to go through with the South Waziristan offensive, calling it "inevitable." The United States and Pakistan's other Western allies want the country to take more action against insurgents also blamed for soaring attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Explosions and gunshots rang out as commandos moved into a building in the complex just before dawn Sunday, while a helicopter hovered in the sky. Three ambulances were seen driving out of the heavily fortified base close to the capital, Islamabad.
Two hours after the raid began, two new explosions were heard. The army said it was "mopping up" the remaining insurgents.
Up to five heavily armed militants took the hostages after they and about four other assailants attacked the main gate of the army headquarters Saturday, killing six soldiers, including a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel. Four of the attackers, who were wearing army uniforms, were killed.
No group claimed responsibility, but authorities said they were sure that the Pakistani Taliban or an allied Islamist militant group were behind the strike. The city is filled with security checkpoints and police roadblocks.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said 20 of the hostages had been kept in a room guarded by a militant wearing a suicide vest who was shot and killed before he managed to detonate his explosives.
He said the 25 who were freed included soldiers and civilians. Three captives were killed, along with four militants, he said. "It was a very skilled rescue operation," he said.
One of the hostage-takers was believed to be on the run, and the military was searching for him, Abbas said.
Saturday's siege followed a car bombing that killed 49 on Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar and the bombing of a U.N. aid agency earlier in the week that killed five in Islamabad. The string of attacks destroyed any remaining hope that the militants had been left a spent force by the death of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in a U.S. missile strike in August.
A week ago, Baitullah Mehsud's successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, told journalists summoned to a briefing in South Waziristan that the Taliban would launch more attacks on military, government and other targets in the country.
The army — which until 2001 had patronized various militant groups for use as proxiealley this year.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said a Waziristan offensive was now "inevitable."
"We are going to come heavy on you," he warned the militants.
In its brazenness and sophistication, Saturday's assault resembled attacks in March in the eastern city of Lahore by teams of militants against the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team and a police training center, which the insurgents took over for eight hours before security forces retook it.
The attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen attacked the main gate with assault rifles and grenades after bundling out of a white van that reportedly had army license plates.
"There was fierce firing, and then there was a blast," said Khan Bahadur, a shuttle van driver who was standing outside the gate. "Soldiers were running here and there," he said. "The firing continued for about a half-hour. There was smoke everywhere. Then there was a break, and then firing again."
After a 45-minute gunfight, four of the attackers were killed, said Abbas, who initially told the Geo television news channel that the assault was over and the situation "under full control."
But more than an hour later, gunshots rang out from the headquarters compound, and Abbas then confirmed that other gunmen had eluded security forces and slipped into the compound.
A police intelligence report obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday had warned in July that members of the Taliban along with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group based in the country's Punjab province, were planning to attack army headquarters after disguising themselves as soldiers. The report was given to the AP by an official in the home affairs ministry in Punjab's home department.
Officials said Saturday that they had raided a house in the capital where the attackers were believed to have stayed. They found military uniforms and bomb-making equipment.
Militants regularly attack army bases across the country and bombed a checkpoint outside the army compound in Rawalpindi two years ago — one of several major bombings to hit the garrison city in recent years. But rarely have the Taliban mounted an armed assault in the city involving multiple fighters.
Associated Press writers Chris Brummitt and Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.
The Rest @ The AP
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — Pakistani commandos raided a building inside army headquarters early Sunday and freed 25 people held hostage for more than 18 hours by Islamist fighters, a military spokesman said. Three captives and four hostage-takers were killed, while one militant was believed to be on the run.
The audacious assault on the country's military establishment showed the strength of militants allied with al-Qaida and the Taliban ahead of a planned army offensive on their heartland in South Waziristan along the Afghan border and signaled that any push there would be met with more attacks across Pakistan.
The government said the siege had steeled its resolve to go through with the South Waziristan offensive, calling it "inevitable." The United States and Pakistan's other Western allies want the country to take more action against insurgents also blamed for soaring attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Explosions and gunshots rang out as commandos moved into a building in the complex just before dawn Sunday, while a helicopter hovered in the sky. Three ambulances were seen driving out of the heavily fortified base close to the capital, Islamabad.
Two hours after the raid began, two new explosions were heard. The army said it was "mopping up" the remaining insurgents.
Up to five heavily armed militants took the hostages after they and about four other assailants attacked the main gate of the army headquarters Saturday, killing six soldiers, including a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel. Four of the attackers, who were wearing army uniforms, were killed.
No group claimed responsibility, but authorities said they were sure that the Pakistani Taliban or an allied Islamist militant group were behind the strike. The city is filled with security checkpoints and police roadblocks.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said 20 of the hostages had been kept in a room guarded by a militant wearing a suicide vest who was shot and killed before he managed to detonate his explosives.
He said the 25 who were freed included soldiers and civilians. Three captives were killed, along with four militants, he said. "It was a very skilled rescue operation," he said.
One of the hostage-takers was believed to be on the run, and the military was searching for him, Abbas said.
Saturday's siege followed a car bombing that killed 49 on Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar and the bombing of a U.N. aid agency earlier in the week that killed five in Islamabad. The string of attacks destroyed any remaining hope that the militants had been left a spent force by the death of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in a U.S. missile strike in August.
A week ago, Baitullah Mehsud's successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, told journalists summoned to a briefing in South Waziristan that the Taliban would launch more attacks on military, government and other targets in the country.
The army — which until 2001 had patronized various militant groups for use as proxiealley this year.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said a Waziristan offensive was now "inevitable."
"We are going to come heavy on you," he warned the militants.
In its brazenness and sophistication, Saturday's assault resembled attacks in March in the eastern city of Lahore by teams of militants against the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team and a police training center, which the insurgents took over for eight hours before security forces retook it.
The attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen attacked the main gate with assault rifles and grenades after bundling out of a white van that reportedly had army license plates.
"There was fierce firing, and then there was a blast," said Khan Bahadur, a shuttle van driver who was standing outside the gate. "Soldiers were running here and there," he said. "The firing continued for about a half-hour. There was smoke everywhere. Then there was a break, and then firing again."
After a 45-minute gunfight, four of the attackers were killed, said Abbas, who initially told the Geo television news channel that the assault was over and the situation "under full control."
But more than an hour later, gunshots rang out from the headquarters compound, and Abbas then confirmed that other gunmen had eluded security forces and slipped into the compound.
A police intelligence report obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday had warned in July that members of the Taliban along with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group based in the country's Punjab province, were planning to attack army headquarters after disguising themselves as soldiers. The report was given to the AP by an official in the home affairs ministry in Punjab's home department.
Officials said Saturday that they had raided a house in the capital where the attackers were believed to have stayed. They found military uniforms and bomb-making equipment.
Militants regularly attack army bases across the country and bombed a checkpoint outside the army compound in Rawalpindi two years ago — one of several major bombings to hit the garrison city in recent years. But rarely have the Taliban mounted an armed assault in the city involving multiple fighters.
Associated Press writers Chris Brummitt and Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.
The Rest @ The AP
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Internal on Commentary by Taliban on Taliban Losses in Pakistan
Due to the latest military statements from the Pakistani Army, there have been a few brothers that have voiced their concern. Other than my own opinion that these statements are lies and a way to make themselves feel better, there are some important things to remember:
Patience is key; everyone thought the Taliban in Afghanistan was brought to an end. Few years later, they surprised everyone and re-wrote history books as they are one of the major underlining reasons for the [upcoming] end of the American empire and the humiliation of its army. Therefore, be patient and don’t be of the opposite; this is not allowed in our religion since Allah has promised that the end belongs to the Mutaqeen.
The Mujahideen themselves don’t despair; if they did, they wouldn’t be fighting in the first place.
Remember that if Allah grants losses to the Mujahideen, then it is only for their benefit; this is due to numerous reasons such as cleansing their ranks from the Munafiqeen, and weak Muslims. Military losses test the endurance, steadfastness and patience of the fighters; if they don’t show these qualities in face of hardship, then they don’t deserve to be in the ranks of the Muflihoon.
The nature of Guerrilla War is something that military generals of conventional armies hate admitting.
They know very well that there is no such thing - when fighting a guerrilla army - as a decisive battle that will end the war. There may be major losses in some guerrilla battles, but there is never a decisive battle; rather, the lifelline of the guerrilla’s depend on their recruits, resources and influence. As long as these are alive and well, the battle can carry on for many years; for Muslims, you can add one more category to that: Deen (a comprehensive term encompassing Iman, Tawakkul, seeking knowledge, implementing Shari’ah, Love of the religion and jihad etc.). These four qualities are very strong in the TTP, so don’t expect them to all of a sudden give up like the Sri Lanka guerrilla’s.
It is incorrect to think wrongly of your brothers. Don’t think for a moment that your brothers and sons will give up jihad. Everyone thought that the Jihad in Saudi Arabia was over with the massive crackdowns and arrests by the Saudi Kingdom; today, the Mujahideen in Saudi have joined hands with their brothers in Yemen and became a powerful force once again, constantly attacking the Apostates and Kuffar, striking fear into them whilst gaining more support through their influence and media efforts.
There have been many reports that even the US Government is having a hard time believing in the number of dead Taliban that the Pakistani’s are claiming. That should tell you something.
Remember to include the Mujahideen of Pakistan in your du’a and ask your friends to do the same. The battles are getting hot and the tide can change whenever Allah wills; perhaps, it will be your du’a that will give the Mujahideen a powerful strike against the enemy.
After Allah, have hope in the actions of the Mujahideen.
Recently, the Mujahideen in Pakistan have gone on a bombing campaign in Lahore, humiliating the Murtadeen Army.
Make du’a that Allah enables them to repeat these powerful strikes that shake the thrones of the Khaasireen.
Finally, the lack of military news/media coming from the side of the Pakistani Taliban should strongly indicate the importance of participating in the global media jihad.
Quite frankly, this is so Remething they need to work on better. Influence can increase greatly when they take advantage of this field. Savvy Irhabi discussed this in more depth in our last Jihad Recollections release.
The Rest @
Patience is key; everyone thought the Taliban in Afghanistan was brought to an end. Few years later, they surprised everyone and re-wrote history books as they are one of the major underlining reasons for the [upcoming] end of the American empire and the humiliation of its army. Therefore, be patient and don’t be of the opposite; this is not allowed in our religion since Allah has promised that the end belongs to the Mutaqeen.
The Mujahideen themselves don’t despair; if they did, they wouldn’t be fighting in the first place.
Remember that if Allah grants losses to the Mujahideen, then it is only for their benefit; this is due to numerous reasons such as cleansing their ranks from the Munafiqeen, and weak Muslims. Military losses test the endurance, steadfastness and patience of the fighters; if they don’t show these qualities in face of hardship, then they don’t deserve to be in the ranks of the Muflihoon.
The nature of Guerrilla War is something that military generals of conventional armies hate admitting.
They know very well that there is no such thing - when fighting a guerrilla army - as a decisive battle that will end the war. There may be major losses in some guerrilla battles, but there is never a decisive battle; rather, the lifelline of the guerrilla’s depend on their recruits, resources and influence. As long as these are alive and well, the battle can carry on for many years; for Muslims, you can add one more category to that: Deen (a comprehensive term encompassing Iman, Tawakkul, seeking knowledge, implementing Shari’ah, Love of the religion and jihad etc.). These four qualities are very strong in the TTP, so don’t expect them to all of a sudden give up like the Sri Lanka guerrilla’s.
It is incorrect to think wrongly of your brothers. Don’t think for a moment that your brothers and sons will give up jihad. Everyone thought that the Jihad in Saudi Arabia was over with the massive crackdowns and arrests by the Saudi Kingdom; today, the Mujahideen in Saudi have joined hands with their brothers in Yemen and became a powerful force once again, constantly attacking the Apostates and Kuffar, striking fear into them whilst gaining more support through their influence and media efforts.
There have been many reports that even the US Government is having a hard time believing in the number of dead Taliban that the Pakistani’s are claiming. That should tell you something.
Remember to include the Mujahideen of Pakistan in your du’a and ask your friends to do the same. The battles are getting hot and the tide can change whenever Allah wills; perhaps, it will be your du’a that will give the Mujahideen a powerful strike against the enemy.
After Allah, have hope in the actions of the Mujahideen.
Recently, the Mujahideen in Pakistan have gone on a bombing campaign in Lahore, humiliating the Murtadeen Army.
Make du’a that Allah enables them to repeat these powerful strikes that shake the thrones of the Khaasireen.
Finally, the lack of military news/media coming from the side of the Pakistani Taliban should strongly indicate the importance of participating in the global media jihad.
Quite frankly, this is so Remething they need to work on better. Influence can increase greatly when they take advantage of this field. Savvy Irhabi discussed this in more depth in our last Jihad Recollections release.
The Rest @
Monday, May 04, 2009
Pakistan Tabliban Fund War with Gems
Daily Times4 May 2009
By Akhtar Amin
Swat Taliban are using money earned from mining and selling gemstones in Swat and Shangla for terrorism, entrepreneurs from the Swat valley said on Sunday.
Entrepreneurs in a Gem Bazaar – organised by the Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company at Namak Mandi – told Daily Times that Taliban were using the money for terrorist activities in Swat, Buner and Dir districts of Malakand division.
By Akhtar Amin
Swat Taliban are using money earned from mining and selling gemstones in Swat and Shangla for terrorism, entrepreneurs from the Swat valley said on Sunday.
Entrepreneurs in a Gem Bazaar – organised by the Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company at Namak Mandi – told Daily Times that Taliban were using the money for terrorist activities in Swat, Buner and Dir districts of Malakand division.
- Babu Khan, an entrepreneur from Swat who had displayed emeralds in the bazaar, said that Taliban had started extensive mining through hired labourers and were selling the precious stones in the black market.
- He said plunderers had also taken over several mines of high quality gemstones, one of which had earned the government about Rs 90 million in a single auction in the past.
- Another entrepreneur from Swat, Muhammad Ali, told Daily Times that Taliban had also taken over the Mingora emerald mine.
- The Shamozai emeralds mine, some 25 kilometres from Mingora, and the Gujaro Killay emerald mine in the adjacent district of Shangla, are also under the control of the Swat Taliban.
Stones extracted from these mines are auctioned in the premises of the Mingora mine every Sunday, where dealers from all over Pakistan come to shop, he said.
The federal and provincial governments have not taken any action over “this looting and plunder of state property”, Muhammad Ali said. Imran Inam, a senior official of the Gems and Jewellery Development Company, told Daily Times that the US was also concerned over the Taliban occupation of emerald mines in Swat and Shangla and had talked to the Pakistani government.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Suicide Bombing At Police Station in Islamibad Pakistan
ISLAMABAD - A powerful explosion Monday evening rattled a Special Branch police station here in what is thought to be a suicide attack, Geo TV reported.
Eyewitnesses said smoke was coming out of the police station, located in the capital’s Sitara Market, after the blast, which was so loud that it shattered windowpanes of the surrounding buildings.
The injured were being shifted to nearby hospitals and the police have cordoned off the area.
The bomber blew himself up when a police guard stopped him at the gate of the police’s special branch, located in the heart of the city, just a few hundred yards away from the headquarters of the premier military Inter-Service Intelligence agency.
‘One policeman died in the explosion while another was critically wounded,’ Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said. Several civilians were also injured.
The Rest @ GAEA News
Eyewitnesses said smoke was coming out of the police station, located in the capital’s Sitara Market, after the blast, which was so loud that it shattered windowpanes of the surrounding buildings.
The injured were being shifted to nearby hospitals and the police have cordoned off the area.
The bomber blew himself up when a police guard stopped him at the gate of the police’s special branch, located in the heart of the city, just a few hundred yards away from the headquarters of the premier military Inter-Service Intelligence agency.
‘One policeman died in the explosion while another was critically wounded,’ Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said. Several civilians were also injured.
- The blast damaged a mosque adjacent to the police office.
- A witness said the suicide bomber was in his 20s. ‘
He argued with the police guard for quite some time and then detonated himself,’ said Ramzan Ahmad.
Pakistan has seen a series of suicide attacks over the last two years, including several in Islamabad and its adjoining garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Last week, 11 people died in a suicide bombing on a busy street near a bus depot in Rawlapindi and more than a dozen were injured.
‘Both attacks are inter-linked. Their objective is to scare the security personnel,’ Pakistan’s top security official Rehman Malik told reporters at the scene.
The Rest @ GAEA News
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