Pakistani Taliban deputy Faqir Mohammad demoted

By Bill Roggio - March 6, 2012 - LWJ

Faqir Mohammed. Image courtesy of AfPax Insider.

Faqir Mohammed, the deputy emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, was relieved of his command, according to the spokesman for the terror group.

Faqir, who has led the Taliban forces in the Bajaur tribal agency, served as interim emir for the Movement of the Taliban, and sheltered Ayman al Zawahiri and other top al Qaeda leaders, was dismissed by the group's emir, Hakeemullah Mehsud.

"The TTP [Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan] shura met with its central emir Hakeemullah Mahsud in the chair," Ihsanullah Ihsan, the Taliban's top spokesman said, according to a report in The News. "It felt that the organization no more required the role of Maulvi Faqir Mohammad as naib [deputy] emir. From today, he will be considered a common fighter and will no longer enjoy the status of TTP naib emir."

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Mar.06., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Evening Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – A combined Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents and discovered an improvised explosive device-making facility during an operation in Zharay district, Kandahar province, yesterday.

The cache contained more than 550 pounds (250 kilograms) of ammonium nitrate, as well as batteries, wires and several other IED components.

All of the materials were either destroyed or confiscated by the security force without incident.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

A coalition air weapons team killed several insurgents during an engagement in Asadabad district, Kunar province, today. The insurgents were firing on an ISAF installation in the area and when the air weapons team arrived on scene the insurgents turned their fire against the aircraft. The aircrew returned fire, killing several insurgents. No civilians were harmed during the exchange.

West

A combined Afghan and coalition security force detained numerous suspected insurgents along with a cache of drugs and weapons during an operation in Bala Boluk district, Farah province, yesterday. The suspected insurgents were found with a number of small arms weapons and ammunition, as well as more than 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of opium and hashish. All of the items were either safely destroyed or confiscated by the security force as evidence.

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8 Yemeni soldiers injured in shootout with suspected al-Qaida militants

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ADEN, Yemen, March 6 (Xinhua) -- At least eight government soldiers were injured Tuesday evening during a gun fight with suspected al-Qaida militants in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa, a security official told Xinhua.

Gunmen believed to be from the al-Qaida group attacked a military checkpoint positioned in the Ataq city, the provincial capital of Shabwa, injuring at least eight army soldiers, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"The army soldiers exchanged gunfire with the assailants for more than half an hour before they fled the scene by motorbikes," the official said.

Another military source near the scene told Xinhua anonymously that "two terrorists were killed in the shootout with the army troops."

Shabwa, some 458 km southeast of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, is considered to be a stronghold of hundreds of militants from the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that unknown gunmen shot dead a member of the security forces in the southern province of al-Dhalea, without giving further details.

Earlier this week, dozens of al-Qaida militants attacked an army outpost in the neighboring southern province of Abyan, killing more than 180 soldiers and looting the base along with its heavy weaponry, tanks and armored vehicles, according to senior army officials.

Suicide car bombings and violent attacks against the army have increased over the past two weeks. A deadly suicide bombing targeting the presidential palace in the southern province of Hadramout killed nearly 30 soldiers of the elite Republican Guard forces. The al-Qaida wing claimed responsibility for the attack in the following day.

The AQAP attacks underscore the challenges facing the Yemeni government, which is tasked with restoring security and stability to Yemen and putting an end to the growing influence of al-Qaida that threatens the daily oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Related articles

• Huge death toll doubles in Yemen 'slaughter' (cnn.com)

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Civilians among 7 injured in bomb blasts in AF

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KABUL (PAN): One militant was killed and four policemen and three civilians were wounded in separate bomb explosions on Tuesday, officials said.

The first blast took place near the Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, at around 8am, a border police spokesman said.

Idrees Momand told Pajhwok Afghan News police commander Mohammad Ayub Hussainkhel and one of his bodyguards were injured in the blast that ripped through a convoy.

Separately, two policemen and three civilians were injured when an explosives-rigged bicycle went off in the Faiz Mohammad Khan Square of Khost City, the capital of southeastern Khost province, police chief Brig. Gen. Sardar Mohammad Zazai said.

Public Health Director Dr. Amir Badshah Rahmatzai confirmed receiving five injured people at the
Khost Civil Hospital, saying that they were in stable condition.

Witness Sardar Wali said the explosion was so powerful that it shook the area.

In southern Helmand province, one fighter was killed and four others were injured when the bomb they were carrying exploded prematurely in the Malgir area of Grishk district, the governor’s spokesman said.

Daud Ahmadi said the incident took place late on Monday, when the rebels wanted to plant the explosive device on a road to target Afghan and international troops.

from PAJHWOK

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Suicide bomber wounds 4 policemen in Iraq

TIKRIT, Iraq, March 6 (Xinhua) -- A suicide bomber blew up himself in a town in Iraq's Salahudin province on Tuesday, wounding four policemen, while the police captured three suspects who were accompanying the bomber, a provincial police source said.

The incident took place in the early morning at a police checkpoint in the southern entrance of the city of Baiji, some 30 km north of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, when policemen stopped four suspects in their car and ordered them to leave the car for a search, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

One of the men refused to leave the car and blew up his explosive vest, wounding four of the policemen and left the car totally charred at the checkpoint, while the other three suspects were captured, the source said.

Initial interrogation indicates that the three suspects may have involved in the deadly shooting spree that occurred the day before in the city of Haditha in the neighboring province of Anbar that killed 27 policemen and three of the attackers.

Salahudin province, located in northern central Iraq, is a Sunni-dominated province. Its capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, is the hometown of former President Saddam Hussein.

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Nangarhar Bomb Blast Wounds 3 Border Police

Three Afghan border policemen were wounded in a bomb blast in eastern Nangarhar province on Tuesday, a local official said.

The incident took place at 08:00 am local time in Jalalabad City, the provincial capital, when the policemen's vehicle struck a roadside bomb, provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abduzai told TOLOnews.

No group including the Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast.

On Monday, one person was killed and 11 other people were wounded in when a suicide bomber targeted an Afghan police checkpoint in Jalalabad.

Two Afghan civilians also died on Monday when a suicide bomber attacked Bagram Airbase in northeastern Afghanistan, apparently in retaliation for the US servicemen burning Korans there, officials said.

The attack happened when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the third entrance gate to Bagram Airfield, the largest US military base in Afghanistan.

Local officials said that six others were injured, including three Afghan civilians and three Isaf soldiers.

The blast reportedly damaged an Isaf vehicle which was parked at the entrance.
 
Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.

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Mar.06., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan (Mar. 06) – Afghan and coalition security forces captured two Taliban leaders during an operation in Nad ‘Ali district, Helmand province, yesterday.

One of the leaders directed the emplacement of roadside bombs and attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Nad ‘Ali district. The other captured Taliban leader coordinated ambushes and roadside bombings in Marjah.

The security force fired no shots and detained one additional insurgent as a result of the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

North
In Aliabad district, Kunduz province, a Taliban facilitator was captured by Afghan and coalition security forces during an operation today. The facilitator provided weapons, ammunition and explosives to insurgents throughout the province for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Two additional suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.

South
In Nad ‘Ali district, Helmand province, a Taliban leader was captured by Afghan and coalition security forces during an operation today. The leader directed insurgent activity throughout the Trek Nawa area. The security forces detained two additional suspected insurgents during the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator during an operation in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, today. The facilitator supplied insurgents with weapons, ammunition and explosives. One additional suspect was detained.

East
In Bati Kot district, Nangarhar province, an Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator during an operation today. The facilitator planned attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the district and provided weapons and bomb-making materials to the insurgents.

An Afghan-led security force captured a Haqqani leader during an operation in Nadir Shah Kot district, Khost province, today. The leader was responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces throughout the district. Multiple additional suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban leader in Gelan district, Ghazni province, today. The leader directs attacks against Afghan civilians and security forces along Highway 1. The security forces detained multiple suspected insurgents as a result of the operation.

In Maidan Shahr district, Wardak province, an Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban facilitator today. The facilitator purchases weapons and equipment for insurgents throughout province. Several suspected insurgents were detained.

Finally, Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban facilitator in Charkh district, Logar province, today. The facilitator provides logistical support and training to insurgents throughout the district. The security force detained several suspected insurgents during the operation.

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