7 Insurgents, Included 2 Policemen, Captured in Herat

Seven insurgents were captured on Sunday by Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, the provincial spokesman for Herat said.

Two of the insurgents were police officers, spokesman Mahiuddin Noori said.

The insurgents had been providing intelligence to the Taliban. They were captured from Shindand and Adraskan districts and Herat city, Mr Noori added.

Local reports suggest one of the policemen had been working at Herat airport and the other was working at Pashtun Zarghon's district police headquarters.

One of the arrested policemen is a resident of Maidan Wardak province, the other is from Herat.

Concern is mounting in Afghanistan about the extent to which the Taliban has been able to infiltrate the Afghan security forces.

 from TOLONEWS

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Jan.16., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 16) — An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation in search of a Taliban facilitator in Kajaki district, Helmand province, today.
The facilitator operates and funds an insurgent cell in Musa Qal’ah district. He also distributes weapons and explosives for use in attacks against coalition forces.

During the operation, an insurgent armed with an AK-47 and multiple grenades displayed hostile intent. Responding to the immediate threat, the security force engaged and killed the insurgent.

Multiple weapons were confiscated and several suspected insurgents were detained during the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South
A combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered an improvised explosive device cache during a routine patrol in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, Friday. The cache consisted of multiple IEDs and approximately 165 pounds (75 kilograms) of homemade explosives. The security force destroyed the IED cache without incident. No civilians were harmed during the operation.
A combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered a weapons cache during a routine patrol in Nad ‘Ali district, Helmand province, yesterday. The cache consisted of multiple firearms, grenades, and approximately 850 rounds of ammunition. The security force confiscated the weapons cache and will destroy it at a later date.

East
In Jalalabad district, Nangarhar province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered an improvised explosive device cache during a routine patrol Friday. The cache consisted of approximately 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) of ammonium nitrate. The cache was confiscated and will be destroyed at a later date.
In Nawah district, Ghazni province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered multiple improvised explosive devices during a routine operation yesterday. The IEDs contained a total of approximately 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of explosive materials. All IEDs were destroyed on site.

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Hakeemullah Mehsud rumored killed in recent drone strike

Hakeemullah Mehsud, left. AFP photo.

Pakistani intelligence officials believe that Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and a close ally of al Qaeda, has been killed in the latest drone strike in North Waziristan. The report has not been confirmed by US officials.

Radio intercepts of discussions between Taliban fighters indicate that Hakeemullah was killed in the Jan. 12 airstrike that took place in the village of Dogga on the outskirts of Miramsham, the main town in North Waziristan. Six "militants," including several "foreigners," a term used to describe members of al Qaeda and allied terror groups, were reported killed in the strike.
"Some militants confirmed Mehsud was dead, and one criticized others for talking about the issue over the radio," according to The Associated Press.

Two US intelligence officials involved in the program that targets al Qaeda and allied terror groups in Pakistan's tribal areas said they were aware of the reports and are investigating.
Asimullah Mehsud, a spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, has denied the reports of Hakeemullah's death, The Associated Press reported.

Pakistani officials have claimed that Hakeemullah has been killed numerous times in the past several years. The most embarrassing claim took place in early 2010, when Pakistani officials, including the Interior Minister, claimed he was killed in a drone strike [for a timeline on the reporting of his 'death,' see LWJ report, Hakeemullah Mehsud -- not dead yet]. A US military spokesman even said they believed Hakeemullah was either dead or incapacitated. Many Taliban leaders denied he was killed. Hakeemullah granted several phone interviews to deny the reports of his death, but the Pakistani government and the media ignored the information. The Long War Journal reported several times during the winter and spring of 2010 that the evidence of his death was inconsistent and he was very likely alive.

Hakeemullah resurfaced on May 2, 2010 in a video that was sent by a Taliban spokesman to The Long War Journal just hours after the failed Times Square bombing. In the video, Hakeemullah claimed credit for the attempted attack in the heart of New York City, and promised further attacks. His deputy, Qari Hussain Mehsud, who was also reported killed, also released an audiotape that confirmed he was alive.

Pakistani officials also claimed Hakeemullah was killed while clashing with Waliur Rahman Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban in South Waziristan, in August 2009. The two were said to have killed each other in a gunfight while arguing over who should take control of the Taliban after Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a Predator strike on Aug. 5, 2009. The reports of the "battle at the shura" were proven to be false when the two leaders later appeared in the media.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/01/hameemullah_mehsud_r.php#ixzz1jZnbH0Ja

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• Hakeemullah Mehsud rumored killed in recent drone strike (longwarjournal.org)

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Senior Taliban leader killed in Eastern Afghanistan

According to local authorities in eastern Afghanistan, a senior Taliban commander was killed following clashes with the Afghan police forces in eastern Tagab province.

The officials further added, the Taliban commander in Tagab district of eastern Kapisa province.

Tagab security chief Shah Agha confirming the report said, the Taliban commander who was killed in clashes with the Afghan police was recognized as Mobarez.

Local officials did not provide further details regarding exact date of the incident.

Taliban militants group, the main militants group fighting the Afghan government and NATO-led coalition forces yet to comment regarding report.

In the meantime Afghan Interior Affairs Ministry following a press release on Sunday said, at least 2 armed militants were killed and as much as 30 others were detained following joint military operations by Afghan and NaTO-led coalition forces.

The source further added, the operations were conducted in Nangarhar, Kandahar, Helmand, Maidan Wardak, Logar and Ghazni provinces.

According to Afghan Interior Ministry officials, Afghan and NATO forces also seized various types of weapons and ammunitions during the military operations.

from KHAAMA

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Bomb Targets Shiite Muslims at Service in Pakistan

A man was transported to a hospital after being injured in a bomb attack on a Shiite gathering on Sunday in Khanpur, Pakistan.(Reuters)

ISLAMBAD, Pakistan — An explosion ripped through a crowd of Shiite Muslims in central Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 17 people in one of the largest such attacks in recent times in Pakistan’s most populous province.

The police said a bomb in Khanpur, a town in the southern part of the province, killed Shiite worshipers as they streamed out of a mosque after a religious ceremony. The local police chief, Sohail Zaffar Chatta, said the device appeared to have been detonated by remote control.

By early evening, 17 people had been confirmed killed and 25 wounded, with the death toll expected to rise. Television pictures from the scene showed black-clad women mourning over a body in the street while men angrily remonstrated before the cameras, beating their chests.

The victims were engaged in a ceremony commemorating the 40th day after the death anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein, a highly revered figure in Shiite Islam.

Sunni extremist groups, who view Shiites as heretics, have been implicated in a rising number of a sectarian attacks, according to human rights monitors.

from NYTIMES

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UN adds 2 Haqqani Network leaders to terrorist list

Image via Wikipedia

The United Nations Security Council has added two senior Haqqani Network leaders to its list of individuals who are associated with the Taliban. One of the Haqqani Network leaders was appointed by al Qaeda to lead operations in a southeastern province in Afghanistan.
Ahmed Jan Wazir and Fazl Rabi were added to the UN list on Jan. 6 for holding senior leadership positions in the Haqqani Network. The UN designation, under UNSC resolution 1988, freezes the assets of those on the list and and imposes a travel ban on them. The two Haqqani Network leaders were added by the US Treasury Department to its list of specially designated global terrorists in June 2011, but their designation was not widely publicized.

Ahmed Jan Wazir
According to the UN, Wazir is "a key commander" in the Haqqani Network. He "acts as a deputy, advisor, and spokesperson" for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational commander of the network. Wazir has represented the Haqqani Network at the Quetta Shura, the Taliban's top leadership council. Additionally, he holds meetings for the Haqqani Network and has traveled to the Persian Gulf with other "senior Haqqani Network members."
Wazir has been instrumental in helping the Haqqani Network expand its operations from its traditional base of power in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Khost into Ghazni. He "served as a conduit between the Haqqani Network and the Taliban in Ghazni," the UN said. Ghazni is also a known hotbed of al Qaeda activity. [See LWJ report, 'Foreign trainers' active in southeastern Afghan province, for more information on al Qaeda's presence in Ghazni.]
Wazir has the support of al Qaeda fighters operating in Ghanzi. In 2008, he was named by both Taliban and al Qaeda units as a commander in the province. In that role he "has provided other Taliban commanders in Ghazni Province with money and supplies, including weapons and communications equipment."

Fazl Rabi
Rabi is a key financial official for both the Taliban and the Haqqani Network who has also aided the terror group in executing suicide attacks in Afghanistan, according to the UN.
The UN said Rabi is "a member of the Taliban's financial shura and has dispersed funds to Taliban commanders and officials." He has traveled to the Persian Gulf several times to raise funds for Jalaluddin Haqqani, the network's patriarch, and his son Siraj.
Additionally, Rabi "has coordinated the Haqqani Network's relationship with other militant groups."

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/01/un_adds_2_haqqani_ne.php#ixzz1jXPoUjsM

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• UN adds 2 Haqqani Network leaders to terrorist list (longwarjournal.org)

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F-15E reaches 10K flying hour milestone

1/14/2012 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- In the early hours of the day, the aircraft parking ramp at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was alive with activity. Checklists were run, hatches checked, bombs loaded and missions briefed, as the crew chiefs, support units, and flyers of F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 achieved a milestone 10,000 flying hours Jan. 13

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan-- F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 is specially painted to celebrate its multiple achievements at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 13, 2012. #89-0487 is the only F-15 to have had a successful air-to-air kill and is now the only F-15 to have logged 10,000 hours of flying time. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom) hi-res

1/14/2012 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- In the early hours of the day, the aircraft parking ramp at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was alive with activity. Checklists were run, hatches checked, bombs loaded and missions briefed, as the crew chiefs, support units, and flyers of F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 achieved a milestone 10,000 flying hours Jan. 13.


by Tech Sgt. Vernon Cunningham
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
 
F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487, or "#487" for short, was commissioned Nov. 13, 1990. It's the first F-15 of any type to reach 10,000 hours, despite being younger than many F-15A and F-15C models. During its service, the aircraft participated in operations Desert Storm, Deliberate Guard, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.

The accomplishment of flying more than 10,000 hours was shared by the entire 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The 455th EAMXS includes the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit and supporting units.

"It has taken more than 21 years of qualified maintenance technicians performing more than one million hours of inspections and repairs in all types of environments at home station, depot facilities, TDY and AEF locations to ensure aircraft #89-0487 was available to deploy on numerous TDYs and AEFs," Chief Master Sgt. John Parrott, 335th EAMU superintendent said. "It also took careful, timely loading and maintenance by hundreds of weapons technicians in conjunction with countless hours of repairs and inspections performed by avionics, electrical and environmental, engine, fuels, egress, and structural Airmen."

The current crew chiefs for #487 are all deployed from Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. They agreed that good maintenance and support were critical.

Senior Airman Eric Rock, 455th EAMS crew chief assigned to #487, said," This is the squadron flag ship. This accomplishment definitely shows the caliber of those before us and those who are crewing it now. They are putting the best and most motivated on the team."

The #487 crew chiefs have been working with the same aircraft for the past year. Since arriving at Bagram, the high demand for the flag ship helped highlight the team cohesion needed to keep the aircraft mission ready.

"When we got here, it was at 8,800 hours," Staff Sgt. Ryan Forsse, 455th EAMS crew chief assigned to #487, said. "We put 1,200 hours on it in the past three months. During that time, this aircraft dropped 15 percent of all bombs deployed in our fleet. To keep it flying at that pace, it was very important to keep the same crew on it to get to know the aircraft."

Rock said each plane has a specific personality.

"Keeping the same crew working on it allows for the technician to see trends," Rock said. "You get to know what is going on with it, what sounds normal and what works."

The crew chiefs specifically acknowledged that all of the support units were integral in reaching the 10,000 flying hours milestone.

"When we have a problem that needs to be fixed by another shop, they come out quickly for this jet," Forsse said. "This is the squadron flag ship, so all the shops push to get this aircraft fixed, armed up and back in the air. Any time we need something, they are on it."

Lt. Col. David Moeller, 335th Expeditionary Flying Squadron commander, is the current weapons systems officer for #487. Moeller fully appreciated the impact of the work done by the F-15E #487 team.

"It's not just about the hours in the sky," Moeller said. "The maintenance ability to keep this jet flying so it may support the current fight is amazing. This is 24-hour, all-weather, ops throughout the OEF battlespace. Maintenance, weapons, and all support by the 455th makes this possible. It was a total team effort."

In addition to the ground support, a lot of work was done in the air for #487.

"This milestone also required skilled, proficient pilots and weapons systems officers flying more than 3,500 sorties," Parrott said. "Like the crew that dropped a GBU-10 on an Iraqi Mi24 helicopter during Operation Desert Storm. "

F-15E #487 is the only one of its kind to record an air-to-air kill.

As a personal tribute to history, Moeller chose to pass the honor of flying over 10,000 hours to Capt. Ryan Bodenheimer, 335th F-15E EFS pilot, and Capt. Erin Short, 335th EFS weapons systems officer. Both are deployed from Seymour-Johnson AFB.

"It just seemed appropriate that the longest flying F-15E be flown by the youngest flyers in the unit," he said.

Perrot summed up the significance of #487's sustained mission capability.

"It has taken 21 years of two things: pride and passion," he said. "Pride in the work completed with fellow Airmen, ultimately for the excellence of the Air Force. And passion - regardless of the weather, obstacle or task faced, successful completion is the only goal".


source and more hi-res photos here:  http://www.bagram.afcent.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123286330

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Suicide bombers held hostages in security headquarters in central Ramadi

RAMADI, Iraq, Jan.15 (Xinhua) -- Suicide bombers on Sunday stormed the building of counter-terrorism headquarters in central Ramadi after two suicide bombers blew themselves and held hostages, a source from Anbar's provincial police told Xinhua.

The attack occurred around midday when three explosions, including a car bomb, rocked central Ramadi, some 100 km west of Baghdad, near the government building, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Afterwards, gunmen traded fire with the guards of the counter- terrorism headquarters, paving the way for several suicide bombers to storm the building and held unknown number of hostages, the source said.

He said that fierce fighting is underway between Iraqi security forces which surrounding the site and the attackers inside.

"Initial reports said that a police officer was killed and three policemen wounded," the source said without giving further details.

from XINHUA

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Imposter Taliban kidnappers killed in Peshawar ‘shootout’

PESHAWAR: Two kidnappers, posing to belong to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, were killed in shootout with the police in Peshawar on Sunday.

A policeman was also killed in the exchange of fire.

“The kidnappers had been threatening to abduct a child of one of the families in a locality under the precincts of the Yaqatoot Police Station [in Peshawar]. The group had also been sending letters to the family, written on letterheads of the TTP,” SHO Saifur Rehman told The Express Tribune.

Keeping the families’ names confidential to ensure security and protect identities, police said that the kidnappers had been calling and threatening other families for ransom too.

The police then came up with a plot to catch the culprits. The family, which was being threatened, was asked to pay Rs0.5 million in ransom to kidnappers near the Ring Road in Peshawar. When the money was paid, police intercepted the kidnappers and gunned them down. However, the kidnappers returned fire and managed to fire at a gunner of the SHO, who sustained a serious injury and later succumbed to it.

“Two pistols, three cell phones, the ransom money and a dubious motorcycle was recovered from them,” the SHO said.

Read more:  http://tribune.com.pk/story/321866/imposter-taliban-kidnappers-killed-in-peshawar-shootout/

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NATO helicopter crash in eastern Logar province

According to local authorities in eastern Afghanistan, a NATO helicopter crashed in eastern Logar province on Saturday.

Chief of the provincial council for eastern Logar province Dr. Abdul Wali Wakil confirming the incident said, the incident was confirmed by International Security Assistance Force based in this province.

Dr. Wakil said, the incident took place in Baraki district of eastern Logar province.

The source further added, the main reason behind the crash of the NATO helicopter was not immediately confirmed.

However, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force have not formally announced the incident.

from KHAAMA

UPDATE:

ISAF said on twitter an hour ago:
"No, there was no ISAF helo crash in Logar Sat. which means no casualties either"

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