US launches first drone strike in Pakistan in 6 weeks

By Bill Roggio - May 29, 2013 - LWJ

The US killed seven people in the first drone strike in Pakistan in six weeks. The attack took place in an area of Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, and is rumored to have killed the deputy emir for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan.

The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired a pair of missiles at a compound in the village of Chashma, which is just outside of Miramshah, the main town in the tribal agency, according to Reuters.

Seven people were killed in the strike and several more were wounded. It is unclear, however, if those killed were civilians or jihadists allied with the Taliban, al Qaeda, or other terrorist groups known to shelter in the area.

Unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials claimed that Waliur Rehman, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in South Waziristan and deputy to emir Hakeemullah Mehsud, was killed in the strike. Additionally, an aide known as Fakhar-ul-Islam is said to have been killed in the strike along with "two unknown Uzbek nationals," according to CNN.

The Pakistani government has not officially stated that Rehman was killed. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied reports of his death.

US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal would not confirm or deny that Rehman was killed, but did say they were aware of reports of his death. One official said that Rehman is on the CIA's kill list and has been targeted in the past.

The strike took place in an area of North Waziristan that is administered by the Haqqani Network, the al Qaeda-linked Taliban subgroup that operates in eastern Afghanistan and is based in North Waziristan.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/05/us_launches_first_dr.php#ixzz2Ugx4NNRB

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US drones kill 16 'militants' in Arakzai strike

By Bill Roggio - October 11, 2012 - LWJ

US drones killed 16 "militants" in a strike today on a compound in Pakistan's Taliban-infested tribal agency of Arakzai. The strike is the first recorded outside of Pakistan's tribal agencies of North and South Waziristan since December 2010.

Pakistani officials told Dawn that the unmanned Predators or Reapers fired four missiles at a compound in the Buland Khel area of Arakzai. The compound belonged to Maulana Shakirullah, "who is the commander of the Hafiz Gul Bahadar group of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP or Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan)," officials told the Pakistani news agency. However, Bahadur operates independently of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan.

Shakirullah is said to be allied with the Haqqani Network and al Qaeda. No senior al Qaeda or allied jihadist commanders from foreign terrorist groups are reported to have been killed in the strike.
Drone strikes outside of the designated "kill boxes" in North and South Waziristan are rare. Of the 318 drone strikes recorded by The Long War Journal since 2004, only 17 have taken place outside of North and South Waziristan.

Today's strike is the first that has been reported outside of North and South Waziristan since the US hit training camps belonging to Taliban commander Tariq Afridi in the tribal agency of Khyber in four strikes on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 in 2010.

The US has conducted only one strike in Arakzai in the past, on April 1, 2009. In that strike, which targeted a Taliban compound in the town of Khadzai, a region run by Hakeemullah Mehsud, the emir of the al Qaeda-linked Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, 12 Taliban fighters and al Qaeda operatives were killed and 12 more were wounded. Hakeemullah was thought to be attending a senior Taliban leadership meeting at the compound, but was not killed in the strike. Abdullah Hamas al Filistini, a senior al Qaeda trainer, was among those killed in the April 1 strike.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/10/us_drones_kil_16_mil.php#ixzz291PrKyb0

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Haqqani Network commander says Captive US soldier safe

A senior member of the Pakistan-based Haqqani Network on Saturday said, the captive US soldier held by Afghan militants will not be harmed despite the Obama administration’s decision to declare his alleged captors a terrorist group.

The Haqqani commander speaking from an undisclosed location told Associated Press on Saturday the United States and NATO can expect stepped up attacks.

He denied that the Haqqanis held the only American prisoner of war of the Afghan conflict, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, as the U.S. believes. He did however say that Bergdahl was a captive of another branch of the Taliban, and denied earlier reports that the 26-year-old soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was in danger.

“I deny the remarks . . . that this will endanger the life of the American soldier”, the commander told Associated Press adding that, “We are not cowards and we consider it as coward to harm prisoners.”

The U.S. says that Bergdahl has been held by the Pakistan-based Haqqanis since 2009. However, the commander suggested he was with militants on the other side of the Afghan-Pakistan border.

“The American soldier is with the Emirate center (a reference to Taliban based inside Afghanistan) . . . The Americans also know it.”

He said the Taliban leadership council previously issued instructions to its commanders, including those belonging to the Haqqani network, not to harm prisoners.
From his home in Idaho, the soldier’s father Bob Bergdahl welcomed the assurances but was cautious.

from KHAAMA
By Sadaf Shinwari - Sun Sep 09, 9:02 am

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White House set to blacklist Haqqani terrorist Network

Badruddin Haqqani (photo:Khaama)

The United States is preparing to blacklist the Pakistan-linked Haqqani network, accused of some high-profile attacks, as early as Friday.

US officials have been debating the move for a month, with opponents fearing that it could pour more salt on the wounded alliance with Pakistan after months of turmoil in the delicate relationship.

Based in Washington, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its recent report that the Haqqani Network has been an effective fighting force and proxy of the Pakistani security services for the better part of 30 years.

The debate on the issue reached a peak in August under the pressure of a Congressional reporting deadline on September 10.

Designation by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization would bring sanctions such as criminal penalties for anyone providing material support to the group and seizure of any assets in the United States.

The network been accused of launching scores of cross-border attacks on US troops in Afghanistan from strongholds in Pakistan’s restive northwest, and Washington has demanded that Islamabad do more to deny them “safe havens.”US officials have linked the Haqqani network to some of the boldest attacks in Afghanistan, including a June assault on a hotel near Kabul that killed 18 people and a siege last year of the US embassy.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Fri Sep 07, 10:34 am

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Senior Haqqani leader Badruddin Haqqani killed, says family

Haqqani family confirmed the death of Badruddin Haqqani, the third son of Jalaluddin Haqqani and a senior commander of the Taliban group who was killed following a US drone strike last Wednesday.

A family member of the Haqqani said he was killed in Pakistan’s North Wazrisitan.

The death of Badruddin Haqqani will be considered a major achievement in war against terrorism if the death of Badruddin Haqqani is true however the rumors have not been independently confirmed so far.

Badruddin Haqqani is the founder of the Haqqani Network and was one of the senior and active members of the Haqqani Network despite the eldest son of Jalaluddin Haqqani currently rules the network.

He was formally designated to collect funds, direct insurgency activities and was heading the administration of the Haqqani Network.

The Haqqani Network has carried out some of the major coordinated attacks against the US and NATO troops and Afghan government during the recent years.

One of the major attack was carried out in June 2011 on Kabul Intercontinental Hotel while another coordinated attack was carried out by Haqqani Network on US embassy and a number of other high profile areas in capital Kabul during the September 2011.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Sun Aug 26, 6:40 pm

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Taliban deny report of Badruddin Haqqani’s death

KABUL: A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan rejected reports that the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network has been killed, even as senior insurgents and members of the Pakistani government said they believe Badruddin Haqqani was dead.     

Zabiullah Mujahid said in an email sent to reporters late Saturday that Haqqani is alive and in good health in Afghanistan.

The statement conflicts with assertions by a senior Taliban commander that a US drone strike in Pakistan killed Haqqani.

Pakistani intelligence officials have also said they are 90 per cent certain he was killed in an American missile strike Tuesday in the North Waziristan region. They said their information was based on reports received from their agents in the field but acknowledged they haven’t spoken to anyone who has seen the body.

If confirmed, Haqqani’s death would mark a major blow to the organization founded by his father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, which is viewed by the US as a powerful enemy in Afghanistan. The son is considered the network’s day-to-day operations commander.

The Haqqani network has been blamed for a series of high-profile attacks and kidnappings in Afghanistan.

“A number of media have reported that Badruddin Haqqani has been killed. We would like to inform all media that this rumor is not correct,” Mujahid said in the email.

“Badruddin Haqqani is in the country and he is occupied with his operational responsibilities. He is alive and healthy. The rumor about him being killed is more propaganda of the enemy,” he said.

The senior Taliban commander’s assertion that Badruddin died in a drone strike has not been independently confirmed, and the US does not comment publicly on its drone program, which is widely reviled by the Pakistani public and has been a source of tension with Islamabad.

All except Mujahid spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the news.

The areas where the American drone strikes generally occur are extremely remote and dangerous, making it difficult for reporters or others to verify a particular person’s death.

Badruddin is considered a vital part of the Haqqani structure and is believed to have played an active role in kidnappings, extortion and high-profile operations in Afghanistan.

Replacing him would be a challenge but not impossible, said Daniel Markey, a Pakistan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“The question would be whether anyone would be as trusted, as well-placed, would have forged the kind of longstanding connections and would have the kind of pedigree that he has,” said Markey. “This is a big hit if it’s true but it’s not going to put them out of business.”

The US State Department has designated Badruddin, along with his father and brothers, Nasiruddin and Sirajuddin, as terrorists.

The State Department said in May 2011 that Badruddin sits on the Miramshah Shura, a group that controls all Haqqani network activities and coordinates attacks in southeastern Afghanistan.

Badruddin is also believed to have been responsible for the 2008 kidnapping of New York Times reporter, David Rohde, the department said.

After their father effectively retired in 2005, Badruddin and his brother Sirajuddin expanded the network into kidnapping and extortion, both highly profitable for the organization, according to a recent report by the West Point, NY-based Combating Terrorism Center. Afghan intelligence authorities have released intercepts of Badruddin orchestrating an attack against the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in 2011, the CTC said.

The US has long viewed the Haqqani network as one of the biggest threats to US and Nato forces in Afghanistan as well as the country’s long term stability.

The group has shown little interest in negotiating with the Washington, and has pulled off some of the highest-profile and most complex attacks in Afghanistan, although not necessarily the most deadly.

from DAWN

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Badruddin Haqqani rumored killed in US drone strike

By Bill Roggio - August 25, 2012 - LWJ

Badruddin Haqqani.
Click to view slide show
of the Haqqani Network leader.

US officials believe that Badruddin Haqqani, one of the top leaders of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, may have been killed in a recent US drone strike in North Waziristan.

US officials have told The New York Times that intelligence from the region indicates that Badruddin was killed in one of the five drone strikes that have taken place in the past week. Intelligence officials are attempting to confirm that Badruddin was indeed killed.

Yesterday, US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal that the remotely piloted Predators and Reapers were targeting an "important jihadi leader" the region, but his name was not disclosed.

The US launched five drone strikes in Pakistan's Taliban controlled-tribal agency of North Waziristan since Aug. 18. Four of the strikes have taken place in the Shawal Valley, a terrorist haven near the Afghan border, and one more occurred in Miramshah. Badruddin may have been killed in the Aug. 21 strike near Miramshah, which is the the traditional area of operations for the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan. However he may have been traveling in the Shawal Valley to coordinate activities in the area. The Shawal Valley, which is administered by North Waziristan Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadar, is used to train fighters and stage attacks in Afghanistan.

Badruddin is one of the Haqqani Network's most senior leaders. He is considered to serve as the top deputy to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group's operational commander.

The US State department added Badruddin to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists on May 11, 2011. In the designation, State said that he "sits on the Miramshah Shura [council], which has command and control over all Haqqani Network activities, and helps lead insurgents and foreign fighters in attacks against targets in southeastern Afghanistan."

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/08/badruddin_haqqani_ru.php#ixzz24Yaerhzd

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Haqqani Network explosives expert arrested in Khost

Map of Afghanistan with Kandahar highlighted (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Haqqani Network explosives expert was detained following a joint military operation by Afghan and coalition security forces in eastern Khost province on Thursday.

NATO-led Interantional Security Assistance Force following a statement announced, the Afghan special operations unit, supported by coalition troops, arrested a Haqqani explosives expert in Khost district, Khost province, today.

The explosives expert conducted improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the province. He also trained insurgents how to make and use IEDs. At the time of his arrest, the Haqqani explosives expert was in the process of building several IEDs.

During the operation, the security force also detained multiple suspected insurgents.

ISAF following the statement further added, in Shah Wali Kot district, Kandahar province, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban weapons dealer and detained several suspected insurgents. The weapons dealer distributed illegal weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, to insurgents throughout northern Kandahar.

Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the reports.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Thu Jul 26, 12:07 pm

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US drones kill 17 'militants' in North Waziristan strike

By Bill Roggio - July 6, 2012 - LWJ

The US killed 17 suspected "militants" in a strike in an area of the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan that is known to host la Qaeda's top leaders.
The remotely piloted Predators or the more heavily armed Reapers fired several missiles at a compound in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, according to Retuers. Pakistani officials told Dawn that 17 people, all "suspected militants," were killed in the strike.
The target of today's strike has not been disclosed. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed in the strike.
The Datta Khel area is administered by Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the Taliban commander for North Waziristan. Bahadar provides shelter to top al Qaeda leaders as well as terrorists from numerous Pakistani and Central Asian terror groups.
Datta Khel is a known hub of Taliban, Haqqani Network, and al Qaeda activity. While Bahadar administers the region, the Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, and allied Central Asian jihadi groups are also based in the area. The Lashkar al Zil, al Qaeda's Shadow Army, is known to have a command center in Datta Khel.
Datta Khel serves as a command and control center for al Qaeda's top leaders, and some of them have been targeted and killed there. A strike in Datta Khel 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, 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, 2010, 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 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, a practice well-established in the country now.
Despite the known presence of al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist organizations in North Waziristan, and requests by the US that action be taken against these groups, the Pakistani military has indicated that it has no plans to take on Bahadar or the Haqqani Network, the other major Taliban group based there. Bahadar and the Haqqanis are considered "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military establishment as they do not carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Yet Bahadar, the Haqqanis, and other Taliban groups openly carry out attacks in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/07/us_drones_kill_17_mi.php#ixzz1zw7nOCiq

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Haqqani Network leader detained in Wardak province

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force following a press release on Sunday announced, Afghan and coalition security force apprehended a Haqqani leader during an operation in Nerkh district, Wardak province, today.

The source further added, as the security force approached the Haqqani leader’s location, an insurgent with an AK-47 advanced on the security force. The security force engaged the armed insurgent, killing him.

ISAF following the statement also added, as a result of the operation, two suspected insurgents were detained and multiple grenades and one AK-47 were seized by the security force.

Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the report.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - Sun Jul 01, 12:05 pm

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US drones strike again in the Shawal Valley

By Bill Roggio - July 1, 2012 - LWJ

The US launched its second straight drone strike in a remote valley in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan today, killing six "militants."

The remotely piloted Predators or the more advanced Reapers fired a pair of missiles at a compound in the Shawal Valley in North Waziristan, according to AFP. Pakistani officials said six "militants" were killed in the strike while the compound was set afire, burning several of the bodies beyond recognition.

No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or allied jihadist commanders are reported to have been killed in the strike.

Today's strike in Shawal is the second in the valley this week. On June 26, a similar strike on a compound in Shawal killed five militants. So far this year, four of the 25 drone strikes in Pakistan hit targets in the Shawal Valley.

Al Qaeda, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and Taliban fighters under the command of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the leader of the Taliban in North Waziristan, are all known to operate in the Shawal Valley, which is near the Afghan border. The area is used to launch attacks across the border in Afghanistan.

Bahadar administers the Shawal Valley. In 2009, Bahadar sheltered the families of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and Waliur Rehman Mehsud, the group's leader in South Waziristan, after the Pakistani military launched an offensive in the Mehsud areas of South Waziristan [see LWJ report, Taliban escape South Waziristan operation].

Bahadar, Hakeemullah, South Waziristan Taliban commander Mullah Nazir, and Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani Network, are members of the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance formed in late 2011. The four commanders agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US and NATO in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

The deal was brokered by senior al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi as well as by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational leader of the Haqqani Network, and Mullah Mansour, a senior Taliban leader who operates in eastern Afghanistan. An al Qaeda leader known as Abdur Rehman Al Saudi was also involved in the negotiations. Mullah Omar, the overall leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is said to have dispatched Siraj and Mansour to help negotiate the agreement [see LWJ report, Al Qaeda brokers new anti-US Taliban alliance in Pakistan and Afghanistan].

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/07/us_drones_strike_aga.php#ixzz1zNiqVdx3

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US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in North Waziristan

By Bill Roggio - June 26, 2012 - LWJ

The US launched its first drone strike in Pakistan in nearly two weeks in Pakistan's tribal areas today. The latest strike took place in an area of North Waziristan that is known to harbor al Qaeda fighters.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more heavily armed Reapers fired two missiles at a compound in the remote Shawal Valley, according to AFP. Five "militants" were killed in the strike, Pakistani officials told the news agency.

No senior al Qaeda, Taliban, or allied jihadist commanders are reported to have been killed in today's strike.

Al Qaeda, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and Taliban fighters under the command of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the leader of the Taliban in North Waziristan, are all known to operate in the Shawal Valley, which is near the border with Afghanistan.

Bahadar administers the Shawal Valley. In 2009, Bahadar sheltered the families of of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and Waliur Rehman Mehsud, the group's leader in South Waziristan, after the Pakistani military launched an offensive in the Mehsud areas of South Waziristan [see LWJ report, Taliban escape South Waziristan operation].

Bahadar, Hakeemullah, South Waziristan Taliban commander Mullah Nazir, and Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani Network, are members of the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance formed in late 2011. The four commanders agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US and NATO in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

The deal was brokered by senior al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi as well as by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational leader of the Haqqani Network, and Mullah Mansour, a senior Taliban leader who operates in eastern Afghanistan. An al Qaeda leader known as Abdur Rehman Al Saudi was also involved in the negotiations. Mullah Omar, the overall leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is said to have dispatched Siraj and Mansour to help negotiate the agreement [see LWJ report, Al Qaeda brokers new anti-US Taliban alliance in Pakistan and Afghanistan].

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/06/us_drone_strike_kill_8.php#ixzz1ywCPrtBF

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• http://dawn.com/2012/06/26/us-drone-strike-kills-at-least-five-in-north-waziristan/
• http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/26/world/asia/pakistan-drone-strike/index.html
• http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-officials-say-us-drone-kills-militants/24627023.html

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North Waziristan drone strike kills 4 'militants'

By Bill Roggio - LWJ - June 13, 2012

The US launched the first Predator drone strike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan since al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi was killed there in an attack nine days ago.

Today's strike, which was carried out by the unmanned Predators or the more deadly Reapers, targeted a vehicle in the village of Isha near Miramshah, the main town in North Waziristan, according to AFP. The drones fired two missiles at the vehicle, killing four "militants," The Associated Press reported.

The target of the strike has not been disclosed, and at this time no senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders are reported to have been killed.

Miramshah serves as the headquarters of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, a powerful Taliban subgroup that operates in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and is supported by Pakistan's military and its Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. The town serves as one of the "ground zeros" of terror groups based in North Waziristan, the US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. Other main centers of terror activity in North Waziristan include Datta Khel, Mir Ali, and the Shawal Valley.

The Haqqani Network is one of four major Taliban groups that have joined the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance brokered by al Qaeda late last year. The Shura-e-Murakeba also includes Hafiz Gul Bahadar's group; Mullah Nazir's group; and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud and his deputy, Waliur Rehman Mehsud. The members of the Shura-e-Murakeba agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

Today's strike is the first since June 4, when the US killed Abu Yahya al Libi, one of al Qaeda's top leaders, propagandists, and religious figures. Abu Yahya was killed in a strike on a compound in Mir Ali. Uzbek, Tajik, and Turkmen fighters belonging to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan were reportedly among the 14 terrorists killed along with Abu Yahya.

Yesterday, al Qaeda released a video of Abu Yahya that was produced sometime after November 2011. The video, which appears to have been taped long ago, addressed the Syrian revolution. Abu Yahya did not address reports of his death in the video.

As Sahab, which released the video on jihadist forums, used the term "may Allah protect him" when referring to Abu Yahya. This term is used for leaders who are alive; al Qaeda will say "may Allah have on mercy him" when referring to a leader who is dead. However, in the past, al Qaeda has released a video of a senior leader after he was killed but before his official martyrdom statement was released. This happened with Atiyah Abd al Rahman, Abu Yahya's predecessor. [See Threat Matrix reports, As Sahab releases video of Abu Yahya al Libi, and Al Qaeda suggests Abu Yahya al Libi is alive, promises video, for more details.]

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/06/us_drone_strike_kill_7.php#ixzz1xgiCTYGn

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4 Taliban killed by their own IED in Paktika province

Districts of Paktika Province (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Four Taliban terrorists killed in Paktika province

 

Publish Date: Jun 10, 2012

Four mine planters were killed by their own explosives while they attempted to plant an anti-vehicle mine in the main road of Babo Khil village, Jani Khil District of Paktika province, last night.

The mine planters’ bodies were lying at the scene.

Mines and Improvised Explosive Devices planted by insurgents are the number one killer of innocent civilians in Afghanistan.

Armed insurgents continue to completely disregard innocent civilian lives with their indiscriminate tactics.

from:

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Afghan and coalition forces detain Haqqani leader in Paktika

Districts of Paktika Province (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Afghan and coalition security forces detained a Haqqani Network leader following a joint military operation at eastern Paktika province.

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force following a statement on Friday announced, In Sarobi district, Paktika province, an Afghan and coalition security force detained a Haqqani leader during an operation today.

The source further added, the leader controlled a large group of insurgents and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces in the district.

During the operation, the security force also detained multiple additional insurgents and seized several AK-47s, grenades and magazines of ammunition, ISAF said following the statement.

Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the report.

from KHAAMA

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Haqqani Network leader arrested in eastern Khost province

file photo

Afghan and coalition security forces detained a Haqqani network leader along with two Taliban leaders following joint military operations at eastern and southern Afghanistan.

According to a statement released by International Security Assistance Force, Afghan and coalition security force detained a Haqqani facilitator during an operation in Sabari district of eastern Khost province. The facilitator supplied weapons, ammunition, rockets and explosives to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops throughout the district. The security force detained two additional insurgents as a result of this operation.

The source further added, Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban leader during an operation in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today.

The leader recently returned to Panjwa’i with numerous insurgent fighters for the Taliban spring offensive.

He was also the senior Taliban insurgent operating in the district and directed roadside bombings, suicide attacks and other operations against Afghan and coalition security forces.

The security force detained multiple additional insurgents and seized more than 700 rounds of ammunition as a result of this operation.

In a separate operation in Murghab district, Badghis province, Afghan and coalition security forces detained a Taliban leader and two additional insurgents yesterday. The leader, who was an explosives expert, constructed and directed the use of improvised explosive devices in attacks against coalition forces. He also supervised Taliban informants throughout the region. When the leader was detained, he was in the process of acquiring more powerful explosives for large-scale IED attacks throughout Badghis province.

Anti-government armed militant groups yet to comment regarding the reports.

from KHAAMA

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ISAF captures IMU facilitator in northeastern Afghanistan

file photo

By Bill Roggio - May 24, 2012 - LWJ

Coalition and Afghan special operations forces captured an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) facilitator during a raid today in Badakhshan province. The raid took place just one day after two foreign and two Afghan aid workers were among five people kidnapped in the province.

The combined special operations team captured the IMU facilitator and "several other insurgents" during a raid in Badakhshan's Argo district, the International Security Assistance Force stated in press release. ISAF said the IMU facilitator "was responsible for acquiring and transporting explosive materials and improvised explosive devices for attacks against Afghan and Coalition forces throughout the district."

Students in the province are protesting the raid, and claimed that their fellow classmates as well as teachers were among those detained, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.

Today's raid occurred just one day after two female foreign aid workers, whose nationalities have not been reported, and three Afghan males, including two aid workers, were kidnapped in the same province. The aid workers are employed by Medair, a Swiss relief agency, according to Reuters.

ISAF has conducted four raids against the IMU in Badakhshan since September 2011, and another in August 2010 that targeted a Taliban operative who aided "foreign fighters," according to ISAF press releases compiled by The Long War Journal. The IMU is known to have a presence in the districts of Argo, Faizabad, and Kishim.

The IMU continues to maintain a close working relationship with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and the Haqqani Network. The Pakistan-based terror group has integrated into the Taliban's shadow government in the north, and conducts operations with the Haqqani Network in the east. In addition, the IMU has been involved in several high-profile suicide attacks and assassinations in Kabul and in the north.

ISAF has stepped up its targeting of the IMU's leadership cadre over the past several months. Coalition and Afghan commandos have targeted top IMU leaders and associates in 18 raids in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Faryab, Kunduz, Takhar, Logar, and Wardak provinces since Jan. 29. Two of those raids have taken place this month, nine occurred in April, and four in March. In the course of those raids, special operations forces have killed the IMU's past two commanders for Afghanistan; the raids have also resulted in the capture of three senior facilitators and the death of another.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/05/isaf_captures_imu_fa_1.php#ixzz1vsINv8on

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• ISAF captures IMU facilitator in northeastern Afghanistan (longwarjournal.org)

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US drones kill 4 'militants' in North Waziristan

By Bill Roggio - May 22, 2012 - LWJ

The US launched its first drone airstrike inside Pakistan in more than two weeks, killing four "militants" today in an area of Pakistan that has been under Taliban control for eight years.

The CIA-operated, unmanned Predators or the more heavily operated Reapers fired a pair of missiles at a compound in Tabai outside of Miramshah, a stronghold of the Haqqani Network. Pakistani intelligence officials told AFP that four "militants" were killed. The compound was "suspected of being a militants' hideout," according to Xinhua.

The exact target of the strike has not been disclosed. No senior Taliban or al Qaeda operatives have been reported killed in the strike.

Miramshah serves as the headquarters of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, a powerful Taliban subgroup that operates in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and is supported by Pakistan's military and its Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. The Haqqani Network is one of four major Taliban groups that joined the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance brokered by al Qaeda late last year. The Shura-e-Murakeba also includes Hafiz Gul Bahadar's group; Mullah Nazir's group; and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud and his deputy, Waliur Rehman Mehsud. The members of the Shura-e-Murakeba agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

Today's strike took place just one day after the completion of a NATO conference on Afghanistan. the US had hoped that the Pakistani government would reopen NATO's supply lines, which have run through Pakistan in the past but have been shut down for six months. The Pakistani government has not made a decision on reopening the supply lines. Pakistan's parliament has demanded that the US end the drone strikes in the tribal areas as a condition for the reopening of the NATO supply lines that run through Pakistan into Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/05/us_drones_kill_4_mil.php#ixzz1vgLV6pDD

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• Drone strike kills four militants in NW (dawn.com)
• Location: Datta Khel Kalai near Miranshah, North Waziristan
  References: Xinhua, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, GeoTV
   

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Haqqani Network leader detained in Paktika province

Afghan and coalition security forces detained Haqqani Network and Taliban leaders following joint military operations at eastern paktika and Logar provinces of Afghanistan.

According to a statement released by International Security Assistance Force, Afghan and coalition security force detained a Haqqani leader during an operation in Sarobi district, Paktika province.

The leader conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Sarobi, Gomal, and Omnah districts. He also provided weapons, ammunition and equipment to the insurgents under his control. The security force detained two additional insurgents as a result of this operation.

The source further added, Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban leader during an operation in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province. The leader directed roadside bombings, suicide attacks and other operations against Afghan and coalition security forces throughout the district.

He also coordinated for weapons, ammunition, explosives, and suicide bombers for those attacks, and was planning an upcoming attack against a Red Cross Center in Logar province.

The security force detained two additional insurgents as a result of this operation. Anti-government armed militant groups yet to commment regarding the operations.



from KHAAMA

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German jihadist killed by US in March drone strike

By Bill Roggio - April 29, 2012 - LWJ

A German jihadist is thought to have been killed in an airstrike carried out by US drones on March 9 in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of South Waziristan.
The German, a known "Islamist" from Aachen, has been identified at Samir H., according to a report in Der Spiegel. Samir was one of 13 Taliban and "foreign fighters" who were killed in the March 9 strike in Makeen, South Waziristan. In that strike, the remotely-piloted US strike aircraft fired missiles at a pickup truck transporting Taliban fighters.
Samir was the "son of a Tunisian father and a German mother" and was "born and raised in East Germany," according to Jih@d, a website that tracks European jihadists. Samir "traveled to Pakistan in October 2009 with his wife and two children, and joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). In November 2009 Samir´s sister, at the age of 18, followed her older brother and made her way to the Waziristan tribal region."
The town of Makeen is in an area under the control of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is closely allied to al Qaeda. The US has struck targets in Makeen four other times, in 2008 and 2009. One strike in June 2009 killed Khwaz Ali Mehsud, a top aide to Baitullah Mehsud, the former leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Baitullah himself was killed shortly thereafter by a drone strike in August 2009 in nearby Ladha.
In a controversial follow-up strike in Makeen at the funeral for Khwaz Ali, US drones killed 83 Pakistanis, including 30 "militants." Senior terrorist leaders, including Haqqani Network commander Mullah Sangeen Zadran, and Baitullah and his deputy Qari Hussain Mehsud, were thought to be attending the funeral.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/04/german_jihadist_kill.php#ixzz1tWqdGTrI

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• German jihadist killed by US in March drone strike (longwarjournal.org)

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