Six militants killed in attack on Bannu police station

Peshawar Police - file photo

BANNU: Six militants believed to be suicide bombers were killed and one policeman was injured as police countered a huge attack by militants on the Maryan police station in Frontier Region Bannu in the wee hours of Thursday.

District Police Officer Nisar Tanoli said the attack on the police station had been successfully encountered and six militants were killed.

He said five suicide bombers had been killed by the security forces during the encounter while the sixth blew himself up when he was holed up inside the police station.

On the losses incurred by the police, he said only one policeman was injured in the attack and slight damage came to the police station’s walls but the law enforcement agencies had successfully foiled the attack.

The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the suicide mission on the police station.

Speaking to Dawn.com, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the group’s fighters had attacked the police station but refused to disclose the number of attackers. Ehsan added all the attackers were “suicide bombers and would fight until martyrdom”.

He said the attack was launched to avenge the killings of TTP fighters in custody and whose bodies were thrown in Miramshah.

The TTP spokesman said the number of attackers was not as high as being claimed by security agencies but said they had inflicted huge losses on the police and security forces.

Official sources quoted intelligence officials as saying that the militants had fired rockets and stormed into the police station which led to an ensuing gun battle between security forces and the attackers.

During the gun-battle, security forces claimed to have killed at least four suicide bombers while the intelligence sources say the militants blew themselves up causing huge damage inside the police station.

The officials believe though exact number of the attackers is being ascertained, the initial reports said they might be five to six in number as the gun battle is still going on inside the police station.

Another security official claimed that two suicide bombers were blown to pieces as security forces on guard duty challenged and shot at them.

Reinforcements had  also been called in and both police and paramilitary troops had taken positions.

After the Bannu jail break incident last year, the militants had again launched a coordinated attack on another police station in the district, the bordering settled town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with North Waziristan Agency, believed to be a safe heaven for Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

Separately, militants launched a rocket attack on a security check post near the Gurgur Gas oil field but the militants managed to escape after the security forces repulsed the attack.

from DAWN
by Zahir Shah Sherazi

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Bomb attack injures three pro-government militiamen in southern Yemen

map byEvan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least three pro-government militiamen were wounded in a bomb explosion in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Tuesday night, a security official told Xinhua Wednesday.
The bomb went off outside the pro-government militiamen headquarters in Jaar town in Abyan province, injuring at least three people at the scene, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

"A huge blast took place near a building held by pro-government militiamen in Abyan. The building was partially damaged. However, it caused no loss of life and only three people were injured," the security source said.

Witnesses told Xinhua that the two-floor building in Jaar town "was hit by an explosive that seemed large" and "small damage" was caused.

The bomb attack was perpetrated by attackers of the al-Qaida terrorist group, according to local officials.

The al-Qaida militants frequently use improvised explosive devices, including roadside bombs, against the security forces, pro-government militiamen and intelligence officials in southern regions.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, known locally as Ansar al- Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), took advantage of a political upheaval in 2011 in Yemen to take over several towns of the southern restive regions.

The militants were targeted by Yemeni security authorities after a U.S.-backed offensive launched in the southern Abyan province months routed the militants out of the strongholds that they had controlled for nearly a year.

The Yemeni government along with the United states and oil-rich Saudi Arabia has beefed up anti-terror operation since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi took office in February 2012.

from XINHUA
2013-02-13 16:09:59

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Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrike in E. province: official

Districts of Kunar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 Afghan civilians were killed overnight in a NATO airstrike originally targeting a militants' hideout in the country's eastern province of Kunar, the provincial governor said on Wednesday.

"The NATO-led coalition forces carried out an air raid attack against a compound in Sheltan area of Shegal district at about 11: 00 p.m. Tuesday," Seyyed Fazlullah Wahidi told Xinhua.

He said the raid claimed the lives of 10 civilians besides killing four armed militants.

"Our initial reports said that the killed civilians included five children, four women and a man," Whahidi said, adding five children were also wounded in the incident in the province 185 km east of capital Kabul.

"We are aware of an operation (in eastern Afghanistan) and at this time we are trying to get information," a spokesman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) told Xinhua.

The ISAF took seriously the allegations of civilian casualties, he said, adding more information would be released to the media as appropriate.

The number of civilian casualties has been soaring in Afghanistan as more than 3,400 Afghan civilians reportedly were killed last year in the militancy-hit country.

The deaths of Afghan civilians in NATO-led troops' operations against Taliban have long been a contentious issue between the Afghan government and U.S. and NATO forces stationed in the country.

Afghan officials had in the past stressed such deaths would further undermine the war against Taliban and terrorist groups and inflame an anti-foreign sentiment in the country.

from XINHUA
2013-02-13 15:10:20

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Feb. 13., 2013. - ISAF Joint Command Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed Taliban leader, Shadi Mama, during an operation in Nad ‘Ali district, Helmand province, Tuesday.


Shadi Mama was a Taliban leader operating in the Marjeh and Trek Nawa areas of Helmand province. He was responsible for improvised explosive device and direct fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He facilitated heavy weapons to insurgents operating throughout Nad ‘Ali district.

During the operation, the security force positively identified Shadi Mama engaging in nefarious activity in an isolated area away from civilians. The security force conducted a precision strike, killing him.

A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no property was damaged as a result of the operation.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

East

An Afghan and coalition force killed Taliban leader, Mojib, during a security operation in Khugyani district, Nangarhar province, today. Mojib, also known as Mansoor, conducted direct fire attacks against Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials as well as Afghan and coalition forces. He was directly associated with Taliban senior leadership operating in Khugyani district. He procured rocket-propelled grenades to be used in an attack on a coalition aircraft. During the operation, the security force seized multiple assault rifles with associated gear, several grenades and a pistol.

Afghan and coalition forces killed two insurgents during an operation in Ghaziabad district, Kunar province, Tuesday. During the operation, the security force observed two individuals engaged in insurgent activity. The security force engaged the insurgents with a precision strike, killing both. A post-operation assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged during the operation.

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani leader in Terayzai district, Khost province, today. The detained Haqqani leader is accused of conducting direct fire and IED attacks as well as kidnapping operations throughout Terayzai district. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized multiple grenades, an assault rifle with associated ammunition, an Afghan National Army (ANA) uniform and two ANA identification cards as a result of the operation.

South

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, Tuesday. The detained Taliban facilitator was is believed responsible for coordinating and conducting insurgent operations throughout Shah Wali Kot district, to include oversight of the acquisition of supplies and lethal aid to insurgents for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

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Feb. 13., 2013. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed two insurgents, detained two, cleared four improvised explosive devices and discovered one weapons cache during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Feb. 12.

Khowst province
Afghan and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs in Shamal district.

Afghan and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache during an operation in Shamal district. The cache contained 50 pounds of homemade explosives and IED-making materials.

Ghazni province
Afghan forces killed two insurgents and detained two suspected insurgents during an operation in Ab Band district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Kapisa province
Afghan forces found and safely cleared an IED in Tagab district.

Paktya province
Afghan and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Lajah Ahmadkhel district.

Operations in RC-East are ongoing.

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Sudan: Mali Militants On 200 Vehicles Arrive in Kutum, North Darfur - Sources

Kutum — Multiple sources assert that 200 Land Cruisers with Islamist militants from Mali fleeing the hostilities in their country have arrived in Kutum, North Darfur, in the past 10 days.
They told Radio Dabanga on Monday the groups are stationed in three different areas around Kutum, adding they are "inciting a state of fear and terror" among citizens.

The first group can be found just one kilometer north of camp Kassab for displaced, the second in Jebel Mari, seven or eight kilometers northeast of Kutum, and the third in Sijana, about 10 kilometers north of Kutum, sources affirm.

Upon arriving in Kutum, the militants' vehicles were covered with thick green tarps and they were carrying heavy artillery, eyewitnesses pointed out.

Some of the alleged Malian militants have "long beards, wear outfits resembling those found in Western Sahara and black shawls". Witnesses added a number of them speak French and most do not speak Arabic.

These groups go shopping at the Kutum market on a daily basis and use sign language to purchase goods, considering they do not speak the local language. They were last seen at the market on Monday and eyewitnesses claim they use Francs (savah), a currency mostly used in western African countries, while others use US dollars.

Displaced living in Kassab told Radio Dabanga they do not feel safe to leave the camp to collect firewood or to fetch water due to the presence of militants from Mali nearby.

Civilians are urging local and federal authorities to expel these groups from Sudan and keep them away from the country. They further urged the UN and international organizations to intervene.

"Syrian pilots, Malian fighters"

A Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader accused the Sudanese central government of using pilots from Syria and militants from Mali in Darfur, when speaking at a seminar in Cairo, Egypt.

According to Abubakar Hamid Nour, the Syrians are piloting Antonov airplanes and shelling Darfur.

He added that Khartoum has "succeeded" in distorting the reality of the conflict in Darfur, depicting it as a "war between the Arabs and the black" and that Darfur armed movements are anti-Islam.

Nour is also accusing the former Sudanese foreign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail of distorting facts and portraying an unrealistic image about the nature of the conflict in Darfur during previous tours in Arab countries.

from allAfrica/Radio Dabanga (Hilversum)
11 February 2013

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Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula denounces "crusader" French in Mali

Bamako, Mali (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Reuters) - The Yemen-based offshoot of Al Qaeda urged Muslims to sacrifice themselves and their money to help fend off what it called the "Crusader war" in Mali, according to a statement posted online on Tuesday.

France intervened in Mali last month to check a push south towards the capital Bamako by Islamist forces who seized control of the north of the country in the confusion that followed a military coup in March 2012.

Their surprise advance pushed Mali to the forefront of U.S. and European security concerns, with fears the Islamists would turn the country into a base for international attacks.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) compared the French intervention to what it called the "Zionist occupation of Palestine".

The group said supporting Muslims in Mali was "a duty for every able Muslim, to offer himself or his money, each according to his ability."

Formed in 2009, AQAP has carried suicide attacks on Yemeni government installations and military targets in Yemen. It was also behind a December 2009 plot to blow up a US airliner as it approached Detroit and a 2010 plan to send bombs hidden in computer printers on two cargo aircraft.

Former CIA director David Petraeus has described AQAP as the "most dangerous regional node in the global jihad".

The Mali offensive by French troops, which began last month, has pushed Islamist insurgents out of their strongholds in the north. But the militants launched a surprise raid in the heart of the Malian town of Gao on Sunday.

The brazenness of the rebel raid, which followed successive blasts by two suicide bombers at a northern checkpoint, was a surprise to the French-led military operation, which had so far faced little real resistance from the Islamists.

from REUTERS
DUBAI | Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:36am GMT
(Reporting by Ali Abdelatti in Cairo, writing by Sami Aboudi, Editing by WIlliam Maclean and John Stonestreet)

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In Several Joint Clearance Operations, 11 Armed Taliban Killed (Feb.12.2013.)

Publish Date: Feb 12, 2013

In Several Joint Clearance Operations, 11 Armed Taliban Killed

Counterterrorism:

During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces launched six joint clearance operations in Kapisa, Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak and Paktiya provinces.

As a result of these operations, 11 armed Taliban were killed, two wounded and nine others were arrested by Afghan National Security Forces.

Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated some amount of light and heavy rounds ammunition and IEDs.

During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused three different types of mines and 450 mine fuses in Faryab, Herat and Helmand provinces.

 

Crimes:
The 101 Kabul Zone National Police detained five suspects accused of murder, theft and drug trafficking in the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 16th Districts of Kabul-City.

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Civilians among 18 killed in Tagab

MAHMOOD RAQI (PAN): More than a dozen Taliban fighters were killed during an operation in the Tagab district of central Kapisa province, officials claimed on Tuesday. But a resident alleged six civilians were among the dead.

The ongoing operation was launched Monday night by Afghan and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel in the Badarab area of the district, the town’s administrative head said.

Abdul Qudus Safi told Pajhwok Afghan News a dozen insurgents were killed and one injured detained by the security forces. He would not give further details of the swoop.

But a resident of Mirakhel area said on condition of anonymity that a local Taliban commander, Lal Said and eight of his associates were killed in the operation, which also claimed the lives of six civilians.

from Pajhwok
By Farid Tanha Feb 12, 2013 - 13:32

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Feb. 12., 2013. - ISAF Joint Command Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition security forces killed Taliban leader, Tor Jan, during an operation in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, on Monday.

Tor Jan, also known as Graan, was a Taliban leader and facilitator who organized attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He coordinated the use of improvised explosive devices, weapons and personnel for attacks in Maiwand district. The security force conducted a precision strike, killing him.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

North

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) leader in Khanabad district, Kunduz province, today. The leader allegedly facilitates distribution of weapons and assists in improvised explosive device emplacement operations in the district. He oversees the acquisition, transfer and delivery of IED materials and explosives to insurgents. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized multiple firearms and ammunition as a result of the operation.

South

During a security operation, Afghan and coalition forces confirmed today the arrest of a Taliban leader in Maiwand district, Kandahar province, on Monday. The leader was believed to be directly responsible for the coordination of complex attacks. His subordinate fighters were linked to several attacks on Afghan and coalition forces in the district. He facilitated weapons and improvised explosive devices to insurgents operating in Kandahar province. During the operation, the security force also detained three suspected insurgents.

East

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in Andar district, Ghazni province, today. The leader was allegedly a direct attack leader with some logistical and command responsibilities. He was engaged in the arms trade involving weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices. He coordinated and executed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent and seized a heavy machine gun with ammunition along with assault rifle ammunition as a result of the operation.

During a security operation, an Afghan and coalition force detained three insurgents in search of a Taliban leader in Khugyani district, Nangarhar province, today. The leader is believed responsible for planning and conducting attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. During the operation, the security force seized several assault-rifles with associated equipment and ammunition.

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