Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Roadside bomb kills 1 police in W. Afghanistan

Districts of Farah.
Districts of Farah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
FARAH, Afghanistan, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb struck a police van in the western Farah province, killing a police officer and injuring two others on Tuesday, an official said.

"A roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants on the road leading to Farah airfield was detonated by remote control at 02:05 p.m. local time, leaving a police official dead and injuring two others," deputy to provincial police chief Mohammad Ghous Malyar told Xinhua.

The blast took place near the airstrip and the person killed in the incident is a Taliban former commander named Noor Mohammad Jan who had recently switched side and joined the government, the official added.

Taliban militants have yet to make comment.

from XINHUA
2012-11-20 17:47:22

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Islamists Take Northern Mali Town from Secular Rebels

Residents in northern Mali say Islamic rebels have taken the town of Menaca from secular Tuareg rebels. 
 
Witnesses in Menaca, as well as the town's mayor (Baay Ag Muhammed) who is in exile in the capital, Bamako, tell VOA that rebels from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, are in control of the town. 
 
MUJAO and another Islamic group, Ansar Dine, seized control of much of northern Mali earlier this year in the confusion that followed a military coup in Bamako.  Both Islamic groups are believed to have close links to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
 
Secular Tuareg rebels were once aligned with the Islamic groups, but the alliance broke down over a dispute about implementing Sharia in the region.  The Islamic militants have held public executions, amputations and floggings in an effort to enforce their strict version of Islamic
law.
 
Last month, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution clearing the way for the deployment of foreign troops to Mali.
 
The Economic Community of West Africa States has offered to send a force of about 3,000 soldiers to stabilize Mali, rebuild the country's shattered army and help drive the militants from the north.
 
The United Nations says fighting in northern Mali has displaced nearly 400,000 people this year.  And it warns that more than 4.5 million people in the region face shrinking food supplies.
from VOA News
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Gunmen kill Nato driver in Khyber agency

Khyber Gate (Baab e Khyber) on Jamrud Road in ...
Khyber Gate (Baab e Khyber) on Jamrud Road in Yaghistan looking eastbound towards Peshawar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PESHAWAR: Gunmen on Tuesday killed the driver of a Nato supply truck in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas close to the Afghan border, officials said.
The shooting took place in the Jamrud area of Khyber, one of seven agencies in the semi-autonomous tribal belt where Taliban and extremist militants are active.

“Two gunmen on a motorcycle fired at a Nato truck and killed its driver when a convoy of three trucks was passing,” local government official Asmatullah Wazir told AFP.

He said an assistant of the driver was wounded and that the gunmen escaped.

Imran Ahmed, a doctor at the local hospital, said the driver was shot in the head, and that his assistant was shot twice on the shoulders.

“We have received the dead body of the driver. He was hit in the head. The helper was hit by two bullets on shoulders,” he said.

Wazir said the authorities conducted a search operation in the area after the attack and arrested 19 suspects.

Khyber’s top administration official, Mutahir Zeb, confirmed the attack on the Nato truck and the driver’s death, saying there had been no immediate claim of responsibility.

Islamabad reopened the Afghan border to Nato traffic in August, ending a seven-month blockade imposed after US air raids killed 24 Pakistani troops in November 2011.

Pakistan and the United States have signed a deal allowing Nato convoys to travel into Afghanistan until the end of 2015.

from DAWN

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Four SoCal Men Accused Of Plotting Terror Attacks In Afghanistan

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen October 2008, ta...
Imam Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen October 2008, taken by Muhammad ud-Deen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It's a familiar story. Boy meets extremist. Boy converts to radical Islam. Boy "likes" jihadi videos on Facebook. Boy shares dreams of violent jihad with FBI informant. Boy goes to jail.

In this case, the FBI has arrested four defendants from Southern California who are accused of plotting terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. The complaint alleges that Soheil Omar Kabir, a 34-year-old Air Force veteran, introduced two younger men, Ralph Deleon, 23, and Miguel Santana, 21, to the teachings of Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born cleric who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen.

They in turn are alleged to have recruited a fourth defendant, Arifeen Gojali, 21, into a plan to travel to Afghanistan to join Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Over the course of several months, Santana, of Upland, and Deleon, of Ontario, are alleged to have conveyed their plans to an FBI informant.

For instance, while at a shooting range, Santana told the informant that he wanted to blow up a military installation, according to the complaint.

"I wanna do C-4s, if I could just put one of these trucks right here, with that," Santana said, indicating a tractor-trailer. "Just drive it into the baddest military base... If I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna take out a whole base. Might as well make it like, big, ya know."

On another occasion, Santana likened Afghanistan to "South Central," saying he wanted to go there because it was the most active spot. He also said, at one point, that he wanted to be a sniper, and that he had tried to construct an "oxide-peroxide thing, or whatever" based on an article in an Al-Qaeda publication titled, "How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom."

The complaint also states that the informant took long road trips with Deleon and Santana, during which they played lectures from Awlaki.

Deleon and Santana told the informant that they met Kabir, who lived in Pomona, at a hookah bar. Deleon described Kabir to the informant as "basically a mujahid walking the streets of L.A." Kabir, who was born in Afghanistan but naturalized as a U.S. citizen, introduced them to Awlaki's teachings, according to the complaint.

Kabir is alleged to have dissuaded Santana from joining the U.S. military, saying, "If you're going to join anything, join the other side, because that's the side where they're actually fighting for something."

The informant, a convicted pseudoephedrine dealer who has been paid $250,000 for his work for the FBI, went to a paintball facility in Corona in September with Santana, Deleon and Gojali. During a break, the informant remarked that they seemed to be rushing their opponents while the other side stayed back. According to the complaint, Gojali said they were "trying to get shaheed" -- a reference to martyrdom.

Kabir traveled to Afghanistan in the summer, and recently encouraged the others to join him there to meet up with the Taliban. According to the complaint, the others made travel arrangements and worked to obtain visas to enter Afghanistan.

The FBI also tracked the suspects activity on social media, noting when they uploaded and "liked" extremist videos. An undercover agent also entered into a discussion with Santana on a jihadi website, and got him to repeat an Al Qaeda pledge.

Deleon, Santana and Gojali were arrested on Friday and accused of providing material support to terrorists. They made their first appearance in federal court in Riverside on Monday. Kabir is also in custody.

from blogs.laweekly.com
 By Gene Maddaus Tue., Nov. 20 2012 at 1:07 AM

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Nov. 20., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed a number of heavily-armed insurgents during an operation in Ghazni province Monday.

The security force observed the armed insurgents firing several heavy weapons toward Khugyani District Center. In response, the security force engaged, killing them.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

Afghan and coalition forces confirmed today the arrest of a Taliban improvised explosive device facilitator and seized 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of illegal narcotics in Helmand province Sunday. The arrested facilitator is believed responsible for the storage and shipment of homemade explosives and IED-making materials from across the Afghan border into central Helmand.

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban weapons facilitator in Kandahar province today. The arrested facilitator is alleged to have supplied weapons, ammunition and IEDs to insurgents supporting the insurgency throughout Kandahar province. The security force also seized an assault rifle and assorted ammunition during the operation.

East

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani senior leader in Khost province today. The arrested leader is believed to have facilitated the movement of insurgents and directed IED emplacement for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. During the operation, the security force also detained one other suspected insurgent.

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani leader and weapons facilitator in Logar province today. The arrested leader is alleged to have organized the acquisition and transfer of weapons to insurgent fighters for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the province.

Afghan and coalition forces killed an insurgent during an operation in Nangarhar province Monday.


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Nov. 20., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces detained four insurgents and cleared 13 improvised explosive devices, and two insurgents died when their IED detonated prematurely, during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Nov. 19.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared seven IEDs, one in Ghazni district, five in Giro district and one in Andar district.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Manduzai district and one in Sabari district.

Afghan Uniformed Police and coalition forces detained an insurgent during an engagement in Manduzai district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Kunar province
Afghan Local Police found and safely cleared an IED in Sarkani district.

Laghman province

Afghan Uniformed Police detained three insurgents during an engagement in Mehtar Lam district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Logar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Baraki Barak district and one in Mohammad Aghah district.

Two insurgents died when their IED detonated prematurely in Pul-E Alam district.

Wardak province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared an IED in Sayyidabad district.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.


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