Daily Terrorist Round-Up 6/17/05

6/17/05

[Straight Vermonter]

Al-Qaeda kingpin surrenders to US forces
 
US forces have arrested the leader of the Mosul branch of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a capture described by the spokesman for coalition forces as a major defeat for the terrorist group.

Mohammed Khalaf, also known as Abu Talha, was arrested last Tuesday, said US Air Force Brigadier General Don Alston.

"Talha was one of al-Zarqawi's most trusted operation agents in Iraq. This is a major defeat for al-Qaeda terrorist organisation in Iraq. Al-Zarqawi's leader in Mosul is out of business," Alston said.

He added that US forces found Abu Talha in a quiet neighbourhood in Mosul after a number of tips.

Abu Talha, he said, did not go through with a reported threat to kill himself rather than fall into American hands.

"Instead, Abu Talha surrendered without a fight," Alston said.

His arrest follows the June 5 capture in Mosul of Mutlaq Mahmoud Mutlaq Abdullah, also known as Abu Raad, who was Abu Talha's key facilitator and financier.

---

Saudis seize 5 Chadian ad-Qaida suspects

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi authorities arrested five Chad nationals in the Red Sea port of Jeddah, accusing them of belonging to al-Qaida and of killing a French citizen.
    
    An official source at the Interior Ministry said, "Security authorities succeeded in rounding up the culprits behind a series of armed robberies, attacks and holdups carried out by members of the perverted group in Jeddah last year," the Saudi Press Agency reported.
    
    The Interior Ministry source said the five Chad nationals were also behind the slaying of French citizen Laurent Barbot in September 2004. The defense electronics company employee was shot in his car as he left a Jeddah supermarket.
    
    The expression "perverted group" is always used by the Saudi authorities to designate the al-Qaida network, which is blamed for several bomb attacks in the oil-rich kingdom in the past two years.
    
    "All five detainees belong to the perverted group and have set up a criminal gang to carry out crimes, robberies and attacks," the ministry source added.

---

Soldiers prevent car bombers from reaching target

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers prevented terrorists from successfully completing their suicide mission in a car-bomb attack at a security checkpoint shortly after 5:30 p.m. June 13.

As the Task Force Baghdad patrol spotted the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device approaching the convoy, gunners on the rear vehicle engaged the terrorists with gunfire, setting off the explosives prematurely.

"This attack only strengthens the resolve of the U.S. Forces in their support of the Iraqi National Council in the development of stability and security in Iraq," said Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, 48th Brigade Combat Team commander.

The attack is currently under investigation

By 48th Brigade Combat Team PAO

---

Iraqi, U.S. forces snare terrorists

In a series of raids June 10-11, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces captured insurgents targeted for terrorist activities or knowledge of crimes against such forces.

Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army Brigade; E Troop, 101st Cavalry attached to 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment; and B Company, 3rd Battalion 156th Infantry Regiment, went after targeted terrorist cells in the Al Ameriyah district. Both U.S. units belong to the 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

The Soldiers seized contraband and questionable materials, including nearly 40 sticks of dynamite, 10 feet of detonation chord, two banners reading "Americans are committing terrorism," and a significant amount of information from the local population.

Four detainees, five AK-47s, one machine gun, maps, and additional contraband were confiscated by the joint forces. Ba’ath Party books, Saddam Hussein propaganda, and photographs of individuals living in the house holding weapons were also located.

Capt. David Bauer commander of E Trp., 101st Cav., from Webster, N.Y., said having the Iraqi Army at the forefront of the operation gave the locals confidence in their own Soldiers, and ultimately helped the outcome of the mission.

"The locals saw how professional the Iraqi Soldiers were, and it increased the amount of information they gave," Bauer said.

By 256th Brigade Combat Team PAO
 

---

2 Al-Badr ultras, JCO, PDP activist killed
 
Srinagar, June 15: In a fierce gun-battle between militants and the army, two militants of Pakistan based Al-Badr Mujahideen were killed. Three persons, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and an activist of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were also killed in separate violence related incidents.  Two militants were killed in an encounter with the army at Seer Chakpora, Ganderbal, few kilometers from the famous Hindu temple Kheer Bhawani.

Sources in the police said that the troops of the 5 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), on a tip off about the presence of militants, laid a siege around the Seer Chakpora, Ganderbal. As the search party of the soldiers was looking for the hiding militants, they came under heavy fire. The army returned the fire and in the ensuing encounter two militants were killed. The house of Mohammad Rajab, in which police said the militants were hiding, was also damaged in the encounter.

Chakpora is only few kilometers away from the Tulmulla hamlet of the Ganderbal, where thousands of Kashmiri Pandits had assembled today to pay obeisance to the Mata Raghni at Kheer Bhawani temple.

Police has identified the slain militants as Mohammad Rafiq Dar and Ghulam Ahmad, both locals. Police said the duo belonged to the Pakistan based Al Badr Mujahideen militant outfit. It has also claimed to recover two AK rifles, six magazines, a pistol and two wireless sets from the possession of the slain militants.

In a separate encounter, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of army was killed in an encounter with the militants in the frontier district of Kupwara. Militants, police sources said, fired on a patrol party of the soldiers of 47 Rashtriya Rifles at Kralpora, Kupwara. A JCO of army was killed in the militant attack. Sources said two soldiers were also injured in the attack, the responsibility for which has been claimed by the pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen.

Unidentified gunmen today fired upon a PDP activist at Pattan. Police sources said the activist, a doctor by profession, was killed in the shootout.

Police today averted a major tragedy when they recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted at Botingoo in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag.

In a joint operation of the police and army, police said, it recovered an AK rifle, four magazines and a UBGL from a militant hide-out in Kupwara.

Meanwhile, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was killed in an accidental fire from his own service rifle. The deceased personnel has been identified as Pradeem Kumar Mishra of 131 battalion.
 

---

Hundreds protest Iran elections in Tehran park 

Tehran, Jun. 16 – Some 300 Iranians demonstrated outside Mellat Park in Tehran this morning chanting anti-government slogans and urging people to boycott tomorrow’s presidential elections.

“Guns, Tanks, and Bassijis are no longer effective”, the group shouted as security forces attempted to prevent passers-by from joining ranks.

The Bassijis are Iran’s Islamic vigilantes. A paramilitary branch of the Revolutionary Guards, the Bassij (literally meaning mobilisation) was set up by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the early days of the Islamic Republic to serve as the shock troops for the new regime, using brute force to keep the streets clear of protesters and dissidents.

Demonstrators chanted “Boycott the elections” as security forces moved in and arrested a number of protestors.

Iranian security services are on high alert to prevent any demonstration or protest, particularly by those calling for a boycott.
 

---

AL-ZARQAWI ATTACKS AL-JAZEERA
 
Baghdad, 17 June (AKI) - The group of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda's pointman in Iraq, launched a scathing attack on the Al-Jazeera satellite TV network on Thursday. A message posted to several Islamic websites read: "Al-Jazeera television besmirches the image of the mujahadeen in the eyes of its viewers, using the language of the United States." It is signed by Abu Maysira al-Iraqi.

"We have had enough of al-Jazeera's bias - and of the efforts you make to kowtow to the crusaders and the traitor government (of Iraq). Publicise the fact that you sit on the fence, why your channel is the mouthpiece of the Americans, and that you do not transmit the true words of the mujahadeen," the message continued.

"Your systematic distortion of the image of the mujahadeen is nothing more than an attempt to discredit us. Your brothers at al-Qaeda's information division in Iraq will continue to tell the truth and broadcast it," the message said.

Earlier this year, al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad terror formation posted a similar website message condemning al-Jazeera's rival, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV.

---

10 ULFA militants surrender in Assam

Ten ULFA militants, including a self-styled 'sergeant major', surrendered on Thursday along with arms and ammunition, the army sources said.

Bidding farewell to arms, the insurgents led by `sgt maj' Amit Chandra Mandal laid down three 303 rifles, three 9 mm pistols, two Chinese grenades, two 0.22 pistols, a 0.38 revolver and a large quantity of assorted ammunition.

Appreciating the surrendered militants for shunning violence and joining the mainstream, J&K Light Infantry major R K Mallik said the surrender would encourage the extremists to join the peace process.

Dhubri District Additional Deputy Commissioner F Hussain and Additional Superintendent of Police M Ahmed were also present at the ceremony.
 

---

18 Hikmatyar loyalists surrender  (Afghanistan)
Four US soldiers, Afghan interpreter wounded in new attack

"Four US service members and an Afghan interpreter were wounded today when a suspected improvised explosive device detonated near their up armoured high mobility, multi purpose wheeled vehicle south of Ghazni," the military said in a statement after Tuesday's incident. "Initial medical assessments indicated that none of the wounds were life threatening," the statement said.

Meanwhile in Khost eighteen Afghan commanders linked to most wanted warlord Gulbuddin Hikmatyar have surrendered as part of a reconciliation drive aimed at former militants, police said Tuesday. The key figures from Hikmatyar's Hezb e Islami extremist group, which is thought to be behind a string of attacks on US and Afghan government targets, surrendered in southeastern Paktia province on Sunday, police said. "Eighteen commanders of Hezb e Islami led by Hikmatyar gave themselves up on Sunday to the Afghan government in Gardez," said Ghulam Nabi Salim, Gardez police director.

The government says dozens of former Taliban and other militants have surrendered under its amnesty scheme since it was offered by President Hamid Karzai in November. The Taliban were ousted in late 2001. Hikmatyar himself, a former Afghan prime minister who is wanted by the United States for alleged human rights violations, has reportedly rejected the offer. One of the more senior commanders to surrender on Sunday, Mehmod Khan, told AFP that after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001 he wanted to surrender but he was not sure of his fate so he chose to flee to Pakistan and live there.

"Since we have enemies I was afraid that someone might give a bad report about me to the Americans and I would end up in trouble. That is why I did not surrender," Mehmod said. Officials are trumpeting the amnesty program's successes amid a renewed, post winter Taliban campaign of violence against US and Afghan targets.

In an another development Afghan authorities have captured a Taliban regional commander wanted for the assassination of a leading anti militant cleric last month, police said on Tuesday. Haji Atiqullah was wounded and captured during a shootout in the southern city of Kandahar Monday night after attempting to assassinate a local militia commander, a senior police officer in the city said.

Atiqullah, who was in charge of foreign relations in Kandahar during the Taliban's rule, was wanted for the assassination of Mawlavi Abdullah Fayaz, a prominent critic of the Taliban shot dead last month by gunmen riding on a motorcycle. Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi confirmed the arrest and said Atiqullah had been an important commander in Kandahar.

A local militia commander named Mandoi was wounded along with a bodyguard in the attack on Monday night in which Atiqullah opened fire on them from a motorcycle, the police said. Authorities have accused the Taliban of being behind a suicide bombing of a mosque in Kandahar during a memorial service for Fayaz on June 1 that killed 20 people.

---

Man linked with shoebomber Reid jailed for five years

Paris, June. 16 (AP): A Pakistani man linked to militants in Kashmir, who had contacts with shoebomber Richard Reid, was sentenced to five years in prison by a French court today.

The court ordered four-year terms for two other militants operating in Kashmir.

The three had initially been suspected of providing logistical support to Reid, a Briton serving a life sentence in the United States for trying to detonate a shoe bomb aboard a Paris-Miami flight in December 2001.

However, the investigation did not bear those suspicions out.

The court sentenced Ghulam Rama, 67, to five years in prison -- short of the seven-year sentence requested by the state prosecutor.

Two men who trained in camps of the Lashkar e-Toiba, a terrorist group active in Kashmir, were given four-year prison terms.

The trial that began on May 11 focused on Rama, a Pakistani who headed the Chemin Droit (Straight Path) humanitarian group in France. The prosecution alleged that he served as a link in France to the Lashkar e-Toiba group.

Rama served as a spiritual guide for Hassan el-Cheguer and Hakim Mokhfi, two 31-year-old French citizens who trained in Lashkar e-Toiba camps in Kashmir, the prosecution said. The men left to train for fighting with Rama's help.

However, Rama also had links to Reid.

[Straight Vermonter]

Let me know if you want on/off the terrorist roundup ping list

Terrorist Scorecard

The Iraqi "Deck of Cards" Scoreboard

Centcom's New Iraq Scorecard

Saudi Arabia's Most Wanted Scorecard

[Straight Vermonter]

Ping

[Coop]

As the Task Force Baghdad patrol spotted the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device approaching the convoy, gunners on the rear vehicle engaged the terrorists with gunfire, setting off the explosives prematurely.

Nice shooting!! And took out more than one of the evil cowards.

[Straight Vermonter]

Did you see the article the other day where the suicide bomber drove to the target with his "special friend"? They "embraced" and then got out of the car and walked away and the other detonated the VBIED.

[Americanexpat]

Thank you for posting this thread, lots of good info.

The other day the Egyptian news article criticized AL Z for being in the employ of the CIA and now AL Z criticizes Al Jezerra for not cheering his troops. Think the Islamist extremest are coming apart? The way to defeat them is to keep them divided.

[Valin]

FYI
On This Day In History
2004 Algerian troops killed one of North Africa's most-wanted terrorist leaders, who allied his group with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. Nabil Sahraoui (also known as Abu Ibrahim Mustapha), one of his key right-hand men and a "good number" of other Salafist lieutenants were killed in a military sweep.
(AP, 6/20/04)(SFC, 6/21/04, p.A6)

2004 A Chad military official said Arab militias, known as Janjawids, fought Chadian troops in Birak, a locality inside Chad about 10 miles (six kilometers) from the border with western Sudan. 69 Janjawids militiamen were killed and two taken prisoner in the fighting. He did not give figures for any losses among Chadian troops.
(AP, 6/17/04)

2004 Pakistan's army killed Nek Mohammed, a renegade tribal leader accused of sheltering al-Qaida fighters, tracing him to a mud-brick compound near Wana via a satellite phone and then leveling the building in a helicopter assault. Army troops killed 30 tribesman suspected of shielding al-Qaida fugitives. As many as 70 "foreign terrorists" were also killed in the operation.
(AP, 6/18/04)(AP, 6/23/04)