Coalition Forces Kill Terrorists, Strike Taliban Commander

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2006 – Coalition forces in Afghanistan had a long string of successes against terrorists during the last two days, military officials reported. They killed four suspected terrorists today, attacked the safe house of a known Taliban commander last night, thwarted a terrorist attack from a hospital yesterday, and confiscated a large weapons cache yesterday. Coalition forces killed four suspected al Qaeda terrorists, detained three suspected al Qaeda terrorists and destroyed a weapons cache during an early morning raid today in Kwost province near the village of Pelan Kheyl. The operation was to capture or kill an al Qaeda operational leader who is a significant threat to Afghan and coalition forces in the Khowst province, officials said.

Elsewhere, Afghan and coalition forces attacked the safe house of a known Taliban commander in the Sangin district of Helmand province last night. A variety of intelligence assets identified the extremist's location before the compound was attacked with joint fire and the building destroyed, officials said. The commander's name will be withheld for security reasons until his death is confirmed, officials said.

Coalition forces had been watching the safe house and saw no evidence of non-combatants or signs that civilians were affected by the strike, officials said.

In a separate operation, a group of Taliban extremists attacked Afghan and coalition security forces yesterday. The extremists attacked the combined force with machine-gun fire from inside a hospital in the Nawzad district center of Helmand province, which they were using for cover.

Despite receiving direct fire, the coalition ground commander held off returning fire until he was able to confirm that neither patients nor staff members were inside the hospital. Afghan National Police helped confirm this information.

After positively confirming that only enemy fighters were in the hospital, the coalition troops launched a single precision-guided munition at the enemy machine-gun position to minimize damage and impact only that position, officials said.

"The coalition, working with the Afghan national security forces, is determined to root out these enemy safe havens and help establish the conditions for reconstruction and aid to come to the people of Nawzad," Col. Thomas Collins, a coalition spokesman, said. "The Afghan people should have the opportunity to live in peace without fear, and they deserve the chance for a better future."

This was the 17th straight day of fighting between Afghan and coalition forces and enemy fighters, officials said.

In other news, coalition forces confiscated a significant weapons cache during a cordon-and-search operation yesterday in the Bermal district of Paktika province. The weapons recovered included rifles, AK-47s, shotguns, ammunition, powder charges, a suicide bomber belt and various improvised explosive device parts. Foreign passports, airline tickets and other extremist documents also were recovered.

We should destroy the Iranian oil industry. By Bombing all oil transportation facilities, pipelines, storage tanks, tanker trucks, refinery’s etc… we can cripple the funding of numerous terrorist organizations, Hezbollah, Hama’s, Sadr’s militia, Syria, as well as make it more difficult for Iran to buy missiles and such from North Korea, China, and Russia.
It would remove Iran’s threat that if we attack they will shut off the oil. Making the threat ridiculous and demonstrating that they are a single product state and without oil, and no other product that the world wants, they are nothing. Additionally, by declaring that we will destroy any reconstituting oil industry as long as the Mullacracy remains in charge, we can focus the Iranian’s blame for the situation, on the Theocracy and their support of Terrorism.
This will also bring home to all the other oil producing countries like Venezuela, Libya, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, etc… that they are very vulnerable to the same tactic.
In addition, this will gain us time for the Iraqi’s to stand on their own, and free up troops we would need if we have to go into Iran, North Korea or somewhere else.
Sure the price of gas will rise, but this will also demonstrate to the world that the USA is not in Iraq for the Oil, and the onus can be shifted on to the Democrats for not allowing more domestic production.
“It’s not the control of the spice but the power to destroy the spice that is the real power.”
It has recently been said that the nuclear production facilities in Iran are so deep that we can’t reach them with conventional weapons. Perhaps so, but maybe we can starve those facilities of funds. Nuclear weapons are terribly expensive to build, and if Iran now needs all its money to repair vital life supporting infrastructure, it may have to slow or stop its attempt to build an atomic bomb.
Finally, Iran is a state sponsor of Terrorists, it must be punished, and it must be seen to be punished. Iran’s continued sponsorship of terror is a slap in America’s and President Bush’s face, and it must be answered.

Your right it is from the Novel Dune, but I think some other character said it after Liet was already dead. I also don’t think I have the Quote right but the strategic sense is still there. Also thanks for your support on this Idea, I have been posting it all over in hopes that it will become a meme that will move us in the right direction.

“It’s not the control of the spice but the power to destroy the spice that is the real power.”

Were those the words of Planetary Observer Liet-Kynes? Also your idea,dealing with the oil, sounds quite attractive.

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