blog:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/02/taliban_field_comman.php
“Taliban field commander killed in Helmand province”
By BILL ROGGIO
February 21, 2008 10:49 AM
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Afghan and NATO special operations forces have killed a senior Taliban commander during a joint raid in Helmand province, according to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Mullah Abdul Bari, along with 29 Taliban fighters, were killed in a “five-hour coordinated attack on four targets” in the region between the Musa Qala and Kajaki districts of Helmand province, News.com.au reported. Bari was reported to have been injured during the fighting but died of his wounds in a hospital, the Afghan Ministry of Defense stated.
Combined Joint Task Force-82, the US military command in Afghanistan confirmed the engagement, but did not confirm Bari’s death. The 1st Company of 201st Commando Kandak, or battalion, of the Afghan National Army and “Coalition forces” – a term often used for Special Forces – conducted a clear-and-hold operation designed “to establish security, disrupt insurgent activity and deny enemy sanctuary” in the region north of Musa Qala. NATO aircraft targeted and destroyed Taliban fighting positions, but no casualties were reported.
Eleven Taliban were also captured during the raid. Afghan and Coalition forces also seized over 1,000 pounds of heroin, and destroyed heroin and opium processing laboratories. A large weapons cache was also discovered and destroyed.”
ROCK ISLAND - Police continue to investigate a report of suspicious activity at St. Pius X Church. Rev. Mike Schaab sent a letter home to parents of Jordan Catholic School students Wednesday warning about "several men of apparently Middle Eastern origin" visiting a Feb. 16 Mass who allegedly took photographs inside the church and its exterior.
Parishioners contacted police with the license plate of one of the cars driven by the men, but Capt. Scott Harris said tracing the plate has been unsuccessful. The plate numbers ran by police have turned up no record, but officers are checking different variations and sequences which may lead back to the green Ford reported by parishioners, he said.
Capt. Harris said additional patrols were provided during the past weekend church services. They have also contacted the Statewide Intelligence Terrorism Center which will record the matter and provide feedback if there are similar incidents reported in the state. He said this does not mean the suspicious activity was related to terrorism, it is simply an investigative tool used to record incidents and provide data for comparison.
Excerpted
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=375554