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Key Al Qaeda figure apparently died in U.S. strike in Pakistan (May 14 2008)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-militant24-2008may24,0,3780569.story?track=rss ^ | May 24, 2008 | Josh Meyer and Sebastian Rotella, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

Posted on 05/24/2008 9:15:36 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

WASHINGTON -- An Al Qaeda figure killed in a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan last week is believed to have been an Algerian allegedly involved in training militants and plotting attacks against the West, officials said Friday.

The Algerian, known by the nickname Abu Sulayman Jazairi, apparently died May 14 in the strike that killed as many as 14 people and destroyed a compound near the village of Damadola, an Al Qaeda stronghold in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. A knowledgeable U.S. official and a senior European anti-terrorism official said Jazairi was thought to be dead.

U.S. anti-terrorism forces are targeting front-line planners in Pakistani hide-outs, and Jazairi would be another in a series of recent losses for the Al Qaeda leadership, the two officials said.

"He was a significant person within the Al Qaeda ranks," said the senior European official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. "Not in the top five, but he's up there. The suspicion is he was one of those individuals involved in training and targeting Western interests. There is uncorroborated intelligence that he was involved in plots against Europe."

Officials declined to discuss last week's operation because of political tension in Pakistan over U.S. airstrikes. The strength of Al Qaeda and the Taliban movement in the lawless tribal areas makes it difficult to independently confirm information there.

In fact, some doubt lingers about the identity of the man killed. This week, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said he believed the slain man was not the Algerian but another foreign militant. Despite the confusion, the U.S. and European officials said their information about the militant's identity seemed solid.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; airstrikes; alqaed; enemy; jazairi; kewl; killed; pakistan; taliban
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Jazairi was an explosives expert and "important terrorist trainer," the U.S. official said.

"When it comes to training, this individual was an important figure," the official said. "People like him are vital to terrorist plots. That doesn't mean he can't be replaced. But when Al Qaeda loses someone with his experience, it matters."


1 posted on 05/24/2008 9:15:37 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: NormsRevenge; elhombrelibre; Allegra; SandRat; tobyhill; G8 Diplomat; Dog; Cap Huff; ...

Results from a May 14 Airstrike in the FATA area of Pakistan.


2 posted on 05/24/2008 9:17:11 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Jazairi was an explosives expert

Reminds me of General Juhziz the explosives expert from Command&Conquer Generals.

3 posted on 05/24/2008 9:18:54 AM PDT by SolidWood (Refusal to vote for McCain is active support for Obama.)
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To: All

H/T to Hot Air for pointing to this article.


4 posted on 05/24/2008 9:19:03 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: SolidWood; All
I think this thread has some detail on the air strike...:

Missile strike against Taliban safe house in Bajaur, Pakistan

5 posted on 05/24/2008 9:26:59 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: taxesareforever; Billthedrill; MARTIAL MONK; 2ndDivisionVet; BuffaloJack

Update on action from the air strike posted on thread at post #5....


6 posted on 05/24/2008 9:31:13 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I knew we got a key individual when I read about the reaction in the area.

The locals only get pissed when a big dog gets his virgins.


7 posted on 05/24/2008 9:34:36 AM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Dog Gone
Based on the latest happenings we will see more from that area...I refer to this:

Pakistani militant chief pledges to keep fighting foreign forces in Afghanistan

*********************EXCERPT**********************

"We are Muslims and the enemy of infidels," Mohammed told the gathering. "We will continue our jihad (holy war) in Afghanistan as long as the foreign allied forces are there."

8 posted on 05/24/2008 9:41:06 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: All; Dog; AdmSmith; nuconvert; Cap Huff; Straight Vermonter; usurper; Recon Dad; PEACE ENFORCER; ...
An earlier report on the May 14 Air Strike:

Taliban commander's compound attacked in Bajaur Agency bordering Afghanistan

Posted by Dog ....

9 posted on 05/24/2008 9:53:00 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: NewMediaJournal; pissant
Related thread:

Renewing Our Focus on Afghanistan

10 posted on 05/24/2008 9:57:08 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (No Burkas for my Grandaughters!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

“He was a significant person within the Al Qaeda ranks,” said the senior European official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. “Not in the top five, but he’s up there. The suspicion is he was one of those individuals involved in training and targeting Western interests. There is uncorroborated intelligence that he was involved in plots against Europe.”

Good hunting and good hit!


11 posted on 05/24/2008 10:04:28 AM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE toll-free tip hotline 1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRget!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
U.S. anti-terrorism forces are targeting front-line planners in Pakistani hide-outs

I must not be paying close enough attention to the War on Radical Islam. I was not aware our guys were openly operating across the Pak border. Is this a new development?

12 posted on 05/24/2008 10:09:55 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson (For events that occurred in 1938, real time is 1938, not 2008.)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

13 posted on 05/24/2008 10:14:47 AM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

It isn’t “open”.

But we have our ways of finding hot intel targets and taking them out from the air.


14 posted on 05/24/2008 10:29:42 AM PDT by txrangerette (Just say "no" to the Obama Cult and the Clinton Machine!!)
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Oh, and the “airstrikes” come from pilotless drones.


15 posted on 05/24/2008 10:31:07 AM PDT by txrangerette (Just say "no" to the Obama Cult and the Clinton Machine!!)
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To: txrangerette
the “air-strikes” come from pilotless drones

Soulless killers taken out by soulless killing machines. I rather like the symmetry of that...

Regards,
GtG

16 posted on 05/24/2008 11:52:44 AM PDT by Gandalf_The_Gray (I live in my own little world, I like it 'cuz they know me here.)
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To: txrangerette

and these drones are piloted 24/7 remotely from the US.


17 posted on 05/24/2008 2:55:57 PM PDT by balls
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; Southack; AdmSmith; Straight Vermonter; Cap Huff
This is the key in the whole article..

The increasing success and pace of airstrikes this year indicates that American spy agencies and their allies have made progress in infiltrating Al Qaeda in Pakistan, said Louis Caprioli, a former anti-terrorism chief of France's DST intelligence agency.

"You have to have good intelligence on the ground to hit a target like that," Caprioli said. "It requires human as well as technical intelligence. I think the money that the Americans are spreading around is having an effect.

"Also, there are troops in Afghanistan, prisoners being interrogated. This is a long-term effort that is paying off."

18 posted on 05/24/2008 3:30:09 PM PDT by Dog
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To: Gandalf_The_Gray

It DOES seem appropriate, doesn’t it?!


19 posted on 05/24/2008 4:31:29 PM PDT by txrangerette (Just say "no" to the Obama Cult and the Clinton Machine!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
JAZAIRI: IT'S YOU!!
SHAITAN: HOW ARE YOU JAZAIRI!!
SHAITAN: ALL YOUR SOUL ARE BELONG TO US.
SHAITAN: HA HA HA HA....
JAZAIRI: WHAT YOU SAY!!
20 posted on 05/24/2008 4:37:58 PM PDT by RichInOC (GULBUTH: ME SO THORNY!! ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME!! JAZAIRI: UNNNGH!!)
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