Missile kills Pakistan tribal head

CNN ^ | Friday, June 18 | Syed Mohsin Naqvi

[AdmSmith]

ISLAMABAD (CNN) -- A tribal leader accused of harboring Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's western border region was killed Thursday night in a targeted missile strike, according to Pakistan intelligence sources. The Associated Press quoted an army spokesman Friday as identifying the tribal leader as Nek Mohammed, a former Taliban fighter.

He was killed late Thursday at the home of another tribal chief, the spokesman said.

"We were tracking him down and he was killed last night by our hand," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press.

[AdmSmith]

The search goes on:
http://www.dawn.com/2004/06/25/top5.htm
Fresh search campaign in Shakai launched: Skirmishes reported

By Our Correspondent


WANA, June 24: Fresh skirmishes between security forces and suspected tribal militants have been reported from certain parts of the troubled South Waziristan on Wednesday night after being relatively peaceful for the last few days.

In a related development, tribal elders, paramilitary forces and local authorities launched a joint search operation in the Shakai area on Thursday for suspected militants.

Officials believe that Shakai is one of the possible hideouts of foreign militants in the region near the border with Afghanistan. Officials and eyewitnesses said that paramilitary forces and militants exchanged fire on the outskirts of Shakai, Jonikhel and Sanga areas.

The firing continued intermittently for two hours during which security forces used long-range artillery to flush out miscreants from their positions. No casualties have been reported, though.

They said that elders and security forces had started the search operation in Shakai to locate foreign militants and their local supporters, but could not catch any wanted element.

A jirga of Mahsud tribe, held in Barwand on Thursday, denied the presence of Al Qaeda or any foreign militants in their area. The jirga unanimously decided that if any person was found sheltering Al Qaeda or any other foreigner, his house would be demolished and a fine of Rs100,000 would be imposed on him.

Meanwhile, the Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) has vowed to stage a protest rally in Dera Ismail Khan on Friday against a ban imposed on the movement of local journalists in South Waziristan.

This was decided in a meeting of TUJ which was presided over by its president, Sailab Mahsud. Administrator Asmatullah Khan Gandapur has imposed restrictions on local journalists and stopped them from covering the operation against suspected militants in the agency.

It was decided that a protest rally would be organized in Dera Ismail Khan to raise voice against the ban. A delegation of TUJ would also visit Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar to apprise the main media bodies of the situation.

AFP Adds: A pre-dawn rocket and grenade attack in Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday left seven police officers injured. The district borders the troubled region of South Waziristan.

One of the injured policemen was in serious condition in the hospital, police official Habibur Rehman told AFP. "We believe the attack was in retaliation for the operation in neighbouring South Waziristan tribal belt," he said.

About the house-to-house search, a military statement said" "So far the lashkar (tribal force) has searched over 200 houses during the last three days and has vowed to continue the search till the area is cleansed of all terrorists."

It added that unidentified men fired several rockets at a military post in Razmak near Shakai but caused no casualties or damage. This was the first attack on security forces in the region since a missile strike killed pro-Taliban militant leader Nek Mohammad last week near Wana.

Officials said the process of persuading militants to surrender and get amnesty would continue but another military operation could not be ruled out.

[Cap Huff]

Update here on Wana. Post #121.

AdmSmith --- Thanks for the update.

[AdmSmith]

Cap here are more good news:
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=85240&Sn=WORL&IssueID=27097

Two Al Qaeda suspects held

PESHAWAR: Pakistani intelligence agents have arrested two men on suspicion of links with the Al Qaeda terror network, intelligence officials said yesterday.

The men were arrested in the northwestern city of Chitral near the Afghan border, officials said.

They gave the men's names as Abdur Rahman alias Abu Obaida, and Suleman Tahir. Rahman was described as an Arab, but his nationality wasn't given. The other suspect is a Pakistani.

The intelligence officials said the suspects were being questioned in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.

Meanwhile, Pakistani forces continued to search houses in a remote tribal area near the Afghan border for foreign fighters as the latest militant attack left seven police officers injured, officials said.

The predawn rocket and grenade attack was in the town of Dera Ismail Khan, which borders the tribal district of South Waziristan, scene of an ongoing military campaign to capture of kill suspected foreign Al Qaeda fighters.

One of the injured policemen was in serious condition in the hospital, the town's deputy inspector general of police Habibur Rehman said.

"We believe the attack was in retaliation for the operation in neighbouring South Waziristan tribal belt," he said.

Pakistani troops along with tribal forces meanwhile conducted a house to house search in the Shakai valley near South Waziristan's main town Wana for the fourth day but found neither any fugitives nor weapons, officials said. The search operation followed a massive air and ground offensive in the valley earlier this month.

Pakistan's military launched a five-day operation in the mountainous Shakai valley, 25km northeast of Wana to destroy several Al Qaeda hideouts.

The operation was in response to an attack by militants on a military post on June 9 which left 14 security personnel dead.

Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat has said 65 militants were killed in the Shakai operation while the military had put their toll at 18 soldiers. Some three civilians were also killed.

[nuconvert]

"Abu Obaida"

For some reason that sounds familiar.

Thanx for the update.

[Boot Hill]

“Officials believe that Shakai is one of the possible hideouts of foreign militants in the region near the border with Afghanistan. Officials and eyewitnesses said that paramilitary forces and militants exchanged fire on the outskirts of Shakai, Jonikhel and Sanga areas.”

Shakai:   (Actually, Shakki Khassadar Post.) In the center of the map below, locate Wana. Just NW of there, locate the map designation "OPP 249". The town of Shaki is the small undesignated circle about "half an inch" north of the letter "O". Shakai Valley extends NW of the town into the mountains.

Sanga:   Sanga is the undesignated circle approximately "half an inch" West of Shakai.

Jonikhel:   The suffix, "khel" is actually a word that roughly translates to "tribe". While there is not Joni khel, there is a Jani khel. However, it is located a considerable distance from Shakai and Sanga. On the map below, look for the town of Gurbaz, in top dead center of the map. That is the approximate location of the the town and tribe of Jani Khel is located.

--Boot Hill

[Dog]

Thanks Boot..

[Boot Hill]

“The men were arrested in the northwestern city of Chitral near the Afghan border, officials said.”

Since both men are reportedly al-Qa'ida suspects, this is an interesting and potentially important factoid.

On the map below locate the city of Chitral slightly south of the center of the map. Note the panhandle of land to the north. That is the infamous Wakhan Corridor of north--eastern Afghanistan. Note too, the heights of the mountains in the area (given in meters). Even the passes are higher than the tallest mountain in the continental U.S. The Wakhan corridor is notorious both for it geography, topography and climate, as well as being as being a hold-out for the most desperate of fighters.

The last map, below, will orient you to where the above map fits in on a more international basis. The Wakhan corridor can be seen in the north-eastern portion of Afghanistan.

--Boot Hill

[Dog]

One of the old Bin Laden videos of him and Zawahiri walking in the mountains.....was believe to have been shot in the Chitral area of Pakistan.

Boot there have been a few cross border chases in that area....Apaches chasing cars back over the border from Afghanistan.

[American Sovereignty Defender]

Death happens when they stick their Nek out.

[Coop]

"Abu Obaida"

You might be thinking of Abu Zubaydah, one of the AQ biggies caught a couple of years ago.

[nuconvert]

Ah.....I think you're right.

[jeffers]

From Adm Smith's post:

"It added that unidentified men fired several rockets at a military post in Razmak near Shakai but caused no casualties or damage. This was the first attack on security forces in the region since a missile strike
killed pro-Taliban militant leader Nek Mohammad last week near Wana. "

Razmak shows up on the Tactical Pilotage Chart posted by Boot Hill, upper left.

'Nuff said.

:-)

[Dog]

Update to the recent arrests Adam posted....

Found this in a Chitral newspaper..

CHITRAL,26 June 04: An Arab person who gave his name as Abdur Rahman and his Pakistani companion belonging to Punjab,who were arrested a couple of days back from Bumboret for unauthrised entry into Pakistan and alleged malicious intentions have been flown out of Chitral on a special plane. Security agencies were however tight lipped about the occurrence.

Boot or jeffers is there a border crossing into Pakistan named.....Bumboret?

[Boot Hill]

“Boot or jeffers is there a border crossing into Pakistan named.....Bumboret?”

Yes.

See first map in post #127. There is a stream named Bumporet Gol located 12.5km southwest of Chitral. Presumably, it goes up into the mountains to the southwest that form the border with Afghanistan. Any pass there would likely take on the name of the most prominent local feature, the stream. The climb should be roughly the same as for Dorah Pass, to the northwest.

That was an interesting snippet you posted in #133. Especially the part about them being mysteriously flown out. Are you on to something, Dog?

--Boot Hill

[Dog]

We just lost 2 marines in Kunar Province(sp).....is that near this border crossing?

[Dog]

Look how close this capture was to Kashmir...up near the little finger of Afghanistan pointed into China. This guy was in transit with a Pakistani guide to get him into Kashmir I bet.

[POA2]

Curious - what are the typical weather conditions are military guys are facing right now in these tribal - no-man type regions -

I mean are we talking at such high-elevations that it is actually cold up there - (which would make sense if they are high within the mountains) - just curious.

Great work by the way - very interesting to look in on -

[Cap Huff]

Kashmir is probably where OBL is spending the "summer."

[Dog]

Guess whose photo is attached to this article...

Abdur Rahman

This is 2 year old article....and I don't know if it is the same dude....but read the article.....look how it talks of AQ bases in that area.

P.S......Boot it is near the Kunar Province.....there is a neat little map at the bottom of the article.

[snooker]

Whooosh, poof, hey these aren't the virigins I ordered.