Free Republic

(Reuters) - It was the shoes that betrayed Corporal Faiz Mohammad's would-be killers. When 10 Taliban militants attacked Pakistan's busiest airport on Sunday night, sparking a five-hour gun battle that killed at least 34 people, Mohammad and his fellow officers from the Airports Security Force (ASF) were the first line of defense.

SNIPPET: "An examination of online activities by binyamine leads to the conclusion that he is likely involved with Dar al-Murabiteen, and that he links multiple terrorist networks together through his work translating, transcribing, and distributing jihadi media content. He is linked, in no particular order, to • Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan • The Pakistan and Afghan Taliban • as-Sahab, al-Emara, and al-Malahem media outfits • al-Shabaab and their al-Qimmah forum This is what Granovetter meant by a bridging weak tie - the kind of "weak" tie that is strong, as he links multiple networks. Among other things, all this...

Reuters: The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attempted car bomb attack in New York's Times Square. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim. Security officials have urged caution, saying there could be links to other Islamist groups or to a domestic cause in the United States. Qari Hussain Mehsud, a member of the Taliban in Pakistan, is reportedly behind this audiotape. The Long War Journal: The tape has yet to be verified, but US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal believe it is legitimate. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan News Channel on YouTube was...

A suspected US drone aircraft fired missiles at militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region on Saturday, killing 10 of them including two Arabs, Pakistani intelligence officials said. Two missiles were fired into the Khaisor area of the tribal region at around 08:00 a.m., the security officials said. One missile hit a house, while another struck a nearby vehicle. ‘Ten militants were killed. Two of them are Arabs but we don't know their nationalities,’ an intelligence official in the region told Reuters. Khaisor is about 20 km south of Mir Ali town. It was third such attack this month. This...

I have such fond childhood memories of summer holidays in the Swat Valley in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, a place well known among Pakistanis for its breathtaking views, cool summer climate and lush fruit orchards. But today the Swat Valley is experiencing heartbreaking pressures, as the Taliban strike with disconcerting regularity and, among other atrocities, impose a ban on the education of girls. Even before this ban was put in place on Jan. 15, more than 100 schools for girls in Swat, as well as more than 150 such schools in the greater Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), had been...