The 10th predator drone strike by the CIA in 14 days went down this morning in North Waziristan, Pakistan - and the world does a "wave" celebrating 9 less Taliban walking the earth. Imagine....14 days, 10 strikes....I'm almost giddy here! LOL
From The Long War Journal (by the way, the story title at LWJ has an error, only saying one militant killed):
You can see that the details are pretty sketchy on this latest strike but nailing 9 Taliban or al Qaeda with one strike is a huge hit and a very successful one. I really wish I knew what has changed in September and accounts for such a string of attacks - I can't figure out if we simply got our hands on an enemy jihadi who has sung like a canary about Taliban compound locations or if the movement of Taliban is just that increased but I don't want to jinx it - I just want to see it all continue.
From The Long War Journal (by the way, the story title at LWJ has an error, only saying one militant killed):
Unmanned US Predator strike aircraft have yet again struck in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. The attack is the 10th this month.
US Predators, or the more deadly Reapers, fired three missiles into a "militant hideout" in the village of Bushnarai in Shawal area of North Waziristan today. Nine terrorists were reported killed in the airstrike, according to AFP.
The exact target of the strike is not yet known. No senior Taliban or al Qaeda commanders have been reported killed. Several "foreigners," a term used to describe members of al Qaeda, were reported to have been killed in the strike, but the numbers and identities have not been disclosed.
The Shawal area, which is near Miramshah, is in the sphere of influence of the Haqqani Network, a Taliban group led by mujahedeen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Siraj.
You can see that the details are pretty sketchy on this latest strike but nailing 9 Taliban or al Qaeda with one strike is a huge hit and a very successful one. I really wish I knew what has changed in September and accounts for such a string of attacks - I can't figure out if we simply got our hands on an enemy jihadi who has sung like a canary about Taliban compound locations or if the movement of Taliban is just that increased but I don't want to jinx it - I just want to see it all continue.
US Predators strike again in North Waziristan, killing 1 'militants'
Unmanned US Predator strike aircraft have yet again struck in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. The attack is the 10th this month.
US Predators, or the more deadly Reapers, fired three missiles into a "militant hideout" in the village of Bushnarai in Shawal area of North Waziristan today. Nine terrorists were reported killed in the airstrike, according to AFP.
The exact target of the strike is not yet known. No senior Taliban or al Qaeda commanders have been reported killed. Several "foreigners," a term used to describe members of al Qaeda, were reported to have been killed in the strike, but the numbers and identities have not been disclosed.
The Shawal area, which is near Miramshah, is in the sphere of influence of the Haqqani Network, a Taliban group led by mujahedeen commander Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Siraj.
Background on recent strikes
Over the past two weeks, the US has hit targets in northwestern Pakistan at an unprecedented rate. Today's strike is the 10th since Sept. 1, setting up September to be the most active month since the US began launching strikes in Pakistan in 2004. The most active month recorded so far was January 2010, with the US launching 11 strikes in Pakistan in the aftermath of the suicide attack on a US combat outpost in Khost, Afghanistan, that killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian intelligence officer.
With today's strikes, the US has carried out 64 attacks inside Pakistan this year. The US exceeded last year's strike total of 53 with a strike in Kurram late last month. In 2008, the US carried out 36 strikes inside Pakistan. [For up-to-date charts on the US air campaign in Pakistan, see LWJ Special Report, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2010.]
All but six of this year's 64 strikes have taken place in North Waziristan. Of the six strikes that have occurred outside of North Waziristan, four took place in South Waziristan, one occurred in Khyber, and one took place in Kurram.
Since July 2008, unmanned US Predator and Reaper strike aircraft have been pounding Taliban and al Qaeda hideouts in the tribal areas in an effort to kill senior terror leaders and disrupt the networks that threaten Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the West. [For more information, see LWJ report, Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2010.]
Background on the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan
The Haqqani family runs the Manba Ulom madrassa in the village of Danda Darpa Khel, a hub of activity for the terror group. The US has struck at targets in Danda Darpa Khel six times since Aug. 20, 2009, and eight times since September 2008.
The Haqqanis are closely allied to al Qaeda and to the Taliban, led by Mullah Omar. Siraj Haqqani is the leader of the Miramshah Regional Military Shura, one of the Taliban's top four commands. In addition, Siraj sits on the Taliban's Quetta Shura and is also a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis. The Haqqanis are based on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border, and operate primarily in the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika.
Another top leader of the Haqqani Network is Nasiruddin Haqqani, a brother of Siraj. In July, the US Treasury added Nasiruddin to the list of specially designated global terrorists. Nasiruddin has traveled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between 2004-2009 to carry out fundraising for the Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, and the Taliban.
The US has been targeting the Haqqani Network in Pakistan as part of its Predator air campaign. On Feb. 18, the US killed Mohammed Haqqani, another of the 12 sons of Jalaluddin Haqqani, in an airstrike in Danda Darpa Khel, just outside Miramshah. Mohammed had served as a military commander for the Haqqani Network. Over the past year, Siraj Haqqani and his military commander, Mullah Sangeen Zadran, have been the targets of several strikes.
Despite the known presence of al Qaeda and other foreign groups in North Waziristan, and requests by the US that action be taken against these groups, the Pakistani military has indicated that it has no plans to take on the Haqqani Network or allied Taliban leaders Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Mullah Nazir. The Haqqanis, Bahadar, and Nazir are considered "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military establishment as they do not carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The US military has been lobbying Pakistan to take on the Haqqani Network, but has recently eased the pressure after recognizing that the Pakistani government has no interest in tackling the al Qaeda-linked group.
2 comments:
This string of Taliban exterminations has been so prolific that even mainstream media sources are starting to pick it up.
Our CIA guys on the ground, the folks studying satellite images and the drone pilots themselves all deserve a huge pat of the back. These attacks are the absolute safest way to annihilate enemies intent on killing American soldiers.
It's no secret that the Taliban has long been using North Waziristan as a safe haven after hit and run cross border attacks on US troops. Well I think the message is out. North Waziristan is no longer safe. If anyone associates with the Taliban, their life expectancy is very low.
Lysol,
Don't look now but strike #2 just went up here at Holger.
You're welcome :)
:Holger Danske
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