February 03, 2012

Tell that to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) leader just captured in Afghanistan. The IMU's stated goal is to turn Uzbekistan into an Islamic caliphate. Yet, the group is integrated into al Qaeda, the Taliban, and the Haqqani network.

So, you know, let's make peace with these guys.

February 01, 2012

You don't say?

The Taliban in Afghanistan depend on Pakistan for support, even though they do not necessarily welcome it, a secret NATO report says, according to a journalist who has read it.

"It is a marriage of convenience," Times of London reporter Jerome Starkey said Wednesday, citing the report. The Taliban see Pakistan as manipulative, but they see no alternative to accepting its support, he said.

The Taliban are absolutely confident of victory, he said the report found, based on 27,000 interviews with over 4,000 detainees ranging from senior Taliban commanders to Afghan civilians.

They also include mid- and low-level Taliban, al Qaeda, and foreign fighters, he said.

The leaked NATO document revives the longstanding accusation that elements in Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency are aiding the insurgency in Afghanistan.

It says the ISI knows the whereabouts of all senior Taliban commanders, Starkey said.

SNAFU.

January 16, 2012

He nails it.

The explosion of outrageously outrage over this incident is not, to the media's and the ninnies in our society's chagrin, filtering down to those of us in the real world who understand that this is war and this is what happens in war. The most common complaint I hear about this here in flyover country is that they were stupid to record it. To that, I agree. I have to admit, however, that if I were standing over the body of someone that had just tried their very hardest to kill me and I killed them first, I may not be so restrained to just piss on them.

January 11, 2012

This is purportedly video of Marines urinating on dead Taliban.

Not seeing the problem here. It's not like the Taliban are alive and getting their heads sawn off with a dull knife.

The Marines are investigating.

“While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps,”

With an attitude like that, you're not going to have any Marines in your Corps.

BTW, I'm Vinnie, and I approve this video.

December 05, 2011

Khalid Saheed fled Afghanistan because after leaving Islam he has been threatened with death for apostasy.

Our good friend Phyllis Chesler is writing on his behalf.

Letter To The Government of Sweden and Migration Board:

I am writing to you on behalf of Khalid Saeed’s petition to remain in Sweden, a petition which you have denied. I implore you to revisit his case.

His life—and Sweden’s reputation for fairness and morality are both at stake.

Khalid Saeed and his family have been living in Sweden since 2009. Saeed joined the 5% of the Swedish population who are Muslims. However, unlike Muslims who have rioted and/or who have refused to assimilate in Sweden, Khalid is a pro-Western apostate.

This is precisely why he fled Pakistan. Apostasy is a capital crime in Islam, and so is any preference shown to Western ways of thought.

Khalid Saeed was a car dealer in Islamabad, Pakistan. He is married and has three children. Once he made his views known, he was threatened. He fled. In his own words, he claims:

“I have never worshipped Allah nor do I or my wife, Asia, believe in Islam as the only truth for mankind. I have distanced myself from Islam years ago. That is my curse. My wife, the mother to our children, agrees. She will not see her daughter brought up in a society where women are only half humans and neither will I.

"As parents we also do not want to stand (helpless) on the side line and watch our two lovely and open-minded boys being forced into any kind of holy jihad group or society whose only objective is to oppress, threaten, and intimidate others to blindly follow the pitiless words of the profane muslim prophet Mohammad and his followers’ medieval Islamic sharia laws.”

Anyone who sounds like this in Pakistan, or in any Pakistani Muslim community in the world is a dead man.

And yet, you have refused him asylum in Sweden. I strongly disagree with your ruling on his application for asylum.

I assume you are familiar with the fate of apostates: Muslims who convert to Christianity or who describe themselves as “humanists” or “secularists,” or who believe in freedom of religion.

Sweden’s own 2010 Report on Human Rights in Pakistan confirms that religious minorities are severely persecuted in Pakistan as are any people who are in favor of free speech, academic freedom, and independent thought. For example, the governor of the Punjab (in Pakistan) was assassinated when he wanted to pursue reforms against blasphemy laws.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union, which was founded in Amsterdam, spent years campaigning for the life of physician and human rights activist Dr. Younus Sheikh who languished on Death Row in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

We know that many Muslims are not friendly toward any infidel religion, including Christians, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, etc. Christians have been—and still are—being savagely persecuted in Muslim lands. I and many others have written about this often. Author and apostate Nonie Darwish and ex-Muslim secularist Ibn Warraq have both spoken out about this burning issue.

Christians are being savagely persecuted in Egypt and all across the Middle East and Islamic world.

In Pakistan, Christians have literally been crucified, teenaged Christian girls have been kidnapped, raped, then forced to marry their rapists and convert to Islam.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, do not allow Christians, Jews, or other “infidels” to pray openly or to build any or new houses of worship.

The Arab Muslim Middle East is almost completely “Judenrein,” (free of Jews) since more than 800,000 Arab Jews were exiled or forced to flee their countries between 1948-1968.

In 2010, in Pakistan, a Muslim mob attacked a Christian man and slaughtered him with pick-axes for refusing to convert to Islam.

According to Mina Nevisa, an Iranian Muslim convert to Christianity who wrote a book about her experiences, both she and her female cousin were attending an underground church in Teheran. Nevis fled Iran together with her husband. Her cousin was not so lucky. “She was arrested on charges of Apostasy and taken to Evin prison, where she was raped, tortured, and then killed by a firing squad. The pastor was also killed.”

The situation for Muslim apostates in Europe is also perilous. High profile apostates, such as Egyptian-Italian Magdi Christiano Allam, who was converted to Catholicism by the Pope, lives with six round-the-clock bodyguards. Aayan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-Dutch-American apostate-secularist, also requires a full time security detail. People who do not have public profiles, who are not academics, intellectuals, politicians, or public speakers, also face similar problems.

In 2001, “Sabatina James” (a pseudonym) fled from Austria to Germany and went into hiding to escape being honor-murdered by her family after she converted from Islam to Christianity. Her family had immigrated from Pakistan.

“Sabatina’s” troubles began when she was 15 years old. Because she dared to wear lipstick and blue jeans, she was mercilessly beaten. When she rejected marriage to a cousin, “Sabatina” was sent to a Qur’anic school in Lahore, where she was repeatedly flogged. She finally agreed to the marriage—but only in order to be able to return to Austria. Then, when she was 19 years old, she fled.

In 2009, Iraqi-born Vian Bakir Fatah was stabbed to death by her Iraqi ex-husband in Norway. She had converted to Christianity and had a new boyfriend. Her ex-husband murdered her in the presence of their four children.

In the past, Sweden has presumably been at the forefront of human rights activism and legislation. Now, in this case, it seems that Sweden has failed its own stated ideals.

Given the information that I and others are providing, I strongly urge you to reconsider Khalid Saeed’s case. If not, his blood, and the blood of his wife and children will be on Swedish hands.

Signed: Professor Phyllis Chesler

If the country of Sweden doesn't do the right thing then the least we can do is offer Khalid Saheed a place here where he can be free. Damn crying shame we let Afghanistan keep this sixth century Sharia BS in its constitution to start with.

Also please support Phyllis' writing here.

December 01, 2011

A little extra jail time for not reporting your rape, which you will go to jail for, quick enough.

WTF?

Gulnaz had been sentenced to prison for 12 years after she reported that her cousin's husband had raped her two years ago.

Karzai said he's asked the justice minister to meet with the woman and her rapist to find out whether she wants to marry him and legitimize her daughter.

Last week, a spokesman for the attorney general said while the original sentence for adultery was reduced, she had failed to report her rape quickly enough and would have to serve some time in prison for that offense.

November 22, 2011

Allowing countries where we've spilled so much blood to have Sharia enshrined in their constitution is the most retarded thing the United States has ever done.

CNN:

The ordeal of Gulnaz did not simply begin and end with the physical attack of her rape. The rape began a years-long nightmare of further pain, culminating in an awful choice she must now make.

...After the attack, she hid what happened as long as she could. But soon she began vomiting in the mornings and showing signs of pregnancy. It was her attacker's child.

In Afghanistan, this brought her not sympathy, but prosecution. Aged just 19, she was found guilty by the courts of sex outside of marriage -- adultery -- and sentenced to twelve years in jail.

The only way around the dishonor of rape, or adultery in the eyes of Afghans, is to marry her attacker. This will, in the eyes of some, give her child a family and restore her honor.

November 17, 2011

Wired:

Twice in the span of a month, the Taliban has unleashed human waves on one of the U.S. Army’s most isolated Afghan outposts. Twice, the American soldiers guarding the tiny fort have beat back the attackers, killing scores of extremists while suffering no losses of their own.

Once the shooting starts, the Taliban know they probably have only a few minutes before the Apache helicopters and Air Force jet fighters arrive overhead and unleash Hell. “When fighters arrive on station, the insurgents can’t run away fast enough,” said Capt. DeShane Greaser, commander of the Margah troops.

...The air support arrived just in time, Greaser said. “There was a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device heading to the COP and after the first bombs hit we got reports that the enemy said, ‘We’re turning around, there are jets overhead.”‘

October 25, 2011

Below is an ISAF press release on Operation Shamshir and Operation Knife Edge which have been targeting Haqqani strongholds in Afghanistan. The more Haqqanis dead, the better. Too bad our "allies" the Pakistanis still aren't helping us root out the most dangerous of the various Taliban groups.

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KABUL, Afghanistan (October 24, 2011) – The International Security Assistance Force spokesperson, German Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson, announced Monday that due to recent operations, Operation Shamshir and Operation Knife Edge, insurgent activities have been greatly impacted in the east and south of Kabul.

“We have concluded that 20 Haqqani affiliated insurgents have been killed or captured during these operations,” said Jacobson. “About half of these insurgents have been identified as leaders and the remainder were identified as facilitators and/or improvised explosive device makers.”

Jacobson goes on to say that the Afghan National Security Forces lead both operations while ISAF provided the support they needed to complete the mission.

“Operation Shamshir with the ANSF in the lead conducted clearing operations in the east and throughout the south of Kabul, contributing to increased disruption of the insurgency,” said Jacobson. “These offensive operations have impacted insurgent morale, caused localized disruption to operations, and forced insurgents to withdraw or hide to avoid capture.”

With more than 400 kilograms of homemade explosives, assorted weapons, munitions and computers seized during the two operations, insurgents are no longer able to adequately supply local attacks.

“The successes of Operations Shamshir and Knife Edge have opened opportunities for ANSF to build positive relationships with people from towns and villages formerly under the grip of insurgent organizations,” said Jacobson.

The main effort of combined operations will now return to normal framework operations in support of security objectives.

All of these events demonstrate the way in which Afghanistan is preparing, with its international partners, for a post 2014 environment in which Afghanistan is standing proudly on its own feet, said NATO Civilian Spokesman Christopher Chambers.

“Coalition forces will continue to degrade insurgent operations and support growing ANSF capabilities contributing to GIRoAs ability and commitment to provide security for the people of Afghanistan,” said Jacobson.

As we are now heading into the winter months, ISAF vows to continue to set the conditions for further growth in Afghan security capabilities.

“We will remain vigilant,” Jacobson said. “We will continue to secure vulnerable areas throughout the winter months and continue to interdict future spectacular attack planning.”

Jacobson reiterated that it is imperative that we continue to stand strong and ensure that the security measures we put in place remain mobile, agile and flexible to take the fight to the enemy.

“We cannot be divided in our cause for a free Afghanistan,” said Jacobson. “It is the hard work and dedication of the coalition and Afghan forces that will ensure freedom to Afghanistan.

Transition remains on course with President Karzai’s stated desire to have Afghan National Security Forces in the lead for security by the end of 2014.

October 24, 2011

F*ck you too.

Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.

October 05, 2011

I'm not sure I've ever had a problem with meeting the enemy. It's just that these particular enemies can't be reasoned with. So, it's a waste of everyone's time. Diplomacy in Afghanistan is a hollow hope.

Wow.

BBC

Afghan intelligence officials say they have arrested six people who they believe were planning to assassinate President Hamid Karzai[...]

Militants have killed a string of high-profile figures in Afghanistan in recent months.

"A dangerous and educated group including teachers and students wanted to assassinate President Hamid Karzai," National Directorate of Security (NDS) spokesman Lutfullah Mashal told a news conference

"Unfortunately they infiltrated the presidential protection system and recruited one of the president's bodyguards."

Mr Mashal said those arrested had ties with a member of al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan, in Pakistan's restive tribal belt.

The group was arrested a week ago after members of the elite Afghan forces raided two locations in Kabul's district 15 and in the eastern city of Jalalabad, officials said.

October 01, 2011

Awesome

KABUL - Live rock returned to Afghanistan after three long decades on Saturday as young men and women cheered and leapt into the air to the sound of heavy bass beats and punk rock.

Bands from Australia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan served up a six-hour musical feast of blues, indie, electronica and death metal to hundreds of fans, many of whom had never seen live music before.

Sound Central was something new in a deeply conservative Muslim country where music was banned under the austere Taliban regime. Even now music shops are attacked in some cities and musicians taunted for their clothes or hair.

The festival retained a distinctly Afghan accent, with alcohol banned, kebabs the only snacks and a respect for strong religious values amid the rock and roll[...]

Where I live, there's nothing like this. I heard about it so I had to come," said Ahmad Shah, dressed in a traditional white shalwar kameez and waistcoat, who traveled from Kandahar, a southern city roiled by insurgent violence.

"I came to escape the cancer of the Taliban and this makes a refreshing change."

September 26, 2011

I saw tweets about this last night, but details are still sketchy. The U.S. won't say if the American killed was a CIA agent. The incident is still under investigation. Apparently, it was in or around the Ariana Hotel which houses the CIA. Supposedly it's a very secure area, but not if a friendly turns out to be the enemy:

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan employed by the U.S. government killed one American and wounded another in an attack on a CIA office in Kabul, officials said Monday.

The shooting Sunday evening — the third high-profile attack in the past two weeks in the Afghan capital — is the latest in a growing number of attacks this year by Afghans working for international forces. Some assailants have turned out to be Taliban sleeper agents, while others have been motivated by private grievances.

Gunfire was first heard sometime after 8 p.m. local time around the former Ariana Hotel, a building that ex-U.S. intelligence officials said is the CIA station in Kabul. The spy agency occupied the heavily secured building just blocks from the Afghan presidential palace in late 2001 after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban.

UPDATE: Confirmed, CIA employee killed

A U.S. official in Washington said the American who died was a CIA employee. The official requested anonymity because he was speaking about intelligence matters.

The U.S. Embassy said an Afghan employee of the complex carried out the attack.

"The motivation for the attack is still under investigation," the embassy said in a statement. Embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall declined to comment on what the targeted annex was used for, citing security reasons. Sundwall said the Afghan employee was not authorized to carry a weapon, and it was not clear how the man was able to get a gun into the secured compound.

The embassy did not provide information on the American who was killed, and said the person wounded in the shooting was taken to a military hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. It said the embassy has "resumed business operations."

September 16, 2011

Chainsaws: they're not just for zombies anymore!

READ THE REST.

September 13, 2011

The US Embassy and NATO Headquarters in Kabul came under rocket attack in Kabu this afternoon (Kabul time). Many reporters are calling this a "sophisticated" or "complex" attack. But, if it's so sophisticated, how come no one in the embassy or at NATO Headquarters was killed?

I guess "sophisticated" has now been reduced to "two vans full of people who can't aim instead of one".

At least, that's how I'm reading the situation. Let's hope it stays that way.

New York Times:

Insurgents launched a complex assault against the American Embassy and the nearby NATO headquarters on Tuesday, pelting the heavily guarded compounds with rockets in an attack that raised new questions about the security of Afghanistan’s capital and the Westerners working there.

At least 10 explosions — apparently from rockets launched by militants — and waves of automatic weapons fire were reported amid the drone of sirens and English-language warnings telling Americans inside the embassy to take cover

More:

Sediq Sediqi, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said that two attackers had been killed, as had one policeman. At about 4 p.m. local time, three attackers were believed to be still fighting. Kerri Hannan, a spokeswoman for the American Embassy, said that no embassy personnel had been hurt.

So, a failed attack in which the attackers are either dead or now surrounded and the takeaway is supposed to be ... what, exactly? That all is DOOMED?!?

Afghanistan is a war zone. What were you expecting?

The point of our strategy in Afghanistan isn't to turn it into the Switzerland of the Hindu Kush. No, it's to leave a government stable enough to fight off insurgencies with little outside help.

While its still up in the air whether or not that is feasible, remember that in 2007 - 2008 it was still up in the air whether the Iraq surge would work. And it has. Marvelously.

But Iraq is no Switzerland either. Terrorist attacks happen in Iraq almost every day. Just today 22 innocent civilians were murdered by Salaafi jihadists. And yet the surge still worked.

The point of the surge strategy isn't to remake a country in the image of the US. It's simply to make their problems their problems, and not ours.

22 innocents were killed in Iraq today. That is a tragedy. But it's a problem for Iraq to deal with, not us.

When we can say that about Afghanistan, then we have won this thing. I'm afraid though that the relatively small number of soldiers sent in under the Obama surge compromise won't be enough to win this thing anytime soon.

It doesn't mean we have lost, it just means that it will drag on needlessly longer.

September 03, 2011

Cuz Sabr Lal Melma went to pieces after a surprise visit from NATO troops.

Allahu Akhbar!!!!

ZH#3 has more.[Link fixed..sorry bout that]

[Image credit: McClatchy]

August 29, 2011

Oh the horror!

God Bless our finest and bravest!

August 28, 2011

Headline was quote from Afghan warlord Allah Daad when interviewed regarding the practice of Bachi-bazi (dancing boys) aka forced prostitution.

An Afghan journalist has come out and condemned the practice.

In a recent report, senior Afghan journalist Musa Khan Jalalzai drew attention to the custom of Afghan dancing boys and their sexual exploitation by powerful and wealthy warlords in the country. The report notes that the custom has become a status symbol in Afghanistan.

The report, titled "Male Prostitution in Afghanistan," was published on the website of Daily Outlook Afghanistan newspaper, of which Musa Khan Jalalzai is the executive editor. In his report, ,Jalalzai notes that for those who cannot afford the real thing, DVDs of dancing boys are available in the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Samangan, Panjshir, and Herat.

The report added: "Local residents now have demanded for a crackdown against these elements, but are skeptical because criminals are powerful and well-armed. War criminals have representation in Afghan parliament and in government institutions."

"Warlords in Northern Afghanistan… Recruit Young Boys for Sex and Dance…; Bacha-Bereesh [Boys] of Ages 15-20 are Normally Dressed in Women's Clothes, Dancing All the Night, Then Abused by Several Men"

"A shameless business of teenage rape or Bacha-bazi has brought disgrace and shame to Afghan society. The tradition of teenage rape is an old tradition in northern and southern provinces. The tradition has roots in Afghan history. President Hamid Karzai, in his recent statement, warned that rapists should face 'the country's most severe punishment.

"The interior ministry has failed to arrest powerful rapist warlords in northern Afghanistan, as the police administration has long been involved in many illegal businesses like drug trafficking, prostitution, and playboys. Corruption in the Afghan justice system is another problem. Courts are helpless before war criminals. Judges are the most corrupt people, who bail out or release criminals and receive millions in Afghan currency.[More...]

This video is from Frontline's special last year. To see the rest go here

Related:
Cablegate: Bacha Bazi-The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
PBS delays dancing boys of Afghanistan over fear for dancing boys[update: will to air 4/20[Creeping Sharia]
‘Dancing Boys of Afghanistan’ (aka 'Sex Toys') To Air On PBS April 20th
Taliban’s Siraj Haqqani: Rape, Murder & Videotape By Brad Thor

August 25, 2011

Via Bill Roggio

A videotape of the the Taliban brutally executing an Afghan police commander has been released on the Internet. The Taliban used a heavy weapon to kill the Afghan commander, and then desecrated the man's remains.

The videotape, which was released on the LiveLeak website, is undated. According to the caption, the tape shows the Taliban executing "a police commander in Paktia province after kidnapping him." A US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal that the description accompanying the video "is accurate."[More..]

You diet your way, I'll diet mine.

Video is below the fold, Warning, extremely graphic

Warning...

Warning...

Warning...

Warning...

Are you sure?

Here it is:

Bast*rds!

August 23, 2011

Feel good story of the day

Afghan Villagers Stone a Taliban Commander to Death

KABUL, Afghanistan — Angry villagers stoned to death a local Taliban commander and his bodyguard in southern Afghanistan Sunday after the militants killed a 60-year-old man accused of aiding the government, Afghan officials said.

August 18, 2011

Bill was there for a grenade attack. This is what it looked like.

August 16, 2011

Reading this report from Afghanistan by my old friend Bill Ardalino from the now defunct INDC blog, I couldn't help but be drawn to this paragraph:

It is not uncommon for children in the [Sabari, Khost] district to throw grenades. There is some debate about whether the minors are engaging in violent local sport, or if they are put up to it by insurgents who know that Coalition forces are less likely to shoot into a throng of scurrying kids. Insurgents are known to use young people as tools: the Haqqani Network runs a series of madrassas in Pakistan expressly devoted to brainwashing teens into violent jihad, and there have been a handful of incidents throughout Afghanistan in which kids have been strapped with bombs and sent forth as suicide bombers. But minors tossing frags around here could merely be a hobby of rambunctious, Sabari-brand hellions. The area is awash in grenades, and many young males develop an early inclination for xenophobic jihad.

PS-Stay safe Bill. Stay safe.

August 11, 2011

Interesting:

“As this mission unfolded, we saw some significant success occurring on the objective itself, but there were elements that were escaping,” [U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R.] Gen. Allen said....

“And in the course of their attempt to depart the objective, we committed a force to contain that element from getting out. And of course, in the process of that, the aircraft was struck by an RPG and crashed.”

Instead being pinned down, as NATO officials first said, the Ranger unit was winning the fight and wanted more troops to stop the enemy retreat.

Thanks to Drudge.

July 22, 2011

Bill Roggio

NATO and Afghan troops killed more than 50 Haqqani Network fighters during an attack on an "encampment" in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika.

The encampment was located in the Sar Rowzah District in Paktika province, a known haven for the Haqqani Network and allied groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda.

The "training camp" was used as "a staging area for Haqqani and foreign fighters," the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release. ISAF uses the term "foreign fighters" to describe members of al Qaeda and allied terror groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. "These fighters were moved into the country by Haqqani insurgents who planned to use them for attacks throughout Afghanistan," ISAF stated.[More]

More please..

h/t Psychopant

July 20, 2011

******Bumped because it's hilarious!-scroll down for newer posts******[SH]

Or maybe not.

I received this email from the official Taliban spokesman this AM.

Statement of the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regarding the Martyrdom of the Most Excellent Amir ul Momineen

Among the believers, there are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Some fulfilled their vow by death and some are still awaiting and they have not changed in the least. (S:33-V:23)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficial, the Most Merciful

To all the inhabitants of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and respected Muslims it is with great shock and sorrow that the news is given that the Amir of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Leader of the Taliban the Esteemed Amir ul Momineen Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid on the 15th day of July in the current year 2011, passed away after an illness of the heart. To Allah (SwT) we belong and to Him is our return.

But Michelle Malkin is reporting that the Taliban later denied their own press release, claiming phone hacking by US intelligence.

KABUL: Two Taliban spokesmen said their mobile phones had been hacked and false text messages sent out on Wednesday reporting the death of the movement’s supreme leader Mullah Omar, who is still alive.

“This is the work of American intelligence, and we will take revenge on the telephone network providers,” said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, when contacted by Reuters to confirm the veracity of one text message.

The messages came from phone numbers used in the past by both Mujahid and a second spokesman Mohammad Qari Yousuf and said “spiritual Leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid has died” and “May Allah bless his soul”.

Really I fail to see a down side in this, either Mullah Omar is dead or...... the Taliban are so effing owned on the internet its not even funny.

What am I saying? Yes it is funny.

In fact I can't stop laughing..... really.

Update: It appears the Taliban have totally lost control of their website. The "fake Mullah Omar" announcement still appears on their English version of the new website which is hosted in the Netherlands.

Darn you'd have thought they'd have been safe there.

Nope. LOL.

UPDATE by SH: Taliban has a new Facebook page. Don't know if it is fake too!!: facebook.com/alemarah1

See my screenshot below fold:

Updated again: It now appears the Taliban's website is totally dead. The last active URL is throwing DB errors.

Bwahhahaaaa!

Also Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[you have to request to join]:

July 18, 2011

Yes this is who we are fighting in Afghanistan. I seriously doubt the claims of the Taliban, the murdered people appear to be ordinary Muslims.

Long War Journal:

The Taliban videotaped the brutal execution of more than a dozen Pakistani policemen who were captured during last month's raid in a remote area of northwestern Pakistan.

The graphic video, which shows 16 Pakistani policemen who are lined up and then gunned down by Taliban fighters wielding AK-47s, was taken in early June in the Shaltalu area of the district of Dir in northwestern Pakistan, a Pakistani official and US intelligence officials who track the region told The Long War Journal. The executions were filmed after the policemen were captured during several days of heavy fighting.

....he graphic video, which was published on the LiveLeak website, begins by showing the policemen, whose hands are bound behind their backs, in a line along a hillside. A Taliban commander tells the policemen they are responsible for the execution of six Pakistani "children" in the neighboring Pakistani district of Swat. Just prior to executing the Pakistani men, the Taliban leader gives a quick speech.

"These are the enemies of Islam who originated from Pakistan," says the Taliban commander, who is masked and has not been identified, according to a translation of the statement received by The Long War Journal. He describes the men as "murtards," or those who have abandoned Islam.

Strongest possible graphic warning, if you are under 18 do not proceed.
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UPDATE by SH: ISI & bounty for TTP

July 06, 2011

You kill one of ours, we'll kill 276 of yours:

Afghan forces backed by the NATO-led troops have eliminated a total of 276 Taliban insurgents throughout the country over the last two weeks during series of operations, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

"Afghan National Army (ANA) forces during independent and joint operations with foreign troops have killed 276 enemies and detained 237 more insurgents all over the country over the past two weeks," General Zahir Azimi told reporters in weekly press briefing here.

Reeeowww, Phhhttthhttt phhhttthhhttt.

July 02, 2011

The terrorist attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul killed 12 including a provincial judge.

Now for the propaganda:

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid:

A martyrdom-seeking Mujahid, Muhammad Omar, on his cell phone during the operation said: A Mujahid carried out a martyr attack at the eastern gate of the hotel and cleared the way for the other martyr-seeking Mujahideen to enter the hotel who shut all the entrances behind them, searching all the rooms for the US-NATO military advisers and their puppets and were shot on sight in each rooms as they were found. And More than 50 invaders and their puppets were killed and dozens were wounded; while this was all done in the darkness with the help of the torches till Wednesday morning, at about 4:00 due to the power cut as soon as the Mujahideen entered the facility[...]

Mujahid added that we gave the detailed account of the operation to the media outlets but, they admitted to be under pressure from the higher authorities and are unable to release the full details of the operation.

Have some fun and rub it in:

Zabihullah Mujahid
Email: zabihullahmujahid@gmail.com

Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
Email: qya.ahmadi@yahoo.com

If they answer let Rusty know.

June 30, 2011

Imperial Good News!:

KABUL, Afghanistan – The International Security Assistance force confirmed today a top Haqqani Network leader suspected of providing material support to the Kabul suicide bomb attack June 28, was killed in a precision airstrike in Gardez District, Paktiya province, yesterday.

Ismail Jan was the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander inside Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan. Jan and several Haqqani fighters were killed in strike.

The Haqqani Network, in conjunction with Taliban operatives, was responsible for the Tuesday night attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel which killed 12 people, including a provincial judge.

Bill Roggio has more on this

Related:
Afghanistan's Intercontinental Hotel Under Attack by Suicide Bombers

June 28, 2011

It's not nice to fool Allah, and Allah knows best

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A senior leader of an Al Qaeda-linked terror group has been captured in northern Afghanistan dressed up like a woman -- the latest in a recent series of cases involving male militants disguised as females, the U.S.-led military coalition said Tuesday.

A joint Afghan and coalition force apprehended a senior figure from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and two of his associates during a nighttime operation Monday in Kunduz city, NATO said

It said the militant, who also supported the Taliban network, had planned attacks against the Afghan National Police, as well as various suicide bombings and assaults against other Afghan security forces.[More]

Apparently a Mumbai style attack.

Roggio

A Taliban suicide assault team attacked a hotel frequented by foreigners in the Afghan capital of Kabul. Initial reports indicate that 14 people may have been killed while fighting is still underway.

A heavily armed Taliban assault team, estimated at six fighters strong, penetrated several rings of security at the Intercontinental and have entered the hotel. Three or four members of the assault team broke through the security, entered the hotel, and began targeting the guests, many of whom are foreigners. Many of the hotel guests were in the restaurant at the time of the attack. At least one Taliban sniper is said to have opened fire on security forces using rocket propelled grenades and a rifle from the rooftop. Afghan security forces have surrounded the hotel, cut off power, and are engaging the remaining Taliban fighters.

The Taliban, via their spokesman, Zahibullah Mujahid, claimed credit for the attack in a statement released to the press.

"Our muj [mujahideen or fighters] entered the hotel and they've gone through several stories of the building and they are breaking into each room and they are targeting the 300 Afghans and foreigners who are staying," Mujahid said, according to The New York Times.[More]

A State Department official told Fox News that all chiefs of mission personnel are accounted for in the country, including all U.S. citizens currently working for the embassy in Kabul. However there is no information yet on any Americans who might have been staying at the Intercon hotel.

The Times says there could be as many as six suicide bombers on the scene, and reportedly at least three are carrying light and heavy weapons. According to a Taliban spokesman, who took credit for the attack on behalf of the group, the attackers “are breaking into each room and they are targeting the 300 Afghans and foreigners who are staying.” Systematic murder, in other words, not indiscriminate explosions; presumably, they’re wearing vests in case they’re cornered by U.S. and Afghan troops and want to take a few with them at the moment of truth.[Continue reading]

Update by Howie: Video of the scene seems pretty calm.

Update by Matt Damon: Speculation on my part this had to have been an inside job.

Update by Howie again: Three of the terrorists were cleared off the roof of the hotel by NATO helicopters.

June 27, 2011

Weekly Standard:

Joe Biden finally won an argument. President Obama’s decision to draw down U.S. forces in Afghanistan seems to move American policy toward Biden’s long-held view that the U.S. military should narrow its approach to a selective, counter-terrorism-focused mission. In this view, targeted raids, like the one that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, are enough to secure America. It’s a politically convenient theory. Too bad it’s wrong.

...Al Qaeda’s reach in Af-ghanistan can be seen in the press releases issued by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), NATO’s command in Afghanistan. Press releases from March 2007 forward show the presence of al Qaeda and affiliated groups, such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), in 94 different districts and in 25 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

Since mid-April of this year alone, ISAF and Afghan forces have killed or captured dozens of al Qaeda commanders and fighters. On May 3, the day after bin Laden was killed, Afghan troops killed or wounded more than 25 Arabs, Chechens, and Pakistanis in the Barg-e-Matal district of Nuristan. The 25 were sent across the border to retaliate for bin Laden’s demise. According to the Obama administration’s estimates, this would mean that half of al Qaeda’s presence inside Afghanistan was wiped out on that one day. A week later, on May 10, a dozen more al Qaeda fighters were killed or captured by ISAF and Afghan forces. At this pace, there should not be any al Qaeda operatives left in Afghanistan.

June 11, 2011

(Ottawa, Canada) In 2004, the U..S. State Department launched the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program for Afghan teens to come to America and attend U.S. high schools.

Students accepted into the program, which was created in 2004, are chosen from among more than 5,000 applicants across the country each year.

They are the brightest, the most articulate and the ones judged most likely to become the country's future leaders.

After arriving in the U.S., most of the young Afghans pack their bags and head for Canada, seeking asylum. Staying in refugee centers, the apparently forget why they came to the New World and start building lives as future Canadian citizens.

June 09, 2011

DeccanHerald

JALALABAD, June 9, AFP :

Gunmen stormed a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan overnight, killing the groom and eight other people in an attack blamed on Taliban-linked insurgents, officials said.

The groom was a cousin of the local district chief, and women and children were also among the casualties in the attack at the family party in Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan, the provincial spokesman said.

The gunmen were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and stormed the house where the party was being held, said spokesman Abdulzia Ahmadzai.

May 28, 2011

INTERPOL Press Release

LYON, France - An international security alert, or Orange Notice, has been issued by INTERPOL at the request of its National Central Bureau (NCB) in Kabul for 417 dangerous prisoners, including members of the Taliban, who escaped from an Afghan prison last month.

During the night of 24 April, the Taliban broke out the prisoners from the Sarposa prison in Kandahar through a tunnel constructed from outside the prison perimeter fence into the prison interior. INTERPOL said the jailbreak constituted a major threat to global security.

Following the escape, information on the fugitive prisoners was provided through an already existing programme between INTERPOL's General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon and its National Central Bureau in Washington which provides for information-sharing on terrorism-related issues.[More]

Related:
Good News!! Hundreds of Taliban escape from southern Afghan Kandahar prison (Bonus: Email the Taliban!)

" The bomber entered the meeting as a security guard for one of the guests"

Hmmm, who is, or possibly was, that "guest"?

KABUL, Afghanistan — A Taliban suicide bomber infiltrated a heavily guarded governor’s compound in northern Afghanistan where top NATO and Afghan officials were meeting, killing several people there, including the highly regarded regional police commander, Gen. Daoud Daoud, Afghan officials said.

The German commander of NATO’s force in the north, Gen. Markus Kneip, was among the wounded, German news reports said.

The attack happened about 4:30 p.m. when a man wearing a police uniform blew himself up during the security meeting at the governor’s compound in Taliqan, the capital of Takhar Province, Afghan officials said.

Maryam Kofi, a member of Parliament from Takhar, said the bomber entered the meeting as a security guard for one of the guests. The provincial police chief, Shah Jahan Noori, was also killed in the blast.

Lutfullah Mashal, a spokesman for the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency, said that two to three Germans were also killed in the attack, but NATO did not immediately confirm that. The total number of dead could not be immediately confirmed.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said the attack struck “a very important security meeting.”

May 21, 2011

Via MirrorUK:

British Muslims paid £500 a time to fly out to Al Qaeda ­training camps in Afghanistan.
Leaked documents [wikileaks..ed] reveal how dozens of young men joined the terror network after visits to the London mosque where hook-handed Abu Hamza preached.

They were introduced to al-Qaeda “fixers” who gave them a visa and ticket to ­Pakistan.

Recruits were then taken to camps over the Afghan border where they were trained how to use weapons such as AK-47 rifles and rocket launchers – and ­become suicide bombers.[More]

May 16, 2011

The News Tribune:

Afghanistan’s former intelligence chief said he knew Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan four years ago, but Pakistan’s leaders rejected his claims.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Amrullah Saleh saidAfghan intelligence thought bin Laden was in the Pakistani city of Mansehra — about 12 miles away from Abbottabad, where the terrorist leader was eventually found and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs.

Saleh has become a prominent critic of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s efforts to start peace talks with the Taliban. He said Pakistan should be recognized by the United States as “a hostile country.”