Bomber attacks British firm in N.Iraq, 4 killed
19 Jul 2010 09:50:34 GMT
Source: Reuters
* British firm said to be a construction company
* Mosul, one of Iraq's most dangerous towns
(Adds British embassy comment, paragraph 5-6)
MOSUL, Iraq, July 19 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber ploughed into a convoy carrying employees of a British company in northern Iraq on Monday, killing four of them and wounding five Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security officials said.
The suicide bomber targeted the last vehicle of the convoy in restive Mosul, a dangerous city where al Qaeda remains active, and the force of the blast threw the armoured vehicle 40 metres into a ravine, killing everyone inside, police said.
"I saw the other members of the convoy bring out four dead foreign civilians from the smashed car. One of them was beheaded," an Iraqi military officer, asking not to be named, said by telephone from the site of the attack in northern Mosul.
Iraqi officials said the firm was a British construction company but its name was not immediately known and there was no independent confirmation.
The British embassy said it was checking reports that a British national was among the dead. "We stand ready to provide consular assistance where possible," a spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
The nationalities of the other dead foreigners were not immediately known.
Mosul is on the front line of a longstanding feud between Iraq's Arabs and minority Kurds over land, power and oil wealth.
The region is also a hub for Sunni Islamist insurgents, and the U.S. military, which will end combat operations on Aug. 31, sees Mosul as al Qaeda's last urban stronghold in Iraq.
Iraq is on high alert for insurgent attacks after a March 7 national election produced no clear winner and left the country adrift in political uncertainty.
Overall violence has dropped sharply since the height of sectarian carnage in 2006-7, but bombings and killings continue daily. (Reporting by Jamal al-Badrani; Writing by Suadad al-Salhy; editing by Michael Christie and Tim Pearce)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Seraph Faust Angleton10
Allow me to explain it one more time, Thaqalain. Seraph is never going to be back, because he was never here. I have been here. I am Faust/Seraph and I posted using his persona. He was royally angry when he found out I was using him for a mask. I cant post as Seraph anymore. He is a real person but I posted using his identity since I know it in extremely fine detail. I know his schedule, his friends, his movements, his wife...everything about him. I stepped into his identity and used his persona here on the Forum like a puppet. ( no wonder he was angry)
He never posted here, Thaqalain. He has no interest in this Forum. I am Faust and I used him. I am the only one who has ever posted here. He is a real person and he has a real life and he has completely other views than mine. I manufactured his views and they were not his... they were mine. I simply stood behind his identity to conceal my own.
I will not use Seraph's real identity again. Dont think he is real on this Forum. He never posted here. Have I said it enough times? I am Faust..I used the name Seraph and used his life and all the things about him which I knew in fine detail.
He caught me doing it, Thaqalain. I wont be using that identity again.
He isnt gone, because he was never here. I am Faust and it has always been me. I used his identity and his life and mirrored them here. He was simply a "cut-out".
A Cut Out is a mechanism to use a real person and hide inside his identity..it is used in espionage(The act or practice of spying or of using spies to obtain secret information, as about another government or a business competitor.) and is a deception and a form of Theft.
You liked him didnt you...he was young, probably like yourself. I am not likeable...I am nearly seventy years old and have lived all my life in Asia and the Middle East in one way or another. He has never been in the military. I have spent more than half my life in various militarys. He is a happy American and I am something from the past. He has his whole life ahead of him and he has every expectation to live a long and prosperous and useful life. While I have less than 20 years to go at best.
My life is almost over. Although I have it on good authority that I will die on a Saturday about 10:30 in the morning on the last day of February in 2026 at the age of 86 while trying to get out of bed after a winter with Pneumonia. I was recovering from the Pneumonia, but what I couldnt recover from..was old age.
Dont be looking for Seraph... he will never be back. Look at me, Thaqalain!
I am Faust...Seraph was simply a name I used. I liked Seraph also. But I wont use his identity again. My moniker on this Forum is now Angleton10.
Seraph was an illusion, I created. The real individual Seraph, the individual on which he was mirrored never posted here . He has a completely unrelated life which I detailed because I knew it in fine detail. He never posted here, it was all a shabby use of another person by myself.
In espionage you invent an identity , sometimes taking a name from Cemetery records...someone who was killed in a car accident works very nicely...you know his birth and records and his age and the facts of his life, where he lived and you duplicate his background by obtaining a file on him..his job resume, and you "adapt" it to give yourself a "cover". You steal an identity. In Seraph's case, he was still alive and found I was stealing his name. That made his identity useless to me after that. I had to drop his identity.
I now have another one, Angleton10. But it is still the same old Faust. Been around a long time.I will get another identity after I "die" in 2026. Something to fit the new times.
Did you call me" Strong and Bold"? I am a deceiver, Thaqalain and I am very old.
I create illusions and I use people. And I am very intelligent and very well educated. I am widely traveled and multi-lingual. And I am relatively rich.
And I cant be trusted. And I can remember things from long long ago. I can remember the Black Death in Germany when the Mongol horsemen did recon through the dark trees...it was in the late 12th Cent. Subotai and Chepe Noyan sent small squadrons of horsemen to recon the passes and the roads into Europe and to count the people and their villages and their ways. But Genghis Khan died before they came again with the Tumans and the Horde.
That's how the Black Death came into Europe though and that's when Faust was first noted in History...as a physician who treated the people dying of the Plague...in twelfth Cent. Germany.
Faust had been born 200 years before Christ on an island in the Baltic, he herded pigs as a boy...he was old even in the 12th Cent. Outlived his parents naturally, but then outlived his own descendants as well and stayed young relatively speaking... how would you live in a superstitious world with people who saw you never aged? Dangerous. You couldnt stay in one village for very long. You would have to always be on the move, always taking new names.
Lies would be your only shield, and you could never let the humans realize what you really were. Isnt it nice that we live in modern times where no one believes in such superstitious things any longer.?
Imagine not being able to die, Thaqalain, damned to live forever. Think about never being able to die. Think about it.
-----------
I stole Seraphs identity. I always was Faust. Seraph actually never existed..although he does exist. I simply co-opted his identity and put myself into it.
he never posted here. And he was royally angry at me when he found out I was using him without his knowledge.
I am and always have been Faust. ( more's the pity).
Seraph never has posted here except to denounce my theft of his persona.
Faust hasn't posted anything for years.
seraph and angleton10 = Seth Kingry, Atlanta, Greenteethia, Primitive American South.
SOUTHERNER = TOOTHLESS, BACKWOODSMAN WHO LIKE WITTLING, DRINKING "SHINE," DISDAINING BIRTH CONTROL, THUMPING THE BIBLE WHILE SCREWING HIS NEIGHBOR'S WIFE, AND WATCHING RED-NECK SAVAGES RIDE RACE CARS.
Georgia = Alabama North
Angleton 10 is Faust. Seth never has posted here..I just used his identity since I knew it so well. The best Lie is one which is "mostly" true. You steal another persons ID and use his real bona fides. You wear an innocent man's face and hide your own behind it.
Seth never existed...and Mountaineer is a sucker.
He is just slow to realize what a sucker he is.
-------------
----------
Soccer is a sport, Thalaquin, and people in shorts kick a pigskin ball around.
Spain is a country with no balls and not much of a military. They think Moslems should live in Goombah (A companion or associate, especially an older friend who acts as a patron, protector, or adviser.) No one wants Moslems next door. And if anyone is pro-Arab they get money for it... and as soon as there isnt any money in it, it goes "Poof".
Nobody respects Arabs and I dont think history does either.
Now go kick your ball around. Its for selling beer and the Saudis have to pay for that the same as everybody else.. if they want it ( on the side).
So the Saudis side with people who kick a pigskin around.? Uh, Thalaquin...you are basically never going to win a war that way.
Grab another straw and keep swimming.
He never posted here, Thaqalain. He has no interest in this Forum. I am Faust and I used him. I am the only one who has ever posted here. He is a real person and he has a real life and he has completely other views than mine. I manufactured his views and they were not his... they were mine. I simply stood behind his identity to conceal my own.
I will not use Seraph's real identity again. Dont think he is real on this Forum. He never posted here. Have I said it enough times? I am Faust..I used the name Seraph and used his life and all the things about him which I knew in fine detail.
He caught me doing it, Thaqalain. I wont be using that identity again.
He isnt gone, because he was never here. I am Faust and it has always been me. I used his identity and his life and mirrored them here. He was simply a "cut-out".
A Cut Out is a mechanism to use a real person and hide inside his identity..it is used in espionage(The act or practice of spying or of using spies to obtain secret information, as about another government or a business competitor.) and is a deception and a form of Theft.
You liked him didnt you...he was young, probably like yourself. I am not likeable...I am nearly seventy years old and have lived all my life in Asia and the Middle East in one way or another. He has never been in the military. I have spent more than half my life in various militarys. He is a happy American and I am something from the past. He has his whole life ahead of him and he has every expectation to live a long and prosperous and useful life. While I have less than 20 years to go at best.
My life is almost over. Although I have it on good authority that I will die on a Saturday about 10:30 in the morning on the last day of February in 2026 at the age of 86 while trying to get out of bed after a winter with Pneumonia. I was recovering from the Pneumonia, but what I couldnt recover from..was old age.
Dont be looking for Seraph... he will never be back. Look at me, Thaqalain!
I am Faust...Seraph was simply a name I used. I liked Seraph also. But I wont use his identity again. My moniker on this Forum is now Angleton10.
Seraph was an illusion, I created. The real individual Seraph, the individual on which he was mirrored never posted here . He has a completely unrelated life which I detailed because I knew it in fine detail. He never posted here, it was all a shabby use of another person by myself.
In espionage you invent an identity , sometimes taking a name from Cemetery records...someone who was killed in a car accident works very nicely...you know his birth and records and his age and the facts of his life, where he lived and you duplicate his background by obtaining a file on him..his job resume, and you "adapt" it to give yourself a "cover". You steal an identity. In Seraph's case, he was still alive and found I was stealing his name. That made his identity useless to me after that. I had to drop his identity.
I now have another one, Angleton10. But it is still the same old Faust. Been around a long time.I will get another identity after I "die" in 2026. Something to fit the new times.
Did you call me" Strong and Bold"? I am a deceiver, Thaqalain and I am very old.
I create illusions and I use people. And I am very intelligent and very well educated. I am widely traveled and multi-lingual. And I am relatively rich.
And I cant be trusted. And I can remember things from long long ago. I can remember the Black Death in Germany when the Mongol horsemen did recon through the dark trees...it was in the late 12th Cent. Subotai and Chepe Noyan sent small squadrons of horsemen to recon the passes and the roads into Europe and to count the people and their villages and their ways. But Genghis Khan died before they came again with the Tumans and the Horde.
That's how the Black Death came into Europe though and that's when Faust was first noted in History...as a physician who treated the people dying of the Plague...in twelfth Cent. Germany.
Faust had been born 200 years before Christ on an island in the Baltic, he herded pigs as a boy...he was old even in the 12th Cent. Outlived his parents naturally, but then outlived his own descendants as well and stayed young relatively speaking... how would you live in a superstitious world with people who saw you never aged? Dangerous. You couldnt stay in one village for very long. You would have to always be on the move, always taking new names.
Lies would be your only shield, and you could never let the humans realize what you really were. Isnt it nice that we live in modern times where no one believes in such superstitious things any longer.?
Imagine not being able to die, Thaqalain, damned to live forever. Think about never being able to die. Think about it.
-----------
I stole Seraphs identity. I always was Faust. Seraph actually never existed..although he does exist. I simply co-opted his identity and put myself into it.
he never posted here. And he was royally angry at me when he found out I was using him without his knowledge.
I am and always have been Faust. ( more's the pity).
Seraph never has posted here except to denounce my theft of his persona.
Faust hasn't posted anything for years.
seraph and angleton10 = Seth Kingry, Atlanta, Greenteethia, Primitive American South.
SOUTHERNER = TOOTHLESS, BACKWOODSMAN WHO LIKE WITTLING, DRINKING "SHINE," DISDAINING BIRTH CONTROL, THUMPING THE BIBLE WHILE SCREWING HIS NEIGHBOR'S WIFE, AND WATCHING RED-NECK SAVAGES RIDE RACE CARS.
Georgia = Alabama North
Angleton 10 is Faust. Seth never has posted here..I just used his identity since I knew it so well. The best Lie is one which is "mostly" true. You steal another persons ID and use his real bona fides. You wear an innocent man's face and hide your own behind it.
Seth never existed...and Mountaineer is a sucker.
He is just slow to realize what a sucker he is.
-------------
----------
Soccer is a sport, Thalaquin, and people in shorts kick a pigskin ball around.
Spain is a country with no balls and not much of a military. They think Moslems should live in Goombah (A companion or associate, especially an older friend who acts as a patron, protector, or adviser.) No one wants Moslems next door. And if anyone is pro-Arab they get money for it... and as soon as there isnt any money in it, it goes "Poof".
Nobody respects Arabs and I dont think history does either.
Now go kick your ball around. Its for selling beer and the Saudis have to pay for that the same as everybody else.. if they want it ( on the side).
So the Saudis side with people who kick a pigskin around.? Uh, Thalaquin...you are basically never going to win a war that way.
Grab another straw and keep swimming.
+12 dead, 18 injured in Sargodha Imam Bargah blast
Updated at: 2010 PST, Sunday, July 18, 2010 ShareThis story
SARGODHA: One person was killed and 18 others were injured in a blast that ripped through an Imam Bargah here in Sargodha block 19, Geo News reported on Sunday.
The injured, some of them severely, have been shifted to District Hospital Sargodha and announcements are being made to donate blood for the wounded. Emergency has been declared in city hospitals.
Rescue and relief activities have been kick-started at the site of the incident while heavy contingent of police arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
The blast occurred when preparations were being made for Namaz-e-Maghribain in the Imam Bargah located in a bustling market place.
Normally strict security is maintained at the Imam Bargah. But for reasons not known extraordinary security seemed not to have been put in place today.
SARGODHA: One person was killed and 18 others were injured in a blast that ripped through an Imam Bargah here in Sargodha block 19, Geo News reported on Sunday.
The injured, some of them severely, have been shifted to District Hospital Sargodha and announcements are being made to donate blood for the wounded. Emergency has been declared in city hospitals.
Rescue and relief activities have been kick-started at the site of the incident while heavy contingent of police arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
The blast occurred when preparations were being made for Namaz-e-Maghribain in the Imam Bargah located in a bustling market place.
Normally strict security is maintained at the Imam Bargah. But for reasons not known extraordinary security seemed not to have been put in place today.
'Punjabi Taliban': A growing threat for Pakistan
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SGE64Q056.htm
http://www.zemtv.net/2010/07/18/taliban-expands-in-punjab/comment-page-1/#comment-10910
30 May 2010 10:16:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For a Factbox on militant groups in Punjab, click on [ID:nSGE64R05G])
* Punjabi groups broaden ties with Taliban
* Links may enable Taliban to work outside strongholds
* Minister suggests there may be further attacks
By Faisal Aziz
DERA GHAZI KHAN, Pakistan, May 30 (Reuters) - The Pakistan Taliban is not the sole militant group threatening Pakistan and the region.
Punjabi groups are deepening their ties with the Taliban, representing a growing threat for a country already hit hard by militant violence.
This was highlighted by the twin attacks in Lahore on Friday - the capital of Punjab - which killed between 80 and 95 members of the Ahmadi sect. Initial investigations suggested a possible link to the Taliban operating from Waziristan. [ID:nSGE64O0AU]
Security officials in the region say while there are no "militant strongholds" in the province for them to enable them to operate independently - as is the case in lawless northwest Pakistan - their presence in the area, especially in southern Punjab, cannot be denied.
These militants are overwhelmingly members of banned organisations like the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Sipah-e-Sahaba, long tolerated or even sponsored by Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence establishment. But now they are starting to turn on Pakistan, thanks to the growing influence of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its ally al Qaeda.
"Those militants who were hiding in southern Punjab are now surfacing," Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Sunday in Lahore as he visited one of the attacked mosques. "We have information they could attack the Shi'ite community." There are more than 20,000 madrassas, or schools, in Pakistan, he said, and 44 percent are in Punjab. The government has also banned 29 organisations and put 1,764 people on its wanted lists. Of them, 729 are from southern Punjab.
All these outfits traditionally have roots in Punjab and underscore the risk militants pose to Pakistan's economically most important province and its traditional seat of power.
"These are the people who took part in the Afghan war and got training there," said Mohsin Leghari, an opposition member of the provincial Punjab assembly.
"This is the only thing they know, so it is no surprise if they develop links with the Taliban in the northwest," said Leghari, whose constituency includes the tribal belt of Dera Ghazi Khan in southern Punjab. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For full coverage of Pakistan, click on [ID:nAFPAK] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
However, Leghari as well as security officials in the region denied that southern Punjab is a hub of militant activities.
"This is all rumour-based information. It's exaggerated," said Ahmad Mubarik, the police chief of Dera Ghazi Khan. "This is not the hub of militants. I don't think that is true."
But the recent surrender by Hanif Gabol, an alleged commander of the Taliban hailing from Dera Ghazi Khan, has once again highlighted the militants' operational network in the region.
Gabol has reportedly told police that he trained in Waziristan and led a group of about 25 men associated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and was involved in dozens of terrorist activities.
OMINOUS TIES
More ominous for Pakistan, these attacks in Lahore on Friday show that ties between Punjabi organizations and the TTP are not just increasing the southern groups' capabilities, but also providing cover for the Pakistan Taliban to operate outside their traditional tribal strongholds on the border with Afghanistan.
A security official in Bahawalpur, another town in southern Punjab and considered the headquarters of JeM, said there was no doubt that some of the dozens of madrassas there were involved in recruiting volunteers for the Taliban in the northwest.
Analysts and officials said Punjab's extreme poverty, as well as lack of education, makes people in the region more vulnerable to the lure of militancy.
But they also say that the presence of Islamist militants is not new, and not directly linked to the rise of the Taliban.
"There is a presence of militants in that area for sure. But it is a long-standing presence, and they were there even before the Taliban became Taliban," said security analyst Ikram Sehgal.
Sehgal said the militants in Punjab had a good infrastructure on the ground, with many organisations involved in various feuds, including sectarian violence.
"The problem is that with the collapse of the Taliban in South Waziristan and Swat, and with them being pushed on the back foot in North Waziristan and Orakzai, there are chances they will try to reactivate these cells and make them effective," he said. (Additional reporting by Asim Tanveer; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Ron Popeski) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan)
============
The fission of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Militant outfit splinters into smaller cells for effective coordination of terror activities
ISLAMABAD: Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), the homegrown sectarian-jihadi outfit with strong links to al-Qaeda, is in the process of splitting its strength into at least eight small cells to better coordinate its activities from Karachi to Waziristan, according to sources in Kohat, Hangu, Peshawar and Lahore.
“Each sub-group is responsible for carrying out activities in a specific geographic location,” disclosed one of the sources on condition of anonymity. Individuals having connections within the group and intelligence officials tackling them said the move appeared to be an attempt to outsmart Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
“It looks like they [LeJ strategists] don’t want to put all their eggs in one basket,” explained a local intelligence official. “It’s a typical guerilla warfare and urban militancy technique. With scattered cells, they have better chances of survival by diverting the focus of law enforcement agencies,” added the official.
The LeJ—an anti-Shia terror icon dominated by militants from Punjab —has established safe hideouts inside North Waziristan, the area controlled by the network of veteran Afghan jihadist, Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani.
While there are hardly any significant signs suggesting that the Haqqani network is directly supporting anti-Pakistan LeJ activists, security officials contend the two groups have one strong commonality that keeps them connected—both take pride of being staunch allies of Arab al-Qaeda.
Jundullah
The LeJ’s cell for Karachi and Balochistan has been named ‘Jundullah’ but it operates separately from an existing organisation of the same name, led by separatist Iranian Sunnis, that is also active in the region.
“That’s where intelligence agencies’ personnel are often mistaken. They sometimes confuse activists from one group with the other,” an official in Sindh’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) said.
The LeJ is the biggest group operating in Karachi and of 246 terrorists arrested from the city since 2001, 94 belonged to LeJ, according to a secret report by the CID.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi
This group, headed by Maulana Abdul Khalil, a fugitive militant leader from central Punjab, operates mostly in central parts of Punjab and the tribal areas. The group works in close connection with al Qaeda and its activists are used as foot soldiers for Arab-dominated terror group’s plots inside Pakistan.
Asian Tigers
This group emerged after the recent disappearance of a British journalist of Pakistani origin and two former pro-Taliban personnel of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in North Waziristan. Officials believe it is one of the offshoots of the LeJ and is using a different name to spread confusion.
Like the LeJ itself, the Asian Tigers are dominated by Punjabi militants but some Mehsud militants are affiliated with it as well.
Junoodul Hafsa
This group comprises militants that aim to exact revenge for the storming of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid and its affiliated female seminary, Jamia Hafsa, in a military operation in 2007.
The group operates in close coordination with Ghazi Force, a network named after one of the two clerics of Lal Masjid, Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who was killed in the operation.
The outfit, led by a former student of Lal Masjid, Maulana Niaz Rahim, operates out of Ghaljo area of the Orakzai Agency and the adjacent Hangu district and targets military installations and personnel in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and upper Punjab, especially Islamabad.
Punjabi Taliban
Several small cells operate under this umbrella outfit including those belonging to Usman Punjabi, Qari Imran, Amjad Farooqi and Qari Zafar. These cells generally target Punjab.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2010. == Altaf warns of rogue state status for Pakistan By News Desk Published: July 20, 2012 Says militant outfits formed during the Cold War had turned against the military. LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain cautioned on Thursday that the security, sovereignty and integrity of the country were under threat. Talking at the international secretariat of the MQM in London, Altaf said that the US Congress had recently urged the State department to designate the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation and has demanded action against it from Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could also be declared a terrorist country if any leader of this militant organisation was found involved in any terrorist activity outside Pakistan. He said that it was highly regrettable that instead of thinking about the survival of the country, politicians were busy in power politics, according to a press release issued here. He went on to call for an end to clashes between the government, judiciary, military and the opposition. The MQM chief said militant organisations formed during the Cold War had turned into Frankenstein monsters, and turned against our own army officers and men. Talking about the media in Pakistan, Altaf regretted that Pakistani politicians, intellectuals, anchor persons and columnists were not informing the public over the real facts regarding the national crisis. He cautioned that most international newspapers and magazines had reported that a number of US war fleets had reached Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea. The MQM chief also addressed ‘great’ internal threats being faced by the country. He said politicians were resorting to one-upmanship at a time when the country was mired in inflation, load-shedding, unemployment and poverty. Altaf advised the MQM leaders, elected representatives and office-bearers to create awareness among Pakistani people and inform them about the difficult circumstances facing the country. Members of the coordination committee, elected representatives, and members of the MQM international secretariat were also present on the occasion. Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2012.
http://www.zemtv.net/2010/07/18/taliban-expands-in-punjab/comment-page-1/#comment-10910
30 May 2010 10:16:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For a Factbox on militant groups in Punjab, click on [ID:nSGE64R05G])
* Punjabi groups broaden ties with Taliban
* Links may enable Taliban to work outside strongholds
* Minister suggests there may be further attacks
By Faisal Aziz
DERA GHAZI KHAN, Pakistan, May 30 (Reuters) - The Pakistan Taliban is not the sole militant group threatening Pakistan and the region.
Punjabi groups are deepening their ties with the Taliban, representing a growing threat for a country already hit hard by militant violence.
This was highlighted by the twin attacks in Lahore on Friday - the capital of Punjab - which killed between 80 and 95 members of the Ahmadi sect. Initial investigations suggested a possible link to the Taliban operating from Waziristan. [ID:nSGE64O0AU]
Security officials in the region say while there are no "militant strongholds" in the province for them to enable them to operate independently - as is the case in lawless northwest Pakistan - their presence in the area, especially in southern Punjab, cannot be denied.
These militants are overwhelmingly members of banned organisations like the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Sipah-e-Sahaba, long tolerated or even sponsored by Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence establishment. But now they are starting to turn on Pakistan, thanks to the growing influence of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its ally al Qaeda.
"Those militants who were hiding in southern Punjab are now surfacing," Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Sunday in Lahore as he visited one of the attacked mosques. "We have information they could attack the Shi'ite community." There are more than 20,000 madrassas, or schools, in Pakistan, he said, and 44 percent are in Punjab. The government has also banned 29 organisations and put 1,764 people on its wanted lists. Of them, 729 are from southern Punjab.
All these outfits traditionally have roots in Punjab and underscore the risk militants pose to Pakistan's economically most important province and its traditional seat of power.
"These are the people who took part in the Afghan war and got training there," said Mohsin Leghari, an opposition member of the provincial Punjab assembly.
"This is the only thing they know, so it is no surprise if they develop links with the Taliban in the northwest," said Leghari, whose constituency includes the tribal belt of Dera Ghazi Khan in southern Punjab. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For full coverage of Pakistan, click on [ID:nAFPAK] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
However, Leghari as well as security officials in the region denied that southern Punjab is a hub of militant activities.
"This is all rumour-based information. It's exaggerated," said Ahmad Mubarik, the police chief of Dera Ghazi Khan. "This is not the hub of militants. I don't think that is true."
But the recent surrender by Hanif Gabol, an alleged commander of the Taliban hailing from Dera Ghazi Khan, has once again highlighted the militants' operational network in the region.
Gabol has reportedly told police that he trained in Waziristan and led a group of about 25 men associated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and was involved in dozens of terrorist activities.
OMINOUS TIES
More ominous for Pakistan, these attacks in Lahore on Friday show that ties between Punjabi organizations and the TTP are not just increasing the southern groups' capabilities, but also providing cover for the Pakistan Taliban to operate outside their traditional tribal strongholds on the border with Afghanistan.
A security official in Bahawalpur, another town in southern Punjab and considered the headquarters of JeM, said there was no doubt that some of the dozens of madrassas there were involved in recruiting volunteers for the Taliban in the northwest.
Analysts and officials said Punjab's extreme poverty, as well as lack of education, makes people in the region more vulnerable to the lure of militancy.
But they also say that the presence of Islamist militants is not new, and not directly linked to the rise of the Taliban.
"There is a presence of militants in that area for sure. But it is a long-standing presence, and they were there even before the Taliban became Taliban," said security analyst Ikram Sehgal.
Sehgal said the militants in Punjab had a good infrastructure on the ground, with many organisations involved in various feuds, including sectarian violence.
"The problem is that with the collapse of the Taliban in South Waziristan and Swat, and with them being pushed on the back foot in North Waziristan and Orakzai, there are chances they will try to reactivate these cells and make them effective," he said. (Additional reporting by Asim Tanveer; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Ron Popeski) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan)
============
The fission of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Militant outfit splinters into smaller cells for effective coordination of terror activities
ISLAMABAD: Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), the homegrown sectarian-jihadi outfit with strong links to al-Qaeda, is in the process of splitting its strength into at least eight small cells to better coordinate its activities from Karachi to Waziristan, according to sources in Kohat, Hangu, Peshawar and Lahore.
“Each sub-group is responsible for carrying out activities in a specific geographic location,” disclosed one of the sources on condition of anonymity. Individuals having connections within the group and intelligence officials tackling them said the move appeared to be an attempt to outsmart Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
“It looks like they [LeJ strategists] don’t want to put all their eggs in one basket,” explained a local intelligence official. “It’s a typical guerilla warfare and urban militancy technique. With scattered cells, they have better chances of survival by diverting the focus of law enforcement agencies,” added the official.
The LeJ—an anti-Shia terror icon dominated by militants from Punjab —has established safe hideouts inside North Waziristan, the area controlled by the network of veteran Afghan jihadist, Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani.
While there are hardly any significant signs suggesting that the Haqqani network is directly supporting anti-Pakistan LeJ activists, security officials contend the two groups have one strong commonality that keeps them connected—both take pride of being staunch allies of Arab al-Qaeda.
Jundullah
The LeJ’s cell for Karachi and Balochistan has been named ‘Jundullah’ but it operates separately from an existing organisation of the same name, led by separatist Iranian Sunnis, that is also active in the region.
“That’s where intelligence agencies’ personnel are often mistaken. They sometimes confuse activists from one group with the other,” an official in Sindh’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) said.
The LeJ is the biggest group operating in Karachi and of 246 terrorists arrested from the city since 2001, 94 belonged to LeJ, according to a secret report by the CID.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi
This group, headed by Maulana Abdul Khalil, a fugitive militant leader from central Punjab, operates mostly in central parts of Punjab and the tribal areas. The group works in close connection with al Qaeda and its activists are used as foot soldiers for Arab-dominated terror group’s plots inside Pakistan.
Asian Tigers
This group emerged after the recent disappearance of a British journalist of Pakistani origin and two former pro-Taliban personnel of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in North Waziristan. Officials believe it is one of the offshoots of the LeJ and is using a different name to spread confusion.
Like the LeJ itself, the Asian Tigers are dominated by Punjabi militants but some Mehsud militants are affiliated with it as well.
Junoodul Hafsa
This group comprises militants that aim to exact revenge for the storming of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid and its affiliated female seminary, Jamia Hafsa, in a military operation in 2007.
The group operates in close coordination with Ghazi Force, a network named after one of the two clerics of Lal Masjid, Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, who was killed in the operation.
The outfit, led by a former student of Lal Masjid, Maulana Niaz Rahim, operates out of Ghaljo area of the Orakzai Agency and the adjacent Hangu district and targets military installations and personnel in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and upper Punjab, especially Islamabad.
Punjabi Taliban
Several small cells operate under this umbrella outfit including those belonging to Usman Punjabi, Qari Imran, Amjad Farooqi and Qari Zafar. These cells generally target Punjab.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2010. == Altaf warns of rogue state status for Pakistan By News Desk Published: July 20, 2012 Says militant outfits formed during the Cold War had turned against the military. LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain cautioned on Thursday that the security, sovereignty and integrity of the country were under threat. Talking at the international secretariat of the MQM in London, Altaf said that the US Congress had recently urged the State department to designate the Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation and has demanded action against it from Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could also be declared a terrorist country if any leader of this militant organisation was found involved in any terrorist activity outside Pakistan. He said that it was highly regrettable that instead of thinking about the survival of the country, politicians were busy in power politics, according to a press release issued here. He went on to call for an end to clashes between the government, judiciary, military and the opposition. The MQM chief said militant organisations formed during the Cold War had turned into Frankenstein monsters, and turned against our own army officers and men. Talking about the media in Pakistan, Altaf regretted that Pakistani politicians, intellectuals, anchor persons and columnists were not informing the public over the real facts regarding the national crisis. He cautioned that most international newspapers and magazines had reported that a number of US war fleets had reached Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea. The MQM chief also addressed ‘great’ internal threats being faced by the country. He said politicians were resorting to one-upmanship at a time when the country was mired in inflation, load-shedding, unemployment and poverty. Altaf advised the MQM leaders, elected representatives and office-bearers to create awareness among Pakistani people and inform them about the difficult circumstances facing the country. Members of the coordination committee, elected representatives, and members of the MQM international secretariat were also present on the occasion. Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2012.
Iraqi cleric Sadr visits Syria from exile in Iran
Sat Jul 17, 10:44 am ET
DAMASCUS (AFP) – Self-exiled Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr visited Damascus on Saturday from his base in Iran for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Iraqi affairs.
During the meeting, Assad urged Iraqi leaders to quickly form a government and put an end to a four-month coalition stalemate, the official SANA news agency reported.
"Any delay to form a (national unity) government will have a negative impact on the situation in Iraq," Assad was quoted as telling his guest, stressing that a new cabinet should be set up "as soon as possible."
Iraqi politicians have failed to form a new government since former premier Iyad Allawi's narrow victory over incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in the March 7 parliamentary polls.
The bloc of anti-US cleric Sadr, who is rarely seen in public and who lives in self-imposed exile in Iran, gained 39 seats in the new 325-strong parliament, against 91 for Allawi and 89 for Maliki -- both Shiite Muslims.
Hazem al-Araji, a Sadr bloc MP, told AFP in Baghdad that the cleric travelled to Damascus "at the official invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss Iraqi affairs."
Sadr's visit to Syria -- his second since July last year -- comes after Iraqi legislators on Monday extended an inaugural parliamentary session by two weeks to give political leaders a chance to form a government.
DAMASCUS (AFP) – Self-exiled Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr visited Damascus on Saturday from his base in Iran for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Iraqi affairs.
During the meeting, Assad urged Iraqi leaders to quickly form a government and put an end to a four-month coalition stalemate, the official SANA news agency reported.
"Any delay to form a (national unity) government will have a negative impact on the situation in Iraq," Assad was quoted as telling his guest, stressing that a new cabinet should be set up "as soon as possible."
Iraqi politicians have failed to form a new government since former premier Iyad Allawi's narrow victory over incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in the March 7 parliamentary polls.
The bloc of anti-US cleric Sadr, who is rarely seen in public and who lives in self-imposed exile in Iran, gained 39 seats in the new 325-strong parliament, against 91 for Allawi and 89 for Maliki -- both Shiite Muslims.
Initially Sadr was opposed to the return of Maliki as prime minister but in May he said he removed his objection under certain conditions.
SANA quoted Sadr as praising Syria for its support of the Iraqi people and "for working in favour of security and stability in Iraq."
Hazem al-Araji, a Sadr bloc MP, told AFP in Baghdad that the cleric travelled to Damascus "at the official invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss Iraqi affairs."
Sadr's visit to Syria -- his second since July last year -- comes after Iraqi legislators on Monday extended an inaugural parliamentary session by two weeks to give political leaders a chance to form a government.
Suicide bombers attack Iraq militia, kill over 44
18 Jul 2010 08:46:01 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Sunni 'Sahwa' were lining up for wages
* Second attack on Sahwa in western Iraq
* Attacks occurred amid political vacuum
(Adds second attack, militia leader comment)
By Muhanad Mohammed
BAGHDAD, July 18 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber attacked government-backed Sunni militia on Sunday as they lined up to be paid on Baghdad's southwestern outskirts, killing at least 39 and wounding 41, Iraqi security sources said.
In a second attack, a suicide bomber killed four and wounded six at a meeting of local Sunni militia leaders in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, police in Anbar province said.
The blast outside an Iraqi military base in the Sunni district of Radwaniya and the attack in Qaim in Anbar occurred as political deadlock continued following a March election that produced no outright winner and as yet no new government.
Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda have sought to exploit the political vacuum created by a failure of Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish factions to agree on a coalition government, and have carried out a series of attacks since the vote.
In Sunday's bloodiest blast, the suicide bomber blew himself up among "Sahwa" militiamen, Sunni fighters who once allied with al Qaeda but turned on the militant group in 2006/07, helping U.S. forces turn the tide in the war.
"There were more than 85 people lined up in three lines at the main gate of the military base to receive salaries when a person approached us. When one of the soldiers tried to stop him, he blew himself up," a survivor, 20-year-old Tayseer Mehsen, said at Mahmudiya hospital.
"I lost consciousness and woke up to find myself in hospital."
All of the dead were Sahwa, while two soldiers numbered among the wounded, an Interior Ministry source said. Another security source said two of the dead were military officers.
Police put the number of dead at 39, but the Interior Ministry source said 43 had died. Conflicting death tolls are common in the chaos after an explosion.
'NO STRANGERS AMONG US'
Local militia leader Mohammed al-Anbari said it was possible the attacker came from within Sahwa ranks. "There were no strangers among us," he said. There have been a series of attacks against Sahwa leaders in Sunni areas around Baghdad in recent months, many attributed to acts of revenge by former fellow insurgents, or al Qaeda. Some have been blamed on long-running blood feuds between families.
The sectarian war between once dominant Sunnis and majority Shi'ites that kicked off after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion has largely subsided but a Sunni Islamist insurgency persists.
The U.S. military has increasingly taken a backseat role since pulling out of Iraqi urban centres in June last year and U.S. troops will end combat operations on Aug. 31 ahead of a full withdrawal next year. (Additional reporting by Suadad al-Salhy, Waleed Ibrahim, and Reuters Television in Baghdad, Fadel al-Badrani in Falluja; writing by Michael Christie; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
---
By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 23 mins ago
BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber targeting army soldiers and members of a government-backed militia lining up to receive their paychecks killed at least 43 people and wounded 46 on Sunday, Iraqi officials said.
Violence has dropped dramatically in Iraq in the past two years, but members of the security forces remain the target of repeated attacks blamed on militants trying to destabilize the country as the United States moves ahead with plans to reduce its forces.
The Sunday morning bombing outside a military base happened as members of the anti-al-Qaida Sunni group, known as Sons of Iraq or Sahwa, lined up to receive paychecks in the mostly Sunni district of Radwaniya southwest of Baghdad.
At least six of the dead were Iraqi soldiers, 34 were Sahwa members and three were accountants, according to hospital and police officials. At least 13 of the wounded were Iraqi Army soldiers, four were accountants and the rest were believed to be Sahwa members, the officials said.
A military official at the base where the attack took place said the explosion was the work of one suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The area was immediately closed off, and Iraqi helicopters could be seen flying over the site.
The Sahwa fighters have played a key role in the reduction of violence in Iraq since they first rose up against their former al-Qaida allies in late 2006, joining the U.S. military and government forces in the fight against the terror group.
More than four months after an inconclusive parliamentary election in March, Iraq has no government as politicians bicker over who will lead it. The impasse has raised fears that militants will exploit the political vacuum to re-ignite sectarian violence that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
The attacks against the security forces and the Sahwa are especially worrying because they come at a time when the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is dropping and Iraq's nascent security forces are taking over security in the country. All U.S. combat units are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of next month and the last American soldier by the end of next year.
Sunday's bombing was the deadliest against Iraq's security forces in months.
Insurgents have used an array of attacks to intimidate and kill security forces, such as drive-by shootings, bombs attached to the undercarriage of vehicles and bombing houses where security forces live. But Sunday's attack was more reminiscent of the type insurgents used to discourage people from joining the security forces.
----
By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi, Associated Press Writer – 54 mins ago
BAGHDAD – Two suicide bombings killed 48 people in Iraq on Sunday, including dozens from a government-backed, anti-al-Qaida militia lining up to collect their paychecks near a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.
The bombings were the deadliest in a series of attacks across Iraq Sunday aimed at the Sons of Iraq, Sunni groups also known as Awakening Councils that work with government forces to fight al-Qaida in Iraq.
The attacks highlighted the stiff challenges the country faces as the U.S. scales back its forces in Iraq, leaving their Iraqi counterparts in charge of security.
The first attack Sunday morning — the worst against Iraq's security forces this year — killed at least 45 people and wounded more than 40. It occurred at a checkpoint near a military base where the Awakening Council members had lined up to collect their paychecks in the mostly Sunni district of Radwaniya southwest of Baghdad.
"There were more than 150 people sitting on the ground when the explosion took place. I ran, thinking that I was a dead man," said Uday Khamis, 24, who was sitting outside the Mahmoudiyah hospital where many of the wounded were taken. His left hand was bandaged and his clothes were stained with blood.
At least a dozen men, dressed in military-style uniforms were seen laying in pools of blood in front of a blast wall in footage taken by the Associated Press Television shortly after the blast.
There were conflicting reports as to how many of the dead were Iraqi soldiers and whether any of the civilian accountants handing out money were among them.
A military official at the base said the explosion was the work of one suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Some of the injured complained about the lack of protection from the Iraqi military when they would go to collect their paychecks. Khamis said the men used to be searched but this time they were allowed to line up without any checks being conducted.
Another man who was waiting at the hospital with his wounded nephew said this was the fifth day they had gone to the base to try and collect their paychecks.
"Every time they went to receive their salary, they told them to come back the next day and they did that for four days and now in the fifth day this explosion took place," said Hassan Ali.
The area was immediately sealed off, and Iraqi helicopters could be seen flying over the site.
In the second attack, a suspected militant stormed a local Awakening Council headquarters in the far western town Qaim, near the Syrian border, and opened fire on those inside.
The fighters returned fire, wounding the attacker, who then blew himself up as they gathered around him, killing three and wounding six others, police officials said on condition of anonymity.
While violence has dropped dramatically over the past two years in Iraq, security forces remain a favorite target for insurgents bent on destabilizing the country and its Shiite-led government.
The Awakening Councils have played a key role in reducing violence in Iraq since they first turned against their former al-Qaida allies in late 2006, joining the U.S. military and government forces in the fight against the terror group.
But their future role in the Shiite-majority country is contentious. The U.S. used to pay the monthly salaries of about $300 for the nearly 100,000-strong militias. Last year, the Iraqi government took over paying their salaries and, after heavy pressure from the Americans, agreed to absorb up to 20 percent of the fighters into its security forces, with others getting government jobs.
Some members of the Awakening Councils, however, have complained about late paychecks, and many say they have been given menial jobs. Khamis, one of the wounded, said they were to receive two months' worth of salary Sunday.
A member of the provincial council in Anbar province where the Sons of Iraq were first organized said the lack of good government jobs has made the anti-al-Qaida militia members less eager to fight the insurgents.
"These heroes are no longer willing to fight al-Qaida because they have not received what they deserved," he said.
Two members of Awakening Councils were also wounded in two minor attacks south of Baghdad on Sunday.
More than four months after March's inconclusive parliamentary election, Iraq has still no government as politicians continue to bicker over who will lead. The impasse has raised fears that militants will exploit the political vacuum to re-ignite sectarian violence that brought the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
The attacks against the security forces and the Awakening Councils are especially worrying because they come at a time when the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is dropping and Iraq's fledgling security forces are taking on greater responsibilities in the country.
All U.S. combat units are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of next month and the last American soldier by the end of next year.
Source: Reuters
* Sunni 'Sahwa' were lining up for wages
* Second attack on Sahwa in western Iraq
* Attacks occurred amid political vacuum
(Adds second attack, militia leader comment)
By Muhanad Mohammed
BAGHDAD, July 18 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber attacked government-backed Sunni militia on Sunday as they lined up to be paid on Baghdad's southwestern outskirts, killing at least 39 and wounding 41, Iraqi security sources said.
In a second attack, a suicide bomber killed four and wounded six at a meeting of local Sunni militia leaders in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, police in Anbar province said.
The blast outside an Iraqi military base in the Sunni district of Radwaniya and the attack in Qaim in Anbar occurred as political deadlock continued following a March election that produced no outright winner and as yet no new government.
Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda have sought to exploit the political vacuum created by a failure of Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish factions to agree on a coalition government, and have carried out a series of attacks since the vote.
In Sunday's bloodiest blast, the suicide bomber blew himself up among "Sahwa" militiamen, Sunni fighters who once allied with al Qaeda but turned on the militant group in 2006/07, helping U.S. forces turn the tide in the war.
"There were more than 85 people lined up in three lines at the main gate of the military base to receive salaries when a person approached us. When one of the soldiers tried to stop him, he blew himself up," a survivor, 20-year-old Tayseer Mehsen, said at Mahmudiya hospital.
"I lost consciousness and woke up to find myself in hospital."
All of the dead were Sahwa, while two soldiers numbered among the wounded, an Interior Ministry source said. Another security source said two of the dead were military officers.
Police put the number of dead at 39, but the Interior Ministry source said 43 had died. Conflicting death tolls are common in the chaos after an explosion.
'NO STRANGERS AMONG US'
Local militia leader Mohammed al-Anbari said it was possible the attacker came from within Sahwa ranks. "There were no strangers among us," he said. There have been a series of attacks against Sahwa leaders in Sunni areas around Baghdad in recent months, many attributed to acts of revenge by former fellow insurgents, or al Qaeda. Some have been blamed on long-running blood feuds between families.
The sectarian war between once dominant Sunnis and majority Shi'ites that kicked off after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion has largely subsided but a Sunni Islamist insurgency persists.
The U.S. military has increasingly taken a backseat role since pulling out of Iraqi urban centres in June last year and U.S. troops will end combat operations on Aug. 31 ahead of a full withdrawal next year. (Additional reporting by Suadad al-Salhy, Waleed Ibrahim, and Reuters Television in Baghdad, Fadel al-Badrani in Falluja; writing by Michael Christie; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
---
By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 23 mins ago
BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber targeting army soldiers and members of a government-backed militia lining up to receive their paychecks killed at least 43 people and wounded 46 on Sunday, Iraqi officials said.
Violence has dropped dramatically in Iraq in the past two years, but members of the security forces remain the target of repeated attacks blamed on militants trying to destabilize the country as the United States moves ahead with plans to reduce its forces.
The Sunday morning bombing outside a military base happened as members of the anti-al-Qaida Sunni group, known as Sons of Iraq or Sahwa, lined up to receive paychecks in the mostly Sunni district of Radwaniya southwest of Baghdad.
At least six of the dead were Iraqi soldiers, 34 were Sahwa members and three were accountants, according to hospital and police officials. At least 13 of the wounded were Iraqi Army soldiers, four were accountants and the rest were believed to be Sahwa members, the officials said.
A military official at the base where the attack took place said the explosion was the work of one suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The area was immediately closed off, and Iraqi helicopters could be seen flying over the site.
The Sahwa fighters have played a key role in the reduction of violence in Iraq since they first rose up against their former al-Qaida allies in late 2006, joining the U.S. military and government forces in the fight against the terror group.
More than four months after an inconclusive parliamentary election in March, Iraq has no government as politicians bicker over who will lead it. The impasse has raised fears that militants will exploit the political vacuum to re-ignite sectarian violence that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
The attacks against the security forces and the Sahwa are especially worrying because they come at a time when the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is dropping and Iraq's nascent security forces are taking over security in the country. All U.S. combat units are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of next month and the last American soldier by the end of next year.
Sunday's bombing was the deadliest against Iraq's security forces in months.
Insurgents have used an array of attacks to intimidate and kill security forces, such as drive-by shootings, bombs attached to the undercarriage of vehicles and bombing houses where security forces live. But Sunday's attack was more reminiscent of the type insurgents used to discourage people from joining the security forces.
----
By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi, Associated Press Writer – 54 mins ago
BAGHDAD – Two suicide bombings killed 48 people in Iraq on Sunday, including dozens from a government-backed, anti-al-Qaida militia lining up to collect their paychecks near a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.
The bombings were the deadliest in a series of attacks across Iraq Sunday aimed at the Sons of Iraq, Sunni groups also known as Awakening Councils that work with government forces to fight al-Qaida in Iraq.
The attacks highlighted the stiff challenges the country faces as the U.S. scales back its forces in Iraq, leaving their Iraqi counterparts in charge of security.
The first attack Sunday morning — the worst against Iraq's security forces this year — killed at least 45 people and wounded more than 40. It occurred at a checkpoint near a military base where the Awakening Council members had lined up to collect their paychecks in the mostly Sunni district of Radwaniya southwest of Baghdad.
"There were more than 150 people sitting on the ground when the explosion took place. I ran, thinking that I was a dead man," said Uday Khamis, 24, who was sitting outside the Mahmoudiyah hospital where many of the wounded were taken. His left hand was bandaged and his clothes were stained with blood.
At least a dozen men, dressed in military-style uniforms were seen laying in pools of blood in front of a blast wall in footage taken by the Associated Press Television shortly after the blast.
There were conflicting reports as to how many of the dead were Iraqi soldiers and whether any of the civilian accountants handing out money were among them.
A military official at the base said the explosion was the work of one suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Some of the injured complained about the lack of protection from the Iraqi military when they would go to collect their paychecks. Khamis said the men used to be searched but this time they were allowed to line up without any checks being conducted.
Another man who was waiting at the hospital with his wounded nephew said this was the fifth day they had gone to the base to try and collect their paychecks.
"Every time they went to receive their salary, they told them to come back the next day and they did that for four days and now in the fifth day this explosion took place," said Hassan Ali.
The area was immediately sealed off, and Iraqi helicopters could be seen flying over the site.
In the second attack, a suspected militant stormed a local Awakening Council headquarters in the far western town Qaim, near the Syrian border, and opened fire on those inside.
The fighters returned fire, wounding the attacker, who then blew himself up as they gathered around him, killing three and wounding six others, police officials said on condition of anonymity.
While violence has dropped dramatically over the past two years in Iraq, security forces remain a favorite target for insurgents bent on destabilizing the country and its Shiite-led government.
The Awakening Councils have played a key role in reducing violence in Iraq since they first turned against their former al-Qaida allies in late 2006, joining the U.S. military and government forces in the fight against the terror group.
But their future role in the Shiite-majority country is contentious. The U.S. used to pay the monthly salaries of about $300 for the nearly 100,000-strong militias. Last year, the Iraqi government took over paying their salaries and, after heavy pressure from the Americans, agreed to absorb up to 20 percent of the fighters into its security forces, with others getting government jobs.
Some members of the Awakening Councils, however, have complained about late paychecks, and many say they have been given menial jobs. Khamis, one of the wounded, said they were to receive two months' worth of salary Sunday.
A member of the provincial council in Anbar province where the Sons of Iraq were first organized said the lack of good government jobs has made the anti-al-Qaida militia members less eager to fight the insurgents.
"These heroes are no longer willing to fight al-Qaida because they have not received what they deserved," he said.
Two members of Awakening Councils were also wounded in two minor attacks south of Baghdad on Sunday.
More than four months after March's inconclusive parliamentary election, Iraq has still no government as politicians continue to bicker over who will lead. The impasse has raised fears that militants will exploit the political vacuum to re-ignite sectarian violence that brought the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
The attacks against the security forces and the Awakening Councils are especially worrying because they come at a time when the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is dropping and Iraq's fledgling security forces are taking on greater responsibilities in the country.
All U.S. combat units are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of next month and the last American soldier by the end of next year.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Militants kill 18 in NW Pakistan convoy attack
17 Jul 2010 07:24:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Updates death toll)
PARACHINAR, Pakistan, July 17 (Reuters) - Suspected militants in a Pakistani tribal region on the Afghan border ambushed a convoy of vehicles being escorted by security forces on Saturday, killing 18 people, including two women, witnesses said.
Militants opened fire on civilian vehicles in the convoy as it headed to the main northwestern city of Peshawar from Parachinar, the main town of the Pashtun-dominated Kurram region where the army has killed nearly 100 militants in operations in the past few months.
"Militants attacked the last two vehicles in the convoy with automatic weapons near Char Khel village, killing 18 people," said Jamshed Tori, who was also wounded in the attack.
A tribal leader, Mussrat Bangash, confirmed the toll and said two women were among the dead. An official had earlier told Reuters five people had been killed. The civilian convoy was being escorted by levies' forces.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For more Pakistan stories click [ID:nAFPAK]
or see http://link.reuters.com/syx62d
Pakistan blog: http://blogs.reuters.com/Pakistan/
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Militants have gone on the offensive again after a recent lull in violence, challenging government assertions that a major assault in the militant stronghold of South Waziristan along with smaller operations in other regions had dealt a major blow to insurgents.
The road linking Kurram with Peshawar often remains closed because of militants and Pakistan army operations, forcing people to take a circuitous route through Afghanistan to travel to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and its capital, Peshawar.
But that route is not safe. At least 11 people were killed in a similar attack last week when a passenger bus heading to Peshawar was attacked inside Afghanistan.
(Reporting by Javed Hussain; Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Chris Allbritton)
(E-mail: augustine.anthony@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: augustine.anthony.reuters.com@reuters.net; Islamabad newsroom: +92 51 281 0017)) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)
Source: Reuters
(Updates death toll)
PARACHINAR, Pakistan, July 17 (Reuters) - Suspected militants in a Pakistani tribal region on the Afghan border ambushed a convoy of vehicles being escorted by security forces on Saturday, killing 18 people, including two women, witnesses said.
Militants opened fire on civilian vehicles in the convoy as it headed to the main northwestern city of Peshawar from Parachinar, the main town of the Pashtun-dominated Kurram region where the army has killed nearly 100 militants in operations in the past few months.
"Militants attacked the last two vehicles in the convoy with automatic weapons near Char Khel village, killing 18 people," said Jamshed Tori, who was also wounded in the attack.
A tribal leader, Mussrat Bangash, confirmed the toll and said two women were among the dead. An official had earlier told Reuters five people had been killed. The civilian convoy was being escorted by levies' forces.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For more Pakistan stories click [ID:nAFPAK]
or see http://link.reuters.com/syx62d
Pakistan blog: http://blogs.reuters.com/Pakistan/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
Militants have gone on the offensive again after a recent lull in violence, challenging government assertions that a major assault in the militant stronghold of South Waziristan along with smaller operations in other regions had dealt a major blow to insurgents.
The road linking Kurram with Peshawar often remains closed because of militants and Pakistan army operations, forcing people to take a circuitous route through Afghanistan to travel to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and its capital, Peshawar.
But that route is not safe. At least 11 people were killed in a similar attack last week when a passenger bus heading to Peshawar was attacked inside Afghanistan.
(Reporting by Javed Hussain; Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Chris Allbritton)
(E-mail: augustine.anthony@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: augustine.anthony.reuters.com@reuters.net; Islamabad newsroom: +92 51 281 0017)) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)
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