The military said the Taliban has ‘lost’ in Bajaur and Mohmand. Sufi Mohammed has demanded the establishment of sharia courts by mid-March, while the government has reversed its decision to distribute weapons there. Three aides of Baitullah Mehsud have been detained in Karachi.
Thai Defense minister hopeful for continued arrests of RKK insurgents in southern provinces
Security forces detained a man who said he was part of a new terrorist cell called the New Jihad Group. The group is purportedly backed by a prominent Saudi religious figure and sent 21 Bedouin men to fight in Afghanistan.
A street in Tehran was named after Imad Mugniyah, Hezbollah’s former military commander who was assassinated in Syria in 2008. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that the US is ‘preparing the ground for a long and permanent presence in Iraq.’
Can you tell me how to get to Mugniyah Street?
President Karzai has called for elections to be held on April 21 after the Independent Election Commission moved the date back to August. The interior minister estimated the Taliban to have between 10,000 to 15,000 fighters.
Pakistan says wins key region on Afghan border
Three al Qaeda leaders, including the oil minister for the Islamic State of Iraq, were detained in Baqubah. Iraqi forces detained 51 insurgents in Baghdad, five in Dhi Qhar, and two al Qaeda fighters in Mosul. A police chief was was killed and 10 Iraqis were wounded in a bombing in Baghdad.
An end to Baghdad’s ‘Dark Era’
President Ahmed has opened negotiations with armed insurgent groups; it is unclear if Shabaab is one of the groups. Shabaab imposed a curfew in Bardhere. The UN is considering a peacekeeping operation in Somalia.
Pakistan opposition chief warns of dangerous chaos
Zardari sacks Mumbai raids prosecutor
The Taliban abducted two Frontier Corps troops after a firefight in Khyber. ‘Unknown gunmen’ fired on a bus transporting Shia school children; the driver was killed and two children were wounded, and five more were kidnapped. A large, well-armed Taliban force is present in Karachi, according to a police report.
Up to 15,000 Taliban in Afghanistan – minister
Troop shortages mean Taliban retake ground in Helmand
The radical cleric behind the Swat ceasefire and ongoing negotiations looks to mediate between the government and the Taliban in the most dangerous tribal agencies.
President Obama announced that all combat brigades will be withdrawn by the end of August 2010. A residual force estimated at 50,000 troops will be left to mentor Iraqi troops and police and assist in other areas. Defense Secretary Gates is calling for a small force to remain in Iraq after 2012.
Protest at Afghan ‘mosque raid’
Abu Sayaff insurgents in Philippines obtain high-powered weapons shipment
Afghan Army and Coalition forces killed 10 Taliban fighters after being attacked during a patrol in Uruzgan province’s Shaheed Hasas district. Joint forces also killed one Taliban fighter and detained 10 more during operations in Nangarhar and Khost provinces. Kandahar police detained six members of an IED cell in Kandahar province.
US Senator questions Pakistan’s willingness to act against Taliban
The Pakistani colonel charged with involvement in the Mumbai terror attack is a senior officer in the Army’s Special Communications Organization. Mumbai’s police chief said there is no evidence of the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence agency’s involvement in the Mumbai attack.
President Zardari said he imposed governor rule after Nawaz Sharif declared ‘war’ over a supreme court decision that prevents him and his brother from holding office. The Swat Taliban stopped a military convoy from entering Mingora. The Taliban beheaded a ‘US spy’ as a gift to the US president.
US aid effort under fire in Pakistan border area
The Afghan police have lagged behind the Afghan National Army; 85 percent of the Afghan National Police units are at the lowest rating level for capability and training.
More than 35 Somalis were killed and 130 were wounded during two days of fighting between Shabaab and government and African Union forces in Mogadishu. Shabaab fighters took control of Hudur, the capital of Bakool province.
The more you look, the less you see in Swat sharia deal
Two US soldiers from the National Guard were killed in a roadside bombing attack in southern Afghanistan. A British Marine died from injuries sustained in a roadside bomb attack that killed three other British soldiers in Helmand province. Uzbekistan will allow non-military supplies to pass through.
Security forces detained 22 suspected insurgents in Baghdad, 11 al Qaeda fighters in Diyala, and eight members of Ansar al Sunnah in Kirkuk. An Iraqi court sentenced 28 members of the Yamani cult to death and 19 others to life terms. One policeman was killed and nine civilians were wounded in separate attacks in Baghdad. […]
Thai separatists to continue fight