SgtJim
08-03-2011, 11:17 AM
by Bill Roggio @ longwarjournal
August 02., 2011.
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11591
The unmanned, CIA-operated Predators and Reapers fired missiles at a vehicle in the village of Kutab Khel in the Miramshah area of North Waziristan today. Four "militants" were killed in the attack, local Pakistani officials told The Associated Press (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/02/general-as-pakistan_8596813.html).
The target of today's strike is unclear. No senior commanders from the Taliban, al Qaeda, or allied terror groups based in the area are reported to have been killed.
The village is known to host a "mix of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban fighters, as well as other foreign militants," according to AP. The term 'foreign fighters' is often used to describe al Qaeda and other allied terror groups from outside Pakistan.
Today's attack took place in an area of North Waziristan controlled by the Haqqani Network, a powerful Taliban group that is a favorite proxy of Pakistan's military and intelligence services and is also closely allied to al Qaeda. The Haqqani Network shelters and supports al Qaeda, and launches attacks against Coalition and Afghan forces across the border.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational commander of the Haqqani Network, is a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis as well as the Taliban's Quetta Shura. The US government has put a $5 million bounty out for Siraj and has placed him on the list of specially designated global terrorists. Two of Siraj's brothers, Nasirruddin and Badruddin, and his uncle, Khalil, have also been added to the US' list of designated terrorists, for their activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as their support for al Qaeda.
In North Waziristan, the Haqqanis control large swaths of the tribal area and run a parallel administration with courts, recruiting centers, tax offices, and security forces. In addition, the Haqqanis have established multiple training camps and safe houses used by al Qaeda leaders and operatives, as well as by Taliban foot soldiers preparing to fight in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has refused to move against Siraj and the Haqqani Network, despite his support for al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban. The Haqqanis are viewed by the Pakistani military as both a strategic asset against India and its prime conduit for influence in Afghanistan.
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/08/us_predators_strike_29.php#ixzz1TymJhIHa
August 02., 2011.
---
11591
The unmanned, CIA-operated Predators and Reapers fired missiles at a vehicle in the village of Kutab Khel in the Miramshah area of North Waziristan today. Four "militants" were killed in the attack, local Pakistani officials told The Associated Press (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/02/general-as-pakistan_8596813.html).
The target of today's strike is unclear. No senior commanders from the Taliban, al Qaeda, or allied terror groups based in the area are reported to have been killed.
The village is known to host a "mix of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban fighters, as well as other foreign militants," according to AP. The term 'foreign fighters' is often used to describe al Qaeda and other allied terror groups from outside Pakistan.
Today's attack took place in an area of North Waziristan controlled by the Haqqani Network, a powerful Taliban group that is a favorite proxy of Pakistan's military and intelligence services and is also closely allied to al Qaeda. The Haqqani Network shelters and supports al Qaeda, and launches attacks against Coalition and Afghan forces across the border.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational commander of the Haqqani Network, is a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis as well as the Taliban's Quetta Shura. The US government has put a $5 million bounty out for Siraj and has placed him on the list of specially designated global terrorists. Two of Siraj's brothers, Nasirruddin and Badruddin, and his uncle, Khalil, have also been added to the US' list of designated terrorists, for their activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as their support for al Qaeda.
In North Waziristan, the Haqqanis control large swaths of the tribal area and run a parallel administration with courts, recruiting centers, tax offices, and security forces. In addition, the Haqqanis have established multiple training camps and safe houses used by al Qaeda leaders and operatives, as well as by Taliban foot soldiers preparing to fight in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has refused to move against Siraj and the Haqqani Network, despite his support for al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban. The Haqqanis are viewed by the Pakistani military as both a strategic asset against India and its prime conduit for influence in Afghanistan.
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/08/us_predators_strike_29.php#ixzz1TymJhIHa