Say goodbye, Taliban

[Chris]

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed

By Khalid Qayum and Ed Johnson

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said the army will defeat Taliban militants after his government disclosed that troops backed by helicopter gun ships in the northwest killed more than 700 guerillas in the past two weeks.

“We were left with no option but to start the operation because the very existence of the country was at stake,” Gilani told lawmakers in the capital, Islamabad, today. “No matter how strong these terrorists are, they cannot stand up to the army.”

About 700 militants were killed and 20 soldiers died in the last two weeks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad today. The operation against militants is “making headway successfully” as 52 Taliban gunmen were killed in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement from Rawalpindi today.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aF6QxSlTguEA&refer=canada

 

[WillowTree]

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed

By Khalid Qayum and Ed Johnson

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said the army will defeat Taliban militants after his government disclosed that troops backed by helicopter gun ships in the northwest killed more than 700 guerillas in the past two weeks.

“We were left with no option but to start the operation because the very existence of the country was at stake,” Gilani told lawmakers in the capital, Islamabad, today. “No matter how strong these terrorists are, they cannot stand up to the army.”

About 700 militants were killed and 20 soldiers died in the last two weeks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad today. The operation against militants is “making headway successfully” as 52 Taliban gunmen were killed in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement from Rawalpindi today.

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed - Bloomberg.com

what? they didn't throw out any propaganda about "innocent civillians" you mean Pakastani army can artfully weave it's way around innocent civillians??

 

[Gunny]

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed

By Khalid Qayum and Ed Johnson

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said the army will defeat Taliban militants after his government disclosed that troops backed by helicopter gun ships in the northwest killed more than 700 guerillas in the past two weeks.

“We were left with no option but to start the operation because the very existence of the country was at stake,” Gilani told lawmakers in the capital, Islamabad, today. “No matter how strong these terrorists are, they cannot stand up to the army.”

About 700 militants were killed and 20 soldiers died in the last two weeks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad today. The operation against militants is “making headway successfully” as 52 Taliban gunmen were killed in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement from Rawalpindi today.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aF6QxSlTguEA&refer=canada

Too bad Pakistan is so busy trying to prove they can do everything on their own. The Taliban is caught between the Pakistan Army and our military. A joint effort to crush these thugs would work rather well.

 

[Chris]

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed

By Khalid Qayum and Ed Johnson

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said the army will defeat Taliban militants after his government disclosed that troops backed by helicopter gun ships in the northwest killed more than 700 guerillas in the past two weeks.

“We were left with no option but to start the operation because the very existence of the country was at stake,” Gilani told lawmakers in the capital, Islamabad, today. “No matter how strong these terrorists are, they cannot stand up to the army.”

About 700 militants were killed and 20 soldiers died in the last two weeks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad today. The operation against militants is “making headway successfully” as 52 Taliban gunmen were killed in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement from Rawalpindi today.

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed - Bloomberg.com

Too bad Pakistan is so busy trying to prove they can do everything on their own. The Taliban is caught between the Pakistan Army and our military. A joint effort to crush these thugs would work rather well.

15,000 army troops with tanks, helicopters, and planes should be able to defeat 5,000 Taliban.

It is probably better politically for Pakistan to do it themselves.

 

[Lucklaster]

Too bad Pakistan is so busy trying to prove they can do everything on their own. The Taliban is caught between the Pakistan Army and our military. A joint effort to crush these thugs would work rather well.

It would work well from the tactical standpoint, but undermine the credibility of the Pakistan Government among the people.

If the Pakistan army can rid the word of these subhumans, though, I say more power to them.

 

[Gunny]

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed

By Khalid Qayum and Ed Johnson

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said the army will defeat Taliban militants after his government disclosed that troops backed by helicopter gun ships in the northwest killed more than 700 guerillas in the past two weeks.

“We were left with no option but to start the operation because the very existence of the country was at stake,” Gilani told lawmakers in the capital, Islamabad, today. “No matter how strong these terrorists are, they cannot stand up to the army.”

About 700 militants were killed and 20 soldiers died in the last two weeks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad today. The operation against militants is “making headway successfully” as 52 Taliban gunmen were killed in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement from Rawalpindi today.

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed - Bloomberg.com

Too bad Pakistan is so busy trying to prove they can do everything on their own. The Taliban is caught between the Pakistan Army and our military. A joint effort to crush these thugs would work rather well.

15,000 army troops with tanks, helicopters, and planes should be able to defeat 5,000 Taliban.

It is probably better politically for Pakistan to do it themselves.

Isn't that what we said? We may have done a lot of damage, but the remaining members just moved their act to Pakistan and are the ones of which we now speak.

It will be interesting to see if Iran lets them slip across their border.

 

[strollingbones]

do you really think it is that simple...we kill enough of them ..they are gone? history proves that wrong...if one simply looks at the terrain being discussed you will understand more of the problems of attack ...retreat....the pakis don not want to stop ..if anything they will end up joining them...the government is shakey....both on action and truth

 

[PoliticalChic]

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed

By Khalid Qayum and Ed Johnson

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said the army will defeat Taliban militants after his government disclosed that troops backed by helicopter gun ships in the northwest killed more than 700 guerillas in the past two weeks.

“We were left with no option but to start the operation because the very existence of the country was at stake,” Gilani told lawmakers in the capital, Islamabad, today. “No matter how strong these terrorists are, they cannot stand up to the army.”

About 700 militants were killed and 20 soldiers died in the last two weeks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad today. The operation against militants is “making headway successfully” as 52 Taliban gunmen were killed in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement from Rawalpindi today.

Gilani Says Pakistan Will Defeat Taliban; 700 Militants Killed - Bloomberg.com

The Pakistani army doesn't want to destroy the Talibani, just keep them in their place, remind them who is in charge.

To understand the origin of the Taliban is to understand what is going on. The nation of Pakistan is made of many ethnic groups groups ( Punjabis 60%, Pashtuns 14%, Sindhis 12%, Balochs 4%). Pakistan wants to maintain a religious identity.

In Afghanistan, the Pakistanis offered to send aid after the Russian invasion , but only to those Islamist groups, not the secular or nationalist. (Prior to the Russian invasion, pictures of Kabul show a western appearing city.) Thus Afghanistan became islamist, and the Taliban formed, four years before the CIA decided to train and support them.

The Pakistani army supports the Talibani, and created same in Afghanistan. If the crazies try to actually take over the country, the army will mercilessly put them down- but not destroy them: they are useful against the real enemy- India.

 

[waltky]

Another one bites the dust...

Marines Take Out Taliban Kingpin Responsible for Killing, Maiming Troops
27 Dec 2017 -- A Taliban shadow governor who had planned and executed improvised explosive device attacks on Marines and Afghan soldiers for well over a decade was killed in a precision airstrike just days before Christmas, Marines here told Military.com.

Task Force Southwest, the 300-Marine element that deployed to Helmand province as an advisory force for the Afghan National Defense Forces in April, does most of its work from inside the wire, supporting the local troops who patrol and launch ground attacks. But this recent strike on local Taliban mastermind Qari Fida Mohammad illustrates the impact Marines continue to have on the active fight. Mohammad, longtime shadow governor of the restive Helmand district of Marjah, was killed Dec. 20, task force spokeswoman Maj. Kendra Motz said. Standing inside the unit's operations center, where 11 large flat screens featured detailed live drone footage from around Helmand province, Capt. Brian Hubert explained how the strike happened. "Through the work of the intelligence sections as well as the operations in here, and coordination with the Afghans as well, we were able to conduct a strike on him a few days ago," said Hubert, battle captain for Task Force Southwest. "Basically, we're very familiar with the battlespace now. So when we see the leaders we know are important there, we can kind of do a bead on them."

The unit started tracking Mohammad with its eyes in the sky. When he was well positioned as a target, the Marines called in two Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons to execute the strike. "He was in a vehicle traveling with deputies, bodyguards, and a cousin of his, who was also a sub-commander," Hubert said. "We took the shot successfully, and [he was] dead on the spot, which was huge." Mohammad, who was based in the Taliban hotbed of Marjah, but operated throughout Helmand province, had been well-known to the Marines for years. Col. Matthew Reid, deputy commander of the task force, told Military.com he had known about Mohammad in 2010, when he deployed to Helmand for active combat operations. "We're still not really fully aware of the exact ramifications of taking him out," Reid said. "It was a pretty big takedown, so we're pretty happy about it. He was behind a lot of attacks against Marines back in the day--really high profile attacks."

U.S. Marines with Task Force Southwest depart a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter prior to an advisory meeting with Afghan National Army soldiers at Camp Hanson, Afghanistan, June 13, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)​

Hubert said the task force was now tracking the impact of Mohammad's elimination. Ahead of the strike, he said, Marines had watched via drone footage as local civilians took to their homes, fearful of being blamed and facing violent reprisal if any attack were launched on the shadow governor. Now, he said, newly leaderless Taliban fighters in southern Marjah are acting disorganized and confused, without orders to carry out. "Supposedly, [Mohammad] also had a lot of intimidation where he killed full families; he was absolutely just a Mafia-style Taliban leader in that area," Hubert said, adding that he regularly demanded 'taxes' from local civilians by force. "Taking him out ... hopefully provides the residents of Marjah and the southern end a little bit of a 'hey, maybe it's a turn.'" For the Marines, Marjah is a region full of history. It's the site of some of the service's most hard-fought battles in Helmand. Some 50 American troops died in the 2010 joint siege on Marjah, known as Operation Moshtarak. When Marines departed Afghanistan in 2014, Marjah was considered relatively stable; but by 2016 it had fallen back under Taliban control.

Marines are now working to empower Afghan troops from the local 215th Corps of the Afghan National Army to hold the line. When the small task force arrived, the provincial capital city of Lashkar Gah was on the verge of being overtaken by the Taliban, Marines said. Now, with support from the Task Force, the soldiers have restored stability to the town and are beginning to move offensively against the Taliban. In a shura with Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller on Dec. 23, Helmand provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat said Afghan troops continue to take daily casualties in the fight. But task force personnel continue to exact a daily toll against the Taliban as well. On a December visit to the operations center, a dark plume of smoke rose from a road on one of the screens -- evidence of a precision strike carried out only minutes before. From the screens, Hubert said, Marines had watched a pair of Taliban fighters carrying weapons dig a hole in a road south of the Marjah district center, intending to emplace IEDs ahead of a trip Afghan National Security Forces intended to make to the center.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Taliban no longer guaranteeing safe passage for Red Cross workers in Afghanistan...

Taliban no longer guaranteeing safe passage for Red Cross workers
Aug. 15,`18 (UPI) -- The Taliban has pulled protection for the Red Cross in Afghanistan, as an attack Wednesday killed nine police officers and 35 soldiers, officials said.

The Taliban said it will no longer allow safe passage to Red Cross staff. A spokeswoman said the humanitarian organization is talking with militants to find a way to continue offering aid in the war-torn nation. The Red Cross scaled down Afghan operations late last year after seven staff members were killed. The organization said in a tweet Tuesday it's doing what it can to help people and organize water supplies for about 18,000 people. The withdrawal of support comes at a time of ongoing violence in the country. A Taliban attack Wednesday killed 35 soldiers and nine policemen in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

A photograph at the office of International Committee of Red Cross in Kunduz, Afghanistan, depicts the delivery of aid in October. Wednesday, the Taliban said Red Cross staff are no longer allowed safe passage into Afghanistan.​

Militants set fire to two adjacent checkpoints after the attack in Baghlan-i Markazi district, provincial council head Mohammad Safdar Mohseni said. Taliban militants raided at least one military base and three checkpoints, officials added, and the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. The assault occurred one day after the insurgent group took over the Camp Chinaya military base in northern Faryab province, killing 17 soldiers and injuring 19 others.

Meanwhile, the Taliban said it's ordered militants out of Ghazni after five days of battle there. The attack killed hundreds, about 150 of whom were civilians. The attack in Ghazni was the largest operation the Taliban has launched since a June truce brought fighting to a temporary halt.

Taliban no longer guaranteeing safe passage for Red Cross workers

 

[basquebromance]

"The foreign policy establishment's obsession with faraway countries while ignoring the 1 on our border is like the media's obsession w/ the KKK (basically nonexistent), while ignoring antifa terrorism." - Coulter