Oct 11 2007
Foreign al Qaeda Found Among Militant Dead In Pakistan
Are we closing in on al Qaeda’s leadership enclave in the tribal regions of Pakistan? Well, if you look at the forensic evidence (being the bodies) then one would say we are closing in on the Arab leadership and their notorious Uzbek security forces:
Pakistan’s army said 50 foreign militants including Arabs were among 200 rebels killed in fierce clashes near the Afghan border, indicating the involvement of Al-Qaeda.
Tribesmen revealed that “foreigners” were among the dead during a meeting in the troubled tribal zone of North Waziristan aimed at brokering a formal end to days of intense fighting, the military said.
The clashes were the culmination of three months of violence sparked by a government raid on an Al-Qaeda-linked mosque in Islamabad in July and the collapse of a controversial peace deal in North Waziristan.
Of the dead foreign rebels “25 have been recognised as Uzbek and the remaining 25 are from Tajikistan, Afghanistan and of Arab descent,” a military statement said, citing the tribesmen.
“This is one of the heaviest tolls suffered by the foreigners,” a security official said separately, using the official Pakistani jargon for rebels linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.
As I have been speculating I believe the Pakistan forces are pushing the al-Qaeda and extremist Taliban forces towards the Afgahnistan border and into the arms of US and NATO forces.
Pakistan has sealed off north and south Waziristan and the frontier region of Bannu from the rest of the North West Frontier Province.
Media reports from Islamabad said a major army offensive is building up in these areas.
Air strikes over the past two days were intended to soften up al-Qaeda and Taliban positions.
The reports said all hopes of reaching an accord with tribal fighters has been given up. The plan is to clear out tribal insurgents before Eid.
The fact we may be closing in on our top al Qaeda prize may explain why the US Marines are clamoring to get into the action. If we are surrounding the leadership I have no doubt everyone in the military (and many beyond) would line up to bring the masterminds of 9-11 to justice.
I think that Bush would hate to leave office with out getting these guys. Not his style!
I think Kathie is right.
A strategy analysis by Ray Robison appeared Sept 28th in American Thinker that suggested the US set a trap for the multi-group terrorists that I think is worthy of your read, even if after the fact. To summarize, the trap was akin to driving the wasps out of the next (threatening to bomb their Pakistani terrorist camps, but leaving an avenue of escape into Tora Bora), then slamming the wasp next door shut (ways back into Pakistan, where we cannot attack without their blessing).
Evidently, it’s been going on, quietly, for weeks prior. Thank heavens the press had their noses up someone else’s behind, and missed broadcasting this ongoing strategy to the enemy.
Bringing special forces in to work Tora Bora while they’re trapped there seems to be the final nail in the coffin. But then, I’m not a military specialist, so what the heck do I really know….
As a matter of reference, I’m on my second read of the book, Both in One Trench, co authored by Robison, a former Iraq Survey Group member (amongst other credentials). It is devoted analysis and translations of the documents found from Saddam’s regime, his IIS, various global Islamic jihadist movement communications, and various Afghani confiscated documents.
The historic relation between Saddam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and the rogue OBL is just mind blowing. Not to mention the love/hate relationships between different factions of radical Islam. Learning about the past thru these documents has made some events and strategy today less fuzzy to this ol’ broad’s brain. And most intriguing.
There is no doubt… it is a tangled web that has been woven for decades. And I suggest it’s a must read for any and every one.
What are the odds that when our buddy Bin escaped from Tora Bora SF went through the whole complex mapping, bugging, and booby trapping it?