Posted on 06/17/2004 11:16:30 PM PDT by AdmSmith
ISLAMABAD (CNN) -- A tribal leader accused of harboring Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's western border region was killed Thursday night in a targeted missile strike, according to Pakistan intelligence sources. The Associated Press quoted an army spokesman Friday as identifying the tribal leader as Nek Mohammed, a former Taliban fighter.
He was killed late Thursday at the home of another tribal chief, the spokesman said.
"We were tracking him down and he was killed last night by our hand," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
OK, but here are more non-technical info:
http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=68056
Nek Muhammad killed in missile attack near South Waziristan
Friday June 18, 2004 (0307 PST)
WANA, June19 (Online): Nek Muhammad, the most wanted local facilitator of the foreign elements along with his two associates was killed by Security Forces in a missile attack on suspected hideouts in Dhoge village lying 5 km from Wana near the Afghan border. "Presence of Nek Muhammad, local facilitator of the foreign elements along with his associates was suspected in one such hideout, which was appropriately hit by the security forces. He is believed to be killed," said a statement issued here by Inter Services Public Relations Directorate.
Nek Muhammad 27 was accused of sheltering Al-Qaeda-linked militants in tribal areas for the last three year. He was an active member of Taliban malitia since 1995 to their fall in 2002. "While activities of security forces will continue, the political process will also move at tandem, rather it is being accelerated, so as to allow the foreign elements to avail the government's offer of amnesty in return for their surrender," said a spokesman of ISPR.
ISPR Director General Major General Shaukat Sultan while confirming the incident said that operations of Security Forces in various part of South Waziristan Agency are continuing against suspected hideouts of miscreants.
Meanwhile, Online correspondent giving details from Wana said that security troops and fighter jets swooped down on suspected Al Qaeda hideouts near the Afghan border. It was their third offensive this year in a protracted campaign to rid the tribal region of Al-Qaeda-linked militants Total five people were killed in the attack including Nek Muhamamd, his two associates including Shah Rukh Khan and Marat Khan and two sons of local tribal Sher Zaman were also killed in attack on their house where Nek Muhammad was hiding. They have been identified as Fakhar Zaman 12 and Muhammad Zaman 14. The injured were rushed to local hospital, however, they succumbed to their injures.
Nek Muhammad had been given amnesty under Shakai agreement between the government and tribal. However, a deadlock emerged between the two sides on the issue of registration of foreign elements, which led to new military operation by the security forces.
Hospital sources also confirmed the death of Nek Muhammad and his associates. These sources said Nek Muhammad was in critical condition when he was taken to hospital, however, at 2:30 a.m. he expired. Eyewitnesses informed that the dead body of Nek Muhammad has been sent to his native village Kalosha .
It is learnt that Nek Muhammad was holding refuge in the house of Sher Zaman Ashraf Khel, a local tribal, when security forces targeted them. Earlier, the Security Forces detected Nek Muhammad's phone call and then launched offensive. The operation was conducted at about 9:45 p.m. Reports said that three close associates of Nek Muhammad including Ashraf Khan Noora Salam, Maulvi Abbas and Maulvi Abdul Aziz were still at large.
Meanwhile, thousands of local tribal attended the funeral prayers of Nek Muhammad in his native village Kalosha. Eyewitness say right side of his body including face was badly damaged due to injuries. Funeral prayer of Fakhar Zaman and Rehmat Zaman (two brothers) who killed in the attack were also offered.
ISPR Director General Major General Shaukat Sultan said that the security forces are continuing operation against suspected hideouts of foreign miscreants in South Waziristan Agency since June 11.
Earlier two hideouts of miscreants' were destroyed in Shakai and Angor Ada. He said the security forces are using different weapons in the operation against miscreants. He, however, informed that no area has been cordoned of in the operation, as security forces are only targeting suspected hideouts.
Paramilitary troops traded fires
Paramilitary troops traded fires with the suspected militants in Sam area, a town of Ludha, in the wee hours on Thursday but no reports of human causality or major damage to property were received.
The foreign militants opened indiscriminate firing on the Government High School building in Sam at round 2:00 am on Thursday.
The miscreants also fired some missiles at the school, where the Wana Scouts were deployed. The building was partially damaged in the attack.
The paramilitary troops returned the fires and forced the assailants to run away to some unknown destination.
Also, the helicopters of Pakistan Army Thursday started patrolling in Wana, the district headquarters of Southern Waziristan, to spot the hideouts of foreign militants and their local harbours in the area.
Meanwhile, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan told a private TV network that on Thursday morning, some miscreants opened unprovoked firing on the paramilitary troops in Ludha.
He said the security forces were made to respond to the attack.
About the patrolling of Pakistan Army choppers in Wana, the ISPR chief said it was part of the campaign to flush out the foreign militants from the tribal area.
He said the patrol was not a fresh activity and would continue until the hideouts were not demolished from the area.
Meanwhile, The Pakistan Army along with other security agencies Thursday morning launched a fresh offensive against the suspected militants of al-Qaeda network and their local sympathizer in a Pak-Afghan bordering Baghar, a village 30 kilometers from the Wana.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jet fighters and gunship helicopters took part in the operation, said a local inhabitant requesting anonymity.
Baghar, a mountainous area housing dense forest is situated adjacent to the Afghan province of Patika.
Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan talking to a foreign news agency said the fresh operation is to target a hideout of suspected miscreants in Angoor Adda in Baghar.
He said it was part of a continuing process, which came with different intervals.
About besieging suspected militants and bombardment in the rough area, Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said the operation was continuing and it was premature to say something in this regard at the moment.
He, however, said the Army was making use of all the requisite resources in the attack against militants.
Maj Gen Sultan made it clear that there was no bombardment in the area by the PAF warplanes and choppers, saying, "We are targeting only the hideouts of miscreants".
He said at some places, troops exchanged fires with the al-Qaeda suspects and their local sympathizers.
He said a military crackdown would to be started wherever it was considered necessary
Lashkar failed to capture wanted men
Loya jirga was held at Azam Warsik under the auspices of Ahmedzai Wazir Tribes. The jirga constitutes an armed lashkar comprising four thousand men for launching a grand operation against the wanted men hiding in Shakai South Waziristan Agency.
However, Yar Gul Khel Tribal was not given representation in the Lashkar as the wanted men including Neik Muhammad, Muhammad Sharif, Abdul Aziz and Noorul Islam belonged to the same Tribe.
The armed Lashkar has been sent to Shakai where it would launch search operation against the wanted men. It is worth mentioning here that the agreement between government and wanted men had also been reached at the same area.
Ahmedzai Wazir Jirga warned foreign miscreants to leave the area or hand themselves over to the tribes, otherwise strict action would be taken against them.
Meanwhile, the situation has become worse in Wana due to imposition of economic ban. The patients from far-flung areas are badly suffering due to shortage of medicines and ban on movement of vehicles.
How cool is this popped him while he was talking to his buddies in the press.......ROFL!
I'd love to know what news service the interview was being conducted for.
My guess...Rooters or the Beeb.
You fellas ever heard of Echelon? It is very real.... and I think we just witnessed it in action.
A few years ago postings about echelon were a standard staple here on FR. Some posters made it out to be super duper high tech software that could do just about anything you could dream of. A while back, one long time poster here on FR said he had more than casual familiarity with it, and it was really rather ordinary software that was extraordinarily effective in doing what it was designed to do.
Today it looks like we've been successful at taking out at least one significant bad guy. Maybe echelon was a key factor.
Think they are refering to Alfred Lord Byron who fought in the greek turk war.
Any updates on Fallujah?
Probably telling the news crew where and when to show up for a convoy bombing. Got what he deserved. Can't say the same for most of these media folk...
Yeah, but "Hellfire" is just so much more appropriate.
Yes of course, I have spent a lot of time with the Taleban in Afghanistan. I went there soon after the completion of my religious education here.
I fought alongside the Taleban against the Northern Alliance(strike 1)
and then also against US aggression. (strike 2)
Missile kills Pakistan tribal head,(strike 3) You're out!
I was wrong they used a laser guided missile:
http://www.dawn.com/2004/06/20/top8.htm
Military urges fighters to surrender: Wana operation
ISLAMABAD, June 19: Military officials on Saturday renewed their calls to local and foreign fighters to surrender after Nek Mohammad and seven others were killed in a security force raid in Wana on Thursday night.
Reuters quoted military spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan as saying that amnesty would be offered to foreign fighters and the local tribesmen who had sheltered them, but only if they laid down their arms.
"In case of locals, amnesty will be given to those who lay down their weapons and denounce militancy," Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said. "Foreigners will have to do the same, but they will also have to get themselves registered, photographed and fingerprinted.
Failure to take up the offer, he said, would invite a further crackdown by the military.
"If there is any backlash, we are prepared to deal with it," Sultan said, adding that more than 80 militants, mostly foreigners, and 18 soldiers had been killed in fighting so far this month.
Maj-Gen Sultan said the local tribesmen would help the security forces to hunt foreigners. "A tribal lashkar of 2,000 men is being raised for this task."
In Kabul, the coalition forces' Lieut-Col Tucker Mansager said: "It's our hope that his death will help disorganise the ongoing fight by foreign fighters in the tribal areas of Pakistan and allow the Pakistani military to better destroy the terrorists that remain in that area."
DEATH TOLL: The death toll in the military attack in which Nek Mohammad was killed rose to eight, military officials said on Saturday.
In addition to Nek Mohammad and four tribesmen, three foreign suspects also died in the Thursday night attack near Wana, military spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said.
"Eight people were killed in the attack, including Nek (Mohammad) and three foreigners," Maj-Gen Sultan told AFP. Intelligence officials said a satellite phone conversation involving Nek Mohammad had helped pinpoint the house where the militants were staying, which was then struck by a laser-guided missile.
The situation in South Waziristan "is fully under control of the security forces," Maj-Gen Sultan said when asked if there were any fears of a tribal backlash over the killing.
Our correspondent adds from Wana: A relative calm prevailed over the South Waziristan tribal region on Saturday as local militants debated over who would suceed Nek Mohammad.
Sources here said that the people likely to suceed Nek Mohammad, included his first cousin, Allah Noor, and another of his relative, Khan Mohammad Yargulkhel. Both men are in their early 40s and have been associated with the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.
Khan Mohammad figures prominently on the government's most wanted men for harbouring and facilitating foreign militants and is reported to have ties with the banned Jaish-i-Mohammad in the past. His house in Angor Adda situated on the border with Afghanistan had once been searched by American forces. The search had yielded a big cache of weapons.
The other two tribal militants, Sharif and Noor Islam are leading their own groups and were seen visiting Shah Nawaz Kot to condole the death of the two young men who were killed along with Nek Muhammad.
Meanwhile, a ten-member team of the Spirkai tribe, led by Malik Yunas, is expected to begin a search of some houses in the Shakai area looking for foreign militants on Sunday.
I read the story and, yes, that is precisely what is appears happened there. The targets (hopefully, Zarqawi) were using either sat or cell phones and that's how they got themselves targeted. Sat phones calls can be traced back to their origin either at the satellite or on the ground. Sat phone transmissions are narrow beam, microwave signals. But even that narrow beam has side lobes with sufficient power that sensitive nearby receivers can pick them up. Very accurate direction finding to the source is a technical piece of cake.
--Boot Hill
Alive....for now.
(Thanks for the kind comments.)
--Boot Hill
Name of replacement for Nek:
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68432&F_catID=&f_type=source
Wana: Bazaars remain closed as tribesmen condole with Nek Muhammad?s family
WANA: The situation was calm and peaceful here and in rest of South Waziristan on Saturday as tribesmen flocked Kaloosha village to offer condolences to the family of Nek Muhammad, the pro-Taliban tribal militant who was killed in a laser-guided missile strike on Friday.
The mourners also travelled to other villages in Wana valley to condole with the families of the five other tribesmen killed along with Nek Muhammad. There were reports that Sharif Khan and his brother Nur Islam, colleagues of the late Nek Muhammad and also wanted by the government for allegedly sheltering foreign militants, were among the tribesmen who visited Dhog village to offer condolences on the death of Yasin and Tor, the sons of late Sher Zaman Ashrafkhel whose home was hit by the missile.
Nek Muhammad was spending the night in Dhog in Ashrafkhel?s home when it was struck by the precision-guided missile. Eyewitnesses said Nek Muhammad and the five other men were sitting outside in the lawn enjoying Wana?s pleasant evening breeze when they were attacked. A visit to the site of the attack showed that the missile strike was so perfect that it did not damage any part of the building except the lawn where Nek Muhammad was seated. The missile had dug a hole into the earth and damaged some plants.
Villagers confirmed that Nek Muhammad had been using his satellite phone just before the missile attack. It is widely believed here that a drone overhead tracked down his satellite phone and communicated his location to a missile battery for the strike. Some villagers, who had been out on their roofs to guard their homes, claimed they saw a bright white ray of light emanating from the white unmanned aircraft just before the missile attack.
The issue was also discussed here at the places where Fateha for Nek Muhammad and the other five deceased was being offered. Almost every tribesman is convinced that the US military provided the technology that tracked down Nek Muhammad?s satellite phone and enabled the Pakistan Army to target his hideout. Without exception, the tribesmen were found blaming the US for killing Nek Muhammad.
In Kaloosha, Nek Muhammad?s brother Lal Muhammad, who is a laboratory attendant at a private hospital in Wana, and his uncle and father-in-law Sadiq Khan sat in a tent erected in an open space to receive all those visiting them for offering condolences. The army had demolished Nek Muhammad?s home as punishment for harbouring foreign militants.
The 27-year-old Nek Muhammad had married Sadiq Khan?s daughter, who also happened to be his cousin, barely two weeks ago. It was his second marriage. He has four children from his first wife.
The bazaars in Wana and Azam Warsak remained closed and public transport was off the roads. The economic sanctions imposed by the government against the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe for failure to expel foreign militants from Wana valley were still in place. Life was paralysed and tribesmen complained of rising prices and lack of market for their ripe plums, peaches, tomatoes and other vegetables.
The military operation in Baghar near the border with Afghanistan has also been halted. Access to that area was still denied through road blockades. There were reports that two members of the Malikkhel sub-tribe loyal to Nek Muhammad had been killed in that aerial bombing unleashed by jet-fighters and helicopter gunships. A number of women were also injured in the bombing and had to be shifted to Bannu and Peshawar for medical treatment.
Speculation was also on as to who would replace Nek Muhammad as the spokesman and commander of the group of tribal Islamic militants in Wana. Apart from Nek Muhammad?s four colleagues Sharif Khan, Nur Islam, Maulana Muhammad Abbas and Maulana Abdul Aziz, the names of Khan Muhammad and Allah Noor were being mentioned as his possible successor. The last-named is a cousin of Nek Muhammad.
Meanwhile, a Jirga of tribal elders led by Malik Muhammad Younis reached Shakai from Bannu on Saturday. The Jirga members belong to the Sperkay sub-tribe, who also live in Shakai and were affected by the recent military operation in their area. The Jirga, backed by the government, was expected to console the tribesmen and assess the damage caused by the bombing by the warplanes and helicopter gunships in the hope of securing compensation from the government. Senator and tribal elder Faridullah Khan, who owns property in both Bannu and Shakai, was reported to have sent the Jirga with the consent of the government.
More phone calls:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_20-6-2004_pg7_1
Wana calm after Nek?s killing
* Sultan says govt ready to deal with any backlash
* Reiterates amnesty offer
* Army denies reports about US help
* Afghan refugees ordered to leave South Waziristan
* Nek?s aides ready to avenge his death
By Iqbal Khattak
PESHAWAR: South Waziristan Agency was calm a day after the death of rebel leader Nek Muhammad in a missile attack on Friday.
?There has been no (violent) reaction to Nek?s death so far,? a tribal elder told Daily Times by phone from Kalosha. ?The day was very quiet,? he added. Military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan also reported that the area was calm and hoped, ?Things are moving in the right direction.?
Not a big majority of tribal people were shocked by Nek?s killing. Daily Times learnt this by interviewing a cross section of people via phone in Wana, Azam Warsak and Kalosha.
?I would say that perhaps 40 percent people are in shock. Nek was a hero for these people. But wiser people also say whatever is happening in Waziristan is because of him,? said a tribal elder, requesting anonymity.
His supporters were made to believe that Nek was ?like a tank? and that the Pakistan Army was unlikely to eliminate him physically, he said.
?I think Nek?s followers are in deep shock because a new dimension ? the use of guided missiles ? was added to the operation. There was no quick reaction on the first day after his burial because his followers were probably taking stock of the situation before launching a counter-strike,? a former Inter Services Intelligence official said. He said the government must be ready for any ?adventure? by Nek?s followers to avenge his death.
Intelligence sources said situation was being monitored closely. They said foreigners and Nek?s followers would stay quiet for some time.
Sources said that wanted tribesman Muhammad Javed Karmazkhel might lead the post-Nek resistance. He is in his early 30s and regarded as ?as good fighter? like Nek. Karmazkhel, said a pro-Nek tribesman, might prove to be real successor to ?ameer? Nek.
But the government appears to have hardened its stance to tackle foreign terrorists. On Saturday, the administration shifted key arrested elders from Waziristan to unknown places.
Agencies add: ?If there is any backlash, we are prepared to deal with it,? Maj Gen Sultan told Reuters.
He said amnesty would be offered to foreign fighters and the tribesmen who had sheltered them, but only if they laid down their arms.
?In case of locals, amnesty will be given to those who lay down their weapons and denounce militancy,? he said. ?Foreigners will have to do the same, but they will also have to get themselves registered, photographed and fingerprinted,? he said.
Failure to take up the offer, he said, would lead to a further crackdown by the military, which has been battling the militants for months in a campaign to rid Pakistan of radicals.
Maj Gen Sultan denied reports regarding US help in Nek?s killing, saying it was an operation of the Pakistan security forces, APP reported.
?Eight people were killed in the attack including Nek and three foreigners,? Maj-Gen Sultan told AFP.
The close aides of Nek have vowed to step up their activities against the government, Online reported. A close associate of Nek said on Saturday that a large number of the slain leader?s friends were still present in Wana and surrounding areas and they would avenge his killing. ?Our operations will continue and the anti Muslim forces will have to face the consequences,? he said.
The South Waziristan administration on Saturday ordered Afghan refugees to leave the area. The Afghan refugees were ordered to report to the Dhahra refugee camp or go to their homeland.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Secretary on Finance Qamar Ayub Khan said that the Wana operation was against foreign militants hiding in South Waziristan.
In addition to your question, I notice in #93 you posted the story about the missile being laser guided, and while I too suspect that's what was used, I wouldn't be too quick to take that PR flak, General Sultan's, word for it just yet. The Predator UAV can carry either the AGM-114K, Hellfire II missile, which is laser guided or it can carry the new AGM-114L, Longbow Hellfire, which is millimeter wave (radio signal) guided. The millimeter wave seeker section is extremely versatile on the 114L and could very likely target the transmissions from a sat phone.
--Boot Hill
I'd say Nek Mohammad ranks only about a "6" on the U.S. scale of importance, but I'd bet Nek rates a "10" on Mushi's scale! Nek was nothing more than a mid-level Taliban operative, but as a tribal chieftain, he had become a major thorn in Mushi's backside and Mushi's chief opposition to getting the tribes to clean up their own backyard.
This could mean that Mushi has finally finished trying to coax the tribes into acting responsibly and has decided the Israeli method of assassinating the terrorist leadership, is the way to go. I think it's the right thing for Mushi to do, but it is definitely a ballsy move on his part! I hope this is the "new" Mushi and that we get to see lots more of it.
--Boot Hill
So what's that bring the guest list up to now? CIA, NSA, DIA, DOD, MI-6, ISI, Paki Army, U.S. Army. Whew, did anybody remember to order extra salsa?
--Boot Hill
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