http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/taliban/ en-us Sat, 4 Jul 2009 18:13:18 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285543/posts NAWA, Afghanistan – Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Marines carry 50-100 pounds (23-45 kilograms) on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands. Few even realized the date was July 4, ... a world away from the strenuous task Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285543/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 18:13:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285423/posts British forces on a major operation in Afghanistan say they have encountered little resistance from the Taliban. Troops are moving into a large swathe of territory in Helmand province that had been a stronghold for insurgents. bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285423/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:36:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285315/posts KABUL—Militants exploded a vehicle outside the gates of a U.S. coalition base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, sparking a two-hour gunbattle that ended when American troops called in airstrikes, officials said. Two U.S. troops were killed and four were wounded. More than 30 insurgents were killed by the airstrikes in Zerok district of Paktika province, said Hamidullah Zawak, the provincial governor spokesman. The multi-pronged attack near the Pakistan border came as thousands of Marines in southern Afghanistan pursued the biggest U.S. military operation here since the American-led invasion of 2001, trying to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local... San Jose Mercury News/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285315/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 08:53:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285148/posts WASHINGTON, July 3, 2009 – U.S. Marines and Afghan security forces are continuing Operation Khanjar in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, NATO officials said today. Almost 4,000 personnel from the Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan have moved into cities and towns along the Helmand River and are digging in for the long haul. The addition of nearly 22,000 American personnel in Afghanistan will allow the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to institute a “clear, hold, build” counterinsurgency strategy. Before, small numbers of coalition forces would enter an area and clear it of Taliban, but the shortage of forces meant that when they pulled... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285148/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 23:40:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284918/posts WANA - Taliban local commander Mullah Nazir has offered to remain peaceful if the government does not extend military operation against militants up to Wana region. The offer was made through a traditional Jirga of Ahmadzai (Wazir) tribe yesterday. Leading tribal elders from all sub-tribes of Ahmadzai tribe Thursday met Political Agent Syed Shahab Ali Shah in his office. Earlier, the Jirga members had held a detailed meeting with Mullah Nazir. Nazir assured the Jirga to remain peaceful for a period of three months.Mullah Nazir is one of three top militant commanders of the area and his decision could be... The Nation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284918/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 16:32:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284858/posts WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) – A U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles on Friday into Pakistan's South Waziristan region, killing 10 militants, officials said, ahead of an expected Pakistani military offensive in the area. The United States, facing a growing Afghan insurgency, began stepping up drone attacks on militant strongholds in lawless enclaves on the Pakistani side of the border a year ago despite Pakistani complaints. Three missiles were fired at militant hideouts in an area near the Afghan border controlled by Pakistani Taliban leader and al Qaeda ally Baitullah Mehsud, killing 10 militants and wounding seven, two intelligence agency officials said.... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284858/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 15:00:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284696/posts The “radio mullah” Maulana Fazlullah may be dead, according to still unconfirmed reports from Pakistan. After Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik announced on Wednesday that Fazlullah was seriously injured, Pakistan forces reportedly conducted an operation in an area in Swat which was the hideout of Fazlullah. Fazlullah was reportedly killed in the operation. Fazlullah was traced after he called the Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi spokesperson, Muslim Khan, directing attacks, which was tracked by the forces. In his conversation, he admitted to being injured and surrounded, having lost many commanders. The Pakistan government had last week placed his family under detention. If Fazlullah’s death... Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284696/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 08:57:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284648/posts Operation Khanjar part of the effort to turn the tide against the Taliban in Afghanistan -snip- The 4,000-strong marine expeditionary brigade involved in the operation are part of the 21,000 extra US troops Obama has sent to Afghanistan in an attempt to turn the tide against the Taliban. The aim of Operation Khanjar is to retake the initiative in Helmand, and make it safer for elections due next month. Voter registration had been particularly poor in Helmand in part because for the past few years, the British force has been pinned down in the upper Helmand River valley between the... Guardian UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284648/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:52:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284458/posts KABUL — A young American soldier who walked off his remote combat outpost in a volatile region of eastern Afghanistan has been captured and is believed to be in the hands of the Taliban network headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, American military officials said Thursday. Large numbers of American and Afghan forces fanned out in eastern Afghanistan to shut down routes the kidnappers could use to transport the soldier, officials said. A senior American defense official said there had been no direct negotiations with the kidnappers but that American forces were reaching out to tribal leaders and local Afghan government officials... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284458/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 22:53:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284445/posts Pakistan's top Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is buying children as young as 7 to serve as suicide bombers in the growing spate of attacks against Pakistani, Afghan and U.S. targets, U.S. Defense Department and Pakistani officials say. A Pakistani official, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because of the sensitive nature of the topic, said the going price for child bombers was $7,000 to $14,000 - huge sums in Pakistan, where per-capita income is about $2,600 a year. "[Mehsud] has turned suicide bombing into a production output, not unlike [the way] Toyota outputs cars," a U.S.... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284445/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 22:17:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284352/posts Some 4,000 Marines, sailors and soldiers and 650 Afghan soldiers launched nearly simultaneous air and ground assaults all along the river. One Marine was killed and several others were wounded in early fighting, officials said. The forces, under the command of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, are entering areas where few – if any – coalition forces have been in the past. Helmand province is a stronghold of the Taliban, and the coalition mission is to secure the area and make it safe for Afghans to live without the threats of militant groups. “The operation in Nawa is going to... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284352/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:55:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284269/posts Beginning Thursday, American soldiers in Afghanistan will be under orders to back down when they're chasing Taliban fighters whenever they think that civilians might be at risk. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, will issue the directive as part of an effort to cut down on civilian casualties, which have enraged the Afghan government and residents. Instead of calling in air support or firing into civilian homes where Taliban fighters have sought refuge, commanders will be instructed to reach out to tribal elders or undertake other efforts to dislodge the fighters. The order is consistent with what... Miami Herald/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284269/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 18:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284156/posts WASHINGTON -- Insurgents captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan, according to a U.S. military spokeswoman. Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier has been missing since Tuesday and that the military was using "all our resources to find him and provide for his safe return." The soldier wasn't taking part in the major military operation launched in the southern Taliban stronghold of the Helmand River Valley. The new operation is an early test of the Obama administration's new strategy for beating back the resurgent Taliban and stabilizing the country in advance of this summer's presidential elections. Operation Khanjar, or "strike... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284156/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:48:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284145/posts The long-awaited surge by the American military is a welcome attempt to try an inflict a decisive defeat against the Taliban in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. This is, of course, something British forces have been struggling to achieve since they were first deployed to Helmand three years ago. But despite sustaining heavy British casualties, the Taliban remain a significant threat, both to Nato forces and the local Afghans. British commanders were hoping that they would be able to defeat the Taliban if only the government would have agreed to send an extra 2,000 troops. But Downing Street refused... Telegraph Blogs (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284145/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:42:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283926/posts More than 80% of Pakistanis view the Taliban and Al Qaeda as a critical threat to the country, according to an opinion poll released Wednesday, marking a turn in public opinion that stands to bolster the army's ongoing offensive against militants close to the Afghan border. The findings will be welcomed by Washington, which is pressing Islamabad to take the fight to insurgents blamed for scores of bloody bombings in nuclear-armed Pakistan in recent years as well as attacks on NATO and US troops in Afghanistan. The army has been battling militants in the Swat Valley in the country's northwest... NY Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283926/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:13:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283924/posts Pakistan's army has deployed troops to a stretch of the Afghan border to stop Taliban militants fleeing a major U.S. offensive in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman said Thursday. Nearly 4,000 U.S. Marines plus 650 Afghan forces moved into Afghanistan's Helmand province early Thursday to take on the Taliban in one of their strongholds. Pakistani and US officials have expressed concern the American troop build up in southern Afghanistan could push the militants across the poorly guarded and mountainous border into Pakistan. "We've mustered more troops from the other areas of the border" to deploy opposite the Helmand region, said Maj.... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283924/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:03:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283876/posts There is no story that can possibly give you a better comprehension of the animals that we are fighting against in the war against Islamist terror than this one. Let me correct that, they are not animals because even animals protect their young, these followers of the "religion of peace" are much lower than animals. The Taliban in Pakistan are purchasing and/or kidnapping CHILDREN some as young as 7-Years-Old, then they force these kids to act as homicide bombers. Any homicide bombing is disgusting, but having little kids, elementary school kids, strap on a bomb and blow themselves up is... washingon times/the lid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283876/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 05:22:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283846/posts Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed into an Afghan river valley by helicopter and land early today, launching the biggest military offensive of Barack Obama's presidency with an assault deep into Taliban territory. Operation River Liberty, which the Marines call simply "the decisive op", is intended to seize virtually the entire lower Helmand River valley, heartland of the Taliban insurgency and the world's biggest heroin producing region. Lt Colonel Christian Cabassis addresses Marines before the offensive In swiftly seizing the valley, commanders hope to accomplish within hours what NATO troops had failed to achieve over several years, and by doing so... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283846/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 04:01:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283686/posts U.S. Marines and Afghan security forces moved into Taliban-infested villages Wednesday evening in one of the Obama administration's first major military operations in the previously forgotten war in Afghanistan. The offensive was launched shortly after 1 a.m. local time in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. More than 4,000 Marines and an estimated 650 Afghan soldiers and police sought to clear insurgents from towns and villages along the Helmand River Valley before the nation's Aug. 20 presidential election. Dubbed Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," the military push was described by officials as the largest and fastest-moving of the war's newest... Fox News/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283686/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 23:31:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283645/posts LOWER HELMAND RIVER VALLEY, AFGHANISTAN (Reuters) – U.S. Marines launched a helicopter assault early on Thursday in the lower Helmand river valley in southern Afghanistan, spokesman Capt. Bill Pelletier said. A Reuters correspondent in the valley saw flares in the sky over the town of Nawa, south of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. The valley of irrigated wheat and opium fields along the Helmand river is largely in the hands of Taliban fighters who have resisted British-led NATO forces for years. The United States has sent 8,500 Marines to Helmand province in the last two months, the largest wave of... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283645/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 22:48:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282908/posts WASHINGTON, June 30, 2009 – Afghan and coalition forces disrupted Taliban and Haqqani terrorist activities in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported. Coalition forces launched precision air strikes overnight against senior Haqqani commanders and command posts in the remote mountains of western Khost province. The militants are believed to have aided in the movement of foreign fighters through the Khost-Gardez Pass and throughout Afghanistan. Coalition aircraft destroyed a pair of command bunkers, killing more than a dozen militants. Elsewhere, Afghan forces, assisted by coalition forces, conducted multiple operations in Khost, Ghazni and Kandahar provinces June 28. The operations were... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282908/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 01:01:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280369/posts WASHINGTON, June 26, 2009 – Afghan and coalition forces detained several suspected Taliban militants overnight during an operation designed to disrupt Taliban bombing and rocket attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. In the province’s Nad Ali district, a combined force patrolled near the village of Marjeh, to compounds where intelligence sources reported a known Taliban commander was located. While clearing the compounds, the force encountered a threat. Officials did not provide details of the threat, but said it was “eliminated” after several escalation-of-force measures. The force completed the search without further incident, detained a handful of... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280369/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:26:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280365/posts FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, June 26, 2009 – Insurgents operating in eastern Afghanistan increasingly are focusing their attacks away from coalition forces and on local residents, military officials here said. Two members of Afghanistan National Security Forces wait for a towing crew June 10, 2009, after an improvised explosive device destroyed a civilian vehicle near Yahya Kheyl in Paktika province, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Andrya Hill  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The rate of civilians killed by improvised explosive devices in eastern Afghanistan has risen 117 percent in the last year, while coalition forces deaths from... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280365/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:22:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279629/posts KABUL, June 25, 2009 – Afghan and coalition forces killed suspected militants and detained others today in operations to disrupt Taliban activity throughout Afghanistan. The force raided a compound in Helmand province believed to be the hideout of a Taliban commander with ties to Taliban operations within the province. Upon arrival at the compound in the province’s Nad Ali district, the force was engaged by small-arms fire from hostile militants. The force used direct fire and close-air support to repel the attack, killing several militants. The force also detained nearly a dozen suspected militants and seized several small-arms weapons, multiple... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279629/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:19:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279496/posts THE US Senate has approved a $US7.5billion ($9.4bn) bill to triple civilian aid and boost stability after Islamabad's crackdown on the Taliban. The aid bill was passed a day after suspected US drone attacks on the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan killed up to 80 people and reportedly narrowly missed Pakistan's Taliban commander, Baitullah Mehsud. The Senate and House of Representatives - which passed its own version of the bill this month - must now present a compromise bill to US President Barack Obama for approval, amid differences over whether conditions should be placed on economic aid. Democratic senator John... The Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279496/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:42:11 GMT