Sunday, December 30, 2012

Taliban bombers arrested in failed insider attack bid

A group of the Taliban militants who were looking to carry out coordinated attacks on Paktika governor compound after seducing an Afghan police officer were trapped and arrested by the same police officer.

The Afghan police was appreciated by high level Afghan security officials.

Taliban militants were assuming that the Afghan police officer Bayar Khan Wayar was the appropriate person to use for an insider attack however the police officer trapped the Taliban militants in their own plan.

Wayar who is a low level Afghan police officer in Paktika province met with a man who told him that he will become a rich person if he meets with insurgents leader.

After receiving a medal from the Afghan interior minister Mojtaba Patang said, “I thought the messenger of the Taliban group was joking but the Taliban leader Mohammad came to the police check post in Sar-e-Hawza district to meet me since he knew I was working there.”

Wayar further added, “The Taliban leader urged me in a rude way to join Taliban group and assist them to carry out an insider attack on Afghan police forces. I requested him to give me sometime until I decide.”

But the 40 year old Wayar informed Afghan police forces rather than assisting the Taliban group and Afghan police forces asked him to continue contacting the group until receiving the full information regarding their plan.

He later received a phone call from a Haqqani Network leader and was proposed with a luxury house in Pakistan if he assists to tke the suicide bombers to Paktika government compound where provincial governor and security chief are based.

Despite it is dificult to independently confirm but security officials are saying that the leader who contacted Wayar was Sirajuddin Haqqani who had a close link with the al Qaeda network.

Wayar said, “The group offered me $50,000, two brand new vehicles and a house in Pakistan.”

But the Afghan police decided to continue with the plan of the militants and allowed three men aged between 18 to 25 who were sent by the Taliban leader Mohammad to work in police check post using the Afghan police uniform.

Paktika provincial governor Mohibullah Samim said, “We were closely monitoring the guys and we told Wayar to assist the suspected militants and never leave them alone.”

Mr. Samim further added, “He (the police officeer) was a true fighter and was not caring for his life. We trusted him and he proved that he was a true Afghan working for his country.”

A month later the Taliban leader Mohammad returned with other men and brought a vehicle laden with explosives with them, they had also brought 60 hand grenades along with 6 weapons and 6 suicide vests.

Wayar said, “I asked them regarding the sixth suicide bomber and he (the Taliban leader) said that he will be the sixth bomber who will detonate the car packed with explosives.”

On 11 December which was the day for the attack, the militants asked Wayar to allow the suicide bombers and vehicle to enter the government compound separately and then he (Wayar) will be allowed to go to Pakistan.

The Afghan police allowed the militants to go ahead with their plan until the last minutes. The hidden Afghan police forces immediately took actions and arrested the six suicide bombers.

Mohammad who later understood that he was trapped called on Afghan police officer Wayar and said, “Now that you have deceived us, why you are not shooting all of us?”

This comes as at least 60 NATO troops and several Afghan security forces have been killed following insider attacks in Afghanistan during the year.

In the latest insider attack, an Afghan police officer allowed to enter a police check post and kill 4 police officers in southern Uruzgan province last week.

from KHAAMA
By Ghanizada - December 30 2012, 8:01 pm

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Logar residents warn to uprise against Taliban militants

Hundreds of local residents in eastern Logar province of Afghanistan warned to uprise against the Taliban militants in this province.

A number of local tribal elders following a meeting with the provincial governor on Saturday expressed their concerns regarding the growing violence by Taliban militants.

Provincial governor spokesman Din Mohammad Darwish said residents of central districts and remote villages in Logar province have vowed to fight the Taliban militants who are creating troubles for the local residents.

He said, “They (local residents) said we are ready to uprise against the Taliban militants if they did not stop their violence and killings of the innocent civilians. The local government vowed to visit the volatile regions in a bid to prevent the killing of civilians by Taliban fighters.”

This comes as target killings and instability has dramatically increased in eastern Logar province of Afghanistan recently.

A number of reconstruction labors were also among those killed by the Taliban militants and their colleagues met with the provincial governor to share the issue.

A demonstration was also expected to be organized against the civilian killing however due to unknown reasons the protest was not held.

Districts of Logar. This image does not includ...
Districts of Logar. This image does not include Azra district, located to the east of Khoshi and Mohammad Agha. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Meanwhile local officials recently said they will deploy 700 local police officers and public protection forces in various locations of Logar province but it seems the decision was not implemented after local residents on Saturday prepared for a public uprising.

Growing violence by Taliban militants also forced a number of the Afghan families to flee in capital Kabul and also a number of the Chinese workers in Aynak copper mine left the area and went to China.

An Afghan lawmakers Mohammad Akbar Stanekzai earlier also warned that the Taliban group will possibly take control of several districts in this province.

Local security officials in Logar province criticize Pakistan and Iran for growing violence in this province in a bid to put pressure and destabilize capital Kabul.

from KHAAMA
By Meena Haseeb - December 30 2012, 9:39 am

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Dec. 30., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani facilitator and detained one suspected insurgent, during an operation in Pul-e ‘Alam district, Logar province, Dec. 30.

The facilitator supplied weapons and improvised explosive device materials to insurgents operating in Pul-e ‘Alam district. He was involved in numerous rocket, IED and direct fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

During the operation, the combined force also seized a number of Afghan National Army uniforms.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested two local Taliban leaders and detained one suspected insurgent during an operation in Spin Boldak district, Kandahar province, Dec. 29. The leaders provided improvised explosive device material to insurgents and conducted attacks in the district.

A Taliban leader in Now Zad district, Helmand province, was arrested Dec. 26 by an Afghan and coalition security force. The leader coordinated and conducted multiple direct fire and improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also was involved in the kidnapping and execution of Afghan National Army soldiers. During the operation, the security force detained one suspected insurgent.

During an operation Dec. 27, in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader who coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and provided weapons and ammunition to insurgents. At the time of his arrest, he was planning an improvised explosive device attack. The security force also detained one suspected insurgent as a result of the operation.

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Dec. 30., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed one insurgent, detained one, located one weapons caches and cleared two improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Dec. 29.

Khowst province

Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED in Nadir Shah Kot district.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained one insurgent during an engagement in Nadir Shah Kot district. The detained suspect was transferred to a base for questioning.

Laghman province

Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared one IED in Mehtar Lam district.

Logar province

Afghan National Army soldiers killed one insurgent during an engagement in Kharwar district.

Parwan province

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in Bagram district. The cache contained multiple rockets and grenades.

Operations in RC-East are ongoing.

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Missing Georgian Soldier in Afghanistan Found Dead

Sergeant Giorgi Kikadze, who served in the Helmand province of Afghanistan and who went missing on December 19, has been found dead, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Alasania announced at a late-night press conference on Saturday.

He did not provide details about circumstances of Sergeant Kikadze’s death.

“Investigation has to be concluded and after it is over we will provide information about it to the public,” Alasania said.

Two days ago Alasania said the probability that the soldier was alive “is now higher and we have more reasons now to be optimistic that he will return back to his family.”

Speaking at the brief news conference on December 29 Alasania apologized to the family of Sergeant Kikadze for triggering inflated expectations.

This recent incident brings Georgian military death toll in Afghanistan to 19; eight of them died this year.

Georgia has almost doubled its contribution to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan in October to over 1,560 soldiers, becoming the largest non-NATO contributor to the ISAF operation.

Georgia currently has two battalions in the Helmand province of Afghanistan – 12th battalion of the first infantry brigade and 32nd battalion of the third infantry brigade; for the latter it is a second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

from civil.ge
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 29 Dec.'12 / 22:16

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19 killed, 25 injured in convoy attack in SW Pakistan

Security soldiers cordon off the blast site in southwest Pakistan's Mastung, Dec. 30, 2012.  (Xinhua/Iqbal Hussain)
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 19 people were killed and 25 others injured when a bomb hit a convoy of three buses carrying Shia pilgrims in Pakistan's southwest district of Mastung on Sunday morning, said an official.

Tufail Baloch, Deputy Commissioner of Mastung, said that the blast left 19 people dead and 25 others wounded.

Earlier local media reports said that the bus convoy was hit by a roadside bomb while on its way back from Iran to Quetta near Mastung, a district lying some 50 kilometers south of Quetta, capital of Balochistan province.

However, latest reports said that all the pilgrims were from Multan, a city in central Pakistan and they were on the way to Iran via Quetta.

The bus convoy was hit by an explosive-laden car instead of a roadside bomb, a driver of the bus convoy told local media.

The car rammed into one of the three buses, which carried 43 passengers on board, said the driver.

Fire erupted following the blast, he said, adding that one bus was completely destroyed, another was partially damaged and the third bus remained safe.

All the injured have been shifted to a civil hospital in Mastung where some of the seriously wounded have been referred to hospital in Quetta, said rescue workers.

Many suffered serious burn injuries, said hospital sources.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement and strongly condemned the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which apparently targeted the Shia Muslims.



more photos from XINHUA here
 
from XINHUA
2012-12-30 14:51:18
Editor: Hou Qiang

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