Baitullah Mehsud Rival Gunned Down
ISLAMABAD — Hoo, boy, talk about Propaganda of the Deed. Early this morning, Qar’i Zainuddin Mehsud, who just days ago spoke out publicly against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, Baitullah Mehsud, was shot dead by his own bodyguard. AfPax Insider had a scoop in wait, with a 14-minute interview with the old jihadist, who had decided that his […]
The Great Escape
I’m glad to see a little light thrown on this story. And very glad to know David and Tahir are safe. KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan journalist who was held captive by the Taliban for more than seven months along with a New York Times reporter revealed details on Sunday of a nighttime escape that included weeks of careful […]
'New' Group Claims Pearl Hotel Attack
Al Jazeera has a good report on Wednesday’s attack and UPI is reporting that a new group calling itself the Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade has claimed credit for the attack, which killed 17 people. Abdullah Azzam was a Palestinian militant who mentored Osama bin Laden before being assassinated in 1989. It’s not unusual for militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban […]
Vegas, baby
I’m traveling over the next three days to Las Vegas for the NPPA’s Convergence ’09 conference. I’ll post when I can. Speaking of traveling, I leave for Pakistan on Monday. Things will be a bit chaotic for a few days until I get settled. Please keep checking back.
From the Dept. of It's About Time...
Finally! The military sent helicopter gunships to a northwest region Tuesday to support armed villagers who have risen up against Taliban to avenge a deadly mosque blast, an official said. One of the reasons the Taliban were able to make such gains in Dir and Swat was that local militias saw no support from the government and watched […]
What I've Been Reading - June 8, 2009
Tribes target Taliban in Dir after mosque bombing June 8, 2009 — Interesting. Will be posting more on this later today. (ctbritt) TNSM deputy and spokesman killed in Taliban ambush June 6, 2009 The Lebanese Armed Forces: The Case for Continuing Aid — Come Hizballah or High Water June 4, 2009 Afghanistan: Suspected Taliban Commander Killed June 2, 2009 […]
Afghans in America
While this post has little to do with the insurgency in Afghanistan, it does reflect the project I’ve been working on for the past 10 weeks or so. In my closing days at Stanford University as a Knight Fellow, I decided to explore the Afghan community in Fremont, Calif., which is the largest in the United States. […]
Zawahiri Speaks Up on Obama in Cairo
Al Qaeda’s al-Sahab Media released an 11-minute, 40-second audio/video message featuring Ayman al-Zawahiri holding forth on President Barack Obama’s upcoming speech in Cairo. “His bloody messages were received and are still being received by Muslims, and they will not be concealed by public relations campaigns or by farcical visits or elegant words,” Zawahiri said. He urged […]
Taking the Eyes Off the Ball
Posted by Christopher Allbritton on June 16, 2009 at 7:11 am +0000 · 1 Comment
Both Nicholas Schmidle, author of “To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan,” and Andrew Exum (Abu Muqawama, yo) are warning that expanding the Pakistan military operation, currently pushing back the Taliban from the Swat Valley, to Waziristan right now is likely a big mistake. Schmidle’s concerns are logistical and practical: … it […]
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