MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 5 Nov 11

• Remember the Memorial Ribbon announcement yesterday?  It appears to be gone now (except for a few media outlets that ran with it early here and here, at Army.ca for discussion, and here (PDF) for posterity).  Hmmmm…..
• Remembrance Day  “So far this year we’ve been spared the almost annual clash between the custodians of the red Remembrance Day poppy and anti-war activists who promote the white poppy of peace ….”
• Veterans getting a lot of mention in the House of Commons these days - more from Hansard here, here, here and here.
• The Applebees restaurant chain is offering a free meal on November 11th to veterans – I especially love Army.ca owner Mike Bobbitt’s idea of donating what the meal would have cost to the Soldier On fund.
• Poochies helping those with hidden wounds.  “Dave Desjardins says he’s convinced a Rottweiler named Maggie helped save his life. The 41-year-old retired soldier was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder in 2005, a few months after he returned from Afghanistan. When he first met the dog last year, he was addicted to morphine and afraid to leave his home for anything more than a quick cigarette in the backyard ….”
• Toronto Star articles on dealing with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and how DRDC labs are helping.
• Libya Mission  Softball question in the House of Commons on when the troops are coming home from the Libyan theatre o’ operations:  “Mr. Speaker, earlier this year Canada responded rapidly and strongly after the UN Security Council passed a resolution to protect civilians who were being attacked by the Gadhafi regime in Libya. In less than 24 hours CF-18s were airborne from 3 Wing Bagotville en route to their operating base in Trapani, Italy, along with strategic air-to-air refueling support from 8 Wing Trenton’s Polaris aircraft. Canada also sent a frigate to patrol the central Mediterranean. Could the associate minister of national defence please inform the House when our heroes are coming home?”  I guess the Conservative member for Chatham-Kent—Essex missed the news release here, not to mention all the media advisories here, here and here.
• While troops return from Libya, veterans will be pressing for better benefits.  “There will plenty of celebration Friday and Saturday as cabinet ministers travel to air-force bases around the country to welcome home Canadian Forces personnel from a mission in Libya that saw rebels overthrow long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The 630 members of Canada’s military are returning home from Operation Mobile and NATO-led Operation Unified Protector, which saw them enforce an arms embargo and a no-fly zone around the North African nation for most of this year. Julian Fantino, the Associate Minister of National Defence, has been dispatched to Bagotville, Que., to greet troops Friday afternoon. Chris Alexander, the parliamentary secretary to the Defence Minister, will be waiting for them on Friday night in Trenton, Ont. And Defence Minister MacKay will be at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia on Saturday, an event that was delayed by weather. At exactly the same time that Mr. MacKay is shaking hands with the folks getting off the plane from Libya, veterans from Afghanistan and other conflicts will be on Parliament Hill protesting what they say are unfair benefits for people who have put their lives on the line for their country. It is the second Veterans National Day organized by Canadian Veterans Advocacy against the New Veterans Charter, which the group says discriminates against military personnel who were injured after April, 2006 – a time when Canada suffered most of the casualties in Afghanistan ….”
• Afghanistan (1)  CBC columnist reminds us Canada’s still at war in Afghanistan, training mission or not.  “…. the reality is that while Canada’s military pulled out of a costly, direct combat role this summer, it is now plunging even deeper into the real heart of the war ….”
• Afghanistan (2)  Kandahar handover more than just handing over the keys (via the CF Info-Machine).
• Afghanistan (3)  “The Government of Canada is one of the most generous donors to the World Food Programme globally and also in Afghanistan ….” (via the World Food Programme Info-Machine)
• Taliban Propaganda Watch  Mullah Omar:  Guys, guys, guys – you want to get at least a bit of a grip on the civilian casualties? (links to non-terrorist web page)
• Kevin Megeney, 1982-2007, R.I.P.  “Final submissions heard at ex-reservist’s court martial” (via The Canadian Press on CTV.ca)
• Stuart Langridge, R.I.P.  “Shaun Fynes bristles as he recalls the Canadian military’s treatment of his son, Cpl. Stuart Langridge. “They threw Stuart away like a piece of broken equipment,” he says in War in the Mind, Saltspring Island-based filmmaker Judy Jackson’s moving, revelatory film about combat trauma. It airs Nov. 8 (9 p.m. and midnight) on Knowledge Network. “We have to do everything we can to resurrect his reputation,” says Fynes, whose son, a young veteran of Bosnia and Afghanistan, hanged himself at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton in 2008 at age 28, the victim of post-traumatic stress disorder. Langridge’s parents have taken issue with their son’s treatment at the hands of the military ….”
• Let’s not forget we have troops in the Middle East, too.  “On the Golan Heights since July, Canadian army Capt. John Hooyer saw something new Thursday. It rained. He had been told by officers there before him that the rocky high ground between Israel and Syria does grow green. The area is fertile, home to vineyards and orchards. It is also the source of the headwaters of the Jordan River. But almost halfway into a year-long deployment with the United Nation’s observation force, Hooyer said he has watched the ground get drier and drier. Hooyer is one of seven Canadian soldiers assigned to Operation Jade, Canada’s contribution to the UN’s oldest peacekeeping mission. Hooyer is stationed around six observation posts on the Israeli side of the border with Syria. “It’s surprising how many people are not aware the UN is operating observation posts up here,” Hooyer said in a telephone interview ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1)  Yet ANOTHER question in the House of Commons.
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2)  Mark Collins on numbers and locations (some that may be no more?)
• Mark Collins again, this time on how long some of the Big Honkin’ Ships’ll take to build - more on that here.
• Speaking of Big Honkin’ Ships, ooopsie….  “A Canadian navy ship that had just undergone a yearlong, $44.7-million facelift struck a dock in Halifax on Friday afternoon, causing damage to both. HMCS Preserver, one of the navy’s supply ships, had just returned from several days of tests at sea and was in the process of turning around when it struck the Halifax Shipyards dock, said Royal Canadian Navy spokesman Maj. Paul Doucette. No one was injured, but Preserver’s upper starboard side was damaged, as was the dock ….”  More at CBC.ca here, and the Halifax Chronicle-Herald here.
• House of Commons debate on proposed changes to the CF’s legal system via Hansard here and here.
• Don Cherry declines honourary degree from RMC with thanks (you can still vote here on a CBC.ca poll, though).  “Concerned controversy may take away from “a special day,” Don Cherry has declined an honorary degree from the Royal Military College. “I can’t accept the degree and I won’t attend the convocation,” Cherry said in an interview Friday about the Nov. 17 ceremony in Kingston. “I am sad because I was really looking forward to spending time with the 800 cadets.” Perhaps instead they can line up to get their picture taken with French Professor Catherine Lord. It is because of her bizarre and vitriolic complaints that the legendary hockey coach and commentator wont be there. “On many occasions he publicly expressed his contempt for many groups of the Canadian population, notably for the French-speaking Canadians, for the (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community and for the immigrants,” Lord wrote in an open letter. “What message will RMC send, in celebrating Don Cherry, to the students coming from these groups? And what will the Canadian people remember from RMC, as a serious and prestigious institution?” The message would be: “Thanks, Don, for all you have done.” ….”
• Big spending by the U.K. to train its troops in Western Canada.  “The Army spends an average of almost £45 million a year (CDN$ 74 million) training British soldiers on a Canadian prairie, the Government said today. Seven thousand troops are sent to British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS), on a prairie in Alberta, each year ahead of deployment to war zones, including Afghanistan. They are able to fire live weapons more freely than in the UK because of the vast size of the prairie in Alberta.  But figures revealed by the Ministry of Defence show spending on BATUS totalled £224.5 million over the past five years, peaking at £58 million in 2009/10. It works out at an average of £44.9 million annually since 2006 ….”  (Article also downloadable as PDF here if link doesn’t work)
  

MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – 24 May 11

• “More troops headed to Quebec’s Montérégie region overnight as water levels in the Richelieu River returned to a historic high. Defence Minister Peter MacKay said last night that 250 reserve forces at CFB Valcartier had been ordered back to the region to help with the flood relief effort. That will double the number of military personnel in the region to 500, confirming the number quoted by Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who returned to the region earlier Monday. The Richelieu hit its highest level in more than a century on May 6, and is expected to rise another 20 centimetres by Tuesday ….”  More on OP Lotus here.
• “NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan thanked Canadian taxpayers and praised Canadian combat troops Monday for having “sacrificed greatly” to “dramatically improve” Kandahar since arriving to fight the Taliban in 2006. “The achievements of the past year have been particularly impressive,” Gen. David Petraeus said during a three-hour visit with a large group of Canadian, American and Afghan troops and civilians at a small district centre in Canada’s battle space to the west of Kandahar City. “What has been achieved is that a place that used to be (Taliban leader) Mullah Omar’s hometown and used to be a Taliban stronghold is now a stronghold of Afghan security forces with Afghan governance … Canada has contributed significantly to all of this.” It may have been Gen. Petraeus’s last visit with Canadian troops, who are to end combat operations in a few weeks. Gen. Petraeus is also leaving Afghanistan. He is President Barack Obama’s nominee to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency ….”
• “What possesses a Canadian dental surgeon to trade in his scrubs and scalpels for nine months in the Kandahari desert mentoring Afghan troops in counter-insurgency tactics? “Most people find it hard to relate to,” Capt. Luong Phuc Nguyen of 4 Royal 22nd Regiment admitted with a laugh. “I am losing a lot of money and not furthering my career.” That goes double for the 37-year old dentist’s father, who is a pediatrician and his mother, who is a pharmacist. “My parents are from Vietnam,” he said. “My grandfather fought the French and the Communists. They stayed there until a few days before the fall of Saigon. When I was almost two years old, I was on the cover of Newsweek. “So my parents understand my patriotism. But they have had a hard time understanding why someone with my career would want to interrupt it. The prospect of combat is scary for them.” ….”
• Matthew Dawe, 1980-2007, R.I.P.:  “For military …. family, losing a son just part of the sacrifice of duty”
• Taliban Propaganda Watch:  Taliban spokesperson denies reports Mullah Omar has been killed.
• “A Canadian brigadier general who was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in an exchange program is headed back to his motherland, while another Canadian officer will replace him. Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay was the first general officer from a foreign country to take part in the exchange at Lewis-McChord. Officers and other soldiers will say goodbye to him at a ceremony Tuesday afternoon. Tremblay had been assigned to I Corps since August 2009, deployed with the unit on its Iraq deployment, and moves on to become commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. “I think in life there is a time for everything,” Tremblay, who recently served as I Corps chief of staff, said in a press release. “And now it’s time to go back home.” He will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier, another Canadian, who will deploy this summer with I Corps Headquarters to Kabul, Afghanistan. Lanthier previously went to Afghanistan as a commander with a Canadian Army task force in 2006 ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (1):  “As part of Lockheed Martin’s mission to Québec organized by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), Aéro Montréal is delighted with the holding of various meetings between Lockheed Martin managers responsible for the F-35 procurement program and many Québec aerospace companies. During a three-day visit, the American company held 50 B2B meetings and toured the facilities of many key, pre-selected players from Québec’s aerospace industry. These meetings flowed from a mission to Lockheed Martin’s plant in Fort Worth in December 2010 in which Aéro Montréal participated. They aim to position new potential suppliers in the global supply chain of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jet ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (2):  “United States defence giant Lockheed Martin will open its doors a little this week to showcase its latest aviation technology as part of a public-relations program partly in response to growing fears among politicians in the U.S. and Canada that its multi-billion-dollar F-35 fighter program is running well over budget. QMI Agency is the only Canadian news outlet invited on the international media tour. Beginning Tuesday with sit-down interviews here with some of the defence firm’s top executives, Lockheed Martin will showcase its unmanned cargo helicopter and helicopter production facility in New York state before taking reporters to Fort Worth, Texas, to tour the F-16 and F-35 production facilities ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War (3):  ”With the Conservative Party election victory on 2 May, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is now free to finalise the long-term military modernisation strategy – dubbed Canada First – that was unveiled three years ago. The document calls for yet more purchases of airlifters, helicopters and unmanned aircraft systems in the near term, with fighters and maritime patrol ships to follow ….”
• A Canadian shipyard resumes talking to an Italian company about a takeover. “Davie Yards has announced that it has obtained an order from the Québec Superior Court extending the stay of proceedings ordered by the Court to July 7, 2011, the whole pursuant to the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. Davie is continuing its discussions with Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani and DRS Technologies Canada, a Finmeccanica company, regarding the proposed acquisition of the shipyard by an entity that will be majority-owned by Fincantieri. On May 8, 2011, Davie’s yard workers accepted with a strong majority of 93 percent the proposal for a five-year collective agreement presented by the consortium led by Fincantieri ….”
• “Canadian aircraft sent to Haiti to help in the aftermath of last year’s devastating earthquake suffered mechanical problems that left some sitting idle for days as they awaited replacement parts, according to military reports. Six Griffon helicopters and one Sea King went to the Caribbean country within 48 hours of the Jan. 12, 2010, disaster to help ship humanitarian aid into communities that were extensively damaged by the 7.3-magnitude quake. But situation reports covering the two-month mission show that at times, up to three of the six Griffons were unserviceable because of breakdowns, a lack of parts and inspections. The documents say that the inability to get replacement parts was one of the greatest challenges in Haiti, as flights delivering military hardware into the country weren’t adequately prioritized ….”
• Khadr Boy (1a):  “Convicted terrorist Omar Khadr won’t get any time shaved off his eight-year prison term after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a request for clemency to cut his sentence in half. Defence lawyers for the Toronto-born Canadian had asked the high court for mercy based on what they say was a flawed sentencing hearing at a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay last fall. The request by his lawyers is considered standard procedure, the last legal motion in a case that began nearly nine years ago when the trained teenaged al-Qaida operative killed a U.S. soldier. The Supreme Court – as usual – gave no reasons for denying the request ….”
• Khadr Boy (1b):  “Convicted terrorist Omar Khadr will know in two weeks whether he will get his eight-year prison term cut in half, his lead U.S. lawyer says. Lt.-Col Jon Jackson said there was some confusion about a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday over the Toronto-born Canadian’s request for mercy based on what his lawyers say was a flawed sentencing hearing at a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay last fall. The request by his lawyers is considered standard procedure, the last legal motion in a case that began nearly nine years ago when the trained teenaged al-Qaida operative killed a U.S. soldier. But the request will be decided by Vice-Admiral Bruce MacDonald in as little as two weeks ….”
• Khadr Boy (1c):  “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday finally ruled on whether to hear a years-old bid by Omar Khadr to have a part of his case reviewed — some seven months after his plea deal agreement renounced all claims he had against the U.S. government. A majority of Supreme Court justices denied the review petition, which was wrapped in with similar claims by other terror suspects held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ….”
• This from the Pakistani media:  “The Canadian government has sought help from the Pakistani government in locating and arresting two Canadian students of Afghan descent who are suspected of having joined the Taliban and al Qaeda. Pakistan received the Canadian requests through Interpol for help in the arrest of Maiwand Yar, 27, and Farid Imam, 30. At least one of the young men was reported to be a mechanical engineering student at the University of Manitoba. The Canadian government suspects that they plan to join the Taliban insurgents fighting Nato troops in Afghanistan. According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the arrest warrants for Yar and Imam are the result of a four-year national security criminal investigation known as Project Darken. “These warrants are the result of a lengthy and thorough national security criminal investigation involving key partners throughout Canada and the US,” stated Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson of the RCMP ….”  More here.
• “The Pakistani-American who spent months casing Mumbai ahead of the 2008 terror attacks told a jury Monday that Pakistan’s spy service supports the terrorist group he worked with on the deadly siege. David Coleman Headley testified at the terror trial here of Tahawwur Rana, a 50-year-old Pakistani-Canadian who co-owns a house in Kanata with his family. He told the court that Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided financial, military and moral support to the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). “I assumed these groups operated under the same umbrella -they co-ordinated with each other,” Headley told the jury ….”

TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 232210UTC May 11

NOTE:  Do NOT click on a link to the Taliban’s or other terrorist web pages if you don’t want the webmasters to see your computer’s IP number. This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Mujahid sniper shoots dead ANA minion

Tuesday, 24 May 2011 00:39 zabihullah mujahid
KANDAHAR, May. 23 – An ANA minion standing guard in front of his outpost in Khak-e-Safid’s Nangabad area was shot dead by a Mujahid sniper at 01:00 pm today.

2 cowardly police gunned down in Kandahar city

Monday, 23 May 2011 18:42 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, May. 23 – 2 cowardly puppet police were gunned down and killed by Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate this afternoon near Mirwaise Hospital of Kandahar city.

US tank obliterated in Dand

Monday, 23 May 2011 20:30 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, May. 23 – Mujahideen detonated a remote-controlled mine on a US tank, killing and wounding all invaders onboard near Shafa village of Dand district at 08:00 am this morning.

Joint enemy patrol comes under armed attack

Monday, 23 May 2011 15:39 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, May. 23 – A patrol of US invaders backed by their puppets came under an armed Mujahideen attack at 08:00 am yesterday in which 2 4 wheeled motorbikes were destroyed, killing 4 enemy personnel in Seyuri district’s Zarha Shor Khoni village.

American outpost hit by missiles

Monday, 23 May 2011 18:41 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, May. 23 – A US outpost near Qalat city was hit by 2 missiles at 08:30 am this morning but the extent of damage and casualties caused is not known.

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Remarks Spokesman of Islamic Emirate regarding the baseless claims about the Martyrdom of Amir ul Mumineen

Monday, 23 May 2011 17:09

Claims and rumors were spread this morning by the Kabul stooge regime’s intelligence directorate, other officials and some media outlets that the esteemed Amir ul Mumineen was Martyred in Pakistan. We strongly reject these false claims of the enemy and we confidently encourage our fellow countrymen, Mujahideen and the rest of the Muslims not to believe these intelligence lies and false reports. All praise is due to Allah, the esteemed Amir ul Mumineen is alive and well and is leading the Mujahideen in all aspects while living safely with reliance on Allah and with the strong backing and support of his believing nation. The enemy, with these kinds of rumors is trying to halt the devastating waves of ‘Badar’ operation and is trying to create confusion amongst Mujahideen, countrymen and faithful Muslims. With these kinds of false claims, the enemy is trying to turn away the focus of Mujahideen from their Jihadic activities while at the same time trying to boost the morale of invading and its puppet internal forces but such futile attempts will never make them reach their miserly goals. They should realize that the struggle against them is from a proud nation with strong determination who will not be turned away from their goals with mere lies and false propaganda. Our nation is an intelligent nation, who is aware of the tricks and lies of the devious and cunning enemy. No one will be able to stand against or create obstacles in the way of this nation’s aspirations and goals. God willing.

Spokesman of Islamic Emirate
Zabihullah Mujahid
23/05/2011

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 230055UTC Feb 11

NOTE:  Do NOT click on a link to the Taliban’s or other terrorist web pages if you don’t want the webmasters to see your computer’s IP number. This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Puppet translator shot dead in Kandahar city

Tuesday, 22 February 2011 13:09 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Feb. 22 –Ali Ahmad, a resident of the Kandahar city and a puppet translator for American terrorists in the previous compound of the Esteemed Amir-ul-Mumineen for the past 4 years was killed in Zirh Maktab area of Kandahar city in a guerrilla attack.

Zhiri blast kills 5 puppets

Tuesday, 22 February 2011 10:33 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Feb. 22 – Some 5 puppet police were killed including their commanders yesterday afternoon when their vehicle was blown to bits by an IED in Nalgham area of Zhiri district.

4 puppets killed in Mujahideen attack

Monday, 21 February 2011 16:08 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Feb. 21 – The weapons and equipment of 4 puppet police were seized by Mujahideen in Panjwaee district after their stationed vehicle came under an armed assault at 03:00 pm resulting in the death of the puppets near Jalat Khan Graveyard located in Zangawat area.

Candidate gunned down in Kandahar

Tuesday, 22 February 2011 15:15 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, Feb. 22 – Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate gunned down and killed Ahmad Shah Khan, a candidate for Kabul regime along with his bodyguard in Khwaja area of Kandahar city.

IED’s detonate on US invaders foot patrol

Monday, 21 February 2011 06:51 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Feb. 21 – Mujahideen reporting from Maiwand district say that 2 IED’s planted in Sher Ali Karez area simultaneously detonated on a US foot patrol but the number of killed and wounded is not known.

Mujahideen in Zhiri kill local commander

Tuesday, 22 February 2011 11:41 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Feb. 22 – A puppet local police commander in Zhiri district, famous by the name of Chat, was gunned down and killed by Mujahideen late yesterday afternoon while on his way to a nearby check post. His weapon and equipment were also seized.

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 042240UTC Dec 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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4 invaders killed and wounded during raid

Friday, 03 December 2010 07:37 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Dec. 03 – Mujahideen from Kajaki say that last night US invaders tried to raid civilians homes Taja Khelo area but came under fierce attacks from which 1 American terrorist was killed and 3 others seriously wounded. Mujahideen add that during the 3 hour fighting, the barbaric Americans wounded 2 civilians and took 3 others as captives. Locals say that the wounded and imprisoned persons were in no way connected with Islamic Emirate.

Arghandab blast claims 2 invaders lives

Saturday, 04 December 2010 06:46 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Dec. 04 – Mujahideen from Arghandab’s Tabeen area say that a land mine exploded on US foot patrol while coming out of their check post last night as a result 2 invaders were killed and 3 seriously wounded.

Invaders suffer heavy casualties in Zhiri

Friday, 03 December 2010 14:28 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Dec. 03 – Mujahideen from Zhiri say that heavy fighting erupted in Sang-e-Sar area early afternoon time when Mujahideen attacked their foot patrol during an operation. Similarly, the invaders outpost came under heavy Mujahideen fire near the district center causing further damage and casualties. The enemy suffered deadly losses in both of the attacks but the exact numbers are not known.

Roadside bomb takes out US tank

Friday, 03 December 2010 07:36 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Dec. 03 – A US invaders tank was blown apart by a roadside bomb, killing and wounding all onboard in Arghandab district’s Muhammadeyo Yaqub Kala area at around 10:00 pm last night.

Arghandab IED destroys US tank

Friday, 03 December 2010 14:28 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Dec. 03 – At around 12:00 pm today, an IED ripped through US invaders tank, killing and wounding all onboard in Arghandab’s Shaheen area.

Blast hits puppets vehicle

Saturday, 04 December 2010 11:13 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, Dec. 04 – Some 4 puppet police were killed and 2 severely wounded when their vehicle was destroyed by a roadside bomb in Mizani district’s Takir area at around 10:00 pm this morning.

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The Negotiation Ploy Boomerangs on the Enemy – Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

Saturday, 04 December 2010 17:35

The esteemed Amir-ul-Mumineen, Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid, in his Eid ul Adha message, re-affirmed the stance of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regarding talks with the puppet Kabul regime and the American invaders.

He made it clear that the solution of the Afghan issues lies only in full withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. The recent developments as regards our country show the far-sightedness of the Amir-ul-momineen, by not responding to the war stratagem being launched by the enemy time and again under the name of peace talks overtures. With the passage of time, it becomes more and more exposed that the enemy is only trying to create rifts among the ranks of Mujahideen through their publishing false reports of peace talks with the senior officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

On 22nd Nov. 2010, the New York Times wrote: “the so called “high -ranking member of Taliban” was actually a lowly shop keeper from Quetta. He had introduced himself as Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour to the British Intelligence MI6; His credentials had been confirmed by US intelligence agencies. Then, he was flown by NATO to Kabul to meet with Hamid Karzai who gave him large amount of money. The man apparently had long talks with the M16 for several days before he was whisked away to Kabul. In fact, the enemy has no clear strategy for diplomatic solutions of the issue. Instead, they resort to some hypocritical tactics aimed at weakening the Mujahideen. A western writer writes: “But wait. If we did want to weaken Taliban resolve—and surely we do—and if individual Taliban leaders aren’t really sure what the others are doing, then even a fake Taliban talker might do the trick. Isn’t it possible the false Mansour served our interests–by putting the real Taliban leaders “on edge,” worried that some of their colleagues might be cracking? If the fake Mansour didn’t exist, it might be worth paying someone take the role, no?”

After flaunting its military surge and much publicized operations in Helmand and Kandahar, the enemy has realized that their increased military presence has actually backfired by inciting resistance to their presence even in areas that were relatively peaceful in the past. By their own admission, attacks on the foreign forces from April to October 2010 have increased by 300% compared to the same period in 2009. By the Grace of Allah, the Operation Al Fath (Operation Victory) has successfully been forging ahead. Next phase of the Mujahideen operations, as pointed out by the Commander of the Faithful, will deal dashing blows at the enemy, Inshallah.

In the recent Nato summit in Lisbon, the occupying Nato forces confirmed the end of 2014 as their final withdrawal date from Afghanistan. Since the invaders has proved unable to defeat the

Mujahideen militarily (as they themselves admit), they are trying fatuously to create dissension and distrust among the ranks of Mujahideen by spreading the rumor of talks. After the 9/11 attacks on America, the United States did not bother to open a comprehensive and neutral investigation of the 9/11 event to find the real culprits but instead of presenting concrete evidence, the Americans simply said that the Afghans should give in to their demands or they will invade our country. Soon, they started a barbaric aerial bombardment of Afghanistan, without regard to any principle of International law. The Nato allies, repeating mistakes of past empires, considered Afghanistan as a weak nation that they could invade and utilize for their designs in the region.

After the fall of Kabul, the Amir ul Mumineen, Mullah Muhammad Mujahid, in an interview with BBC Radio had predicted that Afghanistan would prove as a graveyard of the American Empire. Today, the Americans have been in Afghanistan for more than nine years, the same length of time that the Soviets had been in Afghanistan, and they are in no better condition than the Soviets. Their puppet regime is weak and corrupt and holds no sway beyond Kabul. They have displaced hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghan civilians; tens of thousands of Afghans have fallen prey to the enemy’s indiscriminate bombing, and an even higher number have been wounded by them. Their brazen lies about the ground realities have spiraled to such an extent that even their puppet President does not believe in them anymore. But most important of all, the myth of American supremacy has been shattered. America has been demoted from a supposedly “hyper-power” or “super-power” to just another regional power, unable to impose its will on other nations without the backing of other regional powers. The irony is that America was instigated into attacking Afghanistan by other regional powers, and Americas presence in the country served their interests more than it served America’s interests. And today, because of their military and political losses in Afghanistan, America does not have the strength and stomach to confront their real enemies. America’s invasion of Afghanistan will be judged as a unique moment in history when America abandoned its own principles of “Realpolitick” and decided to pull someone else’s chestnut out of the fire. The longer it stays in this fire, the more it will be burnt.

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 160130UTC Nov 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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2 American terrorists killed in Kandahar

Monday, 15 November 2010 07:59 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
KANDAHAR, Nov. 15 – At least 2 American terrorists were killed and 3 wounded at 04:00 pm yesterday when an IED exploded on their foot patrol in Dand’s Pazaki area. Their puppet translator is was amongst the wounded.

Terenkot blast kills 4 police

Monday, 15 November 2010 07:04 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
URUZGAN, Nov. 15 – A blast hit police vehicle in Company area of Terenkot city at 04:00 pm yesterday as a result 4 puppets onboard were killed, 2 wounded along with the vehicle completely destroyed.

Roadside bomb in Uruzgan takes out US tank

Monday, 15 November 2010 15:46 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
URUZGAN, Nov. 16 – A US invaders tank was obliterated by a roadside bomb at 11:00 am in Charhchino district’s Pasao Desert. All terrorists onboard were killed and wounded.

Joint enemy patrol comes under attack

Monday, 15 November 2010 15:47 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, Nov. 16 – Mujahideen from Nawbahar district say that they attacked the patrol of join enemy near Mullah Khamo village at 10:00 am this morning but the number of killed and wounded enemy is not known.

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Message of Felicitation of the Esteemed Amir-ul-Momineen on the Occasion of Eid-ul-Odha – Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

Monday, 15 November 2010 10:03

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help, forgiveness and guidance.

We seek His refuge from the whims of our inner-self and from our transgressions. Whoever Allah guides, no one can deviate( him/her); who ever goes astray, can find no one as a friend and guide (except Allah to guide him). We testify that there is no god but Allah. Alone is He and no partner He has. We also testify that Mohammad (peace be upon him) is His servant and messenger. Having said that, I would like to further say:

To the suffering Mujahid people of Afghanistan; to all believing ethnicities in all parts of the world; to all nearly and remotely- situated Muslims and to the Muslim Ummah: Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be upon you all. My heart-felt felicitation to you on this great day of joy, selflessness and sacrifice. May Allah (swt) accept in His Sight the worship and offerings of all Muslims. Similarly, may Allah (swt) accept the pilgrimage of the pilgrims who are now visiting the Kabba Sharifa and the struggles and toils of the Mujahideen of the way of truth and of their supporters. May Allah (swt) bestow blessing, salvation and victory on the Ummah as a result of the endeavors of the Mujahideen.Ameen

Meanwhile, I would like to share with you some viewpoints concerning the current situation of the country and the world.

Regarding the Internal Developments of the Country:

The moments of defeat of the invaders have approached now due to the special victory and the sincere sacrifices of the Mujahideen. The enemy has been defeated at the battle field. Now they rely on media hypes and portray themselves as if making advancement but the ground realities are what you and we are witnessing. The enemy is retreating and facing siege in all parts of the country day in and day out. Their life casualties are spiraling up. It is because of this pressure that the enemy has resorted to spreading the misleading rumors of peace talks. Thus, they want to reduce the military pressure which is being exerted on them. But it was the enemy in the first place, who invaded our country, imposing the war on us, so the sole way for our salvation is the armed jihad in the way of Allah (swt). Our Mujahid people will never feel exhausted in the sacred path of Jihad, because it is a divine obligation and a great worship. Fatigue can have no way into it. It is a matter of pride that the Mujahideen and the people, like brothers, lay down their lives in the defense of their religion, honor and independence of their country. They do not give chance to the enemy to create split among them through propaganda and other covert machinations. The enemy wants to protect itself from the attacks of Mujahideen by creating local militia units and utilize them as a shield; we have paid special attention to this task and obtained spectacular achievements. Similarly, some internal and external enemies are now speaking of disintegration of the beloved country. They should know that the patriotic countrymen and the Islamic Emirate will never allow any one to put into practice their wicked plan.

Regarding the Puppet Kabul Regime:

The situation of the Afghan people and the beloved country is going from bad to worse during this reign of the surrogate Karzai regime. Hardships, starvations, poverty, homelessness, civilian casualties, various diseases, aberrations of the youth and cultural and social deviation in the name of democracy are touching its climax. A few hoarders in the high government slots have control over all items including the daily consumption items. This is being carried out under the title of the open market system. They are determiner of the prices. We witness this hard fact, that many miserable families of the country have been forced to resort to beggary. Corruption is at its epic. This is not what we say but the founders and masters of this regime admit that their puppet regime ranks 2nd at the index of the most corrupt regimes of the world. This is because the rulers of the regime have been installed by others and they are not interested in the future and prosperity of the country. They are only hankering after filling their pockets with money and fleecing the masses. Many of them have foreign nationality and do not consider Afghanistan as their own country.

The Americans are intending to keep in the country, a regime installed under the leadership of some westernized elements– a regime which is extremely bereft of any resolve and determination; a surrogate only relying on foreign aid. Thus the invaders want to prolong their presence in the region and extend their occupation. Every Afghan in this corrupt regime has obligation to desist from supporting the invaders because of the current ordeals and tribulations that the Afghan Muslim people are passing through. They should not help their enemies of faith to destroy their home. There is no moral and religious justification to work in a regime, being puppet and traitor to its people. If they are not able to join the ranks of Jihad, at least, they can desist from cooperating with them. Thus they would perform their patriotic and ideological obligation. They should take care, less they may not stand shameful before their people and history and Allah (swt) on the Day of Resurrection.

The number of those who have left the ranks of the enemy has increased following our previous call to do so. This is a commendable phenomenon. We have instructed all Mujadeen to favor them with special incentives and acclamations.

Regarding the Rumors of Peace Talks by the Americans:

The Islamic Emirate still holds its previous stand regarding the current issue of the country. Islamic Emirate believes that the solution of the issue lies in withdrawal of the foreign invading troops and establishment of a true Islamic and independent system in the country. The cunning enemy which has occupied our country, is trying, on the one hand, to expand its military operations on the basis of its double standard policy and, on the other hand, wants to throw dust into the eyes of the people by spreading the rumors of negotiation. Claims about negotiation, flexibility in the stance of the Islamic Emirate, are mere baseless propaganda. The enemy wants to cover up its failure in Afghanistan by wrongfully raising hollow hopes in the hearts of their respective people. The believing people of Afghanistan and the public of the world should not trust any news report or rumor about the stance of the Islamic Emirate disseminated by any one rather than the leadership of the Islamic Emirate or the designated spokesmen, because such new reports are spread by the intelligence agencies of the hostile countries. Then the media outlets affiliated with these espionage entities, irresponsibly publish them with great fanfare. The aim is to play down the defeat ( of the enemy) at the military field through media warfare. But these conspiracies will never prove effective against our brave people and mujahideen as these experiences have already been tested.

The former Jihadi leaders and influential based in Kabul should know that, as the invading Americans already used you against the Mujahideen in the framework of peace council, they will again use you for their illegitimate objectives besides the puppet regime of Kabul. We can’t figure out why you are unilaterally coopering with the invaders? Can the present regime reflect your objectives of former jihad? Was the aim behind your 14-years long Jihad to let the place of the Russians to be occupied by the Americans?

If you want to extricate yourself of this dilemma and lead a life like a proud Muslim Afghan, the only way of honor and dignity is the way of the sacred Jihad and independence of the country. Come and compensate for your mistakes of the previous years by honestly embarking on the path of struggle against the invaders. This does not mean that every one has to join the stronghold but every one should utilize his capability in support of the current resistance. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has comprehensive policy for the efficiency of the future government of Afghanistan; about true security, Islamic justice, education, economic progress, national unity and a foreign policy based on norms to protect itself from the harms of others and convince the world that the future Afghanistan will not harm them.

Regarding the Military Situation of the Country:

Our coming military programs will forge ahead on the basis of the climate of the country and the geographical locations as per the plans now at the disposal of the Mujahideen. The aim is to entangle the enemy in an exhausting war of attrition and wear it away like the former Soviet Union. This will force it face disintegration after dealing a crushing and decisive blow at it that it would not be able to hold itself thereafter. To achieve this, we have hammered out short term and long term plans. We are optimistic about the results of these plans. Our strategy is to increase our operations step by step and spread them to all parts of the country to compel the enemy to come out from their hideouts and then crush them through tactical raids. This experiment was effective in Marja, Kandahar and some other areas. Therefore, the Mujahideen should focus on their jihadic efforts more than ever and expand their jihadic operations on the basis of the given plans. They should try their best to compel the moribund enemy to flee from our soil. They should constantly and unremittingly remember Allah during the performance of their tasks and be sure that Allah is the ultimate creator and conductor of all affairs; and must have the conviction that their achievements are the result of the exclusive blessings and victory from Allah; should increase their worship and recite the prayers during jihad which the holy prophet (peace be upon him) usually recited. This will bestow on them solace and consolation and will strengthen in them the essence of trust, sincerity, humbleness and the desire to seek the pleasure of Allah (swt). These characteristics of a believer are an asset which even in worse conditions lead to a blessing and victory from the Almighty Allah. Similarly, do not forget the Islamic moral conduct, even for a while, during your journey on the path of the sacred Jihad. You should study the Jihad related affairs in the books of the Sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and in the laws of religious jurisprudence. Pay attention to the life and property of the civilians so that, may Allah (swt) forbid, your Jihadic activities will not become a cause for destruction of property and loss of life of people. Any thing that is not permissible in Islam, has no place in our military policy. Spread fraternity among yourselves and help each other during the time of distress and ordeal. Maintain close contact with the people, seek the advice of local influential and hear their constructive advice and consultation and put them into practice.

To the Young Educated Generation and Men of Letters of the Country and the Students of Universities:

As a young educated generation and men of letters (writers) of our Islamic country, you are the leaders of tomorrow of the country. Our enemy is turning every stone to spread their cultural and ideological influence over the young generation of this Muslim country and thus jeopardize our history, religious values and our future. Our religious and historical enemy has cunningly launched a propaganda drive, spending huge amount of money in order to gradually strip our young generation of their Afghan and Islamic identity. As a young generation of this Islamic country, you have an Islamic and Afghani responsibility to confront these hostile anti-Islamic and anti-Afghan endeavors of the enemy with all your capability of tongue and pen and indefatigable struggle. Do not let your historical, religious and cultural enemy succeed. You should know that the cunning enemy financially and extensively fund some sold-out Afghan circles in a surreptitious manner to flare up a domestic war on the basis of language and geographical locations. Thus they want to harm the identity and integrity of the country and take avenge on the Afghans. You, the young educated generation, should not become part of these negative movements. Instead, solely focus on serving the cause of dissemination of Islamic culture, independence of the country and unity. The honor of a Muslim lies in Islam and Islamic unity. It is you that are able to protect the pillars of Islamic culture and Afghani identity from crumbling down. The Islamic Emirate is your flank of battle and a stronghold.

The Islamic Emirate is proud of your support; your Jihad of words and pen and holds you in high esteem and praise. This resistance will increasingly boost through your scholarly cultural efforts.

To Peoples and Governments of the Islamic World:

On this occasion of Eid-ul-odha and on behalf of the Islamic Emirate and as a member of the world Islamic family, I would like to remind the governments and people of the Islamic world to forget the issue of the occupied Afghanistan and the miserable condition of the people of this country. You should remember that the Afghan people have played prideful role for the defense of Islam and Islamic world, offering numerous sacrifices in this way throughout different stages of the history. This nation stood as a wall of iron in front of the invasions of Genghis, Britons and the communist colonialists, saving the Islamic world. Today, this nation is entangled in a complicated trial and an imposed war on the charges of their professing (Islamic) ideology. Every day, men and women of this nation, fall prey to the bombardment of the invaders and their children become orphans; miserable people are displaced internally due to the operations and fear of bombardment of the enemy. The people are grappling with hardship and poverty. But the Afghans have embraced all these sufferings out of commitment to the great cause of establishment of rules of the Holy Quran and the defense of the Islamic faith. So the Muslims of the world should share and feel (their pain) and have conduct with them on equal terms as pious Muslim. Perform your obligation of fraternity( towards them) in your material wealth. The countries of the Islamic world should not feel as being a lien to the issues of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and should not spare any effort in this regard in the framework of their foreign policies. They should consider the pains and hardship of these suffering people as their own pain and problem and play positive role in the solution of their problems.

To American and European Peoples and to Members of Parliaments:

Afghanistan is an independent Islamic country. It has a prideful history and freedom-loving people at the level of the region and world. This nation has not harmed the independence of other countries and, throughout the history, has not permitted any one else to take their independence. Now when your forces have invaded this territory for the achievement of some colonialist objectives and goals, so it is the religious and humane obligation of the Afghans to stand up to your forces. Think, if your country is invaded by some one else, would you remain indifferent in such circumstances? What do you think, should our people allow the invasion and aggression in their country and remain insouciant vis-avis the invaders? And should not they show any reaction in front of the aggression against their honor religious values, national dignity and independence.?

If you are an impartial judge, you would yourself give us the right to keep up the path of resistance against the invaders and even shore it up more than ever.

Availing the limited resources at their disposal and because of their firm determinations and conviction in their being in the right, the Afghans showed to your military chiefs and political leaders in the past nine years, that you, invaders, are not able to force this nation to accept your occupation. The troops surge made no change in the status quo and never will they be able to turn the tide, if God willing. Body counts of your troop’s causalities have spiraled up but still your political leaders and military chiefs stubbornly persist in their failed politics.

First of all, you should find for yourselves the ground realities and then study them. Ponder over them impartially. How long the governments and people of the world will tolerate your tyrannical policy and your demeanor of taking hostage the people. To relieve yourselves and the Afghan people from the weariness of this unjustified war, you have to put an end to the war as soon as possible. The more the war prolongs, the more causalties of your troops increase and the more its economic burden become heavier. Nothing more than this, you will achieve.

This is the country of the Afghans. The Afghan will not relinquish of it. The resistance will continue as long as the invaders are stationed there. You should review the historical facts to learn some essential points from them. It is more rationale to stop adding fuel to the flames of war by leaving this region. The presence of foreign forces on our soil, paves the way for intensification and aggravation of the war–consequent upon which you will have to face colossal financial and life losses.

To the Neighboring and Regional Countries of Afghanistan:

As an independent country, Afghanistan has been forced to wage a sanguinary war for the attainment of its identity. The colonialist countries led by America, want to turn our historical and independent country into a military base under various pretexts. It has persuaded some other countries to align with them and even have compelled the World Body of the United Nations to issue resolutions palatable to the USA. It has turned the World Body, defacto, into personal entity of America.

I urge you to find for yourselves the ground realities instead of listening to the futile propaganda of the colonialists. Do not forget your responsibilities in the way of independence of our oppressed country.

On the basis of its hypocritical policy, America wants to project our legitimate mission to defend our country and the current resistance as a threat to the world whereas they have no convincing proof and evidence on hand in this regard.

Request:

To end, I urge all Muslims to remember the families of Muahideen, the prisoners, martyrs and IDPs in these day of sacrifices and selflessness; they have sacrificed themselves in the defense of this venerable religion (Islam) and the country. Remember their orphans and heirs and behave with them like you behave with your children, particularly, favor them with a share in the joy of the Eid.

Once again congratulations on the occasion of Eid and may Allah protect you from grief and anguish.

Peace be on you all

The servant of Islam

Amir-ul-Momineen

Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid

9/12/1431

15/11/2010

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH – 090010 Sept 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Message of Felicitation of the Esteemed Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, on the Eve of Eid-ul-Fitr – Screen capture of full statement at Scribd.com

Ramadan 28, 1431 A.H, Wednesday, September 08, 2010

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah in whose hands is the dominion and all affairs, the Creator, the Evolver, the Giver of life and death.

We sincerely believe in His Oneness and Him alone, we worship. He has no partners.

We ask Allah to shower His blessing and favors on the prophet, the generous one who was sent as a mercy for all creations.

We witness that he conveyed the Message and fulfilled the mission and ameliorated the Ummah; dispelled the cloud and left the Ummah on a white screen. No one deviates from it but annihilates himself. May Allah (SwT) reward the prophet, the best rewards ever given to any prophet on behalf of his followers? Blessing of Allah and peace be upon him, his descendants and his companions, the chosen ones. After this, I would like to say:

Peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be on the Muslim Mujahid nation, the suffering families of martyrs, and prisoners, the gallant Mujahideen of the path of Jihad and sacrifice, all those who have been detained by the invading infidels on charges of their struggling for independence and on all Islamic Ummah,.

I extend my felicitation to you all on the eve of Eid-ul-fitr and pray to Allah (SwT) to accept in His sight your fast, worship and sacrifices in the way of Truth.

Availing myself of this opportunity of the auspicious occasion, I want to share with you some specific points regarding the current Jihad, the political situation and my ensuing actions and policies.

a) O Muslim Mujahid Nation of Afghanistan!

The current Jihad and resistance in Afghanistan against the foreign invaders and their puppets, is a legitimate Jihad, being waged for the defense of the sovereignty of the Islamic country and Islam. The expansion, momentum and success of this Jihadic resistance rightly signify that it is a country-wide, independent and holy resistance of the masses and has now approached close to its destination of victory thanks to the help of Allah (SwT) and your innumerous sacrifices. So you should strive to lay aside all your internal differences, agrarian and residential lands disputes and other grievances. Put all your strength and planning behind the task of driving away the invaders and regaining independence of the country. The history has it that whenever invading forces face defeat, they sow seed of differences in the occupied territories before their pull-out and leave behind various conflicts.

The Americans now are passing through this stage. Therefore, robustly focus on foiling all conspiracies of the enemy which are aimed at creating mistrust and separation between Mujahideen and the people or igniting the fire of internal fighting through formation of militias or launching fake process of elections with the prior knowledge that every thing has already been decided and finalized in Washington or the convening of the spurious Jirga by gathering some sycophant government employees or other similar conspiracies, Convince all those who are involved in these conspiracies unknowingly or lured by financial incentives. Strictly prevent them from perpetrating such activates.

I assure you, our days of sufferings and hardship will not prolong furthermore. Soon, if God willing, our grieved hearts will find solace as the invading enemy is ousted and the Islamic sovereignty is established. All our noble country men, whether be they an engineer, a doctor, a student of a school or of a religious Madarassa, whether he is a teacher or a cleric, a professor or religious scholar hailing from any tribe and ethnicity, will all work together like brothers in an independent country with strong Islamic government established on the basis of the aspirations of the people.

“Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power) as He granted it to those before, them, that He will establish in authority their religion- the one which He has chosen for them, and that He will change (their state) after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace. They will worship me (alone) and not associate aught with me. If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked. (S. 24. A 55. )

b) Mujahid Brothers!

Through your strong determination and faith, you succeeded to foil all conspiracies and machinations of the global infidel power. The Almighty Allah has favored you with victory over all your invading enemies thanks to your steadfastness and perseverance, effacing the aura of shock and awe of the powerful enemy. This was made possible due to your sincere Jihad and sacrifices. Today, America is regarded as a most hated force and faces humiliations and disgrace. We see now that the more you gain the upper hand over the enemy forces, the more their ranks and files become disarrayed and disorganized. Those military experts who have framed strategies of the invasion of Afghanistan or are now engaged in hammering out new strategies, admit themselves that all their strategies are nothing but a complete failure.

All those experienced and sophisticated generals who were sent to the battle field, now are being sent back disgracefully and humiliatingly because of their incompetence and even they are given various nicknames. Other foreign forces which have come here for occupation of our country under the American umbrella are now under pressures from their people due to the growing and heavy military expenditures, casualties and the fruitlessness of the war. Each of them is hastily seeking ways of exit from Afghanistan.

Therefore, my Mujahid brothers, if you want to gain more success in the field of the battles, you should try to reform your conduct and deeds; respect your Jihadic goals and pay attention to all-sided welfare and prosperity of your suffering but brave people. By maintaining an ever-growing unity and brotherhood among yourself, you shall not permit any one to set the stage for discord and differences among you on the instruction of the enemy. Do not waste your time on maligning each other but , on the contrary, direct all your efforts for improvement of Jihadic affairs, defense of Islam and the country; the thrashing of the enemy, serving and protecting your people.

Take every caution to protect life, property of people and public installations. Do not regard people as an entity separate from you; respect all former pious Mujahideen; strictly implement the book of the code of conduct which has already been given to you; use successful and complicated tactics during confrontation with the enemy; be aware to pay attention to the protection of Mujahideen; obey your superiors and conduct affairs through mutual consultation. Try to nip in the bud all plans and conspiracies and propaganda of the enemy.

Do not allow any one to commit activities under the name of a Mujahid that malign the name of Mujahideen and be cautious not to harass people on mere pretexts and baseless reports. It is a part of the enemy plan to create problems and distrust between Mujahideen and the people. Encourage all soldiers, policemen and employees in the enemy administration to leave their ranks and, instead, stand with their Mujahid people. Give warm welcome to heroic youth like Talib Hussain, Gulbuddin and Ghulam Sakhi who killed many invaders in Gereshk, Nad Ali, Badghis and Mazar Sharif and committed heroic deeds by resorting to tactical attacks. Persuade others to strike the infidel enemy by following their steps. However, be aware of intentions of your inner self as you do this and make the pleasure of the Almighty Allah as your sole goal in all your Jihadic activities.

c) To Religious Scholars, Statesmen, Teachers, Writers and Poets.

You are the very caste of the society that have the capacity to portray the wants and aspirations of the people. It is your Islamic and national duty to expose the atrocities of the invaders and put them before human rights organizations and public of the world. Enlighten people on the American invasion by unveiling the realities and facts. Inform them about the overt and covert conspiracies of the enemy; explain to them the fundamentals and benefits of Islamic system; educate the new generation in a constructive way, saving them from the impact of foreign dogmas and culture; teach them unity and harmony; inform the local leaders of Jihad of the grievances of people and convey the intentions of Mujahideen to the people. You are a bridge between the Islamic Emirate and the people. So it must be. Because through such a mechanism, all errors and mistakes should be corrected whenever they crop up. I call on you to assist the Islamic Emirate to bring about a blemish-free Jihadic and Islamic atmosphere.

d) To Former Mujahideen and Employees who Work in the Kabul Administration.

In these auspicious days of Eid-ul- Fitre, I invite you once again to come and stand with your nation like other former gallant Mujahideen have , and with their help, participate in the glory of repelling the American invasion and regaining the independence. Come and ponder over the conduct of the invading Americans in the light of your conscience, sagacity and insight that what they do with your so-called elected president, members of parliament, with you and in short, with the suffering people. They call you as warlords and unscrupulous persons. You may have heard that the officials in the presidential palace directly receive payments from CIA. Then what is the rational behind your working under their command.

If you claim that you have joined the ranks of the invading Americans( under duress) because there were flaws and faults in the manner of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, then come and correct those faults yourself after joining the ranks of your Mujahideen brothers. Thus, by forming a strong cemented Jihadic rank, yourselves become a participant in the (great) task of forcing out the invading infidels.

Do you think that your responsibility to defend your country and the holy religion’s rituals was only limited to Jihad against the Russians? But today, instead of resistance, you have chosen to stand with the invaders against your Muslim nation in a time that your country has been invaded by the Americans and other 48 infidel countries, harassing, debasing and threatening you and the Afghan people. Could this be the decision of your conscience and the product of your Afghan honor-loving character? Know that the Americans have come here to colonize Afghanistan and plunder its natural resources. They would never become your friends. Had there not been the fear of Mujahideen hovering over them, they would have debased you and humiliated you more than that you are now.

All those who work in the stooge Kabul Administration should hear with open ears that the invading enemy is about to leave Afghanistan due to the Jihad of the Afghan Muslim people, so before you have to face the fate of Najib, Babrak and Shah Shuja on charges of collaboration with the foreigners or in order to save yourselves from the said humiliating destiny, you should abandon the support of the invaders and join the ranks of Mujahideen by repenting of your past deeds.

If you are not able to join them, then by abandoning the support of the infidel, choose a peaceful life along with your children in your houses, taking advantage of the amnesty and security offered (to you) by the Mujahideen. Thus save yourselves from shame in this world and the world to come.

e) Regarding the Upcoming System of the Country.

The victory of our Islamic nation over the invading infidels is now imminent and the driving force behind this is the belief in the help of Allah (SwT) and unity among ourselves. In the time to come, we will try to establish an Islamic, independent, perfect and strong system on the basis of these principles – a system with economic, security, legal, educational and judicial aspects being based on the injunctions of Islam and conducted through a consultative body joined by persons with experience, knowledge and expertise. All God-fearing, experienced and professional cadres of the Afghan society will be part and parcel of this system without any political, racial and lingual discriminations.

Administrative responsibilities will be devolved on them according to their talent and honesty. We will respect the Islamic rights of all people of the country including women; will implement Sharia rules in the light of the injunctions of the sacred religion of Islam in order to efficiently maintain internal security and eradicate immorality, injustice, indecency and other vices; will strictly observe the law of punishment and reward and auditing in order to bring about administrative transparency in all government departments. The violators will be dealt with according to the Sharia rules.

f) Regarding policy with Foreign Countries.

Our upcoming system will be based on mutual interactions with neighboring, Islamic and non-Islamic countries. We want to frame our foreign policy on the principle that we will not harm others nor allow others to harm us.

Our upcoming system of government will participate in all regional and global efforts aimed at establishing peace and stability , human prosperity and economic advancement on the basis of the Islamic laws and will cooperate with regional countries in all common problems of the region like (finding solution to) narcotics, environment pollution, commercial and economic problems.

g) To the Islamic World and the Muslim Ummah!

O Muslim Ummah!

I avail myself of this auspicious opportunity of Eid, to share with you some bitter facts. Today, some arrogant and biased countries are exerting various pressures on Muslims. Religion and culture of some Muslims is threatened while life, property, independence and sovereignty of some other Muslims are in danger. Today Muslims are victims of different discriminations and hardships. The most notorious prisons of the world are packed with Muslims where they are being tortured and humiliated and their countries are under occupation.

O Muslim Ummah!

Is the problem today facing the suffering people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, only their problem? Does our common Book, the Holy Quran, permit (you) to remain neutral in these circumstances? You should understand that the American plan is never limited to the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq but they want to change the whole map of the world by having invaded Afghanistan and Iraq in the heart of the Islamic World. But the Afghans, as defenders of the Islamic Ummah and destroyers of colonialist plans, have a well-known history behind.

They have offered colossal sacrifices in the way of throwing out the invaders. As such, they have repelled all invasions beginning from Alexander of Macedonia to the American invasion in this 21st century. Unequivocally, these sacrifices have given victory to the Afghans and salvation to the Islamic Ummah. Therefore, Muslim brothers, not only we have a common religion, faith, values, culture and interests but also common distress, joy, friends and enemies. So come and share the grief and distress of your suffering Muslims brothers and assist them with your persons and wealth by turning to an honest policy.

h) To the Coalition Forces Stationed in Afghanistan and to their People.

The invading Americans have invaded Afghanistan for achievement of their interests and realization of their expansionist policy. They have allied with other 48 countries but still have failed to thwart the growing Jihad resistance of the Afghan Mujahid nation despite using their combined military, political and financial cooperation. This means the resistance being put up by this nations is a legitimate one and the invasion by the global coalition under the leadership of America is unlawful and brutal aggression. The pretexts concocted by the Americans to keep you engaged in Afghanistan are only fallacies that want to obtain their illicit interests.

There is no veracity in their claims. In the past nine years, you may have come around to know the essence of the American fatuous claims, that only they want to use your power in the way of achievement of their impractical colonialist goals. It is not appropriate for you to sacrifice your sons for American ambiguous interests and defame your name in the history of nations and become criminals of war as a result of your killing and harassing the Afghan people. Each day, hundreds of innocent Afghans are martyred by the Americans; houses are destroyed and unconventional weapons which are banned on international level, are being used by them.

These weapons will have negative impact on the next generations of our nation. Their use is an unforgivable crime against humanity. But your forces commit this crime against miserable people every day on the behest of the Americans. Furthermore, the Americans have imposed restrictions on independent media. Only reports palatable to America and NATO are allowed to be published. No one, neither the invaders nor their puppets address the grievances of the victims of war.

They clamp down on publications of the Islamic Emirate, whether in the shape of electronic media like internet or printed materials. Hundreds of innocents Afghans have been suffering in Guantanamo and Bagram prisons for the past nine years. Even old men of 70-80 years are kept under detention in these prisons. They are constantly deprived of their legal rights and are not presented before a legal court and denied to have access to their human rights. In short, America, has taken hostage our country and people due to your assistance. Some members of the American coalition and their people have realized this reality and have started withdrawal of their forces from Afghanistan and some are intending to follow.

Our message for those countries which still want to continue their military occupation of Afghanistan, merely relying on the irrational pretexts of America, is that you should consider withdrawal of your forces from Afghanistan at your earliest.

i) To Americana Rulers and the Misinformed American People.

You tested all your might i.e. military, political and economic for the past nine years to maintain your occupation over the Afghan Islamic and independent country but you achieved nothing except a dashing defeat at the hands of the sagacious Afghan Mujahideen. Though your general worked out strategies (after strategies) and committed military surge, but still your soldiers are captured alive but your government is not ready to agree to an exchange of prisoners as in the case of the Bobragdal nor they are concerned about him as a US citizen.

Even they try to perish them instead of adhering to the recognized way of exchange of prisoners as what they did in Logar with your two prisoners. Our Mujahideen constantly shoot down your advanced military and reconnaissance aircrafts and destroy your military hardware. With the passage of each day, the number of your soldiers’ dead bodies are ascending but your rulers instead of admitting their wrong policies, and seeking a rational exit, want to try the hackneyed and failed process once more as an effort to compensate for their defeats and distract your attention and that of the public of the world from their debacles.

These foiled process include the formation of the tribal militias, holding the so-called consultative Jirga, usage of the words radicals and moderates for Mujahideen, holding fruitless conferences, launching black propaganda campaign against Mujahideen with the help of affiliated stooge media, giving the helms of affairs to some most hated, corruption-infested and criminal figures time and again. They guess, in this lies the solution of the problem. But with the help of Allah, (SwT) and the good Jihadic planning of Mujahideen, these ventures failed like their other military endeavors. The Afghans have still further patience to defend their country. They have added new experiences of warfare to theirs after nine-year long confrontation with your soldiers. What we want to convey to you through this message is that withdraw your soldiers from our country unconditionally and as soon as possible. This is in your interest and in the interest of your people and the best option for regional stability.

After nine years of show of muscles by you and your global military coalition, it has become clear for all the world that the policy of might and coercion has no effect on the Afghans. The subjugation of this free people as per your envisaged plans is impossible. Still if you want to make the “impossible” possible by extending your stay in Afghanistan, then, as its price, be ready to lose the sovereignty of your vast empire. You should know that your rulers have continuously told you lies since the beginning of the aggression on Afghanistan until this very day.

They have wasted hundreds of billion of dollars of your tax money in the shape of financial expenditures and your man power in Afghanistan and have still been wasting them. You shall be witness to another economic melt-down. You should use your parliamentary pressures and street power to prevent your rulers from pushing you into the pit of perdition and destruction at world level. Therefore, they should abandon their headlong stubborn policy. Otherwise, the Americans will themselves face humiliation and disgrace before any one else does that.

To end, I extend my deep condolence to all those who have been affected by the recent floods and other natural disasters in Afghanistan , Pakistan and other parts of the Islamic world and ask Allah ( SwT) to lessen the sufferings of these people as a result of this gigantic trial and bestow patience on those who have been devastated by the floods.

I call on all beneficent persons to give their all-sided assistance to the affectees of the floods, to the families of martyrs, prisoners and orphans and have a conduct of mercy and grace with them in these auspicious days of joy of Eid as you usually have with your families and children.

Once again I felicitate all Muslim on this occasion of Eid and pray to Allah (SwT) to give them perseverance versus the American invasion and accept their sacrifices in His sight. I pray to Allah, the Almighty to bestow independence on all occupied countries in view of the selfless sacred sacrifices of this suffering Ummah through realization of an Islamic sovereignty. May Allah, the Almighty, accept in His Sight the offering of the Mujahideen being presented in the shape of their pure blood. Amin.

Amir-ul-momineen

Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid Servant of Islam

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

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TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH (RC South) – 052350UTC May 10

NOTE: This material is from web pages and forums carrying statements attributed to the Taliban, Taliban spokespersons or supporters of the Taliban, or analysis thereof. Posting of this material neither confirms nor endorses any of its content – it is shared for information only. When material translated into English is not available, Google Translate is used to translate the original  – this is only a machine translation, NOT an official one.

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Martyrdom-seeking group hits Provincial capital in Nimroze province

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 09:50 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
NIMROZE, May 06 – A group of 6 martyr attackers of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, armed explosive-filled vests and heavy and small arms ,attacked the provincial capital in Nimroze province targeting key government buildings in the late morning hours of Wednesday (May 06), our reporter, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said in a telephoning conversation, adding that the deadliest fighting has been in progress and two of the Mujahiden have carried out martyr bomb attacks, killing more than 18 government officials and soldiers with wounding dozens of others so far. This is the breaking news updates check back soon for further information.

53 killed and injured in martyrdom operation in Nimroz

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 20:00 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
NIMROZ, May 05 – A group 9 martyr attackers of the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate, divided in separated groups, who have been headed by Imdadullah, simultaneously attacked several government buildings, including provincial council, court, police headquarter and provincial governor’s office in Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province, killing or wounding more than 53 government officials, servicemen and soldiers in a nearly-6 hour long operation, consisting deadly gun battles with enemy followed by martyr bomb attacks carried out by two brave Mujahids after one hour of strong resistance during the on later Wednesday morning (May 05), our reporter Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said.  The report adds the group of martyrdom-seeking fighters have shown firm resistances and fought bravely until all 9 Mujahideen have become martyrs in the operation started at about 10:am local time and ended at approximately 5:pm, Inna Lilahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajioon ( Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we will return). A number or the government buildings and vehicles have been destroyed in addition to the losses of life and injuries inflicted on the enemy in this successful operation, which has been a deadly blow to the heart of the province and which has, as usual, been undermined and underrated by the government and the US-NATO by attaching little importance to enormity and graveness of the operation and declaring the death of four officials and soldiers with 10 others injured, where as, the witnesses, on the contrary, strongly reject it and say otherwise.

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Mujahideen attack outposts of ANA in Helmand

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 08:52 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 05 – Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate on an asireis of attacks on the outposts of ANA in Helmand’s Gerishk district, cuased the enemy losses of life and injureis on Tuesday, while it is unclear how many were killed or injured in the opertion.

US-NATO forces take deadliest losses in Helmand yet again

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 16:06 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
HELMAND, May 05 – A roadside bomb attack tore apart a combat patrol tank of the US-NATO forces on Wednesday (May 05), destroying the tank and killing its foreign soldiers in the Nawa district of Helmand province. In another incident, elsewhere in this province, another a tank of the enemy got stuck by mine blast in the Marjah district of the province, causing the soldiers to die who were traveling in the tank, on Wednesday. Separately, two soldiers of the US-NATO cowards were shot dead elsewhere in the district of Marjah, on Tuesday ( May 04)
Also Tuesday, Mujahideen, in an attack on a group of foreign soldiers in Marjah district, killed two soldiers including their local interpreter and wounded another one.

Blast in Zabul blows apart US armored tank

Wednesday, 05 May 2010 08:24 Qari Yousuf Ahmadi
ZABUL, May 05 – An IED blast in Zabul’s Sweri district hit and eliminated a US armored tank on Monday morning, May 05, 2010. The report adds all the US soldiers traveling in the tank were killed, while the wreckage of the struck tank still exists in the area.

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Victories of Mujahideen in the Words of the Enemy
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 08:29 -

Recently Pentagon, the American ministry of defense, has released 150-pages report about the growing resistance and influence of the Afghan Mujahideen.

The report says, the Kabul surrogate administration maintains its writ in 29 districts out of 121 districts — which are of paramount strategic importance, for being key terrain for the stabilization of the country. The report reveals, the Islamic Emirate influence has been expanding unremittingly and that the Karzai government control is limited to 25% in these area. The report further says, 2009 was the most successful year for Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate in terms of their extending influence in the country in this period. A 87% increase has been seen in overall attacks and ambushes of the Mujahideen.

The Pentagon military officers-cum-analysts admit that Mujahideen’s tactics are increasing in sophistication and broadness. They are now using complicated methods. The report admits, Mujahideen would never be vanquished completely but instead efforts be made to contain them in order to prevent Karzai government from being ousted.

These are the admissions and statements of a superpower, the president of which W. Bush, had said in 2001 that if we find our enemy in caves in Afghanistan, we will smoke them out and any one who chooses to confront America, in fact, digs his grave with his own hands. Today ground realities in Afghanistan indicate that the enemy and the surrogate administration are ensconced in hide-outs and besieged bases. The Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate have a tangible presence in 80% of the country.

This achievement has not become a reality out of nothing but has a solid foundation behind. The reason is that the aspirations and manifesto of the Islamic Emirate truly reflect the aspirations of the people and they are exactly alike. The people know that the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan are protecting their Islamic, national , cultural and social values and wants. Similarly, this achievement is not the result of any coercion or economic incentives at the hand of the Mujahideen. Contrarily. The enemy has both military might and material means . In the past nine years, they have used both their military power and material incentives to achieve their target. However, ironically , they have failed.

We remind the invading enemy that the reason for your failure is that you have imposed a corrupt administration on the people of Afghanistan; your have invaded the country, Afghanistan and deprived the people of their independence and national sovereignty. You have put thousands of innocent Afghans behind the bars in Guangtanamo, Bagram, Pulli-Charkhi, Kandahar and other open and secret jails. You have turned Afghanistan into the cobweb of CIA network; you carry out night raids on people’s houses and martyr defenseless Afghans, and you bombard wedding and funeral ceremonies. Your grip on the country will keep reducing unless and until you put an end to your aggression and stop torturing and martyring the miserable Afghans, and leave the land of the Afghans to the Afghans themselves.

A day will certainly reach when you will have no way except escape and humiliation. Time and situation are both against you. You have to hear this with your ears opened. The more you stay in Afghanistan, the more you will lose your credibility. It is in your interest and in the interest of the whole region to pull your forces out of Afghanistan.

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Rejoinder of the Cultural Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan About the Issuance of the Black List Issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 08:26 administrator

Yesterday, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a black list of entities which are allegedly against press freedom. They have included name of the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in this list and have claimed that IEA is against the freedom of the press and that its influence has now reached Pakistan.

The Cultural Commission of the Islamic Emirate considers this allegation against the leaders of the Islamic Emirate, leveled by the journalist without borders as baseless and futile. The Cultural Commission believes this accusation is a flagrant violation of the journalistic regulations and therefore, announces as follows:

1. The writ of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is only limited to areas of its influence for activities including military, cultural, administrative, political and judicial. The Islamic Emirate is responsible for conducts of its official organs only in these areas. and can’t be held accountable for activities that occur outside the areas of its control.

2. Any reporter who intends to enter areas under the control of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan for filing their reports should obtain prior permission from local administration of the Islamic Emirate. Those foreigners who fail to obtain the prior permission are dealt with as being violators of the legal prevalent regulations. They would not be considered as genuine journalists and for that, they themselves bear the responsibility.

3. The Cultural Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan urges the Committee to Protect Journalists not to pander to the wishes, ambitions and instructions of the arrogant powers and while preparing these blacklists, should not condone the violations being committed by these arrogants. By doing so, you will prove that you are neutral and are not under the pressure of the influential circles.

4. The presence of the invading forces in Afghanistan is an open threat to journalists and their activities. These foreigners first detained Javaid Ahmad Yazmi for one year and then martyred him. The Journalists Without Borders should fulfill their responsibility by making the foreign invaders to respond to the allegations against them about the death of Martyr Yazami and about the torture of Al-jazeera journalists.

5. Recently a Wikileaks website posted a video on its site about the murder of two Reuter’s journalists in Iraq at the hands of the American troops. The Journalists Without Borders should have included names of the White House and Pentagon rulers for their failure to contain their unscrupulous soldiers from committing this crime in the broad day light. As such, they should have cited in their annual report the names of the perpetrators of this gruesome event as it was their obligation for the protection of the innocent deceased journalists.

Cultural Commission
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

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Taliban’s Mullah Omar Ready to Retire? Not So Fast!

The UK’s Sunday Times threw this one out there this weekend:

The supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has indicated that he and his followers may be willing to hold peace talks with western politicians.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, two of the movement’s senior Islamic scholars have relayed a message from the Quetta shura, the Taliban’s ruling council, that Mullah Omar no longer aims to rule Afghanistan. They said he was prepared to engage in “sincere and honest” talks.

A senior US military source said the remarks reflected a growing belief that a “breakthrough” was possible. “There is evidence from many intelligence sources [that] the Taliban are ready for some kind of peace process,” the source said.

At a meeting held at night deep inside Taliban-controlled territory, the Taliban leaders told this newspaper that their military campaign had only three objectives: the return of sharia (Islamic law), the expulsion of foreigners and the restoration of security.

“[Mullah Omar] is no longer interested in being involved in politics or government,” said Mullah “Abdul Rashid”, the elder of the two commanders, who used a pseudonym to protect his identity.

“All the mujaheddin seek is to expel the foreigners, these invaders, from our country and then to repair the country’s constitution. We are not interested in running the country as long as these things are achieved.”

Zat right? It didn’t take long, though, for one of the Taliban info-machine’s official spokespersons to nip THAT in the bud via an interview with a pro-Taliban web page (Ansar jihadi forum post in English here, PDF at Scribd.com here):

(Theunjustmedia:) My question is did this interview with The Sunday Times and The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan senior Islamic scholars took place?

Zabihullah Mujahid: No, no interview has been conducted with the The Sunday Times and The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan senior Islamic scholars, this interview is a lie.

Theunjustmedia: How do you comment on the content of this fake propaganda interview, what objectives could the invaders have in propagating this type of disinformation among the masses.

Zabihullah Mujahid: This is a good question, and I think that the concern citizens of the world should be asking this question from those who are behind this propaganda, what benefits are they trying to seek by lying to world about The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. I think people should contact The Sunday Times and ask them why are they spreading disinformation, also other media outlets should bring to light The Sunday Times deception to its reads.

Note the third-hand nature of the original story: the person whose byline appears on the article not the information from “a reputable Afghan journalist employed by The Sunday Times with two members of the shura that directs Taliban activity across the whole of southern Afghanistan, including Helmand and Kandahar provinces”. So, we have Omar (allegedly) telling the scholars something, the scholars (allegedly) telling the Afghan journalist something, the Afghan journalist (allegedly) telling the article’s author something, and the byline guy telling us what was said. Most can be forgiven in sensing a game of “Telegraph” here, making the final product more suspect.

Also, as mentioned here in the past, unless it comes from the horse’s mouth, there’s always the potential for deniability.

So, back to waiting for a statement signed by/attributed to Mullah Omar himself.

TALIBAN PROPAGANDA WATCH: Taliban Still Says They’re Not Talking

One of the Taliban’s latest statements (Voice of Jihad English, and PDF at non-terrorist site) comes as a response to outgoing United Nations Uber-envoy for Afghanistan Kai Eide being underwhelmed at Pakistan’s arrest of senior Taliban official Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and the subsequent wrench that allegedly threw into back-room talks under way.

This week’s statement on the Taliban’s web page was pretty clear: “Talks? What talks? You can’t prove Baradar was talking to anyone!”

Delegations of the Islamic Emirate have not participated in these meetings. Similarly, the propaganda launched against the esteemed deputy Amir of the Islamic Emirate, Mullah Bradar Akhund, allegedly involving him in these meeting has no basis. No one can produce evidence to indicate his participation. This is an enemy effort to create mistrust among Mujahideen.

There’s an also an intriguing caveat:

If some irresponsible persons presumably participated in the said meeting in the name of the Islamic Emirate, they can’t be considered as representatives of the Islamic Emirate but it might have happened that some opportunists cashed in on the moribund condition of the enemy.

Why would they throw that in there?

It brings to mind an article written by Vadim Brown, who paints an interesting picture of Osama Bin Laden’s alleged oath of loyalty to the Taliban’s Mullah Omar. According to Brown’s research, Bin Laden reportedly had a trusted henchman take the oath for him as a proxy. And why did the proxy think Osama preferred this to doing it in person? This, from a posting to a jihadist online forum in 2007:

I asked myself why (Osama) insisted on having me perform the bay’a to Mullah Omar on his behalf. Why not do it directly? I think he did it this way in order to leave himself plenty of room to maneuver, in the event that he be pressed on whether or not he indeed pledged allegiance to (Omar). If circumstances require him to deny it, he can honestly say that he did not, as he did not swear allegiance personally. And if circumstances require him to confirm the bay’a, he can say he did, ans this will likewise be the truth, as the bay’a was made – if only on his behalf.

So, IF we believe this happened this way, a similar approach would also be a good way for the Taliban to plausibly deny any communications by intermediaries. Is the Taliban talking? Is it not talking? The answer can be “yes” to both.

All that said, in addition to the usual “We fight until you leave” messaging:

This Jihad will continue against the Americans and their Allies until the unconditional withdrawal of their invading forces from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate has put forward this unambiguous demand before UN and other circles involved in the Afghan issue and will continue to do so …. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan reminds the rulers of the White House to accept the demands of the Islamic Emirate instead of resorting to meaningless efforts and pull their invading forces out of Afghanistan unconditionally.

there’s something some will interpret as a crack, a sliver of an opening to the possibility of talks:

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, while believing in fruitful and result-oriented efforts for the establishment of a true peace in the country, aimed at ending the illegitimate war imposed on Afghanistan….

My bet? The Taliban is brutal and cruel, but I don’t think it’s stupid, even if it is carrying out some type of “plausibly deniable intermediary, wink-wink-nudge-nudge” discussions. The Taliban understands that if Afghans think it’s winning (or if Afghans aren’t convinced ISAF/NATO is winning), time is on the insurgents’ side.

The statement also includes a bit of a “reminder” whose war this is:

In view of the Islamic Emirate, the irresponsible remarks of Kei Eide are part of the massive propaganda campaign launched by the White House recently to ensure success of the Obama military strategy. But practically, the strategy has faced fiasco. Now efforts are underway to portray it as successful only through propaganda drives.

The Taliban also knows ISAF/NATO forces answer to taxpayers who don’t want to see their sons and daughters tied up forever in Afghanistan, even if the problems (including making sure Afghanistan doesn’t become a base for foreign terrorist attacks again) take more than a short time to fix.

(Crossposted at Threat Matrix)