US targets safe house in North Waziristan

The US has struck inside the North Waziristan tribal agency for the second time in three days. "Two missiles struck a compound just outside Miramshah but we do not have the number of casualties at the moment," an anonymous Pakistan security official told Geo TV.

Four people were reported killed in the strike. It is unclear if any senior al Qaeda or Taliban senior leaders were among those killed.

The last US airstrike in North Waziristan targeted a meeting of senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, AFP reported. "There was a meeting of around 30 foreign Al-Qaeda and local Taliban commanders in the house of Hafiz Sahar Gul but the majority of them left the building ten minutes before the missile struck," a security official told AFP. Six low-level al Qaeda operatives and three others were killed in the Oct. 9 airstrike.

Background on strikes in Pakistan and the targeting of the Haqqani Network

The US has been heavily targeting the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan since attacks were stepped up at the end of August. Ten of the 15 strikes conducted in Pakistan's tribal areas since Aug. 31 have hit Haqqani assets in North Waziristan. A US strike hit the Haqqani's main mosque in Miramshah on Sept. 9, sparking a series of attacks against Pakistani forces in North Waziristan.

The powerful Haqqani family controls the Miramshah region in North Waziristan. The Haqqanis run a parallel government in North Waziristan and conduct military and suicide operations in eastern Afghanistan. Jalaluddin and Siraj Haqqani have close ties to Osama bin Laden. Siraj is one of the most wanted terrorist commanders in Afghanistan for his involvement in a string of deadly attacks and for recruiting and training foreign terrorists for suicide attacks.

The US stepped up attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas this year after the Taliban and al Qaeda consolidated control in the tribal regions and settled districts of the Northwest Frontier Province. There have been 23 recorded cross-border attacks and attempts in Pakistan in 2008, compared to 10 strikes during 2006 and 2007 combined.

These attacks are designed to interdict al Qaeda's ability to conduct attacks against the West as well as degrade the Taliban's support network being used against NATO forces in Afghanistan. Three senior al Qaeda leaders have been killed in the attacks.

The Taliban, al Qaeda, and allied terrorist groups have established 157 training camps and more than 400 support locations in the tribal areas and the Northwest Frontier Province, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal.

US attacks inside Pakistan and incidents along the border in 2008:

(9)

Find related articles: Al Qaeda, Pakistan

READER COMMENTS: "US targets safe house in North Waziristan"

Posted by don juice at October 11, 2008 3:25 PM ET:

i hope we got a HVT cause it seems when we do these strikes we eliminate footsoliders

Posted by KaneKaizer at October 11, 2008 3:28 PM ET:

Or we get a HVT that most of us haven't heard of before.

Posted by NS at October 11, 2008 4:47 PM ET:

Good point Kanekaizer

Posted by juscruzn at October 11, 2008 5:55 PM ET:

Any dead hirabi is a good hirabi. Of course it's always better to get a HVT. From their past experiences though the HVT's always run and leave the footsoldiers to fight to the death and die. Bin Laden has been doing this for years. Most people don't know about how he ran from the Soviets in Jaji in 1987. Kind of like how he ran from us in Tora Bora in 2001. Eventually his luck like his stamina is going to run out. GOOD WORK TROOPS KEEP KILLING HIRABI'S!!!

Posted by Marlin at October 11, 2008 6:48 PM ET:

More problems for the Taliban in Pakistan today.

Insurgents attempted to attack an ISAF base twice October 11 and failed both times.
During the first incident, three insurgents were spotted as they prepared for a rocket attack. In self defence, two ISAF bases fired a total of seven sets of artillery rounds at the insurgents' location inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military later confirmed the attack had killed two insurgents.

Within an hour of the attack, insurgents were identified as preparing to rocket attack a nearby Pakistan Border Point. In defence of the Pakistani military, ISAF fired four sets of artillery rounds at the insurgents' location inside Pakistan. The attack caused three secondary explosions. The Pakistani military later confirmed the attack killed three insurgents.

ISAF: ISAF, Pakistan coordinate strikes on insurgents

Posted by crosspatch at October 11, 2008 10:39 PM ET:

Is it just me or has the media gone silent on Afghanistan for a while? It seems the daily drumbeat of the "resurgent Taliban" stories seems to have gone away. Wonder what's up.

Posted by Marlin at October 12, 2008 12:01 AM ET:

If this is true, it's just more evidence of why American/NATO forces should not hestitate to strike inside of Pakistan.

British officials covered up evidence that a Taliban commander killed by special forces in Helmand last year was in fact a Pakistani military officer, according to highly placed Afghan officials.
The commander, targeted in a compound in the Sangin valley, was one of six killed in the past year by SAS and SBS forces. When the British soldiers entered the compound they discovered a Pakistani military ID on the body.

[...]

During the war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, officers from Pakistani military intelligence regularly accompanied Afghan mujaheddin inside Afghanistan and directed operations.

Sunday Times: Taliban leader killed by SAS was Pakistan officer

Posted by Rhyno327/lrsd at October 13, 2008 9:52 AM ET:

MARLIN'S post makes you wonder who REALLY holds power in P-stan. I have felt for years the P-stani's, and Musharraff were playing both sides of the fence. Especially the ISI. This is the reason I have mentioned a big strike, with manned aircraft, on the camps and compounds the P-stani's don't touch. Thier gov. is comprised of liars and 2 faced dogs. When Kiyani met Adm. Mullen on that carrier, I hope Mullen stressed to him time HAS run out, and you make sure you stay outta the way. This is why the insurgency thrives--they have it better in P-stan than they EVER did in A-stan. Kudos to the Regiment, they are true pro's.

Posted by KnightHawk at October 13, 2008 12:52 PM ET:

"Wonder what's up." - It would raise the profile of foreign policy and terrorism. Fairly easy to see this is not in most of the US media's interest for the next 3 weeks.


HOME ABOUT CONTRIBUTORS CONTACT THREAT MATRIX ARCHIVES RSS PDA
Donate Click here to donate! Email Subscription Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner RSS Feeds Click the nearby icon to get to the RSS Feeds Web page. Advertising	(9) US targets safe house in North Waziristan By Bill RoggioOctober 11, 2008 The US has struck inside the North Waziristan tribal agency for the second time in three days. "Two missiles struck a compound just outside Miramshah but we do not have the number of casualties at the moment," an anonymous Pakistan security official told Geo TV. Four people were reported killed in the strike. It is unclear if any senior al Qaeda or Taliban senior leaders were among those killed. The last US airstrike in North Waziristan targeted a meeting of senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, AFP reported. "There was a meeting of around 30 foreign Al-Qaeda and local Taliban commanders in the house of Hafiz Sahar Gul but the majority of them left the building ten minutes before the missile struck," a security official told AFP. Six low-level al Qaeda operatives and three others were killed in the Oct. 9 airstrike. Background on strikes in Pakistan and the targeting of the Haqqani Network The US has been heavily targeting the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan since attacks were stepped up at the end of August. Ten of the 15 strikes conducted in Pakistan's tribal areas since Aug. 31 have hit Haqqani assets in North Waziristan. A US strike hit the Haqqani's main mosque in Miramshah on Sept. 9, sparking a series of attacks against Pakistani forces in North Waziristan. The powerful Haqqani family controls the Miramshah region in North Waziristan. The Haqqanis run a parallel government in North Waziristan and conduct military and suicide operations in eastern Afghanistan. Jalaluddin and Siraj Haqqani have close ties to Osama bin Laden. Siraj is one of the most wanted terrorist commanders in Afghanistan for his involvement in a string of deadly attacks and for recruiting and training foreign terrorists for suicide attacks. The US stepped up attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas this year after the Taliban and al Qaeda consolidated control in the tribal regions and settled districts of the Northwest Frontier Province. There have been 23 recorded cross-border attacks and attempts in Pakistan in 2008, compared to 10 strikes during 2006 and 2007 combined. These attacks are designed to interdict al Qaeda's ability to conduct attacks against the West as well as degrade the Taliban's support network being used against NATO forces in Afghanistan. Three senior al Qaeda leaders have been killed in the attacks. The Taliban, al Qaeda, and allied terrorist groups have established 157 training camps and more than 400 support locations in the tribal areas and the Northwest Frontier Province, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal. US attacks inside Pakistan and incidents along the border in 2008: • US targets safe house in North Waziristan Oct. 11, 2008 • US strike kills 9 al Qaeda and Taliban in North Waziristan Oct. 9, 2008 • US conducts two strikes in North Waziristan Oct. 3, 2008 • Taliban: Baitullah Mehsud alive; US strike in North Waziristan Oct. 1, 2008 • Pakistan military fires on ISAF forces Sept. 25, 2008 • Pakistani military fires on US helicopters at border Sept. 22, 2008 • US strikes Taliban camp in South Waziristan Sept. 17, 2008 • Report: US helicopters fired on while crossing Pakistani border Sept. 15, 2008 • US hits compound in North Waziristan, Sept. 12, 2008 • US targets Haqqani Network in North Waziristan, Sept. 8, 2008 • US airstrike killed five al Qaeda operatives in North Waziristan, Sept. 5, 2008 • Report: US airstrike kills four in North Waziristan, Sept. 4, 2008 • Pakistanis claim US helicopter-borne forces assaulted village in South Waziristan, Sept. 3, 2008 • US hits al Qaeda safe house in North Waziristan, Aug. 31, 2008 • Five killed in al Qaeda safe house strike in South Waziristan, Aug. 31, 2008 • Al Qaeda safe house targeted in South Waziristan strike, Aug. 20, 2008 • Cross-border strike targets one of the Taliban's 157 training camps in Pakistan's northwest, Aug. 13, 2008 • Six killed in strike in South Waziristan, July 28, 2008 • Report: Strike targets Baitullah Mehsud's hideout in Pakistan, June 14, 2008 • Senior Algerian al Qaeda operative killed in May 14 strike inside Pakistan, May 24, 2008 • Missile strike kills 20 in South Waziristan, March 16, 2008 • Unprecedented Coalition strike nails the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan, March 13, 2008 • Missile strike on al Qaeda meeting in South Waziristan kills 13, Feb. 28, 2008 • Senior al Qaeda leader Abu Laith al Libi killed in North Waziristan, Jan. 31, 2008 (9) Find related articles: Al Qaeda, Pakistan READER COMMENTS: "US targets safe house in North Waziristan" Posted by don juice at October 11, 2008 3:25 PM ET: i hope we got a HVT cause it seems when we do these strikes we eliminate footsoliders Posted by KaneKaizer at October 11, 2008 3:28 PM ET: Or we get a HVT that most of us haven't heard of before. Posted by NS at October 11, 2008 4:47 PM ET: Good point Kanekaizer Posted by juscruzn at October 11, 2008 5:55 PM ET: Any dead hirabi is a good hirabi. Of course it's always better to get a HVT. From their past experiences though the HVT's always run and leave the footsoldiers to fight to the death and die. Bin Laden has been doing this for years. Most people don't know about how he ran from the Soviets in Jaji in 1987. Kind of like how he ran from us in Tora Bora in 2001. Eventually his luck like his stamina is going to run out. GOOD WORK TROOPS KEEP KILLING HIRABI'S!!! Posted by Marlin at October 11, 2008 6:48 PM ET: More problems for the Taliban in Pakistan today. Insurgents attempted to attack an ISAF base twice October 11 and failed both times. During the first incident, three insurgents were spotted as they prepared for a rocket attack. In self defence, two ISAF bases fired a total of seven sets of artillery rounds at the insurgents' location inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military later confirmed the attack had killed two insurgents. Within an hour of the attack, insurgents were identified as preparing to rocket attack a nearby Pakistan Border Point. In defence of the Pakistani military, ISAF fired four sets of artillery rounds at the insurgents' location inside Pakistan. The attack caused three secondary explosions. The Pakistani military later confirmed the attack killed three insurgents. ISAF: ISAF, Pakistan coordinate strikes on insurgents Posted by crosspatch at October 11, 2008 10:39 PM ET: Is it just me or has the media gone silent on Afghanistan for a while? It seems the daily drumbeat of the "resurgent Taliban" stories seems to have gone away. Wonder what's up. Posted by Marlin at October 12, 2008 12:01 AM ET: If this is true, it's just more evidence of why American/NATO forces should not hestitate to strike inside of Pakistan. British officials covered up evidence that a Taliban commander killed by special forces in Helmand last year was in fact a Pakistani military officer, according to highly placed Afghan officials. The commander, targeted in a compound in the Sangin valley, was one of six killed in the past year by SAS and SBS forces. When the British soldiers entered the compound they discovered a Pakistani military ID on the body. [...] During the war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, officers from Pakistani military intelligence regularly accompanied Afghan mujaheddin inside Afghanistan and directed operations. Sunday Times: Taliban leader killed by SAS was Pakistan officer Posted by Rhyno327/lrsd at October 13, 2008 9:52 AM ET: MARLIN'S post makes you wonder who REALLY holds power in P-stan. I have felt for years the P-stani's, and Musharraff were playing both sides of the fence. Especially the ISI. This is the reason I have mentioned a big strike, with manned aircraft, on the camps and compounds the P-stani's don't touch. Thier gov. is comprised of liars and 2 faced dogs. When Kiyani met Adm. Mullen on that carrier, I hope Mullen stressed to him time HAS run out, and you make sure you stay outta the way. This is why the insurgency thrives--they have it better in P-stan than they EVER did in A-stan. Kudos to the Regiment, they are true pro's. Posted by KnightHawk at October 13, 2008 12:52 PM ET: "Wonder what's up." - It would raise the profile of foreign policy and terrorism. Fairly easy to see this is not in most of the US media's interest for the next 3 weeks.	Search LWJ Photos US and Afghan forces patrol in Langhman province, Afghanistan. Photos Archives Videos A US Army simulation of the Battle of Ganjgal. The Covert US Air Campaign in Pakistan Get up-to-date information and statistics on the US air campaign targeting al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan's northwest. Updated Nov. 17, 2011 Special Reports The ANSF Order of Battle A breakdown of the structure and units in the Afghan National Security Forces. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan A look at the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan's top leaders. The Quetta Shura A look at the Afghan Taliban's top leaders, military councils, and committees. On the Radio Bill Roggio is a regular guest on the John Batchelor Show from Monday through Friday to discuss the war. Check John's site for the time. Click here to listen live online at WABC. LWJ in the news UPI cited Bill Roggio's data on US airstrikes in Yemen. TIME cited Bill Roggio on the report that Pakistan supports the Taliban. CNN quoted Bill Roggio on the resumption of US Predator strikes in Pakistan. National Journal quoted Bill Roggio on the death of ISAF troops at the hands of Afghan security personnel. UPI cited Bill Roggio's report on rumors of the death of Hakeemullah Mehsud in a US Predator strike in Pakistan. The New York Times cited LWJ's statistics on the Predator strikes in Pakistan. The Telegraph quoted and summarized Bill Roggio's article on the false report of a Pakistani girl maimed in a US drone strike. The Los Angeles Times cited LWJ's statistics on the Predator strikes in Pakistan. The New York Times cited LWJ's statistics on the Predator strikes in Pakistan. The Los Angeles Times cited LWJ's statistics on the Predator strikes in Pakistan. ABC News cited Bill Roggio's report on the formation of Ansar al Jihad in the Sinai Peninsula. CNN quoted Bill Roggio on the redeployment of US trainers from Iraq to Afghanistan. The Times of India cited Bill Roggio's report about the longest pause in US drone strikes in Pakistan since 2008. The Associated Press cited Bill Roggio's report about the longest pause in US drone strikes in Pakistan since 2008. The Los Angeles Times cited Bill Roggio's report on the pause in US airstrikes in Pakistan's tribal areas. The Envoy cited Bill Roggio's reports on Hezbollah operative Musa Ali Daqduq. TIME cited Bill Roggio's report on Pakistan's negotiations with the Taliban. The Express Tribune cited Bill Roggio's report about the hold on US drone strikes in Pakistan. Dawn summarized Bill Roggio's report about the hold on US drone strikes in Pakistan. The Express Tribune summarized Bill Roggio's report about the hold on US drone strikes in Pakistan. The New York Daily News summarized Bill Roggio's report about the hold on US drone strikes in Pakistan. More items in the news Covert Radio Hosted by Brett Winterble

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US targets safe house in North Waziristan

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