Baitullah Mehsud is reported to have died of natural causes; US intelligence does not believe he is dead. A US airstrike killed five extremists in Mirali in North Waziristan. Thirteen Taliban were killed in fighting in Bajaur. Security forces detained five members of Lashkar-e-Jhangwi in Gujranwala. The Taliban demanded the release of 136 of their fighters in exchange for two Chinese engineers.

Baitullah is one of Pakistan’s most able and deadly Taliban commanders. The first report in the Global Jihadist Movements – The Pakistani Taliban Project details his rise to power in Pakistan.

US drone strike kills five in Pakistan: officials

Iraq forces gain more control, but lose more lives

Al-Qaeda planning to bomb Atlantis

US drone strike kills five in Pakistan: officials

Car bomb strikes Baghdad restaurant

Iraqi forces detained 25 suspected Soldiers of Heaven members in Babil province and 14 Special Groups fighters in Al Kut. Security forces arrested the Jalawlaa emergency police commander. Coalition forces captured 11 al Qaeda operatives in Baghdad and Mosul. US troops detained five Special Groups fighters in Baghdad. A US soldier was killed in Baghdad.

The ‘Talibanization™ of Pakistan™s biggest city

Pakistani news outlets are reporting the death of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, but US intelligence is highly skeptical.

Philippine Military tags lawless MILF as terrorists

President Karzai requested Saudi Arabia assist with opening peace negotiations with the Taliban. Three US soldiers were killed in an IED attack in the South. A US soldier and an Afghan policeman were killed in a confrontation during a patrol. Afghan and ISAF forces captured a senior Taliban leader in Uruzgan province.

Karzai asks Saudi Arabia for help in peace talks

Disbanding the Sunni Patrols: A Backlash Brewing?

Pakistan must deal with Taliban threat: Petraeus

Why the West thinks it is time to talk to the Taliban

Pakistan Turns to Tribal Militias

Key-commander amid 5 militants killed in clash with Bajaur tribesmen

Pakistan changes chief of feared spy agency

Suicide attacks kill 1,188 in Pakistan since ’07

Afghan policeman opens fire on US troops, kills 1

Iran Says Won’t Halt Nuclear Work Despite UN Demand

No winter halt in war against the Taliban

Taliban warrior who delights in killing British soldiers

‘The Longest Campaign of the Long War’

Fear takes a back seat on Iraq’s ‘road to death’

Young Iraqi girls turned into perfect weapon

Taliban leader Mullah Omar offered a deal for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan in a rare message posted on the Internet. “Reconsider your wrong decision of wrong occupation, and seek a safe exit to withdraw your forces,” Omar said. “If you leave our lands, we can arrange for you a reasonable opportunity for your departure.”

The military replaced the head of the ISI and four Corps commanders. Unconfirmed reports indicate the kidnapped Afghan consular official has been freed. Nine tribesmen and four Taliban were killed in fighting in Bajaur. Security forces said the operation in Darra Adam Khel has been completed.
