Afghanistan: CIA director confirms that 7 agents died in suicide bombing by Taliban at US base

Seven CIA agents were among the Americans killed in a suicide bombing by an Afghan Army soldier invited onto a U.S. base because he was being courted as an informant.

The victims included a mother of three who directed and coordinated operations and intelligence gathering at Forward Operating Base Chapman, a secretive CIA base in Khost province on the Pakistan border.

An eighth victim reportedly was a State Department worker. An Afghan also was killed in the attack and six other Americans were wounded.

President Obama praised the agents as “part of a long line of patriots who have made great sacrifices for their fellow citizens and for our way of life.”

…”It should be noted that this is not the first time that an Afghan soldier, as a result of his Islamic and then Afghan sentiments, carried out a direct attack on infidel occupiers,” the Taliban statement said, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

via CIA director confirms that 7 agents died in suicide bombing by Taliban at US base in Afghanistan.

The suicide bomber was courted as a “possible informant”, so… he wasn’t searched when entering the camp:

They said he had not undergone the usual full body search before entering the base in Khost province, and so was able to smuggle in an explosive belt.

Who is sooo nuts as to let someone in a secretive CIA building without being searched?

Pakistan: Punjab chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan arrested

With the help of intelligence agencies, police have captured Khalilullah, the Punjab chief of the proscribed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and a young man trained for suicide bombing.

Khalil, who was said to be the right hand of late Baitullah Mehsud, allegedly masterminded the twin suicide bombings at Iqbal Town’s crowded Moon Market.

Police found explosive material and sensitive documents in the place where he was living.

According to sources, the cantonment division police and agency personnel had raided an outhouse of Malik Nazir in a Manawan locality 12 days ago and detained Khalil and the 17-year-old would-be suicide bomber, Usman alias Shahbaz.

On information provided by Khalil, police captured another eight terror suspects, three of them from Tandlianwala in Faisalabad district.

via DAWN.COM | Front Page | Punjab chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan arrested.

Baitullah Mehsud was killed last year. We’ll see what Pakistan does with Khalilulah, then.

Iraq: deacon wounded by gunfire in Mosul

After a student was kidnapped:

A deacon was wounded by gunfire in Mosul on December 30, in the latest of a continuing series of violent assaults on Christians in that city. AsiaNews estimates that 2,000 Christians have been killed in the past 6 years; Church leaders warn of an “ethnic and religious cleansing” campaign by Islamic extremists.

via Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Attacks on Iraqi Christians continue: intimidation campaign in Mosul.

Spain: Now Zapatero wants a “demanding” austerity plan

From AFP. After he has made deficit 5 times bigger. I would like to know who is going to be demanded more austerity: politicians or citizens?

Al-Qaeda: Al-Zawahiri calls to “disinfect the Maghreb of Spanish and French nationals“

This is an update on this story (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)y:

Al-Qaeda retakes its offensive against the West threatening. This time the message comes from Al-Zawahiri, AQ’s No.2. In a video, he addresses the members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, those who have kidnapped three Spanish volunteers (and another French national). Al-Zawahiri assures that they will never be able to reconquest Al-Andalus without cleaning, “disinfecting” he says literally, the Maghreb of the “Infidels”, those who for Bin Laden’s No.2 are represented by Spanish and French nationals in the area.The video message is subtitled in English and Al-Zawahiri asks Muslims to be with his sons, the mujahidienes. He shows the territory they must reconquer, a map of the Iberian Peninsula, which in this occassion goes beyond the Pyrenees.

In the video there are images of Cordoba’s mosque or Granada’s Alhambra in which Bin Laden and Co. appear with the black flag of Islam.

via Alerta Digital – Al Qaeda llama a “desinfectar el Mahgreb de españoles y franceses”.

Al-Qaeda has asked for €7M to free the three Spanish volunteers. And:

They also have asked for Mauritania to free some members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who are imprisoned.

Their families have asked Al-Qaeda to free them on “compassionate grounds” as one of the volunteers was shot in a leg. We can say that it’s the worth a try, though this shows their lack of knowledge of a terrorist organization, who are not interested in humanitarian acts, but in making people feel threatened and endangered to achieve their political goals.

U: I was forgetting. Today is the anniversary of the reconquest of Granada (Jan 2nd, 1492). Thanks to Big Government for reminding me.

Read also Spero Forum about Al-Zawahiri’s message.

Finally, thanks to all the people who have linked this blog. If you like what you read, you can subscribe to T&P’s RSS.

Afghanistan: Two French journalists kidnapped

2010 begins as 2009 finishes… unhappily:

Suspected Taliban militants kidnapped two French journalists working for France’s public television broadcaster and three Afghan companions in the east of the war-torn country, a colleague said Thursday.Gunmen snatched the group as they were travelling around 60 kilometres (38 miles) from the Afghan capital on Wednesday, a French journalist working with them told AFP.

Criminal groups and Taliban insurgents have kidnapped several dozen foreigners, many of them journalists, since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime in Kabul, sparking a nine-year insurgency.

via AFP: Two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan.