insurgents

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Bin Laden Is 'Planning' in Pakistan, Says US Official

Taliban head Omar also in the country

(Newser) - Mullah Omar and his Taliban compatriots are running their insurgency from the Pakistani city of Quetta, while Osama bin Laden is operating in tribal areas of the country, says a US official. Bin Laden and right-hand man Ayman Al-Zawahiri  are “planning” near the Afghanistan border, says the source, in...

Afghan Gunmen Kidnap Female US Aid Worker

Woman, 49, was wearing burqa when stopped near Kandahar

(Newser) - An American woman has been kidnapped in Afghanistan along with her driver, the AP reports. The woman, 49, worked for an aid organization and was wearing a burqa when she was stopped near the southern city of Kandahar. Police are searching for the kidnappers, whom a local governor called “...

US Sees Huge Gains in Baghdad Security

City sees dramatic improvement in security from a year ago

(Newser) - US and Iraqi forces have secured 75% of Baghdad's neighborhoods, a sharp increase from pre-surge days, USA Today reports. The combined forces "basically own the streets," said a US colonel. Military figures say that 356 of 474 of the city's neighborhoods have returned to some semblance of normalcy,...

Iraqi Soldier Kills Two US Troops
Iraqi Soldier
Kills Two
US Troops

Iraqi Soldier Kills Two US Troops

He turned on them during joint patrol; 3 others wounded

(Newser) - An Iraqi insurgent who joined the country’s military force shot and killed two American troops, the BBC reports. Three other US soldiers were injured in the Dec. 26 shooting, which happened during a joint patrol in northern Iraq. After the patrol was besieged by gunmen, the Iraqi soldier “...

Al-Qaeda In Iraq Down 75%, Baghdad Says

But Petraeus calls the group country's 'biggest threat'

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq is down 75%, one Baghdad official said today—but US Gen. David Petraeus maintained that al-Qaeda is still “the most significant challenge" facing the country. Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf attributed the alleged al-Qaeda cut to beefed Iraq security, armed Sunni fighters, and the recent US...

Iraq Moves Toward Amnesty
Iraq Moves Toward Amnesty

Iraq Moves Toward Amnesty

Pending law would allow release thousands of detainees

(Newser) - The Iraqi cabinet has framed an amnesty law that would release tens of thousands of suspected insurgents being held without charges. The amnesty, the result of months of negotiation, now goes to the parliament, which will begin debating it Sunday, the BBC reports. The number of prisoners held, estimated at...

Nepal to Ax Monarchy, Install Republic

Leaders cave after 3-month standoff with Maoists

(Newser) - After almost three months of deadlock, Nepal agreed today to end its 240-year-old monarchy and set up a republic, the BBC reports. Maoist rebels, who had walked out in October and staged violent protests, struck the deal with Nepal's leaders, which will go into effect after elections next spring.

Troubled Afghan Mission Under Review

Prospect of failure in 'forgotten war' prompts probes, if not surge

(Newser) - With insurgent violence in Afghanistan soaring to the highest level since 2001, the Bush administration and NATO have begun three sweeping reviews of a mission that was considered a success, but now seems increasingly threatened. Lack of coordination in fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda, rising opium production, and the weakness...

40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes
40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes

40 Taliban Die in Afghan Clashes

Three days of battle latest sign of Taliban surge

(Newser) - Some 40 Taliban insurgents were killed in three days of clashes with Afghani and US-led foreign forces in the mountainous Shah Wali Kot district in southern Kandahar province, reports AP. Forces launched pitched battles against various pockets of Taliban strongholds in the area and called in airstrikes.

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US
6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

Iraqi civilian forces help decrease violence as refugees return home

(Newser) - Almost 6,000 Sunni Arab civilians in Iraq turned against Al-Qaeda yesterday and signed a pact to help US forces police possible insurgent escape routes. As insurgents seek to gain a foothold in the semi-autonomous north, American officials hailed the alliance, which is the Iraq war’s largest single volunteer...

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq
Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Fall in violence trigger optimism from Iraqi government

(Newser) - A sharp drop in violence in Baghdad led Iraqi government officials to express confidence yesterday that the worst is over, reports the Los Angeles Times. While violence remains high, bombings, street fighting, and abductions are down, as are fears of a civil war. US officials urged Iraq's government to take...

Military: AP Photog Linked to Insurgents

New evidence surfaces implicating journalist held since 2006

(Newser) - The US military says it has evidence that an Iraqi photographer who works for AP is connected with the anti-American insurgency, CNN reports. Bilal Hussein Zaidon has been in custody since April 2006 and will face trial in the Iraqi court system. The Pentagon did not specify the charges but...

Sunni Chiefs Killed in Iraq Suicide Bomb

5 leaders in fight against al-Qaeda in Diyala province dead in blast

(Newser) - A suicide bomber detonated his vest in a meeting yesterday of anti-al-Qaeda Sunni chiefs, killing five leaders in the battle to drive al-Qaeda from Diyala province, in central Iraq. The bomb went off in the home of Sheikh Faez al-Obeidi, 30 miles north of Baghdad; killed were the sheikh and...

US Releases 9 Iranian Prisoners
US Releases
 9 Iranian Prisoners

US Releases 9 Iranian Prisoners

Men arrested in Iraq said to be no threat after nearly a year

(Newser) - The American military released nine Iranian prisoners in Iraq today, including two captured when US forces stormed the Iranian consulate in Irbil last January. The men were initially accused of being members of Iran's Quds Force, an arm of the Revolutionary Guards Washington has accused of funding and arming Shiite...

80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle
80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle

80 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle

Coalition, Afghan forces pitch 6-hour battle after insurgent ambush

(Newser) - In a sudden new flash of violence in another American battle theater, US-led forces killed 80 Taliban fighters yesterday near a southern Afghanistan town held by insurgents. The battle erupted when Taliban troops ambushed a joint coalition and Afghan army patrol with machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Coalition forces...

Diplomats to Be Ordered to Serve in Iraq

Lack of volunteers spurs biggest call-up since Vietnam War

(Newser) - Lacking volunteers for dozens of vacancies at the US Embassy in Baghdad, the State Department is set to order its diplomats to serve one-year postings in Iraq. Those selected for the postings will be notified Monday; if not enough take the bait, assignments will be made mandatory, on pain of ...

US Forces Hunt Down Iraqi Rackets
US Forces
Hunt Down
Iraqi Rackets

US Forces Hunt Down Iraqi Rackets

Illegal schemes funnel key money to insurgents

(Newser) - Iraq's mafia-style rackets are funneling big money to insurgents, making them key targets for US commanders. Corruption and kickbacks in real estate, soft drinks, cement—even the extortion of US contractors—are fueling what Maliki calls a “second war” in Iraq. "We have got to attack the insurgency...

Qaeda Backers Enraged by Al Jazeera's Osama Excerpts

Critics also seek praise from scolding leader

(Newser) - Supporters of Al Qaeda have attacked Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera for selectively airing critical remarks by Osama bin Laden this week in which he blasts Iraqi insurgent groups for being too splintered. Critics called for the broadcaster to air the entire tape, which also includes praise for the groups.

US Troops Get Look at Film on Insurgency

Documentary 'Meeting Resistance' explores motives of Iraqi fighters

(Newser) - A new documentary features interviews with Iraqi insurgents, all of whom stress the humiliation of US occupation. “Meeting Resistance” will be released this week, but CNN sat in on a preview in Baghdad, where US troops heard tales of citizens turning to violence. "It tells us a lot...

Roadside Bombs Redefine Iraqi War, Bedevil US

$10B hasn't produced countermeasures to easy-to-make IEDs

(Newser) - Simple, cheap and lethal roadside bombs have become the defining weapon of the Iraq war, confounding the Pentagon and taking a devastating toll on US troops, the Washington Post reports in a history and analysis of our tk Iraq. The devices, which account for nearly two-thirds of US combat deaths,...

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