US forces suffered a tragic blow in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. A MH-47 Night Stalker was shot down while conducting a support mission for a special operations observation team working in the mountains at about 10,000 feet above sea level, alone in perhaps the most harsh and dangerous territory on the planet. The MH-47 serves in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and is a specialized helicopter designed for “overt and covert infiltrations, exfiltrations, air assault, resupply, and sling operations over a wide range of environmental conditions.”

The ground team came under heavy fire from al Qaeda/Taliban fighters and called for assistance. Reports indicate the crew of the Night Stalker and a Navy SEAL squad been lost after being shot down with an RPG, however ROFASix reports the likely culprit was an SA-16 Gimlet, an advanced Russian made surface to air weapon. Matt Heidt from Froggy Ruminations states “this would be the largest casualty incident in SEAL Team history.” The impact is felt in Rev. Donald Sensing’s home town.

The crash site has been secured, and the BBC is reporting the bodies of 13 Americans have been recovered. The special operations ground team is also unaccounted for at this time. An A-10 Thunderbolt and Predator drone provided air support at the crash site until the relief mission could be conducted.

The composition of the forces lost tells us plenty about the mission.

Read the Rest…

In a previous Winds of War report, we noted that Thailand has one of the world’s worst terrorism problems: over 600 deaths in less than two years as a result of Islamofascist terrorism. Focus by the media? Hard to find, except for scattered articles in places like TIME Asia (Nov. 29/04: Buddhists Under Siege). Faithful Winds of War readers will have followed our continuing coverage, but I thought it was time to up the profile a bit.

Anyway, we have more beheadings and murders by Muslim terrorists there… and of course, the Associated Press won’t call them that. Their moral cowardice surpasseth all understanding. Or decency.

UPDATE: A recent news report puts the figure over 720. This is a casualty counter worth paying attention to. Note esp. this passage: “I don’t see a motive such as personal conflict. He was mute and his wife was also mute, so it’s just part of the campaign of unrest,” police Lieutenant Colonel Sakarin Bumpensamai of Bannang Sata told AFP. These people are evil. Call them by their name.

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are normally given by Colt, of Eurabian Times. This week Colt is enjoying a well deserved break.

Today’s Winds of War briefing is brought to you by USMC_Vet of The Word Unheard.

TOP TOPICS

• Ken Timmerman’s new book, “Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran”, contains this document showing a definitive link between Iran and al Qaeda, detailing the smuggling of oil products into Iran in the early 1990’s. Timmerman has also written a brief al Qaeda-Iran Timeline, beginning with a relationship spun up by Zawahiri in Sudan in 1992.

• Now that the silly election inconvenience is over, the real Ahmadinejad confidently steps forward in Iran. You’ll remember him. Yes, him.

• Operation Sword has swung into action in western Iraq. So far, information has been sparsely available, save for official press releases and the re-working of them by the press they are released to. Weapons caches have been siezed and there is a report that 13 were captured and detained.

Other Topics Today Include:

Russia ready to build six more reactors in Iran; Iran’s Second Islamic Revolution; Iraq terror manula contains ‘moral justification for killing innocent Iraqis’; a ‘Defining Battle’ for Iraqi troops; Night Stalker down in Afghanistan; Zalmay Khalilzad’s would-be assassins arrested; Operation Diablo Reach Back; Hizballah attacks Israeli positions; Pastor tells congress of ‘North American Community’ borderless ‘security’ plan; Darfur War Crimes considered by ICC; US Coast Guard in Africa; China’s Unocal chase; France is demanding something else again; 70 Achievements in the War on Terrorism and much more.

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• Military: 17 Believed Dead in Chopper Crash

While the statement was not definitive, the military said they did not expect to find survivors at the crash site. The crash would be the deadliest blow yet to American forces in Afghanistan

• U.S. secures Afghan crash site

• Afghan Insurgent Fire Seen as Causing U.S. Copter Crash

Military officials said Wednesday that it appeared that an American Chinook helicopter that crashed Tuesday in Afghanistan was brought down by hostile fire as it was landing during combat in a mountainous border area.

A U.S. military helicopter crashed during an anti-guerrilla mission in eastern Afghanistan after being hit by ground fire and the fate of 17 U.S. troops aboard was not known, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

The twin-rotor Chinook crashed in remote and mountainous Kunar province on Tuesday afternoon while bringing troops to reinforce soldiers on the ground carrying out an anti-al Qaeda operation, it said.

The aircraft received direct and indirect fire as it was approaching its landing zone and crashed about 1-2 km (half to one mile) away, said U.S. military spokesman Colonel Jim Yonts.

“Whether or not that caused it to crash, we do not know yet,” he told a regular news briefing.

Yonts said he did not know the fate of those aboard and declined to provide more details on the grounds that fighting was continuing in the area against a “very determined enemy.”

“We do have a large force engaging that enemy and at the same time we are trying to care for our servicemen that were on the aircraft,” he said.

Kunar Governor Asadullah Wafa said the helicopter was hit by a rocket and a spokesman for the Taliban, Abdul Latif Hakimi, claimed the guerrillas shot down the aircraft in the village of Shorak using “a new type of weapon” he did not describe.

Read more…

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report today. Today’s Winds of War briefing is brought to you by Bill Roggio and evariste of Discarded Lies.

Top Topics

• Hardliner Ahmadinejad wins the Iranian election, making European raproachment less likely. Here is a tame profile - but Dan Darling notes Ahmadinejad’s connections to Qods Force, which is currently protecting al-Qaeda’s leadership in Iran. Publius Pundit, meanwhile, notes the Iranian people basically boycotted this election.

• Iraq’s Prime Minister puts the pressure on Syria to close the borders to prevent the flow of foreign jihadis into Iraq, and says relations with the US won’t change even if there’s a US conflict with Iran. So much for that “Shi’ite election winners = Iranian allies” idea…

• In Afghanistan, its been a tough week of fighting and the Taliban isn’t holding up so well. Well over 130 have been killed and senior commanders have been killed or captured.

• Rumsfeld admitted on a Sunday morning show that the US has been meeting Sunni insurgency leaders to convince them to lay down their arms, but denied that any negotiation was taking place with Zarqawi’s organization.

Other Topics Today Include:

Al Qaeda in Iran; Ahmadinejad wants nukes, not US; Zarqawi’s #2 bagged; Ansar al Sunnah leader caught; Unsettling times in Gaza for Israelis; Hamas sez more killing!; Mugabe destroys, rebuilds; Terror in Kashmir; Burning in Bangladesh; Choppings in Thailand; Sri Lankan Peace overtures; CIA agents charged for renditions; and much more…

Read the Rest…

The Associated Press reports that Afghan forces have found the bodies of another 76 Taliban fighters:

The new fatalities bring the death toll to 178 from fighting in the Miana Shien district of Kandahar province since Tuesday, ministry spokesman Zahir Marad said.

“Our forces have collected the bodies of 76 more rebels from the battlefield,” he said. Marad said he had not received any reports from Afghan army commanders as to whether the fighting was still continuing.

Two Taliban commanders, Mullah Dadullah and Mullah Brader, are still believed to be surrounded in the mountainous region.

From California Yankee.

Reuters reports that Afghan forces are closing in on a number of senior Taliban commanders in southwestern Afghanistan:

The commanders included Mullah Dadullah, a member of the Taliban’s 10-man leadership council headed by elusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, and Mullah Brother another commander thought close to Omar, a Defence Ministry spokesman said

“Mullah Brother, Mullah Dadullah, Mullah Abdul Hakim, Mullah Abdul Hanan and Mullah Abdul Basir are in that area,” Mohammad Ishaq Paiman said. “The operation is ongoing.”

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said it appeared the guerrillas had been building up strength to launch attacks on the main southern city of Kandahar and elsewhere ahead of Afghanistan’s September 18 elections.

From California Yankee.

Something is going on in Afghanistan.

The Associated Press reports that more than100 insurgents have been killed in three days of fighting in Southern Afghanistan:

“A total of 102 Taliban have been killed since the fighting started on Tuesday,” Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Marad said, 26 more than were reported on Wednesday evening. “These deaths will have a huge impact on the rebels. Many are trying to flee. But we have them surrounded.”

[. . .]

Gen. Salim Khan, commander of 400 Afghan policemen who took part in the fighting, said the insurgents had been hit hard.

“Their camps were decimated. Bodies lay everywhere. Heavy machine guns and AK-47s were scattered alongside blankets, kettles and food,” he told The Associated Press. “Some of the Taliban were also killed in caves where they were hiding and U.S. helicopters came and pounded them.”

American AC-130 gunships, AH-64 Apache helicopters, A-10 attack planes and Harrier jump jets bombarded the rebels and had a “devastating effect on their forces,” said another U.S. spokesman, Lt. Col. Jerry O’Hara.

From California Yankee.

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• Al-Qaeda in Iraq has announced the establishment of an all-Iraqi suicide squad, apparently to dissuade Iraqis that the murderous ‘resistance’ is foreign. The statement did not explain why it took al-Qaeda over two years since the invasion to form such a unit.

• JK: BBC interviewee Jeremy Binnie of Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre believes the “flypaper strategy” is working. Impearls has a fuller analysis, with some new developments in Europe.

• A survey of arms experts by a Senate committee has found that the experts believe there is a high risk of a WMD attack this decade.

• The IDF seems to have returned to targeted killings. The PIJ target in question escaped.

Other Topics Today Include: Brits arrest Iran dissidents; Russia to deliver nuclear fuel in months; spy-plane crashes; palestinian burn victim tries to blow up hospital; anti-Syrian politician killed; Red-on-Red; Saudis kill two jihadis; 9/11 suspect caught in Mexico; Hezbollah drug ring smashed; Hamas says they spoke to senior German official; Spain arrests five more; Chechens kidnapped young girls for suicide bombings?; Karzai says Pakistan interfering; Taliban kicked out of town; seven Abu Sayyaf get death penalties; more jihad in Thailand; Al-Qaeda’s Africa arm stirs; A-Q angry with Sudan for intelligence tips to U.S.; and much more.

Read the Rest…

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday.

Today’s Winds of War briefing is brought to you by Bill Roggio of the fourth rail and evariste of Discarded Lies.

Top Topics

• Further endearing his cause to the masses, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri issued a new tape, this time denouncing demonstration, people power and colored revolutions, insisting that peaceful change was impossible and armed struggle (the terrorist kind) was essential. Does he sound scared? One of his Pakistani hideouts may have been discovered.

• Mexican special forces replaced a border town’s entire police force (pop. 500,000), detaining hundreds of them on suspicion of being in cahoots with druglords. Operation Safe Mexico targets 14 cities that are overwhelmed by druglord paramilitary violence. American law enforcement, having shared information in the past that led to no action, is skeptical but keeping an open mind. Nuevo Laredo is across the border from Laredo, TX and is the site of a recent police chief slaying by a drug gang (reported in this space two weeks ago).

• Michael Chertoff plans to propose some big changes for the Department of Homeland Security, but they’re on hold for now while he trims the bureaucracy and tries to mold it into a more effective domestic counterterror force. The intelligence arm of the Department faces a major overhaul, the details of which are to be announced by the end of June.

• In a further blow to CIA’s independence (which isn’t a bad thing), its station chiefs around the world will now report both to NDI John Negroponte and their boss Porter Goss. Also, the House intelligence committee chairman says he’s dropping legislation to subject Pentagon intelligence operations, including tactical intelligence for the military, to CIA “coordination”. A bad idea, and it’s good that it was dropped. The CIA and FBI took steps to end their turf war as well.

• Rumors that Israel was being systematically left out in the cold were finally officially confirmed by the Pentagon. Just when Caroline Glick declared that the US was abandoning its alliance with Israel over arms sales to China, Silvan Shalom, Israel’s foreign minister, has formally apologized to the United States over the Harpy drones and Israeli insensitivity to US security concerns, simultaneously with a visit by Condi Rice in which she is said to be taking it easy on a politically shaky Sharon. Rice is seeking to ease Israeli fears over the Gaza pullout, but Israel is taking few chances, commencing construction of an underwater barrier to seal off Gaza. Meanwhile, two Israeli journalists, tapping into rising anti-disengagement sentiment in Israel, say that people close to Sharon think disengagement is more about protecting Sharon from an anti-corruption probe. Colt has more.

Other Topics Today Include:
Iran nuclear doings; Hamas rejects call to disarm; more foreigners in Iraq insurgency; Operations Spear, Dagger underway; Gangbusters bill; OTMs increase to 100,000; Patriot Act hobbled; Ugandan border security; Sudanese peace deal; Ethiopia crackdown denounced; Sudan intel chief visit controversial; Al Qaeda wants to make Afghanistan another Iraq; Aus Fed Police do counterterror in Phillippines; Mullah Krekar in Norway to be deported; 3 imams deported in Holland; German snit over Rummy snub; G8 security leaks, high-level doings and agreements; renditions program running into trouble overseas; UK to deploy 5000 more to Afghanistan and much more…

Read the Rest…

The Associated Press reports that Afghan intelligence officials thwarted a plot to assassinate U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad:

Three Pakistani men armed with rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles, were arrested in the Qarghayi district of Laghman province on Sunday, just 150 feet from where Khalilzad had planned to inaugurate a road with Afghanistan’s interior minister, the officials told The Associated Press.

[. . .]

Khalilzad canceled his appearance at the road opening at the last minute and was never in danger, the official said. The interior minister, Ali Ahmad Jalali, also canceled his appearance.

From California Yankee.

TIME has a brief interview with CIA boss Porter Goss.

WHEN WILL WE GET OSAMA BIN LADEN? That is a question that goes far deeper than you know. In the chain that you need to successfully wrap up the war on terror, we have some weak links. And I find that until we strengthen all the links, we’re probably not going to be able to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice. We are making very good progress on it. But when you go to the very difficult question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you’re dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play. We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways that are acceptable to the international community.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHERE HE IS. WHERE? I have an excellent idea of where he is. What’s the next question?

For a long time I would have read this and thought “Pakistan.” But frankly, now I’m inclined to think “Iran.” You?

News on the Zarqawi front has gone cold; however the Coalition continues its efforts to dismantle his organization by attacking the middlemen. Abed Dawood Suleiman, Zarqawi’s military aide, and his son Raed, a former captain in Saddam’s army, have been captured outside of Baghdad. Jassim Hazan Hamadi al-Bazi, a bomb maker who “built and sold remote-controlled bombs used in roadside attacks from an electronic repair shop in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad” has also been detained.

While the hunt continues for Zarqawi and his murderers, Dan Darling points us to interesting information on the relationship between Saif al-Adel, Zarqawi, al Qaeda and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Saif al-Adel is widely believed to be the nom de guerre of former Egyptian Army Colonel Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi (Special Forces), who fought in Afghanistan with the mujahedeen against the Soviet Union. He is purported to have been involved with the Black Hawk Down battle in Somalia, which resulted in the deaths of 18 US servicemen, the 1998 embassy attacks in Kenyan and Tanzania, the training of several of the 9-11 hijackers, and the Riyadh bombing in 2003. After the death of Mohammed Atef, al-Adel is believed to have taken on some of the Atef’s responsibilities in al-Qaeda. He is believed to be the third ranking member in the organization.

Read the Rest…

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• A UAE paper claims that U.S. troops are massing near the Syrian border.

• Iran has been using plutonium for years. They also recieved technology for a weapons program - both things happened much earlier than Tehran had previously admitted.

• The Khadr saga has a good moment: the Mounties have found a cache of information on Zaynab Khadr’s laptop.

Other Topics Today Include: North Korea to build missile bunkers in Iran; al-Adel in Iran; Syria takes out ‘terror cell’; U.S. and Turkey part ways?; child-recruiting Fatah men arrested; Israel predicts more terror from Gaza; PA to collapse; Douglas Wood freed by Iraqi SF; carbomb-maker caught; IAEA tells KSA to cooperate; Congress considers KSA arms ban; Lebanese man given 4 1/2 years for aiding Hezbollah; Mexico ignoring AQ?; Yarkas took metro with Atta; Muslim migrants oppose Dutch gov’t immigration/integration plans; Spanish police net 16; Danes abuse anti-terror laws; Uzbekistan airbases less necessary; Taliban commander caught; Thai Buddhist beheaded by Muslims; U.S. exercises in North Africa; and much more.

Read the Rest…

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report today.

Today’s Winds of War briefing is brought to you by Bill Roggio of the fourth rail and evariste of Discarded Lies.

Top Topics

• Three more suspects are arrested in Lodi/al Qaeda sleeper cell case, raising fears that more cells are out there. Dan Darling reminds us that we shouldn’t be shocked that terrorist training camps exist in Pakistan, as the LeT is still open for business. Pakistan denies terrorist camps exist within their borders. The Counterterroism Blog weighs in as well.

• Bill Gertz reports that China analysts have missed a significant buildup in China’s military capabilities, and calls into question the policy of depending on area specialists.

• The humanitarian/authoritarian crisis in Zimbabwe worsens. Where is the UN? The opposition planned a strike, but it was a ‘flop’. More from Joe, who wants to arm the Zimbabwean opposition. Also, there are rumors Mugabe’s health is not so good (or very good, depending on your perspective).

• Salon.com states the Bush administration is trumping up “false” charges against the Assad Regime ala Iraq to precipitate an invasion. Syria’s Ambassador repeats the charges.

Other Topics Today Include:

Bombs in Iran; Iranian protest babes fight sexual discrimination; al Qaeda in Iran; Saudi Religious Police on the outs?; Syria not complying with Lebanon withdrawal; PATRIOT Games; Bolivian blowup; American prisons = Islamists breeding grounds; Africans high percentage of terrorists in Iraq; Darfur update; Resolution in Kashmir?; al Qaeda whereabouts; Thailand terror; Russian train derailed by bomb; ETA at it again; foreign jihadis swell the ranks of Iraqi insurgency; and much more…

Read the Rest…

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday’s Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• Outside Iraq, but Deep in the Fight. A long and fascinating look at the trails of jihad leading to Iraq from Syria. Bill Roggio chimes in with The Syrian End of the Ratline

• The Pentagon is looking to kill off the mid-level A-Q terrorists who enable the top-tier to function.

• Iraqi government officials have praised a Shi’ite organisation that many Sunnis say is behind the recent spate of murders of Sunni notables.

Other Topics Today Include: A-Q living in Iran; Iran to work with IAEA; Hezbollah does well; IDF wants to fight Hamas; Hamas willing to talk; PIJ test rockets in Judea and Samaria; poisoned melons; Sunni terrorists may disarm; Kurd president favours Israel ties; Saudi preacher changes tune; bloody-chainsaw man allowed to enter U.S.; father-son A-Q pair arrested in CA; al-Arian’s lawyers deny everything; HRW worried for al-Libbi; Dutch nab two Iraqi ‘resistors’; Zapatero says ETA talks will end terror; CSM picks up 3/11 weirdness; Uzbek jihadis threaten U.S.; Taliban finished as battle force; OIC says Thai terror not religious; GSPC claims attack; and much more besides.

Read the Rest…

The big news yesterday was the disruption of an apparent network of California al-Qaeda supporters centered around Lodi, some 35 miles south of Sacramento. What is particularly interesting to me is the nature of the training that Hamid Hayat confessed to taking part in, and for what purpose - according to both MSNBC and the Los Angeles Times:

According to prosecutors, Hamid Hayat trained with explosives and other weapons, using photographs of President Bush and other political leaders as targets.