Talibaan Watch

Taliban 'Kills Four Schoolboys' In Pakistan

2009-09-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Taliban militants have killed four boys on their way to school and wounded three others in north west Pakistan, a government official has said.

Taliban fighters have been blamed over the killings

The students were apparently attacked because they were minority Shi'ite Muslims.

Taliban militants are from the majority Sunni community and target Shi'ites as part of their strategy to fight the government.

Source : SKY NEWS

Taliban Suicide Bomber Hits Afghan Air Base

2009-09-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

At least one Afghan civilian has been killed in a suicide attack on Kabul's military airport.

Afghan policemen carry a casualty from the blast site in Kabul

Seven civilians, three American soldiers and a Belgian soldier were also reported wounded in the attack, for which the Taliban has claimed responsibility.

It happened at the main gate of the international military airport just east of Kabul.

Source : SKY NEWS

Sawat Taliban Torturing Woman in public

2009-08-28T04:58:00.001-07:00

Taliban women abuse

2009-08-28T04:41:00.001-07:00

Taliban slays Women for Prostetution

2009-08-28T04:40:00.001-07:00

IS THIS ISLAMIC PUNISHMENT??

Pakistan Taliban commander vows Afghan fight

2009-08-23T22:35:00.001-07:00

MAKEEN, Pakistan – Pakistani Taliban fighters are committed to helping the fight in Afghanistan and consider Barack Obama their "No. 1 enemy," a top commander said amid uncertainty about whether a new leader has been appointed to head the movement.

Waliur Rehman made the remarks in an interview Sunday with The Associated Press at a time of intense speculation over the next leader of the al-Qaida-allied group. A CIA missile strike on Aug. 5 is believed to have killed former chief Baitullah Mehsud. Rehman, a cousin of Baitullah, is seen as a strong candidate for the post.

Rehman said on Saturday that Baitullah had given him full control over the network and that a new leader "would be chosen within five days." Rehman made no reference to Hakimullah Mehsud, whose aides said separately later Saturday that he had been chosen as new leader during a meeting Friday.]

Source: Yahoo News

Soldier son of SAS Iranian embassy siege hero is killed by Taliban

2009-08-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

The latest British soldier to die in Afghanistan was the son of a legendary SAS hero, it emerged today.

Serjeant Paul McAleese was the son of John McAleese, who led the raid which ended the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980.

In what became iconic TV footage, McAleese was watched by millions putting explosive charges on the windows before storming the building and rescuing 19 hostages.

His son was serving with the 2nd Battalion The Rifles and striving for selection into the SAS to follow in his father's footsteps.

SOURCE: dailymail

Taliban deputy takes command

2009-08-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

The deputy head of the Pakistani Taliban announced yesterday that he was temporarily assuming leadership of the militant group because its chief, whom Washington and Islamabad have said was almost certainly killed by a missile strike, was unwell.

The announcement by Maulvi Faqir Mohammad is another sign that Taliban commanders are jockeying for power after the reported death of Baitullah Mehsud in a CIA missile strike in north-western Pakistan on 5 August.

Original article link

new Taliban code of conduct

2009-07-30T00:27:00.000-07:00

KABUL (Map, News) - A new Taliban code of military conduct that tells fighters to limit suicide attacks and avoid killing civilians is a sham that doesn't reflect the true nature of the insurgents, NATO and Afghan officials said Wednesday.

The code, entitled "Taliban 2009 rules and regulations booklet," is believed to have been published in May. Copies have been seized in operations throughout the country, NATO spokesman Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay said.

"It seems to be a form of propaganda to try to show there is a central control over the insurrection," he said.

The requirement for Taliban fighters to respect the rules of war contradicts the reality on the ground, Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi said, noting that Taliban fighters captured and beheaded an Afghan soldier this week in the eastern Paktika region.

Source: Exerminer

Taliban running school for suicide bombers

2009-07-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Pakistan said yesterday it had rescued 20 young boys who were among hundreds recruited by the Taliban and brainwashed into becoming suicide bombers at a secret indoctrination camp.

The boys, some as young as nine, have revealed details of how they were induced to become part of the Taliban's army of jihad inside Pakistan and told their rescuers that more than 1,000 children may be undergoing training in the special camp in the Swat valley. Their discovery by the army as troops were sweeping through the valley conducting the final stages of a military offensive against the Taliban underscores the organisation's power over poor Pakistani communities and the extreme lengths Taliban commanders are willing to go to achieve their aims.

Original artical link

Pakistanis arrest pro-Taliban cleric

2009-07-28T04:15:00.000-07:00

Pakistani police have arrested pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Muhammad, who brokered a peace deal between the government and militants in the Swat Valley that has since collapsed.

Muhammad, the father-in-law of Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah, negotiated a truce with the government in February that imposed Sharia, or Islamic law, in the valley in exchange for an end to two years of fighting. But it was widely seen as giving in to Taliban control of the area.

The deal fell apart in April when the Taliban advanced into neighbouring districts, triggering a military offensive. Mian Iftikhar, the Information Minister for the North West Frontier Province, said Muhammad was arrested for encouraging violence and terrorism. "Instead of keeping his promises by taking steps for the sake of peace, and speaking out against terrorism, he did not utter a single word against terrorists," Iftikhar said.

Source The Indipendant

TALIBAN RAPE GIRL

2009-07-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Taliban militants kidnap 300 - 400 students and others

2009-06-04T04:55:00.001-07:00

The militants attacked a convoy carrying teachers and students in North Waziristan — AP photo.

PESHAWAR: Taliban militants kidnapped about 300 students, teachers and their relatives travelling in a convoy of mini-buses in North Waziristan on Monday, Reuters quoted police as saying.

‘Driver of one of the vehicles managed to escape and students reported to us that their colleagues have been kidnapped by Taliban,’ Razaq Khan, a police official in Bakka Kheil village near the North Waziristan tribal region told Reuters.

The students from Razmak cadet college have reportedly been kidnapped near FR Bannu, DawnNews quoted official sources as saying.

Official sources say cadets in two of 29 buses travelling under the protection of a security detail were kidnapped near Marwat canal Baka khel police station.

SOURCE Dawn

Taliban Bans Western Clothing as Un-Islamic

2009-05-25T03:47:00.000-07:00

People are being warned by Taliban thugs about wearing Western clothing.

“I received a piece of paper written in Pushto, saying that doctors and medical workers are wearing un-Islamic dress which should be stopped,” said Abdul Hammed Afridi, chief executive of Peshawar’s main government hospital. “It was from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),” he said.
“Last week one of our colleagues was kidnapped by the Taliban, beaten and warned that pharmaceutical staff should stop wearing western dress,” said Nasir Khan, president of a medical representatives’ organisation. “They put a warning letter in his pocket after beating him,” he said.

Western-style trousers and T-shirts appear to be the targets of the campaign. However, I suspect a bin Laden T-Shirt would be okay.

Taliban funded by $800m gems, marbles trade

2009-05-19T00:20:00.000-07:00

A major chunk of the whopping USD 800 million of annual illegal trade in gems, timber and marbles may be sustaining the activities of

Taliban in Pakistan's restive north-west, a media report said on Monday.

"It is not possible to put a definitive figure on how much the Taliban are making from their excursion into economic activity, but the government estimates that it is losing 65 billion rupees annually from the illegal timber trade and indiscriminate deforestation alone," The News said in its editorial 'Funding Terror' today.

Marble was their first target, starting in April 2008 when they took over the Ziarat marble quarry in Mohmand.

Around a million tons of marble a year are mined in FATA every year - and prior to the takeover the government had hoped to increase marble and granite exports to USD 500 million by 2013; a hope now not to be realised with the profit now going into other pockets.

The emerald mines of Swat were next. By late March of this year reports began to be confirmed that militants had taken control of government controlled emerald mines located in the mountains of Mingora. Swat is also0 rich in timber.

The occupation of the Mingora mine apparently took place sometime in February 2009, following the peace deal between the provincial administration and Sufi Muhammad. Taliban forces then seized the nearby Shamozai and Gujjar Killi mines and started mining and trading gems.

SOURCE Times of India

Fleeing Taliban make beeline for Karachi

2009-05-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Taliban fighters seeking money, rest and refuge from US missile strikes are turning up in increasing numbers in Pakistan’s largest city

and economic hub, Karachi, according to militants, police officials and an intelligence memo.

The Taliban presence in this port city, hundreds of miles away from the Islamist extremists' strongholds in the northwest, shows how quickly their influence is spreading throughout the nation.

Few believe Taliban could actually take over this diverse metropolis, but there is fear they could destabilize it through violence and rock the already shaky national economy.

SOURCE Times of India

Pakistani Taliban vow to fight until 'last breath'

2009-05-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

he Pakistani Taliban have vowed to resist military advances in the northwest's Swat Valley until their "last breath," while the

government Monday sought to bolster political support for the offensive ahead of potentially bloody urban battles.

Washington has pressed Islamabad to crack down on al-Qaida and Taliban strongholds along the Afghan frontier, saying the militants threaten not only US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, but also nuclear-armed Pakistan's existence.

The prime minister insisted on Monday that Pakistan's nuclear weapons were safe amid reports it is expanding its stockpile.

The army said Sunday it was battling militants on the outskirts of a major Swat city and had entered two other Taliban-held towns. Swat Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said the militants were prepared for any onslaught.

"We will fight until the last breath for the enforcement of Islamic law," Khan said in a brief phone call from an undisclosed location. "We consider ourselves on the right path."

Source Times of India

Chilling footage of couple executed by Taliban for having affair

2009-04-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Horrifying footage has emerged of a couple being executed by the Taliban after conducting an alleged affair in a Pakistan village near the Afghan border.

A local journalist captured the footage on his mobile telephone, which showed a gunman shooting the couple after they attempted to escape.

The man and woman, who have not been named, were both shot in the back, and left bleeding in a field until observers noticed that they were still alive.

Distress is evident on the woman's face before the brutal execution, both she and the man can be seen attempting to escape before they are shot

The film, which aired on Pakistani channel Dawn News, shows the gunman return moments later to shoot them dead.

The killings, which took place in Hangu District, a violent militant-controlled frontier region two hours from Peshawar, is further indication of the spread of the Taliban in Pakistan.

More...

The horrific punishment was carried out by a local group of Pakistani Taliban militia which is currently sweeping towards the country's capital, Islamabad.

The woman is shot, but not killed. The Taliban gunman returns after onlookers shout that the victims are still alive

The horrific killing is an indication of the Taliban's spread in Pakistan

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on the people of Pakistan to defy their government, after it signed a deal with Taliban in the neighbouring Swat Valley, shocking the West.

'They need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents,' she said.

Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy, of the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad said: 'The Taliban are steady and confident, the government is weak and faltering.

'A Taliban victory will enslave our women, destroy Pakistan's rich historical and cultural heritage, make education and science impossible, and make the lives of its citizens impossibly difficult. Some are already contemplating exodus.'

The man is gunned down by a member of the Taliban. The shooters returned a few minutes later to ensure the couple were dead

The Swat Valley deal, which was signed earlier this month, now looks set to fall apart after reports emerged that the Taliban had assumed total control of the Bahrain region of Swat.

An army convoy driving into Swat yesterday was turned away, and a local, who declined to be named, told how check points had been set up, and that the Taliban had been kidnapping residents, including young women.

He told how local schools had been forced to stop teaching girls, 'yet the government says its writ is in Swat,' he said.

Military analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi said: 'The Taliban will not stop at Swat. They will come towards Islamabad.'

'If the army is going to take action against them, it is goimg to be a really bloody battle. And then civil government will be knocked out.

'Extremist groups based in Islamabad will move from within, and the Taliban will build pressure from outside,' he said.

Source Daily Mail

'300 Taliban suicide bombers on way to Islamabad,' claim Pakistan officials

2009-04-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

300 suicide bombers are on their way to Islamabad, Pakistan and plan to attack the capital and certain local officials of foreign embassies there, Interior Ministry sources said.

The suicide bombers also plan to attack Rawalpindi and Lahore and are being led by five top Taliban commanders who are close aides of Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the country's unified Taliban movement, according to the sources.

Troops of Airport Security Force stand on alert at Islamabad airport. Interior Ministry sources said 300 suicide bombers are on their way to the capital

The commanders have left North Waziristan for Islamabad and would supervise the terrorist operations planned by Baitullah Mehsud in these cities, the sources added.

Pakistan's Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah confirmed the report, saying that security measures had been adopted to thwart such threats. The law enforcement agencies have planned counter strategies to deal with the situation, the secretary said.

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Kamal Shah added that the Northern Areas Scouts (NAS), a paramilitary force under the Army command, would reach Islamabad within a couple of days to help the civil administration in maintaining peace in the capital.

The sources said an intelligence agency provided information to the government regarding the Taliban activities, alleging that simultaneous suicide bombings followed by sniper attacks could occur.

The five Taliban commanders are identified by intelligence agencies as Shikaari, Inayatullah, Walid, Mujahid and Abdali, Interior Ministry sources said. They said all the terrorist commanders were close aides of Baitullah Mehsud.

Pakistan's Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah (R) said security measures had been adopted to thwart the Taliban threat

A security officer said the Taliban commanders had left North Waziristan on April 11 for Islamabad, along with an explosives-laden Toyota Corolla. But the law-enforcement agencies were totally unaware whether they had reached their destination or postponed their operation, the officer said.

Quoting the intelligence report, the source said about 300 terrorist shooters and suicide bombers would reach Islamabad, along with the five commanders.

To counter serious threats to Islamabad, the federal government has called troops of the NAS to assist the civil administration to protect prominent personalities as well as sensitive installations of the capital city, the Interior Ministry sources said.

'At least 20 companies of the NAS are required to deal with the possible untoward situation,' the source said.

Outside the Red Mosque in Islamabad

Source Daily Mail

Osama may be dead: Zardari

2009-04-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Pakistani intelligence believes Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead, President Asif Ali Zardari said Monday, but also admitted that he did not have any evidence of this.

'The Americans tell me they don't know, and they are much more equipped than us to trace him. Our own intelligence services obviously think that he does not exist any more, that he is dead,' APP quoted Zardari as telling a group of international journalists .

'But there is no evidence, you cannot take that as a fact,' he said, adding: 'We are between facts and fiction.'

'The question is whether he is alive or dead. There is no trace of him,' Zardari maintained.

The Taliban, who control much of Swat and six other districts of the restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP) that is collectively known as the Malakand division, had last week invited Osama to visit the area.

Source Sify News

Taliban stop troops from entering Swat

2009-04-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

Taliban fighters on Saturday prevented a convoy of security forces from entering their stronghold in the northwestern Swat valley, a

day after the Pakistan army chief pledged to eliminate militants who challenge the writ of the state.

A convoy of seven army trucks was stopped by armed Taliban militants at Qambar, a small town near Mingora, the main city in Swat valley, witnesses and Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said.

Witnesses said the convoy withdrew from Qambar after the Taliban forced the troops to go back, averting any clash.

There was no official reaction to the Taliban preventing the convoy from entering Swat. Sources said local authorities were consulting Taliban leaders to convince them to allow the convoy to move into the area.

The Taliban action could lead to a worsening in the situation as army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani announced on Friday that his force is "determined to root out the menace of terrorism" and "would not allow the militants to dictate terms to the government or impose their way of life on the civil society".

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that the deployment of additional troops in Swat is against a peace deal signed in February to introduce Islamic laws in Malakand division, which includes Swat.

SourceTimes of India

Taliban kidnap JUI, PPP men for women aid measures

2009-04-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

More than a dozen members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party and some activists of the ruling PPP have been taken hostage by the Taliban in Pakistan’s restive tribal region for supporting a programme providing financial aid to women.The people taken hostage on Tuesday in Bajaur tribal agency are being held in private jails run by the Taliban in the militancy-plagued region bordering Afghanistan, ‘The News’ daily reported on Wednesday.

A senior Taliban commander from Bajaur told the paper on phone that the militants had “arrested” over a dozen clerics belonging to the JUI, including a nephew of a former parliamentarian, and some PPP workers for backing the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

The Taliban commander said the JUI and PPP activists continued supporting the programme and distributed cheques among women despite “repeated warnings”.

The Taliban ‘Shura’ or council in Bajaur issued “arrest warrants” for the political activists after they defied the militants’ orders and “violated tribal customs and traditions by inviting women to Government offices for distributing the financial assistance,” he said.

The commander said the Taliban had also warned two PPP parliamentarians – Engineer Shaukat Khan and Akhunzada Chattan – not to initiate the programme and its projects in their areas but the lawmakers had not heeded the warnings.The commander, who did not want to be named, argued there was no room for women to work or attend functions or meetings in the presence of men. Therefore, the Taliban had banned the women’s aid programme in Bajaur and termed its activities as being against Shariah or Islamic law, he said.

“This is a conspiracy by President Asif Ali Zardari and America against tribesmen and the distribution of money among the tribal women was nothing but a joke with their centuries-old tribal culture and traditions,” said the militant leader, adding the Taliban would not allow “anyone to convert the tribeswomen into beggars.”

He said the “arrested people” are being interrogated by the Taliban. “We may later release the detainees if they confess to their crime and promise to oppose the BISP and its activities in Bajaur,” he said.

The Taliban in North Waziristan tribal agency have already banned the BISP and warned that anyone found receiving funds from the programme would be awarded a “death sentence.”

Meanwhile, Taliban fighters in the restive Swat valley occupied a college and a petrol station and also kidnapped a traffic constable on Tuesday.

Armed militants stormed the Government Technical College in Mingora, the main city in Swat, and occupied all its rooms.Shah Dauran, the traffic constable, was performing his duties when unidentified gunmen took him to an undisclosed location in a pick-up truck.

Taliban tighten their grip on Pakistan's northwest

2009-04-23T02:42:00.000-07:00

Taliban militants from Pakistan's Swat Valley are tightening their grip on a neighboring northwest district closer to the capital — patrolling roads, broadcasting sermons and spreading fear in another sign that a government-backed peace deal has emboldened the extremists to spread their reign.

Pakistan's president signed off on the peace pact last week in hopes of calming Swat, where some two years worth of clashes between the Taliban and security forces have killed hundreds and displaced up to a third of the one-time tourist haven's 1.5 million residents.

The agreement covers Swat and other districts in the Malakand Division, a huge chunk of Pakistan's northwest that borders Afghanistan and the tribal areas where al-Qaida and the Taliban have strongholds. Under the deal, the provincial government agreed to impose Islamic law in Malakand, and the Taliban agreed to a cease-fire.

Supporters say the deal will allow the government to reassert control by taking away the militants' rallying cry for Islamic law.

Source AP

Taliban Seize District Near Islamabad

2009-04-23T02:33:00.000-07:00

Pakistani Taliban are on alert during a rally of their leader Sufi Muhammad in Mingora, capital of Pakistan's troubled valley of Swat on April 19, 2009.

Pakistan's Taliban seized control of another district in the country's northwest just 70 miles from the capital after consolidating their hold on the Swat Valley, according to local government officials and residents.

The latest Taliban advance into the Buner district has spurred fears that a controversial peace accord, which allows the militants to enforce sharia law in Swat, has emboldened them to expand their influence.

Militants have been moving into Buner since the Swat peace deal was signed with the government in February. But starting Tuesday night they seized control of the entire district, which has a population of more than one million people, local government officials and residents said. Heavily armed militants, streaming in from neighboring Swat, occupied government offices and set up their own checkposts. Terrified residents fled their homes.

Dozens of hooded fighters carrying rocket launchers and machine guns ransacked the offices of international aid and development agencies working in the district and took away their vehicles. Some employees of the agencies were also briefly taken hostage. The militants set up their headquarters in the town of Buner after driving out government officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday the Taliban advance poses "an existential threat" to Pakistan and urged Pakistanis world-wide to oppose a government policy yielding to them. Pakistanis "need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents," Mrs. Clinton said in testimony before a House committee.

Source WSJ

Taliban claims victory near Islamabad

2009-04-22T04:52:00.000-07:00

Taliban militants who implemented Islamic law in Pakistan's violence-plagued Swat Valley last week have now taken control of a neighboring district.

Pakistani paramilitary troops patrol a street in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Control of the Buner district brings the Taliban closer to the capital, Islamabad, than they have been since they started their insurgency. Islamabad is 60 miles (96 km) from the district.

"Our strength is in the hundreds," said Moulana Mohammad Khalil, as heavily armed men openly patrolled the roads in pickup trucks, singing Islamic anthems.

The militants had taken control of the area to ensure that Islamic law, or sharia, is properly imposed, Khalil said.

The government called the advance into Buner a breach of a recently-signed peace agreement.

"Now Taliban are violating the peace agreement, and if they continue the government will take strict action and not allow the Taliban to create a parallel government in that area," said Mian Iftikhar, a spokesman for the regional administration in the North West Frontier Province, where Buner is located.

Readfull story

Archbishop of Lahore: Sharia in the Swat Valley is contrary to Pakistan's founding principles

2009-04-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Sharia law in the Swat Valley demonstrates a "total neglect" of minorities and their rights, sanctioned by the founding father of the country in 1947, at the Constituent Assembly. This is the position of Lawrence John Saldanha, archbishop of Lahore and president of the Pakistani bishops' conference, who expresses special concern "in matters concerning criminal justice."

The prelate has sent an open letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raza Gilani, and the Justice Minister of the government of the North-West Frontier Province, in which he stresses his "sorrow that your government has failed to take stock of the concerns of civil society" about the introduction of Islamic law into the Swat Valley. This, in fact, "jeopardizes the socio-economic and cultural growth" in the region, legitimizes the claims of the Taliban, who are destroying "the constitutional protections for minorities and women."

The letter was also signed by Peter Jacob, executive secretary of the National Commission for Justice and Peace. The Catholic leaders explain that the climate of "impunity" surrounding the Taliban's "killing machine of terror" perpetrates crimes and violence against "the small communities of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians." The Christian minorities of the NWFP are forced to endure "unemployment, intimidation and migration" because of the imposition of the Jizya, the tax levied by Muslims on the faithful of the religions of the Book (Christians and Jews). The Islamic extremists have defaced the "statues of the Buddha" and razed to the ground "St. Mary’s School, Convent, and Chapel at Sangota (Swat)." The fundamentalists have also targeted the school of Don Bosco, in Bannu. Archbishop Saldanha says that "several of our institutions have received threats."

Special concern has been prompted by the creation of "a parallel legal system," based on Islamic law. "This decision," the archbishop says, "must be put to a vote by the judges and the people." Another significant aspect is the " ideological extremism" that seems to be gaining a foothold in the country. In the open letter, there is a reference to the inaugural address - in 1947 - of the founder of the country to the Constituent Assembly: Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah recalled that religion is a "personal matter" and has nothing to do with "the affairs of state."

In a second letter, addressed to the head of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Archbishop Saldanha and Peter Jacob express their "appreciation" for the only party in parliament that has "opposed the introduction of Sharia in the Swat." "This contribution," the letter reads, "aimed to save the nation from falling into darkness, will always be remembered."

Catholics "share" the concerns of the members of the MQM over the "tacit approval" of the actions of the terrorists, and their plans, aimed at overturning "the social and political order" of the country. Peter Jacob and Archbishop Saldanha invite the Muttahida Quami Movement to "continue its efforts" to create a "tolerant and pluralist" Pakistani society.

The Taliban, meanwhile, are continuing their battle to extend Islamic law to the entire country, and say they have no intention of "giving up weapons: we are Pashtun, and every Pashtun has a weapon," says Muslim Khan, spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Last Sunday, Sufi Muhammad, the spiritual leader of the movement Tahrik-e-Nifaz Shariat Muhammadi, recalled that "only Islamic law is valid" in the Swat Valley, and the entire judicial system of Pakistan must be regulated "according to the dictates of Sharia." The fundamentalist leader emphasized that "there is no room for democracy" in Islam, and called Western governments "a system of infidels" that has divided the country thanks to the support of the Supreme Court and the local high courts.

Source AsiaNews

Swat's Taleban expand operations

2009-04-21T06:01:00.001-07:00

Taleban militants from Pakistan's troubled district of Swat have expanded operations into nearby regions after a peace deal with the government.

Dozens of militants have been streaming into bordering Buner district to take over mosques and government offices.

Buner is part of the Malakand region which has just seen the implementation of Islamic Sharia law.

This is part of a peace deal with the militants who had been fighting security forces since August 2007.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister for North West Frontier Province, said he had received reports of the Taleban expansion.

Recent reports said the Taleban had ransacked the offices of international aid and development agencies working in Buner.

Some employees of the agencies were also briefly taken hostage before being released on Monday.

Source BBC

Women in Somali city must wear clothes like Arabian women or go to Jail

2009-04-21T05:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry these color clothes are no longer Islamic and will land you in jail.

Women in Somalia's third-largest city, Baidoa, have been ordered to wear Islamic dress starting this week or face jail time, according to a resident and Somali media reports.

Somali women wait to get medicine at a clinic near Mogadishu in July.

The order -- issued last week by Al-Shabaab, the radical Islamist militia that controls the city -- also warns business owners to close their shops during daily prayers, or they will be temporarily shut down, a local journalist said.

The militia has ordered women to cover their bodies and heads from view, according to a resident of Baidoa who did not want to be identified for security reasons. The clothing must be black, red or white, and women in the impoverished city are concerned that they will not be able to purchase clothing that conforms to the order, the resident said.

Source CNN

Turkey: Police arrest Al-Qaeda suspects in raids

2009-04-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Istanbul, 21 April - Turkish police on Tuesday arrested at least a dozen suspected members of Al-Qaeda in simultaneous raids across four provinces, Turkish media reported.

While the exact number of suspects was still to be confirmed, at least 12 suspects were arrested in raids in the southeastern provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa, the central province of Konya and southern city of Adana, said Turkish daily Hurriyet.

Earlier this month, seven people were arrested on charges of links to the extremist network following simultaneous operations in the western province of Eskisehir.

A Turkish newspaper reported in March that Ankara had received US intelligence that Al-Qaeda militants could be plotting attacks on foreign targets in Turkey.

A Turkish Al-Qaeda cell was held responsible for truck bomb attacks against two synagogues, the British consulate and a British bank in Istanbul in 2003.

A total of 63 people, including the British consul, were killed and hundreds of others were injured.

Seven men were jailed for life in 2007 over the bombings, among them a Syrian national who organised and financed the attacks.

In January, a suspected Al-Qaeda militant was killed and three others captured in a shootout with the police in Istanbul after the group attempted to rob a post office.

Reports also said that anti-terror raids had been carried out in Gaziantep in 2008 and four suspected Al-Qaeda members were killed.

Source AKI

Different Styls of Hijaab

2009-04-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Talibaan Welcome Osama to Swat

2009-04-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, Pakistan's prime minister said the situation in Swat is "returning to normal," despite the fact that four members of the security forces were kidnapped, and the cleric that the government negotiated the peace deal with called the Pakistani government illegitimate and advocated for Islamic law nation wide.

As if on cue, the Taliban gave Prime Minister Gilani another reason to reconsider his statement. Muslim Khan, the spokesman for the Swat Taliban, invited Osama bin Laden and others terrorists to shelter in Swat. "Osama can come here. Sure, like a brother they can stay anywhere they want," he said. "Yes, we will help them and protect them."

Khan also admitted to an alliance with other international and Pakistani terror groups:

The Taliban spokesman counted among his allies several groups on U.N. and U.S. terrorist lists: Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for last year's bloody siege in Mumbai, India; Jaish-e-Mohammed, which trains fighters in Pakistan's populous Punjab province; the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan; al-Qaida, and the Taliban of Afghanistan.
"If we need, we can call them and if they need, they can call us," Khan said.

The Pakistani government's reaction was predictable: shock and outrage, and even an empty threat:

"We would have to go for the military operation [if Osama shelters in Swat]. We would have to apply force again," said Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira. "We simply condemn this. We are fighting this war against al-Qaida and the Taliban."

The Pakistani Taliban have been clear about their loyalties to the Taliban and al Qaeda. The government knows exactly who they are dealing with, so the charge that they are fighting the Taliban in Swat rings hollow.

Source: The Weekly Standard