Al Qaeda's Top Commander In Kunar Province Killed By U.S. Airstrike

This was NOT a predator drone strike conducted by the U.S. in Kunar province in Afghanistan that killed Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas, the top al Qaeda commander in the province - this was a fixed wing bombing and I make mention of it because we rarely see it now being done by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But this is awesome news - there were other al Qaeda commanders and operatives killed in the strike that happened on April 14th as well.

From the article at The Long War Journal:

The International Security Assistance Force has confirmed today that al Qaeda's commander in the contested northeastern province of Kunar was killed during an airstrike earlier this week.

Waqas, an al Qaeda commander from Pakistan, was killed along with an identified number of al Qaeda and Taliban commanders in an airstrike on April 14 in the Dangam district in Kunar.

ISAF has not provided the names and nationalities of the other al Qaeda operatives thought to have been killed in the airstrike, despite multiple inquires by The Long War Journal.

Waqas' full name is Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas. His fighters, who are members of the Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas Group, are featured in a video released in early 2010 that shows them inventorying equipment provided by donors. The fighters display radios, binoculars, backpacks, uniforms, and other gear donated to the group. Enough equipment was donated to outfit about a platoon of al Qaeda fighters (20-40 men).

Waqas "coordinated attacks against coalition forces," ISAF stated in a press release today announcing his death. "He was associated with another Pakistan-based senior al Qaeda leader and together they conducted training for members throughout the province, as well as weapons procurement."

Waqas took control of al Qaeda's operations in Kunar after the previous leader, Abu Ikhlas al Masri, was captured by ISAF and Afghan commandos in December 2010. [For more information, see LWJ report, ISAF captures al Qaeda's top Kunar commander.]

This is also further evidence that many reports of the "few" al Qaeda in Afghanistan are full of shit - this is in Kunar province which is up in the northeastern part of Afghanistan and is far from much of the most heated action in the country and yet we have significant numbers of al Qaeda even out there.

You'll see that Waqas wasn't exactly in his job very long at top of the food chain of al Qaeda in Kunar...only four months before he got snuffed out so I wonder how many al Qaeda are eager to fill his shoes. At the same time, I'm thrilled to see us actually put a fighter jet up in the air and drop some bombage on these sorry sacks.

Al Qaeda's commander for Kunar, several operatives killed in airstrike


The International Security Assistance Force has confirmed today that al Qaeda's commander in the contested northeastern province of Kunar was killed during an airstrike earlier this week.

Waqas, an al Qaeda commander from Pakistan, was killed along with an identified number of al Qaeda and Taliban commanders in an airstrike on April 14 in the Dangam district in Kunar.

ISAF has not provided the names and nationalities of the other al Qaeda operatives thought to have been killed in the airstrike, despite multiple inquires by The Long War Journal.

Waqas' full name is Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas. His fighters, who are members of the Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas Group, are featured in a video released in early 2010 that shows them inventorying equipment provided by donors. The fighters display radios, binoculars, backpacks, uniforms, and other gear donated to the group. Enough equipment was donated to outfit about a platoon of al Qaeda fighters (20-40 men).

Waqas "coordinated attacks against coalition forces," ISAF stated in a press release today announcing his death. "He was associated with another Pakistan-based senior al Qaeda leader and together they conducted training for members throughout the province, as well as weapons procurement."

Waqas took control of al Qaeda's operations in Kunar after the previous leader, Abu Ikhlas al Masri, was captured by ISAF and Afghan commandos in December 2010. [For more information, see LWJ report, ISAF captures al Qaeda's top Kunar commander.]

ISAF has also been actively hunting Waqas' commander, Qari Zia Rahman, since last summer. Rahman has been described as a "dual hatted al Qaeda and Taliban commander," and leads forces in Kunar and Nuristan provinces in Afghanistan, as well as across the border in Pakistan's tribal agencies of Bajaur and Mohmand.

Kunar province is a known sanctuary for al Qaeda and allied terror groups. The presence of al Qaeda cells has been detected in the districts of Pech, Shaikal Shate, Sarkani, Dangam, Asmar, Asadabad, Shigal, and Marawana; or eight of Kunar's 15 districts, according to an investigation by The Long War Journal.

Despite the known presence of al Qaeda camps in the provinces, US troops have abandoned several combat outposts in Kunar and the neighboring province of Nuristan after major attacks on remote bases. US Army commanders said that the outposts were closed or turned over to Afghan forces as part of a new counterinsurgency strategy to secure population centers.

But as the US military began drawing down its forces in Kunar and Nuristan in late 2009, it acknowledged that al Qaeda camps were in operation in Kunar. ISAF targeted three al Qaeda camps in Kunar between October 2009 and October 2010.

Taliban Capture More Than 40 Police Recruits In Kunar, Afghanistan

Upwards of 40 Afghan police recruits in Kunar Province in Afghanistan were captured by the Taliban in an ambush and the Taliban have even announced the capture on their political jihad website.

From the article at The Long War Journal:

The Afghan Taliban kidnapped more than 40 Afghan police recruits during an ambush in the terrorist haven of Kunar province.

Both Afghan officials and the Taliban confirmed that more than 40 potential police recruits were captured earlier today in the district of Chara Dara in Kunar.

The Taliban, in a statement released on their propaganda website, Voice of Jihad, claimed that "as many as 50 policemen" were abducted as they traveled from the neighboring province of Nuristan. The Taliban claimed the men were "captured with the documents revealing their posts."

But General Khalilullah Ziya, the chief of police for Kunar province, said that 40 young Afghan men were captured by the Taliban as they traveled from the police recruitment center in the provincial capital of Asadabad back to Nuristan. The Afghan were not policemen, as they were rejected at the recruiting station, Ziya told TOLOnews.

The Taliban have kidnapped another large group of Afghans in Kunar over the past two months. On Jan. 31, the Taliban captured 21 pro-government tribal leaders in Kunar, and threatened to execute them if family members did not stop working for the government and security forces. Fourteen of the tribesmen were subsequently released.

Now, it isn't all that unusual for the Taliban to try this type of mass capture but we see it happen a LOT more in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. At the same time, this is another of the al Qaeda tactics that came over from the Iraq War - ambush police recruiting centers and either suicide bomb them or try a capture. As I have posted before, the message is clear from the Taliban - do NOT apply for a job as a security policeman in Afghanistan or this is what will happen to you.

Now, one could say that if the Taliban end up killing these captives, the news of that will spread amongst the people and cause backlash but the problem with that scenario is the Afghan people can still remember the rule of the Taliban and the fear is still there.

Taliban capture scores of police recruits in Kunar


The Afghan Taliban kidnapped more than 40 Afghan police recruits during an ambush in the terrorist haven of Kunar province.

Both Afghan officials and the Taliban confirmed that more than 40 potential police recruits were captured earlier today in the district of Chara Dara in Kunar.

The Taliban, in a statement released on their propaganda website, Voice of Jihad, claimed that "as many as 50 policemen" were abducted as they traveled from the neighboring province of Nuristan. The Taliban claimed the men were "captured with the documents revealing their posts."

But General Khalilullah Ziya, the chief of police for Kunar province, said that 40 young Afghan men were captured by the Taliban as they traveled from the police recruitment center in the provincial capital of Asadabad back to Nuristan. The Afghan were not policemen, as they were rejected at the recruiting station, Ziya told TOLOnews.

The Taliban have kidnapped another large group of Afghans in Kunar over the past two months. On Jan. 31, the Taliban captured 21 pro-government tribal leaders in Kunar, and threatened to execute them if family members did not stop working for the government and security forces. Fourteen of the tribesmen were subsequently released.

Kunar is the second-most violent province in Afghanistan, according to data released by the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office. In 2010, there were 1,467 attacks in Kunar, compared to 1,540 recorded attacks in Ghazni, 1,387 attacks in Helmand, and 1,162 attacks in Kandahar.

Since the pullout of US and Afghan troops from remote outposts in Kunar's Korengal Valley and the Kamdesh district in Nuristan that began in late 2009, several districts in the provinces of Nuristan have been contested. US forces also have also withdrawn from the Pech Valley in mid-February of this year, and have turned over security to Afghan forces. Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, and other allied terror groups are known to have moved into Kunar and Nuristan due to the security vacuum, and have expanded attacks throughout the region.

Kunar province is a known sanctuary for al Qaeda and allied terror groups. The presence of al Qaeda cells has been detected in the districts of Pech, Shaikal Shate, Sarkani, Dangam, Asmar, Asadabad, Shigal, and Marawana; or eight of Kunar's 15 districts, according to an investigation by The Long War Journal.

A senior al Qaeda commander named Qari Zia Rahman operates in Kunar and Nuristan, and commands military forces on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. Qari Zia has also established suicide training camps for women, and has used female suicide bombers on both sides of the border. Over the past year, Qari Zai has been the target of several ISAF and Afghan special operations raids.

U.S. Apache Gunships Find the Taliban Out In the Open In Kunar Province, 30 Taliban Won't Be At Ramadan This Year

Announcement: Calling all virgins! Calling all virgins! allah is in need of 2,160 virgins in paradise pronto!

With U.S. Apache gunships coming across a large contingent of Taliban in the northeastern part of Afghanistan's Kunar province, the end result for the Taliban side was not good. Like 30 of 'em are now dead. And gone.

From the report at The Long War Journal:

US helicopters smashed a large Taliban unit operating in the northeastern Afghan border province of Kunar today.

A US air weapons team, which is typically made up of Apache attack helicopters, opened fire on "a large number of armed insurgents" after spotting them operating in the open in the Ghaziabad district, the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release.

The air weapons team initially engaged a group of Taliban fighters while patrolling the district, killing several. "After the initial firing, a large number of armed individuals emerged from a nearby building and were subsequently targeted and killed by the air weapons team," ISAF stated.

The initial attack sparked a four-hour-long battle with Taliban fighters in the area. ISAF estimated that more than 30 insurgents were killed during the engagement, while no civilians were reported to have been killed.

Now, if you have frequented this blog for any amount of time, you can imagine how desperate I am at the moment to get a video of this strike by our Apaches. Man oh man I want to put that up.

Unfortunately, it isn't very often that our guys run across this big of a group of Taliban in one spot in a fairly open area but in Kunar, the Taliban have historically had a bit more room to roam over the years and I'm sure they were damn surprised to see those choppers come over the horizon.

US helos kill more than 30 Taliban fighters in Kunar


US helicopters smashed a large Taliban unit operating in the northeastern Afghan border province of Kunar today.

A US air weapons team, which is typically made up of Apache attack helicopters, opened fire on "a large number of armed insurgents" after spotting them operating in the open in the Ghaziabad district, the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release.

The air weapons team initially engaged a group of Taliban fighters while patrolling the district, killing several. "After the initial firing, a large number of armed individuals emerged from a nearby building and were subsequently targeted and killed by the air weapons team," ISAF stated.

The initial attack sparked a four-hour-long battle with Taliban fighters in the area. ISAF estimated that more than 30 insurgents were killed during the engagement, while no civilians were reported to have been killed.

ISAF also said that several more Taliban fighters were killed in the Bar Kunar district of Kunar province after insurgents attacked an outpost with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

Kunar is the second-most violent province in Afghanistan, according to data released by the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office. In 2010, there were 1,467 attacks in Kunar, compared to 1,540 recorded attacks in Ghazni, 1,387 attacks in Helmand, and 1,162 attacks in Kandahar.

Since the pullout of US and Afghan troops from remote outposts that began in late 2009, several districts in Kunar and the neighboring province of Nuristan have been contested. Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, and other allied terror groups are known to have moved into Kunar and Nuristan due to the security vacuum, and have expanded attacks throughout the region.

Kunar province is a known sanctuary for al Qaeda and allied terror groups. The presence of al Qaeda cells has been detected in the districts of Pech, Shaikal Shate, Sarkani, Dangam, Asmar, Asadabad, Shigal, and Marawana; or eight of Kunar's 15 districts, according to an investigation by The Long War Journal.

A senior al Qaeda commander named Qari Zia Rahman operates in Kunar and Nuristan, and commands military forces on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. Qari Zia recently kidnapped 21 Afghan tribal leaders and threatened to kill them if members of their familes and tribes continued to cooperate with the Afghan government and Coalition forces. Six tribal leaders have since been freed.

Qari Zia has also established suicide training camps for women, and has used female suicide bombers on both sides of the border. Over the past year, Qari Zai has been the target of several ISAF and Afghan special operations raids.


For more information on Qari Zia Rahman, see LWJ reports, Al Qaeda leader kidnaps 21 Afghan tribal leaders in Kunar, and US hunts wanted Taliban and al Qaeda commander in Kunar.