Dinah Lord

While I was swanning around NOLA...

While I was swanning around New Orleans like some vapid character out of a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, brave soldiers were putting their a$$es on the line in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, and a whole bunch of other third world shi&holes.

I was reminded of that sobering fact when I found this in my email this morning.

Greetings,

The British Ministry of Defence canceled my embed after today's dispatch.  Please Read "Bad Medicine".

Next Stop U.S. Forces.

Your Writer,

Michael

 

Please read Mr. Yon's dispatch, Bad Medicine and thank God for our soldiers everywhere.  Contact the UK Ministry of Defense and tell them how valuable Michael Yon's reports are.  Hit his tip jar if you can. 

After a long, hot day taking Pharmacy Road.

Too good to check: Baitullah Mehsud died getting 'leg massage'?

From AFP:

Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed last week in a CIA drone attack while getting a leg massage on the roof of his father-in-law's house, CNN said Monday, citing an unnamed US official.

A US counterterrorism official told AFP, meanwhile, that "there are strong indications (Mehsud) is dead" following a drone attack.  "No one is expecting him home for dinner tonight," the official said. (Ed. Note:  Looks like he won't be down for breakfast in the a.m. either.  Bwa-ha-ha!)

US President Barack Obama is being told Mehsud was killed after a "dramatic escalation" of nine unmanned drones specifically targeting the Taliban leader in recent weeks, the US official told CNN television.

On Wednesday night, US surveillance in Pakistan spied a man on the roof of Mehsud's father-in-law's home in South Waziristan.  The description was of a "short, stocky man who was following the physical description" of Mehsud, CNN said, citing the intelligence official.

A woman was massaging the man's leg and the Central Intelligence Agency knew Mehsud had diabetes, experienced pain in his legs, and often sought relief in that way, the report said.

Officials already had authorization from Obama to strike Mehsud if they thought they had a clear shot.

"That's when the CIA decided to move in," the network said the official said.

More at the link.

An update on Pfc Bowe Bergdahl.

12/7/09 Update upthread:  MIA in Afghanistan: Army PFC. Bowe R. Bergdahl - at last an update.

Original post:  You haven't heard much about Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl lately so I was glad to see this in this evening's UK Telegraph.

"It was the first news of Pfc Bowe R Bergdahl, 23, made public since a Taliban video was released on July 18.  (photo from video)

Maulvi Sangin, an insurgent commander for eastern Afghanistan, said the Taliban's governing body was awaiting a response to demands it made to the US for his return.

"The American's fate is in the hand of (leadership), which is waiting until a response from the Americans to its demands," Sangin told The Associated Press.

Sangin would not elaborate on the demands or say if any deadline had been given. A spokesman for Sangin had previously said the soldier would be killed unless the US stops air strikes in two areas of eastern Afghanistan."

The Taliban spokesman, speaking from Pakistan, refused to identify where Pfc. Bergdahl is being held and a spokesman for the U.S. Military had this to say:

"Lt Cmdr Christine Sidenstricker, a US military spokeswoman in Kabul, would not comment on the status of Bergdahl's case. "We do not want to do anything that compromises his safety or efforts to recover him," she said. "Recovery efforts remain one of the largest ongoing operations and we are doing everything we can to get him back safely.""

Amen.

 FYI - yesterday morning the Pocatello POW-MIA Awareness Rally Association teamed up to take part in the "Standing with Bowe motorcycle run.  God bless them.

The ride started in Chubbuck at the Ramada Inn and then headed west picking up riders along the way from Elko, Nevada and other cities around our area.

Hundreds of motorcyclists from throughout the state got together and rode to Hailey to show support for Bowe and his family.  Pocatello POW-MIA riders say the motorcycle run is important to let people know that Bowe is not forgotten.

They aren't the only bikers that have been riding for Bowe.   Dated July 22nd, 2009. (Warning: heartwarming video ahead.)

Islam: Critical virgin shortage in Muslim Paradise

Update 1:46 pm:  Boo. The Long War Journal says to put away our party hats. The fog of Predator War: Baitullah is alive, say Pakistani Taliban.   (I'm still holding out hope, possums. You know what liars and disinformation artists these Talibani schmoes are.)

Spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Hakimullah Mehsud and another Taliban leader Wali-ur-Rehman have been killed in an armed clash erupted during the Tehreek’s Shura meeting, Geo TV reported Saturday.

At the meeting Hakimullah Mehsud was appointed as TTP Chief after the reported killing of Baitullah Mehsud, the state media reported.

The agenda of the meeting was to appoint successor of Baitullah Mehsud, sources said.

You'll also be pleased to know that it doesn't sound like Baitullah's last days were any picnic...

Baitullah was a known hypertensive and diabetic. Whenever his health deteriorated, he resorted to intravenous infusions and he invited people to amuse him with jokes and funny remarks.

"On that particular night, Baitullah Mehsud was not feeling well and was on an intravenous infusion when a missile strike took place and he became a target. His wife and other three family members were also killed. Baitullah died on the spot," said Raqeebullah.

"Baitullah Mehsud was badly injured and his face was disfigured. He was buried later on in the night at Jangri area in south Waziristan," he added.

This puts me in such a good mood I thought I'd offer up a little tune in honor of the occasion:

(FYI - some additional fun facts on the Islamic Jihad's latest suckers can be found below the fold)

Good News: Pakistan Army frees student hostages.

From Asian Age:

Pakistani soldiers on Tuesday rescued scores of students and staff from a military-run college who were abducted by Taliban militants in the northwest of the country, a military spokesman said.

The abduction took place on Monday as the Pakistani Army pressed on with an offensive against the Taliban in the Swat Valley, in another part of the northwest.

Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the Taliban were taking the kidnapped students to the South Waziristan region, a militant stronghold on the Afghan border, when soldiers challenged them on a road and a clash erupted.

"Under cover of the firing the militants escaped and we have recovered them all," Gen. Abbas said, adding 71 students and nine members of staff had been rescued.

College principal Javed Iqbal Piracha, who was among those rescued, said 10 to 15 students appeared to be still missing.

Taliban fighters seized the students’ convoy heading home for the summer holiday near the Afghan border in North Waziristan.  There are several Taliban- and Al Qaeda-linked groups based in North and South Waziristan in a loose alliance with the Taliban in Swat.  South Waziristan is also the base of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

South Waziristan is also the base of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and officials have said an offensive there was expected after Swat was secured.

Brigadier Zahid Abdullah, who led the rescue and said he believed everyone had been recovered, said the militants might have wanted to use the students as human shields.

Has Beslan come to Pakistan? 400 abducted from boys school in N Waziristan

From Yahoo News:

Suspected militants armed with rockets, grenades and automatic weapons abducted some 400 students, staff and relatives driving away from a boy's school in a troubled tribal region in northwest Pakistan on Monday, police and a witness said.

The brazen abduction came amid rising militant violence in Pakistan's tribal belt — actions the military says are aimed at distracting it from its offensive against the Taliban in the nearby Swat Valley.

Details were still emerging Monday about the nature of the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Police official Meer Sardar said the abduction occurred about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Razmak Cadet College in North Waziristan tribal area. The people were leaving the school area after they were warned to get out in a phone call from a man they believed to be a political official, Sardar said, citing accounts from a group of 17 who managed to get away.

Around 30 buses, cars and other vehicles were carrying the students, staff and others when they were stopped along the road by a large group of alleged militants in their own vehicles.

The details were confirmed by a staff member at the school who was among those who escaped. He requested anonymity out of fear of Taliban reprisal but said the school's principal was among those abducted. His vehicle happened to be behind a truck on the road, and it was less visible, so the driver slipped away.

The staffer said the assailants carried rockets, Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and other weapons.

It was unclear how many students were involved, though they made up the majority of the group. Cadet colleges in Pakistan are usually run by retired military officers and educate teenagers. They also typically provide room and board.

North Waziristan is a major Taliban stronghold bordering Afghanistan.

According to The Times of India no group has yet claimed responsibility for the brazen abduction.

About the Cadet College:

Cadet College Razmak, North Waziristan Agency is a prestigious institution located in the heart of FATA. The college is providing quality education to the poor tribal candidates. The college was established Presidential Regulation-II of 1977. this Division sponsors the financil liabilities of the college. The Finance Division allocates sufficient amount in the regular budget of this Division as grant-in-aid . The aforesaid amount is released to the college on the basis of monthly installments. There are 196 employees 35 Gazetted while 161 are non-Gazetted. The Board of Governors regulates the affairs of the college.

The physical plant consists of:

The college is spread over an area of about 154 acres (0.62 km²).The buildings comprise a beautiful mosque, a double-storeyed Academic Block, College Auditorium, six newly constructed hostels called "Houses", one cadets' mess, a beatutiful and newly constructed administration block, and a science block. Sports facilities includes four squash courts and a number of football, hockey, cricket, basketball,volleyball grounds and six tennis courts. The college also has residential accommodation for the teaching and administrative staff.

Islamic religious instruction is compulsory.

Afghanistan: ANOTHER girls school gets gassed.

From Reuters: 

Five young girls slipped briefly into comas and nearly 100 were taken to hospital after a gas attack on their school on Tuesday, the third in a series of such incidents north of Kabul, Afghan officials said.

The early morning mass-poisoning at Qazaaq school was likely the work of Taliban sympathizers hostile to girls' education, the head of security for Kapisa province told Reuters.

"We don't think that the Taliban have done this, but the people who collaborate with and support the Taliban have done this," said Afghan Colonel Sha Agha, who is in charge of security for the second district of Kapisa, where the school is located.  (Ed. note:  Hey Colonel, wake up and smell the poison gas!  It's the freaking Taliban, no matter how you slice it.)

"We have taken security measures to prevent such incidents happening again, and by doing more patrols, I am checking on schools during the night," he added.

The symptoms were the same as those shown by victims of suspected attacks on two girls' schools in nearby Charikar town. One poisoning took place on Monday and another on April 26. Scores of pupils were taken ill in each case.

In the latest attack more than 130 people were affected, with 98 students and 6 teachers admitted to hospital, said doctor and provincial public health head Wahid Rahim. He said five had slipped into comas but all had been revived.

Patients were vomiting, dizzy and some lost consciousness.

"There was a very bad smell in my classroom this morning and the teacher immediately told us to evacuate, but we couldn't walk to get out of the school, we were very weak, sick and dizzy. When I opened my eyes we were in hospital," said 12 year-old Leda.

"I am so sad, what went wrong with our school? I want to study," the sixth-grader said from her hospital bed in a ward of around 20 pale girls, most with drips in their arms.

"We knew about the incident in Charikar, but we didn't think such incidents would happen in our school. Right now we are very scared to continue with our education, to learn," said Aara Gul, 15, waiting for medication.

Pakistan: Taliban victims reveal tales of brutality and beheadings...

At least they didn't play Marco Polo with my rotten cousins, Greg and Jeff weren't waterboarded!

It's important to note that many refugees are afraid to come forward because of the Taliban sympathisers and spies hiding in plain sight in the refugees camps.  Now, that's abject fear. 

Although, if I was faced with the atrocities this young woman was faced with, I would be pretty freaked out.  Knowing me, I would be babbling like a madwoman and would be instantly discounted as a psycho.

Truth be told, I don't think Mom and Pop American Idol comprehend the brutality of the enemy that we face.  And from the comfort of the La-Z-Boy, they really don't want to know about it.  No thanks.  When does Dancing With the Stars start?

The moonbats OTOH, having no core beliefs or true faith to fall back on, are just afraid to come out and acknowledge pure evil.  In other words, they can't handle the truth. 

From The Scotsman:

She remembered recognising her distant relative almost instantly, even though his head had been severed and placed on his back, punishment the Taleban claimed was for spying.

The horrific discovery was just one example used yesterday by Kulsoom, a 16-year-old Pakistani refugee, to describe life in the Swat Valley under Taleban control. As tens of thousands flood refugee camps to escape fighting between the army and militia, some are cautiously sharing their stories, detailing how extremists ran roughshod over cities and hamlets.

The Taleban's brand of Islamic law proved too harsh for many residents in the relatively conservative region of Pakistan, and it appears to be a major reason large numbers of the displaced support the military's latest offensive in the area.

Kulsoom, who comes from Swat's main city of Mingora, said she quit a housekeeping job that helped support her family because of growing Taleban restrictions on women's movements. She said she was stopped on the street while wearing a regular veil and warned by Taleban fighters to wear an all-encompassing burka instead. Then, there was the sickening moment a few months ago when she found the body of her relative.

"All I could think was that I missed the old days when we were happy," said Kulsoom.  As her mother warned her to not say too much, the young girl first declared: "I'm not scared of them!" then later begged that details about her be limited.

Pakistan: Taliban threaten Swat officials. They have 3 days to quit or else...

From Al Jiz

The Taliban in Pakistan has warned politicians from the Swat valley that they and their families will be attacked unless they quit their posts protesting against the continuing army offensive in the troubled region.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Muslim Khan, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, gave members of the national and regional assemblies a three-day deadline to denounce the military assault on Taliban fighters.

The warning came hours after suspected Taliban fighters attacked Nato supply trucks at a transport terminal near the northwestern city of Peshawar, destroying eight vehicles.

Imran Khan, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Pakistan, said the warning signalled a "dark turn" in the unfolding events in Swat where the Pakistani army is battling Taliban fighters.

"They [the Taliban] can make these threats and people will take them very seriously," Khan said. 

Pakistan: Last journalist leaves Swat.

From the Daily Times:

The last journalist reporting the latest fighting in Swat left the region on Monday because of security concerns. “I have moved out of Swat with my family because working as a journalist is extremely difficult in the present situation,” TV journalist Shireenzada told Daily Times.

Twenty-two journalists registered with the Swat Press Club were working in Mingora for various national and international newspapers and TV channels until Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ordered a military action against the Taliban on May 7.

Swat Press Club President Salahuddin Khan confirmed all journalists had left the valley.