tagged w/ Af-pak
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U.S. officials believe that even as Pakistan's security forces worked with their American counterparts to detain Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and other insurgents, the country's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or ISI, quietly freed at least two senior Afghan Taliban figures it had captured on its own.
U.S. military and intelligence officials say the releases, detected by American spy agencies but not publicly disclosed, are evidence that parts of Pakistan's security establishment continue to support the Afghan Taliban.U.S. officials believe that even as Pakistan's security forces worked with their... more
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US forces have detained a senior police officer in Afghanistan for alleged corruption and links to insurgents. A statement by the US military said Atahullah Wahaab, deputy police chief in Kapisa province, facilitated the storage, distribution and installation of improvised explosive devices on roads in his region.US forces have detained a senior police officer in Afghanistan for alleged corruption... more
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Ten of thousands of Afghan civilians are abandoning an area of central Helmland where US and British soldiers are have just launched one of the biggest operations of the year. However, most of the area's population, estimated at up to 100,000, remain.Ten of thousands of Afghan civilians are abandoning an area of central Helmland where... more
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Pakistanis are united in anger after a US court convicted Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated neuroscientist previously accused of al-Qaida links, on charges of assault and attempted murder.Pakistanis are united in anger after a US court convicted Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a... more
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-$26 (£16) software let militants view potential targets
-American official says flaw was identified and fixed
One of America's most sophisticated weapons in the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the unmanned drone, has been successfully penetrated by insurgents using software available on the internet for $26 (£16).
Insurgents in Iraq intercepted live video feeds from the drones being relayed back to a US controller and revealing potential targets. A US official said the flaw was identified and fixed in the past 12 months.
The problem only came to light after the US found many hours' worth of videotaped recordings on militant laptops late last year and earlier this year.
The insurgents used software programmes such as Skygrabber, developed by a Russian company and originally intended to download music and videos from the internet.
The drones have become one of the most important parts of the US armoury. Their use has increased sixfold over the past five years. They are able to hover over suspect sites and launch missiles against alleged militants in Iraq and alleged al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Afghanistan and the Pakistan border region.
The potential problem with the hacking was that insurgents, if they knew the locations being targeted, would be able to take evasive action.
The Pentagon had been aware of the problem for many years, but had assumed the insurgents would not have the technical knowledge to intercept the feeds.-$26 (£16) software let militants view potential targets
-American official... more
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Senate Republicans said Thursday that they would try to filibuster a massive Pentagon bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an unusual move that several acknowledged was an effort to delay President Obama's health-care legislation.
Late into the night, Democrats emerged from a huddle confident that they would muster the 60 votes needed to thwart the GOP effort at blocking the military spending bill as an antiwar liberal said he would set aside his reservations and support choking off the filibuster in order to keep the chamber on a timeline of holding a final health-care vote before Christmas. The vote on the defense spending bill was to occur after 1 a.m. Friday, too late for this edition.Senate Republicans said Thursday that they would try to filibuster a massive Pentagon... more
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Congress is knocking nearly $1 billion off President Barack Obama's request for Afghanistan's security forces and instead devoting the money to buying more mine-resistent vehicles for U.S. troops there.
The move comes as top House-Senate lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on a $626 billion Pentagon spending bill that Democratic leaders hope to clear for Obama's signature by Friday. Passage of the politically popular measure has been held up for weeks because Democratic leaders want to attach other controversial items to it.Congress is knocking nearly $1 billion off President Barack Obama's request for... more
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A lethal cargo of rocket launchers, grenades and other weapons seized in Thailand at the weekend may be just a glimpse of what US and UN investigators say is a global North Korean illegal arms smuggling network used to finance its proscribed nuclear weapons programme.
Authorities in Bangkok said today it was unclear where the plane carrying the 35-tonnes of arms, an Ilyushin IL-76 registered in Georgia, was heading. But suspicion immediately fell on Iran, the destination of a previous illegal weapons shipment impounded in the United Arab Emirates in July. Panitan Wattanayagorn, a Thai government spokesman, said the plane had initially planned to refuel in Sri Lanka. For unknown reasons, the crew asked to make an emergency landing in Bangkok on Friday. Sri Lanka denied any knowledge of the arms shipment. There was also speculation in Bangkok that it was destined for Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Thai officials, who detained four crewmen from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus, said they acted on tip-offs from US and other unnamed intelligence agencies that the plane was carrying North Korean-made weapons in contravention of a UN security council ban on arms exports.A lethal cargo of rocket launchers, grenades and other weapons seized in Thailand at... more
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The US has suffered its deadliest month in eight years of fighting in Afghanistan with the deaths of eight American soldiers today in bomb attacks in the south of the country.
A total of 55 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this month, nearly half of them in recent days.
The surge in deaths comes as President Barack Obama considers a request from the Nato commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for tens of thousands more troops. It was also revealed that a senior American diplomat in Afghanistan has become the first US official to resign over a war he says is only being perpetuated by the presence of foreign troops and international support for a corrupt, unpopular government.The US has suffered its deadliest month in eight years of fighting in Afghanistan with... more
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Sources tell ABC News that as of now President Obama will likely announce his decision about a new strategy in Afghanistan at some point between the Afghan run-off election, November 7, and the president’s departure for Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, November 11.
There is a chance the announcement may be delayed until the president’s return from the Asia trip on Friday, November 20, but as of now the plan is to have the announcement in that window.
Sources emphasize that no decision has yet been made, but as of now it looks as though the president is leaning towards sending more troops to Afghanistan, though not as many as Gen. Stanley McChrystal requested, 40,000.
This isn’t a matter of the president looking to send fewer troops, they say, but more of a consideration of a range of options as alternatives to McChrystal’s strategy, options that do not require as many troops.Sources tell ABC News that as of now President Obama will likely announce his decision... more
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General Stanley McChrystal says more troops and new tactics are needed if defeating the insurgency is to remain possible.General Stanley McChrystal says more troops and new tactics are needed if defeating... more
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