DTN News: Hakimullah Mehsud, One Of TTP's Most Powerful Commanders Dead In Succession Fight?

DTN News: Hakimullah Mehsud, One Of TTP's Most Powerful Commanders Dead In Succession Fight?

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MIRAMSHAH, Pakistan - August 9, 2009: A key Taliban commander was killed in a struggle over succession to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud at a shura meeting in South Waziristan, government and security officials said on Saturday.

Pakistan Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud (L) is seen with his arm around Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud during a news conference in South Waziristan in this May 24, 2008 file photo. The Pakistani government has received reports that shooting broke out between two rivals for the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban, and one of them may have been killed, the interior minister said on Saturday. Pakistani news channels were carrying unconfirmed reports that Hakimullah Mehsud, one of the movement's most powerful commanders, had been killed at a shura, or council meeting, held to decide who would succeed slain leader Baitullah Mehsud.

However, on Sunday Reuters quoted one of the suspected participants as saying not only was there no battle, but that no meeting took place either. Baitullah was killed, along with his wife, in a US Predator strike on Wednesday. Interior Minister Rehman Malik confirmed reports of a shootout at the shura meeting and said that one of the commanders had been killed. According to sources, commanders Hakeemullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman, the two leading contenders for the chief slot, exchanged hot words at the shura meeting in Sara Rogha over the choosing of a successor to Baitullah. A shootout followed, leading to the death of Hakeemullah while causing life-threatening injuries to Waliur Rehman. A government official in Peshawar said that both Hakeemullah and Waliur Rehman had been killed in the clash. However, Reuters reported on Sunday afternoon that Waliur Rehman, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, denied not only rumors of his death, but also that any council meeting, or shura, had taken place to decide on a successor to Baitullah Mehsud. ‘There are no differences. There was no fighting. We both are alive, and there was no special shura meeting,’ Reuters quoted Waliur Rehman as saying. Sources told Dawn that the names of Hakeemullah, Waliur Rehman and 50-year-old Azmatullah Mehsud were shortlisted at a meeting of senior Taliban leaders from the Mehsud tribe, but a decision was put off following differences over who would succeed the slain leader. There was no independent confirmation of the reported shooting. A Taliban commander denied that any clash had taken place.’There is a serious power struggle going on,’ the government official said. Hakeemullah had replaced Waliur Rehman as commander in Kurram. He belonged to a rival group led by Qari Hussain, widely known as the Ustad-i-Fidayeen (teacher of suicide bombers). ‘I think the Haqqanis will now intervene to resolve the leadership dispute,’ the official said, referring to Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of veteran Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani and Mullah Omar’s point man for North and South Waziristan. U.S. soldiers from the 5th. Striker Brigades walk next to armored vehicles as they arrive at their base on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. Thousands of U.S. troops are deploying in southern Afghanistan as part of an effort to prevent the Taliban from disrupting the country's Aug. 20 presidential ballot. Former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao agreed with the assessment. He told a private TV channel that the Haqqanis had been mediating in the past to resolve leadership issues in tribal areas and it was likely that they would intervene again to help throw up a consensus candidate.

DTN News: Egyptian Armed Forces To Acquire Six CH-47D Chinook Helicopters

DTN News: Egyptian Armed Forces To Acquire Six CH-47D Chinook Helicopters *Source: DTN News / Defense Security Cooperation Agency (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 9, 2009: On August 6, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of six CH-47D CHINOOK Helicopters, 16 T55-GA-714A engines, eight AN/APR-39A(V)1 Radar Signal Detecting Sets with Mission Data Sets, eight AN/APX-117 Transponders with TS-4530 Interrogator/Transponder Test Sets, eight AN/ARC-220 (RT-1749) High Frequency Aircraft Communication Systems, flight and radar signal simulators, three M978A4 HEMTT Fuel Tanker trucks, two Fork Lift trucks and related equipment and support at an estimated cost of $308 million. The CH-47 is a twin-engine, tandem rotor helicopter designed for transportation of cargo, troops, and weapons during day, night, visual, and instrument conditions. The aircraft fuselage is approximately 50 feet long. With a 60-foot rotor span, on each rotor system, the effective length of a CH-47 (with blades turning) is approximately 100 feet from the most forward point of the forward rotor to the most rearward point on the aft rotor. Maximum airspeed is 170 knots with a normal cruise speed of 130 knots. However, speed for any mission will vary greatly depending on load configuration (internal or external), time of day, or weather conditions. The minimum crew for tactical operations is four, two pilots, one flight engineer, and one crew chief. For more complex missions, such as NVG operations and air assaults, commanders may consider using five crew members and add one additional crew chief. Development of the medium lift Boeing Vertol (models 114 and 414) CH-47 Series Chinook began in 1956. Since then the effectiveness of the Chinook has been continually upgraded by successive product improvements, the CH-47A, CH-47B, CH-47C, and CH-47D. The amount of load a cargo helicopter can carry depends on the model, the fuel on board, the distance to be flown, and atmospheric conditions. The Government of Egypt has requested a possible sale of six CH-47D CHINOOK Helicopters, 16 T55-GA-714A engines, eight AN/APR-39A(V)1 Radar Signal Detecting Sets with Mission Data Sets, eight AN/APX-117 Transponders with TS-4530 Interrogator/ Transponder Test Sets, eight AN/ARC-220 (RT-1749) High Frequency Aircraft Communication Systems, flight and radar signal simulators, three M978A4 HEMTT Fuel Tanker trucks, two Fork Lift trucks, repair and return, transportation, site survey, construction and facilities, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, U.S. Government and contractor technical support, and other related elements of program support.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East. Egypt will use the CH-47D in support of its armed forces, disaster relief efforts, and joint exercises with U.S. forces in the region. Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractors will be The Boeing Helicopter Company in Philadelphia, PA. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of one U.S. contractor field service representative in Egypt to provide support for a period of one year with an option for two additional years. Four additional contractor representatives and one U.S. Government

DTN News: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Vows To Confront Interfering Powers

DTN News: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Vows To Confront Interfering Powers

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - August 9, 2009: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will slam the heads of those countries which 'interfered' in the country's post-vote events “into the ceiling.”

Opposition newspaper, Etemad-e Melli last week reported that during a meeting with the Association of Basiji Scholars in the northeastern city of Mashhad the president had issued a warning to the opposition.

"Let the swearing-in ceremony occur," it quoted him as saying. "Then we will take them by the collar and slam their heads into the ceiling."

On Saturday, however, Ahmadinejad said his comments had been distorted by the media.

"After speaking at the meeting a number of media outlets reported that I was referring to my opponents, but I was in fact referring to the bulling and interfering powers," he said during a ceremony on the occasion of Journalist Day.

"Even after we informed them of their mistake they continued their physiological warfare against the new government," he added.

Iran has blamed Western countries, particularly Britain, of instigating post-vote unrest which broke out after Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election with a massive margin on June 12. Ahmadinejad was on Wednesday sworn in for a second term into office as the country's president.

DTN News: NATO Helicopters Injure 5 Afghan Police

DTN News: NATO Helicopters Injure 5 Afghan Police

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - August 9, 2009: NATO helicopters have 'mistakenly' fired on Afghan police, injuring at least five of them, NATO and Afghan officials have said. NATO says its forces were responding to small arms fire from insurgents in Ghazi Province early Saturday, when two of its Apache helicopters fired on police by mistake, VOA reported.

Afghan officials have confirmed the incident but said at least six police were wounded, with at least one in critical condition.

The alliance also declared that it is also investigating reports that two Afghan civilians were mistakenly killed neighboring Uruzgan Province Friday, while troops fired mortars at insurgents. Afghan civilians and security forces have repeatedly come under attacks by the foreign troops in the war torn country.

The number of Afghan civilians killed either in coalition airstrikes or Taliban attacks has surpassed 1,000 in the first half of 2009, according to the UN.

DTN News: Colombia To Send Troops To Afghanistan

DTN News: Colombia To Send Troops To Afghanistan *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MEXICO CITY - August 9, 2009: Colombia is to send 84 soldiers to join NATO forces in Afghanistan in yet another nod to US wishes, as the Latin American state draws near isolation. Colombia has one of the largest armies in Latin America which has been mainly financed, equipped and trained by the United States. Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos said on Friday that the infantry soldiers will travel in two groups of 42 -- the first in 2010 and the second in 2011 -- to join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in war-torn Afghanistan. The soldiers are to provide security at Spanish bases, where over 780 Spanish troops are stationed. Santos also stressed that Colombian military presence in Afghanistan could increase in the future. Colombia, a top US ally in South America, has one of the largest and most well-equipped armies in Latin America, which has been mainly financed and trained by the United States. The move comes as regional opposition to Washington's decision to increase its military presence and open military bases in Colombia, increased. Despite Washington's efforts to calm the region, tensions have been running high between Colombia and other Latin states, over the US-Colombia military deal which places around 1,400 fully-armed US soldiers with military equipment in South America. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has even gone so-far as threatening to halt 'all' business transactions with its neighbor, which tops an annual $7 billion. A number of other Latin American states, such as Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia have backed Chavez's bid and accused the United States of setting up a military platform in Colombia from which to attack its neighbors. Only the Peruvian President Alan Garcia -- the other principal US ally in the region -- gave his support to the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, whom he called "a good friend." The US claims the planned military surge is aimed to help Bogota combat drug-fueled violence. However, South American leaders accuse the US of using the war on drugs in Colombia as a pretext to boost its regional military presence.

DTN News: German Defense Minister Rebuffs Call For More Troops In Afghanistan

DTN News: German Defense Minister Rebuffs Call For More Troops In Afghanistan

*German Defense Minister Jung has spoken out against a call by the head of NATO to deploy more troops in Afghanistan as tension mounts over confirmation of the death of the Taliban leader in neighboring Pakistan

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - August 9, 2009: Germany's Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung has rejected calls by the new NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen for a greater German engagement in Afghanistan. German Kommando Spezial Kraefte soldiers with Mercedes Ground Mobility Vehicles in Afghanistan. In an interview with German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Jung said that there was no reason to commit more troops or money, adding that Germany already has 4,500 soldiers deployed in the region with another 300 who are responsible for the upkeep of AWACS planes. The Airborne Warning and Control Systems crafts are versatile spy planes with advanced radar capabilities used to monitor military air traffic. According to Jung, the German government has invested 200 million euros ($286 million) each year in the region since 2002, bringing the total so far to 1.2 billion euros. The defense minister added that it isn't just about the military aspect anymore and that reconstruction of civilian infrastructure was just as important. "In this area we've done a lot more than many of our European partners," he said. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made the call for more troops in Afghanistan on Friday. He justified the request by pointing out that the first success against insurgents in the south of the country only came after an increase in the number of troops. Pakistani Taliban chief suspected dead Meanwhile there is still uncertainty over the death of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, following a US drone strike in the northwest of the country. Government officials said they were awaiting full confirmation. There have been reports that the strike also killed Mehsud's wife and several guards in the tribal district of South Waziristan. Despite his allegiance to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Mehsud was mainly focused on attacking government and civilian targets inside Pakistan, sending only a few fighters from his militia - believed to be up to 20,000 strong - and several squads of suicide bombers to Afghanistan. That might have been the reason that dozens of strikes by CIA operated pilotless aircraft spared him until recently, when Washington realized that his terrorist acts could destabilize Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against terrorism. In March, the US State Department announced a $5 million bounty on his head. American officials and analysts said it may be too early to tell if the strike that apparently killed Mehsud will prompt Pakistan to sustain its active campaign against Taliban and other militant leaders in the lawless region bordering Afghanistan.

DTN News: Mexican Military Uncovers Vast Drug Compound

DTN News: Mexican Military Uncovers Vast Drug Compound *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MEXICO CITY - August 9, 2009: Mexican soldiers have taken over a vast compound in central Mexico dedicated to the production, warehousing and distribution of illegal drugs, the military said in a statement. A Mexican Navy soldier stands guard as seven tons of seized cocaine are incinerated August 4 at the naval base in Huatulco, Mexico. Mexican soldiers have taken over a vast compound in central Mexico dedicated to the production, warehousing and distribution of illegal drugs, the military said in a statement Friday August 7, 2009. Soldiers found 22 buildings on the 240-hectare (593-acre) property in Durango state that include laboratories for the production of crystal methamphetamine, the military said Friday. The complex includes dormitories, kitchens, rest homes, storage warehouses and laboratories. It also has "luxury quarters" for the compound manager, the statement read. At the site the soldiers found "several thousand" kilos of packed marijuana, as well as chemicals "that correspond to the characteristics of the synthetic drug known as 'Crystal,'" the statement read. Also found were 18 vehicles, including a front loader. The Mexican government is at war with the country's powerful drug cartels, and has deployed some 36,000 soldiers across the country to battle the cartels since 2006. Some 9,600 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since the start of 2008, despite the security clampdown.

DTN News: German Ship Released By Pirates Arrives In Kenya

DTN News: German Ship Released By Pirates Arrives In Kenya

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MOMBASA, Kenya - August 9, 2009: A German container ship held for four months by Somali pirates arrived in the Kenyan port of Mombasa late Friday after being ransomed, a port official said. Kenya police patrol the Indian Ocean waters as German container ship Hansa Stavanger arrives at the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, August 8, 2009. Hansa Stavanger, which was held by Somali pirates for four months, arrived at Kenya's Mombasa port on Saturday after a $2.7 million ransom was paid for the release of its 24 crew. "The German ship with 24 crew members is in Mombasa but has to be cleared to dock at the port, and that must be done tomorrow morning," he told AFP. Pirates released the Hansa Stavanger and its 24-strong crew on Monday after being paid 2.7 million dollars in ransom, according to Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Programme. The 20,000-tonne vessel was seized in April around 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles. Some 200 sailors from at least 11 ships are still being held in the region. Somali pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships last year, more than twice as many as in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Rough seas and international navy patrols have curbed pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean recently, but experts have warned the end of the monsoon season could see a fresh flurry of hijackings over the next few weeks.

DTN News: Police ~ Suspect Planned Attack On Indonesia Leader

DTN News: Police ~ Suspect Planned Attack On Indonesia Leader

*Source: DTN News / Int'l News (NSI News Source Info) BEJI, Indonesia - August 9, 2009: A leading Southeast Asian terrorist suspect reportedly killed Saturday in a gunbattle with police at a village hide-out was planning a suicide car bomb attack on Indonesia's president, the national police chief said. Indonesian police officers regroup following a raid on a house where suspected terrorists were holed up in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. Indonesian police hunting the terrorists behind last month's attacks on hotels in the capital raided one house and besieged another Saturday, killing two suspected militants, arresting five and seizing explosives and a car bomb, a senior officer said. Police said they could not confirm that the body recovered from the house in central Java was that of Noordin Mohammad Top until DNA tests are complete. Noordin is suspected of having masterminded Southeast Asia's worst terror attacks, some with al-Qaida backing. If verified, his death would be a major victory in Indonesia's fight against Islamist militants blamed for five major bombings that killed 250 people, including attacks on Bali island in 2002 and 2005. National police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Noordin and other militants had been plotting to bomb the home of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Police on Saturday also raided a house on the outskirts of Jakarta where they killed two suspected militants and seized bombs and a car rigged to carry them, the police chief said. The house is three miles (five kilometers) from the president's residence. He said the decision to attack Yudhoyono was made at an April 30 meeting led personally by Noordin because of the government's decision to execute three convicted Bali bombers. Yudhoyono told reporters he had been briefed about an ongoing operation "to uphold law and to eradicate terrorism," but made no mention of Noordin. "I extend my highest gratitude and respect to the police for their brilliant achievement in this operation," he said. Noordin is also suspected of planning last month's suicide bombings at the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta that killed seven people and ended a four-year pause in terror strikes in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. Noordin eluded capture for about seven years despite a massive crackdown by Indonesian authorities that netted more than 200 suspected militants. A Malaysian citizen, Noordin claimed in a video in 2005 to be al-Qaida's representative in Southeast Asia and to be carrying out attacks on Western civilians to avenge Muslim deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq. Officers surrounded the central Java house late Friday after making arrests in a nearby town. At one point, they sent remote-controlled robots into the isolated building to search for bombs. Indonesian police have been met with booby traps and suicide bombers in at least one other previous raid on a terrorist hide-out. Local TV stations reported that Noordin was killed in the 16-hour siege. The remains of a man thought to be Noordin were flown from the location to Jakarta for an autopsy. "If Noordin M. Top was captured or killed, this would be extremely good news and a huge step forward for Indonesia's struggle against terrorism," said Jim Della-Giacoma, Southeast Asia project director for the International Crisis Group think tank. "Whether or not the risk of further attacks declines depends on who else is arrested or killed with Noordin." Noordin is also believed to have orchestrated an earlier attack on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in 2003 and a massive suicide truck bombing outside the Australian Embassy in 2004 which together killed dozens and wounded hundreds. Those early attacks were blamed on the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah and funded by al-Qaida, but Noordin later broke away to form a more violent offshoot that supported targeting civilians. His foreign connections have since became uncertain. Java, home to more than half of Indonesia's 235 million people, has long been the focus in the hunt for Noordin and his associates. In November 2005, Azahari bin Husin, a top Jemaah Islamiyah bomb maker, was fatally shot by counterterrorism forces in east Java. Sariyah Jabir, another explosives expert, was killed in April 2006 during a raid on a militant hide-out in central Java.

DTN News: Three New Bank Failures Bring To 72 Number Of Collapsed US banks

DTN News: Three New Bank Failures Bring To 72 Number Of Collapsed US banks

*Source: DTN News / AFP (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 9, 2009: US authorities have closed three more US regional and local banks, bringing the total of failed US banking institutions to 72 this year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced. The banks include First State Bank of Sarasota, Florida, which had total assets of 463 million dollars and total deposits of approximately 387 million.

Stearns Bank, N.A. agreed to purchase approximately 451 million dollars of these assets. The FDIC will retain the remaining assets for later disposition, the agency said Friday. Also shut down was the Community National Bank of Sarasota County, Venice, Florida, which had total assets of 97 million dollars and total deposits of approximately 93 million. In Oregon, authorities closed the Community First Bank of Prineville, which had total assets of 209 million dollars and total deposits of approximately 182 million.