Top Taliban commander captured in Pakistan - report

Top Taliban commander captured in Pakistan - report

uk.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top military commander of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret raid by U.S. and Pakistani intelligence forces, The New York Times reported on Monday.

Citing U.S. government officials, the Times said Mullah Baradar, described as the most significant Taliban figure captured since the start of the Afghanistan war, had been in Pakistani custody for several days and was being interrogated by U.S. and Pakistani intelligence.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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This would be a significant capture indeed as this leader was second only to Mullah Omar the head of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Also the Taliban/Alqaeda sector Mullah Baradar led is considered the top Alqaeda group, the group the other factions try to emulate use as their spiritual guide. Baradar is both a military and a spiritual guide so to have him out of the picture is good news!

There is a large amount of intelligence in Baradar's possession and one can hope he is handled correctly and not like the underware bomber who was Mirandized within 50 minutes!

uk.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

im happy they got him. but does it really change anything except confirm pakistan may be aiding taliban figureheads. theyll have another top commander in that spot by morning and the cycle will continue

reply to post by plumranch

There is a large amount of intelligence in Baradar's possession and one can hope he is handled correctly and not like the underware bomber who was Mirandized within 50 minutes!

Come on my friend. You know that the Pakistanis will treat him with kids gloves. I'm sure Obama's personal FBI interrogation team will be on hand to ensure he gets a 5 star hotel accommodation, hot meals from the finest restaurants, personal cell phone, spa resorts, weekend visits, and many more goodies. Remember, treat them right and they will tell you everything.

reply to post by jam321


We can only try to predict what's going to happen next. Will this be the end of the war soon? in other words like dominoes falling down. Or will he be succeed my a more extreme and intelligent leader.

Organizations like the Taliban are the equivalent of Hydra's head. Chop one off and more grow back.

IRM

reply to post by InfaRedMan

Organizations like the Taliban are the equivalent of Hydra's head. Chop one off and more grow back.

We got the biggest head!

Report published by permission of STRATFOR

Top layer:

It is our assessment that the first layer of the jihadist movement, the al Qaeda core group, has been hit heavily by the efforts of the United States and its allies in the aftermath of 9/11. Due to the military, financial, diplomatic, intelligence and law enforcement operations conducted against the core group, it is now a far smaller and more insular organization than it once was and is largely confined geographically to the Afghan-Pakistani border. Having lost much of its operational ability, the al Qaeda core is now involved primarily in the ideological struggle (which it seems to be losing at the present time).

Second layer:

The second layer in the jihadist realm consists of regional terrorist or insurgent groups that have adopted the jihadist ideology. Some of these have taken up the al Qaeda banner, such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and we refer to them as al Qaeda franchise groups. Other groups may adopt some or all of al Qaeda’s jihadist ideology and cooperate with the core group, but they will maintain their independence for a variety of reasons. In recent years, these groups have assumed the mantle of leadership for the jihadist movement on the physical battlefield.

Third layer:

The third (and broadest) component of the jihadist movement is composed of grassroots jihadists. These are individuals or small groups of people located across the globe who are inspired by the al Qaeda core and the franchise groups but who may have little or no actual connection to these groups. By their very nature, the grassroots jihadists are the hardest of these three components to identify and target and, as a result, are able to move with more freedom than members of the al Qaeda core or the regional franchises.

reply to post by plumranch


Those of us who have been monitoring this situation can see the significance of this development. Coalition forces have been putting the squeeze on the Taliban in their Afghan side Spring offensive.

Sure they can blow up schools, mosques and Public buildings even over run remote outposts but they cant fight toe to toe.

U.S. launches major surge against Taliban in Afghanistan

Saturday, February 13, 2010

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN -- Thousands of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers traveling in helicopters and mine-resistant vehicles began punching into a key Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan early Saturday, as the largest military operation since 2001 to assert government control over this country got underway.

The first wave of Marines and Afghan soldiers swooped into the farming community of Marja about 2 a.m. Saturday local time (4:30 p.m. Eastern), their CH-53 Super Stallion transport helicopters landing amid clouds of dust on fallow fields. As the troops, weighed down with ammunition and supplies, lumbered out and set up defensive positions, AV-8B Harrier fighter jets and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters circled overhead in the moonless sky.

Two more waves of troops touched down over the following 90 minutes near other strategic locations in Marja. Insurgents mounted scattered attacks on the coalition forces in the initial hours of the operation, causing no significant casualties.

At sunrise, hundreds more Marines and Afghan soldiers entered the area by land, using mobile bridges to ford irrigation canals -- built by U.S. engineers more than 50 years ago -- that have served as defensive moats for the Taliban. Heavily armored mine-sweeping trucks and specially outfitted tanks worked to carve a path through a belt of makeshift bombs buried around the town.

reply to post by jam321

Remember, treat them right and they will tell you everything.

I heard one of our arm chair generals last night saying that this guy was an easy catch. That he had been sort of a go between. That the significance of this catch is not what it seems. I think we should keep an eye on this one and see what comes out if anything.

Regarding intelligence gathering I trust the Pakistanis more than an Obama team. Obama thinks if you treat them fair and let them know you care they will loosen up. Pure baloney of course but that's what he thinks. This is a learning experience for the President.

LMAO! Yippee! Hooyah! Go USA! My god come on people...........8 years and billion of dollars and hundreds of US soldier deaths later they got the top guy in Afghanistan? What ever happened to that oh.......what was his name? Osama bin laden? You throw enough money, firepower, and troops at a problem and you're bound to succeed. This will not change anything. Look at Iraq. The ONLY reason things are calm there right now is because we are still there. We are occupying Iraq. The same thing will happen with Afghanistan. Of course by occupying Afghanistan it will appear we are winning the war. But you get rid of this guy and 10 more pop up to take his place. Do you think there is a number 2 3 or 4 who is just as powerful and well connected to take his place? The naivety of the US military is painfully silly.

There will never a "win" when it comes to the war on terror. We have pissed off a good portion of the planet. While fighting over there we have collectively inflamed terrorists and those who hate us to increase their desire to hit us over here. What are going to build a billion dollar embassy and occupy Afghanistan like did in Iraq. OUR COUNTRY IS ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP! So we captured one guy. One very important guy. Look at the world. War is about to break out in another area of the middle east as we speak. LMAO! The downfall of America is not only banking but militarism. Welcome to the beginning of the end.

[edit on 16-2-2010 by Zosynspiracy]

reply to post by Zosynspiracy

There will never a "win" when it comes to the war on terror.

The intent was never to win a war on terror as winning is not a possibility. As long as there are Jihadists intent on doing harm to the "far enemy" there will be a threat to the US. Also it is safe to say that if the Jihadists HAD effective weapons they would have used them already as the intent and motivation is as strong today as it was back in the '90s.

The only reason al Qaeda has not been successful in striking back at the US is because for most of this decade we have denied them an effective base of operations. First in Afghanistan and now in nearly every country in the ME. The largest and potentially most effective al Qaeda group is the primary group from which we just removed their top leader. A very effective way to neutralize its operations!

The US presence along with its allies has made it so that these leaders can't communicate with each other. When they use their cellphones all too often a Hellfire missile has found them. So electronic communication is out and couriers are the only relatively safe method. So the various Jihad groups are separated and out of touch.

What the Jihadists really want is to put together nuclear devices that are capable of destroying whole cities, bases or ports. Next on their preference list is dirty bombs which are only moderately effective in accomplishing their goals with biological, chemical and conventional weapons further down their list. Any of these weapons require a semi permanent base of operation to perfect and develop the weapon and train the operatives. Right now they have no permanent base.

However, Iran has chosen on many occasions to use proxy terrorist groups to accomplish their nefarious goals. This method has many advantages for Iran as they can always threaten the West with unleashing a group at some unknown location. So constant watch on the Iranians is necessary.

This seems pretty interesting...

NY Times holds Taliban news at White House request

The New York Times nailed down the news about the capture of the Taliban's No. 2 commander in Afghanistan last week but held off publishing the information at the request of a key player in the article — the Obama administration.

The cooperation with the White House added another layer of intrigue to the Times' exclusive report about the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar by Pakistani and U.S. intelligence forces. The newspaper broke the news on its Web site on Monday night, at least three days after its reporters learned about the action.

After devoting the first seven paragraphs of the article to the news' significance, the Times disclosed its delay in reporting the development. The reason: White House officials contended that publicizing the information would damage their efforts to learn more from Baradar allies who didn't know yet that he had been captured.

Easy catch Maybe viagra helped to catch him.

Just came across this article.

According to the Washington Post in December 2008, American intelligence operatives offer “pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos.” This CIA-sponsored Viagra distribution program aims to befriend Afghan warlords in order to gain intelligence on Taliban movements.

As the Washington Post suggests, I must admit that the strategy is rather creative and has the added value of being an invisible benefit system -- where more flashy gifts like cash or guns would draw unwanted attention to the newly minted American friends. However, I do wonder about the longer-term effectiveness of this program. Does promoting Viagra-induced procreation amongst warlords -- who are willing to switch sides at any time for better benefits -- really help the West in 20 or 30 years?

war.change.org...

The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.

www.washingtonpost.com...

It's my opinion that the guys at the top of chain of command in these groups are not "Islamic fundamentalists" at all. Just like anyone else who wields power through war, this bumhole doesn't understand anything about religion, morals, or ethnicity other than the various ways to use those things to control people.

He wants power. If he really wanted to be some Islamic hero he would have blown himself up like all the brainwashed children under his command, or he would have taken up arms and fought to defend Afghanistan. He didn't. He left the country when it was invaded and commanded his forces in hiding from some place in Pakistan that he thought was safe.

If they want information out of him, they should offer him a bribe in one hand and prison in the other. Once they're sure they've gotten everything out of him, they should let him swing by his neck.

And before anyone jumps on my back about being an American and starts squawking their rhetoric about how hypocritical all of us Americans are... no, I don't view my own government as being any better.

reply to post by mattifikation

It's my opinion that the guys at the top of chain of command in these groups are not "Islamic fundamentalists" at all. Just like anyone else who wields power through war, this bumhole doesn't understand anything about religion, morals, or ethnicity other than the various ways to use those things to control people.

I've heard a couple of reports that say Baradar is in fact very connected and that this is a very important event for many reasons!

Taliban second-in-command captured in Pakistan

The detention of Abdul Ghani Barader is the most significant breakthrough in many years of the US-led hunt for the Taliban's leaders, and comes as Nato forces continue to advance into Taliban-held areas in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

Barader was seized in a secret joint operation by Pakistani and US intelligence forces, according to US government officials quoted in the New York Times. Mullah Barader has been in Pakistani custody for several days, with US and Pakistani intelligence officials both taking part in interrogations, according to the officials. Though Barack Obama has banned US agencies from using forms of torture such as waterboarding, Pakistani questioning techniques are frequently brutal.

So the Pakistanis may be in charge of the interrogations. That's good news!

And Baradar is a trusted leader of Mullah Omar and Osama, and was very much in charge of al Qaeda operations.

Barader is believed to have been born in the central Afghan province of Oruzgan. He is the most trusted lieutenant of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the supreme leader of the Taliban, and has been ultimately responsible for the execution of the insurgents' military and political strategy since being appointed to the position in 2002. He is, in effect, chairman of the so-called Quetta Shura – the leadership council of the Taliban, named after the south-western Pakistani city near or in which it is thought to be based – and is known to be close to Osama bin Laden

Barader's capture in Karachi means the the Taliban is using the northern provinces as a safe haven. But the best news is that the Pakistanis are now involved in catching the bad guys!

Barader is believed to have been born in the central Afghan province of Oruzgan. He is the most trusted lieutenant of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the supreme leader of the Taliban, and has been ultimately responsible for the execution of the insurgents' military and political strategy since being appointed to the position in 2002. He is, in effect, chairman of the so-called Quetta Shura – the leadership council of the Taliban, named after the south-western Pakistani city near or in which it is thought to be based – and is known to be close to Osama bin Laden

Apparently the drones have been an effective weapon in this effort!

Barader, reported to be aged between 41 and 48, may have been forced to flee more secure hiding places alongside the Afghan-Pakistani frontier by the repeated and increasingly effective strikes by unmanned drones.

reply to post by jam321


VIAGRA.......

Buwahahahahaha



reply to post by plumranch


It seems that the Pakistanis may be playing ball after all...

In this report they are saying that the Pakistani Government has been pretty hush hush about the Arrest within their own country. We all know there is a good many there who support the Taliban. It appears they have suppressed the information locally to avoid blow-back from their own populous. That's actually a good sign.

'Muted' Pakistan media response to Taliban arrest

The Pakistani media's response to the arrest of top Afghan Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been surprisingly muted.

Mullah Baradar was arrested near Karachi in a joint raid by the CIA and the Pakistani military's intelligence service on 8 February.

The arrest made international headlines throughout the day on Tuesday.

But Pakistani newspapers and television channels barely covered the news, with some completely ignoring it.

Analysts say the blackout was because Pakistan's government and the army are wary of being seen as an American poodle.

reply to post by SLAYER69

n this report they are saying that the Pakistani Government has been pretty hush hush about the Arrest within their own country.

Now they have more to be hush hush about!

Another High-Ranking Taliban Leader Captured in Pakistan

The capture of the Taliban leader, Mullah Salam, first reported by Newsweek magazine, comes on the heels of news that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's No. 2, had been captured early this month in Pakistan.

A Pakistani officer told the Associated Press that Baradar "was talking" after his capture, but there is no indication that he provided information leading to the apprehension of Salam, who is known as a "shadow governor" in his region of Afghanistan.

"The capture of an Afghan Taliban ‘shadow governor’ is positive, good news," a U.S. official told Fox News.

The capture of Salam is not as significant as the capture of Baradar, the official said, but "whenever the Pakistanis arrest somebody, that is a plus.”

reply to post by plumranch

[SNIP]

The capture of Salam is not as significant as the capture of Baradar, the official said, but "whenever the Pakistanis arrest somebody, that is a plus.”

Was there an underlying message there [bold]?

-Or- am I reading too much into that?



ed: bolding mine

[edit on 17-2-2010 by LadySkadi]

......Thread Update.....

I appears that the one they captured is singing away with details. Which possibly led to the capture of two more highly prized individuals.

In Blow to Taliban, 2 More Senior Leaders Are Arrested

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two senior Taliban leaders have been arrested in recent days inside Pakistan, officials said Thursday, as American and Pakistani intelligence agents continued to press their offensive against the group’s leadership after the capture of the insurgency’s military commander last month.

Afghan officials said the Taliban’s “shadow governors” for two provinces in northern Afghanistan had been detained in Pakistan by officials there. Mullah Abdul Salam, the Taliban’s leader in Kunduz, was detained in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad, and Mullah Mir Mohammed of Baghlan Province was also captured in an undisclosed Pakistani city, they said.

The arrests come on the heels of the capture of Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s military commander and the deputy to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the movement’s founder. Mr. Baradar was arrested in a joint operation by the C.I.A. and the ISI, Pakistan’s military intelligence agency.

The arrests were made by Pakistani officials, the Afghans said, but it seemed probable that C.I.A. officers accompanied them, as they did in the arrest of Mr. Baradar. Pakistani officials declined to comment.

Together, the three arrests mark the most significant blow to the Taliban’s leadership since the American-backed war began eight years ago. They also demonstrate the extent to which the Taliban’s senior leaders have been able to use Pakistan as a sanctuary to plan and mount attacks in Afghanistan.

[edit on 18-2-2010 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by SLAYER69

I appears that the one they captured is singing away with details. Which possibly led to the capture of two more highly prized individuals.

True!

Or... they nabbed them when they came back for Viagra refills? Hehe