PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 18, 2008
Foreign Jihadis Flock To Afghanistan
Fighters From Wider Muslim World Flood In, Boosting Taliban's Deadliness
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Face covered Taliban militants hold their weapons at an undisclosed location in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, July 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Rahmatullah Naikzad)
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Crosshairs: Taliban
America's first strike against terrorism focuses on Afghanistan.
More foreigners are infiltrating Afghanistan because of a recruitment drive by al Qaeda as well as a burgeoning insurgency that has made movement easier across the border from Pakistan, U.S. officials, militants and experts say.
For the past two months, Afghanistan has overtaken Iraq in deaths of U.S. and allied troops, and nine American soldiers were killed at a remote base in Kunar province Sunday in the deadliest attack in years.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned during a visit to Kabul this month about an increase in foreign fighters crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan, where a new government is trying to negotiate with militants.
A former high-ranking member of the pre-2001-invasion Taliban government, who spoke to CBS News' Sami Yousafzai on condition of anonymity on Monday, said the Taliban was benefiting hugely from a massive influx of foreign fighters.
The former minister, who presently lives in Pakistan, told Yousafzai that the attack on the U.S. troops in Kunar province was made possible by the new techniques and skills brought to the country by outsiders, and he admitted that Afghan Taliban were not previously capable of carrying out such daring attacks.
He called it a "well planed attack, and the start of a new resistance in direct combat with the invaders."
The former Taliban official told CBS News the number of foreigners - who he described as primarily Arab or Pakistani - coming to wage jihad in Afghanistan had increased three-fold since 2007. "As much as the so called war on terror in Afghanistan expands, numbers of the foreigner volunteers get more and more."
Two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, told The Associated Press that the U.S. is closely monitoring the flow of foreign fighters into both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Jihadist Web sites from Chechnya to Turkey to the Arab world featured recruitment ads as early as 2007 calling on the "Lions of Islam" to fight in Afghanistan, said Brian Glyn Williams, associate professor of Islamic history at the University of Massachusetts. Williams has tracked the movement of jihadis for the U.S. military's Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
Local Afghans in the border regions are increasingly concerned about the return of the "Araban" or "Ikhwanis," as Arab fighters are known in the Pashtun language, Williams wrote in a CTC paper. He said there were rumors of hardened Arab fighters from Iraq training Afghan Pashtuns in the previously taboo tactic of suicide bombing.
The ex-Taliban minister told Yousafzai that, while the benefits of foreign fighters' advanced training and techniques were clear to the militant group, he also believes Arab and Pakistani extremists' presence in Afghanistan presents potential trouble for the invaders, and the local militants.
He said that in the past foreigner fighters have not shown "respect for local values." Afghanistan's Taliban commanders have been at odds in the past with the group's Pakistani factions and al Qaeda over tactics that result in high civilian casualties, particularly suicide bombings.
In related developments:
Al Qaeda's recruitment drive stems from a slow and steady resurgence that started in 2002, according to Taliban sources.
"They are awake," said Qari Mohammed Yusuf, who Afghan authorities confirm is a senior Taliban. "They have people going by different names to other countries. They are coming and going easily. In the last year, they have been organizing more day by day."
Al Qaeda has financed the Taliban in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, Yusuf told the AP. In the chaos created by the Taliban groups, al Qaeda has been able to steadily recruit, re-establish its public relations wing, plot new attacks and re-establish areas of operation on both sides of the border.
Some new recruits cross into Afghanistan's northern Balkh province or through Iran into Herat province in western Afghanistan, said Nangyal Khosti, a commander loyal to Jalaluddin Haqqani, a wanted terrorist. Those from Iran have often trained in Iraq and are hardened insurgents. The recruits, Yusuf said, head to Afghanistan's Paktika province, where there are roughly 150 Arab militants.
In Pakistan, al Qaeda recruits are sent to Waziristan and the lawless regions of the northwest along Afghanistan's eastern border, Yusuf said.
Afghan and Western officials say a key route for al Qaeda recruits is from Central Asia into northeastern Kunar and Nuristan provinces, where former U.S. intelligence officials suspect Osama bin Laden is hiding. Both provinces border Pakistan's Bajaur tribal area, where the Taliban hold sway and where the U.S. has targeted al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri.
The hulking mountains of Kunar and Nuristan soar thousands of feet and are heavily forested, giving militants good cover. Kunar was the location of the war's two deadliest attacks on U.S. soldiers - on Sunday, with the killing of the nine Americans, and in June 2005, when militants shot down a helicopter and killed 16 soldiers.
Kunar and Nuristan are also the only areas in South Asia where the Wahhabi or Salafi strain of Islam dominates. Wahhabism is the main sect in Saudi Arabia and is followed by al Qaeda, while Afghanistan's Islamic traditions are more Sufi and mystical in nature.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 254 Commentspoor American doesn''t deserve this - we are not an imperialistic society.
July 15, 2008 Bush morning news conference:" Everything''s going well so far in the Caspian Basin "....
And the extermination continues:...........
February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.
In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ".
The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"
The US trained Iraqi Armed Forces along with the police forces are performing like they''ve been trained by US forces, really great.
We now need to draw down our forces with Bush and the Generals on the ground are planning right now.
That will leave the Afgan conflict as the last one to settle.
YES Bush ran the war badly for a few years but for the past 1 1/2 years we''ve made the right corrections.
Of course Obama is being "stubborn" and sticking to his 16 month withdraw plan regardless of the conditions in Iraq. Not exactly the Commander-in-Chief that America needs at this moment.
Great job to General Petraeus and the fantastic men and woman of the greatest US institution, the US Armed Forces...................................................!
I can''t believe what Bush is putting our soldiers through, first with a most unnecessary war in Iraq and because of it Afghanistan all over again.
The whole thing is just so unreal and depressing. I hope someone in the military takes care of Jr. I really, really hope so.
noun-the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, OR of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.
Read your history book. Just ''cause we don''t have colonies doesn''t mean we aren''t imperialists.
Afghanistan was " The Empire strikes back" and Iraq is "A bridge too far".
Think about it. Or don''t- not thinking about it is why the company you work for brought 35 people over from India to take the jobs Americans don''t know the math to qualify for.
Ohmygosh ,like , you know, this Ipod like really matches my pants, like, you know !! Mall trip !!!
But since all the neocons on here seem to think Iraq is going so well, I''m sure our troops will be out of there within weeks.
The FACT is we had the entire world, and the majority of our citizens on our side when we invaded Afghanistan. Osama was there (do you remember him? he was the mastermind of 9-11), and it was a just war.
But, our idiot-in-chief failed there, and sadly, with the current state of Afghanistan being a hcane for terrorists, and the fact we have not found Osama 7 years later, we lost that war. This was 100% due to our grand diversion into Iraq.
Seriously, your attempts to make it seem like Bush did a good job with the War on Terror are just laughable.
Posted by Petro49L at 08:20 AM : Jul 18, 2008
I guess you don''t read the news much. With Bush''s support for US offshore drilling, mining of shale oil, and drilling in ANWR...you can see what an obvious azzclown you are for making this statement.
I think is time to get the HECK OUT.....
Sounds like a great plan to me.
Posted by RealityToday at 08:44 AM : Jul 18, 2008
I think it''s time for YOU to get the HECK OUT...
Posted by RealityToday
If Americans in the past thought like you there would be no America, and if Americans no think like you there will be no America in the future .
Posted by IRLiberal at 05:45 AM : Jul 18, 2008
Yeah! They''re called Global Warmists...and they pray to the one most high---AlGore!
Posted by RealityToday
If Americans in the past thought like you there would be no America, and if Americans now think like you there will be no America in the future.
The ENTIRE purpose of going into Afganistan was to "get" Bin Laden--the ENTIRE purpose of going into Iraq was to get the oil, that''s it folks.
Bush did NOT get any oil (nor will he) and we did NOT capture Bin Laden--in fact, everytime out "guys" had Bin Laden in their sites--they were ordered by the White House to "back off".
Bush has created chaos all over the world, energizing these Taliban/terrorists causing them to go to countries they have not been to (Iraq)--
We need to get our troops and we need to get them out now---Bin Laden is no linger in Afganistan and Bush will not own the oil in Iraq---what a great planner he is.
Posted by liberalme at 08:58 AM : Jul 18, 2008
Now you''re confusing Bush with Clinton...doosh!
Go back to bed. It''s too early for you hippies to be up.
Correction: Taking out Afghanistan was for UNOCAL:
February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.
In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ".
The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"
UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".
Now you''''re confusing Bush with Clinton...doosh!
Go back to bed. It''''s too early for you hippies to be up.
Posted by libo_nazi at 09:01 AM
You would (perhaps) sound more intelligent if you did some reading and listened to news other than Faux, Hannity and Lintball---the last "incident" was just a few months ago.
Taking out Saddam helped BIG OIL drive the prices up. A few months before the invasion, gasoline was under a dollar the lowest since the seventies oil embargo era.
Saddam actually lowered the world price of oil by selling it cheaper to Russia, China, France, Germany and South Korea before the invasion. He created an advantage against US & British oil by charging them more for oil than these countries increasing competition. US oil companies then got subsidies from Congress.
1) When are we going to finally take the oil?
2) Why are we paying $4.50 a gallon for gas?
3) You have Bush Derangement Syndrome.
4) Get psychiatric help, fast.
Posted by ddhinnyc
And you are another one---Bush will never get his hands on the oil in Iraq---didn''t you reat the article yesterday? Oh manye Faux news didn''t have it on.
Posted by ddhinnyc at
Kind of like what Hitler did to the Jews, just because he didn''t like them--you combine all Muslims into one group and want to kill them all--you''re disgusting.
Posted by liberalme at 09:09 AM : Jul 18, 2008
The first official act after Mission Accomplished of the Iraqi Prime Minister was to negotiate oil leases with Royal Dutch Shell Oil. Recently many US oil companies have struck leases.
The Times of India August 2007 reported : " Iran, Iraq signed an agreement to build pipelines for the transfer of Iraqi crude oil and oil products." Under the deal crude will be refined and sent back to Iraq. Bush opposed this agreement and wanted the Iraqi Parliment to accept and sign a U.S. designed oil law that would result in huge profits for BIG OIL. Iraqi oil workers and 63% of Iraqis polled are opposed to the Bush law and prefer a hands off Iraq oil policy.
Posted by GOP_forever at 08:40 AM : Jul 18, 2008
This is the kind of ignorance and s.tupidity I expect from some thirld world hillbilly, and not from an American.
This GOP quote reminds me of this Muslim cleric who was arguing for female circumcision and when asked why he goes, "Well (laughs) you know (laughs) you know what the ******** is right? (laughs) It''s an undeveloped p.enis, right? (laughs) So, you know, when you''re making love to a woman (laughs) it''s like rubbing yourself against another man (laughs)."
How much longer do we have to put up with these neanderthals?!
Posted by samsel3 at 09:14 AM : Jul 18, 2008
Nothing like being responsible for the deaths of thousands only to be hit upside the head with a brick wall!!! Bush is a total failure!
Another day and another glaring example of Bush failure.
What a moron.
Posted by ddhinnyc at
Kind of like what Hitler did to the Jews, ...
Posted by liberalme at 09:13 AM : Jul 18, 2008
----------------------------------------------
Hey guys. Don''t confuse Muslims with Radical (Muslim) Jihadists.
As long as the "right" guys get killed..I''m for it.
Posted by mypatch at 09:22 AM : Jul 18, 2008
That would depend on what opportunity they have---of course, if we secured our boarders like they should be--there wouldn''t be much of a threat now would there?
It''s really frightening to think 3000 Americans in the world trade center were perhaps a diversion so Bush could get into Iraq for the oil, then have over 4000 troops killed and over 600,000 civilian Iraqis murdered and the only thing that Bush got out of it is blood on his soul.
May he rot in heII.
Taking out Saddam helped BIG OIL drive the prices up. A few months before the invasion, gasoline was under a dollar the lowest since the seventies oil embargo era.
Saddam actually lowered the world price of oil by selling it cheaper to Russia, China, France, Germany and South Korea before the invasion. He created an advantage against US & British oil by charging them more for oil than these countries increasing competition. US oil companies then got subsidies from Congress.
Posted by samsel3 at 09:09 AM : Jul 18, 2008
---
And all of that just because he wouldn''t sign Kissingers plan. Poor Saddam. Its just another page in the post depression economic era of dollars and oil, the destruction of the gold standard, and the FedReserve (sic). Last time gold got this high oil was manipulated down 69% nearly overnight. Back then gold was about 940 an ounce, and it fell to around 330 an ounce. This time its taking the Euro with it, mark my words.
Saddam kept prices down by selling cheap thus preventing the Saudi''s & Big Oil from getting the prices up. Bush & Cheney opened Pandora''s box & now things will never be the same.
July 15, 2008 Bush morning news conference:" Everything''s going well so far in the Caspian Basin "....
And the extermination continues:...........
February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.
In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ".
The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"
UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".
Why do you insist on saying Muslims?
We''re not fighting the people of Muslims faith.
We''re fighting Radical Muslim, Jihadist Terrorist.
There IS a difference.
p.s. Bush is NOT a genius!
Posted by ddhinnyc at 09:30 AM : Jul 18, 2008
This is absoulte proof of fasist stupidity!
You don''t open up two fronts in a war moron (that is if you want to win), that is what the Republicans did. I give you facts about fascism, Hitler opened up a second front against Russia notice the outcome of the smart move. Japan opened up a second front against the United States of America notice the outcome of the move.
Of course morons like the new Repubicans don''t have a clue and never will.
We went to the wrong country and the Republican general that convinced America is either a lier or incompentent. Take your pick either one or both fit.
Posted by liberalme at 09:30 AM : Jul 18, 2008
This was no diversion. Al Quaeda attacked on 911 because of what was happening in Afghanistan for the Caspian Sea Pipelines Project.
How would YOU wipe out the Jihadists?
Posted by antoniof123 at 09:38 AM : Jul 18, 2008
Amy Goodman''s interview with General Wesley Clark. Clark stated he viewed a defense department memo that described how the U.S. was going to take out seven countries in five years...."starting with Iraq,then Syria and Lebanon, then Libya,then Somalia and Sudan, and back to Iran."
And the extermination continues............
So that leaves two choices...send in a substantially larger "surge" that will likely have to be permanent, or air drop several million motion-, infrared-, and vibration-triggered detectors...and/or mines...along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.
Or do the former temporarily and the latter permanently...anyway you look at it, bring your lunch.
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