".....Payback time for Osama Lama DingDong and his wacko raghead lackies........ The Pakistanti army, with U.S. assistance. is playing Bozo a new tune called "..Oh Slamma Dis Upyur Holah widda Rocketola.."!!!
Pakistan Pounds Al Qaeda Forces
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (UPI) -- Pakistan air and ground forces Saturday closed in on suspected al-Qaeda strongholds in South Waziristan, near Afghanistan, the BBC reported.
The offensive, which began earlier this week, has so far killed more than 50 al-Qaeda fighters and about two dozen Pakistani soldiers, Pakistani military sources reported.
A U.S. military official said his forces in Afghanistan were closely following the action and ready to move against any militants who attempt to flee across the border.
Islamabad was using artillery, fighter jets and helicopters to support combat forces in the area.
The offensive is focusing on three targets linked with al-Qaeda: a training facility, a safe house, and the residence of alleged terror financier Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi near the town of Shakai, about 15 miles west of Wana.
tehrantimes.com
Continued................
U.S. Marines Kill More Than 80 Militants Saturday June 12, 2004 5:46 PM By STEPHEN GRAHAM Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - In the bloodiest fighting this year, U.S. Marines killed more than 80 insurgents in a three-week offensive against a Taliban stronghold in the mountains of southern Afghanistan, the military said Saturday.
The U.S. military insisted the battle was a victory that will help secure fall elections - rather than a sign of the resilience of Taliban-led militants.
Two Marines were wounded in the fighting, the military said.
``The Marines have been aggressive, relentless and successful,'' U.S. military spokesman Ltnd mortar fire several times in recent days but suffered no casualties, Mansager said.
In another operation, U.S. troops on Friday detained an expert bombmaker about 40 miles south of Kabul, Mansager said. He described the suspect as a ``medium-value target'' but declined to give more details.
The U.S. military and international peacekeepers based in Kabul have warned since last year that militants are increasingly using the kind of roadside bombs that have proved so deadly in Iraq.
Seven U.S. serviceman have been killed in southern Afghanistan since early May - including four when a mine ripped through their Humvee - and dozens of Afghan soldiers have died in the region this year.
The Marines are based in Uruzgan Province, the home of fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and have called in warplanes to pound a large group of militants in nearby mountains.
Most of the fighting has been near Daychopan, in neighboring Zabul province, a rerun of clashes last summer that left more than 100 militants and one American special operations soldier dead.
Mansager said the Marines' offensive was allowing regular Army troops to focus on building ties with local communities across the troubled border region.
Commanders hope this approach, which includes millions of dollars in reconstruction aid, will persuade villagers and tribes to turn against the militants and provide intelligence.
It also is supposed to help safeguard the elections.
The United Nations has registered nearly one-third of the estimated 10 million voters but has yet to send voter registration teams into the most hostile areas.
Eleven rockets were fired at a convoy of U.N., government and American military officials in a lawless region near the Pakistani border on Friday, injuring no one.
guardian.co.uk
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