Pakistan to Wall and Mine Border with Afghanistan

Pakistan has announced it will fence and mine parts of it’s long border with Afghanistan in an effort to curb Taliban and Al Qaida jihadists from crossing into Afghanistan to battle Coalition soldiers.  Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan also said Pakistan will be adding to the 80,000 current military contingent along the border to try to prevent this jihadist transit way.
If this plan sounds familiar, that’s because it is.  Several times the issue of a border fence has been raised, always to the unique ire of the Afghanistan government largely because of differences with where the border lines lay, but thus far there is no fence.

We can be hopeful to an extent that Pakistan will follow through and build the fence, but even if they do, it won’t stop the Taliban and Al Qaida from using Waziristan as a launching ground for attacks.  Since there are many trade routes over the mountains from Pakistan and Afghanistan, I would surmise there will be guard posts along controlled entry points.  There are already many outposts in the region, outposts that have hardly stopped any jihadist transit or the mere presence of jihadists in the region, and it is well known Al Qaida jihadists are more than willing to dress up in burqas to conceal their identity.  The Pakistani military guarding those controlled border crossing outposts should be on the lookout for burqa-clad people with deep voices, assuming Al Qaida jihadists have reached that point.

U.S. Captures AQ Cell Leader Responsible for Mutilating Two U.S. Soldiers

The United States military announced they captured an Al Qaida in Iraq cell leader who is responsible for the hostage-taking and mutilation of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker this past June.  Menchaca and Tucker were found dead and badly mutilated on a bridge and an Al Qaida in Iraq video surfaced showing the two soldiers’ dead bodies.

The statement announcing this cell leader’s arrest also said “the terrorist is also suspected of perpetrating numerous kidnappings, murders and other violent crimes within the Yusifiya area.”

Houston, we Have a Luggage Problem (HT Ahsileri)

While this story is not necessarily terrorism related, it does strike me as a tale of concern in that area.  Sixty-eight pieces of luggage were found in a trash bin behind a Houston area pet store from George Bush International Airport in Houston.  Tags on the bags indicated they were either going “to or from London and Dubai.”

How does an airport lose or throw away 68 bags, much less see to it that someone isn’t going off of the airport premises with 68 luggage bags?  Especially with the supposed increase in airport security, this sort of thing should not happen.

Attempted Hamas Assassination Stopped by the PA

After weekend reports indicating the Palestinian Authority and Hamas were reaching or at least nearing an agreement to lay down their arms (suggested listening: Pearl Jam - Soldier of Love), it seemed as if there might actually be a week or two without fighting between the two Palestinian factions.  That would be reasonable if it was not in Palestine and did not deal with Hamas.

The PA announced they foiled a Hamas assassination attempt upon Fatah legistor Muhammed Dahlan whom Hamas blamed for orchestrating an ambush on Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh on December 15.  According to the Jerusalem Post, a large roadside bomb was found and the PA has “no doubt that the bomb was intended to kill Dahlan, who passes from this road at least twice a day.”

The same PA source also “claimed that a Hamas gunman who was later arrested by the PA security forces admitted that he and his friends were planning to assassinate Dahlan,” adding “that the bomb identical [sic] to those used only by Hamas cells in the Gaza Strip.”

This post may or may not be updated throughout the day, depending on the news.