Iraqi Forces Capture Iranian-Linked Shia Militia Leader

We don't have a name here to go with this capture but it all falls in line with the captures that I blogged about yesterday. Here's the details of this operation from Breitbart:

The U.S. military says U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have arrested a suspected Shiite militia leader who has been linked to Iran.
A statement says the purported "special groups" leader has allegedly been working with Iranian intelligence for three years and helped smuggle weapons, money and information into Iraq.

The statement issued Tuesday says the militia leader and two other suspected extremists were arrested Friday in the southern Iraqi city of Qurna.

Now, the article says "U.S.-backed Iraqi forces..." so I'm certain that this is another operation that was spearheaded by the U.S. Task Force 88 teams I blogged about yesterday. And it is clear that these Shia leaders, these remnants of the Sadr militia that broke away from Mookie Sadr to continue the fight against the Americans and the government are being hunted down like dogs.

US-backed Iraqi troops arrest Shiite militant

BAGHDAD (AP) - The U.S. military says U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have arrested a suspected Shiite militia leader who has been linked to Iran.
A statement says the purported "special groups" leader has allegedly been working with Iranian intelligence for three years and helped smuggle weapons, money and information into Iraq.
The U.S. military uses the term "special groups" to refer to violent Shiite militia factions.
The statement issued Tuesday says the militia leader and two other suspected extremists were arrested Friday in the southern Iraqi city of Qurna.
The U.S. military has accused Iran of stoking violence in Iraq. Tehran denies the charges.

Syrian Strike By U.S. Task Force 88 Is A Huge Success

Not only did the U.S. Special Forces kill their intended target in the Syrian raid, al Qaeda leader Abu Ghadiya, but they got the bulk of the other al Qaeda leadership in Syria in the same sweep.
Here's some of the details from The Long War Journal:

Al Qaeda leader Abu Ghadiya was killed in yesterday's strike inside Syria, a senior US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal. But US special operations forces also inflicted a major blow to al Qaeda's foreign fighter network based in Syria. The entire senior leadership of Ghadiya's network was also killed in the raid, the official stated.
Ghadiya was the leader of al Qaeda extensive network that funnels foreign fighters, weapons, and cash from Syria into Iraq along the entire length of the Syrian border. Ghadiya was first identified as the target of the raid inside Syria late last night here at The Long War Journal. The Associated Press reported Ghadiya was killed in the raid earlier today.

Several US helicopters entered the town of town of Sukkariya near Abu Kamal in eastern Syria, just five miles from the Iraqi border. US commandos from the hunter-killer teams of Task Force 88 clear the buildings sheltering Ghadiya and his staff.

Those killed include Ghadiya's brother and two cousins. "They also were part of the senior leadership," the official stated. "They're dead. We've decapitated the network." Others killed during the raid were not identified.

The Syrian propaganda machine has been alleging that a Syrian family was killed in this raid and as you can see, the only "family" is the al Qaeda family of death. Haha. Good riddance.

I mentioned yesterday that all of the intelligence about Ghadiya and his operation had been retrieved when one of their key operatives had been killed in Iraq and you can see by this just how patient and persistent U.S. intelligence can be - they waited and waited, all the time gathering more and more intel until this apparently was the day when all of the scum were together in one place.

When the details are fully disclosed on this operation, the world is going to find out just what a death machine the U.S. has in Task Force 88 - and what precision and execution they conducted this raid.

US strike in Syria "decapitated" al Qaeda's facilitation network

Ghadiya, whose real name is Badran Turki Hishan Al Mazidih, was an Iraqi from Mosul. He was working as an al Qaeda logistics coordinator in Syria since 2004, when he was appointed to the position by Abu Musab al Zarqawi. After Zarqawi's death, he "took orders directly, or through a deputy" from Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda's current leader in Iraq,
Ghazy Was Ghadiya's "right-hand man," the Treasury stated. "As second-in command, Ghazy worked directly with [Ghadiya], managed network operations, and acted as the commander for [Ghadiya's] AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] network when [Ghadiya] traveled."
Akram directed al Qaeda operations along with Ghadiya in the Al Qaim region right on the border with Syria. He smuggled weapons from Syria into Iraq, and ordered "the execution of AQI's enemies," Treasury stated. "Akram also ordered the execution of all persons found to be working with the Iraqi Government or US Forces."
Marsumi was an al Qaeda financier who "facilitated the financing and smuggling of AQI foreign fighters from Syria into Iraq." He helped Syrian suicide bombers enter Iraq, and also wired hundreds of thousands of dollars to Ghadiya to facilitate operations.
All four men lived openly inside Syria. The US Treasury identified Ghadiya, Ghazy, and Akram as living in Zabadani. Marsumi lived in the village of Al Shajlah.
A senior US general and the Iraqi spokesmen both noted that al Qaeda leaders were openly living inside Syria, and the Syrian government did nothing to shut down the network.
"The attacked area was the scene of activities of terrorist groups operating from Syria against Iraq," Ali al Dabbagh, Iraq's spokesman told Reuters. "Iraq had asked Syria to hand over this group which uses Syria as a base for its terrorist activities."
Major General John Kelly, the commander of Multinational Force - West, described Syria as "problematic" during a briefing on Oct. 23. "The Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi intelligence forces feel that al Qaeda operatives and others operate, live pretty openly on the Syrian side," Kelly said. "

Pakistanis Claim U.S. Forces Conducted Ground Operation In South Waziristan

Oh boy...here we go. The Long War Journal here has a great piece on this disputed instance of U.S. troops landing by helicopter in NW Pakistan's South Waziristan province and conducting a raid on a village there - Pakistanis are claiming 15 to 19 were killed including civilians. Here's some of the details:

The US military, with the possible cooperation of the Afghan military, may have conducted a special operations air assault across the border into Taliban-controlled South Waziristan on Wednesday, according to unconfirmed reports from Pakistan.

The report later changed when the correspondent claimed the helicopters landed and troops dismounted, who then began searching homes. One witness told The Associated Press that "American and Afghan soldiers starting firing" on one family outside of their home. Soldiers then entered the home and others, and killed 15 people, including women and children. The raid was reported to have occurred in the village of Musa Nikow.

And now, I'll show you why I'm bringing this to you from The Long War Journal and not Reuter's or AP:

The US military command in Afghanistan can plausibly deny its forces were involved in such a raid, as the operation have been carried out by Special Forces teams. Task Force 88, the hunter-killer teams assigned to take down al Qaeda and the Taliban's command structure, does not report to the conventional command in Afghanistan.
A raid of this nature - the insertion of US special operations team inside Pakistani territory - is rare. This would be only the second reported raid of this nature since 2006. Nearly every other attack was conducted by unmanned US Predator aircraft or missile strikes from Afghanistan.

My gut feeling is that this attack did take place by Task Force 88. Remember, Task Force 88 has one mission and that is to hunt down and kill primarily al Qaeda leadership along with the Taliban - and it is an especially well known tactic of the Taliban to meet in places full of civilians - they have long used human shields.

There is no mention from the news agencies about who was killed in this operation (other than civilians of course) but I'm guessing that in a few days the word will come out that a MAJOR al Qaeda leader was taken out in this operation. Let's face it...this has the look of a "Mullah Omar Operation" - even with Task Force 88's covert nature, for them to take this risk of a ground operation in a fairly populated area is out there and if any of the reports are true about the civilian deaths, the prize they were after had to be on the level of Mullah Omar.

We're still waiting to hear who was taken out in the most recent air strike by the U.S. in Pakistan and now we wait the identities of these dead jihadists. I'm hoping and praying that the names of the targets, the identities of the dead leaders, will shock even me.

Pakistanis claim US helicopter-borne forces assaulted village in South Waziristan

The US military, with the possible cooperation of the Afghan military, may have conducted a special operations air assault across the border into Taliban-controlled South Waziristan on Wednesday, according to unconfirmed reports from Pakistan.
The initial report from a Geo TV correspondent indicated the casualties were taken after US helicopters launched missiles at three homes in the Barmal area of Angorada late at night.
The report later changed when the correspondent claimed the helicopters landed and troops dismounted, who then began searching homes. One witness told The Associated Press that "American and Afghan soldiers starting firing" on one family outside of their home. Soldiers then entered the home and others, and killed 15 people, including women and children. The raid was reported to have occurred in the village of Musa Nikow.
The Pakistani military confirmed an attack occurred in the region, AP reported but did not provide details. Two anonymous Pakistani intelligence officials said the attack occurred and claimed 19 were killed. The US military in Afghanistan said its forces were not involved, and the US embassy in Pakistan did not comment.

If confirmed the assault in South Waziristan would be the fourth cross-border attack since Aug. 20 and the 10th confirmed attack this year. Only 10 such strikes were recorded in 2006 and 2007 combined.
Four safe houses have been hit in South Waziristan, three have been hit in North Waziristan, and two have been targeted in Bajaur this year.
Three senior al Qaeda operatives have been killed in this year's strikes. Two Canadians of Arab origin were killed in a strike in strike in South Waziristan last weekend.
Abu Khabab al Masri, al Qaeda's bomb expert and weapons of mass destruction chief, was killed South Waziristan on July 28. Abu Sulayman Jazairi, al Qaeda's external operations chief, was killed in Bajaur on May 14. Abu Laith al Libi, a senior commander in Afghanistan and the leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, was killed in North Waziristan on Jan. 28.
While the strikes have disrupted al Qaeda's senior leadership, they have done little to disrupt the growth of al Qaeda and the Taliban in northwestern Pakistan.
The Taliban, al Qaeda, and allied terrorist groups have established 157 training camps and more than 400 support locations in the tribal areas and the Northwest Frontier Province, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal.

Task Force 88 Takes Down Another Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader

An al Qaeda in Iraq leader in Diyala province took his last breath on this planet - thanks to Task Force 88 action in the area that also killed 3 other al Qaeda and captured 10 others. This is how the article over at The Long War Journal describes this dead scum bag:

Karrar was described as a senior intelligence leader for al Qaeda in Iraq’s network in Baqubah. Karrar facilitated suicide bombing attacks in the Diyala River Valley. This network also has been responsible for attacks in Baghdad, “to include attacks by female suicide bombers.”

The article by Bill Roggio doesn't go as far as to name Arkan Khalaf Khudayyir (Karrar) as the one in charge of the operation that strapped suicide belts on the two mentally handicapped Iraqi women who were blown up recently, but you can read between the lines. This guy was a master of suicide bombings and the use of females is certainly one of his brain childs. And now this guy is feeding the worms and that puts a huge smile on my face! : )

More importantly in all of this I want to point out the following section from Roggio's piece:

Arkan Khalaf Khudayyir, also known as Karrar, was killed during a raid by “Coalition forces” in Khan Bani Sa’ad on Feb. 17. Multinational Forces Iraq uses the generic term Coalition forces to describe Task Force 88, the special operations hunter-killer teams tasked with dismantling al Qaeda in Iraq’s senior leaders and wider network.

What very few Americans are aware of is the fact that the Task Force 88 operations have been unbelievably effective over the last six to nine months in Iraq. These forces are tasked with very specific operations - to take out the the leaders, the officers, the senior members of al Qaeda in Iraq cells all over the country. What the public in the U.S. NEVER hears is just how many of these al Qaeda in Iraq leaders have been taken out by this special forces group - I have counted over a dozen in the past four months - that is stellar performance!
If you happen to be an al Qaeda in Iraq leader or senior officer, you don't even want to utter the words, "Task Force 88" - you don't even want to come to terms with it but then again, more than likely you won't know what hit you and took you down. Task Force 88 exemplifies the steadfastness, the efficiency and the effectiveness of our nation's military - how can we ever truly express our pride in these tremendous fighting patriots?

Oh and by the way....Karrar? Can you hear me down there at the gates of Hell? Good riddance, chump.

Senior al Qaeda in Iraq intel officer killed in Diyala
By Bill Roggio
February 20, 2008

Baghdad has seen a rash of females used as bomber recently. On Feb. 1, al Qaeda in Iraq used two mentally disabled women to conduct attacks at markets in Baghdad. The bombs claimed the lives of at least 73 Iraqi civilians and wounded more than 167. The women were later confirmed to have Down's Syndrome. A director at a Baghdad mental hospital was later arrested for recruiting the women for the attacks. On Feb. 17, Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad stopped a female suicide bomber before she could reach her target. A female suicide bomber killed 7 Iraqis and wounded 15 in an attack at a traffic circle in Khan Bani Sa’ad on Jan. 16.
While Iraqi and US forces have had success denying al Qaeda in Iraq a safe haven in the Diyala region, operations against the terror network continue. On Feb. 9, Multinational Forces Iraq reported al Qaeda’s network in the Miqdadiyah region has been disrupted, and has moved to an unspecified location in Diyala province, along with other al Qaeda regional networks from Tikrit, Tarmiyah, and Baghdad.
“Numerous reports indicate members of these networks are associated with al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders operating in Tikrit, Tarmiyah and Baghdad,” Multinational Forces Iraq noted in a press release. “The network is allegedly responsible for an increase in suicide attacks in the Diyala River Valley and the construction of house-borne improvised explosive devices, anti-aircraft activity and false checkpoints. The region also serves as a key logistics pipeline for terrorists, supplies and information.”
Task Force 88 killed four al Qaeda operatives and detained 10 during a series of raids in the region. Thirteen house-borne improvised explosive devices and multiple weapons caches were found were destroyed during the operation.
While the area where al Qaeda's networks has regrouped has not been named, Multinational Forces Iraq has reported numerous raids against al Qaeda in Iraq’s networks in the Hamrin Mountain region. The Hamrin Mountains, which span Diyala, Salahadin, and Tamin provinces, are believed to be a major fallback position for al Qaeda in Iraq and allied insurgent groups.