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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Brigadier Assassinated in Islamabad

Head of UN mission killed as army pushes into Taliban heartland

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(Newser) – A top army officer was gunned down in the Pakistani capital today as the military continued to push into the Taliban's Waziristan sanctuary. Brigadier Moinudin Ahmed, head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, was shot dead  along with his driver by suspected militants on a motorbike as their jeep moved through rush-hour traffic in Islamabad. Authorities believe the killing was a direct reprisal for the anti-Taliban offensive, reports the New York Times.

Today's attack is believed to be the first targeted attack on a senior army officer in Islamabad and likely signals a change in tactics by the insurgents, who have demonstrated their ability to strike anywhere in the country with a series of bombings in recent weeks. Military officials say the offensive in Waziristan is making progress on several fronts and is closing in on the hometown of the Taliban's Pakistani leader.

A police officer drives away an army jeep with bullet holes in the windshield, after it was attacked by gunmen in Islamabad, Pakistan, today.
A police officer drives away an army jeep with bullet holes in the windshield, after it was attacked by gunmen in Islamabad, Pakistan, today.   (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Police officers question an imam, second from left, in front of a mosque during a search operation near the site where an army jeep was attacked by gunmen in Islamabad today.
Police officers question an imam, second from left, in front of a mosque during a search operation near the site where an army jeep was attacked by gunmen in Islamabad today.   (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Security personnel inspect an army jeep with the windshield pockmarked with bullet holes after it was attacked by gunmen in Islamabad, Pakistan, today.
Security personnel inspect an army jeep with the windshield pockmarked with bullet holes after it was attacked by gunmen in Islamabad, Pakistan, today.   (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
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5 comments
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shonangreg
Oct 22, 09 6:07 AM CDT
Keep fighting. Fight even harder. That's the only way to stop the Taliban for the Pakistanis. The army has mass support from the public in this battle. I wish them good luck. Reply
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yoeydude
Oct 22, 09 6:18 AM CDT
hard to see a positive trend near future here ,.... this is going to be ugly for the next decade ,....... the west will eventually prevail , I believe , in the end ,..... but it will be costly in many ways we will not anticipate ,........ India will be a factor ,...mortal enemies of a kind from another page of history or myth ,...... they will be oblivious to the rest of the world once they embrace ,... China will also be a player ,....... this is the shit ,.... central asia is up for grabs and close to collapse ,..... and sitting on vast energy reserves ,...... this is the stuff of war , dictatorship , contract armies and multi national conglomerates ,...... the wailing of widows and orphans ,....... what did Leonard Cohen say about the future ? we will be living it Reply
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shonangreg
Oct 22, 09 7:37 AM CDT
The West? The story is about Pakistan finally fighting the *local* Taliban. Where is the connection to China?
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RogerMohajir
Oct 22, 09 9:09 AM CDT
"I've seen the nations rise and fall / I've heard their stories, heard them all / but love's the only engine of survival / Your servant here, he has been told to say it clear, to say it cold: / It's over, it ain't going any further / And now the wheels of heaven stop / you feel the devil's riding crop / Get ready for the future: it is murder. " Leonard Cohen, "The Future."
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yoeydude
Oct 25, 09 2:00 AM CDT
Pakistan and India have gone to war how many times ? Taliban have offered to fight the Hindus , China suports Pakistan and has border disputes with India ,.... both India and China are emerging powers that are starving for energy ,.... so yes the story spoke of the local Taliban ,... but make no mistake the reverberations will be global Reply
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