Some good news from Afghanistan and some very bad news: Mullah Dadullah, the well-known sociopath, was killed in Helmand province by US forces this weekend. Dadullah was known for his wild mood swings and thirst for blood. He was so feared that even his own subordinates were terrified of him. [as posted here] So that's good news, not that another insane Talib isn't going move right into his spot. Still, this set back might slow them down for a while. You never know, though, as in Iraq, sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't. When al-Qaeda leader al-Zarqawi was killed, it was hailed as a great success, but the next guy to follow him has turned out to be even worse. Now, they're claiming he's dead, too, but the death and violence is only getting worse.
The bad news from Afghanistan is that Afghan and Pakistani forces traded gun fire on the border in Patika province killing, according to the Pakistanis, six Afghan troops. AP reports that a Pakistan army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad, is accussing "the Afghan army of firing at Pakistani posts. 'This was unprovoked and without any reason, ' he said. On the Afghan side, a Defense spoksman, Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, accused Pakistani forces of crossing more than a mile into Afghanistan's Patika province."
newkarala.com reports:
"Fighting between the two forces erupted early Sunday when the Pakistani army attempted to position their forces in mountains in Goyee area of Jaji district of the southeastern Paktia province, General Zahir Azimi, Afghan defence ministry spokesman told a press conference.
Azimi said the advancing troops were forced to retreat and began using heavy artillery against the Afghan troops. Two children were killed while another three were injured along with two policemen, when a rocket hit a school."
And if that wasn't bad enough, just today one US soldier was killed and two others wounded on the border during a meeting of U.S. and Pakistani military officials. According to the BBC Gen. Zahir Azimi claims that:
"'At the meeting, a Pakistani officer rose up and fired at US soldiers, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and the wounding of two others,' he said"
Maj Gen Arshad of the Pakistani military denies this, as usual, and says:
"We don't know who fired. We have ordered an inquiry. We have cordoned off the area."
That's kind of funny, because he's quoted in an AP story as saying there was an attack on a convoy by unidentified "miscreants." But, then again. maybe the US soldiers were attacked while trying to return to their helicopter.
Who knows?
