Egypt's Sisi urges debt cost cuts, tighter fiscal discipline, enhanced social justice    EGP swings vs. USD in early Sunday trade    EGX launches 1st phone app    Egypt achieves record primary budget surplus of EGP 629bn despite sharp fall in Suez Canal revenues    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Resumption of production at El Nasr marks strategic step towards localising automotive industry: El-Shimy    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    United Bank achieves EGP 1.51bn net profit in H1 2025, up 26.9% year-on-year    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, bilateral ties in calls with Saudi, South African counterparts    Egypt prepares to tackle seasonal air pollution in Nile Delta    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt, Colombia discuss medical support for Palestinians injured in Gaza    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Al-Qaeda confirms death of Pakistani insurgent
Published in Daily News Egypt on 09 - 03 - 2012

ISLAMABAD: Al-Qaeda has confirmed an American drone strike killed one of its commanders in Pakistan last month — a success in a CIA-led campaign that is a major source of tension stalling the relationship between Washington and Islamabad.
The death of Badr Mansoor in the strike along the border with Afghanistan is significant because he was believed to be behind many of the suicide attacks that have killed scores of Pakistani civilians in recent years. It could also be used by supporters of the campaign in Washington and Islamabad as an example of how drone attacks benefit both countries.
The US-based SITE monitoring service said on Friday that the confirmation of Mansoor's death came in a video statement by Ahmad Farooq, Al-Qaeda's head of media and preaching in Pakistan. The video has been released on an Internet jihadist forum.
Faced with strong public anger over the drone attacks, Pakistani officials publicly condemn them as unacceptable violations of sovereignty that boost support for extremism. But privately, the program has long had some level of official sanction and even cooperation.
Local Taliban fighters had previously said Mansoor was killed in the Feb. 9 strike but there was no confirmation from the US or Pakistan. A insurgent video eulogizing the dead is considered the most reliable way of knowing when a top commander has been killed.
In the nine-minute video, which featured photos of Mansoor alive and dead, Farooq accused Pakistan of collaborating with the strikes, emphasizing its apparent hypocrisy.
"America is now more eagerly attacking the Pakistani government's targets," he said. "The drone program is being run with the full consent, permission and cooperation of the Pakistani government."
The strikes, which began in earnest in 2008, have killed scores of insurgents, including foreign Al-Qaeda members involved in plotting attacks on the West. Their frequency increased in 2010 and they hit insurgents widely seen as being proxies of the Pakistani army, causing friction in U.S-Pakistan ties.
Amid the tensions, the number of attacks dropped in 2011 and even more since November, when US aircraft mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops on the Afghan border. Pakistan blocked US supply routes into Afghanistan in protest and said it was renegotiating its ties with Washington as a result.
The issue of drone strikes — their frequency, targeting and whether Pakistan should be informed ahead of them — is key to ongoing, back-channel negotiations to restart that relationship, which is important for America's hopes of withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Mansoor was said to have run a insurgent camp in North Waziristan region, an Al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold where the Pakistani army doesn't launch offensive operations, giving the insurgents a safe haven aside from the drone strikes.
Mansoor was from Pakistan's largest province, Punjab, and moved to North Waziristan in 2008, where he led a faction of some 230 fighters, local insurgents have said. The enlistment of Punjabis in the Pakistani Taliban has been a serious concern for the government because it makes it easier for the insurgents to export violence from the border to the heart of the country.
Meanwhile, suspected insurgents on Friday attacked a vehicle carrying security forces in North Waziristan, killing seven troops, army and intelligence officials said.
The security forces returned fire, killing eight insurgents, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Associated Press writer Ishtiaq Mahsud contributed to this report from Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan.


Clic here to read the story from its source.