Thursday, June 30, 2011
Pics of the day. June 30, 2011.
Boy that was quick...
Haqqani leader who supported Kabul attack killed in precision airstrikeAnyway you slice it, its pretty darn impressive.
ISAF Joint Command- Afghanistan
2011-06-S-104
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (June 30, 2011) – The International Security Assistance force confirmed today a top Haqqani network leader suspected of providing material support to the Kabul suicide bomb attack June 28, was killed in a precision airstrike in Gardez district, Paktiya province, yesterday.
Ismail Jan was the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander inside Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan. Jan and several Haqqani fighters were killed in strike.
The Haqqani network, in conjunction with Taliban operatives, was responsible for the Tuesday night attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel which killed 12 people, including a provincial judge.
Jan also served as an insurgent leader in the Khost-Gardez Pass area, along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and moved into Afghanistan from Pakistan in late 2010. During this time he led approximately 25 to 35 fighters in conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces.
In addition to the hotel attack, the Haqqani network is responsible for several high-profile attacks, including the assassination of a long standing governor, Taj Mohammad Wardak. Wardak was assassinated in a massive explosive-device attack as he left his compound in September 2008.
The security force tracked his location after receiving several intelligence reports from Afghan government officials, Afghan citizens and disenfranchised insurgents. After planning to avoid civilian casualties and mitigate collateral damage, the precision airstrike was conducted, killing Jan and several other insurgents.
Afghan-led security forces have captured or killed more than 80 Haqqani leaders and facilitators since January, primarily in the Paktika, Paktiya and Khost areas. Initial reports indicate no civilians were harmed in the airstrike.
The attack was carried out on Tuesday and they track down the guy responsible already?
But one thing troubles me (and I admit that I haven't been paying attention to the players in Afghanistan) is this Haqqani network. They seem to be more of a factor everyday. Additionally they appear to be a bigger threat than the Taliban.
Is this a 3 way civil war with 2 sides teaming up to fight the central government??
ISAF answers the OPSEC/Force Protection question.
The above photo has been circulating all over the internet after the recent attacks in Afghanistan.
In some of the photos the faces of the operators are blurred in others they're visible.
I was curious. Were the images that weren't blurred wildcat...meaning unauthorized...or does ISAF not have any kind of prohibition on the images and its just something that a few bloggers are doing?
I wrote ISAF public affairs and got an answer. The whole e-mail will follow but I want to break it down...
It started out very pleasantly...
Now on the next part I have to admit that I was trying to be a bit clever and dropped the name of the rumored unit to see if the guy would bite and either confirm or deny it.
I can see him leaning back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear saying (cause I think he's British) "Not bloody likely you silly wanker" and "You're barmy if you think that you can get me to slip up on classified material you silly berk"....
Anyway, I'm not up on British insults but you get the idea. Here is the actual response.
Until a valid reason to do so comes up then pictures like the ones above should be visible to everyone. In the future these will be historic images of a forgotten war. They shouldn't be saved for posterity with obliterated faces.
Just my opinion.
In some of the photos the faces of the operators are blurred in others they're visible.
I was curious. Were the images that weren't blurred wildcat...meaning unauthorized...or does ISAF not have any kind of prohibition on the images and its just something that a few bloggers are doing?
I wrote ISAF public affairs and got an answer. The whole e-mail will follow but I want to break it down...
It started out very pleasantly...
Sol,Wow. So in a nutshell we have our answer. Its an individual decision by certain bloggers.
The photograph in question was taken by a member of the media at apublic location. As such ISAF has no control over how the picture waspublished. Some media outlets chose to blur the faces, others did not.That decision was made by individual editors with no input from ISAF.
Now on the next part I have to admit that I was trying to be a bit clever and dropped the name of the rumored unit to see if the guy would bite and either confirm or deny it.
I can see him leaning back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear saying (cause I think he's British) "Not bloody likely you silly wanker" and "You're barmy if you think that you can get me to slip up on classified material you silly berk"....
Anyway, I'm not up on British insults but you get the idea. Here is the actual response.
As policy ISAF does not comment on Special Ops troops or operations.Additionally, any photos taken by the media while working with themilitary community are always checked before publication to ensureoperational security is not compromised.So long story short. Operational Security/Force Protection is not violated by the posting of these heroes faces on the internet.
Regarding this specific photo, we have nothing further to comment.
Regards,
Tim
TP JAMES - UK AOF-3Press Desk ChiefISAF JOINT COMMANDCOMBINED JOINT OPERATIONS CENTER
Until a valid reason to do so comes up then pictures like the ones above should be visible to everyone. In the future these will be historic images of a forgotten war. They shouldn't be saved for posterity with obliterated faces.
Just my opinion.
101st Airborne...hookin & jabbin & on patrol...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
What are the rules for OpSec?
I titled this "what are the rules for OpSec" but the actual question is "what are the rules for Force Protection".
Ya see, I've been reading accounts of the attack in Afghanistan and these photos have been splattered all over the net.
On some websites the faces are blurred and on others they're visible. Sister sites at that.
If you know what ISAF rules for Force Protection and the publication of photos are I'd be thankful cause I'm beyond curious. And I'm talking about real deal ISAF rules.
Spanish and American Marine Conduct Mechanized Raid Training.
All photos by Cpl Dwight Henderson
Textron TAPV website & datasheet!
Ok, I'll share the good stuff.
Found the Textron TAPV website here. You should check it out for more hi-rez photos and vids and general news of their entrant into the Canadian TAPV contest!
TAPV Datasheet 05-23-111
Turkey to place initial F-35 order.
Great find Phil! Thanks buddy.
via Hurriyetdailynews.com
via Hurriyetdailynews.com
Turkey plans to buy the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II, a stealth multirole fighter jet, to meet most future needs for its Air Force’s next-generation fighter planes. It has voiced willingness to buy around 100 F-35s over the next 15 years, but as the program’s limited production stage begins, it so far has not formally committed to the program. To do so, it needs to submit a purchase order for a first batch of six aircraft before the end of the year.“We will have talks [with the Americans] in the months ahead in an effort to resolve some matters. If we manage to reach an agreement, we expect to order the first six aircraft this year,” Murad Bayar, chief of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, or SSM, the government’s defense procurement agency, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News. “We expect to reach a deal.”Read the whole thing but for critics of the F-35, the hits just keep coming.
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