Feral Jundi

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Pakistan: Afghan Taliban Military Chief Captured, Aides Confirm

   Wow.  What a catch, and I certainly hope they are able to get all the information they can out of this guy in order for us to get closer to Usama Bin Laden or Mullah Omar.  We can only hope, and this is some outstanding war news. –Matt

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Afghan Taliban Military Chief Captured, Aides Confirm 

By Eltaf Najafizada and James Rupert

Feb. 16, 2010

The Afghan Taliban’s top military commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was captured by U.S.-led forces in what may be the most significant blow to the eight- year insurgency.

Baradar, who has directed daily operations as deputy to Mullah Omar, was seized last week, two Taliban officials said. They disputed a report by the New York Times earlier today that he was nabbed in Karachi by Pakistani and U.S. intelligence teams. Baradar is undergoing joint interrogation, the Times said, citing unnamed American government officials.

The capture of Baradar, whom various reports say is about 40 years old, comes as U.S., British and Afghan soldiers advance into Southern Afghanistan in the biggest offensive against the Taliban since the beginning of the war in 2001. His detention could hamper insurgent operations for months, said Waheed Mujda, an Afghan analyst and former Taliban official.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Maritime Security: Lessons From Sri Lanka For Combating Terrorists At Sea

   This was a cool little report, and I had no idea that LTTE was conducting swarming attacks like this. This also gives me pause in regards to our current maritimes security challenges.  What if Somali pirates started using swarming methods in order to take down boats?  Could a security team on a ship, hold off 25 to 30 speed boats, all buzzing around a ship like angry bees? Do security teams have the kind of firepower necessary to sustain a defense against something like this? Who knows, but it is something to think about.

   The other concern is if Al Qaeda and all of their little proxies started using the techniques of LTTE in order kick off some kind of sea based terror campaign?  Well low and behold, I just found a little report that barely got any mention of just such a thing. All I know is having a good defensive plan on a boat, with sufficient firepower (and a QRF if possible), will be key.  Especially for the ships that are massive floating bombs, like the natural gas tankers.  I could see a swarm attack against one of those just in order to capture it (much like terrorists hijacked a ship for their attack in Mumbai), then rig the thing for detonation and run it into a city port or industrial port somewhere.

   As for the professional navies out there and their defense?  I think they are pretty much covered for the defense, with plenty of armaments and surveillance stuff. But they are not immune either, and instances like the USS Cole attack in Yemen, are a prime example of such things. Check it out. –Matt

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Current maritime challenges, a Sri Lankan perspective

January 9, 2010

The summerised version of the speech delivered by Navy commander Vice Admiral TSG Samarasinghe at the biannual Langkawi International Maritime Conference and Maritime Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) at Langkawi Island, Malaysia in December 2009 on the theme “The changing nature of maritime security: challenges and the application of technology”.

Most of you seafarers, would have passed this Dondra-light many a time. As an island nation with this strategic location, the Sri Lanka Navy has a huge task and responsibility in protecting the territorial the contiguous and the Exclusive Economic Zone with the added responsibility of a large search and rescue region and in the near future a even large area after ratification of the continental margins.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Publications: Pseudo Operations And COIN: Lessons From Other Countries, By Dr. Lawrence E. Cline

   If you have the time, check out this excellent paper.  I loved it, because this is the kind of stuff that we need to be doing more of in this war. All it takes is one guy that we can use to deeply penetrate into Osama Bin Laden’s network or some drug cartel, and we could effectively dismantle those operations.

   Dr. Cline gave a big mention to the Selous Scouts in this treatment of the subject, and brought up numerous other groups that had conducted pseudo operations in their wars.

   Towards the end of the article, he builds a snowmobile out of all of this data from all of these other countries, and puts together a pretty good ‘lessons learned’ of how to do pseudo operations correctly:

1. Money counts.

2. The alternative to cooperation can be dire.

3. Coordination is critical.

4. Breaking guerrilla communications systems is a key tool.

5. Effectiveness of pseudo operations depends in large part on

the effectiveness of response forces.

6. The role of “turned” guerrillas is critical.

   The two big components of turning enemy combatants it seems, is money and leveraging the choice of harsh incarceration or execution. That, and treating the captives really well in the beginning and having a really well planned system of turning these folks. It is quite clear though, that pseudo operations can be effective, and they are not impossible to do. It ain’t easy either, because if it was, everyone would be doing it successfully.

   One of the things that is working against the US for pseudo operations, is that we detain terrorists with no chance of execution. There is nothing scary at all about our detention, despite what the media might have the public believe .  If anything, terrorists want to go to Gitmo, so they can conduct propaganda campaigns for their cause while in detention.  They love the idea that they can continue to live and wage jihad from a cell. The paradox though, is that they want to be martyred, so execution would be cool with them as well. So right there is one factor working against us for doing pseudo operations. Still, I think there are other incentives that we could use in order to turn these guys, and we should leave no stone unturned with a pseudo operation strategy.

   Finally, the one theme that repeated throughout the paper, is that pseudo forces should focus primarily on information collection.  When you involve them in more kinetic stuff, that tends to muck up everything.  So whatever turned guerrillas or terrorists you use, it would probably be best to use them just to collect information and have a very flexible and quick reaction force to work off of that information. And to figure out a means of not accidently killing good guys or screwing up the pseudo operator’s operation. Lot’s to think about, but I really think this is the kind of stuff we need to do more of.

   Now to put my industry hat on.  Could a PMC offer these type of services?  If a company was able to claim some kind of speciality in turning guerillas and terrorists, that is the kind of service that would really give states an advantage in their wars. Hell, I know non-states are already doing this kind of thing, and you see examples of it everywhere in this war. But if a company had a proprietary method for turning folks within the framework of international law, and within the laws of that host/contracting country, you could probably name your price. Especially if you were able to produce results. –Matt

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Pseudo Operations and Counterinsurgency: Lessons from Other Countries

June 2005

Authored by Dr. Lawrence E. Cline

SUMMARY

Pseudo operations, in which government forces and guerrilla defectors portray themselves as insurgent units, have been a very successful technique used in several counterinsurgency campaigns. Pseudo teams have provided critical human intelligence and other support to these operations.

These operations, although of considerable value, also have raised a number of concerns. Their use in offensive missions and psychological operations campaigns has, at times, been counterproductive. In general, their main value has been as human intelligence collectors, particularly for long-term background intelligence or for identifying guerrilla groups that then are assaulted by conventional forces. Care must be taken in running these operations both to avoid going too far in acting like guerrillas, and in resisting becoming involved in human rights abuses.

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Funny Stuff: Silver Bullet Gun Oil

Filed under: Al Qaeda,Funny Stuff,Video,Weapons Stuff — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 12:31 PM

India: Terror Group Lashkar-e-Taiba Planning Paraglider Attacks In India

   Wow, these guys are getting innovative. The attack using a paraglider opens up all sorts of ideas and problems-both for the terrorist and for the defenders.  I believe many paraglider kits can be used for tandem jumping, so they could conceivably haul a payload of equal weight. So that could be a payload of maybe 150 to 250 lbs? Maybe more, because I know some military parachutes that can carry up to 300 lbs, along with the parachutist.  But we are talking about paragliders, and that is a little bit out of my lane.

   Next would be the possibilities with that setup.  You could insert one individual or you could insert several individuals into key attack positions, or you could just fly the things straight into the target and detonate.  You could also swarm on to one target and just keep flying human bombs into it until the target is completely destroyed.  Or you could do the Chechen ambush, and fly a bomber into the response teams (EMS and Tactical), after they come in to respond to the first attack.

   As for how they could pull it off.  I could see them towing a paraglider near the target using a car or motorcycle, and then they just fly in like that. Or they could take off from a nearby mountain.  I guess they could also use a backpack fan, but that would be pretty damn noisy.  They would have to cut the engine near the target or something.

   So what is next?  Using a birdman suit or just pushing suicide bombers out of planes and have them glide into a target, like some kind of human JDAM? Or how about these guys just paragliding over the target and dropping mortars on target? Or they could just be looking at using these for insertions, as another way to do a Mumbai Part 2 style attack.

     What’s the counter to this is the question?  Shotguns, mini-guns, trained eagles, or drone archers flying micro drones  into these guys? lol  Who knows, but it is definitely food for thought. –Matt

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Paraglider

Terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba ‘planning paraglider attacks’ in India

January 25, 2010

Rhys Blakely in Mumbai

Indian intelligence officials suspect that the terrorist group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks is planning another audacious strike on the country — this time from the air, using suicide bombers flying paragliders.

U. K. Bansal, an Indian Home Ministry official, told reporters that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba faction was thought to have acquired a number of the gliding parachutes.

“We have intelligence reports that LeT has purchased 50 paragliding kits from Europe with an intention to launch attacks on India,” he said.

No other details were given, but security levels have been hiked across the country ahead of tomorrow’s Republic Day celebrations, one of India’s biggest holidays.

(more…)

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