Afghanistan War News Updates -- August 12, 2008

A video grab from undated footage from the Internet shows Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan Mustafa abu al-Yazid, also known as Abu Saeed al-Masri, making statements from an unknown location. REUTERS/REUTERS TV

Al Qaida's No. 3 Leader Reportedly Killed In Pakistan
-- McClatchy Washington

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Al Qaida's reputed number three commander has been killed in fighting in Pakistan's wild border region with Afghanistan, according to news reports Tuesday.

Amid a fierce battle which began a week ago between the Pakistani army and militants in Bajaur, a tribal area known as a hotbed for extremists, it emerged that Abu Saeed al Masri had been killed. It's thought that his real name is Mustafa Abu al Yazid, al Qaida's commander in Afghanistan.

The news came as Pakistani Taliban carried out an audacious attack on a military vehicle in the troubled North West Frontier Province. A powerful roadside bomb ripped through a bus that was carrying air force personnel, killing at least 13 people, including civilian passers-by.

Yazid had claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Danish Embassy in Islamabad earlier this year. He's also been linked to December's assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Read more ....

NEWS

Al-Qa'eda's Abu Saeed al-Masri 'killed on Afghan border' -- The Telegraph
Leading al-Qaida militant killed in north-west Pakistan clashes -- The Guardian
Official: Senior Al Qaeda Commander Killed in Pakistan -- FOX News
al-Qaeda Takes Loses Another Top Leader In Bajaur Agency, Pakistan -- Strata-Sphere
Head of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan Reported Killed in Pakistan -- Counter Terrorism Blog
Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AFP
British soldier killed and two more are injured by suicide bomber in Afghanistan -- Daily Mail
Digger injured in Afghanistan -- Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Two NATO soldiers, six militants killed in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/IANS
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 496 -- Boston.com
FACTBOX-Military deaths in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Australian military says key Taliban commander captured -- Yahoo News/AFP
Karzai: International Community Must Act Against Taliban -- The Memri Blog
Soldier dies, ISAF denies civilian casualties in Afghanistan -- Kuwait News Agency
US Coalition Kills 25 Militants -- Time Magazine
Bomb kills five Afghan labourers: police -- Yahoo News
Afghans check reports foreign forces killed civilians -- Washington Post
FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, Aug 11 -- Reuters
Afghan senators call for govt control over foreign troops -- Yahoo News/AFP
Karzai urges world to target militants in Pakistan -- Reuters
British commanders call for more troops to stave off Taliban victory -- Times Online
British cash to buy off Taliban 'goes to farmers' -- The Telegraph
'Taliban shoot at us one minute, we fly them to hospital the next' ... Life with the US airborne medics -- Daily Mail
Resurgent Taliban dispenses harsh justice -- Twin Cities

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

Report from a forgotten war -- Washington Times
Are we bombing our way to disaster in Afghanistan? -- Nieman Watchdog
The Long, Hard Slog Against the Taliban -- Boston Globe
Opium grips Afghanistan -- Washington Times
Political Progress in Afghanistan Is Crucial -- Kiplinger Progress
Afghanistan's refugee challenge -- Al Jazeera
AFGHANISTAN: ICRC assists thousands of displaced people -- Alertnet
Rape becomes a topic in Afghanistan -- International Herald Tribune

BLOGS

Commander of NATO force in Afghanistan: "A Counter-Insurgency Takes a Long Time, Longer than We Thought" -- Jihad Watch
No Time to Lose in Afghanistan -- Huffington Post
Afghanistan : 28,000 mercenaries from 73 different companies -- Galloping Beaver
Taliban “shadow” governor for Uruzgan province arrested -- Long War Journal
Stronger U.S. Role Likely in Afghanistan After Taliban Resurgence -- Info Wars
AFGHANISTAN: Severe Drought Causes Major Decline in 2008/09 Wheat Production -- USDA

My Comment: The successful killing of al Qaeda Leader For Afghanistan Mustafa abu al-Yazid in Pakistan will affect the fight in Afghanistan. His principal role as planner and paymaster made him one of the crucial and valued members in the Al Qaeda/Taliban coalition fighting against Nato and the Afghan Government.

He is not going to be an easy person to be replaced.