Afghanistan War News Updates -- June 1, 2010

Al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan, Mustafa abu al-Yazid, was killed last month in Pakistan, security officials believe. Photograph: Reuters Tv/Reuters

Afghanistan Head Of al-Qaida 'Killed In Pakistan Drone Strike' -- The Guardian

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, head of al-Qaida in Afghanistan, killed last month, Pakistan and US security officials believe.

Pakistani and US security officials say they believe the head of al-Qaida in Afghanistan has been killed in a drone strike in Pakistan's tribal area.

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, a veteran Egyptian militant close to Osama bin Laden, was hit in a drone strike last month, an official with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) said. "He was killed on the 21st or 22nd, I believe," he said.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Taliban Driven from Afghan District -- New York Times
Afghan, NATO forces recapture area from Taliban -- AFP
Afghan, Foreign Forces Recapture District From Taliban -- New York Times/Reuters
US Flies Afghan Troops to Recapture District -- New York Times/AP
NATO Says Afghan District Center Recaptured In Airborne Assault -- Radio Free Europe
Afghan, NATO forces retake Taliban-controlled district -- Sify News
U.S. and Afghan troops move to remote area in Afghanistan -- CNN
Afghan and U.S. Forces Begin Effort to Reclaim Remote Area From Taliban -- New York Times
Nato strikes Afghan insurgent positions -- Financial Times
American general to take command of British troops in Helmand province -- Times Online
1,000th GI Killed in Afghanistan Was on 2nd Tour -- CBS News

What are prospects for Afghanistan's long-awaited peace jirga? -- Christian Science Monitor
NATO Has High Hopes for Afghan Peace Council -- New York Times
In Afghanistan, a long-delayed national talk -- L.A. Times
Afghanistan's Jirga Is A Centuries - Old Institution -- New York Times/Reuters
Q+A-Is Afghanistan's jirga a real chance for peace? -- Reuters

On the road to Bagram, a glimpse of Afghanistan’s war economy -- Reuters
In Afghan region, U.S. spreads the cash to fight the Taliban -- Washington Post

Australian Military Chief Says Steady Progress Made in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Australia to take greater Afghan training role -- The Age
Diggers get more armour -- Herald Sun

U.S. troops in war zones honor fallen comrades -- San Francisco Chronicle/AP
Troops Mark Solemn Memorial Day in Afghanistan -- CBS News
Troops in Afghanistan honor fallen on Memorial Day -- Washington Times

ANALYSIS - Afghanistan's neighbours stir a witches brew -- Reuters
Backward at Bagram -- New York Times editorial

World News Briefs -- June 1, 2010

World Press Reaction To Gaza Aid Flotilla -- The Telegraph

Israel's attack on the Gaza flotilla was the main story of newspapers around the world.

Under the headline "Complicated relationship with the US grows more so", The Washington Post said that incident, coming days before Mr Netanyahu was due to meet President Obama at the White House for what they term a "kiss and make up session", has cast a serious cloud over US-Israeli relations.

"The timing of the incident is remarkably bad for Israel and the United States," the paper said.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Egypt opens Gaza border after Israel ship clash.

IAEA: Iran has over 2 tons enriched uranium -2 bombs' worth.

Iraq's Supreme Court ratifies election results.

Iran moves to thwart protests ahead of election anniversary.

ASIA

Taliban scorn Afghan national peace conference.

China and Japan 'back North Korea financial sanctions'.

Pakistani official promises to protect Ahmadi sect.

Pakistani court orders access to Facebook restored.

AFRICA

Hunting for Liberia’s missing millions.

France vows to help Africa fight piracy, terrorism.

Kenya and Sudan in the spotlight as ICC conference opens in Uganda.

EUROPE

New German president to be elected June 30.

EU chief raps Russia on human rights, media freedom.

Russia gives Kaczynski plane crash info to Poland.

AMERICAS

American troops leave Haiti. Haiti is unprepared as hurricane season starts.

Central America floods, mudslides kill scores.

Gulf oil spill threat widens.

Cuba trains Venezuela in military, communications.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Al-Qaida: No. 3 official killed with family.

Al-Qaida leader in Algeria surrenders.

Court to Guantánamo Uighurs: Accept resettlement or stay in prison.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

European Central Bank’s report issues warning.

Euro hits new 4-year low against dollar.

World debt crisis: eight reasons you should care.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 1, 2010

Source: Amy Butler, Aviation Week

New Pics: Global Hawk Landing, U-2 Approach -- ARES/Aviation Week

Beale Air Force Base, just north of Sacramento, Calif., has long been the home of high-altitude reconnaissance for the Air Force. The venerable U-2 Dragon Lady is based there, and the facility was home to the SR-71 while it was in service.

But, these days, you are seeing more and more Global Hawks at the base. Beale has taken over acceptance testing of Global Hawk Block 20/30 EISS imagery sensors to help loosen up a major bottleneck in testing at Edwards AFB, Calif.

Read more ....

MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

The C-130J: New Hercules & Old Bottlenecks -- Defense Industry Daily

Those Savages At The CIA -- Strategy Page

Asian fighter market hype vs reality -- ELP Defens(c)e Blog

Russia may export 232 new fighter jets in next 3 years - report -- RIA Novosti

Gorshkov to be handed over to India by Dec '12 -- Times Of India

USS Eisenhower, 'critical component' in anti-Taliban fight -- Space War

Preparing for the Iraq Drawdown -- Ares/Aviation Week

COIN Symposium Recap -- Armchair Generalist

Regaining Information Superiority Against 21st-Century Insurgents -- RAND

Cyber Command: We Don’t Wanna Defend the Internet (We Just Might Have To) -- The Danger Room

World Cup Terror Alert

From Times Live:

SA accused of being slow to respond to warnings .

South African intelligence services have been accused of being slow to react to warnings of terror threats to the 2010 World Cup.

This week, the US Congress counter-terror caucus was briefed on threats to the tournament.

This corroborates what local intelligence sources have told the Sunday Times.

Ronald Sandee, director of the NEFA Foundation, warned the US Congress that:

* Pakistani and Somali militants are running terror training camps in northern Mozambique;
* Trainees from these camps may have crossed into South Africa to join or form cells planning World Cup attacks;
* Surveillance and strike teams planning attacks are well established in South Africa. Terror groups involved include al-Qaeda and their Somalian allies, al-Shahaab; and
* Simultaneous and random attacks are being planned during the World Cup.

Read more ....

My Comment: Africa has a long and bloody history when it comes to this type of conflict. The idea of terror teams attacking events at the World Cup is an idea that is not at all far-fetched. Unfortunately, South African authorities do not share in these concerns.

Should The U.S. Military Take Control Over The Gulf Oil Spill?

US Military Rejects Calls To Take Control Of Oil Spill -- The Telegraph

The United States military does not have the technology or the know-how to deal with the devastating oil spill, its highest ranking military officer admitted on Monday night.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they had no more tactics left in their arsenal following BP’s latest failure to plug the leak.

Responding to calls for the armed forces to take control of the oil spill disaster, Mr Mullen said: “We’ve looked at that continuously since the leak started – whether or not we would have submersibles that could go do this.

Read more ....

My Comment: As a supportive role .... the U.S. military is invaluable. But the idea that they should take the "lead" role in plugging this environmental disaster .... Adm. Mullen is right .... they do not have the technology nor expertise to coordinate such a massive and unique undertaking.

The F-22 and F-35 Killer Finally Captured In Action (Video)

From Gizmodo:

Feast your eyes in these detailed videos of the beast that is designed to match-and-crush 5th generation American combat jets. It's the Sukhoi PAK-FA, and it comes loaded with some amazing technology from the other side of the fallen wall.

Traditionally, the then-Soviet-now Russian fighter jets have been feared all over the world. Even their now theoretically outdated units—the MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Su-27 Flanker—are still among the most effective and destructive air combat units in the world. The Sukhoi PAK-FA is here to replace both, and it will take on the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II starting on 2013.

Read more ....

My Comment: We have actually posted some videos before on the Pak-FA .... this is just another more "up to date" one.

Archive Gallery: A Century of Aviation, From the Wright Brothers To Stealth

This is the Fastest Fighter in the World PopSci, December 1953

From Popular Science:

In just over 100 years, we've gone from the first powered flight to a scramjet capable of Mach 6. Amazing.

Earlier this week, the Air Force announced that the X-51 WaveRider, a wingless scramjet, would make its first hypersonic flight. After learning that the scramjet would reach Mach 6, we couldn't help but reflect on the progress aviation has made in just a century. We've combed the archives to build just one of many amazing snapshots of these incredible 100 years.

Read more ....

Live From The Ocean Floor. Monitoring The BP Oil Spill

My Comment: This story is not war/military related .... but it impacts all of us.

To get the widget, go here.

Some Amazing Stories From Our Medal Of Honor Recipients

The three variations of the Medal of Honor - Army (left), Navy (middle), Air Force (right)

The Real American Idols: Our Medal Of Honor Recipients -- Chicago Now

It's Memorial Day, which means you'll gather with your friends, fire up the grill, and enjoy a day off of work.

As we all enjoy the nice weather, let's remember what Memorial Day is all about. It's the day we salute America's heroes, those who went to battle to protect our rights. We all know somebody who has fought or perished in some war. I never met my uncle John Leshock, he died while serving as a pilot in World War II.

Today I'm reserving the blog for them, the men and women who risked their lives to protect my freedom - a freedom to write about anything I choose.

Read more ....

Al Qaeda's #3 Reported Killed In Pakistan

Photo: Mustafa Abu al Yazid, al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, in a propaganda video in May 2007. Photo from The Long War Journal

Al Qaeda's Third-in-Command Killed -- Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—Al Qaeda's third-in-command, who played a key role in a recently foiled terrorist plot against the U.S., is believed to have been killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal areas recent weeks, dealing a significant blow to the terrorist network.

Sheik Sa'id al-Masri, al Qaeda's chief operating officer, was killed about a week ago, a U.S. official said, adding "This is the main person who everyone has been looking for."

Read more ....

More News On The Death Of Al Qaeda's Third-in-Command

Al-Qaeda No. 3 Yazid reported killed by U.S. drone -- Washington Post
Strike Said to Kill a Top Al Qaeda Leader -- New York Times
Al Qaeda announces death of No. 3 man, intel group says -- CNN
Al-Qaeda leader Sheikh Sa'id al-Masri killed in US missile strike -- The Telegraph
Officials: Al Qaeda No. 3 Killed -- ABC News
US believes No. 3 al-Qaida official dead in Predator drone attack recently -- FOX News/AP
Top al Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu Yazid confirmed killed in airstrike in North Waziristan -- Long War Journal

My Comment: I say good riddance.