Al Qaeda leader Umar Farooq killed in N Waziristan drone strike

Al Qaeda leader Umar Farooq killed in N Waziristan drone strike

This screengrab shows Umar Farooq (blurred in original footage) in a jihadi video

PESHAWAR: A key Al Qaeda leader identified as Umer Farooq alias Umer Ustad and Ustad Farooq was killed in a US drone strike along with four others in North Waziristan tribal agency's Dattakhel area on Sunday.

Sources said that a drone fired two missiles at a compound in Dattakhel's Khat Tangi area killing five people and wounding three others. The targeted compound was destroyed in the strike.

Ustad Farooq has in the past served as Al Qaeda's spokesman in Pakistan. He was reportedly the first Pakistani national to be promoted to a leadership position in Al-Qaeda, emerging as its spokesman for the South Asia region in 2009. He is believed to be the operational incharge of Al Qaeda for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, military sources have said that there was no drone strike inside Pakistani territory and that media reports in this regard were not true.

The ISPR have also denied reports that the drone strike took place.

Drone attacks are widely unpopular across Pakistan and according to survey conducted in June this year, 66 per cent of the country's citizens oppose these strikes.

Sunday's strike comes a day after the Pakistan military confirmed the killing of wanted Al Qaeda leader Adnan Shukrijumah during a raid at a compound in Shin Warsak area of South Waziristan Agency on Saturday.

North Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among others.

Pakistan's military in mid-June had launched an all-out operation, named 'Zarb-i-Azb', against Taliban militants in the region.

The operation was initiated on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on Karachi's international airport and failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.

The offensive has driven out over 800,000 residents from North Waziristan and the army says it has cleared 90 per cent of the tribal region. The army says it has killed more than 1,100 militants and lost more than 100 soldiers since the start of the operation.

Drone strike in Afghanistan kills 9 Pakistani Taliban fighters

An Afghan official says a suspected US drone strike has killed nine alleged Pakistani Taliban fighters in a rural village near the border.

Provincial police chief Gen Abdul Habib Sayedkhili said Sunday that the strike happened Saturday in Kunar province's Shigal District.

He says the strike on the village of Shiltan killed a senior Pakistani Taliban commander and wounded one.

The Taliban had no immediate comment about the strike.

Taliban fighters from Pakistan and Afghanistan frequently cross the mountainous borders of the two countries to launch attacks on local troops and Nato forces.

In Laghman province, two suspected US drone strikes recently killed four Taliban fighters as well.

Nato forces plan to wind down their combat mission in the country at the end of this month.

Sri Lanka beats England by 6 wickets in 4th ODI

Sri Lanka beats England by 6 wickets in 4th ODI

Sri Lankan cricketer Lahiru Thirimanne plays a shot during the fourth One Day International (ODI) match between Sri Lanka and England at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo. -AFP Photo

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan spinners combined for nine wickets before Kumar Sangakkara hit 83 runs to help the hosts to a tense six-wicket win over England in the fourth one-day international on Sunday.

Electing to bat first, England was 265 all out in 50 overs and Sri Lanka chased down the runs with two balls to spare.

Sangakkara's innings came off 105 deliveries and included seven boundaries. He shared 96 runs with Mahela Jayawardene (44) for the third wicket.

Earlier, James Taylor made his maiden international fifty but missed out on a century to give England a strong platform.

He scored 90 runs off 109 balls. Spinners Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis and Tillakaratne Dilshan took three wickets each for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka leads the seven-match series 3-1.

Pakistani university student shot dead in Chicago

Pakistani university student shot dead in Chicago

Mutahir Rauf. — Photo Courtesy: @ABC7Chicago/Twitter

A Pakistani student enrolled in Loyola University was fatally shot in Chicago on Friday during an attempted robbery, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Accompanied by his brother, 23-year-old Mutahir Rauf was walking by 1300 block of West Albion Avenue in Roger Park neighbourhood, when he was stopped by two men on foot, a block from the varsity’s campus.

According to police, the robbers pulled out a gun and ordered the brothers to hand over their belongings.

Rauf protested and allegedly tried to grab hold of the gun. He was fatally shot in the head and chest in the scuffle that followed.

The attackers managed to flee the scene unharmed Rauf’s brother reported.

Loyola University verified the incident in a statement on the university’s official website.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic situation, and we ask that you keep this student’s family in your thoughts and prayers."

No arrests have been made as yet.

In a further update, the university said:

"The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the lead investigatory agency, and detectives are actively looking for information that will lead to the identification and arrest of the two offenders of this horrific crime. According to the CPD report, the offenders are described as follows:

Offender #1 – male, black, 18-20 years of age, wearing a black ski mask and a black hoodie

Offender #2 – male, black or Hispanic, 18-20 years of age, wearing a black knit cap and a black hoodie"

ICC suspends Hafeez from bowling over illegal action

ICC suspends Hafeez from bowling over illegal action

Mohammad Hafeez. — AFP/file

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday declared the bowling action of Mohamad Hafeez illegal. All-rounderHafeez has been reported with a suspected illegal bowling action during the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi early in November.

In a statement posted to the cricket regulatory body's website, the ICC confirmed that Hafeez's action is illegal and he has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect.

The statement read, "The International Cricket Council today confirmed that an independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez to be illegal."

"The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations."

It added that Hafeez, who was reported after the first Test match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi last month, can apply for a re-assessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.

The analysis was performed on 24 November by the ICC’s accredited team of Human Movement Specialists using the National Cricket Performance Centre, Loughborough.

Hafeez is the second Pakistani behind Saeed Ajmal, also an off-spinner, to be reported in a major crackdown on bowlers with suspect actions the ICC launched in June this year.

Both Hafeez and Ajmal were included in Pakistan's preliminary squad for the upcoming World Cup.The latest setback weakens Pakistan's spin attack which was already jolted by Saeed Ajmal's suspension.

The ICC World Cup commences in Australia and New Zealand on February 14, with Pakistan facing arch-rival India in their first Group B game a day later at Adelaide.

Greenshirts' captain Misbah-ul-Haq had said “Ajmal has been our trump card for the last five six years and his suspension is a big jolt for us.”

Hafeez’s action was also reported during a Twenty20 league in India in September this year, but the PCB said the bowler did some remedial work in the national cricket academy in Lahore.

He was not reported during the 2-0 win over Australia which finished last month.

Hafeez’s action was cleared after being reported in a one-day match against the West Indies in Brisbane in 2005.

Before the Australia series Hafeez said he has been bowling with the same action for 11 years.

PTI expresses confidence in new CEC

PTI expresses confidence in new CEC

Screengrab shows PTI Chairman Imran Khan addressing a press conference.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday expressed confidence in the new chief election commissioner (CEC) and said that his party has no objection on his appointment, DawnNews reported.

Speaking during a press conference the PTI leader said that Justice Sardar Raza Khan has a very good reputation and that the party has confidence in him after his appointment as CEC.

When speaking about negotiations with the government, Imran Khan said that talks will start from where they left off. He also said that the negotiations will only begin when Ishaq Dar calls on the telephone to verify it.

Meanwhile Imran Khan admitted that the PTI gave election tickets to ‘incompetent’ people during the 2013 general elections and that it was a big mistake made by the party.

He said that this time a committee has been set up to prevent such people from being given party tickets.

The PTI chairman also criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) during his press conference.

He said that the public’s money was being used for political advertisements, and announced that he will take the matter to court.

Imran Khan also said that whether vote rigging was now proven or not, he will no longer sit in the National Assembly.

The PTI chairman said that he will now be preparing for the next general elections.

US delinks Pakistan from Kashmir violence surge

US delinks Pakistan from Kashmir violence surge

An Indian soldier keeps watch from his position overlooking army barracks following an attack by militants on the camp in Gingal Uri, some 90 kms north of Srinagar near the Line of Control (LoC), on December 5, 2014. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday cautioned against making any assumptions linking Pakistan to the latest bout of violence in Indian Kashmir, while also brushing aside the notion that last week’s meeting between Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and Secretary of State John Kerry was somehow connected to the flare-up in the Uri area.

“I think that you’re conflating a couple of things. Obviously, we know the Secretary [of State John Kerry] and [General] Raheel Sharif had a very productive discussion on a range of security-related issues, and again, we’re concerned about any violence in Kashmir, and I wouldn’t jump to conclusions here,” the State Department’s deputy spokesperson Marie Harf told an Indian journalist in response to his questions at the daily briefing.

The premise of the question sought to put the blame on Pakistan for Friday’s incident and the questioner also wanted to know the US position if there was a link between the meeting and the fighting involving militants and Indian soldiers in the disputed Indian Kashmir.

“No, I was saying – I actually was trying not to accept the premise of the question,” the spokesperson emphasised, when asked if she accepted the premise in the question about who might have been behind the violence.

Asked if the US knew whether there was any Pakistani involvement, the spokesperson cautioned against any assumptions: “I wouldn’t assume anything.” The spokesperson, however, expressed concern over violence in the disputed Himalayan region and urged India and Pakistan to hold dialogue on the issue of Kashmir.

Reiterating Washington’s position on addressing the Kashmir dispute, the spokesperson said: “So obviously we’re concerned about any violence in Kashmir.   Our policy on Kashmir hasn’t changed. We still believe that the pace and the scope and character of India and Pakistan’s dialogue on Kashmir is for those two countries to determine, of course.”

She also added that American embassies in both capitals, Islamabad and New Delhi, “have raised these types of incidents with their respective host governments and certainly encouraged both to continue working together on the issue.”

Eleven Indian security men, including eight soldiers, and six militants were killed when fighting broke out in Uri, rocking the region ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the disputed territory.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2014.

US defense secretary in Kabul as NATO war winds down

US defense secretary in Kabul as NATO war winds down

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. PHOTO

KABUL: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Kabul on Saturday on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan in the final weeks of NATO’s 13-year war against the Taliban.

Hagel said Afghanistan had “come a long way” over the past decade and that a newly-elected Afghan government and its army were ready to take charge of security as the bulk of the international force departs by the end of the month.

“As difficult, as challenging, as long as this has been — by any definition, the country of Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan are far better off today than they were 13 years ago,” Hagel told reporters on his plane.

“They have the ability to decide their own fate, their own way, on their terms. They’re not completely there yet. But they’ve come a long way,” he said.

The advances had come as a result of the “blood and treasure” spent by American, allied and Afghan troops, he added.

Hagel, who is shortly to step down from office, will meet with President Ashraf Ghani as well as senior US commanders and some US troops who are still deployed in the country.

NATO’s combat mission ends on December 31, and will be replaced by a US-led support mission of about 12,500 soldiers who will provide training and assistance for the Afghan security forces, as well as undertaking counter-terrorism operations.

About 130,000 NATO troops were fighting in Afghanistan in 2010 at the peak of the foreign intervention, after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Concern is growing for national stability as the US military presence declines, with the Afghan army and police enduring record casualties in battle this year and a series of high-profile Taliban attacks in Kabul.

President Barack Obama on Friday named Ashton Carter, a technocrat and academic with long experience working in the Pentagon, to replace Hagel as defense secretary.

Hagel, who took office in February 2013, resigned last month, rejecting accounts that he was forced out and saying it was a mutual agreement with the president.

After a prolonged crisis over a fraud-mired election, President Ghani came to power in September after signing a power-sharing deal with his poll rival Abdullah Abdullah.

Ghani this week attended a donor conference in London, stressing he would “do things differently” from his predecessor Hamid Karzai, who had troubled ties with Western countries.

“This transition from combat to non-combat is most welcome,” he said of the NATO mission change.

Ghani, a former World Bank economist, also stressed his commitment to a peace process with insurgents, saying he believed that the withdrawal of foreign troops would “change the dynamic and the narrative” in Afghanistan.

The “national unity government” has struggled with negotiations over government positions, with no new ministers named more than two months after Ghani’s inauguration in late September.

Hagel, who is on his last trip to Afghanistan, recalled that he first travelled to the country as a senator with a small delegation in January 2002, shortly after the US invasion that toppled the Taliban.