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Taliban leader surrenders after he hears British special forces are 'closing in'

Xiang

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Taliban leader surrenders after he hears British special forces are 'closing in'

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 8:42 AM on 23rd July 2008

The most senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's wartorn Helmand province has given himself up because he feared being killed by British special forces.
The news will be a massive blow to insurgent forces.
Mullah Rahim surrendered to authorities in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence said last night.

Rahim - thought to be one of the five main Taliban commanders - is reported to have handed himself in to Pakistani police near the border and is being held in the town of Quetta.
The success of a Nato campaign directly targeting the Taliban leadership has led to hopes that a power vacuum at the top has weakened the group. Hours after Rahim turned himself in, British forces killed their third senior Taliban leader in little more than three weeks.

Top British commanders said Rahim's surrender was a massive breakthrough that would plunge militants in Helmand into disarray.
Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Robin Matthews said last night: 'The Taliban's senior leadership structure has suffered a shattering blow.
'They remain a dangerous enemy, but they increasingly lack strategic direction and their proposition to the Afghan people-is proving ultimately negativeand self-defeating.' Gulab Mangal, Governor of Helmand, urged militiamen to join the Government side.
He said: 'I advise all those Taliban who are engaging with terrorist actions that the fighting has no benefits. Choose a good, bright and honourable way.'

The three Taliban chiefs killed by British troops include Abdul Rasaq, known as Mullah Sheikh, who died in a precision missile strike after Rahim surrendered.
It came eight days after the death of an associate of Rahim called Bishmullah, and 24 days after leading bomb-maker Sadiqullah was killed in a helicopter missile strike.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1037388/Taliban-leader-surrenders-hears-British-special-forces-closing-in.html
 
Xiang said:
Mullah Rahim surrendered to authorities in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence said last night.

Theres surrendering and theres surrendering to Pakistan. All this means is he's going on R&R.
 
Anyone want to take bets on whether or not this story shows up in the Canadian media? What? No takers?
 
Well it depends on whether they think it will garner enough attention for the public to stop long enough to read the article or just scan the picture if there's any at all.

 
CWattie said:
Anyone want to take bets on whether or not this story shows up in the Canadian media? What? No takers?

Why should it?  It did not happen in the Canadian AO, Canadian troops were not involved and while he may have been a Taliban commander there is no specific connection to anything Canadian.  Also, a quick google would indicate that this story was not a major item in the UK media and did not show up widely in the major US media.  Besides, this article is over a week old; it's not news, it's history.
 
Anyone want to take bets on whether or not this story shows up in the Canadian media? What? No takers? 

  Well then Chris, you should write the story. Convince the NP that it should be covered.
 
Blackadder1916 said:
Why should it?  It did not happen in the Canadian AO, Canadian troops were not involved and while he may have been a Taliban commander there is no specific connection to anything Canadian.  Also, a quick google would indicate that this story was not a major item in the UK media and did not show up widely in the major US media.  Besides, this article is over a week old; it's not news, it's history.

It's the trend that's the story, not one mid-level Talib surrendering. The Taliban has lost a lot of key leaders over the past 6-8 months, which seems newsworthy to me...
 
CWattie said:
It's the trend that's the story, not one mid-level Talib surrendering. The Taliban has lost a lot of key leaders over the past 6-8 months, which seems newsworthy to me...

Newsworthy enough to get the story past your editor(s)? It would be interesting for someone of your calibre, as a jounalist and Canadian, to show our public that we, and our allies, are indeed making gains. No matter what others are suggesting.
 
See, for that you'll have to buy my book  ;D
I'm not on the Afghan beat any more, not my choice ...
 
Ill bet the SAS guys consider this story to be a breach of OPSEC,but then
again they probably consider the letters SAS appearing in print a breach
of OPSEC.
                Regards
 
I agree with making an article too, theres is to much negativity in the news about Afghanistan now a days, e.g. soldiers dieing, the jail break ext. I think this would help give Canada a more positive image on the fight in Afghanistan.

:cheers:
 
Ah well.  Score one for the good guys.  :salute:
The network you would hope it shows up on is Al Jazeera.  The sheeple over here won't clue into the signifigance.
Now stand by for a "stunning" escape by Rahim.  ::)
 
zipperhead_cop said:
Now stand by for a "stunning" escape by Rahim.   ::)

Or for Rahim to mysteriously disappear and for some new Taliban leader to coincidentally surface in Afghanistan a short time later.
I really hope that NATO is pouncing on Pakistan to make sure this guy doesn't slip away.....
 
To be particularly honest,  if the SAS wanted my head on a plaque I'd probably not want to surrender to them.
 
It's amusing that we in the West think a movement like the Taliban can be thrown into disarray just by removing some key individuals from the scene. It appeals to Western voters who understand movies like to think that the 'Great man' theory applies to other cultures though...
 
It wouldn't surprise me if buddy turned himself into Pakistan just for the sake of a re-org meeting with the other guys in prison.  Hell, if criminals here can run drug deals and hits from behind bars, it must be that much easier for them in a place that half tolerates them.
 
From my perspective, older leaders will be replaced by younger ones....
Certainly with less experience BUT, possibly with bigger ball$
 
CWattie said:
Anyone want to take bets on whether or not this story shows up in the Canadian media? What? No takers?

Here's your chance to start the ball rolling, then:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/07/decapitation_campaig.php
http://www.nato.int/isaf/docu/pressreleases/2008/07-july/pr080720-340.html
http://www.nato.int/isaf/docu/pressreleases/2008/07-july/pr080717-330.html
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/UkTroopsKillSecondTalibanLeaderInTwoWeeks.htm
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/ApachesstrikeABlowAtTalibanLeadership.htm

not to mention some of what the other side has to say....
http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2374338
http://revolution.muslimpad.com/2008/07/31/announcing-the-martyrdom-of-the-commander-abi-abdillaah-ash-shaamee/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7536529.stm
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-07-31-voa33.cfm?rss=war+and+conflict

Happy hunting!
 
To be particularly honest,  if the SAS wanted my head on a plaque I'd probably not want to surrender to them.
Don't know about you, but I'd rather surrender and hide behind III-GC than take on the SAS.
 
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