[mk1]

06 March 2002 : Four More U.S. Helicopters Destroyed: More American Casualties in Gardez http://www.azzam.com Daily news, articles and interviews on the Jihad in Afghanistan http://www.amazon.co.uk or http://www.maktabah.net for 2nd Edition of Join the Caravan by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam GARDEZ (Special Report): Fierce battles continue in Gardez Province between Mujahideen and U.S. troops. On Monday night, the Mujahideen shot down another MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with an RPG-7 unguided shoulder-launched rocket. Damage to a third helicopter was confirmed by Navy Commander Frank Merriman, a spokesman to the US Central Command, as given by the Los Angeles Times report on the incident: 7 U.S. Troops Are Killed in Assault on Enemy Fighters. This third helicopter was on its way to the battlefield with a full company of troops to reinforce U.S. fighters already there, when it was shot down in the region between Sata Kandao and Mata Chena, killing an estimated 35 American troops on board. American officials and media organisations have been stunned by these spectacular series of defeats and the proof of this can be found in the wide array of conflicting statements, reports and information being given by the Western media. Some reports say the soldiers were killed when their helicopter was shot down, some say the soldiers were killed in a firefight after they left the helicopters and others say that soldiers dropped out of the helicopters when the helicopters were hit. Huge numbers of crying American soldiers, wounded in combat, are being ferried to and from medical centres in Khost and the U.S. Base in the vicinity. Whilst the battle in Gardez was continuing, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Mujahideen launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Air Base at Khost Airport, using mortars and rocket launchers. Two American helicopters were destroyed in this attack as they stood on the tarmac, though they were not occupied at the time. In the ensuing firefight, up to 15 more Americans and 10 of their Afghan allies were killed. On Tuesday, a U.S. AH-64D 'Apache Longbow' helicopter gunship was shot down by the Mujahideen using unknown surface to air missiles, killing both pilots. This is the first loss of an AH-64 gunship helicopter during the current battle at Gardez and must come as a serious blow to the Americans, as this is considered one of the toughest attack helicopters in the U.S. arsenal, sometimes known as the 'Flying Tank'. Reports are also coming in of a AC-130 Spectre gunship airplane having been shot down by the Mujahideen. More details will be given once they are received. Meanwhile, as hand-to-hand battles have claimed up to 20 more American lives throughout Monday and Tuesday, the Mujahideen commander, Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman vowed to fight to the end and in a statement to the Afghan Islamic Press, he said: "The fight against America for the supremacy of Islam and the defence of our country will continue until our last breath. We prefer death than living a shameful life. Such tests demand sacrifices and we are prepared to give any sacrifice. " Reports from Gardez state that after four days of consecutive, lethal bombing, no significant success has been achieved. The BBC Analyst for Afghan affairs said that the recent attacks against U.S. positions across Afghanistan as well as this setback, signals the start of the guerrilla war that was promised by the Taliban as they withdrew from the cities in November 2001. Since Friday, the number of Mujahideen martyred in this current battle stands at approximately 33-35, may Allah accept them as martyrs in the Highest Paradise. MUJAHIDEEN ATTACK 'LOST' U.S. SOLDIERS - SIX KILLED AND MORE THAN A DOZEN INJURED GARDEZ (Islam Correspondent): Source have revealed that during the ongoing offensive in Gardez, small pockets of American troops have been cut off and stranded due to the heavy fighting. Some of these groups seem to have lost their way in the snow covered mountainous region. One such isolated group was noticed by the Mujahideen who planned and executed a fierce attack killing six and wounding more than a dozen U.S. soldiers. U.S. MARINES ATTACKED BY ARAB MUJAHIDEEN IN PAKTIA PAKTIA (Islam News): News received from the Afghan province of Paktia report that Arab Mujahideen launched a massive attack on U.S. marines in the the mountainous regions of Taka Zooran and Zarhook. The Mujahideen attacked the American troops and the local pro-U.S. Afghan militia while they were scouting and photographing sensitive areas. According to reliable sources, although the exact number of enemy casualties are difficult to obtain, it has been confirmed that there were significant casualites among the U.S. troops. The sources also added that the increased frequency of such ferocious guerrilla raids have shocked and sapped the morale of all American soldiers in the region. INTENSE FIGHTING IN LOGAR LEAVES 17 OF KARZAI'S MEN DEAD AND 40 INJURED LOGAR (Islam Correspondent): Four days ago in the Charkh district of Logar, a province adjacent to the Afghan capital Kabul, 500 well equipped Mujahideen attacked Karzai's troops controlling the area. The intensity of the attack allowed the Mujahideen to take over more than half the province very quickly. Completely rattled and outgunned, troops and members of the puppet provincial government nominated by Karzai had to beg for air support from U.S. soldiers. At least seventeen of Karzai's troops were killed while forty others were severely injured in the attack. News receeived by Daily Islam indicate that these attacks, close to home, are a cause of concern and danger to the Kabul government as well. Some analysts suspect that the raids may spread very quickly to the Wardek province as well. 05 March 2002 : Two US Helicopters Downed; Over 60 US Troops Killed as Mujahideen Repulse http://www.azzam.com Daily news, articles and interviews on the Jihad in Afghanistan http://www.amazon.co.uk or http://www.maktabah.net for 2nd Edition of Join the Caravan by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam GARDEZ (Special Report) : Two American CH-47 'Chinook' helicopters each carrying 20 fully armed troops have been shot down by Mujahideen during fierce fighting in Gardez. On Friday night, US forces backed by their Afghan allies launched a combined air and ground assault against Taliban and Al- Qaida Mujahideen positions in the mountains in the Zarmand Region of Gardez Province. According to reliable sources on the ground, Taliban Guerilla Commander Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman Mansoor is leading the Mujahideen in this battle. Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman is a young religious scholar, who is the son of another religious scholar, Mulla Mansoor. During the Taliban rule, he was also the Commander of the Kurha Baagh region 50km North of Kabul. On Saturday, US and Afghan troops launched a ground attack against Mujahideen positions supported by an array of helicopter and aircraft gunships. However, characteristic of the guerilla type of warfare in Afghanistan, Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman's troops were lying in wait in the mountain passes and they launched a series of deadly ambushes against the enemy convoys. At least seventeen US troops and 40 of their Afghan allies were confirmed killed during these ambushes: these figures were given as the US forces were unable to recover all of their dead from the scene of the ambush. Over 200 of the combined US-Afghan forces were injured and ambulances and helicopters were witnessed carrying the wounded to hospitals in Northern Alliance and Pakistani territory. On Sunday night, one fully laden, US CH-47 troop carrying helicopter bringing reinforcements to the frontline, was downed by Mujahideen surface-to-air weapons, killing all 20 troops on board. On Monday, another identical helicopter, carrying 15-20 troops was also shot down by Mujahideen anti-aircraft fire, bringing to total 40 US troops who were killed in both crashes. The Pentagon and international media agencies acknowledged the shoot down of the second helicopter on Monday, but said that only six soldiers were killed. Such a statement is laughable, given that to use a huge troop carrying helicopter with a capacity of 20 troops, just to carry one soldier (plus five crew) in combat, is an inefficient use of fuel, energy, resources and manpower. Elsewhere, significant numbers of US troops have been killed in fierce fighting. According to eyewitnesses, the number of casualties are in such huge numbers that it is difficult to estimate the correct number at this moment in time, thus the figure of 60 dead (20 x 2 helicopters + 17 in ambushes), which is set to rise, has been given. Khost Hospital is full to capacity with injured. After these heavy losses the US has lost its hold and thousands of its purchased locals have run away. After retreating, the US has started aerial bombardment using their new 2000lb thermobaric bombs, which have been dropped without aim, using B-52 bombers. These bombs are designed to penetrate 6m into the ground before detonating. However, due to the heavy snow present at the scene of the battle, these bombs have not thus far been effective in this fighting. Reliable eyewitness sources have also said that the US has used chemical weapons in this attack, due to the type of multi-coloured disfiguration found on the bodies of the martyred and injured Mujahideen who have been brought into medical centres in friendly areas. After this cowardly retreat, it is not expected that the US will sustain ground operations against Mulla Saif-ur-Rahman's positions, preferring instead the warfare of the weak, by bombing from several miles high. The Pakistani Government and Army will also be in mourning as it had sealed its borders and was expecting the US troops to defeat the Mujahideen. The Muslims should be grateful to Allah for these victories and should be rest assured that wars last several years; they are not won by the rise or fall of paper-based governments. A day for them and a day for us, such is the nature of war, of alternate successes. Allah will never allow the disbelievers to dominate over the believers. Allah is Great and the Honour is to Islam. THREE US SOLDIERS KILLED IN THE LATEST ATTACKS AT KANDAHAR AIRPORT KANDAHAR (Special Report) : Unknown assailants launched an attack at Kandahar Airport last night and killed three US soldiers. The US Army blamed the Pashtuns for this attack without going into any interrogations and assigned the task of arresting the Pashtuns, to paedophile Gul Agha. According to reliable sources the US is about to remove Gul Agha from the governorship of Kandahar. These guerrilla raids at the US marines and their positions have created mental disturbance among the US ranks. They are in search of such a person who can free their lives from these daily guerrilla raids, but since the local people hate them, it is impossible for them to find such a governor. US SOLDIERS HAVE STARTED TO PACK UP FROM KANDAHAR AIRPORT ISLAMABAD (Special Report) : US forces have begun shifting their troops to the Bagram Airbase near Kabul, away from Kandahar Airport. According to the Voice of Germany, the recent, frequent guerrilla raids have forced the US Administration to shift their troops to Bagram Airbase near Kabul instead of keeping them at Kandahar Airport. On the other hand, German soldiers present in the International force in Kabul still say that Kabul is not a completely safe city. US F-14 'TOMCAT' FIGHTER SHOT DOWN OVER BALOCHISTAN-AFGHANISTAN QUETTA (Special Report): A US Navy F-14 'Tomcat' fighter jet has been shot down over the Balochistan-Afghanistan border by hostile fire. The Pentagon acknowledged the loss of an F-14 which took off from the aircraft carrier, USS John F Kennedy, but as usual, they attributed the loss to technical failure. The Pentagon said that of the two pilots, one was killed whilst the other managed to eject. http://www.azzam.com Daily news, articles and interviews on the Jihad in Afghanistan http://www.maktabah.net or http://www.amazon.co.uk for Join the Caravan 2nd Edition by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam