20 Taliban killed in US missile attack in Pakistan.

Updated 5:44 a.m. CT, Sat., Oct. 4, 2008
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - Militants on Saturday buried the bodies of Arab comrades who were among at least 20 people killed when suspected U.S. missiles hit a house near the Afghan border, Pakistani officials said.

The United States has launched a flurry of strikes in recent weeks against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban targets in northwestern Pakistan, straining ties between the two anti-terror allies.

Pakistan has been unable or unwilling to eliminate militant sanctuaries blamed for rising violence on both sides of the border. The frontier region is believed to be a possible hiding place for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Al Qaeda Leader Abu Rami of Baghdad network killed.

An alleged, top al-Qaeda figure accused of masterminding one of the deadliest car bombings in Iraq and the videoed execution of a Russian diplomat, has been killed in a shoot out with coalition forces in Baghdad, the US military said today.

Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Judu al-Zubaydi, better known as Abu Rami, is said to have controlled the eastern half of Baghdad, an area called Rusafa.

Coalition troops surrounded a building in Adhamiya last night and demanded the occupants to surrender. They were shot at and returned fire. In the exchange, Abu Rami and a woman, who was with him, were killed.

A military statement did not specify whether the “coalition forces” involved were American or British. British special forces regularly take part in operations to kill or capture high-level al-Qaeda targets in the capital.

The death of Abu Rami will be a blow to the extremist, Sunni Arab group, said Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll, a US military spokesman.

"His removal from the al-Qaeda in Iraq network will send shockwaves through Baghdad's terrorist bombing networks,” he said.

“Its ability to conduct grizzly attacks against Iraqi civilians and coalition and Iraqi forces has been severely crippled by this precision operation."

A bombing cell that was part of a network allegedly run by Abu Rami is thought to have been behind a coordinated car bomb and suicide bomb attack in Baghdad two days ago at the peak of the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr.

Scores of people were killed and injured in the blasts near two Shia mosques.

Abu Rami is also accused of masterminding one of the deadliest attacks against Shia Arabs in the war. More than 200 people died in the car bombing in the Baghdad Shia slum of Sadr City in November 2006.

In addition, the alleged militant is thought to have taken part in multiple kidnappings and videotaped executions, including the fatal shooting in June 2006 of one of four Russian diplomats.

The news of Abu Rami’s death came as Poland, one of the last countries with a sizeable contribution of troops in Iraq, ended its mission and said that it was pulling out its remaining 900 soldiers by the end of the month.

"We feel responsible for the future of Iraq,” Bogdan Klich, Poland’s Defence Minister, said during an end-of-mission ceremony on a military base in the Shia province of Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad.

“The completion of our mission does not mean end of an engagement. We hope to cooperate in Iraq's economic and financial areas," he said.

Twenty-one Polish soldiers have been killed and 70 others wounded over the past five and a half years.

Poland’s exit from Iraq will leave 24 countries with foreign troops on the ground.

Most only have a token presence, however. The US military is by far the largest contributor, comprising 149,000 of the 156,000 forces in theatre. Britain comes a distant second, with 4,100 forces – a figure that is set to drop further next year.

US to China: Put lead in our toys and we'll sale weapons to Taiwan!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a move bound to anger China, the United States intends to sell $6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan, the State Department said Friday.

State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said Congress -- whose approval is needed for the deal to go through -- was notified Friday afternoon. He indicated the administration expects congressional approval quickly.

The package includes a variety of U.S.-made weapons systems, including Patriot III anti-missile missiles, Apache attack helicopters, Harpoon missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The deal had been in the works for a few months, Wood said, and the decision is "consistent with U.S. policy of providing arms for defense of Taiwan and consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act."

"This arms deal is a key factor in bringing security and stability across the Taiwan Strait," he added. The deal also gives Taiwan upgrades for Taiwan's E-2T aircraft and spare parts for its air force.

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have always angered China. The latest deal comes at a time when the United States needs China in negotiations over Iran's and North Korea's nuclear programs. But Wood said the U.S. government decision is no surprise to Beijing, as the Chinese were briefed "several" times about the impending deal.

This is the latest chapter in a decades-long uneasy standoff. China claims Taiwan is its own territory and has threatened to invade if Taiwan ever declares independence. The United States has said it will defend Taiwan if China ever attacks.

Cold War Redux: Russia to deploy new nukes

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia hopes to deploy a new nuclear missile next year designed to penetrate anti-missile defenses and will build eight submarines to carry it, defense officials said on Thursday.

The latest statements underline Moscow's determination to upgrade its nuclear strike forces on land, sea and air. They are regarded by Russian commanders as the cornerstone of the country's defenses.

Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin, head of armaments for the Russian armed forces, told the Defense Ministry newspaper "Red Star" that Russia's recent war with Georgia "compels us to rethink the current state of the armed forces and how they should develop further."

President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have both pledged to extend Russia's recent military build-up with extra funds to buy new, high-tech arms. On Wednesday, Putin announced an extra $3.1 billion of spending next year, partly to replace equipment lost in the Georgia war.

Despite the billions of dollars spent on them since Putin came to power as president in 2000, Russia's 1 million-strong armed forces remain poorly equipped, badly paid and reliant on a large proportion of unwilling conscripts.

The deputy commander in chief of the Russian navy, Admiral Alexander Tatarinov, said on Thursday that by 2015 Moscow would build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to carry a new, nuclear-capable strategic missile.

"The navy has gone over to building ships and nuclear submarines by the batch," Tatarinov told Interfax news agency.

"A new state armaments program includes a plan to build a batch of eight nuclear submarines that would be armed with new Bulava strategic missiles."

US Missile Strike Kills Suspected al-Queda,

2 suspected U.S. strikes kill 3 in Pakistan
By Ishtiaq Mashud - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Oct 3, 2008 12:52:42 EDT
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Two suspected U.S. missile strikes close to the border with Afghanistan killed three people Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The strikes took place in two villages in North Waziristan, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A Pakistani military spokesman said he was not immediately able to comment on the suspected strikes.

American forces recently ramped up cross-border operations against Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the Pakistan’s border zone with Afghanistan — a region considered a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden.

Another suspected U.S. missile strike on a Taliban commander’s home in Pakistan killed six people late Tuesday, officials said.

Pakistan said the attacks often result in civilian casualties and serve to fan extremism. American officials complain that Pakistan was unwilling or unable to act against the militants.

Militants in the border region are blamed for rising attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and attacks within Pakistan, including the Sept. 20 truck bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad that killed more than 50 people.

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Editors note: I predict either Osama Bin Laden will be found, or killed or his remains verifying he is dead will be recovered before the November election.

-Steve Douglass