Taliban leader killed
November 26th, 2012 at 3:06 pm by David FarrarThe Herald reports:
A senior Taliban leader thought to be behind a roadside bombing in which three New Zealand soldiers died has reportedly been killed by coalition forces.
Prime Minister John Key today confirmed Abdullah Kalta died in the Afghanistan airstrike.
New Zealand soldiers Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, Private Richard Harris and Corporal Luke Tamatea were killed in August when their Humvee struck an improvised explosive device.
New Zealand personnel were not involved in the attack on Kalta but coalition forces could have used intelligence gathered by New Zealand SAS troops, Mr Key said on TVNZ’s Breakfast show.
“We weren’t physically involved but it was almost certainly intelligence that New Zealand people have been gathering over there.
“It was in the northeastern part of Bamiyan province. If that is the case, and that seems to be the information we have, then I think that’s good news if it makes Afghanistan a safer place for our people.”
It is good news. Hopefully it means our troops complete their mission with no further causalities.
No tag for this post.
November 26th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Commiserations to Luc for his loss.
[DPF: LOL]
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Very good news, indeed.
Vote:A savage animal has been exterminated.
November 26th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Of course, if NZ troops were not there in a combat role, there would be no casualities.
[DPF: Apart from all those who die in terrorist attacks, if the Taliban protected Al Qaeda were left to carry on their work post 9/11]
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 3:48 pm
Good riddance.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
No NZ casualties, ross69. The casualties would have come from another nation. Clearly you have little to no concern for the people of other nations.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
bhudson: haddn’t you heard? The local civilians don’t count.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Live by the sword……
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
New Zealanders did die in 9/11 and Bali.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Good job. But…
That’s naive
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Excellent news, but I guess of limited comfort to the families of those affected.
Although not “physically involved”, odds are on the NZ SAS were instrumental in “painting” that SOAB with a SOFLAM.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Im not entirely convinced that these assasination missions increase security in the long run. It is not as if the guy wont be replaced and unless we plan on replacing him with a specific leader it will probably just be another crazy person with slightly more reason to want revenge.
I dont have so much of an issue with killing these sorts of people.. per se.. but what is the big plan?
to just kill them when they turn up? that seems like killing flies when they come into the house whilst leaving the window open with the dung heap outside…
still I obviously am not spilling many tears over him…
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
I dont give a rat’s what our “involvement” was…it shows just what sort of soft c…society we have become that Key has to say that we WOULDNT be directly involved in taking out this vermin.
The members of the Maori Battalion – whose society will sadly be wound up next week – would have taken this prick out no matter what the PM of the day said. And of course Peter Fraser would never had told them not to.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Dg
Just perhaps it was more the PM down playing any NZ involvement and showing the Taliban that it was locals who did the job, thereby taking some heat off our troops and maybe making them less of a target so they can operate a bit more discreetly which is how they operated before it became fashionable for their every bowel movement to be on the news. Just perhaps, maybe
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
I like to imagine Taliban members go to a very specific hell modelled loosely on their expectations of heaven…
Except that they’re the virgins, and a pack of seven infidel homosexuals relieve them of their arse cherries, and it happens all over again the next day…
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
I wonder if the dead Taliban leader was an old ally of the US, from back when they were supporting & arming the Taliban ?
Fickle buggers those Yanks, they pulled the same stunt on their mate Saddam. This changeable and unstable behavior should serve as a caution to the, strict Muslim, Sharia law, major financier of global Islamic extremism and US ally, Saudi Arabia. (Its also where Osama Bin Laden came from, not Afghanistan.) The Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11 and have attacked no one outside of their own boarders.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Yes, well done my lovely boys. Can they come home now?
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 7:25 pm
The three kiwis soldiers died for nothing, as did all the other dead soldiers. They have not helped the people, or improved the country, with their occupation. The propaganda we are fed tells us about how the Kiwis have helped improve things. But the interpreters helping the kiwis were not convinced, were they?
It is a study in failure with no redeeming features at all. The war is unnecessary and pointless. We have failed and failed miserably.
Our people have done what we asked of them and often more. I am not having “a dig” at our service people, only the idiots who sent them there.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
New Zealand’s achievement in Afghanistan has been to prove our reliability as an ally of the US, UK and Australia. Nothing more, nothing less. Our military has done its job as an effective instrument of state policy.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Exactly mm. We basically had to take part and we have done so. We got the result I expected.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
From a security perspective there should have been no response at all to this killing. No announcement. No media coverage. Complete silence.
What about this don’t you guys get. There was a reason why even Hulun didn’t capitalise on the SAS’ antics. Key, the idiot, decided to do it because it was “boyishly exciting” and “cool” in both his and voters eyes, but he, and most voters, failed to recognise this is Pandora’s Box. You can’t open it a little bit. Fucking d’oh.
What this coverage and whole incident from when it first happened for Key misplayed his publicity hand re: SAS there too, till today shows, is that the public are incredibly naive about the threat profile represented by the modern world. Incredibly naive. If anyone doesn’t think all of this story from when it started up to today, with Key’s naive release, hasn’t penetrated to the most evil people on the planet, they’re kidding. So they’re looking at this and wondering, should we make an example of this, or not.
Let’s not discuss specifics of what they could or could not do but it’s a fact that the highest levels of you know who would have been made aware of this from the first incident. For the killing of ours was revenge for taking some of their prisoner. It was a revenge killing. Now it’s just been escalated by killing someone who has no doubt extremely rare skills which always brings serious attention. This is the security reality. So what Key has done has painted a target on us, which they may or may not chose to enact at any time into the future. Der. And he didn’t even have to, if he’d kept to the same wise policy as practised by every single one of his forebears.
Because if he’d never talked about the SAS he wouldn’t ever have announced the prisoners that were captured for which our soldiers were killed in retaliation.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Reid
Pretty sure it was Helen Clark that walked onto the marae at Te Kaha just behind our VC winner, not John Key, just mentioning thats all
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
It will take some time to assess whether a changed prime ministerial attitude to some aspects of military security re4ally had that much effect. It’s a valid debating point, Reid, but I don’t know that the answer is that clear yet.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
I thought it was the media being dicks again Reid, like when they published Apiata’s photo.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Nice story Reid. Got any evidence to back it up?
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Pretty sure it was Helen Clark that walked onto the marae at Te Kaha just behind our VC winner, not John Key, just mentioning thats all
Not the same as breaking the no comment on operations policy Paul. Not the same thing at all.
Nice story Reid. Got any evidence to back it up?
No but if you factor in the tribal retribution mindset in the Taliban, is the scenario far-fetched? Bearing in mind this IED did happen after the incident where our patrol took prisoners in the original squirmish and handed them over.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 9:45 pm
[DPF: Apart from all those who die in terrorist attacks, if the Taliban protected Al Qaeda were left to carry on their work post 9/11]
Actually the Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11…and they don’t particularly like Al Qaeda. You need to read more.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
“The Taliban and al-Qaeda remain distinct groups with different goals, ideologies, and sources of recruits; there was considerable friction between them before September 11, 2001, and today that friction persists.”
http://www.cic.nyu.edu/afghanistan/docs/gregg_sep_tal_alqaeda.pdf
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Ross, go and live in Afghanistan yar.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
expat
Thanks for that helpful contribution. It’s past your bedtime.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Yes you are right, I have work tomorrow so do need to go to bed. You stay up burning union members tithes.
Vote:November 26th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Funny how so many of you take for granted that they got the right man. Reportedly it was an Afghan led operation working on information gathered by the SAS. I’d be curious to know how the investigation was conducted, what with the language barrier and all. Whole thing smells imo.
Vote:November 27th, 2012 at 8:51 am
I’m sure all of us share that hope, David, but the Taliban and al Qaeda itself are not particularly centralised organisations. They tend to have cellular leadership structures, which may mean that there will be additional casualties in the remaining months of New Zealand’s presence in that theatre.
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