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Heli crashes in Khyber agency

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KHYBER: A Pakistan Army brigadier was killed and two other officers were injured when their vehicle was ambushed by militants in Tirah valley on Wednesday.

The brigadier was heading a rescue team on its way to help the victims of a helicopter crash in the Khyber region.

A Pakistani military helicopter crashed in Khyber while operating against militants, officials said.

“A brigadier was martyred and two other officers were wounded in firing by militants during the rescue effort,” a senior security official told AFP.

Earlier, an army helicopter crashed in Tirah valley.

“It was a Cobra helicopter. It crashed during an operation against suspected militant hideouts in the area,” Wazir told AFP by telephone.

“We are trying to get details about the cause of the accident and fate of the pilots,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.
 
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Brigadier and a Major have been martyred in the rescue convoy, while other 2 officers have been injured.

Today has been a terrible day, these brave souls and also 18 people martyred in a suicide attack in the Khyber Agency.

Peshawar Airbase is buzzing a lot today since morning, lot of helis coming and going, fighter aircraft are also very active today.

Seems full retaliation is in the swing.

Multiple Casualties in various incidents . Looks like PA is going through some bad time . May the Martyred RIP. Ameen ...!!!
 
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not only in Peshawar but also in Rawalpindi I noticed unusual helicopters movement.

And yes it is a great loss but without Scarifies war canot be won


:pakistan:
 
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Aging Cobra. Plus look like militant are using something sophisticated to shotdown Cobra. Or if its crash landing and team run to save the crew.
 
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What i don't understand is why was Brigadier sent to secure the site.It is not the job of brigadier to secure a crash site.Even if he wanted to go in himself he should have gone with proper ground and aerial escort.Nevertheless the retaliation is underway as we speak.Expect Massive Operation in that area soon.Mangal Bhag needs to be taken care off; one way or another.
 
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some time soldiers get very emotional when they see their comrade in pain and misery...
 
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It looks as if the militants from South Waziristan have been regrouping in Khyber agency to stage attacks against the Army, I would wait for confirmation from ISPR, its too early to speculate on what are the motives of the cobra helicopter went down, as the ISPR have said they are investigating the exact cause of the crash.
 
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Mangal Bagh's relative, also a terrorist commander was also arrested.
 
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RIP May God have mercy on their souls.....But there are still conflicting reports on what exactly caused this crash...I hope it wasnt brought down.
 
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RIP.. May God give courage to their families to face this loss...
 
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Another sad loss , condolences to the beraved and may the Alighty give eternal peace to the departed souls.

terrorists operating out of the tribal belt are just vermin and I sincerely hope we kill every last one of them.

I think the Army went in very perpared for the South Waziristan offensive and they steam rolled over these gu bags but in other areas the same level of preparedness is perhpas not there yet.

I would like to see permanemt 6 Cantonemnts built close to the Afghan border and in the tribal areas and mother ****** who thinks that he can have his cake and eat it too by playing on both sides should be wasted right there on the sopt.

Its time to pile up the bodies of these insects and set them on fire. If such acts trample on the 'sensitivites' then so be it.

Civil Wars are still better than what we are witnessing , at least in a Civil War one knows clearly who the enemy is and can be mass eliminated without much discrestion.

I persoanlly dont feel any 'lihaz' for these animals anymore. They all need to wasted.

If reports about the extra activity of Army helis and Aitforce jets are indeed true then go forth Sons and Daughters of Pakistan and finish off these relics of the past once and for all and secure the furture for our coming generations.

God Speed and May Allah Keep personal of law enforcement agencies in his 'Amaan'
 
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Pak-Afghan border must be fenced asap. Built a 50ft wall there, or something similar

Most of the terrorists operate from there. Once the fence is built; PA should catch all the terrorist, load them on PIA & use additional helis if required, cross over the border and drop them off!

Those who will survive will live with their friends in Afghanistan and those who will die, will meet their lovely friends in hell.

Best possible solution on fighting terrorism as of yet.

PS: Very sad news indeed. We have lost more brave souls of this nation. These past few days have been very bad for us & PA:cry:. This bloody so called war on terror have cost us a lot. More than 50% of the credit goes to Sir Musharraf.:angry:

May Gen Kayani men hunt down the odd rats and bring peace & stability back in Pak asap. Ameen. :)
 
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Suicide hit, Cobra crash, ambush kill brigadier, 20 others
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Two Rangers officials, Tamgha-e-Jurrat nominee among the dead
By our correspondents


PESHAWAR/JAMRUD: Three Pakistan Army officials, including a brigadier and a major, were killed and two others sustained serious injuries in a military gunship chopper (Cobra) crash and an ambush on a rescue team that was proceeding towards the Tirah Valley in the troubled Khyber Agency to recover bodies and wreckage of the helicopter, reportedly shot down by suspected militants on Wednesday.

Also, 18 people including Rangers and Khassadar officials were killed in a suicide attack at Wazir Dhand in Jamrud tehsil of the same tribal agency. Though no militant group has claimed responsibility so far for hitting the military helicopter, military sources said there were strong indications that the gunship chopper had been shot down by militants.

Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told The News by telephone that the chopper had crashed due to some technical fault.He said a rescue team headed by a Pakistan Army brigadier was dispatched to the area to recover bodies of the two slain officials — a pilot and a gunner — and wreckage of the chopper.

The rescue team, he said, was ambushed by the militants killing the brigadier and injuring two other officers, including a major and a lieutenant.Athar Abbas said bodies of the pilot and gunner as well as wreckage of the chopper could not be recovered due to the attack on the rescue party.

Official sources told The News that two gunship choppers were sent to the Tirah Valley, a remote and forested mountainous area of the troubled Khyber Agency, to blitz positions of the militants affiliated with the Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e-Islam.

The choppers heavily shelled some suspected positions of the militants and disappeared for some time. Later, when the choppers reappeared and were seen bombing suspected militants’ hideouts in the mountainous territory, the militants opened fire at the two gunship choppers and finally shot down one of the helicopters in the forests near Nangrosa area, the native town of Mangal Bagh.

Several hours later after the chopper hit the ground, a rescue team of the Pakistan Army’s 40 Baloch Regiment was sent to the area in two helicopters to recover the bodies of the two slain officials — a pilot Major Muzaffar and a gunner, Havaldar Asim, and wreckage of the destroyed helicopter.

It seemed the militants were already aware of the arrival of rescue team, as they attacked the two helicopters soon after its members touched the ground.According to sources, Brigadier Hussain, Major Zia and Lieutenant Ansar sufferedserious injuries in the attack.

Brigadier Hussain, they said, later succumbed to his injuries while the two other officials were airlifted to a military hospital in Peshawar. It was the second crash of a military chopper almost in the same area.

The militants last year had shot down a Pakistan Army transport helicopter in the Ferozkhel area of neighbouring Orakzai Agency, killing 42 soldiers. According to sources, after their eviction from the Bara subdivision and nearby towns, Mangal Bagh and his men joined hands with militants linked with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) having camps in the nearby forests in Khyber and Orakzai tribal regions.

“Mangal Bagh and his men would not have the capability of shooting down the military chopper without support from well-trained TTP militants,” the sources said. In the Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency, a suicide bomber attacked Khassadar force personnel at Wazir Dhand, killing 18 people including two Pakistan Rangers officials, a Khassadar Line Officer and others.

(According AFP 18 people were killed in the attack. “Eleven are tribal policemen and seven are civilians,” Shafeerullah Wazir, the administrative chief of Khyber Agency, told AFP.)The incident took place at about 4:45pm when a suicide bomber walking on foot approached a vehicle of the Khassadar personnel and detonated the explosives at Wazir Dhand on the busy road linking Pakistan with Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass.

Khassadar Line Officer at Jamrud, Naib Subedar Zarmat Khan, his driver named Khan, two deputy superintendents of Pakistan Rangers Salim Khan Afridi and Ibrahim Khan Afridi, who were real brothers, Khassadar force personnel Ehsan Shah, Fateh Gul, Ashfaq and Zarat Khan and two tribesmen Malik Shan Gul and Noor Wali Afridi were among the dead.

Those injured included the Khassadar Line Officer at Bara, Jan Afzal, Abdul Mannan, a local journalist Amjad, Najeed Khan, Rahman Shah, Attaur Rahman and an unknown person. The victims were shifted to Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar.

Eyewitnesses said Naib Subedar Zarmat Khan, along with his armed Khassadar personnel, had gone to a car showroom of Shan Gul in connection with talks regarding a jirga. When he came out of the showroom, he saw Bara’s Khassadar Line Office Jan Afzal on the road along with his two cousins Salim Afridi and Ibrahim Afridi, who were serving as DSPs in Pakistan Rangers at Kasur and Bahawalpur respectively and had come to Bara on leave. They were on their way to Karkhano Market, or Hayatabad Market, to buy bulletproof jackets. But before they could make the purchase both brothers were killed and their cousin Jan Afzal was seriously injured in the suicide bombing.

According to the eyewitnesses, the suicide bomber attacked the government officials when they were greeting each other, and caused an explosion that destroyed the official vehicles and caught everyone by surprise.

Khassadar Line Officer Zarmat Khan, who was illiterate but was known for his bravery, had been nominated for the gallantry award Tamgha-e-Jurrat for standing up to the militants despite frequent threats. He was to receive the award on March 23 this year. Zarmat Khan had got married the second time a week ago. He was the third Khassadar Force official in his family to have died in the line of duty.

Soon after the incident, the security forces and fire-brigade vehicles rushed to the site and cordoned off the area. Traffic on Peshawar-Landikotal Road was suspended for two hours. Later, the security forces launched a search and clearance operation but there were no reports about any arrests.

This was the third suicide bombing targeting the Khassadar Force, which comprises local tribesmen and maintains law and orders on the roads, in Khyber Agency in a year. Last year on March 27, the suicide attack on a mosque at the Bagyari checkpoint killed 60 people including 20 Khassadars. The second suicide bombing against the Khassadars took place in September last year at the time of Iftar during Ramazan at Torkham in which 21 personnel of the Khassadar Force were killed.

APP adds: Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Chief Altaf Hussain has strongly condemned the suicide attack.

In a statement Altaf Hussain expressed profound grief over the deaths and injuries in the suicide attack.Minister for Housing and Works Rehmatullah Kakar also condemned the attack. He expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the incident.

While condoling with the bereaved families, the minister prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with equanimity.

Suicide hit, Cobra crash, ambush kill brigadier, 20 others
 
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