MILNET Brief:
The Battle For Pakistan, 07/14/2008, updated 8/21/2008

Pakistani Violence  |  Pakistani Political Parties  |  Warlords of Pakistan




Pakistan's 4 Provinces (1=Balochistan, 2=Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), 3=Punjab, 4=Sindh)
Areas marked 5-6 are Territories, 7-8 are government administered portions of Kashmir.



Afganistan, Pakistan, and India

Pakistan, many living there would say, is on fire.  An ideological and political firestorm is under way, and recent elections, which had been hoped to damp this fire, appear to have done nothing to keep the flames from spreading.  Indeed, liberal idealism and appeasemen appears to have created an environment best suited for those who would destroy what remaining democratic fabric exists.

We should note that the war in Afghanistan has direct effects to what goes on in Pakistan and thus in this briefing we spell out attacks in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan.  Ttypically the violence is a result of the inter-communication and support between Afghani insurgents (Taliban and other tribal factions) and Pakistani insurgents (not just Pakistani Taliban but various tribal factions and remnants of al-Qaeda).  Having said that, it should also be noted that if Afghanistan and the Taliban were totally excised from Pakistan, their own inter-tribal violence would not be abated in the least. 

This briefing looks at the ideological divides as well as lists events which are indicative of what is going on in Pakistan today, tracking what could be called the Battle for Pakistan, as well as the Afghanistan struggle that helps to fan the fires in Pakistan.



Warlords and Regional Governments.

The Pakistani history is certainly not a long one.  The nation was formed as part of a grand deal made to separate Muslim and Buddhist religious followers in the mid part of the 20th century.  This division, hailed as a major success in their  independence for India from the British Empire actually created a number of the the problems Pakistan and India face today. 

There are some ten well known terrorist groups whose ideology were major factors in the splintering of homogenous Islamic governance in Pakistan.  Indeed, similar to other Islamic nations freed from a strong hand in government, Pakistan almost immediately began to splinter itself.  Extremely strong tribal factions, whose differing philosophies each matched at a macro level, soon began to force a change in the central government scheme.

Today Pakistan has a handful of very strong regional governments whose ideals only loosely follow any sort of constitution and whose local authority defy human rights advocates the world over.  Indeed, there has been an emergence in the last two decades of strong warlords who can hearken back to Pakistan's unruly tribal days before there was any nation to speak of.  Of paramount importance is the northwest region where a century ago, these same divisions of control continually fought or reconciled on a literal adhoc basis.  Before there were lines drawn in the sand that define the two nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the border area was not a border and the Pushtan created small communities on either side of what is called the border today.

These warlords typically force their followers to practice various forms of radical or to the point, extremely radical Islamic tenets.   While their drive to achieve their twisted 7th century morality is admirable, their methods are not.  Practicing  7th century legal remedies, it is not uncommon today for a Pakistani warlord to attack a neighboring village and kill all the women because a small group of leaders under the warlord's control and/or influence have declared the village has willfully participated in sinful acts.  Using the Sharra law, the warlords consolidate power by eliminating their rivals just as practiced 1400 years ago. 

The warlords remain in power via the structure of the modern Pakistani government, which offers the appearance of a democratic state, yet yields power to these extremists through eight regional and nearly fully autonomous fiefdoms called provinces.  Two of these provinces in Kashmir are administered through direct representatives of the central Pakistani government.  Two others are considered Territories and are administered purely by tribal means, including the frontier province which borders with Afghanistan and not coincidentally, serves as the power base for many of the most troublesome warlords and tenant terrorist groups in Pakistan.

The remaining provinces are ruled by local Assemblies who are also represented in the nation's National Assembly.  The National Assembly however, seems almost disconnected from the administration of government in the other four areas, and indeed have, from time to time, entered into agreements with the warlords as if they represented miniature nations within the larger nation.    The fact that the warlords use extreme violence to met out their governmental practices escapes no one's attention, and nearly the moment the most recent election was concluded in Pakistan -- an election marred by almost daily bombings including roadside and suicide bombings aimed at various candidates -- the new government penned an agreement with the warlords that was supposed to bring peace after the long electoral struggle.  The peace lasted for all of two weeks and like governments before, it was proven rather quickly that appeasement just doesn't work.

Part of the problem, of course, is that the lines drawn in the sand at the national level, and indeed the line between Pakistan and Afghanistan tend to blur when it comes to the control and desires of the Warlords.



The Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the Mujahideen.

Both Pakistani and Afghani tribesman have fought the rule of outsiders for centuries.  Thus it was no surprise that when 20th century Soviet troops moved into Afghanistan, once again the lines between the two countries wavered.  Pakistan, with the help of a Western conglomerate, became the breeding ground for anti-Soviet dissent and indeed developed into a base of operations for guerilla operations into Afghanistan.  This base, later became al-Qaeda, whose name literally means "the base".  A wealthy Saudi citizen helped in this effort, and slowly made a name for himself in the Afghani struggle, his name Osama bin Laden.  While not the popular  leader among extremists we know today, he did learn how to bring disparate factions together to pursue a focused goal, fight the Soviet troops, tanks and most importantly helicopters with united zeal.  Later those skills would enable him to hide in a Taliban occupied Afghanistan and build the world's most infamous terrorist organization, al-Qaeda.

Today the Afghani government claims bin Laden, sought by nearly every nation on the planet, is living in the rugged territory along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan along with remnants of the Taliban, which has been reduced from a fairly ineffective national army to a seemingly very effective guerilla outfit.  Led, not too coincidentally by tribal warlords in Pakistan.  Some of whom call themselves the Taliban and are further refined in description by the West as the Pakistani Taliban to differentiate them from the insurgents found in Afghanistan who also call themselves Taliban.

And like the days of the Soviet expansion into Afghanistan, the warlords are fighting major military powers with donkey and rifles in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan.  It is therefore no surprise that many of these fights are magnets to those former Mujahideen that fought the Soviets, as well as their sons and cousins.  And of course, there are ample indications that the extremist Militant Islamic Jihadist are beginning to flock to Afghanistan and Pakistan now that their plan in Iraq has failed.  The parallels to the Soviet battle are so striking that it has led many to point to the history and claim this is simply a new version of the same old battle.  In the 21st century version however, the threat to the rest of the region as well as perhaps the entire world is a key new element in the battle.



Ideological Differences

The warlords don't just fight over territory and the scope of rule of those territories.  There are keen ideological differences.  Much like the Sunni-Shiite differences in Iraq, and those same differences between Iraq's conclaves and their neighbors in Iran and Syria, there are factional Islamic tenets at war in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well.  These ideologies and their battle is far more worse in many ways.  To understand this you need to understand the level of violence committed in the name of these extreme Islamic ideologies.  First and foremost is the Salifiyya teachings that focus on the Jihad as the method for cleansing the earth of non-believers and sinners.  By simply finding a cleric to declare a fatwa -- a religious ruling -- a warlord can skirt all the admirable portions of the Islamic religious tenets and move to use torture and murder to cleanse their territory of the infidels -- may they be counter-ideologies or simply non-Muslim.  The rules go out the window and the worst of the 7th century methods for dealing with one's enemies become not only permitted, but expected.

Not too surprising, the intersection between splinter groups within the Extremist fundamentalist core and known local and international terrorist groups are quite clear.  In the MILNET reports Pakistani Violence and the Pakistani Export of Militant Islamic Jihadists, we point out the various terrorist groups and their links to religious zealots whose ideologies may agree in one common area, Jihad.  The warlords and splinter groups still remain at odds with each other and their members inflict murder upon everyone around them.  In a number of well documented cases, the members have immigrated either permanently or temporarily to other nations where they have built terror cells and attacked the non-believers there.  A most striking example are the two separate groups of individuals attacking the London transportation system and those involved in the attacks on the Madrid, Spain rail system.  Not to be outdone, similar efforts in nearby India have killed hundreds at a time as well.  These are not all acts of Al-Qaeda or the Taliban, but Al-Qaeda "wanna-bes" who are looking to make a name for themselves.  In the twisted world of Islamic Jihadism, these people become heroes, and if they die "on the job", they become revered martyrs. 


The Terrorist Groups Active in Pakistan




Acronym
 Name/Link
 Association

Al Qaeda
"The Base"		 Formed from the remnants of Maktab al-Khadamat, which was led by Abdallah Azzam, primarily a Sunni organization, however, attacks vigorously Sunnis who do not subscribe to Al-Qaeda's strict (extremist) interpretion of Islamic Law.
Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami (Movement of Islamic Holy War) Maintains and supports the Deobandi ideology in Madrasah in Pakistan who provide reruitment and training.
Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami - Bangledesh Madrasah in Bangledesh provide some funding as well as allied groups with similar philosophies such as HUM and HUJI in Pakistan
Harakat ul-Mujahidin (Movement of the Warriors)
a.k.a. Jamiat ul-Ansar (JUA)		 Primarily in Kashmir. It is politically aligned with the radical political party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F) as well as linked to Al-Qaeda, signed the Al-Qaeda enabling fatwa
Jaish e-Mohammed  (Arm of Mohammad)
a.k.a. Tehrik ul-Furqaah,
Khuddam-ul-Islam		 pro-Taliban group active in India and the Kashmir region
Jama'at ul-Mujahedeen Bangladesh
(Bangladesh Assembly of Holy Warriors) 		Jamapur district of Bandladesh. Linked to Muhammad Asadullah al-Ghalib, an Arabic language lecturer at the Rajshahi University and chief of the Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB)
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazlur Rehman faction Deobandi Islamic tradition, a Sunni extremist faction
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
a.k.a. Lashkar-i-Jhangvi		 Virulent Sunni, anti-shia group offshoot of the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) outfit. Known to provide safehouses, identities and funding to other Sunni outfits.
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
(Army of the Righteous)		 Armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organization, Markaz-ud-Dawa- wal-Irshad (MDI)--a Sunni anti-US missionary organization formed in 1989... trains its militants in mobile training camps across Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Afghanistan.

Taliban
 Found in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, primarily displaced and radicalized Pashtuns of the Sunni faction.  Has been slowly regaining strength as Pakistan and Afghanistan argue as to whose problem they are...NATO forces have been battling the Taliban on an increasingly larger scale with the U.S. finally making noises that they well get serious in that effort with Pakistan, typically saying, "Not from our territory you won't".



The Battle for Pakistan

The various factions have been warring with each other for so long, even before there was a nation called Pakistan, that it is hard for those living there to differentiate much difference in what statehood has brought to the nation.  Outbreaks of violence in resistance to the strong hand of coup leader Perez Musharraf were expected and demonstrated the tribal warlords' ability to strike and then meld back into the rugged environment.

As the elections of February 2008 drew near, the violence increased at a blistering pace with the culmination in many eyes, being a failed attempt at the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the second, successful attempt just before the election. 

The new government has not been able, even through appeasement (there's a surprise!) to reduce the violence to any appreciable level, and Musharraf has once again began moving troops into the lawless regions to try to wrest some control over the nut cases living and thriving there.  It is not clear how the division of power between the unpopular President and the newly elected government can ever provide the leadership necessary to change the situation.  This concerns the West to a degree that spells trouble for Musharraf AND the newly elected government.  Many analysts believe the U.S. led, NATO contributed Coalition will step up the battle to a whole new level, perhaps doubling or tripling the number of troops and bringing in massive amounts of military hardware.  Movements of no less than two carrier battle groups may be indicative of this new level of effort, as are rumors of a movements of two or more brigades of U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, with targeting most likely along the Afghan-Pakistan border.  In response, of course, the exodus of foreign instigators out of Iraq will soon land thousands of new Jihadists on the borders regions.

What has prompted these new events?  It is not entirely recent events as the table below illustrates.  Apologists will say the invasion of Afghanistan triggered the events in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ignoring the millennia of fighting that was only under the surface of the repressive regimes in Afghanistan, and before that by British dominance of the Middle East.  In fact those same voices somehow seem to miss the fact that these Islamic nut cases are more than happy to kill at will and have done so well before there was an America or the British ruled the seas. 

The table below describes select violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan that indicates the failing rule of civilized law and perhaps an alarming increase in 7th century Islamic law:  The table begins with a few events in 2005 that perhaps sounded the warning that the Jihadist were shifting there attention to the ripe killings grounds of Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Since the two countries are enexorably bound by that all important and nearly impossible to police border, we include events in both countries to illustrate the escalation that threatens to destroy both countries.


The Battle For Pakistan
Date
 Where
 Details
04/11/2005
 Paktika Province, Pakistan
 3 U.S. Soldiers wounded, 6 Taliban killed during U.S. led search operation near Wazikhwa
05/2005 Kabul, Afghanistan 3 killed by suicide bomber in an Internet Cafe
05/2/2005 Kabul, Afghanistan 1 person and a suicide bomber killed when heattacked Coalition convoy
06/2005 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 20+ killed by a suicide bomber at a popular Mosque
08/21/2005 Afghanistan 4 U.S. soldiers killed when the wooden bridge they were crossing was blown up by a bomb underneath
09/28/2005 Kabul, Afghanistan 30 killed when a suicide bomber drives motorbike up to a car park where Afghani soldiers were waiting for Army bus
01/6/2006 near Miarn Shah, Pakistan 8 soldiers killed in an ambush at a checkpoint
01/9/2006 Miran Shah, Pakistan Militants fired rockets and exchanged fire, no one injured
06/2006 North Wazinistan, Pakistan 7 Pakistani soldiers killed by a suicide car bomber
07/3/2006 Peshawar, Pakistan 6 Pakistani soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in the Dir District
07/31/2006
 Eastern Afghanistan
 5 policeman and 3 passersbys  killed, 3 children wounded by bomb detonated in a parked car near a Mosque
07/31/2006
 Southern Afghanistan
 23 Taliban killed by Coaltion forces and Afghani Army in a clash in an area held briefly by the insurgents
08/01/2006
 Helmand, Afghanistan
 18 Taliban killed, 4 injured in a day long raid in Garmser district
08/01/2006 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 3 British soldiers killed in a clash with militants
08/03/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 21 civilians were killed (some children) and 13 injured by a suicide car bomber
08/03/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 24 rebels killed by Coalition forces
08/03/2006 Kandahar, Afghanistan 4 Canadian soldiers killed, six wounded by a RPG attack during skirmish with Taliban insurgents
08/04/2006
 Kahndahar, Afghanistan
 Attempted car bombs failed to injur passing International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrols
08/05/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 1 Afghani intelligence official and 1 militant killed in an attack on an Afghani police patrol, 2 wounded
08/06/2006
 Helmand, Afghanistan
 17 Taliban killed by police in Gamser district with no police injuries
08/07/2006
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 3 militants and an Afghani policeman were killed and five others wounded when Taliban from Pakistan attacked
08/08/2006
 Nuristan Province, Afghanistan
 19 Taliban killed, 2 U.S. soldiers and an Afghani policeman wounded in a Kamdesh district battle
08/10/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 8 policeman and 12 Taliban ambushers died in Panjawayi district
08/10/2006
 Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
 7 civilians wounded by a roadside bomb in Jalabad
08/10/2006
 Nuristan Province, Afghanistan
 2 Coalition soldiers were wounded in a Waygal district clash
08/10/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 1 NATO soldier killed by a suicde bomber in Spin Boldak
8/10/2006
 Khost Province, Afghanistan
 3 suspected Al-Qaeda members killed (NOTE: may be the same battle cited in an 8/18 report)
08/11/2006
 Zabul Province, Afghanistan
 1 Afghani police commander killed by a mine is the Sori district
08/12/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 1 killed (driver for Spiritual leader Mrich Agha) was killed and Agha was wounded by Taliban ambush
08/12/2006
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 6 Taliban were killed, 4 wounded in Grmser district mountains (3 more wounded next day)
08/13/2006
 Paktika Province, Afghanistan
 5-6 Afghani Army soldiers and 18 militants killed at Afghan Army post, six wounded
08/17/2006
 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
 15 people including a doctor and a nurse were kidnapped on the road to a refugee camp in Zhela district
08/18/2006
 Khost Province, Afghanistan
 3 Al-Qaeda were killed in the village of Ya-Qubi and three suspects detained
08/20/2006
 Kunar Province, Afghanistan
 3 U.S. soldiers killed and 3 wounded in a clash with Taliban militants
08/20/2006
 Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan
 1 U.S. Air Force Spec Ops soldier and 2 Afghani soldiers killed, 3 wounded
08/20/2006
 Kandahar, Afghanista
 71 Taliban, 5 Afghani soldiers killed in Panjwayi district
8/20/2006
 Helmand Province, Afghanistsan
 1 British soldier 3 wounded in a clash with insurgents
8/20/2006
 Farah Province, Afghanistan
 1 Afghani policeman and two attackers killed in an ambush of a police patrol
09/2006 Paktia Province, Afghanistan
 3 killed by suicide bomber including Provincial Governor in attack at the Governor's office in  Gardez
09/2006
 Near Miran Shah, Pakistan
 1 Senior member of al-Qaeda Hamza Rabia killed in what some claim was a U.S. missile attack
09/18/2006 Kandahar, Afghanistan 4 Canadian soldiers killed, dozens wounded by a suicide bomber on a bicycle in  Kafir Band Village
10/10/2006 Miran Shah, Pakistan 7 killed, 2 injured in Sarbankdi village when attacked by unidentifed militants with rockets
10/10/2006 North Waziristan, Pakistan 45 Pakistani soldiers and dozens of pro-Musharraf tribesman
04/09/2007
 Baluchistan, Pakistan
 3  Pakistani soldiers killed, two wounded by Baluchian separtists (BLA) who attacked a military vehicle
05/19/2007 *
 Kundus, Afghanistan
 3 German soldiers and 6 others killed by a suicide bomber while suprvised shopping visit
07/14/2007
 North Waziristan, Pakistan
 24  paramilitary soldiers, 29 wounded by suicide bomber
07/14/2007 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 3 British soldiers killed in friendly fire incident by U.S. air strike during an egagement with Taliban in Kajaki district
07/15/2007
 Swat Valley in NWFP, Pakistan 16, most of them paramilitary soldiers, are killed in ambush on patrol
07/15/2007
 Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP, Pakistan 29 killed by suicide bomber targeting police recruiting center
07/17/2007
 Islamabad (Capital city), Pakistan 16 killed by suicide bomber outside court near suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry
07/19/2007
 Three separate towns, Pakistan 52 killed in a day of suicide attacks
07/27/2007
 Islamabad, Pakistan 13 killed, most of them policemen, by suicide bomb attack in restaurant near Red Mosque kills
08/11/2007
 Southern Afghanistan
 1 NATO soldier killed and several wounded
08/11/2007
 Eastern Afghanistan
 1 NATO killed and two wounded by a roadside bomb
08/12/2007
 Nangathar Province, Afghanistan
 3 U.S. soldiers killed by a roadside bomb along with a civilian interpreter.
08/28/2007
 Kunar Province,
2 U.S. Army National Guardsman and 2 Afghan Army soldiers killed in ambush on a six vehicle resupply mission
09/04/2007
 Rawalpindi, Pakistan 25 killed by 2 suicide bombers
09/11/2007
 NWFP, Pakistan 16 killed by suicide bomber in Dera Ismail Khan
09/13/2007
 Near Islamabad, Pakistan  15 soldiers killed in suicide bombing in an army canteen
10/19/2007 Karachi, Pakistan 139 people killed in suicide bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto's motorcade, Bhutto survives
10/25/2007
 Swat Valley, NWFP, Pakistan
 17 Pakistani soldiers killed in an attack on an Army vehicle by forces of warlord Maulana Fazlullah
11/19/2007 Nimruz, Afghanistan
 7 killed by suicide bomber SW Afghanistan but just misses Governor, among dead was Governor's 5 year old son
11/24/2007
 Rawalpindi, Pakistan 15 killed by two suicide carb bomb attacks before Nawaz Sharif due back from exile
12/17/2007
 Kohat in Northwest, Pakistan 10 killed by suicide bomber attack on  military recruits
12/21/2007
 Northern Pakistan, Pakistan 41 killed by a suicide bomber in a mosque during Eid festival prayers
12/27/2007
 Rawalpindi, Pakistan 16 killed along with former P.M. Benazir Bhuttoby a gun and suicide bomb attack after a rally
12/31/2007
 Country-wide, Pakistan 47 killed by when angry rioters,  supporters of Bhutto, they took to the streets
01/15/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan 8 killed by attack on residents at the Serena luxury hotel by 3 militants
01/07/2008
 Northwest Pakistan, Pakistan 8 killed by Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacking 2 government-sponsored peace movement offices
01/10/2008
 Lahore, Pakistan 22 police officepman, 4 civilians killed by suicide bomber setting off explosives outside the High Court
01/14/2007
 Karachi, Pakistan 10 killed and 12 injured in blomb blast hidden under fruit cart in Karachi's Quaidabad
01/17/2008
 Peshwar in the North, Pakistan 12 kill, 25 wounded by teenage boy suicide bomber in Shiite Mosque when boy stopped at door
01/25/2008
 Kohat in Northwest, Pakistan 2 soldiers killed in Darra Adam Kheil tribal region near Peshawar
01/28/2008
 South Waziristan, Pakistan
 5 Pakistani soliders killed and 37 militants killed in battle in attack in Ladah
01/28/2008 North Waziristan, Pakistan 2 troops killed by rocket attack at a military post in Razmak
01/30/2008
 Peshwar in the North, Pakistan 3 terrorists killed by premature detonation of suicide bomb, 2nd bomb destroyed shops in a suburban area
02/01/2008
 North Waziristan, Pakistan
 1 Al-Qaeda senior leader Abu Laith al-Libi killed by missile fired from drone
02/04/2008
 Rawalpindi in the North, Pakistan 6 killed, 30+ wounded by suicide bomber ramming motorcycle into Army mini-van
02/09/2008
 Charsadda, NWFP, Pakistan 27 killed by suicide bomber setting off blast amidst Awami National Party -- ANP rally
02/11/2008
 No. Wazinstan, Pakistan 10 including ANP leader Nisar, killed by suicidecar bomber ramming bomb laden car into convoy, Aidak, near Mir Ali
02/14/2008 *
 Bajaur, Pakistan
 3 Pakistani soldiers in convy killed by a remote controlled roadside bomb
02/16/b2008
 Parachinar, NW Pakistan
 37 killed, 90 wounded  when a suicide bomber rams car into PPP candidate's election office
02/17/2008 Kandahar, Afghanistan 80+ killed, 90+ wounded by suicide bomber detonating a  bomb at a dogfight
02/22/2008
 Swat Valley, NWFP, Pakistan 12 wedding guests killed by truck bomb (possible suicide bomber), Mata
02/25/2008
 Rawalpindi in the North, Pakistan 2 killed by suicide bomber  including Pakistani Surgeon Mushtaq Baig and his driver while waiting at stoplight
02/27/2008
 Kunar Province, Afghanistan
 Number of U.S. soldiers killed in ambush on a military vehicle killing all passengers
03/01/2008
 Swat Vellly, NWFP, Pakistan 39 killed by suicide bomber attackon those attending a funeral for policeman killed in an earlier attack
03/01/2008
 Khar, Bajuur, Pakistan 1 killed, 17 wounded by suicide truck bomber rammed a paramilitary vehicle
03/02/2008
 Darra Adam Khel, NWFP, Pakistan 40 killed by suicide bomber attack on a meeting of tribal leaders resisting Al Qaeda and Taliban
03/3/2008 Khost, Afghanistan
 2 U.S. soldiers killed, dozens injured by small truck suicide bomber killed in Sabari distirct center  guard post
03/04/2008
 Lahore, Pakistan 2 Suicide bombers drove motorcycles into back entrance of the war college killing at least 5
03/11/2008
 Lahore, Pakistan 3 killed by suicide truck bomber
3/11/2008
 Lahore, Pakistan
 21 were killed by bomb at Federal Investigation  Agency
03/15/2008
 Islambad, Pakistan 1 killed, 7or more injured by possible suicide bomber at a popular Italian restaurant
03/17/2008
 Swat district of NWFP, Pakistan 2 policeman killed and 5 others wounded on attack at police builiding by bomber posing as new recruit
03/20/2008
 Near Afghan Border, Pakistan 5 killed by suicide bomber driving explosives laden car into Pakistani brigade HQ,
04/27/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan Assasination attempt on Afghani President Karzai fails
04/29/2008 Nangarhar, Afghanistan
 15 killed, 14 wounded by suicide bomber attack on poppy irradication team convoy
05/01/2008
 Khyber tribal district, Pakistan 30 injured by suicide bomber @ home of cleric Haji Namdar (Tanzeem Amar Bil-maruf wal Nahi Al-munkar) by anti-sin group
05/06/2008
 Bannu region, NWFP, Pakistan 1 officer killed, five others wounded by cycle rickshaw driver suicide bomber at checkpoint
05/18/2008
 Mardan, NWFP, Pakistan 13 killed by suicide bomber including four soldiers
05/22/2008
 Ghor Province, Afghanistan
 2 civilians and  a Lithiuanian soldier killed in a  protest over use of a Quran for target practice turned violent
05/23/2008 Khost, Afghanistan 4 Afghanis soldiers and a child killed by a Suicide bomber  when convoy slows to cross potholed area in road
05/29/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan 3 Afghanis killed by suicide bomber attack on international convoy on the edge of the capital
05/31/2008 Jalalabad, Afghanistan
 1 U.S. Marine killed, several bystanders wounded by suicide car bomber attack  outside Agricultural Ministry
06/02/2008
 Islambad, Pakistan
 6 killed, dozens injured  by car bomb outside Denmark's Embassy
06/05/2008
 Islambad, Pakistan 10-15 killed by suicide bomber at police station kiosk near shopping center
06/08/2008 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 3 British soldiers killed, 1 wounded by suicide bomber in Southern Afghanistan
06/12/2008 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 1 suicide bomber shot dead by police in Lashkar Gar in Southern Afghanistan
06/15/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan 35 killed, 52 wounded by suicide bomber at transportation hub
06/15/2008
 Farah Province, Afghanistan 4 Coalition soldiers killed by roadside bomb
06/18/2008
 Khandahar, Afghanistan
 2 Afghani soliders and some 50+ militants killed in attack near Arghandab
06/19/2008
 Kashmir, Pakistan
 4 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Hajira sector, close to the Line of Control
06/19/2008
 Pakistan border region
 32 pro-Taliban militants killed by missile attack
06/20/2008 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 4 civilians and 1 Coalition soldier killed by suicide bomber in Gershak in Southern Afghanistan
06/20/2008
 Khandar, Afghanistan
 3 Coalition soldiers killed by their vehicle rolling into a riverbed in Arghandab
06/20/2008
 Nimroz, Afghanistan
 28 militants (possibly Taliban)  killed as multiple militant bases engaged in a major battle killing
06/21/2008
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 4 Coaltion troops killed, 2 seriously wounded (3 were members of the New York Army National Guard)
06/21/2008
 Pakitika Province, Afghanistan
 1 Polish soldier killed, four others wounded in attack on patrol in the Dila district
06/21/2008
 Zabul Province, Afghanistan
 2 Afghani soldiers killed, 3 wounded in a roadside bombing attack of a miliary vehicle in the Sori district
06/25/2008
 South Waziristan, Pakistan
 22 members of a pro-government tribe killed by pro-Taliban extremists in Jandola
06/27/2008
 South Waziristan, Pakistan
 28 members of a government sponsored peace committee killed in Jabola, near Peshawar, Pakistani Taliban claim credit
07/02/2008
 Tangdar area, Pakistan/India
 5 Pakistani Soldiers killed in clash in the disputed Kashmir region
07/02/2008
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 Several Taliban were killed when they ambushed an Afghan Army convoy in Zehri district
07/03/2008
 Nimroz, Afghanistan
 5 killed (3 bodyguards and 2 civilians) in a suicide bomber attack on the Governor (unhurt)
07/03/2008
 Kabul, Afghanistan
 U.S. helicopter shot down, but no major injuries.
07/03/2008 Wardak Provinice, Afghanistan
 Taliban fighers attack a logistics convoy torching three trucks
07/03/2008
 Kunar, Afghanistan
 1 Afghani civilian killed, several others wounded in militant mortar attack on a coalition base
07/06/2008 Kunduz, Afghanistan
 3 schoolgirls wounded by suicide bomber who rams German military vehicle
07/06/2008
 Islamabad, Pakistan
 15 killed by suicide bomber attack on a police station next toa  shopping center
07/07/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan 40 killed with at least 6 police officers & 3 guards, a suicide car bomber detonates huge bomb outside the Indian Embassy
07/07/2008 South Afghanistan
 7 killed, 10 wounded in separate attacks against police convoys
07/07/2008
 Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan 4 policeman, 7 wounded by roadside bomb attack on patrol
07/07/2008
 Kandahar, Afghanistan 3 killled, 3 wounded by Zhari district roadside bomb
07/08/2008
 Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan
 1 Australian soldier killed, two wounded by roadside bomb
07/08/2008
 Kunar Provicnce, Afghanistan
 1 U.S. soldier killed in a roadside bombing
07/08/2008
 Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
 15 killed, 22 wounded by a suicide bomber who blew himself up close to a group of police in Islamabad
07/09/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 2 Afghani policeman and 6 Taliban killled in clash
07/09/2008
 Nuristan, Afghanistan
 4 Afghani policeman were kidnapped during a diversionary attack at two checkpoints
07/11/2008
 Kunar Province, Afghanistan
 11 Pakistani soldiers killed in a clash between coalition forces and Taliban on Afghan side of Pakistani border
07/12/2008 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 2 Afghani soldiers and a child near killed by suicide bomber attacked an Afghan military convoy
07/12/2008
 Hangu, NWFP, Pakistan
 16 soldiers  killed and dozens injured in an ambush on a paramilitary convey in Kohat
07/13/2008 Uruzgan, Afghanistan
 24 killed by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle while attacking a police patrol in Deh Rawood district
07/13/2008
 Konar province, Afghanistan
 Insurgents overran a remote military base in attacks launched from Wanat village
07/18/2008
 Oraakzai Tribal Region, Pakistan
 5 militants killed, 6 wounded by helicopter gunship fire in Zargari area
07/19/2008 Zabul Province, Afghanistan
 9 militants killed when they attacked a NATO and Afghani convoy
07/19/2008 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
 4 police officers, 1 wounded by blast in Maywand district
07/19/2008 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan 1 NATO soldier killed by bomb attack on NATO convoy in Panjwayi district
07/19/2008 Mohmand, Pakistan
 10 militants killed when Two militant group (Baitullah Meshud's outfit and another) fought a fierce battle
07/21/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 4 policeman (all brothers) and kidnapped their father from Qarabagh district
07/21/2008
 Kunar Province, Afghanistan
 12 civilians wounded ISAF patrol fired upon by militants using civilian homes as cover
07/22/2008
 Kabul, Afghanistan
 3 civilians wounded by Taliban suicide bomber riding on a mini-bus and killed himself at the historic Babur Gardens
07/22/2008 Farah Proviince, Afghanistan
 2 policemen and 23 militants were killed in a clash in Bala Buluk in western Farah
07/22/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 1 British soldier died of wounds received, two militants were killed and two wounded in an ambush in the Kajaki district
07/22/2008
 Wardak Province, Afghanistan
 2 militants killed with a force attacked coalition forces while searching in Saydabad district
07/22/2008
 Khost Province, Afghanistan
 4 people were killed and three wounded when a civilian vehicle struck a mine
07/23/2008
 Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
 1 district police chief was killed by a roadside bomb attack on a convoy
07/24/2008
 Helamnd Province, Afghanistan
 1 British dog handler and the dog were killed while on patrol
07/25/2008
 Kabul, Afghanistan
 40 Taliban killed, 30 wounded by Afghan and NATO soldiers 124 mi. southwest of Kabul, 2 civlians killed
07/25/2008
 Farah Province, Afghanistan
 5 killed by roadside bomb explosion on a civilian vehicle
07/25/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 1 Danish NATO soldier killed, 3 wounded by IED explosion against their armored vehicle
07/25/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 3 Taliban killed by police in Gereshk district
07/25/2008
 NWF Province, Pakistan
 20 Taliban killed by Pakistani Army security forces in Hangu and an al-Qaeda member and 35 others arrested
07/29/2008
 South Waziristan, Pakistan
 6 al-Qaeda including (possibly) Abu Khabab al-Masri killed by U.S. missile strike
07/29/2008
 Swat Valley, Pakistan
 2 militants, 2 soldiers killed, and 25 police officers and troops captured by miltants led by Aakht Ali Khan
07/30/2008
 Swat Valley, Pakistan
 25 militants killed by Pakistani troops, tribal leader Mullah Fazlullah claims only 5, and that 30 soldiers killed
07/30/2008
 Swat Valley, Pakistan
 70 militants attempt to sieze market area in the town of Matta, but fled from Pakistani reinforcements
07/30/2008 Swat Valley, Pakistan 7 civilians killed in Mohammed Tahir's family in their home when it was struck by a militant mortar shell in Deolai
07/30/2008 Swat Valley, Pakistan Militants burn down girl's school in the Khwazkhela area
07/30/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan
 2 wounded when a bomb on a bicycle blew up next to the Pakistani consulate in Herat
08/01/2008
 Uruzgan, Afghanistan
 12+ Taliban linked militants killed in the province in clashes with Afghan and U.S. led forces
08/01/2008
 Khost, Afganistan
 3 militants including a doctor were killed while attempting to plant a bomb
08/01/2008 Khost, Afganistan 1 NATO soldier killed in a clash with militants, no other details provided
08/01/2008
 Kunar, Afghanistan
 4 NATO soldiers killed in clashes with militants, no other details provided
08/01/2008
 Farah, Afghanistan
 6 policeman captured and taken away by Islamic rebels following a brief firefight
08/01/2008
 Farah, Afghanistan
 Several militants killed when their hideout was discovered by Afghan and U.S. coalition led forces
08/02/2008
 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 13 killed, 6 wounded in a wedding group when a roadway bomb exploded under their minibus in Spin Boldak
08/03/2008
 Kabul, Afghanistan
 1 soldier killed, 1 wounded  from the U.S. led coalition by an  IED attack on their convoy truck
08/03/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan 1 mid-level judge shot and killed by a gunman on a motorcycle
08/03/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 17 militants killed, 6 wounded by Afghan and Coalition forces
08./03/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 4 policeman killed, 7 wounded in an attack on a police convoy in Zena Khan district
08/03/2008
 Khost Province, Afghanistan
 4 militants arrested by soldiers of the Afghan National Army and the Coalition
08/04/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 4 policeman killed in an attack on a security post
08/04/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 24+ Taliban linked rebels killed when they attacked police
08/04/2008
 Paktika Provinice, Afghanistan
 2 militants killed while building suicide vest in a Mosque
08/04/2008
 Baghlan Province, Afghanistan
 2+ miliitants killed in the Tala-Wa-Barfak district, linked to Taliban
08/04/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 4 civilians killed in clashes with Coalition forces in Waghiz district
08/06/2008
 Swat Valley, Pakistan
 9 militants linked to warlord Mullah Fazlullah.  Killed in the group was commander & deputy to warlord Fazlullah Ali Bakht
08/06/2008
 Bajur Tribal Region, Pakistan
 25 pro-Taliban militants killed when 200 attack Pakistani army supported by helicopter gunships in Loi Sam
08/06/2008
 Baghlan Province, Afghanistan
 3 German soldiers wounded by a suicide motorcycle bomber in the Janikushk area of Markazi district
08/07/2008
 Bajur Tribal Region, Pakistan
 2 Pakistani soldiers killed, three wounded when a remote controlled bomb was detonated in Khar
08/07/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 4 militants planting a bomb killed by Afghan and coalition forces in Nahr Surkh district during a recon patrol
08/08/2008
 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 2+ militants killled, 3 detained in Giro district, four women and a child killed--being used as human shields
08/08/2008 West Afghanistan
 1 Coalition solider killed by a roadside bomb
08/08/2008 Eastern Afghanistan
 2 militants killed, 1 women with the militants injured
08/08/2008 Bala Buluk District, Afghanistan
 20 militants killed by Coaltion and Afghani police aided by NATO aircraft recapturing abandoned  Seya Jang village
08/08/2008 Kunar Province, Afghanistan
 1 child killed, 2 injured by militants attacking alliance troops in proviince's northeastern sector
08/09/2008 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 1 Canadian soldier killed in a firefight with some 15 Taliban sympathizers in the Zharey
08/09/2008 Kapisa Province, Afghanistan
 11 killed (differing statements as to whether civilan or militants)
08/10/2008
 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
 5 civilians killed, 3 wounded by a freshly planeted mine in roadway in the Zhari district
08/10/2008 Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan
 25 Taliban and 8 civilians killed in response to Taliban attack on military patrol in Uruzgan district
08/11/2008 Bajaur Tribal Zone, Pakistan
 20 Taliban linked militants killed when they attacked two separate Pakistani security posts.
08/11/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan
 1 civilian killed, 2 ISAF trooops and 17  civilians wounded by suicide car bomb targeting foreign troops
08/11/2008
 Faryab Province, Afghanistan
 10 civilians and 2 alliance soldiers wounded by roadside bomb attack on NATO led convoy
08/11/2008 Panjawyi District, Afghanistan
 1 Canadian soldier killed, 1 wounded by an RPG and small arms attack
08/11/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan 1 police officer killed, two others wounded by roadside bomb
08/12/2008 Islamabad, Pakistan
 14 Pakistani soliders killed when an air force bus rolled over a roadside bomb
08/13/2008 South Waziristan, Pakistan
 9-25 killed in a missile strike on a compound linked to Afghani warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
08/13/2008 Khyber Tribal Region, Pakistan
 1 militant leader killed (Namdar) when unknown gunmen attacked him in his headquarters
08/13/2008 Kabul, Afghanistan
 3 women aid workers, 1 Afghani driver killed by militants south of Kabul
08/13/2008 Lahore, Pakistan
 2 policeman, 2 civilians  killed, 7 wounded by a suicide bomber who attacked a police station near a Mosque
08/14/2008
 Southern Afghanistan
 3 Coaltion soldiers killed by bomb blast while on a foot patrol
08/16/2008 Ghazni City, Afghanistan
 4 U.S. Soldiers killed when a roadside bomb destroyed their vehicle in the Kharili area
08/16/2008
 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 23 militants killed, 24+ wounded in the Nad Ali and Nawa districts
08/18/2008 Khost, Afghanistan
 9 civilian laborers killed by suicide bomb attack at entrance to U.S. military base in Khost
08/18/2008
 Surobi district, Afghanistan
 10 French paratrropers, including a Foreign Legion member and 13 militants killed in an ambush in mountain pass
08/19/2008 NWFP, Pakistan
 25 killed, including 2 policeman, 35 wounded in a suicide bomb attack at a Peshawar's Dera Ismail Khan district hospital
08/19/2008 Khar, Pakistan
 5 Pakistani soldiers and 13 Taleban militants killed in fighting near the Afghan border
08/19/2008 South Waziristan TR, Pakistan
 5 militants killed (at least) in a missile strike in Dera Ismail Khan
08/19/2008 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 3 Canadian soldiers killed, 1 wounded by explosive device went off under their vehicle
08/21/2008 Laghman Province
 30 militants, 6 NATO soldiers killed near Surobi district
08/21/2008 Islambad, Pakistan
 59 civilians killed, 70 wounded in suicide blast at a tightly guarded factory in Wah, 20mi west of capital
8/23/2008
 Swat Valley, Pakistan
 37 militants, two soldiers  killed  in Pakistani  clash between troops and Taliban linked militants
8/23/2008
 Swat Valley, Pakistan
 6 policeman killed, several injured by suicide car bomber ramming police station
8/23/2008 Kandahar, Afghanistan
 10 civilians killed when their bus hits roadside bomb
8/25/2008
 Swat Valley NWFP, Pakistan
 8 killed in an attack on ANP lawkmaker Wagar Ahemd Khan's residence
8/26/2008 Peshawar, Pakistan
 None killed/injured in an attack on a consulate vehicle carrying principal consulate officer Lynne Tracy
8/27/2008 South Waziristan TR, Pakistan
 11 militants, 20 wounded when militants assaulted the Tiarza Fort around midnight on 8/26
8/27/2008 Helmand Province, Afghanistan
 18 militants killed when they attacked a checkpoint in the Nad Ali district
8/27/2008 Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
 4 police officers killed by a roadside bomb
8/27/2008 Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan
 3 civilians wounded as a suicide bomber killed himself next to a British patrol
8/28/2008 NWFP, Pakistan
 9 killed (mostly policeman), 15 injured by roadside bomb attack on police van


Casualties based on News Reports (May-08 to Jul-08)





Note:  Are charts begin in May of 2008, however, using news stories as the statistical input introduces many errors.  Some errors are introduced simply by the non-availablitity of news reports from Internet sources or under-reporting of incidents due to focus elsewhere by news organizations.  NATO, Afghan, Pakistan and U.S. official sources also do not report regularly or with consistent accuracy on casualties to the press or through public forums.  And finally, it should be noted that perceived public interest induces news organizations to focus more on the details of attacks and casualties, which might appear to indicate a spike in incidents and casualties, when in actuallity, it is only the news coverage that has increased.  Thus all statistics in this report are estimates only and trend lines may only indicate "visibility" of casualites rather than accurate counts.

In the Sources list below, we attempt to cite news reports that initially indicated the casualties reported.  MILNET relazed its three sources rules for the gahering of statistical data, as in some cases other reports on attacks ultimately come from one of three newswire sources (AP, Reuters or AFP) and then are disseminated by outlets worldwide), and not every incident is covered by all three newswire organizations.  Again, NATO, Afghan, Pakistan, and U.S. official sources do not provide a regular and consitent reporting mechanism and therefore are not cited.  It is also possible that military sources might suffer from disinformation for propaganda reasons and thus may be viewed as slightly unreliable.


Sources:
    1. Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State, 2003
    2. Terrorist Group Profiles, MILNET Brief
    3. Terrorism 101: A Tutorial on International Terrorism Today, MILNET, updated 7/21/2005
    4. London Attacks Prove Theory, MILNET Opinion, updated 7/21/2005
    5. Pakistan Terrorist Groups, South Asian Terrorist Portal -- SATP, New Delhi, India, 7/30/2002-1/09/2004
    6. Pakistan Grills Man with 7/7 Links, Zahid Hussain, Daniel McGrory and Sean O'Neill, London Times (Fox News), 7/21/2005
    7. Pakistan Detains Militants in London Bomb Probe, Associated Press, Fox News Online, 7/21/2005
    8. The Taliban Leadership, The Long War, 2/11/2008
    9. Taliban Leadership Endures a Heavy Blow, News, Afhanistan, Afgha.com, 2/14/2007
    10. Who Are the Taliban, Infoplease, undated
    11. Plot to bomb U.S. Jets is Foiled, John Ward-Anderson and Karen deYoung, Washington Post, 8/11/2006
    12. Details Emerge on Alleged Terror Plot, MSNBC.com, 8/10/2006
    13. South Asian Terrorism Portal, Institute for Conflict Management
    14. Global Terrorism Analysis, The Jamestown Foundation
    15. Bangladesh Still In Denial of Terrorsim Scourge, The Jamestonw Foundation, 5/12/2005
    16. India-Pakistan Military Balance, MILNET, January, 2008
    17. Timeline of recent bomb attacks in Pakistan, Zeenews Bureau International Edition
    18. Pakistani Forces Say [They] Kil[ed] up to 90 Militants, Augustine Anthony, Reuters, 1/18/2008
    19. Suicide Bomber Kills 38 at Pakistan Funeral, Reuters, 3/1/2008
    20. Pakistani Soldiers Killed As Militants Grow Bolder, 10/10/2007, Times Online, U.K.
    21. Suicide Bomber Strikes in Kabul, BBC News, 9/28/2005
    22. Scores killed in Afghanistan Bombing, Herald Tribune, Febraury 17, 2008
    23. Kabul attacker wore police uniform, toll at 8, MSNBC/AP, 1/15/2008
    24. Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan Kills U.S. Marine, NPR, 5/31/2008
    25. Suicide Bombing Brings British Toll in Afghanistan to 100, CNN, 7/9/2008
    26. Germany's First Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan?, Speigel, 3/15/2008
    27. Suicide Bomber Kills 3 in Afghanistan, ABC News, 7/12/2008
    28. Suicide Bomber Wounds 3 Afghan Schoolgirls, Wiredispatch.com/Reuters, 7/06/2008
    29. Witness to a Suicide Bombing In Afghanistan, Mike Neza, The Lede blog, New York Times, 5/9/2008
    30. Picture: Burqa-shrouded suicide bomber shot by Afghan police in Helmand, The Times Online - U.K., 7/12/2008
    31. Suicide Bomb Kills Afghan Troops, BBC, 5/23/2008
    32. Suicide Bomber Kills Afghan Governor, CNN, 9/10/2006
    33. Afghanistan: Suicide bomber kills five civilians and a soldier, Irish Examiner, 6/20/2008
    34. Cheney unhurt after deadly blast at Afghan base, MSBNC News, 2/27/2007
    35. Two die in Afghan Suicide Bomb, Turkish Weekly/BBC, 5/2/2006
    36. 35 Killed in Suicide Bomb Attack, China Daily/AP, 6/18/2007
    37. Four Canadians Killed in Afghan Suicide Bombing, CTV Canada, 9/18/2006
    38. Afghan Police: 24 Killed in Afghan Homicide Blast; Coalition Forces Kill 40 Militants, Fox News, 7/13/2008
    39. Seven Pakistan Soldiers Killed, Two Injured in Rocket Attack, International Herald Tribune, 1/10/2006
    40. Pakistan Soliders Killed In Blast, BBC, 7/3/2006
    41. At Least 16 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Ambush, Deutsche Welle, 7/12/2008
    42. Four Soldiers Killed in Ambush Along LoC, Dawn Internet, 6/19/2008
    43. Pakistan Says U.S. Airstrikes Killed 11 of its Soldiers, International Herald Tribune, 6/11/2008
    44. Nine U.S. Soldiers Killed in Firefight, Washington Post, 7/14/2008
    45. 3 Soldiers Killeld in Paksitan Bomb Attack, Million Dollar Blogspot, 2/14/2008 *
    46. Al-Qaeda Kingpin Killed By US Strike in Pakistan, AFP/Space War.com, 2/1/2008
    47. Seven Troops, 37 Militants Killed in Waziristan Clashes: Army, Intranet KBRI Islambad/Daily Times, 1/23/2008
    48. Army: 5 Soldiers, Rebel Killed in Continuing Clashes in Indian Kashmir, AOL Australia, 07/02/2008
    49. Four American Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, The Nation, 6/15/2008
    50. Three Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Baluchistan, Reuters, 04/09/2007
    51. Fatal Attack on Pakistan Troops, BBC, 10/25/2007
    52. 6 Taliban killed, 3 US Soldiers Wounded in Paktika Clash, Pak Tribune, 4/11/2005
    53. US Soldiers Killed in Afghan Ambush, Press TV, 2/27/2008
    54. Four British Soldiers Killed, The Guardian, U.K., 08/01/2006
    55. 28 Taliban Militants Killed in Coordinated Attack in Southern Afghanistan, AP/Fox News, 6/30/2008
    56. Five Foreign Troops, Several Militants Killed in Afghan Fighting, AP/Fox News, 6/21/2008
    57. Four Canadian Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, CTV, 8/3/2006
    58. Roadside Bomb Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan, AP/USA Today, 8/12/2007
    59. Missoula Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, Missoulian, 8/24/2005
    60. Three New York Army National Guard Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, 6/24/2008
    61. Three German Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, World Socialist Web Site, 5/24/2007 (Note, highly propagandist report has not been confirmed) *
    62. US, Aussie Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, Reuters/Dawn Internet, 7//9/2008
    63. 4 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, AP/MSNBC, 8/20/2006
    64. IPCS News  Summary, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, August, 2006
    65. Afghanistan Archives, What Really Happened.com, (posted from August 19, 2007 to March 2, 2008, event dates vary widely)
    66. 3 dead in Afghan 'Quran shooting' protest, CNN, 5/22/2008
    67. U.K. Says Three Soldiers Killed in U.S. Air Strike, Bloomberg, 7/14/2007
    68. Afghan Violence Kills 14 Including NATO Soldier, AP/Google News, 7/10/2008
    69. Suicide Bomber woudns civilians in Afghan Capital, AP/USAToday, 7/22/2008
    70. NATO Soldier Dies After Being Wounded..., AP, 7/23/2008
    71. Air Strike kills 40 Taliban, UK soldier dies in Afghanistan, AFP/Google News, 7/25/2008
    72. Extremist Violence in Northwestern Pakistan Leaves 22 Dead, Voice of America, 6/25/2008
    73. Violence in Pakistan by Militants, The Imprudent Observer, 7/08/2008
    74. Pakistani Taliban Say They Killed 28 Men from Peace Group, Goatmilk, 6/27/2008
    75. Missile Strike Kills 32 Militants in Pakistan, ABC News Online, 6/19/2008
    76. 2 NATO Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, AP/The Batt.com (Texas A&M), 7/25/2008
    77. Al-Qaida Man Reported Killed in Strike, Matthew Pennington, A.P./Yahoo News, 07/29/2008
    78. 30 Killed as fighting escalates in Pakistan..., Riaz Khan, A.P./MyWestTexas News, 7/30/2008
    79. Mortar Kills Family of 7 in Pakistan's Swat Valley, Riaz Khan, A.P./Yahoo News, 7/31/2008
    80. Bomb Targets Pakistani Consulate in Afghanistan, Fisnik Abrashi, A.P./Yahoo News, 7/31/2008
    81. Afghan Bride, Groom Among 13 Killed In Bomb Blast: Police, AFP/Google News, 08/2/2008
    82. Three Taleban Killed, Six Afghan Police Captured, Khaleji Times Online, 8/02/2008
    83. International Solider, Afghan Judge Killed, AFP/Google News, 8/03/2008
    84. Police, Bomb-Makers Among Two Dozen Killed in Afghanistan, AFP/Google News, 8/4/2008
    85. Seven Civilians, 6 Police Killed in Afghan Violence, South Asia News, 8/4/2008
    86. Twenty-five Militants Killed in Pakistan Clashes, Reuters, 8/07/2008
    87. 200 Pro-Taliban Militants Attack Pakistan Post, A.P./MSNBC, 8/07/2008
    88. U.S. Led Coaltion: 5 Afghan Civilians Killed, A.P./Mywire.com, 8/07/2008
    89. Afghan Official: 20 Militants Killed in Battle, A.P./USA Today, 8/9/2008
    90. Canadian Soldier Killed During Firefight in Volatile Afghan District, The Canadian Press, 08/09/2008
    91. Afghan Official: Civilians May Be Among 11 Killed, A.P./Yahoo News, 8/10/2008
    92. Afghan and U.S. Forces kill 25 Taliban, 8 civilians, Reuters, 8/11/2008
    93. 20 Taliban Killed In Pakistan Clashes, AFP, 8/11/2008 *may cite some casualties found in previous Reuters story (multiple counts of same casualties)
    94. Roadside Bomb Hits Pakistan Air Force Vehicle in Northwestern City, 14 Killed, Riaz Khan, A.P., 8/12/2008
    95. Officials; Missile Strike Kills at Least 9 Suspected Militants Near Afghan Border, Istiaq Mahsud, A.P., 8/13/2008
    96. Militant Ambush on Western Relief Group Kills 3 Women Aid Workers, Afghan Driverg, Amir Shah, A.P., 8/13/2008
    97. Suicide Blast in Pakistan's Lahore Kills Seven: Police, AFP, 8/13/2008
    98. Police: 4 Die in Blast Near Pakistan Mosque, AP/USA Today, 8/13/2008
    99. Blast in Southern Afghanistan Kills 3 Troops from US-led Coaltion on a Foot Patrol, A.P. 8/14/2008\
    100. Four US Soldiers Killed In Explosion, The Frontier Post, 8/17/2008
    101. Thousands of Afghan Police Patrol Kabul on Eve of Independence Day, Voice of America, 8/17/2008 *
    102. Suicide Attack Kills Nine in Afghanistan, AFP, 8/18/2008
    103. Insurgents ambush a group of elite French soldiers, killing 10 troops in Afghanistan, Amir Shah, A.P., 8/19/2008
    104. Pakistan Hospital Bomb Attack Kills Many, BBC, 8/19/2008
    105. Pakistan officials say missiles hit suspected militant hide-out near Afghan border, A.P., 8/20/2008
    106. Three Canadian Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan, Globe and Mail, 8/21/2008
    107. 30 Militants Killed in Battle Near Where French Soldiers Were Ambushed, A.P., 8/21/2008
    108. Suicide Bomber Kill 59 at Pakistani Arms Factory as Divisions Threaten Governing Coalition, A.P., 8/21/2008
    109. Pakistan Says 37 Militants Killed; Ruling Coalition Squabbles Over President, Riaz Khan, A.P., 8/23/2008
    110. Human Rights Group Says78 Afghans Killed; US to Investigate Civilian Death Claims, Jason Straziuso adn Rahim Faiez, A.P., 8/23/2008
    111. Officials: Top US Diplomat Escapes Gun Attack on Consulate Vehicle in Northwest Pakistan, A.P. 8/26/2008