US Special Operations Chief Olson warns of 'next generation' Al-Qaeda 2.0

U.S. Special Operations top commander Admiral Eric T. Olson has said Al Qaeda is 'bloodied' and is "nearing its end," but warned that its next generation, Al Qaeda 2.0 could keep the forces fighting for a decade.

Admiral Olson described the killing of Bin Laden at Abbottabad raid on May 2 as a "near-killing blow" for, what he called "Al Qaeda 1.0," as created by Bin Laden and led from his hideout in Pakistan.

Olson said the group had already lost steam as Arab Spring revolts proved that the Muslim world did not need Al Qaeda to topple governments from Tunisia to Egypt.

 "I think the death of bin Laden was an upper cut to the jaw. It just knocked them on their heels"; Fox News quoted Olsen, as saying at the Aspen Security Forum.

Olson warned of the fight to come against what he called Al Qaeda 2.0, with new leaders like American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, who, according to Olson, understands America better than Americans understand him.

He said Al Qaeda operatives like al-Awlaki would refine their message to appeal to a wider audience, and seek ungoverned spaces to operate from, where they can smuggle in weapons and train their followers.

Olson also described how current offshoots like al-Awlaki's, Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen are cooperating with militants in Somalia, forming an "invisible bridge" between the two.

Olson agreed with the White House's newly announced policy to strike terrorists through focused action rather than full-scale invasion, preferably by training and working with the host country's forces. He cautioned against thinking that raids would solve all U.S. foreign policy problems.

Bomb blast rocks Oslo Norway

Smoke rises from buildings in Oslo, Norway, at the scene of a large explosion which tore apart several buildings Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday in several buildings including the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press. The cause of the blast is not yet known.

Debris is seen on the street after a powerful explosion rocked central Oslo

The wreckage of a car lies outside government buildings in the centre of Oslo, Friday July 22, 2010, following an explosion that tore open several buildings including the prime minister's office, shattering wiondows and covering the street with documents

A woman walks through debris in a street following an explosion in Oslo, Norway Friday July 22, 2011. A powerful blast tore open several Oslo buildings including the prime minister's office on Friday. One person was reportedly killed and several were injured, as the blast shattered windows and coated the street with documents. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press, although it was unclear whether that meant he was uninjured.

A detail of the devastation caused to a building in Oslo, Norway, after a powerful blast tore open several buildings, Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday in several building including the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press

Shattered windows of a major building after an explosion in Oslo, Norway, Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday at the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press.

The scene after an explosion in Oslo, Norway, Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday at the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press.

People are treated at the scene after an explosion in Oslo, Norway, Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday at the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press.

Smoke rises from buildings in Oslo, Norway, at the scene of a large explosion which tore apart several buildings Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday in several buildings including the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press. The cause of the blast is not yet known

Victims receive treatment outside government buildings in the centre of Oslo, Friday July 22, 2010, following an explosion that tore open several buildings including the prime minister's office, shattering windows and covering the street with documents

Smoke rises from buildings in Oslo, Norway, at the scene of a large explosion which tore apart several buildings Friday July 22, 2011. A loud explosion shattered windows Friday in several buildings including the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime minister's office, injuring several people. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is safe, government spokeswoman Camilla Ryste told The Associated Press. The cause of the blast is not yet known.

Taliban execute Pakistani policemen on video

 The Taliban released a video Monday showing fighters executing 16 Pakistani tribal policemen in a hail of gunfire after they were captured in a cross-border raid from Afghanistan in June.

The video shows the policemen lined up on a hillside with their hands tied behind their backs, standing in front of armed Taliban fighters wearing scarves to hide their faces. Both the policemen and the insurgents are wearing shalwar kameez, the baggy shirt and pants common in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

One of the insurgents accused the men of executing six children from Pakistan's Swat Valley by firing squad.

"They are the enemies of the religion of Allah," the man said of the police officers.

He and several other fighters then opened fire on the policemen, who crumpled to the ground. Several of them were still moaning, and one fighter walked down the line shooting the policemen in the head.

The video was posted on the LiveLeak video sharing website and included a note saying the policemen were captured when the Taliban staged a cross-border raid from Afghanistan on June 1 in Pakistan's northwest Dir district. The video was first reported on by The Long War Journal website.

Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas confirmed the contents of the video and said the Taliban fighters who executed the policemen came from the Swat Valley, an area that used to be controlled by the militant group. The Pakistani military launched a large offensive in Swat in 2009, but many of the fighters slipped across the border into Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters crossed into Upper Dir on June 1 from Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province. They killed at least 30 members of the security forces over three days of fighting before being forced back across the border by the military, Abbas said.

The Pakistani military has accused Afghan and NATO forces of not doing enough to target Taliban sanctuaries in Kunar, where the U.S. withdrew most of its forces over the last year.

Afghanistan and the U.S. have level similar accusations against Pakistan, saying it must do more to target sanctuaries on its side of the border filled with militants who regularly launch attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government has also accused Pakistan of firing hundreds of rockets into Kunar over the past few months and killing at least 40 people — an allegation denied by Pakistan.

Pakistan bombings death toll reaches 39

A Pakistani man who was injured in a bomb blast in Nowshera lies in a hospital's bed waiting to be treated in Peshawar on Sunday. (Mohammad Zubair/ Associated Press)

TWO explosions went off minutes apart in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar yesterday, killing 39 people and injuring nearly 100 in one of the deadliest attacks since the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden last month, officials said.

The blasts, one of which was caused by a suicide bomber, occurred just after midnight in an area that is home to political offices and army housing.
The attack took place as CIA director Leon Panetta and Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad, 150km to the east, to speak separately with senior Pakistani officials about intelligence sharing and efforts to reconcile with the Taliban. The first explosion was relatively small and drew police and rescue workers to the site, said Dost Mohammed, a senior local police official. A large explosion rocked the area a few minutes later, causing the fatalities and injuring 98 people, 18 critically, said Rahim Jan, a senior doctor at a local hospital.

The second blast was caused by a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with 10kg of explosives, said Ejaz Khan, a senior police official.
The source of the first explosion was unknown.
Pakistan's Taliban denied responsibility for the bombing despite an earlier pledge to carry out attacks in retaliation for the covert US Navy SEAL raid that killed bin Laden in an army town outside Islamabad on May 2.
The attack took place across the street from the offices of the top political agent to Khyber, part of Pakistan's volatile tribal region, and only about 100m from army housing units. Peshawar borders the tribal region and has been repeatedly hit by bombings over the past few years.
The attack followed a second day of meetings between Mr Panetta, the CIA chief and senior Pakistani officials.
The talks were slated to focus on the size and scope of US intelligence activities in the wake of the raid that killed bin Laden, said a Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

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