“JIHADIST’S” Purge “JIHADIST” From Vocabulary

Obama administration has argued for a differentiation between good Jihadi and bad Jihadi and a big difference between terrorists and the tenets of Islam. In an extreme act of capitulation the White House in 2009 publicly urged sheeple on the hill to cease using the term “jihadist” – asserting that terrorists are simply extremists. You have to be stupid to ignore the fact that members of Islam call their terroristic acts “jihad”. Two years later, the White House ordered a cleansing of training materials that Islamic groups in, their jihadist struggle, deemed offensive.

The good “J” word “Justice” has been subdued by the bad “J” word “Jihad”. This is done in order to preempt the bad feelings which would be engendered in a good jihadist because of the use of the word to describe a self described bad jihadist.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate
Some men you just can’t reach…
So, you get what we had here last week
Which is the way he wants it!
Well, he gets it!
Now, I don’t like it any more than you” GNR (Civil War)

(with included rewrite to the tune of GNR Civil War)

Our hands are tied
while our dreams of peace
are sweept aside
by the bloody hands of
Jihadist Islamist genocide.

It’s just a word
when it’s said
that you have died.
Don’t dare use a word that
hurts their pride.

They are not our friend,
not on our side.
If we don’t speak the truth
then it’s we who have lied.

Our dreams of peace
are sweept aside
by the bloody hands of
Jihadist Islamist genocide.

Don’t want war
and terms you will render.
Peace in two words
“We surrender”

Our dreams of peace
are sweept aside
by the bloody hands of
Jihadist Islamist genocide.

“The Third Jihad” Movie

Taliban Blusters While It’s Leadership Dies

If you understand why the Afghan tribal leaders have endorsed President Hamid Karzai’s plan to seek peace with the Taliban, on the final day of national peace talks in Kabul, you understand the principle of , Fight, Negotiate, Fight, Negotiate. Even thought the “peace jirga” ended by backing an amnesty and job incentives to induce militants to give up arms, the political desires of the Taliban are still going to be advanced by threats and intimidation.

Terrorist groups have said in the past that it would negotiate with the government only once foreign troops had left the country. This kind of bluster threatens to extend Taliban influence over the weak minded public, and not one inch in the field of battle. As the following story points out the number of terrorists available to make unreasonable demands is shrinking.

Taliban Leader’s Death Confirmed; Forces Seize Insurgent Sub-Commander

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 – A Taliban sub-commander was captured and several other suspected insurgents were killed or captured yesterday by Afghan and international security forces, military officials reported.

Officials also confirmed the death last week of Mullah Zergay, the senior Taliban commander for Afghanistan’s Kandahar City region, during a firefight with Afghan-international forces during an operation in the Zharay district.

During an operation in Logar province yesterday, a combined force captured a Taliban sub-commander who is responsible for improvised explosive device and small-arms attacks against coalition forces. The combined force was searching a compound in the village of Muchkeyl in the Kharwar district after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity.

When confronted, the Taliban sub-commander, who has ties to the Haqqani network, immediately surrendered and identified himself as the targeted insurgent.

Also yesterday, a separate Afghan-international security force action resulted in the detention of several individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Ghazni province. The combined force detained the suspected insurgents while searching a compound in the village of Bar Nowruzk, Qarah Bagh district, after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity. No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the above operations.

During another operation yesterday, a coalition helicopter attacked and killed multiple insurgents as they were moving to a fighting position in Farah province. Aircraft were directed to a cave complex in a rural area of Gulistan district, after intelligence information verified insurgent activity. After observing widely separated groups of armed men moving to prepared fighting positions away from the caves, aircraft engaged a group, killing the insurgents. A ground search force found two automatic rifles, ammunition and a grenade.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Mullah Zergay, the Taliban commander of the Kandahar city area, was killed last week by Afghan-international forces during an operation conducted in the Zharay district.

Zergay had directed insurgent activities in the Arghandab and Zharay districts, including Kandahar City. He used explosives in nearly all of his operations and was directly responsible for multiple deaths in Kandahar City, alone. He rose to power through violent intimidation campaigns against civilians and by leading kidnappings and executions of government employees and village elders.

After tracking his location for several weeks, an Afghan-international security force moved to capture Zergay in a Taliban safe haven area south of Kudeza’i in Zharay district. As the assault force approached, several armed insurgents attacked it with machine-gun fire and rocket propelled grenades.

The assault force returned fire and during the ensuing firefight Zergay and several members of his security detachment were killed. Zergay’s death is considered to be a major loss for the Taliban leadership in southern Afghanistan.

Taliban Forces Dwindle Under ISAF Pressure

Forces Capture Taliban Commander in Kandahar

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2010 – Afghan and international forces captured a Taliban commander in Kandahar, Afghanistan, last night, the second Taliban leader seized in the region in recent days, military officials reported.

An Afghan-international security force captured the man and several insurgents in the village of Kukaran after intelligence indicated insurgent activity there. The commander is believed to be responsible for leading Taliban fighters in southern Arghandab, coordinating attacks on coalition forces and distributing rockets, improvised explosive devices, small arms and ammunition to fighters throughout the area.

A combined Afghan-international force captured another Taliban commander northwest of Kandahar City on May 22. The man, who surrendered immediately when confronted, is believed to be responsible for ambushing coalition forces and other attacks in the southern Arghandab and Dand districts.

In other news from Afghanistan:

— A combined security force seized materials used to build improvised explosive devices following the search of a compound in the Chahar Darah district of Kunduz province last night.

— In Logar province last night, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents and seized a weapons cache following a search of a compound in Charkh district. The cache included several rocket-propelled grenades, multiple automatic rifles, ammunition, grenades and notes on how to conduct suicide bombings.

— In Zabul province last night, a combined force searched a compound in the Shah Joy district and detained a suspected militant for further questioning.

— In Helmand province yesterday, a combined patrol was given permission to search a mosque in Musa Qal’ah district where they seized a cache consisting of multiple AK-47s, 200 pounds of homemade explosives, pressure plates and a pro-Taliban painting. The cache was removed from the mosque and destroyed.

— Also in the Musa Qal’ah district yesterday, a combined patrol found a cache consisting of 550 pounds of opium and two AK-47s with loaded magazines. Two people were detained for further questioning.

— In western Afghanistan’s Farah province yesterday, a combined patrol confiscated a large weapons cache in a cave and tunnel complex in the Saji Valley. The cache contained two complete 82 mm mortar systems with extra tube and 34 mortar rounds, a 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun with 200 rounds and three spare barrels, two 82 mm recoilless rifle rounds, seven RPGs, 175 mortar fuses, 14.5 mm and 12.7 mm ammunition, and small-arms ammunition.

– In the Kajaki district of Helmand province yesterday, an international patrol found a weapons cache consisting of two grenades, two mines, six smoke bombs and various explosive components. The cache will be destroyed.

– In the Washer district of Helmand province yesterday, a combined patrol discovered a weapons cache containing more than 1,200 machine gun rounds, three 82 mm mortars and four 120 mm mortars. The cache was destroyed.

In May 21 operations:

— In Helmand province, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching a series of buildings in Lashkar Gah district.

— A combined force detained a suspected insurgent in Zabul while searching a compound in Sha Joy district.

— An international patrol discovered a weapons cache in the Pul-e Khumri district of Baghlan province. Recent heavy rains uncovered the previously buried munitions discovered by local children. The cache, consisting of 20 82 mm grenades, 15 mines and seven artillery rounds, was destroyed.

— An international patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of four 82 mm rockets, a machine gun and a rocket-propelled grenade in the Panjwa’i district of Kandahar province. The cache was destroyed.

— A combined force destroyed an explosives factory with a precision air strike in Kandahar. The combined force was approaching a compound in a farming area in Zharay district when they discovered the area was heavily mined to protect the building. Once inside, the force discovered a high explosives factory used by insurgents to produce IEDs and mines. The security force called in the strike, which destroyed the building. No Afghan citizens were harmed during the operation.

— In the Bala Baluk district of Farah province, an international patrol found eight detonation devices that link several charges to one initiator, four pressure-plate initiation devices, 20 meters of detonation cord, five remote control initiation devices and 40 battery packs. The cache was confiscated to prevent its use in IEDs.

— In the Murghab district of Badghis province, a combined patrol found two pressure-plate IEDs. The devices were destroyed in place.

— In the Garm Ser district of Helmand province, an ISAF patrol found two bags of ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient in IEDs. The material was confiscated and destroyed.

— In the Now Zad district of Helmand province, a combined patrol found two IEDs, each with 10 pounds of homemade explosives. The devices were designed to detonate when stepped on. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the devices.

Afghanistan Battle Continues Successful Course

Forces Detain Insurgents, Seize Drugs, Weapons

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – Afghan and international forces detained several insurgents and seized illegal drugs and weapons in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

An Afghan-international security force pursuing a Taliban commander in Kandahar province detained two militants in the Zharay district last night.

The combined force went to a series of compounds after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and two men ran away as the force approached. The two men were captured after a lengthy chase. They told the patrol they were Pakistani fighters, and that they had rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles hidden at another location.

In Helmand province last night, a combined force searched a small compound northeast of Marja after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and detained several suspects for questioning.

In Helmand’s Now Zad district yesterday, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found and confiscated 39 bags of suspected heroin with an estimated street value of $3 million. The drugs were confiscated.

In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found an assault rifle, small-arms ammunition, five magazines and a bundle of electrical wire.

No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations, officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan, an ISAF helicopter was struck by an insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade today as it prepared to land at a checkpoint in Nad-e Ali. No one was seriously injured, officials said. The helicopter is at a secure site and a damage assessment is under way.

Chairman Mao Murders Thirty People In India

It is evident that the evil Mao has spawned is alive and well after a land mine attack in Chhattisgarh state killed more than 30 people. The civilians killed in were not accidental victims of an errant attack. This is the tactics that Mao learned, used and espoused.

Most of those killed in Monday’s blast, which destroyed a bus, were civilians, and the government is under pressure to take a tougher line against the rebels.

The Indian government is thought to want to include the use of air power to fight the Maoists. Thousands have died in the their decades-long fight against humanity and the Indian state.

In this incident it appears that Maoist supporters saw that armed police were on board the bus, and an attack was organized extremely quickly. It is clearly an attack against a target that violates the law of necessity and proportionality. Anything from the BBC, no. But the Indian government says it also demonstrates their barbarity.

“I took to the cabinet committee the case for a larger mandate. I was given a limited mandate. Now we will go back to the cabinet committee to revisit that mandate,” Mr Chidambaram told the NDTV channel.

He said the chief ministers of some of the worst-affected states had asked for air power to be used against the rebels reports the BBC, a measure that the government has so far refused to sanction.

“Operation Green Hunt” began last October, it involves 50,000 members of the police and militia troops and is taking place across five states in India: West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

Monday’s attack on the bus in Chhattisgarh state’s Dantewada district has prompted widespread anger and the BBC is doing its best to stamp it out. As the BBC points out, the Maoists have warned civilian bus companies not to transport local police or members of the security forces. This, in the eyes of the BBC, and hopefully yours, makes the Maoists less evil.

The Maoists support has been slipping away from the rebels, particularly after last month’s attack.

Manmohan Singh described by Prime Minister the Maoist insurgency as the country’s biggest internal security threat. The communist inspired BBC would be described by me as number two. Delhi have accept that there is a need to tackle the root causes of the rebellion, such as poverty and the absence of effective local government, but not yet the media that throws gas on the fire.

Chairman Mao initially supported Maoist-style Communist parties in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Burma, India and Thailand. The Malaysian Communist Party launched an armed rebellion, which the Chairman supported until it became clear that the guerrillas were losing. At the Bandung Conference, a conciliatory Zhou Enlai declared that those Chinese who adopted another nationality should be good citizens of the countries they joined. But this pious statement did not completely allay suspicions that Mao was encouraging indigenous Communist movements among the “bridge compatriots” of Southeast Asia.

Nehru insisted on recognizing China’s “rights” in Tibet despite the pleas of the Tibetans, along with many Indians, that he weighed in against this new form of Chinese hegemony. His appeasement of the “New China” came back to haunt him in 1959 when Mao, having disposed of the Dalai Lama and his followers, began building military roads right up to the existing Indian-Tibetan border, and then, in early September, ordered troops to cross over into India.

Mao’s aggression took Nehru completely by surprise, which is perhaps less a consequence of his naiveté than of Zhou Enlai’s sophisticated sales pitch about the two countries being fellow victims of the Western imperial powers. The Chinese premier had first visited him in New Delhi in April 1954, stopping over on his way back to China from the signing the Geneva peace accord on Indochina. Zhou played the second international stratagem to the hilt, portraying the PRC as a country with impeccable anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist credentials, a country that was a natural member of the Third World club. Nehru agreed.

An Indian delegation at the U.N. had argued on behalf of Communist China’s admission. On that very day that the Chairman sent Chinese forces pouring across the border into India. As Nehru pondered Mao’s perfidy, PLA troops continued their march southward, seizing two important mountain passes that guard approaches to Sikkim and India.

Professor John K. Fairbank of Harvard, for example, wrote in the Atlantic Monthly in 1957 that the regime’s controls over “prices, person and minds, mobilizing of patriotic youth, collectivizing the rural economy and pushing of industrialization” were “remarkable successes” and great achievements.” Not a word about the Maoist terrors that now held the Chinese people in a grip of fear, nor about Mao’s larger aims.

Taliban Increasing Afghani Resolve To Resist Them

Afghan Civilians, Government Join Forces to Defeat and Remove Taliban
ISAF Joint Command More Stories from ISAF Joint Command RSS

Date: 04.27.2010
Posted: 04.27.2010 08:35

KABUL, Afghanistan – Gizab District, locked centrally in the Hazarajet region of Afghanistan, recently was the scene of community resolve and determination when citizens took action to remove a Taliban threat from their village. The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, with minimal involvement by coalition forces, is assisting Gizab residents in their effort to purge the Taliban from the area.

With harassment by the Taliban increasing, local villagers held a shura and decided to establish a road block Wednesday in an effort to detain insurgents. This action led to the apprehension of several insurgents as well as their weapons and motorbikes. A Taliban commander, responsible for coordinating attacks against coalition special forces in the area, was among those apprehended at the road block.

Later that afternoon, Taliban insurgents armed with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades were preparing to attack the village. Local citizens, defending their homes and families, engaged the insurgents in a battle that lasted more than three days.

A combined patrol of Afghanistan national security force and International Security Assistance Force partners was conducting an operation nearby and responded, enhancing security at the village stronghold.

After three days of fighting, the insurgents were defeated and driven out of Gizab. Between the villagers and combined patrol, several insurgents were killed and four were arrested.

In the subsequent days, hostile action in the area has diminished, providing an opportunity for the governor of Dai Kundi, the provincial governor of neighbouring Uruzgan province, the local Malik and 20 other community leaders to travel to Gizab District for a meeting to announce their support for GIRoA and elect a district chief of police.

The combined force also attended the meeting Saturday to demonstrate their support for the people of Gizab and GIRoA. The combined force was warmly received by the villagers and leaders who said they were grateful for GIRoA’s support.

During the meeting, the deputy governor placed a phone call to President Hamid Karzai, who spoke to local elders and leaders and voiced his pleasure with the cooperation between the different elements, which ultimately removed 50 active Taliban fighters from the region.

“The villagers’ decision to react was fueled by Taliban members routinely exerting their influence and control over the people in the southern District of Gizab,” said Capt. Rebecca Lykins, a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan spokesman. “Their reaction is a testament to their confidence in GIRoA’s ability to protect and serve the populace.”

Taliban Reintegrated in Baghlan

ISAF Joint Command
Date: 04.26.2010
Posted: 04.26.2010 04:50

KABUL, Afghanistan – Eight Taliban insurgents walked up to the gates of a forward operating base in Puza-i-Eshan Saturday to turn themselves in to Afghan national security forces.

The departure from the Taliban came in the midst of Operation Taohid II, an Afghan-led operation in the north designed to defeat the insurgency, provide humanitarian supplies to the people and enable development projects in the area.

Gen. Murad Ali Murad, Afghan national army 209th Corps commander held a shura with the Taliban members to negotiate the terms of their reintegration. Brig. Gen. Frank Leidenberger, Regional Command-North commander also attended.

“This is your country, when you fight against us here you fight against your own country,” Murad said. “An hour ago, you were part of the black name of the Taliban, but now we welcome you back as our brothers.”

Operation Taohid II is the largest operation the ANSF have led in the north. About 1,000 combat-ready Afghan national army troops are taking part in the operation, supported by ISAF troops from Germany, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Croatia and Belgium.

One indicator of the operation’s success was the securing of the Kuk Chenar (Dutch) Bridge and the return of large groups of civilians who had been frightened away by insurgents.

Civilian freedom of movement is now being further improved as work continues around the bridge’s base along the river. A large number of trucks have been removing loads of the river’s sludge to aid the flow of the river. Guard posts have been stationed on either end of the bridge to provide safe passage for residents.

Also:

Afghan Civilians, Government Join Forces to Defeat and Remove Taliban

Gizab District, locked centrally in the Hazarajet region of Afghanistan, recently was the scene of community resolve and determination when citizens took action to remove a Taliban threat from their village. The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, with minimal involvement by coalition forces, is assisting Gizab residents in their effort to purge the Taliban from the area.
04.27.10, Courtesy Story

Afghanistan Surge Providing Progress

Air Strike in Afghanistan Kills Senior Insurgents

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2010 – A senior militant commander in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province and two of his top advisors were killed in a precision air strike in northern Kunduz this morning, military officials reported.

The senior insurgents were driving through a rural desert area northeast of Kunduz City when they were struck by precision air fire.

The senior Taliban commander was involved in all aspects of insurgent operations in Kunduz province, officials said. He was responsible for setting target priorities, weapons distribution and directing attacks against coalition and Afghan forces.

In other recent operations in Afghanistan:

— In Kandahar province this morning, a combined Afghan-international security force detained several suspected insurgents for questioning.

— In Helmand province’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday, a combined patrol found an assault rifle, magazines, 130 rounds of ammunition and 30 pounds of homemade explosives.

— Coalition forces patrolling in the Dzadran district of Paktia province yesterday found 17 rocket-propelled grenades, nine fuses, four rear stabilizers and 300 heavy machine gun rounds. One individual was detained.

— An Afghan-international security force killed one militant and detained a few others as they pursued a Taliban leader in Kunduz the night of April 24. As the combined force approached a compound after intelligence reports of militant activity, they were confronted by an armed man, who was shot and killed.

— In Helmand on April 24, a combined force tried to stop a vehicle driven by the suspected militants. The driver didn’t comply and tried to escape. Shots were exchanged, and three insurgents were killed, including a Taliban commander responsible for assigning fighters and setting attack priorities in his area and involved in weapons delivery and battle-damage assessments after attacks on coalition forces. A search of the vehicle uncovered an automatic rifle and multiple grenades.

— Also on April 24, an Afghan civilian directed a combined patrol in Helmand’s Washer district to a cache containing 25 pounds of refined opium, an assault rifle, several magazines and a chest-bomb rig.

— In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district April 24, an Afghan-international patrol found and destroyed five 60 mm mortar rounds.

— A combined Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban subcommander and a suspected insurgent and killed several other insurgents in Logar province April 24. As the assault force conducted a call-out, they were confronted by armed men, who were shot and killed. The Taliban subcommander, believed to be involved in planning suicide attacks, surrendered. A search of the area found several weapons, including an automatic rifle and pistols.

— In Kunduz’s Archi district the night of April 23, a combined Afghan-international security force was engaged with small-arms fire. The combined force returned fire, killing several insurgents and detaining a few others. Two of those killed were Taliban commanders, one of them being the target of the raid, who was responsible for distributing insurgent funds, designating targets and planning bombings. Though women and children were in the compound buildings, none were injured during the operation. The homeowner told the patrol the Taliban had forced their way into the compound for the night. International forces will reimburse the homeowner for minor damage to his property. A search of the buildings yielded automatic rifles, a machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade, hand grenades and other weapons.

— In Khost province April 24, a combined force detained a suspected insurgent while hunting for a Haqqani terrorist network commander.

— In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district April 24, a combined patrol found two shotguns, 40 pounds of opium, small-arms ammunition and various electrical components, as well as another cache consisting of two pressure plate initiation devices 40 pounds of homemade explosives.

— One militant was killed and several others captured by an Afghan-international security force pursuing a Taliban facilitator in Ghazni province the night of April 22. As the force approached the targeted compound, several men ran away. One insurgent moved toward the security force in a hostile manner and was shot and killed. Several other suspected insurgents were captured.

— Also on the night of April 22, a combined force in Khost’s Terezai district captured a Haqqani network bombing-attack facilitator and another suspected insurgent. Ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder and rifles were found on site.

— In Kunduz province’s Chahar Darah district the night of April 22, a combined security force detained a suspected insurgent for questioning. An armed man ran from the compound and later fired on the security force. He was shot and killed.

— In Nangarhar province’s Khogyani district the night of April 22, a combined force captured a Taliban subcommander responsible for directing roadside-bomb and rocket-propelled grenade attacks on coalition forces, along with another suspected insurgent.

— The same night in Helmand’s Reg-e Khan Neshin district, a combined force found a roadside bomb, three roadside-bomb power sources, five spools of copper wire, an intelligence radio, two assault rifles with ammunition, brass knuckles and 88 pounds of raw opium. After coordination with the village elder, the combined force detained more than 20 men in the compound.

— In Helmand’s Garm Ser district that night, an Afghan-international patrol acting on a tip from an Afghan civilian found 50 chest rigs and 19 magazines.

— A combined patrol found nine grenades, four rocket-propelled grenades, small-arms ammunition, homemade explosives, a timer and detonation cord in the Chorah district of Uruzgan province April 22.

–– A combined security force in Logar province’s Pul-e Alam district killed five insurgents the night of April 22 after receiving sustained heavy gunfire from a compound. A search yielded multiple automatic rifles, armor-piercing rounds, bomb-making materials and blasting caps. A Taliban suicide attack commander with ties to the Haqqani network was killed in the firefight, along with four other insurgents.

Two U.S. servicemembers died of wounds suffered in the firefight.

No civilians were reported harmed in these operations, officials said.

Taliban Mosque Assassination, The True Religious Values Of Islam

Assassination Shows Taliban’s Values, Petraeus Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2010 – The assassination of the deputy mayor of Kandahar, Afghanistan, as he prayed in a mosque this week reflects the values of a barbaric enemy, the commander of U.S. Central Command said in a statement released yesterday.

Azizullah Yarmal was attending evening prayers April 19 when a death squad entered the mosque and shot him dead before escaping.

In his statement, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said the murder “demonstrated the Taliban’s barbarism.”

“That they would kill this Afghan leader while he was attending services in a mosque illustrates the Taliban’s callous disregard for Afghanistan’s values and for Islam itself,” the general said. “Through this action, the Taliban demonstrated once again that it is an enemy of Afghanistan that seeks to impose through violence its extremist ideology and oppressive practices on the Afghan people.”

Yarmal’s assassination was the second cold-blooded Taliban murder of a local Afghan leader in a week. Taliban gunmen also killed Lal Mohammad Khan, a tribal leader in neighboring Helmand province, last week.

In Kabul, NATO Ambassador to Afghanistan Mark Sedwill noted that Yarmal was always pushing for roads, electricity and services for his people.

“That’s a man who’s trying to serve the people of Afghanistan, and he was killed deliberately by the insurgents in what is no less than a terrorist attack,” he said.

The murder came as the Afghan government and security forces, along with coalition forces, seek to make Kandahar secure. The city is the second-largest in Afghanistan, and is the spiritual home of the Pashtu-dominated Taliban.

Officials said operations in and around Kandahar don’t constitute an offensive in the military sense of the word. Rather, they explained, the Afghan government and coalition personnel are working bring services and infrastructure improvements to the city. The hope is that Afghans will see the Taliban are trying to stop progress and will side with the government.

Regional Command South is the focus of operations in Afghanistan this year. British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter commands the more than 54,500 coalition troops in the region. The bulk of the U.S. 30,000-troop surge will operate in Regional Command South.