Dakar Rally 2013

Dakar Rally 2013 – Toyota Hilux on Track to win the Dakar 2013

CONFIDENT START TO DAKAR RALLY BY TEAM TOYOTA’S GINIEL DE VILLIERS AND DUNCAN VOS

Toyota Motorsport’s Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz (Imperial Toyota Hilux #301) and Duncan Vos and Rob Howie (Imperial Toyota Hilux #312) successfully negotiated the first day of the 15-day 2013 Dakar Rally in South America on Saturday, finishing ninth and 13^th overall respectively in the car category.

The 34^th running of the world’s longest and toughest motor race started in Lima on the Pacific west coast of Peru and took the 449-strong entry of cars, trucks, motorcycles and quads south on a 250-kilometre liaison section to Pisco.  The day ended with a 13-kilometre special stage in the sand dunes on the outskirts of the coastal town of Pisco.

2009 Dakar winners De Villiers and Von Zitzewitz completed the special stage in a time of 8 min 15 sec, 35 seconds behind the winners, 2010 Dakar winner Carlos Sainz of Spain and Timo Gottschalk of Germany in a buggy.  Current South African off road champions Vos and Howie finished 44 seconds in arrears.

“It was quite an easy stage today and not much more than a warm-up for the more serious challenges that lie ahead,” said De Villiers, who is competing in his 10^th Dakar and his second in the South African-built Toyota Hilux.  The modest 40-year-old from Stellenbosch is referred to as “the quiet South African” and is rated by race favourite and 2012 winner Stephane Peterhansel of France as “the driver to beat”.

Peterhansel, driving a Mini with compatriot Jean Paul Cottret, was eighth on Saturday’s opening stage, one second ahead of De Villiers.

Vos, competing in his second Dakar after he and Howie finished 10^th last year in an Imperial Toyota Hilux, was relieved the race was finally underway.  “It’s been a long build-up with a lot of preparation and hard work by the whole team.  It’s great to be back and we’re looking forward to the serious business of taking on the Dakar and reaching the finish in Santiago in Chile on January 20.”

Sunday’s 242-kilometre special stage two follows an 85-kilometre liaison section and will see competitors immediately thrown a stiff challenge of sand dunes and hot temperatures.  They will return to Pisco for a second night.

Toyota Motorsport Acknowledges Its Dakar Sponsors, Specialist Official Suppliers and Technical Partners

Toyota, Imperial Toyota, Duxbury Netgear, SAA, SAA Cargo, Innovation Group, Toyota Financial Services, Blue Sky, Bosch, Castrol, DeWalt, Donaldson, Edgecam, 4×4 Mega World, Hallspeed, Mastercraft, Michelin, Mistral, NGK, Oakley, SKF, Spanjaard and TFM.

Ινδικά στρατεύματα εισέβαλαν σε έδαφος του Πακιστάν

Ινδικά στρατεύματα εισέβαλαν σε έδαφος του Πακιστάν

Οι ένοπλες δυνάμεις της Ινδίας πραγματοποίησαν επιδρομή σε μεθοριακή περιοχή, δήλωσε εκπρόσωπος της στρατιωτική διοίκησης του Πακιστάν.

Σύμφωνα με το Ισλαμαμπάντ, τμήματα του ινδικού στρατού επιτέθηκαν σε στρατιωτικό φυλάκιο στο έδαφος του Κασμίρ, το οποίο βρίσκεται υπό τον έλεγχο του Πακιστάν. Ως αποτέλεσμα της επίθεσης, ένας πακιστανός στρατιώτης σκοτώθηκε και ένας τραυματίστηκε.

«Αυτό το περιστατικό μπορεί να αυξήσει την ένταση στις σχέσεις των δύο πυρηνικών δυνάμεων», - αναφέρεται σε δήλωση της στρατιωτική διοίκησης του Πακιστάν.

Η πλευρά της Ινδίας προς το παρόν δεν έχει σχολιάσει το περιστατικό.

LIVE DAKAR FROM PERU

THE FUTURE IS HERE

Ener-G-Force - η off-roader για το αύριο και πέρα




Το ερώτημα αν τα γονίδια της Mercedes-Benz G-Class που χρονολογείται από το 1979 θα εξακολουθούν να τους προβάλει στο μακρινό μέλλον που επιδεικνύεται από τη Mercedes-Benz στο Λος Άντζελες με το πρόσχημα του ένα δροσερό μελέτη σχεδιασμού: η Ener-G- Δύναμη. Σύμφωνα με Gorden Wagener, επικεφαλής του τμήματος σχεδιασμού της Mercedes-Benz Cars: "Η Ener-G-Force είναι το όραμα μιας off-roader που, λαμβάνοντας παράλληλα υπόψη τις περιπέτειες του αύριο, επικαλείται επίσης τα γονίδια της Mercedes-Benz off-road εικονίδιο, το μοντέλο G. Μοντέρνο και δροσερό, θα μπορούσε επίσης να είναι μια ένδειξη για μια νέα αρχή για το ιδίωμα του σχεδιασμού off-road της Mercedes-Benz ".
Χτισμένο ως μοντέλο 1:1-κλίμακα, η μελέτη του σχεδιασμού είναι σαφώς εμπνευσμένη από την G-Class, αλλά παρουσιάζει μια ριζοσπαστική επανερμηνεία του αυτό το κλασικό που μοιάζει πολύ στο μέλλον.Σημαντικές γονίδια όπως αναλογίες και σχεδιαστικά στοιχεία εκδόθηκαν εννοιολογικά και πλήρως ανασχεδιασμένο και ενημερώνεται σε μια καθαρή αντίληψη για το αύριο και πέρα. Ενώ η σαφής ιδίωμα σχεδιασμός του G-Class παρέμεινε, όλες οι επιφάνειες σχεδιάσθηκαν για να εκφράζουν την ένταση και την ένταση. Τα σχολαστικά εκτελούνται λεπτομέρειες είναι επίσης μια σαφή ένδειξη ότι η Ener-G-Force είναι το προϊόν της σύγχρονης εποχής. Όπως και το G-Class, οι Ener-G-Force αθλητισμό ένα μέτωπο με μια εκφραστική μάσκα που ενσωματώνει τους προβολείς. Λυχνίες LED στα φωτιστικά σώματα προβολείς μορφή στο σχήμα Γ. Αυτό δίνει στο Ener-G-Force μια ισχυρή, εικονική εμφάνιση και αποδεικνύει την κυριαρχία. Τα μπροστινά φώτα και δείκτες θέση τοποθετείται στην κορυφή των φτερών ως ένα σημαντικό στοιχείο της G-Class.
Χάρη σε εναλλακτικά συστήματα κίνησης, η Ener-G-Force θα πρέπει επίσης να είναι εξαιρετικά φιλικά προς το περιβάλλον και είναι σε θέση να αποδείξει ενισχυμένη πράσινο αυτοκίνητο-χαρακτηριστικά. Τέσσερις στις πλήμνες των τροχών, των οποίων η παραγωγή για κάθε τροχό ξεχωριστά είναι προσαρμοσμένη ακριβώς με το αντίστοιχο έδαφος με υψηλής απόδοσης ηλεκτρονικά, έχουν σχεδιαστεί για να παρέχουν την ελκτική δύναμη. Η εντυπωσιακή πλευρά φούστες επίσης το σπίτι γρήγορη αλλαγή μπαταριών. Αλλαγές στο χρώμα του φωτισμού των πλευρικών κρασπέδων δείχνουν την λειτουργία και την κατάσταση φόρτισης των πακέτων ενέργειας. Μια σχάρα οροφής και πρόσθετες λάμπες είναι ενσωματωμένες στην οροφή.



Η σχεδιαστική μελέτη δείχνει ότι η off-road κλασικό από τη Mercedes-Benz, των οποίων η συνεχής ιστορία πηγαίνει όλος ο τρόπος πίσω στη δεκαετία του 1970, θα μπορούσε στην πραγματικότητα αντιμετωπίσει το μέλλον σε μια στυλιστικά και τεχνολογικά προηγμένη έκδοση.
ένα καθαρό, καθίσταται επιστημονικής φαντασίας? εδώ Η Mercedes-Benz είναι φιλικές προς το περιβάλλον, μοντέρνα και δροσερή SUV, το «Ener-G-Force», η οποία έχει περιγραφεί να είναι το όραμα μιας off-roader που, λαμβάνοντας παράλληλα υπόψη τις περιπέτειες του αύριο, επικαλείται επίσης τα γονίδια της γερμανικής αυτοκινητοβιομηχανίας 1979 off-road εικονίδιο, η G-Class. Κατά κύριο λόγο βασίζεται στην ιδέα ενός μελλοντικού οχήματος της αστυνομίας, αυτό το υπερ-επιθετικό SUV έχει αναπτυχθεί αποκλειστικά για το Los Angeles Design Challenge 2012, που ατενίζει το μέλλον με μια αναζήτηση για την «Όχημα Highway Patrol 2025».
Ωστόσο, αυτή η πτήση της φαντασίας παρουσίασε στο Σαλόνι Αυτοκινήτου του Λος Άντζελες δεν είναι σίγουρα ένα teaser του κάτι στα σκαριά, μάλλον, είναι μια σχεδιαστική μελέτη με ενισχυμένη πράσινο αυτοκίνητο δυνατότητες και off-road ικανότητα, ικανό να στηρίξει το μέλλον της αστυνομίας και των υπηρεσιών εκτάκτου ανάγκης σε όλο τον κόσμο.
Περιγράφεται επίσης να είναι μια ένδειξη της μελλοντικής του σχεδιασμού της Mercedes-Benz off-road, το Ener-G-Force μπορεί να υπερηφανεύεται για μικρά γυάλινα παράθυρα κάνοντας αυτό το φουτουριστικό αυτοκίνητο της αστυνομίας ένα ασφαλές κουκούλι για τους υπαλλήλους επιβολής του νόμου, την καταπολέμηση της σε όλες τις πιθανότητες.
Επιπλέον, τα ειδικά φώτα έκτακτης ανάγκης έχουν επίσης ενσωματωθεί η στέγη, ενώ το εντυπωσιακό εμπρός αφήνει επιβλητική παρουσία των αξιωματικών επιβολής του νόμου, καθώς και τα γιγαντιαία τροχοί εγγυώνται το δικαίωμα-του-τρόπο, ακόμη και στη χειρότερη εδάφη.





Είναι τροφοδοτείται με κινητήρα κυψελών καυσίμου για το οποίο συγκεντρώνει το νερό στις δεξαμενές οροφή η οποία στη συνέχεια «υδρο-μετατρέπονται σε καύσιμο υδρογόνο επί του σκάφους.
Αυτό βόλτες έννοια που χρησιμοποιεί 4-τροχών κινητήρες κόμβο και έχει λιθίου-ιόντων μπαταρία αποθήκευσης φέρεται να τρέξει περίπου 500 μίλια.
Συγκεκριμένα, χρησιμοποιεί επίσης high-end ραντάρ «terra-scan» στην οροφή του, η οποία βοηθά στον εντοπισμό του εδάφους και την προσαρμογή του πλαισίου ώστε να ταιριάζει.

2014 Mazda6 Impresses With Low Price, High Fuel Economy

2014 Mazda6 Impresses With Low Price, High Fuel Economy

January 4th, 2013 by Armaan Almeida

The redesigned Mazda6 is officially on sale now, priced from just $20,880 plus destination, making it among the least expensive midsize family sedans on the market as well as among the most fuel efficient.

The sub-$21k figure represents an increase of just $155 over the outgoing 2013 model. All Mazda6 sedans, at least at launch, come with a 184 horsepower, 185 lb-ft. torque 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder engine. Fuel efficiency numbers are in, and we’re quite impressed: 25 city/37 highway/29 combined mpg with the 6-speed conventional manual transmission, or 26 city/38/highway/30 combined mpg for the 6-speed automatic.

Those EPA figures place the Mazda6 right near the top of the food chain among non-hybrid family sedans. Only the CVT-equippedNissan Altima, at 27 city/38 highway/31 combined mpg, is more efficient.

Here’s the highlights of what Mazda is offering at each price point:

2014 Mazda6 i Sport – $20,880 plus destination ($795) – includes push-button start, power windows, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel with cruise control and audio controls, 17-inch alloy wheels, and auxiliary audio and USB/iPod inputs. Adding the 6-speed automatic brings with it Bluetooth phone and streaming audio, a 5.8-inch color touchscreen, a backup camera, HD radio, Pandora, automatic emergency response and voice commands.

2014 Mazda6 i Touring – $24,495 plus destination – adds to the mix 19-inch alloy wheels and, when adding the automatic transmission, leatherette seating surfaces, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power-adjustable drivers seat and more controls for the touchscreen interface. More-advanced features are offered as part of option packages.

2014 Mazda6 i Grand Touring – $29,495 plus destination – makes standard most of the optional features from the Touring, including TomTom navigation, a Bose premium audio system, keyless entry, automatic headlamps, HomeLink, auto-dimming rear-view and driver’s side mirrors, heated outside mirrors and Smart City Brake Support. You’ll also find exclusive 19-inch silver-finish alloy wheels, a power moonroof, a rear spoiler, leather seating and trim with heated front seats, bi-xenon HID headlamps, SiriusXM satellite radio and more.

Mazda has not announced plans for a V6 engine choice, but a Skyactiv-D diesel model is coming in the second half of 2013. All in all Mazda is offering a ton of feature content for your money, and it looks like finding the right vehicle in the midsize class just got even harder with so many fine options on the market.

US drone strike kills local AQAP commander, 2 fighters in central Yemen

US drone strike kills local AQAP commander, 2 fighters in central Yemen

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:32 PM PST


The US killed a local al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander and two fighters in the first recorded drone strike in Yemen so far this year. The US stepped up the Predator and Reapers strikes in Yemen at the end of December after a seven-week-long pause.

The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers killed Mukbel Abbad and two fighters in an attack today as their vehicle traveled in the town of Rada'a in the central Yemen province of Baydah, according to AFP.

Yemeni officials said that Abbad, a senior AQAP leader in the province, was the brother-in-law of Tariq al Dahab, who was the top AQAP leader in Baydah before his death early last year in a feud with his brother Hazam, a senior tribal leader in the town. Hazam was concerned that Tariq's affiliation with AQAP would incur the wrath of the Yemeni government.

AQAP has increased its presence in Baydah province over the past year, and the US has pursued the terror group with drone strikes. On May 28, 2012, the US targeted Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir in the province, and his brother Nabil, who is also a senior leader in the terror group, in a strike in the town of Rada'a.

Kaid took control of AQAP in Baydah after the death of his brother Tariq. Before he was killed, Tariq had seized control of Baydah, raised al Qaeda's banner, sworn allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, and warned that "the Islamic Caliphate is coming."

Kaid and Nabil were tasked with regrouping AQAP's forces in Baydah after Tariq's death. The two leaders are also the brothers-in-law of slain AQAP leader and ideologue Anwar al Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strike in the fall of 2011.

Increase in strikes in Yemen since the end of December 2012

The US has now conducted five drone strikes in Yemen since Dec. 24, 2012. Prior to the Dec. 24 attack, the last recorded attack by the US in Yemen took place on Nov. 7, 2012. Three of the strikes since Dec. 24 have taken place in and around Rada'a, and two more occurred in the eastern province of Hadramout, another AQAP redoubt.

On Dec. 24, US drones killed Abdullah Hussein al Waeli, a Yemeni operative who escaped from prison two years ago, and a Jordanian in a strike in the village of Maneseeh outside of Rada'a. And on Dec. 29, the drones again struck in Maneseeh, killing AQAP commander Saleh Mohammed al Ameri and two fighters.

US strikes in Yemen

The US is known to have carried out 42 airstrikes against AQAP in Yemen in 2012. Other recent airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the US also, but little evidence has emerged to directly link the attacks to the US.

Last year's total of 42 strikes was a marked increase from 2011, when just 10 strikes were recorded in Yemen.

Five senior AQAP operatives were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012. The US has targeted both senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, and low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report,US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10]. Obama administration officials have claimed that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland.

Since December 2009, the CIA and the US military's Joint Special Operations Command are known to have conducted at least 56 air and missile strikes inside Yemen, including the strike that took place today. [For more information on the US airstrikes in Yemen, see LWJ report, Charting the data for US air strikes in Yemen, 2002 - 2013.]

The pace of the US airstrikes increased as AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia, took over vast areas of southern Yemen starting at the end of May 2011. AQAP seized control of the cities and towns of Zinjibar, Al Koud, Jaar, and Shaqra in Abyan province, and Azzan in Shabwa province.

In May 2012, the Yemeni military launched an offensive to retake the cities and towns held by AQAP. Hundreds of AQAP fighters, Yemeni soldiers, and civilians have been reported killed during fighting that liberated Zinjibar, Jaar, Shaqra, and Azzan.

Since the beginning of May 2011, the US is known to have carried out 52 airstrikes in Yemen. Over the past year, the US has been targeting both AQAP leaders and foot soldiers in an effort to support Yemeni military operations against the terror group. AQAP had taken control of vast areas in southern Yemen and had been expanding operations against the government, with raids on military bases in locations previously thought to be outside the terror group's control.

US intelligence officials believe that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula poses a direct threat to the homeland. The latest AQAP plot against the West, involving an underwear bomb that is nearly undetectable and was to be detonated on an airliner, was foiled earlier this year. The terror group has planned multiple attacks against targets in the US. A strike in Yemen on 2011 killed both Anwar al Awlaki, the radical US-born cleric who plotted attacks against the US, and Samir Khan, another American who served as a senior AQAP propagandist.


More on Ansar al Sharia in Morocco

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:38 AM PST


In previous posts, I wrote about an Ansar al Sharia terrorist cell that was broken up by Moroccan authorities in October of last year. See here and here.

Now Magharebia has added another detail about what may be the same Ansar al Sharia cell in Morocco in a recent article [emphasis added]:
Ever since an al-Qaeda cell in Morocco was dismantled last month, Interior Minister Mohand Laenser has repeatedly underlined that security services needed to be hyper-vigilant.

The group allegedly recruited young Moroccans to join al-Qaeda and the Movement for Tawhid and Jihad (MUJAO) in northern Mali.

In another incident, members of a new Ansar al-Sharia offshoot group were arrested last month for allegedly plotting large-scale terrorist strikes across Morocco.

"This cell, which was seeking to obtain financial and military support from AQIM, was planning attacks on sensitive buildings, security headquarters and tourist sites," he said.



Although this account says the cell was "arrested last month," it sounds like the same cell that was disrupted in late October/early November. Perhaps it is a new cell. Or perhaps additional members of the same cell were arrested in December.

In any event, the Moroccan Interior Minister says this Ansar al Sharia cell was "seeking to obtain financial and military support from AQIM." That's hardly surprising.

As I pointed out in the previous two posts, the Moroccans said that an Ansar al Sharia cell was led by a jihadist ideologue affiliated with al Qaeda's websites, had adopted al Qaeda's ideology, and had "established lines of communication with terrorist groups supporting al Qaeda." In addition, the Moroccan press reported that the cell did "not hide their sympathy for extremist movements around the world, first among them al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghre[b]."


'Good Taliban' leader Mullah Nazir killed in US drone strike

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 09:07 AM PST




South Waziristan Taliban leader Mullah Nazir [bottom-center].


The US killed a senior Taliban leader in one of three drone strikes that took place in the Pakistani tribal areas over the past 24 hours; he had identified himself as an al Qaeda leader and also was favored by the Pakistani state. A separate strike killed a commander in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan along with two Uzbeks.

Mullah Nazir, the leader of the Taliban in the Wazir area of South Waziristan, was killed by the CIA-operated Predators or Reapers in a strike in the Birmal area of South Waziristan, tribal leaders and Pakistani intelligence officials told Dawn. The remotely piloted drones fired a pair of missiles at a vehicle, killing Nazir; two of his deputies, Atta Ullah and Rafey Khan; a commander known as Rata Khan; and two other fighters.

Pakistani officials in South Waziristan said that the Taliban buried Nazir at a graveyard in the Azam Warzak area of South Waziristan.

Nazir and his followers have been the targets of numerous US drone strikes in the past several years. Of the 328 strikes since 2004, 81 have hit targets in South Waziristan. Several of Nazir's deputies and commanders have been killed in those strikes.

In a separate strike, US drones killed Faisal Khan, a Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan commander, and two Uzbeks as they traveled in a vehicle in the village of Mubarak Shahi in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Dawn reported. The drones circled back and fired a second salvo of missiles as rescue workers attempted to recover the bodies, but it is unclear if anyone else was killed in the follow-on strike.

Additionally, the US killed five "militants" in a strike that targeted a compound in the Angoor Agga area of South Waziristan late last night. The identities of those killed have not been disclosed.

The US has now launched three drone strikes in Pakistan this year. Last year, the US launched 46 strikes in Pakistan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. In 2011, the US launched 64 strikes; in 2010, when the program was at its peak, there were 117 strikes.

The program was ramped up by President George W. Bush in the summer of 2008 (35 strikes were launched that year) and continued under President Barack Obama after he took office in 2009 (53 strikes that year). From 2004-2007, only 10 strikes were recorded. Although some of al Qaeda's top leaders have been killed in drone strikes since the program began in 2004, al Qaeda has been able to replace those lost in the attacks. [For data on the strikes, see LWJ reports, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013; and Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013.]

Background on Mullah Nazir

Nazir has been an influential Taliban commander and had ties to numerous terrorist groups operating in the region, including al Qaeda, the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, and the plethora of Pakistani and Central Asia jihadist groups operating in the region. He has openly supported Taliban emir Mullah Omar and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Asia Times, Nazir rejected claims that he opposed al Qaeda, and affirmed that he considered himself to be a member of the global terror organization.

Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state and only wage jihad in Afghanistan. The government has negotiated several peace deals with Nazir. Yet Nazir continued to provide safe have to top al Qaeda leaders and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, despite agreeing not to do so.

Several top al Qaeda leaders, including Ilyas Kashmiri, Abu Khabab al Masri, Osama al Kini, Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan, and Abu Zaid al Iraqi, have been killed while being sheltered by Nazir. [For more information on Nazir and al Qaeda leaders killed while under his protection, see LWJ reports, 'Good' Pakistani Taliban leader Nazir affirms membership in al Qaeda, and US drones kill 'good' Taliban commander in South Wazirstan.]

Mullah Nazir's Taliban faction is one of four major Taliban groups that joined the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance brokered by al Qaeda in late 2011. The Shura-e-Murakeba also includes Hafiz Gul Bahadar's group; the Haqqani Network; and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud and his deputy, Waliur Rehman Mehsud. The members of the Shura-e-Murakeba agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

In June 2012, Nazir banned polio vaccinations in his areas, and claimed that the program is being used by the US to gather intelligence and conduct drone strikes in the tribal areas. His action followed that of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, who shut down the program in North Waziristan earlier that month.

Nazir's death in a drone strike took place just five weeks after he was the target of a suicide attack in Wana in South Waziristan. Nazir survived the suicide bombing, but six other people were killed.


US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in South Waziristan

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 06:29 AM PST


The US conducted its first strike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal areas this year, killing five "militants," according to reports.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers, which are operated by the CIA, attacked "a house suspected of being a militant hideout," in the Angoor Agga area of South Waziristan, according to Xinhua. Four of the unmanned strike aircraft are thought to have been circling the compound before firing four missiles just after midnight.

Five "militants" are thought to have been killed, but their identities have not been disclosed. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders are known to have been killed.

Today's strike is the first in Pakistan this year. Last year, the US launched 46 strikes in Pakistan, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. In 2011, the US launched 64 strikes; in 2010, when the program was at its peak, there were 117 strikes.

The program was ramped up by President George W. Bush in the summer of 2008 (35 strikes were launched that year) and continued under President Barack Obama after he took office in 2009 (53 strikes that year). From 2004-2007, only 10 strikes were recorded. Although some of al Qaeda's top leaders have been killed in drone strikes since the program began in 2004, al Qaeda has been able to replace those lost in the attacks. [For data on the strikes, see LWJ reports, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013; and Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2013.]

Strike takes place in territory controlled by "good Taliban" leader

Today's strike took place in an area under the control of Mullah Nazir, the leader of the Taliban in the Wazir areas of South Waziristan. Nazir has openly supported Taliban emir Mullah Omar and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Asia Times, Nazir rejected claims that he opposed al Qaeda, and affirmed that he considered himself to be a member of the global terror organization. Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state.

Several top al Qaeda leaders, including Ilyas Kashmiri, Abu Khabab al Masri, Osama al Kini, Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan, and Abu Zaid al Iraqi, have been killed while being sheltered by Nazir. [For more information on Nazir and al Qaeda leaders killed while under his protection, see LWJ reports, 'Good' Pakistani Taliban leader Nazir affirms membership in al Qaeda, and US drones kill 'good' Taliban commander in South Wazirstan.]

Mullah Nazir's Taliban faction is one of four major Taliban groups that joined the Shura-e-Murakeba, an alliance brokered by al Qaeda in late 2011. The Shura-e-Murakeba also includes Hafiz Gul Bahadar's group; the Haqqani Network; and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud and his deputy, Waliur Rehman Mehsud. The members of the Shura-e-Murakeba agreed to cease attacks against Pakistani security forces, refocus efforts against the US in Afghanistan, and end kidnappings and other criminal activities in the tribal areas.

In June 2012, Nazir banned polio vaccinations in his areas, and claimed that the program is being used by the US to gather intelligence and conduct drone strikes in the tribal areas. His action followed that of Hafiz Gul Bahadar, who shut down the program in North Waziristan earlier that month.

TIM CAMERON FREESTYLING ON FLIPPER IN GAME CHANGER

First Meteor Shower of 2013 Peaks Tonight

First Meteor Shower of 2013 Peaks Tonight
Annual Quadrantids sky show will intensify in wee hours.



Quadrantid meteors streak over the Mojave Desert, California, in January 2012.

Photograph by Wally Pacholka, TWAN


Andrew Fazekas

for National Geographic News

Published January 2, 2013


Kick off the New Year with the annual Quadrantid meteor shower, which will peak tonight into tomorrow morning.

During the peak period between 3 a.m. and dawn local time, as many as a hundred shooting stars per hour will be visible from dark locations in the Northern Hemisphere. (Read about the 2011 Quadrantids.)

While the glare of the waning moon will mute the display somewhat, "don't let that stop you from stepping outside, as intense activity is limited to only six hours," said Jim Todd, planetarium manager at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

There's also no need for binoculars or telescopes to catch this sky show, according to Geza Gyuk, astronomer with the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

Early Thursday morning, "find a site with a clear northern horizon where the shower appears to radiate out from—just off the handle of the Big Dipper—and bundle up and bring a friend," said Gyuk.

"A meteor shared is a meteor squared. One gets so much more pleasure when one can compare notes, gripes, and wonder!" he added.

Quadrantids Named for "Missing" Constellation

During a meteor shower Earth passes through a cloud of sand-grain-size particles left behind by a passing comet. The particles get ionized in the upper atmosphere in a bright flash of light—some of which are brighter than others.

Tiny fragments from the comet slam into the Earth's atmosphere at 90,000 miles per hour (1.4 million kilometers per hour) and burn up 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth, "creating the spectacular display we know as a meteor shower," Todd explained.

Like other meteor showers, the Quadrantids (pronounced Kwa-drun-tids) get their name from the constellation from which the meteors appear to radiate.

Dubbed Quadrans Muralis in the 19th century, this shower's namesake pattern of stars isn't found in any map of the heavens today.

Overcrowded star charts forced the removal of the constellation in 1922.

Astronomers decided to have Quadrans Muralis absorbed by the neighboring constellation Boötes, the Herdsman.

As for the Quadrantids keeping their name, it's likely that astronomers at the time decided to maintain it to avoid any confusion with the already established Bootid meteor shower.

Quadrantids Overlooked But Impressive

Historically the Quadrantid meteor shower is overlooked simply because of its brevity and timing—right in the middle of the most frigid winter nights in the Northern Hemisphere, where they are best seen.

But the Quadrantids are worth a look.

For one, they're prolific: "Nearly as many Quadrantid meteors will fly as can be seen during the larger August Perseid and December Geminid meteor showers," said the Oregon museum's Todd.

(Related pictures: "'Beautiful' Geminid Meteor Showers Grace Skies.")

The Quadrantids are also "well known for producing fireballs—exceptionally bright meteors which can also at times generate persistent trails," Todd said.

What's more, the meteor shower's parent object holds some mystery—it appears to be a recently discovered asteroid dubbed 2003 EH1.

And observational evidence is mounting that this object is most likely an extinct comet nucleus, said Todd, which appears to be the remnant of a larger object that broke apart about 500 years ago.

This unusual cosmic heritage makes sense, as the Quadrantids don't appear in older records.

"Other meteor showers, such as the Perseids and perhaps Leonids, seem to be fairly old, with historical documentation suggesting that they have been observed for thousands of years," said Gyuk.

"For the Quadrantids, there is good evidence to suggest that the shower didn't really start until about 500 years ago—making this also consistent with its very narrow peak in activity."