The Tegucigalpa approach

American Airlines Boeing 757 circles to land at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras airport. Nicely done, AA.

For pilots of large aircraft this is one of the most
challenging approaches in the world. Mountainous terrain in all directions and a small hill at the approach end of the runway (which can give pilots the desire to want to fly much higher than they should--that results in bad stuff--too fast approach speeds and longer touchdown points). Now, throw in some crosswinds. In addition, the runway is only 5,800 feet long and has a 1% downslope with a cliff at the end. Perfect.

Mullah Omar Spokesman Surrenders

The former head of the Taliban regime’s radio station and spokesman for its leader, Mullah Mohamed Omar, has surrendered to the Afghan government. Apparently, Mullah Mohamed Is’haq Nizami (pictured above), returned to Afghanistan this week from Pakistan, but wasn't interested in telling reporters his story...yet:

“I’m not ready.” He headed and ran the Taliban government’s Shariat Shagh (Voice of Shariah) radio station before the US-led invasion that toppled the hardline regime in November 2001...

Nizami had been in Pakistan running an underground magazine called Sirek (Shine) for the Taliban, who are now waging an insurgency against the US-backed administration of President Hamid Karzai, a government spokesman said.

“He’s an important person because he was Mullah Omar’s spokesman and currently was actively running a paper for the Taliban and against the government,” Lutfullah Mashal said.

The fact the Taliban are downplaying this guy makes me think he might know the whereabouts of other, bigger, fish:

The Taliban confirmed that Nizami had surrendered but said he was not a significant figure. “He is mentally sick,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said. “He had some cultural relations to the Taliban but he was not an important person.”