Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistan Security Brief – August 30, 2010
Flood waters beginning to recede; USAID chief faced militant threat while at aid camp in Sukkur; four militants killed in U.S. drone strike in Kurram; security forces resolve hostage situation at intelligence facility in Peshawar.
Floods
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Residents of Thatta began returning to their homes on Monday after weather officials announced that flood waters in the province have begun to recede and that fewer and fewer towns and villages will be at risk from the flooding in the coming days. The announcement came after floodwaters breached a levee outside the city on Saturday and forced the evacuation of around 175,000 people. The UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (UNOCHA) indicated that southern Sindh is the province which has been the hardest hit by the flooding, with 19 out of its 23 districts having been severely affected, more than 7 million people displaced since August 3, and more than $5 billion in damages so far.[1]
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Rajiv Shah, chief of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that he was forced to quickly leave the relief camp he was visiting in Sukkur on Friday after Diplomatic Security informed him of a possible militant threat. Information Minister Qamal Zaman Kaira said that Pakistan was unaware of any threats against foreign aid workers but promised that the government will provide security if it receives any credible evidence of such a threat.[2]
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The head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference said on Sunday that Muslim countries, individuals, and organizations have collectively pledged nearly $1 billion for flood aid and reconstruction in Pakistan. The announcement came as the United Arab Emirates on Sunday indicated that its four-day nationwide fundraising campaign had so far collected more than $20 million to help flood victims. On Friday, NATO announced that it will deploy two more cargo aircraft to Pakistan carrying more than 100 tons of relief supplies, including food, clothing, boats, and power generators.[3]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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The Pentagon announced on Sunday that it will send an additional 18 helicopters to Pakistan to take part in joint relief and rescue operations. The helicopters are due to arrive in the country by mid-September. However, despite the U.S. government’s efforts to provide Pakistan with flood relief assistance, donations from the American public are still staggering low. The American Red Cross said that it has so far collected only about $2 million to help the flood victims of Pakistan when during the same time period it had received around $100 million for the 2004 Tsunami and $230 million for the Haiti earthquake.[4]
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In an article published in the International Herald Tribune on Monday, Senator John Kerry wrote that the international community urgently needs to ramp up its efforts to provide Pakistan with assistance in dealing with its devastating country-wide flood disaster. Kerry also warned of the potential for a rise in the influence of extremism in the aftermath of the flooding, saying that “the danger of the flood extends beyond a very real humanitarian crisis” and that a “stable and secure Pakistan, based on democracy and the rule of law, is in all of our interests.” USAID administrator Rajiv Shah also spoke of the shortfalls in international support for the Pakistan flood disaster which he called “astronomical” in scope and scale. Shah also said that the disaster was a “core global humanitarian imperative” and that “there is no question that right now more can be done.”[5]
FATA
- At least four militants were killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in Kurram Agency on Saturday. A security official in Peshawar said that four missiles fired from a U.S. drone struck two vehicles travelling from Orakzai into Kurram which had stopped outside a house in Shahidano village. Differing reports indicate that the militants belonged either to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Haqqani network.[6]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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On Saturday, security forces successfully stormed and retook an army intelligence office in Peshawar following a ten-hour standoff which began when three to four militants being held at the facility overpowered their guards and took two of them hostage. One of the guards was reportedly injured during the initial incident when the captured militants grabbed weapons and began firing. The militants later exchanged fire with security forces that were posted outside the building but no casualties were reported. The militants surrendered after security forces launched an operation to retake the building which also resulted in the safe recovery of both hostages.[7]
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Security forces killed a key militant commander and one of his close aides during a shootout in Swat district on Sunday. The clash occurred in the midst of a search operation in the Mingalthan area of Charbagh sub-district after security forces received a tip that militants were present in the area. Separately, army officials met with a jirga of tribal elders in Malakand district on Sunday to discuss a comprehensive strategy for arresting militants who are suspected to be hiding in the region.[8]
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Police in Mardan district arrested 17 wanted terrorists during a series of raids on Sunday. The suspects are believed to have been behind several rocket attacks on military forces in Punjab. Deputy Inspector General Akhtar Ali Shah said that police commandos had also seized 65kg of explosive material in addition to detonators, rockets, and hand grenades.[9]
Karachi
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Police of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested a suspected TTP militant in Karachi on Monday. Police sources said the arrest was made during an operation in the Banaras area of the city and that explosive material was also recovered from the suspect, who is currently undergoing interrogation.[10]
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Two more people were shot to death in separate shooting incidents in Karachi on Sunday evening. One man was killed by unidentified gunmen in the Malir Dawood Goth area of the city while another victim was reportedly gunned down in the Garden area.[11]
