Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistani Taliban weakened by drone strikes, tensions with Afghan tribesman, claims report; TTP spokesman encourages people of Gilgit-Baltistan to reject Pakistani government; Military airstrikes kill 18 militants in Datta Khel, North Waziristan; Six LI militants killed in clashes with anti-Taliban militiamen in Tirah Valley, Khyber; IED kills one, injures 13 in Quetta; Gunmen kill policeman in Quetta; IED detonates near FC convoy in Turbat, Balochistan; Gunmen shoot school headmaster in Gwadar, Balochistan; Security forces foil terror bids in Balochistan; IED kills one, injures two in Bajaur Agency; Pakistan digging a trench on Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan, claims report; Prime Minister Sharif to address the London Conference on Afghanistan; Foreign office spokesperson declares no resumption in bilateral talks with India; Army chief addresses International Defense Exhibition and Seminar 2014 in Karachi; Pakistan one of four countries still producing landmines, claims report; Government to resume talks with PTI on December 7; PTI to continue planned protests; Iranian hackers target government agencies including in Pakistan, claims report.
Militancy
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According to a December 4 Reuters report, Pakistani Taliban militants hiding in Afghanistan are being weakened by an increase in targeted U.S. drone strikes and a nascent rebellion by tribesmen against the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The report further claims that drone strikes and tensions with tribesmen have forced Pakistani Taliban militants to move from small Afghan towns to seek refuge in mountainous border areas. [1]
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On December 2, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Muhammad Khurasani posted a message on Facebook in Urdu, addressing the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in Azad Kashmir. Khurasani claimed that the recent statement by Pakistani Information Minister Parvez Rashid stating that Gilgit-Baltistan is legally not a part of Pakistan, reflects the mentality of the Pakistani elite. Khurasani further declared that the people of the region would never be able to enjoy the same rights as the people of Punjab and Sindh and encouraged them to reject the government. [2]
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On December 4, Pakistani Air Force airstrikes killed 18 militants in the Mada Khel area of Datta Khel sub-district in North Waziristan.[3]
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According to a December 4 report in The News, six Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants were killed and ten Tauheed-ul-Islam (TI) anti-Taliban militiamen were injured in clashes in the Nari Baba area of the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency. According to the report, LI and TTP militants jointly attacked members of Tauheed-ul-Islam. [4]
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On December 4, an improvised explosive device (IED) killed at least one person and injured 13 others near a market in the Satellite Town area of Quetta.[5]
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On December 3, gunmen on motorcycles killed one policeman and injured another in the Hazarganji area of Quetta.[6]
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On December 4, an IED detonated near a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy in the Sangani Sarmin area of Turbat district in Balochistan. No casualties were reported.[7]
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On December 4, gunmen shot dead a school headmaster in Gwadar district, Balochistan.[8]
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On December 4, FC personnel foiled major terror bids during two different raids in the Mastung and Chaman areas of Balochistan. Security forces conducted a raid in the Rehman Kahol area of Chaman and recovered over 1000 kilograms of explosive materials during the raid. The forces also conducted a raid in the Kanak area of Mastung and recovered thousands ammunition rounds, a motorcycle and a laptop.[9]
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On December 4, a remote controlled IED killed one and injured two others in the Karkanri area of Nawagai sub-district in Bajaur Agency.[10]
Foreign Affairs
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According to a December 4 Associated Press report, Pakistani authorities are digging a trench along the Pak-Afghan border in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. FC personnel claim that the 10-foot wide, 8-foot deep trench will control the smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition across the border, in addition to stopping the infiltration of militants and illegal immigrants. Afghanistan has never accepted the 2,640-kilometer-long border with Pakistan and neither have the tribal communities that inhabit the region.[11]
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On December 4, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to address the London Conference on Afghanistan and represent Pakistani views on Afghanistan. According to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Daniel Feldman, the conference is an opportunity for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to outline their social, economic and political reform plans. Feldman added that the conference also provides an opportunity for U.S. and other international partners to reiterate their commitment to Afghanistan.[12]
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On December 4, Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam declared that there was no immediate “breakthrough expected in the resumption of bilateral dialogue with India.” Aslam also reiterated that peace and stability in the region are important for development.[13]
Military
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On December 4, army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif stated that unresolved issues such as Palestine or Kashmir threaten the security of the entire region and necessitate a regional approach to conflict resolution. Gen. Sharif also stated that the presence of non-state actors in Pakistan has complicated the internal security situation. The army chief further said that in the new world order, the realm of security does not apply only to securing borders but also securing cultures and ways of life. Gen. Sharif made these remarks at the eighth International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2014 being held in Karachi.[14]
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According to a December 3 report entitled “Landmine Monitor 2014” released by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), Pakistan is one of the only four countries in the world which still produces anti-personnel landmines and has the second largest stockpile of landmines. The other three countries producing landmines are India, Myanmar and South Korea.[15]
Political Crisis
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According to a December 4 Express Tribune report, the government has decided to formally resume talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership on December 7. The government’s team will be headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. The expected agenda of the talks will be the Terms of Reference for a judicial commission to investigate rigging allegations in the 2013 general elections. The report further claims that PTI chief Imran Khan will insist on the inclusion of officials from Military Intelligence and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the judicial commission. Meanwhile, on December 3, Khan declared that the PTI will go ahead with its “Plan C” and continue to hold protests unless the proposed judicial commission starts investigating the rigging allegations.[16]
Cyber Attack
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A report released by security firm Cylance on December 2 claims that Iranian hackers have “extracted highly sensitive materials” from government agencies and major infrastructure companies in various countries including Pakistan. The hackers are believed to work from Tehran with help from collaborators located in the Netherlands, Canada and Britain.[17]
