Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistani airstrikes kill approximately 35 alleged TTP militants in North Waziristan; Head of TTP Mohmand says military operations will not stop TTP attacks; Airstrikes kill seven and injure six in Khyber agency; Gunmen kill seven and injure four in North Waziristan; Pakistan will reportedly not consider strategic depth in potential North Waziristan operation; Defence Minister says security forces have been cleared to retaliate against militants; Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs expresses disappointment at execution of 23 Frontier Corps personnel in Afghanistan; Interior Ministry warns of terror threats in Punjab; Gunmen in Balochistan kill two and injure one; Pakistan military acknowledges that TTP has killed over 100 military personnel in past five months.
Military Operations in the Tribal Areas
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Late Wednesday night, targeted air strikes in Datta khel, Shawal, and Mir Ali sub-districts in North Waziristan agency killed approximately 35 Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. The air strikes, carried out by Pakistani jets and AH-1 Cobra gunships, occurred one day after the TTP said a ceasefire could be negotiated if security forces stopped targeting its members. Geo News reported that the air strikes killed TTP commander Abdul Sattar and destroyed compounds belonging to other TTP commanders. According to a report in Dawn, air strikes also targeted facilities used to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif authorized the air strikes and reportedly gave into pressure from the military for tougher military action against the TTP militants following the killing of 23 Frontier Corps (FC) personnel. According to a BBC article, security officials were only able to confirm the killing of 15 people, including some foreign fighters.[1]
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On Thursday, air strikes killed seven militants and injured six others in the Bara sub-district of Khyber agency. The air strikes were reportedly in response to the February 13 bombing of a movie theater in Peshawar, and the February 18 assassination of a Pakistan Army Major[2]
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According to a Thursday article in The Express Tribune, the head of the TTP Mohmand agency, Umar Khalid Khorasani, stated that military action will not stop the TTP, adding that their war is ideological. The Chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter and member of the TTP-nominated negotiating committee, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim, condemned the recent airstrikes in North Waziristan.[3]
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On Thursday, Maulana Yusuf Shah, a member of the TTP-nominated negotiating committee stated that he was hopeful the peace process would yield results even after the military conducted airstrikes against TTP militants in North Waziristan.[4]
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According to a Thursday report in The News, Pakistan will not take “strategic depth” into consideration if it decides to launch a military operation in North Waziristan. According to the report, this is due to the fact that the Haqqani Network is supporting the TTP.[5]
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On Thursday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that security forces have been given permission to retaliate against militants after a string of terrorist attacks.[6]
Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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On Thursday, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz met with Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Maqbool Osmani in Malé, Maldives where Aziz expressed his concern about the execution of 23 Frontier Corps personnel by the TTP in Afghan territory.[7]
Militancy
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On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen killed seven people and injured four others in an attack near Esha checkpost in North Waziristan agency.[8]
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On Wednesday, the Director General of the National Crisis Management Cell of the Interior Ministry, Tariq Lodhi, said in a presentation before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee that Punjab province faced threats from the TTP and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), al Qaeda, ethnic terrorism, targeted killings, and other outlawed militant groups from Sindh. Lodhi also commented on the threats posed by various militant groups throughout Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).[9]
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On Thursday, a suicide bomber in Sibi, Balochistan detonated his explosive vest without causing any casualties.[10]
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On Thursday, unidentified gunmen in Loralai, Balochistan killed two people and injured another.[11]
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On Thursday, a bomb blast in Naseerabad district, Balochistan damaged a railroad but caused no casualties.[12]
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On Wednesday, Pakistan Army officials acknowledged that 114 military personnel, as well as 38 police officers, have been killed by the TTP in the last five months.[13]
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On Wednesday, a small bomb blast injured one person in Peshawar. The bomb was planted near the house of Haji Mohammad Javed, a former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial minister.[14]
Domestic
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On Thursday Supreme Court Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani took notice of the threat made by the TTP against two religious minority groups of Chitral district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[15]
