Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistan Security Brief – February 3, 2010
Bomb explosion kills three US soldiers in lower Dir; rumors emerge that TTP lieutenant Qari Hussein has been killed; US drone strikes kill 16 in North Waziristan; three militants killed in Swabi operation; Rangers given authority to handle wave of violence in Karachi.
-
Three US soldiers part of a training unit working with the Pakistani Frontier Corps were among those killed in a bomb explosion outside a girls’ school in lower Dir district. The blast left at least 10 people dead, including three schoolgirls and one Frontier Corps soldier, and injured 70 more. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.[1]
-
Unconfirmed reports have emerged suggesting that Qari Hussein, the TTP’s top trainer of suicide bombers, may have also been killed in the same January 14 drone strike that is believed to have killed TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud.[2]
-
A series of US drone strikes on Tuesday killed at least 16 Taliban militants in North Waziristan. Officials said that eight unmanned aircraft fired 18 missiles at targets in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, making this the heaviest single attack by US drones. Sources have indicated that the targets belonged to Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group.[3]
-
On Tuesday, Pakistani troops killed three militants, including a local commander, during the military’s first ever operation in Swabi district. Eight people were reported injured in the clash and another four militants later surrendered. Residents indicated that security forces had moved in and sealed off the Malikabad area the night before the operation.[4]
-
The Sindh government has given the Rangers authority to maintain security within the limits of 26 police stations in Karachi following a recent spike in violence. More than 37 people have been killed in the city over the past five days, primarily as a result of violent disputes between members of the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM).[5]
