Pakistan Security Brief
TTP assassinates senior police official in Karachi; Security forces kill three TTP militants in Karachi; U.S. believes terrorist has become decentralized; Pakistan’s National Security Advisor and U.S. Secretary of State agree to strategic review meeting; Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. meets with Select Committee on Intelligence; Security forces kill ten militants in South Waziristan; National Security Advisor says state to reestablish writ in North Waziristan in weeks or months; Suicide bomber detonates his device to avoid arrest in Dera Ismail Khan; Blast in Ghotki, Sindh Province injures mother and child; Bajaur Levies seize arms from mosque; TTP targeting high-ranking government and military officials; Zardari arrives in Islamabad to appear before corruption court .
Senior Police Official Killed in Karachi
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On Thursday, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden vehicle into a police convoy near Essa Nagri on the Lyari expressway in Karachi, killing senior police official Chaudhry Aslam Khan, two other officers, and injuring eleven. Differing articles reported that militants had planted a bomb on Aslam’s car, refuting earlier reports that a bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into Aslam’s convoy. Chaudhry Aslam was the head of the Karachi police’s anti-terror operations at its Crime Investigation Department, and had survived several previous assassination attempts. Sajjad Mohmand, a spokesman from the Mohmand agency chapter of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that the group targeted Aslam for carrying out operations against the TTP in Karachi. Prior to the attack, Aslam had claimed to have killed a “trio of suspects” belonging to the TTP in a shootout between militants and police during a planned raid in the Mangho Pir area of Karachi.[1]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Thursday report in The Express Tribune, U.S. Deputy Coordinator of Regional Affairs and Programs in the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism Justin Siberell recently briefed journalists on several topics, including Pakistan and radical Islamic terrorism. He said that the U.S. sees Pakistan’s possible negotiations with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as an internal matter but that “the TTP is viewed as a significant threat by the U.S.” He also said that while al Qaeda core has been weakened, the terrorist threat has become decentralized. He mentioned several groups in Pakistan, including the TTP, the Haqqani Network, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, that share many of al Qaeda’s goals.[2]
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On Thursday, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated that the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have agreed to a strategic review meeting that will take place in Washington. The Foreign Office spokesperson also stated there was no confirmation regarding Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Pakistan, and commented on Saudi-Pakistan relations pertaining to cooperation in energy, infrastructure, and investment.[3]
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On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S., Jalil Abbas Jilani, met with the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Diane Feinstein to discuss relations between the U.S. and Pakistan. Ambassador Jilani brief Senator Feinstein on the latest developments in Pakistan. The two also discussed matters of mutual interest, including Afghanistan. Also on Wednesday, Jilani met with leaders of the Foreign Affairs Committee to begin developing relations with Congress and advancing bilateral relations between the U.S. and Pakistan.[4]
Militancy
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On Wednesday, Pakistani security forces responded to a terrorist attack on the Green Ridge Post in Ladha, South Waziristan and claimed to have killed 10 militants. The exchange of fire between security forces and the militants resulted in the death of three security officers, as well. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.[5]
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According to a Thursday report in The Express Tribune, Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz claimed that the central government has regained control in six of the seven agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), and that the one agency remaining beyond the writ of the state, North Waziristan, will be brought under control within the next few weeks or months.[6]
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On Wednesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up to avoid being arrested by police in Draban sub-district of Dera Ismail Khan.[7]
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On Wednesday, a blast in Ghotki, Sindh Province injured a woman and her child.[8]
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On Wednesday, officials of the political administration of Mamund sub-district of Bajaur agency, along with security forces and Bajaur Lieves Forces, seized heavy arms from a mosque, including 16 missile shells, 27 rocket shells, hand-grenades, eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and six pressure bombs.[9]
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According to a Thursday report in The News, the National Crisis Management Cell sent a communiqué on January 3 to provincial law enforcement agencies warning that the TTP has decided to target cabinet members and high-ranking members of the military.[10]
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On Wednesday, gunmen injured a teacher in Rawalpindi. The teacher is also a caretaker at a Shia convention hall.[11]
Domestic
