Pakistan Security Brief

TTP chief Fazlullah reportedly in North Waziristan days before operation, met with Bahadur group, Haqqani Group, Uzbeks, Punjabi Taliban and al Qaeda; Security forces discover three IED factories, IEDs in hotel in North Waziristan; Two soldiers killed in IED attack on July 1; Police in Islamabad heighten security; Government criticizes recent NSA surveillance; Interior minister criticizes former army spokesman’s recent remarks about ex-army chief, urges retired officials to maintain confidentiality; Foreign Office addresses Kashmir incident and Iraq situation.

North Waziristan Offensive

• Senior Leaders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) confirmed on July 3 that Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), traveled to North Waziristan a few days before the start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb.  Fazlullah allegedly visited to brief the TTP leadership in the area on the upcoming military operation and to assure them that they would be accommodated in Afghanistan.  Senior members of the TTP and a leading member of the North Waziristan tribal Jirga confirmed the reports.  Fazlullah reportedly met with Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur and requested he join the TTP in fighting Pakistani forces, an offer Bahadur is said to have refused.  Fazlullah reportedly met with different Taliban commanders in Datta Khel, Miram Shah and Mir Ali sub-districts along with the TTP chief for Mohmand Agency, Maulvi Omar Khalid Khurasani.  Fazlullah also met with Haqqani Network, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Punjabi Taliban and al Qaeda members in the area.  Haqqani Network leaders also allegedly rejected his offer to attack Pakistani forces but promised to contact him if they needed support in Afghanistan.  Fazlullah also reportedly requested that militant commanders move to safe locations in advance of the operation.[1]

• The Pakistan Army reported that on July 2 that security forces cleared three additional improvised explosive device (IED) factories containing a large amount of explosives, anti-tank mines, a suicide bomber training center, a media facility and a cache of rockets in North Waziristan Agency.  Security forces also discovered and dismantled six IEDs attached to four computers in a private hotel in the same undisclosed area.[2]

• According to The News, suspected militants planted an IED on July 1 that killed two Pakistan Army soldiers.  Militants placed the bomb on Bypass Road in Mir Ali sub-district and the bomb hit a convoy of Pakistan Army soldiers on their way to the city of Mir Ali from Khajori checkpoint in North Waziristan Agency.[3] 

• Dawn reported that six bodies were discovered on July 3 in the Harmaz area of Mir Ali sub-district in North Waziristan Agency.  Neither the identities of the bodies nor the circumstances surrounding their death could be ascertained.[4]

• On July 3, former Director General of the army’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major Gen. (retd.) Athar Abbas urged Pakistani security forces to focus on eliminating militants in Pakistan’s major cities along with North Waziristan to ensure the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb.  He also warned security forces of the possibility of a militant counter-attack following the military operation.[5]

Domestic Security

• Capital police in Islamabad toughened security measures on July 3 after security and intelligence forces reported the presence of up to 12 suspected militants in Tarnol area of Islamabad.  Intelligence agents warned that the militants could strike sensitive locations in Islamabad or Rawalpindi.  In response, joint teams of Army, Rangers and police personnel ramped up their intelligence efforts in Tarnol.[6]

NSA Surveillance

• On July 3, the Pakistan government submitted an official protest with the United States over recent reports that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) spied on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).  Pakistan’s Foreign Office called the NSA’s actions a violation of international law and said they were working to harden their cyber communication from spying and cyber-attacks.[7]

Abbas and Kayani

• On July 3, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan criticized recent remarks by former army spokesman Gen. Athar Abbas regarding Kayani’s reluctance to launch a North Waziristan military operation in 2010 and 2011.  Khan said former officials must consider the impact of their remarks on the nation and be strategic about their statements to keep from harming the nation and national unity.  He also urged retired officials to consider the importance and value of confidentiality for the good of the nation and the current military operation.[8] 

Foreign Relations

• An eight-member delegation of senior Afghan officials, led by Director General of Military Operations Major General Azfzal Aman, met with Pakistani officials at the Army’s general headquarters in Islamabad on July 3.  The joint meeting addressed border coordination efforts and both sides agreed to continue to meet and further develop bilateral border cooperation in future meetings.[9]

• Pakistan’s Foreign Office on July 3 said that India violated the Line of Control in the Kotli sector of Kashmir when unprovoked firing by India Army soldiers injured one Pakistan Army soldier on July 2.[10] 

• Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Tasneem Aslam said on July 3 that Pakistan was concerned about the security situation and violence in Iraq and was working to keep Pakistani pilgrims in Iraq safe.[11]