Pakistan Security Brief

Drone strikes resume in Pakistan, two separate strikes kill at least 11 militants in North Waziristan; Army vows to intensify airstrikes against TTP; Pakistani leaders vow to crush terrorism in wake of Karachi attacks; Hafiz Gul Bahadur tells foreign militants and TTP in North Waziristan to remain peaceful or leave; IMU claims role in Karachi airport attack, TTP corroborates report; Islamabad airport vulnerable to attack; Cathay Pacific suspends service to Karachi; Prime Minister Sharif writes letter to Indian prime minister calling for closer ties, resolution of bilateral issues; Two Levies die in attack in Malakand; Rockets fired on Hangu IDP camp; MQM says UK not to press hate speech charges against leader Altaf Hussain.

Drone Strikes Resume

• Late on Wednesday night, U.S. drones ended a nearly six-month-long hiatus and struck twice in separate attacks in North Waziristan. The first attack in Dargah Mandi village, six miles west of Miram Shah, struck a compound and vehicle and killed at least six militants, reportedly four Uzbek and two Punjabi Taliban fighters. The second strike hit Dande Darpa Khel, just outside of Miram Shah early on Thursday morning, killing at least five suspected militants. Locals reported that three different compounds were targeted in the second strike.[1]

Karachi Attack Aftermath and Response

• The Pakistan Army on Wednesday resolved to intensify airstrikes on militant hideouts in the tribal areas following recent attacks by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) across the country. Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif reportedly made the decision during a Formation Commanders meeting at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. He also said the army would “track down terrorists” and work closely with intelligence and law-enforcement agencies to dismantle terror networks across the country. At the meeting, military leaders reportedly agreed that while the army was ready to take action against militants, any military offensive against militant hideouts would require “political ownership.”[2]

• According to a Wednesday report, Pakistani leaders, including the prime minister and army chief, decided after a meeting of top security officials on Tuesday that “terrorism in the country would be crushed with an iron hand.”[3]

• The Taliban shura in North Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur has reportedly asked foreign militants operating in the area to either “live peacefully or leave.” The shura reportedly made its decision following a meeting with a local tribal Jirga on Monday. The shura also condemned and promised to investigate a recent bomb attack on a Pakistani military checkpost in Boya, North Waziristan, and said that the group’s peace deal with the Pakistani government would remain in place until June 20.[4]

• The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) on Tuesday released a statement claiming that Uzbek fighters were involved in the TTP siege of Karachi airport on Sunday. The IMU statement published the photographs of 10 fighters it claims were “martyred” in the attack. The TTP’s central spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid issued a statement confirming that the attack was a joint operation between the TTP and IMU.[5]

• According to a Wednesday report, surveillance conducted by secret police in Islamabad has found security at the city’s international airport lacking. The chief of the police’s Special Branch reported to Punjab’s chief minister that a large portion of the CCTVs at the airport were faulty and that the security surrounding the airport’s cargo facility was inadequate.[6]

• Cathay Pacific Airways announced on Wednesday that it was cancelling some of its flights to Karachi from Bangkok following the recent TTP attack on Karachi’s airport.[7]

Militancy

• Two Levies personnel were killed on Wednesday in Malakand district when unknown gunmen opened fire on a security checkpost. Elsewhere, in Dera Ismail Khan, two militants were killed in an unsuccessful assassination attempt on a local anti-Taliban militia member.[8]

• Militants on Tuesday reportedly fired rockets at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Togh Serai, Muhammad Khwaja, Hangu district. There were no casualties. Camp residents claimed that TTP militants had previously threatened them to abandon the camp by June 11.[9]

Indo-Pak Relations

• Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday wrote in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he looked forward to working with Modi to resolve “all unsettled matters” and that he was “satisfied with the meaningful exchange of thoughts” during his meeting with Modi last month. Sharif further wrote that the countries’ future lay in a “common economic destiny.”[10]

Domestic

• Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders said on Wednesday that London police informed them that British authorities would not pursue an investigation into the use of alleged hate speech by UK citizen and MQM head Altaf Hussain.[11]