Pakistan Security Brief

U.S. military leaders tell Senate Armed Forces Committee Pakistan knows where Mullah Omar is; Pakistan to keep shelling militants as they flee into Afghanistan if cross-border attacks continue; F.B.I. had flawed intelligence on Saif al-Adel; Alleged HuT-linked Brig. Khan likely to be released; Western nations press China on Pakistan nuclear plant cooperation; Six rangers charged with murder in video killing case; Two NATO oil tankers destroyed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• On Tuesday, U.S. Vice Admiral William McRaven, current commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and nominee for commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM,) told the Senate Armed Services Committee he believed the Pakistani government knew Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Omar was living in Pakistan. Vice Adm. McRaven also stated he believed the U.S. had asked Pakistan to find Mullah Omar. Vice Adm. McRaven also said Pakistan’s hesitation to target the Haqqani Network was “unlikely to change,” whether it was a “function . . . of capacity” or of political will. Members of the committee also asked Lieutenant General John Allen, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and nominee to succeed General David Petraeus as ISAF commander, if he was positive explosive devices being used against U.S. troops in Afghanistan were being made in Pakistan. Lt. Gen. Allen replied that he was certain and that Pakistan had failed to successfully act on U.S. intelligence tips regarding the bomb-making facilities.[i]

• On Wednesday, Pakistani Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said that if Omar had been in Pakistan, he would probably have left after the May 2 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Mukhtar also said Pakistan had asked the U.S. “to vacate the Shamshi airbase.” It has been alleged in the past the U.S. has used Shamshi airbase to launch Predator drones.[ii]

Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

• Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, has told the Express Tribune Pakistan will continue to fire rockets at Afghanistan-based militants that launch attacks on the Pakistan side of the border. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir reportedly made this clear in Kabul on Tuesday at the Core Group Meeting with U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin. Bashir told the press after the meeting that the “blame game” regarding the rocket attacks must end.[iii]

Saif al Adel

• In recent efforts to learn more about Saif al Adel, who until recently was the interim leader of al Qaeda, it was discovered that the F.B.I. may “have been working off a flawed profile of him that merged his identity with another person.” The F.B.I. thought al Adel operated under the alias of Muhammad Ibrahim Makkawi, but recent discoveries indicate they could be two separate people. The F.B.I. has declined to comment.[iv]

Extremists in the Military

• The Express Tribune reports Brig. Ali Khan, who was detained regarding his possible connection to international extremist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT,) is likely to be released soon because of a lack of “solid evidence.” It is unknown if he will be allowed to maintain his post in the army. According to the Express Tribune, Brig. Khan may have been detained more because of his criticism of the military leadership than his extremist ties.[v]

• Geo reports Navy officials may have found evidence that the terrorists who attacked the PNS Mehran naval base last month “were receiving help from inside the base.” While the “internal probe of the attack” has been completed, the investigation of “external factors” continues.[vi]

Nuclear Security

• In a June 23-24 meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Western nations pressed China “on its plans to expand an atomic energy plant in Pakistan.” China did not indicate it was willing change its “position on building two more reactors at the Chashma nuclear power complex” in Punjab.

• In an interview with Der Spiegel, the father of the Pakistani nuclear program Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan accused the West of creating “hype” about the possibility of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands. He claims “[t]here never was . . . is not and . . . never will be any threat to [Pakistani] nuclear assets.” Khan also declared he “did not indulge in proliferation and there is no such thing as an ‘A.Q. Khan Network.’”[vii]

Judicial Commissions

• The six Rangers arrested in connection with the murder of Sarfaraz Shah have been charged with murder. The Rangers’ trial will be held in a civilian court. Public outrage regarding the murder arose in reaction to the release of a video of the unarmed 22-year-old pleading for his life after being shot in the hand and leg.[viii]

• An investigation report regarding the murder of Christian politician Shahbaz Bhatti shows that the assassination was at least partially planned by the group affiliated with recently killed militant leader Ilyas Kashmiri. Kashmiri planned to work with Asmatullah Mawaia, “the self-proclaimed leader of the Punjabi Taliban.” The report states the attack was “executed by elements of Tehreek-i-Islami, coupled with the disgruntled lot of ‘Ghazi Force’ stationed at Islamabad.”[ix]

• The commission investigating the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad has asked the public for information relating to the murder.[x]

• The commission investigating the shooting of five foreigners in Kharotabad last month has announced the findings of the investigation will not be made public. According to the Express Tribune, the investigation’s findings are incriminating and would further hurt the reputation of the security forces if released.[xi]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• Two NATO oil tankers were torched inKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday. It has been reported, however, that neither were incidents of terrorism. One of the drivers had reportedly sold the oil on the black market before blowing the tanker up, and the other may have been involved in a scheme to destroy the tanker and get the insurance money after the incident was blamed on terrorists.[xii]