Pakistan Security Brief

Eight people killed in Kurram Agency; Twenty kidnapped in Kurram; Militants killed in Orakzai; Two schools blown up in Khyber; Families of drone strike victims yet to be compensated; Attack on Cricket World Cup thwarted; U.S. and Pakistan aim to restart strategic dialogue; ‘Target killings’ continue in Karachi; Gas line blown up in Dera Bugti.

FATA

• On Friday, eight people were killed and five others sustained injuries in an attack on a vehicle traveling in the Bagan area of Kurram Agency. The victims were said to be Shia Muslims of the Turi tribe. A correspondent for the BBC reports that it is “very likely the attack happened as a result of the recent peace deal between Shia tribes in the area and the Taliban.” A local administrator, Javid Khan, said that the bus was “attacked as it was traveling on the main road that runs through Kurram that connects the main town in the region, Parachinar, with Peshawar.” The Express Tribune reports that forty people were also kidnapped along with their vehicle.[i]
• Eight militants were killed in Orakzai Agency on Friday after security forces attacked their hideouts in the Shakar Tangi area. A search operation was also carried out in the Saifal Darra, Kasha, and Samana areas of the agency.[ii]
• Two schools were blown up in Khyber Agency on Friday. Militants planted improvised explosive devices near the schools in Landi Kotal sub-district before detonating them. No loss of life has been reported.[iii]
• The News reports that that the families of the victims of the recent U.S. drone strike that killed forty people last week have yet to be compensated. The media outlet has stated that residents in Datta Khel were “not only upset over the cold response of the government but were angry with their MNA [Member of National Assembly] for not raising the issue of killing of innocent tribesmen in the National Assembly.”[iv]

Attack on Cricket World Cup Thwarted

• The head of Interpol, Ronald K. Noble, reported that the organization has foiled a plan to conduct an attack during the cricket World Cup. Noble stated that, "Last week, through cooperation from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, we were able to identify, locate and arrest a terrorist." The suspected terrorist was allegedly arrested during his travels from Karachi to the Maldives.[v]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, has reported that the United States and Pakistan have been working together to resume strategic talks. Grossman additionally confirmed that the two countries have planned to reschedule President Zardari's visit to Washington, which had been postponed, as well as plan President Obama's trip to Pakistan. Unidentified diplomatic sources said that the next round of strategic dialogue may be held in Islamabad in the near future. In addition, the sources said that the two countries have made some progress in alleviating tension caused by the Raymond Davis case.[vi]

‘Target Killings’ in Karachi

• At least eighteen more people were shot dead on Thursday night and Friday morning in the most recent wave of ‘target killings’ in Karachi. A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist was among the dead. Two cars were also torched in the ongoing violence, which has claimed the lives of nearly fifty people in the last few days.[vii]

Balochistan

• A gas pipeline was blown up in Dera Bugti on Friday. The pipeline at the Pir Koh gas field was damaged when unidentified militants planted an explosive device near the line. A search operation into the incident has commenced.[viii]