Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistan Security Brief – March 9, 2010
Five killed in drone attack; Taliban leaders thought dead still alive; Gen. David Petraeus endorses Pakistan’s strategic decisions; Taliban reintegration to be top of agenda in Pak-Afghan talks; armed lashkar set fire to 130 militant houses; two pro-government tribal leaders killed; Balochistan Government requests Frontier Corps during elections; local residents warned authorities of Lahore attack.
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A drone fired three missiles at a small hotel in North Waziristan killed five people on Monday. The hotel, located near the Miramshah bazaar, may have housed tribal and foreign militants staying there due to a daylong curfew. According to a security official militants are now staying in unimportant places to avoid losses in drone attacks.[1]
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On Monday Maulvi Faqir Mohammad refuted Saturday’s announcement by Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik that he, Fateh Mohammad, and Qari Zia-ur-Rehman were killed in a Pakistani airstrike. Maulvi Faqir Mohammad is the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Bajaur. Fateh Mohammad is a senior leader in the Swat chapter of TTP. Qari Zia-ur-Rehman leads fighters in Kunar Province of Afghanistan and has ties to the TTP in Bajaur and Mohmand.[2]
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In two televised interviews over the weekend General Petraeus apparently endorsed Pakistan’s position on protecting its interests in Afghanistan and consolidating its gains in South Waziristan and Swat before moving on to North Waziristan. He acknowledged Pakistan’s concern that it lacks strategic depth and Pakistan’s need to leave “behind a sustainable security, a sustainable economic and social, political situation” in the areas where it has already sent troops before sending them elsewhere.[3]
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Taliban integration will be a key part of the agenda in the upcoming talks between President Karzai and Islamabad. Karzai is also expected to request the extradition of Mullah Baradar for trial in Afghanistan. Counter-insurgency, the anti-terrorism campaign, the US troop surge in Afghanistan, the repatriation of Afghan refugees and development are also likely to be on the agenda.[4]
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On Monday a Salarzai tribal lashkar backed by the political administration burned down 130 houses reportedly owned by the Taliban in Bajaur. One Taliban was killed, while nine more were arrested during the joint operation. The lashkar has announced a Rs2 million ($23,600) fine for anyone harboring the Taliban and warned that violators’ houses would be torched.[5]
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Two pro-government tribal leaders were killed in South Waziristan when unidentified attackers blew up their car. The men had received threats from the Taliban to stop supporting the government.[6]
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The Balochistan Government has called on the Frontier Corps to maintain the peace while elections are held in Jafferabad. An FC spokesman said that anyone attempting to “disrupt the peace would be dealt with an iron hand.”[7]
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Locals issued multiple warnings to the government over several months that the Federal Investigation Agency building in Lahore, destroyed in a suicide bomb attack on Monday,was a prime target for an attack. The building was an interrogation facility for the agency and residents had repeatedly requested it be shifted elsewhere.[8]
