Pakistan Security Brief

IS graffiti appears in Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; IS allegedly appoints Afghan Taliban commander as chief of “Khorasan” chapter; TTP Jamatul Ahrar releases photo of Wagah suicide bomber; Military kills 30 militants in airstrikes in Datta Khel area, North Waziristan Agency; TTP Jamatul Ahrar sends Commander Khorasani with additional fighters to Khyber Agency; Security forces destroy four militant hideouts in Jamrud sub-district, Khyber Agency; TTP claims responsibility for killing of PPP leader in Swat; FC targets BLA and UBA in Kachhi district, Balochistan; Unidentified gunmen attack a police checkpost, killing a policeman in Quetta; Five militants killed, two policemen injured in Karachi; Attackers kill four people, injure one, including police in Karachi; Afghan President Ghani arrives in Pakistan for official visit, holds bilateral meetings; Russia supports Pakistan’s membership of Shanghai Cooperation Organization; PAT, PTI chief declared absconders by court; Indian security forces kill two armed militants in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Islamic State in South Asia

• According to a November 14 Dawn report, graffiti supporting Islamic State (IS) has been spotted in various parts of Bannu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The message, reportedly written by the Awami Baghi Group, Bannu, Waziristan in Urdu, welcomes the head Islamic State, Abu Bakkar al Baghdadi, and offers tributes to him. Graffiti has been reported in the areas of City road, Cantonment road, Dera Ismail Khan road and Miram Shah road in Bannu. The report further claims that Islamic State has appointed Abdul Raheem Muslim Dost, an Afghan Taliban fighter, as the chief of its “Khorasan” chapter. The “Khorasan” chapter reportedly comprises of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries.[1]

Indo-Pak Border Suicide Bombing

• As reported on November 13, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Jamatul Ahrar released a photo of the suicide bomber it claims carried out the November 2 suicide bombing in Wagah, Punjab that killed over 60 people. TTP Jamatul Ahrar spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan referred to the suicide bomber as Brother Hanifullah and restated that the bombing was carried out in retaliation to the military offensive in North Waziristan Agency.[2]

Militancy

• On November 14, the Pakistani military killed at least 30 militants in airstrikes in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan Agency. Some of the militants killed were reportedly foreigners.[3]

• On November 13, TTP Jamatul Ahrar spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan announced that the group’s intelligence commander Omar Khalid Khorasani had been sent to Khyber Agency along with a contingent of fighters to engage security forces.[4]

• On November 13, security forces destroyed four militant hideouts in the Chappari and Lashora areas of Jamrud sub-district, Khyber Agency.[5]

• Over the past six months, the Pakistan military has suffered almost 100 casualties in North Waziristan Agency while 12 soldiers have died in Khyber Agency since Operation Khyber I began October 17. Most of these deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices (IED). The BBC reports that the military’s goal in Khyber is to eliminate the haven in which local militant group Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) has been hosting TTP militants fleeing North Waziristan. The military hopes to clear militants from Khyber Agency before winter sets in in order to neutralize the threat they pose to Peshawar.[6]

• On November 12, militants shot dead Fazal Hayat, a local Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader, in the Qambar area of Mingora city in Swat district. TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani claimed responsibility for the attack in an email message and said that the PPP leader was targeted for supporting democracy which was an “infidel” system.[7]

• On November 14, the Frontier Corps (FC) launched an operation against Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and United Baloch Army (UBA) militants in the Sunni Shoran area of Bolan in Kachhi district, Balochistan. The FC killed several militants on November 14 as part of this operation.[8]

• On November 14, unidentified gunmen attacked a police checkpost killing a policeman in the Hasarabad area of Hana, Quetta.[9]

• On November 14, five militants were killed and two policemen injured in a shootout in the Swati area of Quaidabad, Karachi.[10]

• On November 14, unidentified attackers killed four people including a police assistant sub-inspector and injured another policeman in the Lines area of Karachi.[11]

Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

• On November 14, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Islamabad for an official two-day visit and held meetings with senior Pakistani military and government officials. President Ghani appreciated the Pakistani military’s efforts in combatting terrorism and hailed the sacrifices made by the county. Ghani further declared that Afghanistan wanted to enhance “security and defense ties with Pakistan including cooperation in training and border management,” and that Afghanistan would cooperate with Pakistan to curb terrorism. After a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Afghan and Pakistan officials also agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in economic and trade relations. Ghani is accompanied by Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Muhammadi and Afghan Army chief Gen. Sher Muhammad Karimi among other senior Afghan ministers and security officials.[12]

Russia-Pakistan Relations

• According to a report in The News on November 14, Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Alexey Dedov, said that Russia was actively involved in the process of Pakistan’s accession to full-member status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Dedov also declared that Russia supports the Chinese plan of developing the Silk Route which includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and that Russia is interested in various energy-related projects in Pakistan.[13]

Domestic Politics

• On November 14, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) judge declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri to be fugitives in a case relating to an attack on a senior police officer on September 1 by PAT and PTI supporters. On November 12, an ATC issued non-bailable arrest warrants against PAT and PTI leaders for attacking the Pakistan Television Corporation’s (PTV) headquarters and the Parliament building in Islamabad on August 31 and September 1.[14]

Indian-administered Kashmir

• On November 13, Indian security forces conducted a search operation, killing two armed militants in Chenigam village in Indian-administered Kashmir. One civilian was killed in the gunfire while two security personnel were injured. On November 14, clashes erupted again between civilians and security officials in which three security personnel and one civilian were injured.[15]