Pakistan Security Brief

British jihadist, a former Taliban member, joins IS; Drone strike kills six, injures three in Datta Khel, North Waziristan Agency; LI leader flees to Afghanistan while resistance increases in Khyber following Jamatul Ahrar support; TTP Jamatul Ahrar IED attack kills two security personnel in Peshawar; Afghan Taliban rejects NDS statement that Mullah Omar might be dead; IED blast injures two FC personnel near Quetta; Police kill militant in Dera Ismail Khan district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; Indian forces kill three suspects in Indian-administered Kashmir; High-profile prisoners to be shifted to Mardan prison; Pakistani national security adviser telephones Afghan counterpart to clarify remarks; Former Afghan President declares no need foreign troops’ presence in Afghanistan; Eavesdropping on Pakistani officials led to espionage probe against former U.S. diplomat; Other senior officials charged in Musharraf treason case; No timeframe for return of IDPs to North Waziristan Agency; Chinese firms to invest $45.6 billion in energy, infrastructure projects in Pakistan.   

Islamic State

• According to a November 20 Guardian report, Humayun Tariq, a British car mechanic who once fought for the Pakistani Taliban, has reportedly joined Islamic State (IS). Tariq claims that he left the U.K. in July 2012 to fight for Islamic insurgents in the Waziristan region of Pakistan. Tariq also claims to be an explosives expert and a trained sniper.[1] 

U.S. Drone Strike

• On November 21, a U.S. drone strike killed six militants and injured three others in Mada Khel village, Datta Khel sub-district, North Waziristan Agency. According to Dawn, a high value target was killed in the attack.[2

Militancy

• As reported by The Express Tribune on November 21, anonymous sources claim that Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) leader Mangal Bagh has escaped from Khyber Agency to Afghanistan. According to sources, resistance to military operations in Khyber Agency has increased since Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Jamatul Ahrar began supporting LI in Khyber Agency. Soon after TTP Jamatul Ahrar announced support for LI, over 200 foreign militants reportedly entered the Tirah Valley, including Arabs, Tajiks and Uzbeks.[3]

• On November 19, Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) stated that Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, had possibly died. The NDS pointed toward growing splits in the Afghan Taliban, claims by anonymous sources that Mullah Omar had died and rumors that Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor had appointed Mansoor’s close aides to key positions. On November 20, the Afghan Taliban stated that Mullah Omar was alive, dismissing statements to the contrary as propaganda.[4]

• On November 21, an IED blast injured two Frontier Corp (FC) personnel near Sariyab mills, Quetta.[5]

• On November 20, police killed the suspected mastermind of a suicide attack on the District Police Officer’s office in Chowk, Dera Ismail Khan district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. One policemen was also injured in the firefight.[6]

Indian-administered Kashmir

• On November 21, Indian troops allegedly killed three people in a search operation in the Pulwama district of Indian-administrated Kashmir.[7]

National Security

• According to a November 21 Dawn report, authorities in Peshawar have made arrangements to transfer high-profile prisoners, including Dr. Shakil Afridi, to a high-security prison in Mardan. Afridi was sentenced to prison for colluding with Lashkar-e-Islam and its chief Mangal Bagh in 2012. Afridi also allegedly helped the CIA in its search for Osama Bin Laden.[8]

Foreign Affairs

• On November 20, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz telephoned the National Security Adviser of Afghanistan, Hanif Atmar, to clarify his recent remarks in an interview with BBC Urdu about Pakistan selectively targeting militant groups. Aziz stated that his statement on militants was taken out of context and that Pakistan was committed to fighting all kinds of terrorism.[9]

• On November 21, Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while talking to Indian journalists in New Delhi, stated that Afghanistan did not need the presence of foreign troops on its soil, including Indian troops. Karzai also said that India is well situated to train Afghan officers, civil servants and fulfil Afghanistan’s military equipment needs.[10]

• According to a November 20 New York Times report, American investigators intercepted a conversation this year in which a Pakistani official suggested that the Pakistani government was obtaining American secrets from a prominent former State Department official. This reportedly led to the ongoing espionage investigation against former U.S. diplomat Robin L. Raphel, a leading American expert on Pakistan.[11]

Domestic Politics

• On November 21, speaking ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Lakarna, PTI chief Imran Khan declared that he was prepared to stay in the Red Zone for another 100 days after having completed 100 days of anti-government sit-ins in Islamabad already. Khan also stated that his party had broken no laws and that no one could deny him the right to protest.[12]

• On November 21, a special court responsible for handling the treason case of former President Parvez Musharraf, ordered prosecutors to also charge other senior officials including then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, then Law Minister Zahid Hamid, and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar as co-accused in the case. Musharraf faces treason charges for subverting the Constitution in 2007 when he fired several judges and imposed emergency rule.[13]

Internally Displaced Persons

• On November 20, Minister for State and Frontier Regions, Lt. Gen. Abdul Qadir Baloch, stated that no timeframe for the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) could be given until North Waziristan Agency was entirely cleared of militants. According to The Express Tribune, over 90 percent of North Waziristan Agency has been cleared of militants through Operation Zarb-e-Azb.[14]

Economy

• According to a November 21 Reuters report, the Chinese government and Chinese banks will finance Chinese companies’ investment of about $ 45.6 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan over the next six years. China has reportedly promised to invest around $33.8 billion in energy projects and $11 .8 billion in infrastructure projects in Pakistan. The deal was reportedly signed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to China earlier this month.[15]