Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief - October 16, 2009

Suicide attack in Peshawar kills twelve; suicide attack in Islamabad foiled by police; Pakistani authorities investigate yesterday's bombings; 200,000 flee South Waziristan violence; Pakistani jets strike in South Waziristan; airstrikes in Orakzai kill four militants; U.S. accelerates delivery of military aid to Pakistan.

• Yet another suicide attack on a police building in Peshawar killed twelve people on Friday. The building hit is close to an army garrison in the NWFP's capital.�The twin-suicide bombing comes the day after multiple coordinated attacks across Pakistan killed dozens.[1]
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• Police in Islamabad claim to have foiled a potential attack after they intercepted and arrested two suspected suicide bombers. A third suspect managed to escape. This comes as police in Pakistan begin investing and interrogating dozens of suspects arrested in the aftermath of the recent spate of bombings across the country. Investigators suspect the Taliban in South Waziristan is responsible for the attacks.[2]
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• Government officials now estimate that about 200,000 people have fled South Waziristan since August in anticipation of military operations there. Most are said to have take shelter with relatives or in homes in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Last month 80,000 people registered with government authorities as being displaced from South Waziristan, although a UN official stated that only about half those fleeing the violence bother to register with authorities.[3]
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• Pakistani military jets on Friday again struck militant locations in South Waziristan. Reports say Taliban strongholds in Ladha and Makeen were bombed, although no information has as of yet emerged on casualty figures. Also on Friday, Pakistani airstrikes in Orakzai Agency reportedly killed four militants.[4]
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• The Pentagon has accelerated the delivery of critical military aid to Pakistan as close to $200 million of equipment starts arriving in the country. The aid in question can be delivered in as little as 60-90 days, unlike peacetime military aid which can take years to process. Recent shipments have reportedly included night-vision goggles, radios, and bullet-proof vests.[5]