Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief - October 7, 2009

A top aide to Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah has been killed in clashes with security forces according to the Pakistani military; Pakistani foreign minister Qureshi stressed the importance of a U.S. commitment to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the broader region during a meeting with U.S. secretary of state Clinton; several dead bodies of suspected militants were found in Kurram Agency north of Waziristan; some Pakistani political leaders have raised concerns over the "tone" of the new $7.5 billion U.S. aid package for Pakistan recently approved by the U.S. Congress. �

• Nisar, a top aide of Swat's Taliban commander Mullah Fazlullah was killed recently, the Pakistani army said on Wednesday.� Nisar was killed near Mingora, Swat's largest city, in clashes with security forces.� Prior to his death there was a 120,000 dollar bounty on his head.� Mullah Fazlullah is still sought by the government and expected to still operate in Swat.[1]
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• The Kerry-Lugar aid bill that offers Pakistan $1.5 billion a year for five years has sparked controversy in Pakistan.� While the US maintains the position that the aid will be used for development in the country, many Pakistanis believe that this aid will increase US presence and influence in Pakistan.� One leader even goes as far as to say that the US aid is "overbearing and bordering on the humiliation of Pakistan."� Even so, the debate within Pakistan is not expected to affect the acceptance of the aid bill by Pakistan's government.[2]
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• Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in Washington.� In the meeting, Qureshi stressed the importance of an extended US commitment to the region and not just Afghanistan.� This comment hinted at the United States' withdrawal from the region after the Soviet Union's retreat from Afghanistan in the early 1990s.� Qureshi also insisted that the US had no desire to infringe on Pakistan's sovereignty.[3]
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• Six bodies of suspected Taliban militants were discovered in Pakistan's Kurram Agency in FATA.� A tribal elder insisted that some of the bodies had their throats slit.� Among the dead are "senior fighters from the late Baitullah Mehsud's Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)."� This is believed to be the first case where militant's bodies have been found outside of the Swat area.[4]�