Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief - September 18, 2009�

Pakistan charged militant cleric Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai bombings, with inciting public sentiment on Friday; seven militants were arrested in Swat and Malakand during search and clearance operations; security forces killed thirteen militants in Orakzai Agency; a suicide bombing claimed by sectarian group Lashkar-i-Jhangvi killed thirty-three in Kohat.

• �The Pakistani government registered two cases Friday against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, who has been accused by India of masterminding the December 2008 Mumbai bombing. Saeed has officially been booked under charges of inciting public sentiment and arranging unlawful congregation.[1]
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• Continuing search and clearance operations in Swat and Malakand led to the arrest of seven suspected terrorists Friday. Another thirteen reportedly surrendered to security forces.[2]
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• On Friday, security forces reportedly killed thirteen suspected militants in Orakzai Agency and destroyed two hideouts in the Tirah Valley area of the neighboring Khyber Agency.[3]
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• A suicide bombing near Kohat in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) killed thirty-three people and wounded more than fifty Friday. The bomb exploded in a crowded market place in the town of Ustarzai, which is mainly Shi'a. A sectarian group known as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed credit for the attack. The town is very near the border with Orakzai Agency, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where Tehrik-i-Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is based.[4]�