Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief – September 9, 2010

U.S. drone strikes kill six militants in North Waziristan; separate bomb blasts leave at least 13 dead in Quetta and Kurram; three charged with aiding Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad; Ambassador Haqqani warns that floods may impact fight against militants.

FATA

• At least six militants were killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan on Thursday.  Reports indicate that several missiles were fired, and that their target was a compound housing suspect militants including Afghan Taliban militants, on the outskirts of Miram Shah. Thursday’s strike was the fourth U.S. drone strike in twenty-four hours and the eighth strike this month. [1]. 

• 10 people were killed and another four wounded in a roadside bomb attack on Thursday 40 miles northwest of Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of Kurram agency. Thursday’s attack is the most recent in a string of deadly attacks that have rocked Pakistan, and brings this week’s terror related death toll to over 150.  [2]

Balochistan

• Three people were killed and another six were injured on Thursday, in a bomb blast in city of Quetta.  The attack occurred outside the residential complex of the Balochistan Finance Minister, Asim Ali Kurd.  Officials have confirmed that Minister Kurd was not among the victims. [3]

• At a press conference in Quetta on Wednesday, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik reiterated the government’s plan to launch“targeted” operations against militant groups operating in Balochistan. Malik told reporters that the operations will not be of the same magnitude as those conducted in Swat or Malakand. Instead, they will provide resources to provincial governors and expand the operational authority of the Frontier Corps.   Also on Wednesday, the government banned and froze the assets of five prominent militant groups operating in Balochistan.  The banned groups include: The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Army (BRP), Lashkar-i-Balochistan (LB) and Baloch Musallah Difa Organisation (BMDO). [4]

Islamabad

• Three Pakistani men were charged on Thursday with criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism for allegedly aiding Times Square Bomber Faisal Shahzad.  According to officials, Shahid Hussain, Shoaib Mughal and Humbal Akhtar helped facilitate a meeting between Shahzad and Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud.  The men also reportedly sent Shahzad $13,000 US as he prepared for the botched attack which took place on May 1, 2010. Deputy Inspector Gen. Bin Yamin, the chief prosecutor in the case, told reporters that the three men charged had close ties to Meshud and the TTP, the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda. [5] 

Floods

• Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani warned on Wednesday that the scale of recent flooding has heavily taxed the resources of the Pakistani military who have taken the leading role in rescue and relief efforts.   Ambassador Haqqani noted that all future operations against Al Qaeda and other militants will depend on the military’s “ongoing capabilities.”  Haqqani issued his remarks from Washington where he is meeting with U.S. officials to request additional military aid, equipment, and training. [6]

• On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee tabled plans to export two million tons of wheat abroad.  The decision was based on requests from concerned provincial officials, particularly from the Punjab, where flood waters have destroyed over 500,000 tons of wheat crops.  [7]

• New reports continue to indicate that aid relief and government assistance is being unequally dispersed among the millions of Pakistanis victimized by flooding.  Allegations have again surfaced that relief efforts are being geared toward victims who are members of President Zardari’s Pakistan People's Party (PPP).  However, the most widespread accusations have come from members of Pakistan’s minority religious communities.  They contend that their communities have received only a piecemeal portion of government aid and flood assistance.  Human rights groups have urged the Pakistani government to investigate allegations of unfair distribution to the Shia and Ahmadi communities. [8]