The Pakistani military’s operation in South Waziristan Agency continues into its thirteenth day as the military prepares for an offensive on Kaniguram; five suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants were arrested in Orangi Town with explosives from India; al-Qaeda and TTP members deny responsibility for blast in Peshawar bazaar; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has town hall in Lahore.
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The Pakistani security forces continue on their thirteenth day of the three-pronged offensive into South Waziristan to root out the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. Security forces are preparing for the next major battle for the town of Kaniguram, the second largest town in SWA after Wana. This city is strategically important because it hosts many of the foreign Uzbek militants in the area and it has been described as the “operational center” of the TTP. Security forces have surrounded the city and fierce fighting is expected (read more on the South Waziristan operation).[1]
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Five suspected militants were arrested by law enforcement agencies in Orangi Town on Wednesday. The CID police claim that they also seized weapons and explosives that originated from India. Officials suspect that the militants were members of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorist group and that they were planning attacks on facilities throughout the city.[2]
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Al Qaeda and TTP members have denied taking part in the blast that killed over a hundred people in a Peshawar bazaar on Wednesday. Spokesmen said that the TPP and al-Qaeda are not interested in killing innocent people but instead this attack was carried out by people who are attempting to “defame Jihad and refugees.”[3]
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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conducted a town hall meeting in Lahore to answer questions on the United States’ policy towards Pakistan. She told the members of the audience that the US supported Pakistan and that ‘this is not your fight alone... You're standing on the frontlines of this battle but we are standing with you.”[4]