Pakistan Security Brief - October 22, 2009

Pakistan Security Brief - October 22, 2009�

A Pakistani Brigadier General and his driver were killed in Islamabad on Thursday by unknown gunmen; a dozen militants, including Arabs, Afghans and Pakistanis, were killed in a mysterious explosion on Wednesday, al Qaeda commander Abu Musa al Masri is rumored to be among the dead; Interior Minister Rehman Malik gave an order for all illegal Afghans to leave Islamabad in the next three days; police foiled an attack on an Islamabad court when they recognized a suicide bombers vest.

• Brigadier Moin-ud-din Ahmed was assassinated in Islamabad on Thursday by gunmen, in Islamabad.� General Ahmed was the deputy force commander of the United Nations Mission in Sudan and was on leave in Islamabad.� His driver was also killed in the attack when a masked gunman fired shots into his car and then escaped on a motorbike.� No one has claimed credit for the attack.[1]�
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• Twelve were reported dead in a blast in Surkot village in North Waziristan on Wednesday.� It is believed that Arab, Pakistani and Afghan militants were killed in the blast, possibly including al-Qaeda leader Abu Musa al-Masri.� The source of the blast remains a mystery.� There have been conflicting reports that the blast was either from a drone or caused by explosives stored in the house.� Pakistani Taliban members deny that al Maris was killed in the explosion.[2]
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• Interior Minister Rehman Malik has given all illegal Afghans seventy-two hours to leave Islamabad.� This report comes after an attack on a senior military commander near an Afghan settlement in Islamabad.� Malik has also ordered a "door-to-door" search in five sectors of Islamabad.[3]
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• Police fired shots at a suspected suicide bomber at a court in Islamabad.� The suicide bomber managed to escape the scene.� This is the third such incident in the last couple of days.[4]