Pakistan Security Brief - August 13, 2009

Pakistan Security Brief - August 13, 2009

Pakistani military forces shelled suspected bases of Hakimullah Mehsud in the Kurram and Orakzai agencies on Thursday, reportedly killed a dozen militants; Pakistani security forces continued search-and-sweep operations in Malakand Thursday; nearly 120,000 families displaced by the conflict in Malakand division, which includes Swat and Buner, have reportedly returned to their homes; an anti-Taliban tribal elder in South Waziristan was killed by a suicide bomber on Thursday; pro-government tribal elders in Buner, south east of Swat district, were attacked and shot on Thursday. �

• Pakistani military helicopters attacked bases belonging to possible Beitullah Mehsud successor Hakimullah Mehsud on Thursday in the Kurram and Orakzai tribal agencies northeast of South Waziristan. Intelligence officials report that at least twelve militants were killed in the strikes.[1]
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• Search and clearance operations in Malakand Thursday resulted in the capture of eight suspected militants and the death of another, the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported.[2]
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• These continued arrests come amidst the repatriation of the region's IDPs, which has so far seen approximately 120, 000 families returned to their homes in Swat and Buner.[3]
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• Malik Khadeen, an anti-Taliban tribal organizer in the region of Wana, South Waziristan, was killed by a suicide bomber Thursday along with two others. In a separate incident, two other pro-government elders were shot Thursday in Buner; no one has yet claimed credit for either of the attacks, but local government officials suspect Taliban involvement.[4]� � �