Pakistan Security Brief - July 30, 2009

Pakistan Security Brief - July 30, 2009

Militants from Lashkar-e Islam executed four men for kidnapping and murder under an improvised sharia court order in Khyber agency; clashes at a Frontier Corps post in North Waziristan left three militants dead and several soldiers wounded on Thursday; locals in a village in the Swat valley, encouraged by Pakistani security forces, are reportedly reorganizing small and lightly armed local militias to protect from Taliban militants thought to be hiding in the area.�

• Villagers in the Swat valley village of Sultanwas have reportedly reorganized a 150-strong local militia armed with Kalashnikov rifles and light machine guns� to protect against Taliban militants thought to be hiding in the surrounding hills. Pakistan's chief military spokesman described these lashkars as "a great assistance, support to the government agencies, [and] to law enforcement." A Frontier Corps paramilitary commander also noted that "The lashkars are the right type of people who control the markets, control the bus stands, and can see who's coming and who's going out."[1]
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• Extremist group Lashkar-e Islam executed four men Thursday that they had tried for kidnapping and murder before an improvised sharia court in Khyber Agency. "Capital punishments set an example and will be handed out to anyone found guilty of such activities to wipe out crime in Khyber," a spokesman for the group announced.[2]
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• An attack on a Frontier Corps post in Gerdai Rogha, North Waziristan, resulted in the death of three militants Thursday. Four soldiers were also wounded in the exchange of fire, security officials report.[3]
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• In a testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz urged the international community on Thursday to pay more attention to the plight of IDPs still to be returned to the Swat Valley area. He argued that increased aid to the region is critical to prevent the spread of anti-Western sentiment and sympathy for the Taliban in the wake of a humanitarian crisis the Pakistani government has so far been unable to resolve.[4]