Pakistan Security Brief - August 12, 2009

Pakistan Security Brief – August 12, 2009 

Taliban militants attacked forces loyal to pro-government militant commander Turkistan Bhittani in Jandola on Wednesday, leaving tens of fighters dead as a result; the Pakistani government declared its intention to restructure the ISI, having reportedly retired several dozen senior officers recently; the Pakistani military shelled militants from Lashkar-e-Islam in Khyber agency on Tuesday in retaliation for a rocket attack in Peshawar; Quetta police report that a gun-and-bomb attack on a security checkpoint left several people dead and wounded; the U.N. reports that it expects nearly 100,000 residents of Waziristan to flee from Pakistani military operations; UN officials indicate that over 700,000 displaced residents of Swat have returned to their homes.

• Taliban fighters attacked the forces of pro-government militant commander Turkistan Bhittani in Jandola on Wednesday.  The attack is the second of its kind in less than a week and is reported to have left “at least 70 fighters dead.”[1]
   
• The Pakistani government has declared its intent to restructure its military intelligence branch, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in order to make it “more efficient and vibrant.” Sources have said that 32 senior officers have already been retired and more downsizing is expected to happen over the next two years.[2]
   
• Army gunships shelled positions held by the Lashkar-e-Islam militant group in Bara subdivision of Khyber Agency on Tuesday. The attack, seen as retaliation for a rocket attack on Peshawar on Tuesday, is said to have killed over a dozen militants.[3]
   
• Police in Quetta say a gun-and-bomb attack on a security checkpoint on Wednesday has killed at least two people and wounded several others, including a police officer. Baluch separatists are believed to be responsible for the attack.[4]
   
• The UN is preparing to provide assistance to between 90,000 and 150,000 Pakistanis expected to flee a full-scale operation in Waziristan. UN officials in June said “over 45,000 people had [already] left their homes in South Waziristan,” however, that number is expected to rise should hostilities break out. With respect to Swat, UN officials claim that over 765,000 IDPs “have now returned to their homes” although they admit fresh fighting in the region is causing additional displacement. Over 1.2 million people are still displaced by the fighting.[5]
   
• Pakistani military forces say they killed several militants including a local commander on Tuesday during their continued operations in the Swat region of the NWFP.[6]