Pakistan Security Brief – November 13, 2009
Seventeen soldiers and twenty-two militants have reportedly been killed in the last twenty-four hours of Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Deliverance) in South Waziristan Agency; two suicide bombings occurred, one in Peshawar and one in Baka Khel, the one in Peshawar targeted the local Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) headquarters; Fifty-one people were arrested during a search operation in Islamabad for not having proper identification documents.
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As news of more deaths emerges, Thursday is being described as “the military’s deadliest day” since the beginning of the operation into South Waziristan to root out the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A total number of seventeen soldiers were killed during the day’s operations. Fifteen were killed during exchanges with militants while two others were killed in a bombing near Sara Rogha. The military reports progress but also says that it is encountering “stiff resistance” from the militants (click here for more detail on operation in SWA).[1]
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Another suicide car bomb exploded in Peshawar on Friday killing twelve and injuring dozens. This time the target of the attack was the local Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) headquarters building. This is the fourth attack in the area of Peshawar this week. The suicide bomber attempted to enter the facility but was stopped by security guards. The bomber then attempted to drive through the security post and detonated the explosives. Another five people were killed when a car bomb exploded at the Baka Khel police station near Bannu. Sixteen others were injured in this attack.[2]
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Fifty-one people were arrested during a search operation in Islamabad’s Red Zone. The individuals were arrested because they were unable to produce identification documents. A large portion of the individuals arrested were from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and were in Islamabad working in construction. These arrests come as increased security measures have been implemented in Pakistan.[3]