Pakistan Security Brief –November 18, 2009
Burhanuddin, an alleged al-Qaeda suspect, was arrested by Pakistani security forces at the Quetta airport as he attempted to board a flight to Jeddah for the Hajj; a large amount of Arabic jihadi literature and military training manuals have been uncovered during the military’s operation into South Waziristan; twenty-four militants and a large number of weapons and ammunition were surrendered to security forces in Bajaur on Tuesday during a jirga, TTP militants threatened to poison water sources if the military does not cease its operation into South Waziristan.
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An alleged al-Qaeda suspect was arrested in Quetta by security forces on Wednesday. The suspected al-Qaeda member, Burhanuddin, is from Afghanistan and was detained as he attempted to depart the Quetta airport bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to perform the Hajj.[1]
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A number of training centers have been discovered in the Pakistani Military’s operation into South Waziristan. One such training center in Ladha, was used for military and ideological training by militants. The compound contained a number of Jihadi propaganda and training manuals in Arabic. The government has said that it has intercepted communications between militants that suggests that there are a large number of foreign fighters, mostly Arabs and Uzbeks, in the area.[2]
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Twenty-four militants and a large number of weapons and ammunition were surrendered to security forces during search operations in Bajaur on Tuesday. The surrenders occurred during a jirga (meeting of tribal elders). The militants said that they repented and thought that fighting the Pakistani security forces is “un-Islamic.”[3]
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Members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) have threatened to poison water sources and reservoirs in Rawalpindi and Chakala if the Pakistani Army does not stop its military operation in South Waziristan. In a letter the TTP said it had already acquired large amounts of poison and would carry out the operation if necessary.[4]