Pakistan Security Brief - January 11, 2010

Pakistan Security Brief – January 11, 2010

A new video ties the TTP to the CIA bombing; two suspects are arrested in connection with the January 1 bombing in Shah Hassan Khel; one soldier and eight militants are killed in South Waziristan; border tensions continue to  rise as one Indian soldier is killed in Kashmir; two US drone strikes kill more militants in North Waziristan; in Peshawar, an ANP MPA survives an assassination attempt and a militant leader blows himself up during a raid, injuring six police officers;  in Karachi, ten more are killed in political violence, PPP supporters hold a rally in response to security crackdowns, and the MQM says it will not leave its  coalition with the PPP.

• A video released this weekend shows the man responsible for the CIA bombing, Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, vowing to avenge the death of slain Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) leader Beitullah Mehsud. In the clip, al-Balawi is seen sitting with current TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud. Although al-Balawi’s father says the man in the video is definitely his son, the video’s authenticity has yet to be officially confirmed.[1]

• Two suspects have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the January 1 bombing in Shah Hassan Khel. Qari Farman was arrested in the Adamzai area while attempting to flee Lakki Marwat. An unnamed accomplice has also been arrested in connection with the attack. Farman, a known explosives expert, is accused of preparing the car used for the suicide attack.[2]

• Eight militants and one soldier have been killed in South Waziristan. Security forces killed eight militants during clearing operations near Katori Sar. One soldier was killed and three more were injured after militants opened fire at a check point at Pash Zairat.[3]

• One Indian soldier has been killed from gunfire along the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir. Indian officials have accused Pakistani forces of firing across the border to support militants’ efforts to cross into India-controlled Kashmir. Indian forces have also reported killing seven militants and stopping several attempts by militants to infiltrate the border. Pakistani and Indian forces also exchanged fire on Saturday evening following several explosions on the Indian side of the border which India says were rockets fired from the Pakistani side. The Pakistani military denies it was behind the blasts.[4]

• Missiles fired from a US drone destroyed a house in the village of Tappi, North Waziristan on Friday, killing five militants and injuring another three. The house was said to be a hideout for militants linked to Hafiz Gul Bahadur. On Saturday, at least four militants were killed in another US drone attack, this time on a militant compound in Ismail Khel, North Waziristan. The compound was said to be a militant training center belonging to Rasta Barkhan, a local tribesman who has been linked to the Taliban. The identities of those killed in Saturday’s attack, and whether or not the death toll includes any high-value targets, is still unknown.[5]

• Alamgir Khan Khalil, an MPA for the Awani National Party (ANP), was believed to be the target of a roadside bomb that went off yesterday near his home in Peshawar. Although the blast damaged the vehicle, Khalil and three other passengers were unharmed. This is the third attack against ANP lawmakers, with two others being killed in the past year. On Saturday, at least six police officers were injured when a militant leader, known as Irfan, blew himself up during a raid of his house in Matni, on the outskirts of Peshawar. Police have stated they have arrested four militants as part of the raid.[6]

• Ten people were killed in Karachi on Sunday in what is believed to be more politically-motivated violence. Sindh Home Minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza stated that the government has raised security in the city and has also arrested more than 50 suspects in connection with the killings, which Pakistani officials say have claimed the lives of 48 political party workers since Thursday. On Monday, approximately 8,000 to 10,000 protestors from the neighborhood of Lyari, an area which is predominantly in favor of the Pakistani People’s Party (PPP), held a demonstration in response to the security crackdown, claiming the government was unfairly targeting PPP supporters instead of supporters of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM). Also on Monday, the MQM made a statement that they would not abandon the coalition with the PPP, despite several members of the MQM who asked their party leaders on Saturday for permission to leave the coalition.[7]