Pakistan Security Brief - January 21, 2010

Pakistan Security Brief – January 21, 2010

Pakistani military says it will not launch new operations against militants anytime soon; Mehsud tribal elders and the Pakistani government agree to peace deal; US Secretary of Defense reiterates the importance of eliminating militants; suspected suicide bomber arrested in Hangu; Filipino terrorist was killed by drone strike in South Waziristan; helicopter gunships target militants in Mohmand Agency;  roadside bomb strikes bus in Bajaur Agency; Karachi violence continues; gunman attack checkpoint in Balochistan.

• Despite mounting pressure from US officials, the Pakistani army says it will launch no new operations against militants in North Waziristan. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said that following operations last year the army conducted small-scale operations to eliminate militants from isolated areas, but they were not part of a larger plan. He said any new operation will not begin for six months to a year.[1]

• The Pakistani government is preparing for the withdraw of security forces in South Waziristan by negotiating a deal with over 500 tribal elders from the Mehsud tribe in the agency. The deal includes handing over wanted militants from the area to the government. The agreement is expected to be signed on February 10.[2]

• US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates elaborated on Wednesday about al-Qaida’s objective in South Asia. He said that the group is using proxy forces to launch attacks in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in order to destabilize the region. He also expressed concern over safe havens along the Afghan-Pakistan border, saying the areas will allow for more attacks in the region.[3]

• Security forces have arrested a suspected suicide bomber in Hangu who later confessed that he was on his way to attack federal buildings and other ‘high-level’ targets in Islamabad. The suspect claims he belongs to a militant group called Zawar.[4]

• Reports surfaced Thursday in Pakistan confirming the death of Abdul Basit Usman, a Filipino for whom the US was offering a one million dollar reward. He was killed in the Shaktoi village of South Waziristan on January 14 by a suspected US drone strike, the same strike that was believed to have killed Hakimullah Mehsud. Usman had links to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf Group and Jamiah Islamiyah.[5]

• Pakistani gunships pounded an area where militants were holding a meeting on Thursday. Eight militants, including an unnamed commander, were killed during the attack in Baizai Tehsil in Mohmand Agency.[6]

• A roadside bomb struck a bus in Bajaur on Thursday, killing three passengers and injuring 22. Tribal elders who formed a militia to resist militants in the area were among the passengers, and it is believed the elders were the target of the attack.[7]

• Violence continues in Karachi. A local builder was killed and another man was wounded on Wednesday night when several unknown attackers entered the man’s office and opened fire in what police believe was a personal dispute. More violence erupted following the shooting which resulted in one person killed, six injured, and several vehicles torched.[8]

• Two unknown men attacked a Frontier Corps checkpoint in Naseerabad district of Balochistan. Two FC personnel at the post were injured and two more are still missing.[9]