Pakistan Security Brief - February 5, 2010

By Brian Wolfe February 05, 2010

Pakistan Security Brief – February 5, 2010

Two separate bombs kill at least 22 in Karachi; TTP spokesman says Hakimullah Mehsud is alive; Taliban flog three in Orakzai agency; protests supporting Kashmir occur throughout Pakistan; Sunni-Shia peace agreement reached in Hangu district; two Quetta police injured in bomb blast; militants attacked a power grid station in Khyber agency.

Shiite Muslims were the target of two bombs in Karachi on Friday, killing at least 22 people and injuring 40. The first bomb detonated near a bus with Shiites traveling to a religious procession on board, while the second blast occurred at a hospital where casualties were taken for treatment. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[1]
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Azim Tariq stated on Thursday that Hakimullah Mehsud is alive and still commanding the organization. Tariq also said Mehsud is in hiding to evade US drone attacks.[2]
A video recorded on Wednesday shows members of the Taliban flogging two men and a teenage boy in Orakzai Agency. Mullah Toofan, the reported interim commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, appears to be the person striking the three people with a leather strip.[3]
Friday was the Pakistani public holiday of Kashmir Solidarity Day, and thousands of people took to the streets in protest of Indian rule in Kashmir. Protests were reported in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, and Karachi.[4]
A government-sponsored jirga in Hangu district finalized a peace agreement between Sunnis and Shias on Thursday, ending 14 years of conflict between the two sects. One member of the jirga said it is the government’s responsibility to prevent militants from escalating sectarian tensions.[5]
Quetta police stopped a man at a checkpoint in Killi Ibrahimzai due to his suspicious behavior on Friday. While police were searching the man, he detonated a bomb strapped to his leg, injuring two policemen and himself.[6]
Militants attacked a power grid station in Khyber Agency, causing damage to the station and turning off power to several nearby areas. The attack in Bara Tehsil also injured one security official.[7]

[1] Salman Masood, “Blasts in Pakistan Kill Shiite Worshipers,” New York Times, February 5, 2010. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/world/asia/06pstan.html?ref=asia. Ashraf Khan, “Bomb hits hospital in Pakistan's Karachi city after earlier attack; 22 killed,” AP, February 5, 2010. Available at http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/police-say-bomb-explodes-in-southern-pakistani-city-of-karachi-several-feared-dead-83625202.html.

[2] “Pakistani Taliban leader alive, in hiding, spokesman says,” CNN, February 4, 2010. Available at http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/04/pakistan.mehsud/index.html.

[3] Zarar Khan, “New video shows Taliban flogging men in Pakistan,” AP, February 5, 2010. Available at http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PAKISTAN_FLOGGING_VIDEO?SITE=KMOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. “New video shows Taliban flogging men in Pakistan,” Dawn, February 5, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/18-new-video-shows-taliban-flogging-men-am-03.

[4] “Thousands rally for Kashmir in Pakistan,” AP, February 5, 2010. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100205/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanindiakashmir.

[5] Abdul Sami Paracha, “Hangu warring groups end hostilities after 14 years,” Dawn, February 5, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/12-hangu-warring-groups-end-hostilities-after-14-years-520--bi-10.

[6] “Blast wounds two policemen in Quetta,” Dawn, February 5, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/04-quetta-blast-police-wounded-qs-02.

[7] “Militants attack grid station in Bara Tehsil,” Dawn, February 5, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/14-militants-attack-grid-station-in-bara-tehsil-zj-04.

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