Pakistan Security Brief - February 24, 2010

By Nicholas Patella February 24, 2010

Pakistan Security Brief – February 24, 2010

US drone strike in North Waziristan kills five; US senate informed of Taliban leadership’s relocation from Quetta to Karachi; Pakistan foreign secretary arrives in New Dehli; US spies found beheaded in North Waziristan; LeT commander and students arrested in Nowshera; Taliban commander arrested in Karachi; security forces in Kohat crack down on militants, demolish TTP hideouts; Pakistan aids Iran in arresting top Jundallah leader.

A US drone strike in the village of Dargi Mandi, North Waziristan has killed at least five militants. Officials said the target of the attack was a compound belonging to the Haqqani network.[1]
In an address to a senate committee on Tuesday, Lieutenant General John Paxton of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that elements of the Afghan Taliban leadership are starting to relocate from Quetta to Karachi. Paxton did not explain the reason for this shift since there have been no US drone strikes in Balochistan. At the same time, US Defense Secretary Gates praised Pakistan’s recent arrests of Taliban leadership as “real progress” towards defeating militancy.[2]
Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir has arrived in New Dehli ahead of India and Pakistan’s first official talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. However, India reported that on Tuesday three of its border guards in Kashmir were killed by gunfire from Pakistan, a claim denied by Islamabad. Bashir will meet with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Thursday.[3]
The headless bodies of three men accused by the Taliban of being US spies were discovered near the town of Mir Ali, North Waziristan. A note was also found with the bodies warning that others who “[engage] in espionage will meet the same fate.”[4]
On Tuesday, a police raid on a seminary in Nowshera district resulted in the arrests of a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and 34 Afghan students. Officials say that Matiullah alias Abu Tallah was training the students to wage jihad and was also broadcasting illegal FM radio transmissions. Matiullah denied the charges and is currently in custody in Peshawar while a court has ordered the students’ deportation.[5]
Pakistani intelligence officials claim to have captured a key Taliban leader in Karachi on Tuesday. During a house raid in Lasbela, Umar Abdula Rehman alias Saleb was arrested and a large amount of weapons, explosives, and computer CD’s were seized. Police in Karachi say they had no knowledge of the arrest.[6]
Police and security forces in Kohat district have arrested 14 suspects and seized several weapons during an operation targeting a gang of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) kidnappers in the Gumbat and Shin Dhad areas. Security forces also arrested six militants and demolished four TTP hideouts in Darra Adam Khel.[7]
Mohammad Abbasi, Pakistan’s ambassador to Tehran, announced that Pakistan assisted Iran in the arrest of a top Jundallah leader. Abdolmalek Rigi was arrested on Tuesday while on board a flight from Dubai to Kyrgystan. Abbasi said more details about Rigi’s capture would be released in the next few days.[8]

[1] “US drone strike kills five in North Waziristan”, Dawn, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-drone-nwaziristan-qs-05. Rasool Dawar and Hussain Afzal, “Pakistani officials: Suspected US missiles kill 4,” AP, February 24, 2010. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100224/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan.

[2] “Taliban relocating to Karachi, US Senate told,” Dawn, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-taliban-relocating-to-karachi%2C-us-senate-told-420-rs-07.

[3] “Pakistan foreign secretary in India for talks,” AFP, February 24, 2010. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100224/wl_sthasia_afp/indiapakistandiplomacyarrive. “Indian troops killed in Kashmir clash with militants,” BBC, February 24, 2010. Available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8533403.stm.

[4] “Taliban behead three ‘US spies’ in North Waziristan,” Dawn, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/16-taliban+kill+2+alleged+us+spies+in+north+waziristan-hs-10.

[5] “Key militant leader, 34 pupils arrested in Nowshera district,” Dawn, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/16-key-militant-leader%2C-34-pupils-arrested-hs-05. Mushtaq Paracha, “Seminary head, 34 Afghan students held in Nowshera,” The News, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=225940.

[6] “Key Taliban commander captured in Karachi,” The News, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=99383.

[7] “Forces destroy four TTP hideouts in Darra Adam Khel,” Dawn, February 23, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/14-forces-destroy-four-ttp-hideouts-in-darra-adam-khel-zj-04.

[8] “Pakistan helped Iran nab Jundallah chief,” Dawn, February 24, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-pakistan-helped-iran-nab-jundallah-chief-ss-07.

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