Pakistan Security Brief –March 5, 2010
TTP senior commander Faqir Muhammad reportedly killed; suicide bomber targeted civilian convoy in Hangu; former aide to Baitullah Mehsud arrested in Karachi; Pakistan believes Indian agents killed five Pakistanis in Kandahar.
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Pakistan security forces are reported to have killed Faqir Muhammad, a senior Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, during fighting in Mohmand agency. According to one news agency, a hideout of Faqir Muhammad was destroyed in Mohmand agency, killing Faqir Muhammad and Qari Ziaur Rehman, another key militant leader. Another report indicates that the hideout destroyed was in Bajaur, but has no information on whether the militant commander was present at the time of the attack. Faqir Muhammad previously commanded Taliban forces in Bajaur agency and was chief deputy of the TTP during Beitullah Mehsud’s stewardship of the group.[1]
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A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of civilian vehicles travelling in Hangu district on Friday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 25. The convoy’s destination was Parachinar in Kurram agency.[2]
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A close aide to the former Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commnander Baitullah Mehsud was arrested in the Surjani Town area of Karachi. The aide, Alam Mehsud, is reported to have fled the fighting in South Waziristan recently and settled in Karachi.[3]
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According to The News, Indian agents were responsible for the Thursday morning attack on Pakistani nationals in Kandahar. Pakistani officials claim to have “credible information” linking Indian intelligence to the death of the five Pakistanis, saying the killings were in retaliation for the suicide bombing on a guesthouse in Kabul.[4]