Pakistan Security Brief –April 14, 2010
Most of Orakzai seized from militants; US and Pakistan have different plans in North Waziristan; NATO General says Pakistan military offensives effective in Afghanistan; TTP will prevent Mehsud tribe from building relations with the government; Pakistani jets strike a hotel in Khyber; militants attack a checkpoint in Mohmand; protests continue in Abbottabad and other districts; UN envoy pleads for more humanitarian aid for Pakistan.
FATA
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The Pakistani Army announced that it has freed most of Orakzai Agency from militants since the beginning of recent operations. The Pakistani military gave no indication when the operation in the agency will end, but an independent security analyst in Pakistan said the operation will take one year to complete.[1]
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The Washington Post recently sent two reporters to North Waziristan, where the reporters talked with several officials regarding a US-supported Pakistani military operation in the agency. Pakistan, however, is focusing on striking militants who are a direct threat to Pakistan, essentially allowing militants in North Waziristan free to conduct operations in Afghanistan.[2]
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Commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in eastern Afghanistan, Major General Curtis Scaparrotti, said that Pakistan’s military offensive in the tribal areas effectively decreased the number of militants entering Afghanistan. He also said Pakistan's military push was most effective when coupled with NATO action in Afghanistan.[3]
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Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Azam Tariq said on Tuesday the TTP will prevent the Pakistani military from mending ties with the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan by attacking targets in Sararogha, Janata, Ladah, and Kaniguram. Tariq also said the April 5 attack on the US consulate in Peshawar is just the beginning of deadly attacks in Pakistan.[4]
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Bombs from Pakistani jets killed three militants at a hotel in Nari Baba area in Tirah Valley, one kilometer west of the headquarters of banned militant group Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), in Khyber Agency on Tuesday.[5]
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Militants attacked a checkpoint on Tuesday in Qayyumabad village, Mohmand Agency, with rockets. Soldiers at the checkpoint returned fire, but three sustained injuries.[6]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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Demonstrations continued over the renaming of the NWFP to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway in Abbottabad on Wednesday. Several other parts of Hazara divison also saw protests, and two PML-Q politicians decided to move an amendment in the Senate demanding that Hazara Division be made a separate province.[7]
Humanitarian aid
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The UN special envoy in charge of humanitarian affairs for Pakistan said barely 20 percent of funds for internally displaced people (IDPs) have been received from other countires. The UN appealed for 537 million dollars in February of this year for the IDPs.[8]