Pakistan Security Brief - May 17, 2010

Pakistan Security Brief – May 17, 2010

Investigators reveal more information about Faisal Shahzad’s connection to the TTP; new evidence suggests that Shahazd’s radicalization has earlier roots; militants kidnap 60 people in Kurram; military operations continue in Orakzai; suspected US missile strike targets militants in Khyber; helicopters shell Tirah Valley, wound civilians; peace committee vows to “foil” military operation in North Waziristan; Pakistani man in Chile charged with illegal possession of explosives, released pending investigation; survey in Swat  shows majority of population believes security situation has improved, militants have been isolated due to military action; TNSM amir and six other militants surrender, four arrested in Swat; private spy network still operating in Pakistan; police issue report to Punjab government about Taliban presence in the province; TTP threatens schools in Balochistan; three killed in Balochistan shooting incidents; UN report shows Pakistan had largest number of new IDPs in 2009; Defense Minister says COAS Kayani will not be granted an extended term.

NY bombing investigation

• A US official stated on Saturday that the investigation into the attempted bombing in Times Square has revealed that it is most likely that Faisal Shahzad came up with the plan for the attack himself and then appealed to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for support during his visit to Pakistan in 2009 and 2010. According to the statement, Shahzad trained with militants in Mohmand Agency and received $15,000 from the TTP to finance the operation. Authorities are still trying to corroborate Shahzad’s claim that he met with TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud to discuss the attack.[1]

• Newly obtained emails and statements suggest that the roots of Faisal Shahzad’s radicalization go back further than originally believed. Such evidence includes statements by former college classmates about Shahzad’s comments following 9/11 that “[the US] had it coming” as well as his frequent tirades about how the West “conspired to mistreat Muslims”. In a February 2006 e-mail Shahzad also wrote that Muslims must defend themselves from “foreign infidel forces”, citing verses from the Koran as proof about what “Allah commands about fighting for Islam.” Additionally, friends and relatives recounted how Shahzad’s disagreements with his father, a former vice marshal in the Pakistani air force,  reached an apex in 2008 when Shazad asked his permission to fight against NATO forces in Afghanistan.[2]

FATA

• On Saturday, a group of armed militants posing as policemen in Kurram Agency kidnapped as many as 60 people while they were travelling in a convoy of vehicles bound for Parachinar. The militants later contacted the local political administration to confirm that the travelers were in their custody, although the exact number of hostages was not given. Authorities indicated on Sunday that the militants had released 40 of the hostages while ten others escaped. Approximately ten individuals, at least some of whom are believed to be government employees, are still being held.[3]

• Clashes continue during the military’s ongoing operations in Orakzai Agency. On Friday, artillery shelling in Kasha and other areas of Central Orakzai killed at least militants and destroyed two hideouts. As many as 58 militants were killed on Sunday between aerial bombardments and ground assaults conducted throughout the agency. In an overnight attack on Monday, militants opened fire with rockets and other heavy weapons on three separate villages being held by security forces. One soldier was killed and five others were wounded in the attacks while at least eight militants were killed in the retaliatory action.[4]

• Between 5 and 15 people were killed by a suspected US missile strike in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency on Saturday which, if confirmed, would be the first such attack in the region. According to varying reports, several missiles hit a building as well as a vehicle carrying militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Islam group. Although some sources in Landi Kotal confirmed that the strike was carried out by a US drone, local officials have given conflicting reports which have suggested that Pakistani fighter jets carried out the bombings, among other various stories.[5]

• Two helicopter gunships shelled suspected militant positions in various areas of Khyber’s Tirah Valley on Sunday, reportedly wounding five people in the Arkhanga area, including a woman and three children.[6]

• On Saturday, a tribal peace committee in North Waziristan vowed to “foil American plans and anti-Islam forces’ designs” to initiate a military operation in the region. The committee also added that any operation in North Waziristan would be considered “US-imposed.”[7]

Pakistani man arrested in Chile

• Mohammad Saif-ur Rehman Khan, the Pakistani man arrested at the US embassy in Chile, was released on Saturday after the judge determined that there was no evidence of Rehman’s violation of Chile’s anti-terrorism law. However, Rehman has been charged with illegal possession of explosives and is required to check in with a judge every two weeks while authorities conduct their investigation.[8]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• A survey conducted in two sub-districts of Swat has shown that the majority of the population, 78-percent, believes the security situation has improved since military forces deployed to the region. Additionally, 68-percent of those polled said they believe the military had succeeded in isolating and neutralizing the militants.[9]

• Amir Zarif Khan of the Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) and six other militants surrendered to security forces in Swat on Sunday. Additionally, four militants were apprehended by authorities in separate raids in Odigram and Aboha villages which also seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition.[10]

Spy network

• A recent report indicates that the US is continuing to utilize a recently uncovered private spy network operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Despite the ongoing investigation into the network’s legality, reports from intelligence contractors, which the Pentagon says the army is not allowed to hire, are being submitted to top military commanders on an almost daily basis. Such reports have provided information on the Taliban leadership in Pakistan and have also contributed to the targeting of Taliban personnel by US drone strikes.[11]

Punjab

• Police in Jhang city have filed papers with the Punjab provincial government which for the first time officially acknowledges that the Taliban are present and “thriving” in the region. The Punjab government has consistently denied or downplayed the Taliban presence in the province. According to the police intelligence report, Taliban leaders are using several seminaries in Jhang to hold meetings and recruit new members and the TTP network is steadily expanding throughout Punjab.[12]

Balochistan

• Several schools in the Quetta and Mastung areas of Balochistan have closed down after receiving threatening letters from the TTP. The letters warned that “teachers and administrative heads will have to bear the consequences” if the schools continued to permit the wearing of western clothing.[13]

• Three individuals were killed in two separate shooting incidents in Balochistan on Friday. Unidentified gunmen in Jaffarabad shot and killed a man and wounded his son. Two government workers on their way to work in Mastung were also gunned down by unknown attackers riding a motorcycle.[14]

UN report

• On Monday, a UN report showed that Pakistan suffered the largest number of new internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 2009 with a total of three million displaced year. However, the report also said that many of Pakistan’s IDPs were able to return home within a few weeks to a few months, although often times to situations where their livelihoods have been destroyed and many basic services are still unavailable.[15]

Kayani

• Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has said that the government will not grant an extension to the term of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, adding that neither has Kayani made efforts to seek such an extension.[16]