Pakistan Security Brief – June 30, 2010
20 militants killed in Orakzai Agency; militants attack security forces convoy in Samalo Kandao; death toll in Tuesday’s U.S. drone strike climbs to 10; U.S. “working hard” to rebuild Pakistan’s trust; Lahore police arrest suspects in U.N. vehicle attacks; political activists killed in Karachi; suicide bomb threat causes evacuation in busy Karachi hospital; Khyber Inspector General says foreigners funding militancy.
Orakzai Agency
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At least 20 suspected militants were killed on Wednesday when warplanes bombed hideouts in Orakzai Agency where the army had previously declared victory. Samiullah Khan, a deputy administrator in the tribal area, said the bombings destroyed six militant hideouts in the region. Also on Wednesday, militants attacked a security forces convoy in Samalo Kandao with a remote-controlled bomb. There were no reports of casualties. Meanwhile, the death toll in a U.S. drone strike on a house in Wana , South Waziristan on Tuesday has climbed to 10. According to sources, the strike destroyed two vehicles and the house in which Punjabi Taliban militants were allegedly taking refuge. This was only the second reported drone strike carried out in South Waziristan this year.[1]
Pak-U.S. Relations
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The United States is working hard to regain Pakistan’s trust after years of strained relations between the two countries, said the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Monday. “It’s not going to happen overnight,” Admiral Mike Mullen said. But, he added, “I’ve seen significant commitments in the whole of government.” These comments were made during an interview with David Sanger, New York Times chief Washington correspondent, at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.[2]
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The Lahore High Court said on Wednesday that Islamabad should immediately take action to stop U.S. drone strikes inside Pakistan’s tribal areas if they are being carried out without government authorization. The petition, filed by Sardar Zaheer, stated that drone strikes violate Pakistan’s sovereignty and claimed innocent civilians were being killed. [3]
Punjab
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Police in Lahore on Tuesday arrested three suspected terrorists who were involved in attacks on U.N. vehicles throughout Pakistan. According to sources, the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of Lahore raided a house in Shalimar near the engineering university after being tipped off that three unknown persons were living in the area. CIA sources reported that the suspects confessed to involvement in the attacks.[4]
Karachi
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Two political activists belonging to the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Afaq Ahmed-led faction of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) were killed by gunmen in different parts of the city on Tuesday. The death toll in June from Lyari gang violence and political, sectarian, and ethnic killings in the city has risen to 35.[5]
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On Monday, an anonymous caller told Cantonment Police that a suicide bomber was inside one of Karachi’s busiest hospitals, prompting a chaotic evacuation. The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre postponed all medical services and relocated all its patients. Police and Rangers declared the hospital safe after two hours of thoroughly searching the premises.[6]
Foreigners Funding Militancy
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Addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Wednesday, the Inspector General (IG) of Police in Khyber, Pakhtunkhwa Malik Naveed, claimed that foreign funding is largely responsible for sustaining militancy in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Major General Nawaz, during a briefing in Dera Ismail Khan on Operation Rah-e-Nijat, said that militants have been eliminated from all areas of South Waziristan.[7]