Pakistan Security Brief - July 12, 2010

Pakistan Security Brief – July 12, 2010

New article explores issues of mistrust affecting US efforts to train Pakistani troops; Petraeus praises Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against militancy; death toll in Mohmand suicide attack rises to 105; militants attack checkposts, convoy in South Waziristan;  fighter jets continue to pound Taliban fighters in Upper Orakzai; militants arrested during search operations in Bajaur; rockets fired into market, militants arrested during search operation, military convoy struck by IED in Khyber; Pakistani government orders crackdown on militants in Punjab; Kurram tribesmen killed in Afghanistan; US Senator Levin calls on Pakistan to crack down on Haqqani network; dozens arrested during raids in Nowshera and Charsadda; suicide bombing reported in Kohat; ANP leader killed in Buner; three terror suspects among those arrested in Peshawar raids; Pakistani authorities arrest German terror suspect; key National Party leader shot to death in Turbat; kidnapped man found dead, two security personnel kidnapped in Balochistan; Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore issues arrest warrants to India for two Mumbai suspects in custody; riots block Superhighway in Karachi.

US-Pakistan relations

• An article in the New York Times details a US-run counterinsurgency training center for Pakistani troops near the Afghan border and the barriers of mistrust between the two countries that has hindered efforts to combat militancy in the region. Around 250 Frontier Scouts (formerly Frontier Corps) recently graduated a10-week basic training course at a facility which was designed to train approximately 2,000 troops at a time. The counterinsurgency training program focused on building three primary skills: “how to shoot straight, how to administer battlefield first aid, and how to provide covering fire for advancing troops.”[1]

• General David Petraeus praised Pakistan’s efforts in battling militancy during his visit with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the Army General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi today. The two generals discussed the security situation in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and pledged further military cooperation between the two countries in the fight against extremists. US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson also separately met with General Kayani as her term serving in the position came to an end.[2]

FATA

• The official death toll for Friday’s double suicide bombing attack on a meeting of tribal elders in Mohmand Agency has risen to 105 with at least 115 others wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Pakistan this year. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) previously issued a claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place in Yakaghund village, saying that the pro-government elders were the primary target.[3]

• Heavily armed militants launched a series of attacks against military throughout South Waziristan on Friday and Saturday. As many as 38 militants and six security personnel were reported killed in clashes which took place in the Kaniguram, Dwa Toi, Pash Zariat, and Karwan Manza areas. The attacks occurred at several different security checkposts in the Kaniguram valley in addition to a separate ambush which targeted a military convoy. More than 20 soldiers were also wounded during the fighting.[4]

• Security forces continue to battle militants in the upper part of Orakzai Agency with airstrikes from fighter jets reportedly killing 12 militants on Friday, 15 on Saturday, and 22 on Sunday. Today, a bomber was killed when his remote-controlled bomb detonated while he was attempting to plant the bomb outside the house of a pro-government elder.[5] (For detailed bi-weekly updates on the security situation in Orakzai CLICK HERE)

• On Sunday, security forces arrested one suspected militant during a raid on a house in the town of Khar in Bajaur Agency. A search operation in Mamund sub-district was also reported to have been underway at the time. On Friday, at least 23 militants surrendered to security forces in the Sewai area and pledged not to take part in anti-state activities.[6]

• Two people were injured when militants fired rockets at the Shalobar market in Khyber Agency’s Bara sub-district. Separately, as many as 280 suspected militants were arrested and large quantities of ammunition seized during search operations throughout Bara. On Saturday, one security personnel was killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion which targeted a military convoy in the Shalobar area. Retaliation from security forces following the blast resulted in one militant commander killed and two others arrested.[7]

Punjab

• The Pakistani government has reportedly ordered a crackdown on militant groups in Punjab province and issued “a policy of zero tolerance.” Although the details of the crackdown are still unclear, police in Lahore have reportedly arrested at least “eight people belonging to banned militant organizations,” including Sipah-e-Sahaba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charity front organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba.[8]

Pakistanis killed in Afghanistan

• At least 11 Shia tribesmen from Kurram Agency were killed and three others wounded when suspected Taliban gunmen opened fire on their bus as it was travelling in the Samkia area of Afghanistan’s Paktia province. The bus, which was on its way to Peshawar from Parachinar, was forced to take a detour into Afghanistan due to the closure of the Thall-Parachinar road.[9]

Haqqani network

• On Sunday, Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, called on Pakistan to crack down on the Haqqani network in North Waziristan. Speaking to reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Kabul, Levin further said that by not taking action against the Haqqanis Pakistan was “have not followed through by going after one of the truly great threats that face us… in Afghanistan.”[10]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• As many as 50 people suspected to be involved in ‘anti-state activities’ have been arrested and a large quantity of arms and ammunition seized during a search operation in Nowshera district. Two commanders from the Waziristan region, identified as Huzaifa Mehsud and Abbu Abbas, were also captured during the raids. Police also reported 85 suspected militants arrested and six houses of militants destroyed, including the home of Tehrik-e-Taliban Nowshera amir Qari Kamran, during a separate search operation in different parts of Nowshera and Charsadda districts on Saturday.[11]

• Police have reported a suicide bombing attack in the Khawasi Banda area of Kohat district, although casualty figures are currently unknown. The blast occurred at the home of a renowned tribesman from Orakzai Agency.[12]

• On Sunday, a leader of the Awami National Party, identified as Muhammed Khan Baba Jan, was shot to death during a firing incident in Buner district.[13]

• On Saturday, police in Peshawar arrested three suspected terrorists among 47 other criminal suspects during a search operation in the Badhbir and Pashkahara areas of the city. Several AK-47 assault rifles, pistols, hand grenades, and a large quantity of ammunition were also seized during the raids.[14]

German terror suspect

• Pakistani officials confirmed on Saturday that they were holding a German citizen wanted on terrorism charges back in Germany. The suspect, identified as Rami M, was arrested by Pakistani authorities prior to his arrival at the German embassy in Islamabad for an appointment he had made to allegedly request documents for departure from Pakistan. The German Foreign Ministry did not comment on reports that the suspect was wanted for membership in a terrorist organization in Germany or that he was planning an attack on the German embassy in Islamabad.[15]

Balochistan

• Mula Bakhsh Dashti, a key leader of the National Party in Balochistan, succumbed to wounds sustained after armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle in Turbat on Sunday. Dashti and two other people riding in the vehicle were seriously injured in the attack and Dashti reportedly died shortly after being taken to a nearby civil hospital for treatment. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.[16]

• On Sunday, Levies forces discovered the body of a man in the mountainous Spin Karez area several days after he had been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on the outskirts of Quetta. Two security personnel were also abducted on Sunday evening while on their way to the city of Hazarganji.[17]

India-Pakistan Relations

• On Saturday, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi issued arrest warrants for the custody of the two suspects in the Mumbai attacks. Sources from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said the warrants for Ajmal Kasab and Faheem Ansari will be sent to the Indian government. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 24.[18]

Karachi

• Protestors staged violent demonstrations on the Superhighway in Karachi on Sunday after an overnight loss of electricity in areas on the outskirts of the city. The angry protestors burned tires which blocked traffic on the highway for more than six hours, smashed the windows of several vehicles, and threw rocks at police personnel. Police and Rangers attempted to disperse the crowd by using teargas and batons, but the demonstration was only broken up when power was finally restored to the area at around 8pm.[19]