Pakistan Security Brief – August 16, 2010 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visits Pakistan, urges world to increase its assistance for flood relief; heavy rains expected to increase flooding in the next week; 6 million people still in need of aid as outbreaks of disease threaten flood survivors; drone strike kills 13 militants in North Waziristan; U.S. has reportedly stopped pressuring Pakistan to launch North Waziristan operation.

 

Floods

 

FATA

  • As many as 13 militants were killed in a suspected US drone strike in North Waziristan on Saturday. The missile struck a compound in the village of Isuri, near Mir Ali, while the militants were holding special Ramadan prayers. Foreign fighters are believed to be among the dead but it is unclear whether any high value targets were present at the time of the attack.[4]

  • Militants attacked a security forces patrol in the Palai area of Khyber Agency on Friday, killing one security forces personnel and injuring three others. The security forces later cordoned off the area and began a search operation for the attackers.[5]

 

Balochistan

 

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

  • The U.S. military has reportedly stopped pressing Pakistan to launch an operation against the Haqqani network in North Waziristan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates previously told reporters that the U.S. did not expect Pakistan to conduct a new offensive in the region anytime soon since the Pakistani military is already preoccupied with consolidating its recent gains in the fight against militants. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen was also reported to have not brought up the subject of a North Waziristan operation during his visit to Pakistan last month. Several U.S. officials have also expressed their belief that pressuring Islamabad for a new military offensive would only strain relations between the two countries.[7]

  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton phoned President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday evening to express sympathies over the deaths and destruction caused by the flooding in Pakistan. Clinton also said that the people and the government of the U.S. were behind Pakistan and would continue to extend all possible support to the Pakistani people for flood relief and reconstruction.[8]

 

Karachi

  • On Sunday, Sindh government officials announced that they would not pursue a plan to deploy Frontier Constabulary troops to Karachi to assist the Rangers with maintaining law and order in the city. The plan was initially considered as a result of the week-long wave of violence which followed the murder of top MQM-H official Raza Haider. However, a senior Sindh official stated that the plan has been scrapped now that the situation has returned to normal and “no more serious incident or violence was reported in the city.”[9]

  • An MQM-H activist was gunned down in Karachi on Friday morning. The victim, Wasim Ahmed, was gunned down by motorcycle riding gunmen while travelling with his family in the Quaidabad area of the city. Two other people were also reported killed in separate firing incidents on Friday while two kidnapping victims were safely recovered during a joint operation in Pak Colony. Police also arrested 37 criminals and seized a large quantity of weapons and drugs during a raid on a house in Quaidabad.[10]



[1] Chris Brummitt, “UN chief: Never seen anything like Pakistan floods,” AP, August 15, 2010. Available at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jX_KetVCMo64AOZxSMudPWArFrJgD9HK87PG0. Augustine Anthony, “U.N. chief urges faster foreign aid for Pakistan,” Reuters, August 15, 2010. Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66T3RS20100815?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FworldNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+International%29. “Death toll rises from Pakistan flooding,” CNN, August 16, 2010. Available at http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/16/pakistan.floods/index.html?eref=edition_asia&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition_asia+%28RSS%3A+Asia%29#fbid=dm8LfFElkvn&wom=false. “Floods affect 20m people – Pakistan PM Gilani,” BBC, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10973725.
[2] Kristen Chick, “Pakistan floods continue on rain forecasts, further delaying aid distribution,” Christian Science Monitor, August 16, 2010. Available at http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0816/Pakistan-floods-continue-on-rain-forecasts-further-delaying-aid-distribution?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fworld+%28Christian+Science+Monitor+|+World%29. Tom Nagorski, “Pakistan Floods Wipe Out Bridges,” ABC News, August 13, 2010. Available at http://abcnews.go.com/International/Books/pakistan-floods-wipe-bridges-roads-world-news-roundup/story?id=11393237. Mohammad Hussain Khan and Shamim-ur-Rahman, “Jacobabad and Thul being evacuated,” Dawn, August 14, 2010. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-jacobabad-and-thul-being-evacuated-480-hh-01. Saleem Shahid, “Three towns under water in Balochistan,” Dawn, August 16, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-three-towns-under-water-in-balochistan-680-hh-02.
[3] Rober Birsel, “U.N. says no aid yet for 6 million flood victims in Pakistan,” Reuters, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66T3RS20100814. Ashraf Khan, “Pakistan flood survivors protest slow aid,” AP, August 16, 2010. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100816/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_floods. “Millions of Pakistan children at risk of flood diseases,” BBC, August 16, 2010. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10984477. “Cholera Confirmed in Pakistan’s Floods,” Voice of America, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Gilani-20-Million-Affected-by-Pakistans-Floods-100679924.html.
[4] Hasbanullah Khan, “US drone strike kills 13 in Pakistan,” AFP, August 14, 2010. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100814/wl_asia_afp/pakistanunrestnorthwestusmissile. “U.S. missile strike kills 12 militants in Pakistan,” Reuters, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67D13L20100814?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FworldNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+International%29. Pazir Gul, “US drone strike kills 13 in North Waziristan,” Dawn, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/06-supected-drone-attack-in-north-waziristan-rs-04.
[5] “Securityman killed, 3 hurt in Khyber,” Frontier Post, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ts&nid=851&ad=14-08-2010.
[6] “Gunmen kill 16 in Southwest Pakistan,” AP, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/world/asia/15beluchi.html?partner=rss&emc=rss. “Gunmen attack bus, kill 10 near Quetta,” Dawn, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/03-gunmen-attack-bus-kill-10-near-quetta-ss-04. “Six killed in 'ethnic attack' in Quetta,” Dawn, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/03-six-killed-in-ethnic-attack-in-quetta-ss-06.
[9] Imran Ayub, “Plan to deploy FC in Karachi scrapped,” Dawn, August 16, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/plan-to-deploy-fc-in-city-scrapped-680.
[10] “MQM-H man gunned down in Karachi,” Dawn, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/19-mqmh-man-gunned-down-480-hh-04. “3 killed in Karachi firing, two abductees recovered,” Frontier Post, August 14, 2010. Available at http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ts&nid=850&ad=14-08-2010.
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