Pakistan Security Brief - November 16, 2010

Drone Campaign

• As many 20 militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan on Tuesday.  The strike occurred in Bangi Dar village, near the Afghan border, where drone aircraft are said to have fired on a “fortress-like” compound and a car in which insurgents were thought to be riding. The remoteness of the area has made it difficult for security forces to independently confirm causalities figures as well as determine if any high value targets were among today’s dead. [1]

Af-Pak Relations

• Afghan President Hamid Karzai, during an interview this weekend with the Washington Post, appeared to attack the U.S. drone campaign that has heavily targeted Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  Karzai told the Post that, “I can never talk in favorable terms about planes that are shooting people or bombing people.” Additionally, President Karzai also appeared sympathetic to Pakistan’s inaction against known militant sanctuaries in the country, saying that “Initially…I was highly critical of Pakistan and their lack of action,” but that “now I see Pakistan suffering more than we are in lots of ways.” President Karzai’s interview with the Washington Post has drawn the ire of many top U.S. military officials, including General David Petraeus, who reportedly received the Afghan President’s comments with “astonishment and disappointment.”[2]

Islamabad

• A man was arrested on Monday after attempting to bomb the Central Investigation Agency in Islamabad.  According to reports, the suspect attempted to gain entry to the agency in order to deliver explosives in a parcel that was addressed to the police superintendent.  Security personnel at the facility questioned the suspect upon his entry, and then arrested him after he attempted to flee.  Security officials stated that the culprit, Mohammad Rafique, is affiliated with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and is a resident of Orakzai agency. It is thought that Rafique also played a role in a last year’s attacks on the UN World Food Programme and the Naval Complex in Islamabad.  Additionally, Dawn reports, that Rafique was at one time associated with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) and Jamaat-ud–Dawa (JuD), the charity wing of Lashkar e-Taiba (LeT). [3]

Maplecroft Survey

• In a new study commissioned by Maplecroft consultants, Pakistan is ranked second only to Somalia in a comparison of countries at risk for terrorism.  According to the Maplecroft survey, Pakistan has moved up one spot to become the country with the second highest risk of terrorist violence, while neighboring Afghanistan has moved down to the number four spot.[4] 

Kyhber Pakunkhwa

• Three people were injured on Monday, after a remotely-denoted bomb exploded outside a mosque in Peshawar.  A portion of the mosque was completely destroyed in the attack which occurred in the Adezai Chowk area of the city. Among those injured was Mohammad Hussain, the local prayer leader.  According to reports, police and a local anti-Taliban Lashkar frequently use the mosque.[5]  

• Three militants were killed in Shangla district on Tuesday during a gun battle with security forces.  The clashes occurred near Aloch in Puran sub-district.[6] 

FATA

• Militants blew up a government school and a house used by a local peace council on Monday in Mohmand agency.  The attacks occurred in the Lakkaro area of Safi tehsil.  Although no causalities were reported, both of the buildings were completely destroyed in the attack.  In recent years, as many as 67 schools have been destroyed by militants in Mohmand.[7] 

Floods

• On Monday, the concluding day of The Pakistan Development Forum, Japan and Saudi Arabia announced plans to donate significantly to rebuilding and recovery efforts following this summer’s deadly flood season.  Saudi Arabia announced that it will provide Pakistan with $400 million dollars for reconstruction of flood-affected areas, while Japan agreed to offer a $500 million dollar loan for the rehabilitation of damaged roads in Khyber-Pakthunkhwa. Yesterday’s donations were the highlight of the multi-day forum, which produced few commitments from Western nations.  Western countries have remained reluctant to offer more aid money because of the Pakistani government’s lack of transparency and its failure to pass reforms that would widen the country’s tax base.[8]