Pakistan Security Brief - April 1, 2011

LeI chief Mangal Bagh attacked; Six militants killed in Orakzai; Missiles from across Afghan border injure five; Suicide bomber in Darra Adam Khel kills child; Terminal in Khyber Agency attacked; Pakistan’s Senate condemns attacks on JUI-F chief; New York Times: Rehman “father of Taliban;” Ten killed in Balochistan; Gunmen attack vehicle carrying oil to NATO forces; Government hikes oil prices.

FATA

• On Friday, militants attacked the convoy of Mangal Bagh, the chief of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Eight members of LI sustained causalities in the attack, though it is unclear whether Bagh was injured. Dawn reports that the former commander of LI, Ghuncha Gul, rebelled against Bagh, leading to the clashes.[i]
• Six militants were killed in the Dabori area of Orakzai Agency. The insurgents had assaulted a security check post, killing three security personnel, before receiving retaliatory fire that killed the six militants.[ii]
• Five tribesmen were injured in South Waziristan in a rocket attack from across the Afghan border. According to tribal sources, two missiles were fired from the Birmal area of Afghanistan and landed in Angoor Adda town. An investigation has commenced into the incident.[iii]
• A suicide bomber in Darra Adam Khel killed a child and wounded five others in an attack on Friday. Tribesmen shot the bomber before he blew himself up outside of a crowded market in the city.[iv]
• Militants attacked a truck terminal in Khyber Agency transporting supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan. Three guards were killed in the attack in Landi Kotal, and three supply vehicles were torched.[v]

Attacks on JUI-chief and Fallout

• Pakistan’s Senate has condemned the recent attacks on Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and called for an investigation. Prime Minister Gilani has contacted the JUI-F chief to assure him that appropriate security measures would be taken. Dawn reports that Rehman had previously offered his services as a mediator between the United States and the Taliban, while the New York Times states that he has often been described as the “father of the Taliban” for his prior support of “thousands of recruits to the fight through a network of mosques and madrasas run by his party in Pakistan’s border areas.” A colleague of Rehman’s said that the attack was carried out by “those who are against sharia rule and want to stop the Islamic revolution in Pakistan.” Other officials have blamed Islamic extremists for the attacks.[vi]

Balochistan

• On Thursday, ten people were killed in a bomb attack, landmine blast, and shooting in separate areas of Balochistan. The bomb exploded in Tump in Turbat district, killing five, including a tribal elder and his son. A spokesperson for the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, a landmine detonation in Loralai killed three men and two tribal elders were killed in shootings in Kalat town.[vii]
• On Thursday, gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying oil to NATO forces in Afghanistan, before setting the tanker on fire. The driver was killed in the attack in Wadh of Khuzdar district.[viii]

Increase in Petroleum Prices

• On Thursday, the government raised diesel prices by thirteen percent and petrol by ten percent, in the single largest increase in oil prices since July 2008. The move is expected to generate $13 million (Rs 11 billion) in additional revenue for the government. Prime Minister Gilani has announced that the government is considering subsidizing the fuel prices, following a legal challenge to the increase in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday. The hike has elicited protests by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).[ix]