Pakistan Security Brief - June 8, 2011

Drone strikes in Waziristan kill 22 suspected militants; Zawahiri vows continued jihad in video eulogy to Bin Laden;  U.S. State Department spokesman says cooperation with Pakistan is in “security interest of the US”; Lt. Gen. Malik claims his troops are already “indiscriminately” fighting terrorists in North Waziristan;  Karzai scheduled to visit Islamabad next week; Militants attack a checkpoint in lower Kurram; the family of Ilyas Kashmiri has received no proof his death; Opposition PML-N alleges civilian and military leaders are prioritizing of American over Pakistani interests; in their closing argument, the prosecution claims Tahawwur Rana was fully aware of his role in the Mumbai plot; charges were brought against Maulana Sufi Muhammad of the TNSM in Peshawar; Frontier Corps colonel claims “he didn`t order firing on foreigners”; “eight Nato oil tankers destroyed in blast”; according to Interpol, al-Qaeda is is still the “world’s biggest security threat.”

Drone Strikes in Waziristan

• U.S. drone attacks killed 22 suspected militants in North and South Waziristan on Wednesday. “A local intelligence official” has told Reuters that two missiles struck a “fortress-like militant compound in Shawal area [of] the North Waziristan tribal region” killing “[e]ighteen militants, including foreigners.” In a separate strike, two missiles struck “a vehicle suspected to be carrying militants in a village in South Waziristan about three kilometres away from the site of the first strike,” killing four suspected militants. These attacks come as the U.S. and Pakistan resume intelligence cooperation after months of tension in the relationship.[i]

• According to Reuters, militant leaders under Maulvi Nazir have stated that the Nazir’s group will intensify its operations in Afghanistan in response to increased drone strikes. The area controlled by Nazir in South Waziristan has been heavily targeted by drone strikes in the past several days. In the past, Pakistan has considered Nazir’s group “among the so-called ‘good Taliban’” as they had no opposition to the Pakistani state. An escalation of Nazir’s operations in Afghanistan could create tension between Pakistan and the U.S.[ii]

Zawahiri Video

• In a video eulogy for Osama Bin Laden translated by SITE Intelligence, al-Qaeda number two and potential successor to Bin Laden Ayman al-Zawahiri promises continued jihad according to the vision of Bin Laden, stating, “The man who terrified America in his life will continue to terrify it after his death.” Zawahiri invokes poetry glorifying Bin Laden’s life and criticizes the U.S. description of Bin Laden’s sea burial as “in accordance with Islamic rituals.” Zawahiri also addresses the Pakistani people, declaring, “I incite the Muslim masses in Pakistan to rise up against the military mercenaries and bribed leaders who control their fates and who turned Pakistan into an American colony in which it kills whoever it wants, captures whoever it wants, and destroys what villages it wants.” He also pledges renewed allegiance to Mullah Omar, promising “to obey him in what we like and do not like.”[iii]

U.S.-Pakistani Relations

• CIA director, and new Secretary of Defense nominee, Leon Panetta linked U.S. provision of aid to Pakistan with adequately fulfilling “the ‘concrete steps’ the US has set for counterterrorism cooperation.” Panetta acknowledged the efficacy of “U.S. ‘train-advise-equip’ programs with Pakistani military and paramilitary forces,” but emphasized that “[i]t is vital . . . that Pakistan live up to its end of the bargain, cooperating more fully in counterterrorism matters and ceasing to provide sanctuary to Afghan Taliban and other insurgent groups.” Panetta answered questions in writing regarding Pakistan in advance of the hearing for his confirmation as Secretary of Defense.[iv]
• Additionally, Pakistan has dismissed “two-thirds of the U.S. military personnel” who were training the Pakistani FC. Pakistan uses the FC as “a front line force against militants in the tribal regions.” The reduction in the number of US military trainers was first inspired by the Raymond Davis incident and exacerbated by other recent controversies in the U.S.-Pakistani relationship, including the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.[v]
• On Tuesday, in an address to a US congressional delegation, Prime Minister Gilani “called for an early conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement between Pakistan and United States to promote economic activity.” According to Dawn, Gilani argued that “economic activity would address the issues of poverty and unemployment particularly in the under-developed and militancy-affected areas.” Gilani also reaffirmed Pakistani commitment to cooperation with the U.S. on security.[vi]
• State Department spokesman Mark Toner stressed the importance of cooperation with Pakistan, adding, according to Geo, that “collaboration with Pakistan has proven fruitful as [a] large number of the terrorists had been killed or captured in Pakistan as compared to other parts of the world.”[vii]

• According to The Express Tribune,the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Office Tehmina Janjua declared Pakistan’s dedication to “protect[ing] its sovereignty at all costs.” She also pointed out that “the US had not given Pakistan access to Mumbai attacks accused David Headley.”[viii]

Top General Comments on Militants in North Waziristan

• In response to allegations that “his troops can’t enter North Waziristan,” Pakistani Lt. Gen. Asif Yasin Gen. Malik claims he already has “five brigades” on the ground “killing insurgents and terrorists.” Regarding pressures from the US to target the Haqqani network specifically, Gen. Malik states, “[w]e don’t specifically target anybody.” According to Gen. Malik, targeting of militant groups is “indiscriminate.” He also argues that blame for problems along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border should not be directed at Pakistan alone, citing the Afghan government’s refusal of Pakistani suggestions for securing the border.[ix]

 Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

• Afghan President Hamid Karzai is scheduled to visit Islamabad next week. According to The News, “Pakistan is expected to reassure him that it is ready to extend all ‘possible cooperation’ to Afghanistan to see return of peace and stability there.” Additionally, Karzai’s visit is likely to “be [the] opportunity to ink the long- awaited Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA)” as “was revealed on Monday when Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Jawed Ludin, arrived in Islamabad on a two-day official visit.”[x]

Attack on Kurram Post

• According to Dawn, “[m]ilitants from Afghanistan attacked a checkpost in [the] Patala area of lower Kurram” yesterday. One of the security personnel was killed, while another was captured. Reportedly, five of the militants were also killed.[xi]

Kashmiri Family Awaits Confirmation

• According to Dawn, the family of Ilyas Kashmiri has received no confirmation of the militant’s death. They claim to not have seen him in six years, but his elder brother states that, given the absence of proof, the family does “not think he’s dead.” The brother continues to express doubt regarding Kashmiri’s involvement in attacks on the Pakistani military, stating, “[h]e loved Pakistan and its army” and even hoped his son would one day “join the army as a commissioned officer.”[xii]

PML-N Criticizes Civilian and Military Leadership

• On Tuesday, the PML-N launched a scathing verbal attack on Pakistan’s military establishment. PML-N “frontbencher” Khwaja Mohammad Asif alleged “[a] ‘convergence of interests’ of the civilian and military leaderships to promote American rather than the country’s interests.” He also attacked Pakistani generals for driving in expensive cars during a time a violent conflict, “comparing them with some of the sub-continent’s moghul emperors going to battlefield in palanquins.”[xiii]

Tahawwur Rana trial

• Tahawwur Rana is accused of “acting as a messenger and providing a cover” for David Headley, who has plead guilty to helping select targets for the Mumbai attacks. Rana’s defense has claimed he was actually unaware of the implications of his actions and “was duped” by David Headley, whose testimony has aided the prosecution. In their final argument, the prosecution alleged that Rana “knew he was aiding a plot that ultimately killed 166 people.”[xiv]

 Charges against TNSM Leader

• On Monday an anti-terrorism court in Peshawar brought charges against Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the head of the banned group Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) that was allied with the Taliban during the Taliban rule of the Swat valley. The court “framed charges against . . . Maulana Sufi Muhammad in two cases lodged against him and his followers in 1995.”  The charges were brought “on the basis of the two first information reports (FIR) lodged at the Khwazakhela and Kabal Police Stations in Swat district.” Maulana Sufi Muhammad and his followers were charged with “attacking and damaging the police station and injuring 13 policemen,” while Muhammad was also charged with treason. The next hearing has been scheduled for June 20.

Frontier Corps Investigation

• In his deposition before the tribunal investigating an incident in which the Frontier Corps (FC) shot and killed five foreigners in Kharotabad, Colonel Faisal Shehzad claimed that he did not order anyone to fire on the foreigners, “although he himself fired three or four shots at them.” According to the statement of Mohammad Hashim of the FC, police “opened fire on the foreigners after an explosion.” The proceeding will resume on June 9.[xv]

Interpol Calls Al-Qaeda Biggest Threat

• On Tuesday, the head of Interpol announced, “Al Qaeda and groups linked to it remain the world's biggest security threat despite the killing of Osama bin Laden.” He said one security concern was “the use of stolen or missing passports and the fact that many countries did not match passports of passengers to a database of missing documents.” He added that modes of transport would continue to be a target for terrorism.[xvi]

NATO Oil Tankers Destroyed

• According to Geo, “[a]t least eight tankers, supplying oil to Nato in Afghanistan, were completely destroyed in a blast in Khyber Agency.” The original blast spread to engulf and destroy the tankers. No deaths have been reported.[xvii]