Gunship helicopters kill three militants Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday; Interior Minister says military is only conducting targeted airstrikes, adding that government has not decided whether to launch an operation; Largest tribe in North Waziristan says it will not flee military operation; Al Qaeda Afghan Leader is preparing to re-launch operations in Afghanistan following withdrawal of international forces; Foreign Office Spokesperson hopes Afghanistan will not allow militants to take refuge in Afghanistan; Sindh government sets up camps for IDPs from tribal areas; TTP ready to announce an end to hostilities; Obama administration debates whether to authorize the killing of suspected terrorist and U.S. citizen currently living in Pakistan; Chinese Defense Minister meets Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of the Naval Staff to discuss military cooperation; Finance Minister Ishaq Dar says trade between India and Pakistan to be conducted on reciprocal basis; Unknown gunmen kill custom officer and close associate of Afghan commander Abdul Raziq Khan in Chaman, Balochistan; Exchange of fire kills three militants, including Lashkar-e-Islam commander and injures three others in Khyber agency; Bana Mari police arrest 25 suspects throughout Peshawar; Official says Karachi faces bigger threat from extortionist and land grabbers than TTP; Militants bomb gas pipeline near Kandkhkot, Balochistan; Pakistan’s GDP grows by five percent during the first quarter of the fiscal year.
Military Operations in the Tribal Areas
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Thursday’s gunship helicopter strikes in Kulachi sub-district of Frontier Region Dera Ismail Khan killed three suspected militants, according to reports on Friday.[1]
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On Friday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan stated that the military is only conducting targeted airstrikes and that the government has not made a decision yet on whether to launch a military operation in North Waziristan. Khan added that if the government decided to launch an operation, it would likely announce the decision in three to four weeks.[2]
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According to a Friday article in the Frontier Post, the “biggest” tribe in North Waziristan, the Eidak tribe, announced that it would not flee the area in anticipation of an “imminent” military operation, opting instead to use its armed forces (locally called Salweshti) to protect its area. At a jirga held at Madrassa Nizamia on Thursday, local tribesmen and elders made the decision to remain in the area, stating that they were impartial and would not allow the government or the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)ehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ( during the first quarter of the fiscal year.igger threat from extortionist and land grabbers than TT to use the area in their fight. [3]
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According to a Friday article in Dawn, al Qaeda’s Afghanistan leader, Farouq al Qahtani al Qatari is preparing to re-launch his organization in Afghanistan once U.S. and international forces withdraw from the country. U.S. military intelligence officials claim that al Qatari has been strengthening local ties and bringing experienced militants to train new fighters, prompting the military to increase drone and missile strikes against al Qatari and his followers in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nuristan.[4]
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On Thursday, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office expressed hope that Afghanistan would not allow militants fleeing any operation in Pakistan to take refuge in Afghanistan.[5]
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According to a Friday report in The News, the Sindh government will set up camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) fleeing the impending military operation in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The IDPs will not be allowed to settle among urban communities due to fears that terrorists disguised as IDPs could enter the cities.[6]
Talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
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A Friday article in the Express Tribune reported that one of the three members of the TTP-nominated negotiating committee said that a top advisory council of the TTP is ready to announce an end to hostilities. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source said the announcement could come as soon as Friday.[7]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Friday article in the New York Times, the Obama administration is again debating whether or not to authorize the killing of a suspected terrorist and U.S. citizen overseas under the President’s targeted killing program. This particular debate focuses on Abdullah al Shami, who was born in the United States but is currently living in northwestern Pakistan and working his way up through the ranks of al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan. U.S. intelligence officials claim he is involved in the production and distribution of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).[8]
China-Pakistan Relations
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On Friday, the Chinese defense minister, Chang Wanquan, met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Asif Sandila, to discuss matters relating to military cooperation. Mr. Wanquan assured Prime Minister Sharif of China’s continued cooperation with Pakistan in the military and defense fields.[9]
India-Pakistan Relations
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On Thursday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar held a meeting to examine trade relations with India. At the meeting, Commerce Secretary Qasim Muhammad Niaz briefed the committee on the pros and cons of trade normalization with India, the benefits of textile and manufactured goods exports, and the broader framework of India and Pakistan’s trade relationship to move forward on non-discriminatory market access for Pakistan’s exports. Dar also assured the committee that any concessions Pakistan makes would be on a reciprocal basis, and that industry concerns would be taken into consideration in any future arrangements made with India.[10]
Militancy
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On Thursday, unknown gunmen shot and killed a customs officer, Sardar Mohammad, in the Roghani road area of Chaman in Balochistan. According to sources quoted in Dawn, Mohammad was an important official and considered a close associate of Afghan commander Abdul Raziq Khan.[11]
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On Friday, an exchange of fire between militants and security forces killed three militants, including a key Lashkar-e-Islam commander, Memon Afridi, and injured three others, including two security forces, in the Shalobar area of Khyber agency.[12]
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On Friday, the Bana Mari police conducted raids in several areas of Peshawar, arresting 25 suspects and seizing arms and ammunition.[13]
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On Friday, the Director General of the Sindh Rangers said that Karachi faces a bigger threat from extortionists and land grabbers than from the TTP.[14]
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On Friday, unknown militants bombed a gas pipeline near Kandkhkot, Balochistan, suspending gas supply to Karachi and other cities in Sindh province.[15]
Domestic