Militants storm Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, killing 28 and injuring 26; TTP claims responsibility for airport attack; Suicide attack targeting Shia pilgrims kills between 23 and 30 in Taftan area near Iran-Balochistan border, Jaishul Islam claims responsibility; Afghanistan’s National Security Council accuses foreign intelligence services and Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba of involvement in assassination attempt on Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah; IED blast kills two Frontier Corps soldiers in Bajaur; Pro-government peace committee member killed in Mohmand; Militants set NATO tanker on fire in Jaffarabad; Frontier Corps personnel kill 10 Baloch Republican Army militants in operation in Dera Bugti; Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans cabinet meeting to discuss future of peace talks with TTP; London Police release MQM leader on bail.
Karachi Airport Attack
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Late on Sunday, militants attacked Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, leaving 28 people, themselves included, dead and 26 injured. The five-hour siege came to an end when Pakistan Army commandos, supported by paramilitary Rangers personnel, managed to surround and kill the ten assailants. The militants, some of whom disguised themselves as airport security officers, used small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in their attack. Some of the militants were also wearing suicide bomb vests. Some of the militants were reportedly Uzbeks. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday. TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid stated that the main goal of the attack was to hijack planes and destroy state installations. Shahid added that the siege was just one example of what the TTP is capable of, and warned the government to be “ready for even worse attacks.” In response, security agencies placed Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport and Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on “red alert,” and deployed security personnel around the airports. Later on Monday, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asim Bajwa, stated that the airport has been cleared and control handed back to the Civil Aviation Authority, officially reopening the airport for all passengers and flight operations.[1]
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In response to the attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Security to discuss the future of peace talks with the TTP. A date for the meeting has not yet been set.[2]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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On Sunday, a suicide bomber targeting Shia pilgrims detonated his explosive device, killing at least 23 people and injured 18 more in Balochistan’s Taftan area near the Iran-Pakistan border. According to Balochistan Home Secretary, Akbar Hussain Durrani, the buses carrying the pilgrims had returned to Pakistan from Iran on Sunday evening, and were parked at two hotels when the explosion occurred. Durrani added that intense firing by unknown militants near the hotels followed the blasts. Frontier Corps personnel responded to the incident, killing two of the terrorists involved in the attack and reportedly averted another terrorist attack close to the hotel. The Sunni militant group, Jaish-ul-Islam claimed responsibility for the attack. On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps to “personally lead the operation against the terrorists” involved in the attack. A Monday article in the Express Tribune reported that the death toll has risen to 30 people.[3]
Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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On Sunday, Afghanistan’s National Security Council (NSC), chaired by President Hamid Karzai, issued a statement accusing “foreign intelligence services” of their involvement in the assassination attempt on Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah that killed 12 other people on Friday. The statement specifically cited the intelligence service’s involvement through Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The NSC also condemned increasing cross-border attacks by the Pakistani army, which the NSC claims are intended to disrupt the run-off election.[4]
Militancy
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On Friday, police arrested a terrorist who was reportedly pretending to be an internally displaced person (IDP) in order to enter Bannu district.[5]
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On Saturday, Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants lashed a woman who was working in the fields in the Spin Drand area of Tirah valley. LI militants had previously distributed pamphlets warning women not to leave their homes, warning them that they would be punished with lashes for working in the fields or for keeping cell phones.[6]
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On Saturday, unnamed sources reported that Lashkar-e-Islam and rival militant group Tawheedul Islam agreed to exchange prisoners in Khyber agency. The groups also agreed to extend their ceasefire.[7]
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On Saturday, a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) blast killed one Frontier Corps soldier and injured another in the Nawagai sub-district of Bajaur. An article in the Express Tribune reported that the blast killed two security officials.[8]
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On Sunday, a roadside IED blast killed a pro-government peace committee member, Malik Inayat Khan, in the Ambar sub-district of Mohmand.[9]
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On Sunday, armed militants fired on a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) tanker, then set it on fire in Balochistan’s Jaffarabad district.[10]
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On Sunday, paramilitary forces conducted an operation in Dera Bugti’s Gandyari town, killing more than 10 alleged militants of the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA). The militants were reportedly involved in terrorist activities, including attacks on trains and gas pipelines.[11]
Domestic
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On Saturday, the London Metropolitan Police released Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on bail after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in money laundering. Upon his release Hussain telephoned his party’s lawmakers and workers who had been participating in a sit-in protest against Hussain’s arrest to commend them on their commitment and passion.[12]