Airstrikes in Khyber agency kill 20 militants and destroy 13 militant hideouts; airstrikes in Mir Ali kill 27 militants and destroy 10 hideouts; VBIED detonates near Spinwam, killing two soldiers and civilian; Saidgai registration checkpoint has registered 454,207 IDPs to-date; Monday marks end of IDP evacuation period from North Waziristan; Police defuse two IEDs in Hayatabad neighborhood of Peshawar; Cleric Qadri’s return leads to protests in Islamabad and Lahore; Pakistani government urges Afghan government not react rashly to alleged cross-border killing of Afghans by Pakistani troops.
North Waziristan Offensive
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The Pakistani military’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that airstrikes in Khyber Agency in the early morning of June 24 killed 20 militants and destroyed 12 militant hideouts about 75 miles from Torkham, near the Afghan border. That afternoon, more airstrikes in Mir Ali, North Waziristan killed 27 militants and destroyed 10 militant hideouts, along with a cache of arms and ammunition. A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated near Spinwam, North Waziristan on the afternoon of June 24, killing two soldiers and a civilian. In the attack, a “single cabin explosive laden vehicle” attempted to approach a security checkpoint when soldiers spotted and fired at the vehicle which exploded short of the checkpoint.[1]
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According to the ISPR, the Saidgai registration checkpoint in North Waziristan Agency has registered 36,514 families, or 454,207 internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the beginning of the operation. Dawn reported that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) estimates that by June 24 the number of IDPs had risen to 119, 915 males, 143, 785 females and 191,987 children. The Pakistan Army has established “6 ration distribution points” in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cities of Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank in to assist IDPs leaving North Waziristan Agency. According to The News, “about 1100 families have arrived in DI Khan and 480 in Lakki Marwat district.”[2]
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The News reported that the government had imposed an indefinite curfew on Monday afternoon across the all of North Waziristan Agency after the deadline for the local population to leave their homes expired on Monday, June 23. An unnamed military official said that there “would be no further extension [of] the curfew in the tribal region” beyond Monday’s deadline. Government officials said that even after issuing warnings, local tribesmen refused to evacuate the villages of Hassu Khel, Haider Khel, Mosaki, Zaraki, Khadi, Mama Khel, Ipi, Hurmaz and Khushali near the city of Mir Ali. Tribal elders criticized the political administration of North Waziristan Agency and Pakistan’s government and security institutions for “poor performance during the ongoing crisis” and “for not developing a proper strategy to handle the uprooted families in case of a military offensive. [3]
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The News reported that by June 23 700 families of IDPs that had reached Hangu district reported that neither the federal government nor the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had prepared for the families food or shelter needs. Police officials in Lakki Marwat district have reportedly registered 217 displaced families. Half of the families have arrived since June 20.[4]
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Dawn reported on June 24 that according to local and tribal sources, “at least seven civilians including a woman and children died when a mortar shell or bomb hit a house” near Meraban Loki Khel in the Tirah Valley, Jamrud sub-district, Khyber Agency. Official sources and Geo News confirmed the report and claimed that airstrikes by jet fighters killed the civilians, six of whom were part of the same family.[5]
Militant Activity and Internal Security
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A roadside remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) in Mohmand Agency’s Qayyumabad area killed “an official of the tribal Khasadar force”, said official sources on June 24. Security personnel led a search operation shortly after and arrested “11 suspicious persons.”[6]
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Police defused two IEDs in the Hayatabad neighborhood of Peshawar and in the town of Charsadda on June 23, and responded to two hand-grenade attacks on houses in the Hayatabad and Bhana Mari areas of Peshawar on June 24. Police reported no casualties and were not able to identify who conducted the attacks. One hand grenade attack targeted the house of National Assembly Member Khayal Zaman Orakzai. Assistant inspector general of the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) said that the IEDs diffused ranged from 14-15 kg and the IED defused in Hayatabad was “an Iraqi style”, “shaped charge IED.”[7]
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Police officials reported that armed militants attacked police patrolling the neighborhood of Manghopir, part of Gadap Town in Karachi. The militants killed three policemen and injured one other in the firefight, before fleeing. The officials said that the attack was a reaction to an operation on June 22 by Rangers and police that killed five militants.[8]
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Commander of the Quetta-based XII Corps, Lt. General Nasir Khan Janjua, presided over a meeting at his headquarters on June 24 to develop a security plan for Balochistan in the event of militant reprisals following Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Attending officials decided to implement a joint security strategy that coordinated civilian and law-enforcement efforts, including establishing “joint control rooms at provincial and district levels” to receive and process information about suspicious activities and people in the area. Officials stressed that the local population cooperate with law-enforcement and civil agencies in operating the joint control rooms, which would rely upon the intelligence provided by people in the area.[9]
Domestic
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Cleric-cum-political activist Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri’s return to Pakistan from Canada on June 23 sparked protests at both the international airports in Islamabad and Lahore. Despite government efforts to ban demonstrations, clashes still broke out between Qadri’s supporters and the police. According to state officials, 70 officers were injured in clashes with protesters. Qadri’s flight was scheduled to land in Islamabad but was diverted by the government to Lahore for “security reasons.” In protest, Qadri refused to exit the plane. The four hour ordeal became a standoff between Punjab government, Lahore’s district government, the Civil Aviation Authority, Emirates Airlines, Minhajul Quran International and Qadri. Ultimately, Punjab governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar arrived at the airport and arranged for Qadri to be provided with personal guards and a bullet-proof vehicle.[10]
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On June 23, Indian forces shot to death a protesting youth in Sopore, Indian-administered Kashmir. The incident took place at a protest that developed in response to a recent firefight in Indian-administered Kashmir which resulted in the death of a suspected militant the escape of another.[11]
Pak-Afghan Relations
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The Pakistani government requested on June 24 that the Afghan government “refrain from taking any action that may be detrimental to peace and stability on the boarder.” The request follows news that Afghan officials are deciding how to respond to allegations that Pakistani troops dressed in civilian clothes crossed into eastern Kunar province on June 22 and killed eight civilians and three Afghan soldiers. In a press release from the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs’ office, Pakistan rejected Afghan allegations, stating that Pakistani troops have been repeatedly attacked from Afghanistan and would only act in self-defense.[12]