Commando raid in Miram Shah signals start of ground operations in North Waziristan; Militants allegedly left before operation began; 327 militants killed since start of operation; More international air carriers suspend flights to Peshawar; TTP responsible for Peshawar attack; USAID and UN provide aid to refugees; Sharif visits IDP camp in Bannu, talks with Afghan national security advisor; Charity group linked to global terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated by U.S.
North Waziristan Offensive
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The New York Times reported on June 27, Pakistan began the ground phase of its operation in North Waziristan with a commando raid that followed artillery shelling and airstrikes on June 26 in the town of Miram Shah and the town’s main bazaar. Special forces soldiers reportedly moved into the city’s bazaar and consolidated their position in the area. A senior military official said that the airstrikes and raid anticipate a “major ground assault” into the towns of Miram Shah and Mir Ali. A commander affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban told The New York Times on June 27 that many Taliban fighters have fled the military operation and are residing in neighboring regions, including Wana, the district headquarters of South Waziristan. A tribesman from Mir Ali said that Uzbek militants fled North Waziristan Agency before the operation began. Dawar said they had moved into southern Afghanistan and the Shawal Valley, a forested area between North and South Waziristan.[1]
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Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Major General Asim Bajwa, told Dawn on June 26 the Pakistan Army had reportedly cordoned off the entire Pak-Afghan border along with the border between North and South Waziristan Agency. He also dismissed the idea that militants had escaped before the start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, asserting that militants had no idea the operation was imminent and most failed to escape the cordoned off area. According to Bajwa, 327 militants have been killed and 45 militant hideouts destroyed since the start of the military operation on June 15. He noted that 10 security personnel have died and seven have been injured since June 15.[2]
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On June 26, the Pakistan Army deployed soldiers to Torghar district of Hazara sub-division in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. The army reportedly deployed the soldiers to prevent the entry of militants from neighboring Malakand division. Army personnel are tasked with searching the area for militants and preventing militant reprisal following the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan.[3]
Peshawar Airport Attack
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Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific decided on June 27 to indefinitely suspend all flights to Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport. Saudi Arabian Airlines also decided on June 27 to indefinitely suspend all flights to Bacha Khan International Airport. The announcement followed decisions by carriers Etihad and Emirates on June 25 to put all flights to Peshawar on hold until further notice. According to police, security forces have not yet established control over the areas surrounding Peshawar’s Airport following the small arms attack on a landing plane there on June 24.[4] Security officials said on June 26 that the Tariq Geedar group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was responsible for the June 24 Peshawar Airport attack that left one dead and three injured. The officials said that the group originates from the town of Darra Adam Khel in Orakzai Agency. Militants reportedly fired upon the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane from the rooftop of a school in the area of Sulimankhel near the airport. Militants, firing from long range, affixed a specialized barrel to their AK-47 and used tracer bullets to ensure they hit their target. According to differing reports by Geo, an initial investigation by police into the Peshawar Airport attack found that the Shahid group of the TTP was responsible and reported that militants used a foreign made M-16 to attack PIA flight PK-756 on June 24.[5]
Refugee Crisis and Response
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Dawn reported on June 26 that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated $8 million to the Pakistan government to fulfill the food needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) following Operation Zarb-e-Azb.[6]
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The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) told The News on June 26 that it plans to increase food distribution efforts so it can provide food for up to half a million IDPs from North Waziristan Agency. Since June 22, it provided 4,600 families with 15-day food rations in Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber-Paktunkhwa Province. The WFP announced that it would provide humanitarian assistance until early September following contributions of wheat from the Pakistan government and $5.5 million from USAID.[7]
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The New York Times reported on June 27 that Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charity front for Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been providing humanitarian assistance to IDPs in Bannu. The U.S. State Department designated Jamaat-ud-Dawa as an LeT front on June 25. The U.S. has had a $10 million reward for Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s leader Hafiz Saeed since April of 2012 and now has designated his aide, Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry and Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s financial chief, Muhammad Hussein Gill as “specially designed global terrorists.”[8]
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited IDP camps in Bannu on June 27 and said that the Pakistani government will provide Rs 40,000 ($405) to each family of IDPs during the month of Ramadan.[9]
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On June 27, the Pakistan Army initiated a campaign to vaccinate at least 20,000 children for polio in the Bara sub-district of Khyber Agency.[10]
Domestic Security
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On June 25, two unknown motorcyclists tossed hand grenades at a police checkpoint in Sadiqabad, Rawalpindi. Four people were injured in the attack.[11]
Pak-Afghan Relations
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta met on June 26 and agreed to target all militants without discrimination. Sharif and Spanta also agreed to form a working group to oversee efforts to bilaterally fight terrorism. The working group is to be led by the Pakistani foreign secretary and the afghan deputy foreign minister.[12]
Pakistan-U.S. Relations
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U.S. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf reaffirmed on June 26 that the North Waziristan offensive is a Pakistani-led offensive and that the U.S. is not involved.[13]