Airstrikes destroy seven militant hideouts and kill thirteen militants in North Waziristan; latest casualty numbers for North Waziristan offensive are 400 militants and 20 Pakistani soldiers dead; Pakistani officials reaffirm commitment to rid North Waziristan of all militant groups; Three suspected militants killed for attacking police van in Karachi; IED attack injures Peshawar police official; IMF sets new benchmarks for Pakistan.
North Waziristan Offensive
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The Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) told Dawn that airstrikes early on the morning of July 8 destroyed seven militant hideouts and killed 13 militants in the Degan area of North Waziristan Agency. Dawn estimates that since June 15, more than 400 suspected militants have been killed and 19 IED-making factories destroyed as part of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. The News also reported that the ongoing operation has killed 400 militants and 20 Pakistan Army soldiers.[1]
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Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on July 6 that the current military operation in North Waziristan is targeting all militants, including the Haqqani Network. He also said that militants had plenty of time to evacuate before the start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, as Pakistan nearly initiated the operation as early as January, before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a new round of peace talks.[2]
Registration of Internally Displaced Persons
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On July 8, the FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) announced that almost 800,000 people have been registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs). The registration process in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was scheduled to restart on July 8 after stopping on July 7 due to mismanagement. According to FDMA officials, people from Boya or Datta Khel will be registered today, from Mir Ali on July 9, from Dosali and Garyaum on July 10, from Razmak and Shawal on July 11, from Ghulam Khan on July 12, and from all remaining areas will be registered on July 14.[3]
Domestic
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Karachi police shot to death three suspected members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as they were carrying out an attack on a police mobile van with hand-grenades near the Pak Colony graveyard on July 8. There was a fourth suspect but he disappeared before police could arrest him. [4]
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On July 8, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on a police patrol on Dora Road in Peshawar injured a police official.[5]
Economics
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on July 8 placed six new benchmarks for Pakistan to comply with in order to continue to receive tranches from the Fund’s Pakistan bailout package. The new benchmarks include items such as continuing to raise utility prices and cutting back on subsidies, and setting new deadlines for the privatization of state-owned enterprises, among others.[6]