Miram Shah cleared of militants, security forces kill three militants in Mir Ali; Afghan National Security Council accuses Pakistan government of supporting Taliban militant activity in Afghanistan and criticizes recent Pakistani cross-border rocket attacks; Army says no additional troops to deploy in Islamabad; PTI chief Khan will not cancel August 14 march on Islamabad; Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa PTI political candidate killed in IED blast in Dera Ismail Khan; Frontier Corps soldier killed in Dera Ismail Khan; Three militants die in military custody in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa prisons; Armed men kill one in Hangu; Militants kill Frontier Corps soldier in cross-border attack in Bajaur Agency; Rangers raid home of MQM leader; Pakistan Army denies reports of Pakistani troop deployment to Saudi Arabia to secure Saudi-Iraq border.
North Waziristan Offensive
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On August 4, the Pakistani military’s Inter-Services Public Relations reported that Miram Shah, Mir Ali, Boya, Degan and the area leading up toward Datta Khel have been cleared of militants. Security officials are currently focusing on pockets of resistance between Miram Shah and Mir Ali. Clearing Mir Ali resulted in the discovery of 75 rockets, many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suicide jackets. An IED factory was also uncovered in Umer Ki Kalli village, Mir Ali. A “snap operation” on an Uzbek militant hideout in Datta Khel Bazar lead to the death of two soldiers and seven Uzbek militants.[1]
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On August 2, security personnel killed three suspected militants in Mir Ali sub-district, North Waziristan Agency. During the attack, security personnel also found a large quantity of arms and ammunition.[2]
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On August 2, The News reported that a jirga of elders representing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from North Waziristan requested that the government allow IDPs to return home to areas that have already been cleared.[3]
Pak-Afghan Tensions
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During a meeting of the Afghan National Security Council (NSC) on August 3, the Afghan government criticized recent Pakistani military cross-border rocket attacks in Dangam and Shegal districts of Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. The NSC also accused the Pakistani government of supporting Taliban militants and militant groups in Afghanistan by increasing the amount of Pakistani military personnel and advisors operating among militant groups in Afghanistan. The NSC accused the Pakistani government of participating in the planning of a major Taliban attack in Hesarak district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The Governor of Kunar Province, Shuja ul Mulk Jalala, alleged on August 3 that the Pakistan Army has fired 118 rockets in the last 24 hours into Afghanistan.[4]
Islamabad Deployment
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Inter-Services Public Relations spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa said on August 1 that the Pakistani military would not deploy any additional troops to Islamabad beyond those already placed in the city on June 15. Bajwa asserted that 350 troops had already been stationed in Islamabad since June 15th. A senior police official told Dawn on August 2 that the soldiers had to wait for a legal justification for their deployment under Article 245 before they could patrol the city. On August 2, a defense official reiterated that the five companies that have already been sent to Islamabad are tasked with securing the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, the main offices of the judiciary, the Parliament, the President and Prime Minister’s houses, foreign missions, foreign office and additional central institutions.[5]
PTI March
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Last week, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan reportedly spoke with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and failed to convince him to cancel his August 14 “million-man” march on Islamabad. On August 3, Imran Khan called the Pakistani government a “Sharif family monarchy” and accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of corruption and election fraud.[6]
Militancy
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On August 4, a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) killed former political candidate and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Faqir Jamshed and two other individuals when it exploded near their vehicle on Muddhi road in Dera Ismail Khan’s Kulachi area, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Jamshed, a local religious leader, had been hosting a celebration at a shrine in the area earlier that day.[7]
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A Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was shot and killed by unidentified men on Link Road in Dera Ismail Khan’s Lon-Bacha Abad area on July 30.[8]
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On August 2, three militants died of alleged “cardiac arrest” in security forces custody, two in a prison in Kohat district and one in a prison in Malakand district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[9]
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On August 2, unidentified gunmen fired on a passenger bus near the Doaba area of Hangu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, killing one person and injuring one.[10]
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On the night of August 1, unidentified persons detonated an IED which partially damaged the Government Primary School in Saron Killay area of Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In a separate incident on August 1, police defused an IED near the Peshawar Motorway Interchange near Nisatta Police Station in Charsadda.[11]
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Suspected militants fired upon Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in a cross-border attack in the Ghakhai Pass area of Mamund sub-district, Bajaur Agency on August 1. The attack killed one FC soldier. Pakistan’s Foreign Office strongly condemned the attack.[12]
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Suspected militants detonated an IED that partially destroyed a government-run girls primary school on August 2 in the Dando Bridge area of Mohmand Agency.[13]
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On August 1, two suspected militant groups fought and exchanged gunfire in the Akakhel area of Bara-sub-district in Khyber Agency, killing two and injuring another. The News identified the two groups as Abdul Wali Group and Ghulchakai Group.[14]
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In a 10-hour-long curfew and search operation conducted on July 31 in Landi Kotal sub-district of Khyber Agency, military officials arrested and later released 40 people. The search was conducted after military officials received a tip that militants were hiding in the Ash Khhel and Makhtar Khel mountains.[15]
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The principal of a Christian school was shot and killed in Karachi’s Baldia Town on August 4.[16]
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A man arrested by Sindh Rangers on August 4 in Karachi’s Pir Elahi Bakhsh Colony allegedly confessed during interrogation to carrying out 12 murders and running a “target killing” ring responsible for the deaths of 35 people including three policemen. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar claimed the man, Shamshad Ali, is an active MQM party leader but raised doubts about the authenticity of the murder claims. The raid to capture the alleged killer took place near Sattar’s residence and elicited protests from MQM workers across Karachi.[17]
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Unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle shot and killed one member of the Levies force in Balicha area of Turbat district, Balochistan on August 2.[18]
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Armed men on motorbikes shot and killed two people in Quetta’s Kili Farozaabad area on July 31.[19]
Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Israel-Palestine
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On August 1, Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed announced a nation-wide movement consisting of protests and rallies in support of Palestine and to pressure Muslim countries to send forces to Palestine.[20]
Kurram Protests
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On August 1, eight thousand tribal people from Parachinar, Kurram Agency staged protests for the third day against local political leader Riaz Mehsud, whom they claimed acted on behalf of militants and abused his political power by implementing harsh and unnecessary security measures.[21]
Pak-U.S. Relations
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On August 1, the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that the U.S. has significantly degraded the capabilities of al Qaeda’s core leadership in Pakistan and Afghanistan.[22]
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Dan Feldman assumed the position of U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan on July 31, replacing predecessor James Dobbins. Feldman arrived in Kabul on July 31 to speak with Afghan president Hamid Karzai.[23]
Military Affairs
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On August 4, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif departed for Australia for a four-day visit to meet with the Australian Chief of Defense Forces along with other senior defense and military officials.[24]
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On August 3, retired Lieutenant General Mohammad Alam Khattak was approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the new Defence Secretary. The position was recently vacated by Lieutenant General Asif Yasin Malik. Khattak was formerly commissioned in the Frontier Force Regiment and from 2006 to 2008 was the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps.[25]
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On August 3, the Pakistan Army denied media reports that troops will be sent to Saudi Arabia to help secure the Saudi-Iraq border.[26]
Stock Exchange Fall
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On August 4, the Karachi Stock Exchange fell 666 points to 29,647 points after opening at 30,314 points. Analysts speculated that stocks fell due to spiraling political uncertainty initiated by announcements of the PTI’s August 14 grand march on Islamabad.[27]