Drone strike kills seven, including Haqqani commander, in South Waziristan; Security forces kill 21 militants in Bara, Khyber; FC personnel seize huge cache of arms, ammunition near Quetta; Firing kills one Rangers personnel in Karachi; IED detonates in Quetta; Pakistani civilian killed in Indian firing; Army chief to discuss U.S. drone program during visit to U.S.; Interior Minister praises ISI; Peshawar main target of terrorists says police report; Iranian, Pakistani officials discuss Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline.
Drone Strike
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On October 30, a U.S. drone strike killed seven militants in Nargas village of the Birmal area in Azam Warsak sub-district of South Waziristan Agency. According to military sources, a top Haqqani commander named Abdullah Haqqani and four foreign fighters were among those killed. A Reuters report claims that a senior Arab commander was one of the foreign fighters. The drone strike also destroyed a vehicle loaded with arms and ammunition. Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam condemned the drone strike for violating Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.[1]
Militancy
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On October 29, security forces killed 21 suspected militants and injured several others in a clearance operation in the Spin Qamar area of Bara sub-district in Khyber Agency. This operation was reportedly part of the second phase of a new offensive in Khyber named Operation Khyber II. Further, eight soldiers were reportedly killed and four soldiers injured in clashes with militants. Local sources claim that a son of Mangal Bagh, the chief of Lashkar-e-Islam militant group, was also killed in the clashes. According to National disaster officials, the fighting in Khyber has forced more than 18,000 people to flee from the area.[2]
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On October 30, Frontier Corps (FC) personnel seized about 4,000 kilograms of explosive materials and other weapons during a search operation in Gulistan sub-district, Qila Abdullah district, Balochistan, reportedly foiling a major terror attempt. An Afghan national named Mohammed Aslam was also arrested. According to FC officials, Muharram processions in Quetta were possibly the intended targets of militants. Meanwhile, Balochistan’s Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti accused India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) of creating unrest in the province.[3]
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On October 30, unknown men fired at a Rangers’ vehicle, killing one personnel and injuring another, in Nawa Lane of Lyari, Karachi.[4]
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On October 30, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the Shalkot area of Quetta while a security forces’ vehicle was crossing through the area. No casualties were reported.[5]
Indo-Pakistan Relations
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On October 29, Indian Border Security Forces reportedly shot and wounded a Pakistani civilian near the border, close to Ajlaala village in Shakargarh sector. Indian forces reportedly then dragged him into Indian territory and shot him dead. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Office lodged a protest with the Indian government over the death of a Pakistani civilian on October 28 due to indiscriminate firing by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC).[6]
National Security
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An October 28 Army Times report claims that during his upcoming visit to the U.S., Pakistan Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif is expected to discuss the future of the U.S. drone program in Pakistan following U.S. forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan later this year. According to analysts, the future of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship after 2016 and the provision of coalition support funds will be the main points of discussion during the visit. Gen. Sharif will be the first Pakistan Army chief to visit the U.S. since October 2010.[7]
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On October 29, at a farewell lunch hosted for the outgoing Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt. Gen. Zahirul Islam, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan praised the ISI for playing a vital role in safeguarding the strategic interests of Pakistan and for providing strong defense against internal and external threats to the country.[8]
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According to a report in The News on October 30, a Central Police Office document claims that 41 out of 105 attacks foiled by police and security forces in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province from January 1 to October 20, 2014 were thwarted in Peshawar. The document also claims that 180 out of 383 kilograms of explosives that were recovered were done so in Peshawar. The statistics suggest that Peshawar was the main target of terrorists during the year.[9]
Foreign Affairs
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In a meeting held in Tehran on October 28, Pakistani and Iranian officials reportedly reached an understanding on implementing the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project despite the threat of possible sanctions by the U.S. Federal Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed hope that the two sides could find a “consolidated solution” to the project.[10]