Arabs, a Sudanese, and a Yemeni among those killed in U.S. drone attack; PAF airstrikes kill 20 militants in Khyber; Three TTP militants killed in Karachi; Blast narrowly misses Frontier Corps convoy; Canadian police arrest Pakistani national allegedly posing terrorist threat; Pakistan hands over 29 Afghan nationals to Afghan officials; Pakistan Army’s deployment in Islamabad extended; PTI resignations not yet accepted, says National Assembly Speaker; Military offensive displaces 3,488 registered families in Khyber Agency; 38,000 refugees from North Waziristan return home from Afghanistan.
Drone Strikes
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In an update on the U.S. drone strike reported on October 30, a New York Times report claims that four of the militants killed were foreign fighters including two from Saudi Arabia, one from Yemen and one from Sudan. However, a local Taliban commander also reportedly claimed that those killed and injured in the attack were Arabs and fighters belonging to the Ahmadzai Wazir Taliban.[1]
Militancy
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On October 30, Pakistani Air Force fighter jets killed 20 militants and destroyed five militant hideouts in the Akakhel and Tirah areas of Khyber Agency as a part of the ongoing military offensive, Operation Khyber. [2]
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On October 31, police forces reportedly killed three Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in an encounter in the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi. According to a police official, a suicide bomber and the leader of TTP Karachi chapter named Sultan were among those killed.[3]
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On October 30, a Frontier Corps convoy narrowly missed a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) on Link Road in the Hazarganji area, Quetta. No one was injured in the blast.[4]
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On October 30, Canadian police arrested a Pakistani resident of Ontario who, they alleged, has ties to militants in Pakistan and possesses an arsenal of firearms. According to Canadian officials, the suspect had expressed extremist views on Twitter.[5]
Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations
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On October 31, Pakistani security forces handed over to Afghan authorities 29 Afghan nationals who had been arrested by Pakistan security forces during military offensive Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan.[6]
National Security
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According to an Express Tribune report on October 30, the Pakistan Army’s deployment in Islamabad has been extended for an indefinite period with the military continuing to guard important state institutions in Islamabad. The military has been deployed in Islamabad since June, reportedly to counter any possible militant retaliation as a result of the North Waziristan Operation.[7]
Political Crisis
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According to a report in The News on October 31, the National Assembly Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan informing the commission that the resignations of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT) legislators had not yet been accepted. The legislators had reportedly avoided coming forward to verify the genuineness of their written resignations, as per the rule.[8]
Internally-Displaced Persons
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On October 31, the FATA Disaster Management Authority registered the details of 3,488 families who fled Bara sub-district, Khyber Agency as a result of the ongoing military operation in Khyber. The families were reportedly from the Khajuri area in Bara and the Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency and belonged to the Qambar Khel, Sepah, Malikdin Khel and Qamar Kehl sub-tribes.[9]
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On October 30, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam stated that 38,000 people, roughly 50 percent of those who fled from North Waziristan to Afghanistan as a result of military operations there, have returned to Pakistan. Aslam also stated that Pakistan is eager to have the 3 million Afghan refugees, who currently reside in Pakistan, return home before the bilateral agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan allowing for their current residence in Pakistan expires in 2015.[10]