Iran Tracker

Pakistan Security Brief – October 1, 2009 

The Pakistani Taliban confirmed the death of its leader’s brother following a clash with security forces; six militants were killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan on Wednesday; video footage allegedly depicts Pakistani soldiers beating suspected militant detainees; the US insisted in a message delivered through the US embassy in Islamabad that Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden are in Pakistan.

• The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has confirmed that the leader of the TTP Hakimullah Mehsud’s brother, Kalimullah Mehsud, was killed on Monday in North Waziristan Agency in a clash with security forces.  He was buried in North Waziristan on Wednesday.  No statement has been released by Hakimullah pertaining to his brother’s death.[1]
   
• Six militants were killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday.  It is rumored that some of the individuals killed were Arabs and that the compound struck is allied with the Pakistani Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.[2]
   
• A video released on Facebook allegedly shows uniformed Pakistani soldiers beating suspected Taliban militants while police officers watch.  It is likely that the video was filmed during the recent Pakistani offensive in the Swat region.  This video could be the first proof supporting accusations that the Pakistani military participates in abuse of suspected Taliban detainees.[3]
   
• US aid to Pakistan is set to triple under the recently approved Kerry-Lugar bill over the next five years.  In this bill, Pakistan will receive 1.5 billion dollars a year to be used for "combined security, economic and development assistance.”  After being approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday the bill must be signed by Obama to go into effect.  The aid will be funneled through the US Embassy in Islamabad.[4]
   
• The US continues to insist that Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar are alive in Pakistan.  This comes in a message from the Deputy Chief of the Mission at the US Embassy Gerald M. Feierstein in Islamabad.[5]