Pakistan Security Brief
The Critical Threats Project Pakistan Security Brief provides daily updates on the security developments in Pakistan.
US drones target a compound and vehicles in North Waziristan; President Karzai comments on meeting in Islamabad; Pakistani officials scheduled to visit US; chief of Ahl-e-Sunnat shot in Karachi; bomb explodes in Peshawar; Peshawar Corps Commander may relinquish post.
MARCH 10, 2010
Militants attack NGO office in Mansehra; ISI chief’s term extended one year; Pakistani lawmakers decline extra screening at US airport; 29 Brigadiers approved for promotion.
Five killed in drone attack; Taliban leaders thought dead still alive; Gen. David Petraeus endorses Pakistan’s strategic decisions; Taliban reintegration to be top of agenda in Pak-Afghan talks; armed lashkar set fire to 130 militant houses; two pro-government tribal leaders killed; Balochistan Government requests Frontier Corps during elections; local residents warned authorities of Lahore attack.
TTP claims responsibility for deadly bomb in Lahore; police detain US-born al-Qaeda operative in Karachi; Maulvi Noor Mohammad killed in North Waziristan; TTP leadership failing to meet; 22 platoons dismissed from the Frontier Constabulary; Pakistani jets bomb targets in South Waziristan; bombs diffused in Hangu.
MARCH 5, 2010
TTP senior commander Faqir Muhammad reportedly killed; suicide bomber targeted civilian convoy in Hangu; former aide to Baitullah Mehsud arrested in Karachi; Pakistan believes Indian agents killed five Pakistanis in Kandahar.
MARCH 4, 2010
Top Taliban leader and Mullah Omar’s son-in-law, Mohtasim Agha Jan, arrested in Karachi; Military forces arrive in Miramshah; militants clash with security forces in Mohmand, Orakzai; security official says TTP nearly crippled; LeT deny role in Kabul bombing; FC and local law enforcement begin replacing regular army in Bajaur; Pakistan makes final decision not to hand over captured Taliban leaders; five Pakistani construction workers shot dead in Afghanistan; two injured in Balochistan explosion.
Pakistani military and Taliban trade blows, harsh words in North Waziristan; US to send laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistani Air Force; 38 militants killed in “Spring Cleaning” operation; two TTP commanders killed in Peshawar; two militant groups clash in Kurram; Pakistani Agency releases wanted list that does not include TTP leadership; Frontier Corps will not hold talks with militants until they surrender; a school destroyed and a concert attacked.
Military operation against militants forthcoming in Orakzai; Lashkar-e-Taiba involved in Kabul suicide attack; US seeks funds for additional security in Pakistan; Pakistani forces seized an extensive cave network used by militants; Taliban officials confirmed the death of Qari Zafar; militants clashed with security forces in Khyber; troops from India-controlled Kashmir injured two children after firing into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
MARCH 1, 2010
Report indicates half of Quetta Shura now in custody; TTP releases video of Hakimullah Mehsud; suicide bomber targets police station in Karak; al-Qaeda linked militant confirmed dead in US drone strike; militants destroy NATO oil tanker outside Peshawar; police hold 70 suspected anti-state actors in Mingora; top Taliban commander killed in Swat; 17 suspected Taliban found dead in Kohat; outbreak of sectarian violence during rallies in Dera Ismail Khan and Faisalabad.
Lahore High Court rules captured Taliban leaders will remain in Pakistan; Mullah Fazlullah’s nephew captured in Nowshera; most of the Swat valley free of militants; militants destroy school in Mohmand; security forces conducting search operations in Mingora city.
Nearly half of Afghan Taliban’s leadership council captured in Pakistan; CIA and ISI increases cooperation; US soldiers not the target in the February 3 attack; Indian and Pakistani diplomats met in New Delhi; Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to prisoner exchange; Taliban leader Qazi Zafar killed in north Waziristan; bomb destroys NATO oil tanker.
US drone strike in North Waziristan kills five; US senate informed of Taliban leadership’s relocation from Quetta to Karachi; Pakistan foreign secretary arrives in New Dehli; US spies found beheaded in North Waziristan; LeT commander and students arrested in Nowshera; Taliban commander arrested in Karachi; security forces in Kohat crack down on militants, demolish TTP hideouts; Pakistan aids Iran in arresting top Jundallah leader.
Pakistan captured Mullah Kabir without US assistance; Pakistan is committed to the upcoming dialogue with India; Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance offers Taliban finances to strike inside Pakistan; Bajaur officials want the Mandal tribe to turn over militants; four militants killed in Kurram; peace committee members were targeted near Peshawar.
Top Taliban leader arrested in Nowshera; airstrike in South Waziristan kills at least 30 militants; suicide car bombing in Swat kills nine; top al-Qaeda leader killed in February 17 drone strike; CIA reportedly pushes for transfer of Baradar to US base; police stations attacked in Mansehra; two schools blown up in Mohmand; eight militants killed during search operation in Darra Adam Khel; security forces arrest militants in Hangu and Khyber; kidnapped Sikh found beheaded in Khyber; gunmen open fire on mosque in Gilgit; rocket attacks damage mills in Kohat.
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
Conflicting reports emerge regarding the capture of Mullah Baradar; US drone attack kills Mohammad Haqqani in North Waziristan; Pakistani forces arrested numerous valuable militants during the past few weeks; captured militants will not be deported to the US; Pakistani forces attack militants in Bajaur.
FEBRUARY 18, 2010
Afghan “shadow governors” captured in Balochistan; bomb blast in Khyber kills at least 29; police round up militants in Karachi; roadside bomb hits NATO supply truck in Khuzdar; drone strike in North Waziristan kills four militants; Salarzai tribe in Bajaur implements measures to thwart militants.
Pakistan confirms arrest of Mullah Baradar; new LeT splinter group claims responsibility for India bombing; unknown gunmen kill six militants in Kurram; drone strike in North Waziristan kills four militants; security increased along Afghan border in Balochistan; court denies bail for five Americans arrested for their alleged links with militants.
Afghan Taliban’s second in command captured in Karachi; Qari Hussain claims responsibility for attacks, professes Hakimullah Mehsud is alive; US drone attacks kill at least nine militants; Pakistani troops conducted operations in Bajaur; Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged fire in Kashmir; police arrested 18 suspected militants in Kohat.
Death toll from Bannu attacks increased to 15; US military to expand training centers in Pakistan; Pakistan and India agree to resume peace process; General Kayani meets with General McChrystal.
Two separate bombs kill at least four in Bannu; Pakistani jets target militant hideouts in Bajaur; Pakistani officials discuss militants and IDPs with Mehsud tribe; at least 12 three-star generals will retire from the Pakistani army.
Interior Minister comments on Hakimullah Mehsud’s death; suicide bomb in Khyber kills 19; army helicopter crashes, rescue operation ambushed in Khyber; security forces arrest five militants in Bajaur; explosion in Hangu injures two; US and Pakistan prepare for meeting on Afghanistan; Pakistani military holds conference of its corps commanders.
TTP confirms Hakimullah Mehsud’s death; police foil TTP terror plot in Lahore; AML chief attacked in Rawalpindi; Pakistani military secures key militant stronghold in Bajaur; security forces arrest militant commander, militants launch rocket attack in Khyber; explosion in Quetta injures four; militants arrested in Nowshera and Mohmand; clash at polling station in Islamabad leaves one dead; TTP threatens local leaders in Lakki Marwat; Rangers continue crackdown, fleeing militants take refuge in Karachi.
Two separate bombs kill at least 22 in Karachi; TTP spokesman says Hakimullah Mehsud is alive; Taliban flog three in Orakzai agency; protests supporting Kashmir occur throughout Pakistan; Sunni-Shia peace agreement reached in Hangu district; two Quetta police injured in bomb blast; militants attacked a power grid station in Khyber agency.
Police arrest 35 suspects in lower Dir bombing; military continues Bajaur offensive; two militants arrested in Nowshera; more speculation about Hakimullah Mehsud’s death; checkpoint in Mohmand attacked by militants; more details uncovered about Tuesday’s drone strikes in North Waziristan; US court finds Pakistani woman guilty of attempting to kill US troops; Rangers’ authority expanded to include all of Karachi.
Bomb explosion kills three US soldiers in lower Dir; rumors emerge that TTP lieutenant Qari Hussein has been killed; US drone strikes kill 16 in North Waziristan; three militants killed in Swabi operation; Rangers given authority to handle wave of violence in Karachi.
Speculation over Hakimullah Mehsud’s death continues; fighting intensifies in Bajaur; militant faction in North Waziristan warns of a “big war”; Karachi violence escalates; Pakistan’s army chief describes Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan.
Reports suggest TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud may be dead; US drone strikes in North Waziristan kill 15 militants; bombing at security checkpoint in Bajaur kills at least 16; military launches offensive in Bajaur; militants attack fuel truck outside Peshawar; Taliban issues statement regarding a future military operation in North Waziristan; five militants arrested in Nowshera; bomb blast at girls’ school in Bannu; two US ‘spies’ killed by Taliban; violent weekend in Karachi.
Pakistan wants to help mediate an Afghan peace deal; differences causing rifts between militant groups in Bajaur; security forces kill 21 militants in Bajaur; US aid program in the NWFP achieved little; Pakistan’s Interior Minister announced Karachi under control; NATO oil tanker bombed in Khyber.
More rumors surface about Hakimullah Mehsud’s death; gunmen attack a NATO supply convoy in Karachi; US drones absent over North Waziristan; explosion in Balochistan kills three; Filipino terror suspect most likely not killed in North Waziristan drone strike; allegations of ANP disruption in Swat election.
Bomb explosion in Rawalkot injures 13; anti-Taliban leader found dead, three militants killed in Bajaur; three children killed by bomb blast in Dir; Taliban claims it has shot down a second drone in North Waziristan; General Kayani addresses the NATO military committee in Brussels; two political activists gunned down in Karachi.
Security forces target militants in Kurram and Bajaur; Indian security forces battled infiltrators from Pakistan in Kashmir; former ISI officer speaks on Mullah Omar; Pakistani officials confirmed US drone downed on Sunday; policemen from Balochistan protest and stage demonstrations; military operations continued in South Waziristan and Malakand; bomb targets police officer in Balochistan.
Security forces clash with militants in the FATA and NWFP; US drone crashes in North Waziristan; Taliban kills seven ‘US spies’; militants outside Peshawar destroy a NATO fuel truck; four people killed in a suicide attack at a Tank police station; roadside bomb in Balochistan kills one and injures six.
US to provide Pakistan with unarmed drones; TTP warns locals against returning to South Waziristan; Prime Minister Gilani describes limits to preventing militant attacks; militants planned to hijack an Indian plane; India ready to resume dialogue over disputes; two militants killed in North Waziristan; nine militants arrested in Khyber Agency; security forces kill five in Swat operation.
Pakistani military says it will not launch new operations against militants anytime soon; Mehsud tribal elders and the Pakistani government agree to peace deal; US Secretary of Defense reiterates the importance of eliminating militants; suspected suicide bomber arrested in Hangu; Filipino terrorist was killed by drone strike in South Waziristan; helicopter gunships target militants in Mohmand Agency; roadside bomb strikes bus in Bajaur Agency; Karachi violence continues; gunman attack checkpoint in Balochistan.
A US drone attack in North Waziristan kills six militants; two suspected suicide bombers are arrested in Balochistan; five militants are killed in Mohmand Agency; several people are injured in two separate bomb blasts; Indian forces kill a top militant leader in Jammu and Kashmir; US Defense Secretary Gates visits New Dehli.
US drone attacks continue to target militants in the FATA; TTP commander Hakimullah Mehsud releases an audiotape following drone strikes; Indian troops kill Pakistani soldier in LOC incident; Pakistani troops kill ten militants in South Waziristan; suicide bomber targets Pakistani troops in Kashmir; Pakistan and Iran to conduct joint patrols along shared border; US, Afghan, and Pakistani officials meet in Chaman.
New reports indicate Hakimullah Mehsud injured in a fresh drone strike on Friday; Pakistan’s Interior Minister reports on Ashura blast in Karachi; roadside bomb kills Mohmand peace committee members; five bullet-ridden bodies found in Orakzai Agency; strikes called throughout Balochistan; US indicts three individuals on terrorism charges.
TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud is targeted in a drone strike in North Waziristan; an explosion in Mohmand Agency kills two and injures eight; the Sindh government’s chief minister says he did not give the order for a security operation in Karachi; US special envoy Richard Holbrooke visits Swat.
Security forces capture more TTP militants in the districts neighboring FATA; President Zardari takes action to address the recent violence in Karachi; a bomb in Tank kills at least one child and wounds five more; one man is killed in an exchange of gunfire in Quetta.
Pakistani military operation into Orakzai reportedly imminent; Karachi residents protest pre-dawn raids; U.S. drone strike kills a Jordanian Taliban commander in Waziristan; militants attack a security checkpoint in Mohmand; 30 suspected militants arrested in Kohat; police detain an alleged TTP commander in Karachi; report details violence in Pakistan throughout 2009.
A new video ties the TTP to the CIA bombing; two suspects are arrested in connection with the January 1 bombing in Shah Hassan Khel; one soldier and eight militants are killed in South Waziristan; border tensions continue to rise as one Indian soldier is killed in Kashmir; two US drone strikes kill more militants in North Waziristan; in Peshawar, an ANP MPA survives an assassination attempt and a militant leader blows himself up during a raid, injuring six police officers; in Karachi, ten more are killed in political violence, PPP supporters hold a rally in response to security crackdowns, and the MQM says it will not leave its coalition with the PPP.
At least 8 suspected militants are killed in an accidental explosion in Karachi; two militants are arrested and one soldier is killed in Tank; Senator John McCain visits President Asif Ali Zardari and says that drone strikes in Pakistan will continue; new information released about the motivations behind the January 1 bombing in Shah Hassan Khel; Swat offensive commander highlights operation’s successes; Interior Minister Rehman Malik mandates that all illegal immigrants leave Karachi within 15 days; Indian officials in Jammu and Kashmir say LeT behind Srinagar attack; suicide bombing in Khyber Agency injures 12; political violence in Karachi results in more deaths.
A top TTP commander from the NWFP was arrested in Islamabad; a report released in Pakistan claims a new militant group was behind the December 28 Karachi blast; security forces arrest 23 suspected militants in Khyber Agency; militants target schools throughout the tribal areas; Pakistani forces kill four militants in Swat; the BBC details Balochistan’s separatist movements.
JANUARY 6, 2010
Two U.S. drone strikes kill 12 in North Waziristan; Prime Minister Gilani claims Pakistani forces are more successful than Western forces at battling the Taliban; bomb blast kills at least three Pakistani soldiers in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir; militants target a tribe resisting Taliban infiltration in lower Orakzai; targeted killings continued in Karachi; Balochistan militants target select locations with rockets.
JANUARY 5, 2010
General McChrystal is working to strengthen the U.S.-Pakistan partnership to counter militants operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan; the Pakistani military claims to have removed 80 percent of the militants located in Mohmand Agency; Pakistani forces kill three militants infiltrating Swat valley; the TTP sets ablaze an entire village in Lower Orakzai; Pakistani police have two weeks to prepare a case against five Americans arrested in Pakistan.
JANUARY 4, 2010
Bomb blast in Lakki Marwat kills at least 101; roadside bomb kills a former NWFP education minister; Pakistani troops battled militants during multiple engagements in South Waziristan and Swat; multiple recent U.S. drone attacks kill several militants; Target killings leave 18 dead in Karachi.
DECEMBER 31, 2009
A TTP spokesman refuted yesterday’s claim from a TTP commander regarding the Karachi bombing; Pakistani forces killed four militants during an operation in South Waziristan; Police arrested the Punjab chief of the TTP 12 days ago; Militants killed at least three during an attack on NATO oil tankers returning from Afghanistan; and the UN decided to relocate some of its Pakistan staff for security reasons.
DECEMBER 30, 2009
A TTP spokesman claims responsibility for Monday’s suicide bomb attack in Karachi; the Pakistan Air Force purchases a new early-warning aircraft; gunships shell militant positions in Orakzai; clashes continue between militants and security forces in various parts of Orakzai, Mohmand, and South Waziristan.
DECEMBER 29, 2009
Death toll from Monday’s Karachi blast rises to forty-three; Pakistani military captures key Pakistani Taliban commander in Swat; militants destroy NATO-bound fuel tankers in Balochistan; Pakistani military operations kill several militants in Orakzai; militants blow up school in Shabqadar area.
DECEMBER 15, 2009
Bomb blast in Dera Ghazi Khan market kills several; David Headly allegedly had other targets planned for after Mumbai; the TTP again denies it is responsible for bomb attacks in cities; Pakistani forces kill nine militants in Kurram as militants destroy two NATO tankers in Balochistan.
DECEMBER 8-14, 2009
A TTP gun and bomb attack on an ISI building in Multan kills several; TTP chief Hakimullah says his men will retaliate in January; Pakistani authorities detain five U.S. students in Pakistan for attempting to join radical militant groups; U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan kills important Al Qaeda leader, Prime Minister Gilani hints at expansion of operations in the FATA; Militants and security forces clash in Khyber agency, key TTP Swat leader arrested in Karachi; Al Qaeda video claims U.S. and Pakistani governments, not Al Qaeda, behind recent bombings in Pakistan.
DECEMBER 7, 2009
Bomb blasts in Lahore, Peshawar and Bajaur agency kill dozens while the TTP claims responsibility for Friday’s mosque bombing; military operations in Bajaur kill several militants; a retired Pakistani general claims Musharraf gave the U.S. use of airbases without consulting the corps commanders; U.S. prosecutors add complicity in the Mumbai attacks to the charges against suspected terrorist David Headly.
DECEMBER 4, 2009
A gun and bomb attack on a mosque frequented by soldiers in Rawalpindi kills thirty-five; Pakistan pushes back against rumors of the U.S. expanding its drone strikes into Balochistan; Pakistani military operations in the northwest kill twenty militants including two commanders; a bus in Mohmand hits a mine, killing three people; the Lahore High Court continues the proceedings against Mumbai-accused Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
DECEMBER 3, 2009
Prime Minister Gilani denies bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan as Clinton asserts Pakistan must “do more”; Mumbai-accused Lakhvi denies guilt in Pakistan court proceedings; Pakistani military operations kill several militants; bomb blast near Peshawar wounds three.
DECEMBER 2, 2009
A suicide blast outside a Pakistan Navy complex in Islamabad kills one; India’s home minister announces India is prepared to withdraw significant forces from Kashmir; Pakistani foreign minister Qureshi says Pakistan is worried about where, not how many U.S. troops are deployed; Pakistani operations to kill and capture Taliban militants continue in South Waziristan and Khyber agencies and in Hangu district.
NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 1, 2009
Pakistani military operations in Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber agencies kill several TTP and LI militants; President Obama issues a warning and offer of partnership in a letter to President Zardari; a tribal militia in the Peshawar region calls for a military operation against the influx of Taliban; General Kayani and President Zardari make statements regarding post-conflict development in South Waziristan agency; the Pakistani military nabs a senior TTP lieutenant in Tank district; the TTP assassinates a number of political and tribal opponents across the northwest frontier.
NOVEMBER 23, 2009
Three militants blew themselves up in Kashmir on Saturday after fleeing from security forces; one person was injured when an explosion occurred at a German non-governmental organization in Peshawar on Saturday, conflicting reports suggest that the explosion was caused by either a gas line or a planted explosive; a large number of militants were killed in multiple operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas; two Sipah-e-Sahaba leaders were buried in Karachi in on Saturday after being killed by unknown gunmen.
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
CIA Chief Leon Panetta visited Islamabad to discuss the United States’ war in Afghanistan and the relationship between United States’ and Pakistan’s intelligence services; two more police officers were killed in a second blast in Peshawar on Thursday; another suspected drone strike killed eight in North Waziristan on Friday; two people were injured when a NATO convoy came under attack near Mastung.
NOVEMBER 19, 2009
TTP spokesman Azam Tariq met with reporters in South Waziristan to refute the military’s claims of success, Tariq also declared a guerilla war against security forces; nineteen people were killed in the latest suicide bombing at a courthouse in Peshawar; a suspected drone strike occurred in North Waziristan on Thursday; twenty-three militants were killed in airstrikes and shellings in Kurram, Hangu and Orakzai Agencies, a militant commander from South Waziristan was killed in one of the strikes.
NOVEMBER 18, 2009
Burhanuddin, an alleged al-Qaeda suspect, was arrested by Pakistani security forces at the Quetta airport as he attempted to board a flight to Jeddah for the Hajj; a large amount of Arabic jihadi literature and military training manuals have been uncovered during the military’s operation into South Waziristan; twenty-four militants and a large number of weapons and ammunition were surrendered to security forces in Bajaur on Tuesday during a jirga, TTP militants threatened to poison water sources if the military does not cease its operation into South Waziristan.
NOVEMBER 17, 2009
Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah told reporters that he has left Swat for Afghanistan and is preparing to launch raids against the Pakistani security forces in Swat; militants blew up another girls’ school in Khyber Agency on Tuesday; explosives concealed in a motorbike killed one outside a police officials office in Quetta on Tuesday; Major General Athar Abbas gave a number of reporters a tour of the battle field in South Waziristan.
NOVEMBER 16, 2009
Twelve were killed when a suicide bomber struck a police checkpoint in Peshawar on Saturday; eighteen were killed when Pakistani Air Force jets targeted militant positions in Orakzai Agency; the latest suicide bombing in Peshawar killed four on Monday.
NOVEMBER 13, 2009
Seventeen soldiers and twenty-two militants have reportedly been killed in the last twenty-four hours of Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Deliverance) in South Waziristan Agency; two suicide bombings occurred, one in Peshawar and one in Baka Khel, the one in Peshawar targeted the local Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) headquarters; Fifty-one people were arrested during a search operation in Islamabad for not having proper identification documents.
NOVEMBER 12, 2009
Five Pakistani soldiers were killed in the latest day of fighting in South Waziristan Agency; a Pakistani employee of the Iranian Consulate in Peshawar was attacked and killed by gunmen; seven suspected terrorists were detained by police after a shootout in Karachi; General Kayani denounced the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and reaffirmed the country’s goal of eliminating the threat.
NOVEMBER 11, 2009
The Pakistani military says it now controls eighty percent of the Mehsud areas of South Waziristan Agency; a total of eleven Pakistani military personnel were killed in two separate incidents in Mohmand Agency on Wednesday; the town of Charsadda goes on strike after the death toll from Tuesdays bombing rises to thirty-two; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that she believes Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is secure and reaffirms the close relationship between the two countries.
NOVEMBER 10, 2009
Security forces have discovered a number of observation posts, bunkers and a private jail during search and clearance operations in South Waziristan; twenty-four people were killed when an explosion tore through a market outside of Peshawar on Tuesday morning; Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Azam Tariq told reporters that they have “started a guerilla war” against Pakistani security forces; an Afghan Taliban commander released a statement distancing himself from the TTP and denouncing there bombings against innocent people.
NOVEMBER 9, 2009
The Pakistani military continues its offensive against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in South Waziristan Agency, forces are reportedly consolidating forces around key positions; a large blast at a cattle market in Peshawar killed fifteen people, including an influential anti-TTP leader on Sunday; a suicide bomber riding a rickshaw killed three on Peshawar’s Ring Road on Monday morning; another suspected suicide bomber was shot by police as he attempted to detonate his vest near a police checkpoint outside of Islamabad on Sunday night.
NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Pakistan security forces move into the last TTP stronghold of Makeen; Hakimullah Mehsud appeals to his fighters in a radio message to not flee positions but to fight the invading security forces; two gunmen attack another Army officer in Islamabad on Friday, both the Brigadier and his driver survived but sustained gunshot wounds; security forces arrested two members of Jundallah believed to have been involved in a suicide attack in Iran last month; two close aides of the TTP Swat commander Mullah Fazlullah were arrested by security forces on Thursday; Sixteen schools close in Rawalpindi after failing to meet security standards.
NOVEMBER 5, 2009
The military continues its almost three week old operation into South Waziristan to root out TTP militants; twenty-eight militants were killed in the latest day of fighting; four suspected militants were killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan Agency; a girls school was blown up by militants in Khyber Agency; a suspected TTP commander was arrested during a police raid in Karachi.
NOVEMBER 4, 2009
The Pakistani military says it know controls Sara Rogha and has been encountering fierce opposition in street fighting in Ladha; in Bajaur, two female teachers were ambushed by militants and two militant commanders surrendered to security forces; two suspected suicide bombers accidently blew themselves up near Kohat; four suspected militants were killed in Hangu by security forces; US Secretary of State Clinton says the US is responsible for al-Qaeda’s presence in FATA.
NOVEMBER 3, 2009
Security forces have made progress in South Waziristan and now reportedly control the important towns of Kaniguram; the United Nations withdraws all non-essential and foreign personnel from FATA and NWFP due to security concerns; a recent poll suggests that the majority of Pakistanis support the governments offensive against militants in South Waziristan.
OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 2, 2009
The Pakistani military continues to make progress in its South Waziristan Agency operation over the weekend; three suicide bombs kill dozens in Rawalpindi and Islamabad; the Pakistani military claims to have found proof of Indian involvement with the Pakistani Taliban; an IED kills seven Frontier Corps soldiers in Khyber; militants in Khyber Agency destroy a girls school; the UN suspends its activities in the FATA and NWFP.
OCTOBER 29, 2009
The Pakistani military’s operation in South Waziristan Agency continues into its thirteenth day as the military prepares for an offensive on Kaniguram; five suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants were arrested in Orangi Town with explosives from India; al-Qaeda and TTP members deny responsibility for blast in Peshawar bazaar; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has town hall in Lahore.
OCTOBER 28, 2009
The Pakistani military’s operation into South Waziristan continues into its twelfth day; a large car bomb kills scores in a busy Peshawar market; Secretary of State Clinton begins her official visit to Pakistan; the UNHCR says U.S. drone strikes into Pakistan may be a violation of international law.
OCTOBER 27, 2009
The Pakistani military’s operation in South Waziristan Agency continues into its eleventh day as the military reports progress on all its axes; TTP militants ambush a Pakistani checkpoint in Mohmand Agency; a senior military officer escapes an assassination attempt in Islamabad; a top aide to TTP-Swat commander Mullah Fazlullah is arrested; eleven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are arrested after illegally entering Pakistani territory.
OCTOBER 24-26, 2009
The Pakistani Military’s offensive in South Waziristan continues into its tenth day after forces capture the TTP stronghold of Kotkai; IDP numbers continue to swell; a suspected drone strike narrowly misses TTP Bajaur commander; Baloch Education Minister is assassinated by separatists; a Pakistani military helicopter went down in Bajaur; Pakistani military checkpoints in Bajaur and Hangu are ambushed by militants.
OCTOBER 23, 2009
The Pakistani military operation in South Waziristan continues into its seventh day; two top Punjabi Taliban commanders are arrested by Pakistani law enforcement; two bomb attacks in Peshawar and at the Pakistani Aeronautical Complex in Kamra kill seven; several members of a wedding party die after their bus is struck by an anti-tank mine in Mohmand Agency.
OCTOBER 22, 2009
A Pakistani Brigadier General and his driver were killed in Islamabad on Thursday by unknown gunmen; a dozen militants, including Arabs, Afghans and Pakistanis, were killed in a mysterious explosion on Wednesday, al Qaeda commander Abu Musa al Masri is rumored to be among the dead; Interior Minister Rehman Malik gave an order for all illegal Afghans to leave Islamabad in the next three days; police foiled an attack on an Islamabad court when they recognized a suicide bombers vest.
OCTOBER 21, 2009
Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Deliverance) continues into its fifth day as fierce fighting continues for control of Kotkai; the Pakistan military reports six foreign militants killed in Sara Rogha; an explosion initially thought to be a drone strike kills three in North Waziristan; schools and universities remain closed over security concerns following a Taliban attack on a university in Islamabad; the World Food Program ceases its operation in North-West Pakistan following an earlier attack on its headquarters; six Frontier Corps recruits are kidnapped by militants in Orakzai.
OCTOBER 20, 2009
Pakistani security forces take Kotkai on Monday night but expelled by Taliban counter-attack on Tuesday morning; details emerge regarding the Pakistan military’s deal with key North and South Waziristani militants; a suicide bombing in Islamabad targets a university and kills several students; dozens are killed in Pakistani military strikes in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies; Pakistani officials raise the number of registered internally displaced people (IDPs) to over 150,000.
OCTOBER 19, 2009
Pakistani military claims eighteen militants, two soldiers dead after third day of operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Deliverance); forces begin consolidating areas seized as they subdue Sharwangi and surround Kotkai; CENTCOM Commander General Petraeus and Senator John Kerry meet Pakistani General Kayani; U.S. and European couter-terrorism officials fear influx of westerners to Waziristan for jihadi training; Karachi police arrest Taliban commander in Karachi; Pakistan military airdrops leaflets into Waziristan urging Mehsud tribesmen to rise up against Taliban; reports that U.S. military is coordinating with Pakistan army including use of drones for Waizirstan operation.
OCTOBER 18, 2009
Day two of Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Deliverance); Pakistani forces claim to have killed sixty militants, lost five soldiers; army captures Spinkai Raghzai, enters Tiarza, continues to face resistance at Sharwangi; TTP spokesman claims militants are beating army back; rumors circulate of Afghan Taliban lending assistance to TTP; TTP starts fundraising drive in parts of FATA and NWFP; NWFP government declares Swat-like aid program for IDPs; U.S. General Petraeus to visit Islamabad on Monday.
OCTOBER 17, 2009
Pakistani military launches South Waziristan operation early Saturday morning, over 30,000 troops converging on TTP strongholds from several directions; decision to launch taken Friday night after meeting involving top civilian and military leaders; four soldiers, nine militants killed in operation thus far; latest UN statement says over 250,000 people have fled South Waziristan operation.
OCTOBER 16, 2009
Suicide attack in Peshawar kills twelve; suicide attack in Islamabad foiled by police; Pakistani authorities investigate yesterday’s bombings; 200,000 flee South Waziristan violence; Pakistani jets strike in South Waziristan; airstrikes in Orakzai kill four militants; U.S. accelerates delivery of military aid to Pakistan.
OCTOBER 15, 2009
More than three dozen people have been killed during a series of attacks in Lahore, Kohat, and Peshawar; a drone missile struck a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan Thursday; the Pakistani military continued its aerial strikes in South Waziristan ahead of announced ground operations there; the U.S. signed the $7.5 billion aid package for Pakistan into law; two people were injured in a grenade attack on security forces in Quetta, Balochistan.
Pakistan’s foreign minister met with US Senator Kerry regarding Islamabad’s concerns over the US aid bill; a dozen militants were killed in South Waziristan and Bajaur agencies during air strikes; a suspected suicide bomber was apprehended at a checkpoint on the Punjab/NWFP border; Pakistan’s interior minister stated that militant attacks on a UN office in Islamabad and military headquarters in Rawalpindi had been traced back to South Waziristan.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for this past weekend’s attack on the military’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, indicating operations were carried out by its Punjabi branch; following this weekend’s attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan security forces are tightening security in Islamabad’s Red Zone; over a dozen militants were reportedly killed on Monday in air strikes against militant positions in Bajaur Agency; Pakistan’s foreign minister returned to Washington this week to take up Islamabad’s concerns with the language of the five-year, $7.5 billion U.S. aid bill for Pakistan.
OCTOBER 12, 2009
Militants penetrated the Pakistani army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi on Saturday, taking dozens of hostages and killing several military personnel before all but one of the militants were killed in a rescue operation; around forty were killed by a suicide car bomb targeted at a Pakistani army convoy in a district adjacent to Swat on Monday; the Pakistani army claims an operation into South Waziristan is imminent; Pakistani military air strikes killed over twenty militants in South Waziristan on Sunday.
OCTOBER 9, 2009
A suicide car bomb was set off in a crowded bazaar in Peshawar Friday morning killing more than forty and wounding more than a hundred; militants attacked and torched a NATO fuel tanker near Peshawar early Friday; several militants have been killed in offensive and retaliatory military operations in Waziristan over the past day; the British military is building a training camp in Balochistan province to help train the Pakistani Frontier Corps paramilitary unit over a three-year period.
OCTOBER 8, 2009
Pakistani issued a warning for foreigners to limit their movements following the recent bombing of a UN office; more than a dozen suspected Taliban members have been found dead in Swat recently; Pakistani military leaders expressed concern over the conditions in the $7.5 billion U.S. aid bill for Pakistan; recent U.S. national security meetings focused on Pakistan.
OCTOBER 7, 2009
A top aide to Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah has been killed in clashes with security forces according to the Pakistani military; Pakistani foreign minister Qureshi stressed the importance of a U.S. commitment to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the broader region during a meeting with U.S. secretary of state Clinton; several dead bodies of suspected militants were found in Kurram Agency north of Waziristan; some Pakistani political leaders have raised concerns over the “tone” of the new $7.5 billion U.S. aid package for Pakistan recently approved by the U.S. Congress.
OCTOBER 6, 2009
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for Monday’s UNWFP office bombing in Islamabad; the Pakistani military bombed militant positions in South Waziristan early Tuesday killing several suspected militants; the UK is increasing its counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan and pledged increased military aid to Pakistan’s security forces; Pakistani forces initiated strikes in Khyber Agency on Monday in retaliation for a rocket attack on a military fort.
OCTOBER 5, 2009
A suicide bomb struck a UN office in Islamabad on Monday killing four people; Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, along with deputies Wali-ur Rehman and Qari Hussain, met with reporters over the weekend following reports that he had been recently killed; security forces continued clearance operations in the Swat valley, killing nine militants on Sunday; Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam commander Rehman offered to act as a mediator between the Pakistani government and militants in FATA.
OCTOBER 2, 2009
Pakistani officials confirmed today that IMU leader Tahir Yuldashev was killed in a August drone attack in South Waziristan; reports have surfaced over the past indicating that the Pakistani military plans to launch a major offensive into South Waziristan; TTP commanders have vowed to carry out suicide attacks in retaliation for the killing of Beitullah Mehsud; South Waziristan-based militant commander Maulvi Nazir has reportedly extended a peace deal with the Pakistani government; suspected Taliban militants attempted a suicide attack following a compound raid in Swat valley.
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.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
The Pakistani Taliban released a video of its former leader Beitullah Mehsud visually confirming his death; Afghan Taliban commander Hayatullah Khan claimed that Mullah Omar did not reside in Pakistan as indicated by US officials; unconfirmed reports claim that Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader Tahir Yuldashev was killed following a drone strike in August.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009
Al Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri praised slain Pakistani Taliban leader Beitullah Mehsud in the first statement acknowledging the militant leader’s death; Pakistan’s interior minister claimed that Mullah Omar and the Quetta Shura Taliban are not in Pakistan; two drones strikes struck areas in South Waziristan and Miran Shah in North Waziristan on Tuesday, the first killing several suspected militants; security forces responded to a recent militant attack on a paramilitary base in Razmak by engaging and killed several militants in North Waziristan.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2009
Multiple suicide bombings occurred over the weekend in the NWFP areas of Peshawar and Bannu; an outspoken anti-Taliban tribal elder was killed in Bannu along with several bodyguards on Monday; residents of the Mehsud areas in South Waziristan were reportedly urged by the government to evacuate the area; the Pakistani military shelled militant strongholds in Orakzai and Waziristan on Monday killing more than two dozen suspected militants; a drone strike near Mir Ali in North Waziristan reportedly missed its target on Monday.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
World Bank announces new Pakistan fund for restoring infrastructure; 10,000-man militia raised in Swat; eight militants killed in ambush on army convoy.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
North Waziristan drone strike targets suspected Haqqani hideout; Senate approves Kerry-Lugar Pakistan aid bill; civilian exodus from South Waziristan continues; militants kills pro-government tribal elders in Bannu district.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik alleges Indian involvement in the Swat Taliban movement; Security forces arrest twenty-four militants in the Swat region.
Clashes between Pakistani security forces and Taliban militants in North and South Waziristan leave dozens dead; Pakistani authorities again restrict the movements of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba founder Hafiz Saeed; militants blow up a girls school near Peshawar.
Pakistani police began investigating a group of foreign nationals, including four Swedes, with alleged links to al Qaeda; Abu Faraj, a suicide-bombing mastermind affiliated with the Swat Taliban, was arrested on Monday; Pakistani police foiled an assassination attempt on the Northwest Frontier Province education minister; pro-government commander Turkistan Bhittani announced Saturday that he and his supporters would turn in their weapons.
Pakistan charged militant cleric Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai bombings, with inciting public sentiment on Friday; seven militants were arrested in Swat and Malakand during search and clearance operations; security forces killed thirteen militants in Orakzai Agency; a suicide bombing claimed by sectarian group Lashkar-i-Jhangvi killed thirty-three in Kohat.
Police in Quetta captured twelve suspected terrorists Thursday; Pakistani security forces ambushed and killed ten militants attempting to infiltrate Mingora; reports claim that two important al Qaeda commanders, Ilyas Kashmiri and Nazimuddin, have been killed in recent U.S. drone strikes
SEPTEMBER 16, 2009
Sher Muhammed Qasab, the Swat Taliban commander for Charbagh, was arrested Wednesday; security forces in Dera Ismail Khan killed seven militants; administrators in Mohmand claimed the Agency is 80 percent cleared of militants.
Three unidentified, burqa-clad assailants were foiled in an attempted attack on an oil terminal in Karachi Tuesday; one hundred and forty-nine militants reportedly surrendered in Swat, while an additional undetermined number were killed or captured; Pakistani fighter jets attacked suspected militant locations in Bajaur, killing five
Pakistani Security Forces operations in Swat and Malakand killed fourteen militants on Monday; the U.N. estimates that at least fifty-six thousand residents have been displaced due to the army initiative in Khyber Agency; ISPR spokesperson Gen. Abbas announced imminent commencement of military ground operations in Waziristan; the third U.S. drone strike to hit North Waziristan this week killed eight militants near Mir Ali; Pakistan’s interior minister claimed Sunday that the army was closing in on capturing Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah.
Militants resurfaced in Lower Dir in a failed attack on a police post Friday; continuing security forces operations in Swat netted forty-nine militants and killed twenty-two more; the Swat Taliban announced that spokesman Muslim Khan had been captured by the Pakistani army; fighting in Kurram and Orakzai Agencies and Tank District left six militants and two Frontier Corps soldiers dead.
Taliban militants killed four Shi’ite schoolchildren in Orakzai Agency on Tuesday; two U.S. drone strikes destroyed a militant compound and madrassa in North Waziristan; Pakistani security forces killed twenty-four suspected Lashkar-e-Islam members in Khyber Agency; three pro-government tribesmen were killed by unidentified gunmen in Balochistan.
Pakistani military operations killed sixteen suspected militants, arrested thirty-five more, and confiscated a large stash of weaponry in Khyber Agency on Friday; Tehrik Nifaz-i-Taliban (TNSM) leader Maulana Saifullah surrendered to Pakistani security forces along with two supporters.
A Pakistani military official reported that over one hundred militants had surrendered in Swar since the beginning of clearance operations there, including more than a dozen from a ‘most wanted’ list; more than forty bodies of suspected militants were founded dead in the Swat valley Tuesday, reportedly killed by anti-Taliban locals; Pakistani government raids in Khyber agency reportedly destroyed four Lashkar-e-Islam bases during operations on Tuesday that also led to more than forty arrests; rumors persist that new TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud is dead.
A Taliban spokesman claimed credit for Thursday’s suicide attack on a police post in Khyber agency on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border; security forces continued to conduct search and clear operations in Swat, reportedly killing two militants; al Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri released a statement urging Pakistanis to join in jihad against the Pakistani military.
AUGUST 27, 2009
Pakistani security forces killed several militants during a clash in the Swat valley and a dozen other militants were arrested; a Pakistani government official stated that over eighty percent of the 2.2 million internally displaced residents of the Swat valley have returned to their homes; a suicide bomber struck a police post on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham, killing over a dozen; nine militants and four Pakistani soldiers were reportedly killed during a clash near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan in South Waziristan on Wednesday; a drone missile struck in South Waziristan on Thursday killing six people including Uzbek militants, according to intelligence officials.
AUGUST 26, 2009
Pakistani helicopter gunships struck militant positions in South Waziristan in a clearing operation to facilitate the movement of military forces; Interpol issued a “red notice” for Jamat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliated leader Hafiz Saeed in connection with his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack; security forces arrested militants in Swat and continued to find dead Taliban militant bodies in the area.
AUGUST 25, 2009
The new head of the Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud and the newly appointed chief deputy for the TTP in South Waziristan, Wali-ur Rehman, acknowledged the recent death of Beitullah Mehsud, a result of wounds he sustained following an August 5 drone strike; according to the Pakistani military, security operations in Swat and surrounding areas led to the death of three suspected militants on Tuesday; local anti-Taliban militias continued clearing operations in one area of Swat; the dead bodies of more than a dozen suspected Taliban leaders were found in Swat by local villagers, while some human rights groups claimed they were killed by the military in extra-judicial executions.
AUGUST 24, 2009
Over the weekend militant commander Faqir Muhammad announced that a shura had selected Hakimullah Mehsud as the new leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a report conflicting with statements made by TTP deputy Wali-ur-Rehman indicating he was in control of the TTP; Pakistani police reportedly arrested thirteen Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants in Karachi during a raid on Sunday, seizing narcotics and bomb-making materials; Pakistani’s interior minister claimed that members of Beitullah Mehsud’s extended family had been executed by Taliban militants on spying charges; the Pakistani government rejected militant leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s calls for a cease fire during the month of Ramadan; a suicide bombing in Peshawar killed three people on Sunday.
The Sri Lankan military has agreed to train Pakistani security forces in counterinsurgency techniques; a top Pakistani official claimed that over ninety percent of internally displaced persons had returned to their homes; a drone struck targets near Miram Shah in North Waziristan, where the Haqqani network is believed to maintain hideouts.
A bomb was detonated close near Rawalpindi on Thursday, wounding four policemen and several others; an ally of Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah surrendered, along with sixty militants, to Pakistani security forces on Thursday in Mingora; the son of a top Osama bin Laden aide was founded dead during a raid on a house in Peshawar.
Unknown attackers killed three people in Quetta in what police officers described as targeted killings; Pakistani military officials announced that a ground offensive against militants in South Waziristan is months away and that the immediate plan is to maintain a blockade and continue aerial strikes; a suicide bombing in North Waziristan killed three security officials at a check point near Miranshah; top Tehrik-i-Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar was captured on Tuesday in Mohmand agency by local security forces and reportedly confirmed Beitullah Mehsud’s death; a militant bombing reportedly in retaliation for anti-militant militias killed several people outside of Peshawar.
AUGUST 17, 2009
Pakistani police reportedly arrested a recruiter for suicide bombers affiliated with Beitullah Mehsud’s Pakistani Taliban in Islamabad on Monday; a Sipah-e-Sehaba Pakistan (SSP) associated militant leader was assassinated by unknown attackers in Khairpur on Monday; militants affiliated with Maulvi Nazir were ambushed by unknown assailants in territory formerly claimed by the apparently dead Beitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan while spokesmen for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) denied involvement and locals implicated Uzbek militants in the attack; Pakistani security force operations reportedly led to the surrender of more than a dozen militants in Swat.
Pakistani President Ali Zardari announced legal reforms that will allow for political party activity in the FATA in hopes of loosening the monopoly held by local clerics and Islamist groups in the region; militants in Upper Dir agreed to surrender to Pakistani forces following a local jirga; Pakistani security forces claim to have cleared a section of Lower Dir of Taliban militants and encourage displaced families to return to the area.
Pakistani military forces shelled suspected bases of Hakimullah Mehsud in the Kurram and Orakzai agencies on Thursday, reportedly killed a dozen militants; Pakistani security forces continued search-and-sweep operations in Malakand Thursday; nearly 120,000 families displaced by the conflict in Malakand division, which includes Swat and Buner, have reportedly returned to their homes; an anti-Taliban tribal elder in South Waziristan was killed by a suicide bomber on Thursday; pro-government tribal elders in Buner, south east of Swat district, were attacked and shot on Thursday.
Taliban militants attacked forces loyal to pro-government militant commander Turkistan Bhittani in Jandola on Wednesday, leaving tens of fighters dead as a result; the Pakistani government declared its intention to restructure the ISI, having reportedly retired several dozen senior officers recently; the Pakistani military shelled militants from Lashkar-e-Islam in Khyber agency on Tuesday in retaliation for a rocket attack in Peshawar; Quetta police report that a gun-and-bomb attack on a security checkpoint left several people dead and wounded; the U.N. reports that it expects nearly 100,000 residents of Waziristan to flee from Pakistani military operations; UN officials indicate that over 700,000 displaced residents of Swat have returned to their homes.
Militants within Hakimullah Mehsud’s Pakistani Taliban group clashed internally on Tuesday resulting in the death of nineteen militants in Orakzai agency; a suspected drone strike struck militant hideouts in South Waziristan on Tuesday killing at least ten according to security officials; twenty-nine suspected militants were arrested in Swat and Malakand districts on Tuesday according to Pakistani security officials; a rocket attack on a Frontier Corps base in Peshawar left three civilians dead and was followed by retaliatory strikes against militants in the region
Pakistani Taliban aides continue to refute Pakistani government claims that Beitullah Mehsud had likely been killed in last week’s drone strike; a shoot-out reportedly occurred a Pakistani Taliban succession shura held over the weekend, attended by Beitullah Mehsud’s deputy Hakimullah Mehsud and close advisor Wali-ur-Rehman; a group of militants reportedly attacked and clashed with Pakistani security forces on Monday who were en route to Mir Ali in North Waziristan; a Baloch separatist group spokesman confirmed that the group executed several Frontier Corps soldiers over the weekend who had been taken hostage recently, demanding that Pakistani forces withdraw from Quetta and release Baloch separatists.
Reports emerged, according to Taliban aides and anonymous Pakistani government and intelligence officials, that Beitullah Mehsud had been killed in Wednesday’s drone strike that targeted the home of Mehsud’s father-in-law; a taxation minister in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province was assassinated in Karachi on Thursday evening; a delegation of elders from the Mehsud tribe traveled to Islamabad Thursday to lobby for an end to Pakistani military operations in Waziristan; residents of Swat valley have reportedly raised an anti-Taliban tribal militia of 5,000 people.
A suspected drone strike in Zanghara, South Waziristan reportedly killed one of Tehrik-i-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) leader Beitullah Mehsud’s wives on Wednesday along with three others; operations by Pakistani security forces and local anti-Taliban militias reportedly killed a dozen militants in Swat and Dir on Wednesday; a local Taliban commander in Maidan announced Tuesday his intention to vacate the Swat area and cease hostilities; Pakistani police forces have set up a community police station in the Swat valley and hope to recruit four thousand “community police” to work alongside regular police forces and enforce security.
AUGUST 4, 2009
Suspected militants attacked a security forces checkpoint late Monday in North Waziristan, provoking a clash that left four soldiers and three civilians dead; local residents of the Swat valley continue to express fears about lingering militant presence as sporadic fighting continues in the area; members of militant groups Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have been arrested in connection with last week’s riots in Punjab that targeted a community of Christians and killed eight.
Pakistani security forces bombed suspected militant locations near the Swat valley, reportedly destroying several Taliban bases according to military officials; security forces continued to arrest suspected militants in Swat and Malakand over the weekend; TNSM founder Sufi Muhammed has been booked on charges of treason, terrorism and rebellion; unconfirmed reports surfaced indicating North Waziristan militant commander Gul Bahadur released ten soldiers kidnapped from a Frontier Corps fort last week.
JULY 31, 2009
Militants under the command of Gul Bahadur reportedly kidnapped ten members of Pakistan’s Frontier Corps security forces from a fort near Razmak, North Waziristan; paramilitary forces constructing a checkpoint in North Waziristan were attacked by militants; security forces shelled suspected militant positions in Khyber agency on Thursday; the U.S. military will begin to shift Predator drone strikes in Afghanistan to target the Taliban and affiliated insurgents.
JULY 30, 2009
Militants from Lashkar-e Islam executed four men for kidnapping and murder under an improvised sharia court order in Khyber agency; clashes at a Frontier Corps post in North Waziristan left three militants dead and several soldiers wounded on Thursday; locals in a village in the Swat valley, encouraged by Pakistani security forces, are reportedly reorganizing small and lightly armed local militias to protect from Taliban militants thought to be hiding in the area.
Police officials reported that Taliban militants killed a pro-government tribal militia leader after raiding his home; a bomb explosion outside a courthouse in Dera Ismail Khan killed a Shi’ia lawyer and two of his bodyguards; North Waziristan militant leader Gul Bahadur claimed credit for Tuesday’s bombing of a checkpoint in Miramshah that left a paramilitary soldier dead; security officials claimed to have carried out clearing operations in Lower Dir on Tuesday targeted at militants.
Operations in Swat and Dir conducted by local militias and Pakistani security forces reportedly killed nearly a dozen on Tuesday; a suicide bomber killed two policemen at a checkpoint in Miram Shah, North Waziristan; Pakistani helicopters shelled Lashkar-e Islam positions in Khyber agency on Tuesday; the United Nations refugee organization suspended operations in NWFP and Baluchistan following threats from a Baluch nationalist group.
JULY 27, 2009
Clashes between militants and Pakistani security forces continued over the weekend in Swat and Dir according to security officials and unidentified sources; three terrorists with alleged ties to last year’s Marriott hotel bombing were arrested Sunday by police and security officials in the suburbs of Islamabad; TNSM leader Sufi Muhammad was reportedly arrested on Sunday in Peshawar; airstrikes on Monday in Khyber agency reportedly killed nearly two dozen militants according to Frontier Corps officials; a commander for the Abdullah Mehsud group recently denied reports that Ikhlas Khan had been named the new amir for the group following a purported consolidation.
Clashes between militants and Pakistani security forces in Swat and Dir continued Thursday, reportedly killing nearly two dozen militants; despite NATO assurances to the contrary, Pakistani officials have voiced concerns about spillover effects from the U.S. offensive in Afghanistan; an estimated 350,000 displaced people, out of nearly two million, have reportedly returned to their homes in the Swat valley.
Drone strikes in Pakistan may have killed Osama bin Laden’s son Saad earlier this year, according to counterterrorism officials; a spokesman for Tehreek-e Nafaz Sharia Mohammadi (TNSM) commander Maulana Fazlullah denied reports that the militant leader in Swat had been critically injured as had been reported; U.N. officials indicated that several hundred thousand displaced residents of Swat had voluntary returned to the valley over the last ten days.
Ongoing airstrikes in South Waziristan left six Pakistani Taliban militants dead according to Pakistani intelligence officials; Clashes between militants and the Pakistani military left more than two dozen dead in the Swat and neighboring districts on Wednesday; three anti-Beitullah Mehsud militant groups reportedly consolidated ties and named Ikhlas Khan as the new amir for the Abdullah Mehsud group.
Pakistan’s Frontier Corps claims to have killed more than fifty militants since Sunday in Dir district; Pakistani officials claim 350,000 of the two million displaced people have returned to Swat; Lashkar-e Islam militants reportedly attacked policemen in Khyber agency, killing four on Monday; an order from a political official in Waziristan has led to the arrests and seizure of businesses belonging to Mehsud tribe members.
Recent clashes between militants and Pakistani security officials in Swat and Malakand left a dozen militants dead; suspected Taliban militant ambush outside of Peshawar killed four policemen on Monday; an LeT-trained gunmen on trial for involvement in the Mumbai attacks last fall confessed to participating in the attack in court; former Pakistani president Musharraf supports a long-term reconciliation policy between Afghanistan and senior Taliban leadership.
The Pakistani military on Thursday deployed infantry units, tanks, and armored vehicles to Miramshah in North Waziristan; airstrikes on Wednesday left several dead in areas on South Waziristan; Pakistani security forces claim to have destroyed militant hideouts and killed more than a dozen militants in Buner district near the Swat valley on Wednesday; a U.N. official was shot during an aborted kidnapping at a refugee camp in Peshawar on Thursday.
Pakistani government-aligned militant commander Turkistan Bhittani accuses local district officials in Tank of facilitating Beitullah Mehsud’s supporters while reportedly setting up a parallel administration in the area; al Qaeda deputy al Zawahiri calls on Pakistanis to wage war against the U.S. in Pakistan and Afghanistan; clashes between militants and the Pakistani military continue as IDPs return to the area.
Local police have arrested suspected militants in connection with yesterday’s bombing in Punjab province; Pakistani officials claimed to have arrested more than a dozen al Qaeda-affiliates planning attacks in Punjab province; fighting between local tribal militias and Taliban militants was reported on Tuesday; some refugees began returning to Swat from government-run refugee camps.
A blast in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Monday killed more than a dozen people and wounded seventy others; a militant commander allied with the Pakistani government pulled his forces from the Tank district bordering South Waziristan after Pakistani military enforcements arrived over the weekend; Pakistani official claims that bin Laden is in Kunar, Afghanistan; according to Pakistani security officials, the Pakistani military continued its air strike campaigns in South Waziristan and Dir district over the weekend; the Pakistani government has begun to transport a small number of families back to the Swat valley.
Pakistani army spokesman Gen. Abbas indicates that the Pakistani military has maintained contacts with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar and is willing to mediate between Omar and the U.S. in exchange for concessions related to India; unidentified local sources claim TNSM commander Fazlullah is critically wounded; UN relief coordinator highlights difficulties in repatriating refugees following Pakistani military operations in Malakand; four Pakistani policemen were killed in an attack on a checkpost in Bajaur agency.
Pakistani jets reportedly bombed suspected militant positions in South Waziristan and Orakzai agency Thursday; Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani urged residents of Swat to return to their homes; a Pakistani army vehicle hit a mine outside of Quetta, killing five paramilitary soldiers; Pakistani military officials indicated TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah was injured in recent strikes.
Drone strikes targeting militants in South Waziristan on Wednesday killed over two dozen; an anti-Taliban tribal elder raising local militias to fight militants in Khyber agency was kidnapped yesterday and found dead on Wednesday; a suicide bomber struck near a checkpoint in Peshawar killing three others;Pakistani military spokesman declares army operations are nearly complete in Swat and Buner.
Pakistan’s high court rejected a government appeal to re-arrest Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT)-affiliated leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed; drone strikes on Tuesday in the Zangara area of South Waziristan killed more than a dozen militants; Pakistani military continues to clash with militants in Swat this week; Pakistani security forces claimed to have arrested militants in Dera Ismail Khan, bordering South Waziristan on Monday.
Pakistani military airstrikes continued to strike areas in Waziristan over the weekend; drone attacks targeted a militant training camp and madrassa in South Waziristan over the weekend; recent clashes between Pakistani military forces and militants in Swat were reported; a Pakistani military helicopter crashed in Orakzai agency on Friday killing more than two dozen; TNSM leader Sufi Muhammad reportedly surfaced in Peshawar.
A suicide bomber targeted a bus full of Pakistani government employees in Rawalpindi; the Pakistani army has reportedly ruled out expanding operations into North Waziristan; the Pakistani army claims to have killed militants belong to the Lashkar-e Islam group in the Khyber region; Pakistani troops reportedly are reportedly positioned on the western border as U.S. and Afghan forces commence operations in Helmand province on the Afghan side of the border.
Tribesman continued to clash with militants in Kurram agency who reportedly fled to the area from Swat; a pro-Pakistani government tribal elder was targeted and killed by gunmen in Khyber agency; a U.N. inquire into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has officially begun.
Suicide bombers struck an Afghanistan-Pakistan border post at Torkham and a restaurant in Pakistan’s Balochistan province near a NATO supply convoy route; Pakistani air forces bombed areas of North Waziristan; surveillance drones are reportedly being used to gather and share live video feeds, communication and other intelligence for Pakistani military operations.
Pakistani military assaults continue in Waziristan after Pakistani Taliban militants ambushed a Pakistani military convoy in North Waziristan on Sunday; clashes continued in Kurram agency over the weekend between warring groups, reportedly stoked by militant activity; Pakistan has placed bounties of up to $615,000 on Beitullah Mehsud and other Pakistani Taliban commanders; banned militant groups including Lashkar-e Taiba have reportedly increased operations and recruitment in Kashmir; police reportedly killed Pakistani Taliban militants in Karachi on Saturday.
A suicide bomber, reportedly dispatched by the Pakistani Taliban, targeted and killed two Pakistani soldiers on Friday in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir; Pakistani army chief travelled to South Waziristan on Thursday, meeting with field commanders and urging local tribes to support the military’s operations; Pakistani forces reportedly continued search-and-sweep operations in the Swat valley on Thursday.
U.S. Senate approves significant five-year aid package for Pakistan, including $400 million in annual military aid; conflicting accounts persist regarding death of senior TTP commander during Tuesday’s major drone strike in South Waziristan; militants loyal to Beitullah Mehsud and slain rival Qari Zainuddin Mehsud reportedly clashed in Tank district bordering South Waziristan yesterday; local residents in South Waziristan reportedly facing food and water shortages due to military blockades and recent operations in the area.
Eighty people reportedly killed in multiple drone attacks in South Waziristan on Tuesday; Pakistani military operations in Bajaur agency reportedly responsible for deterring money and arms from flowing into eastern Afghanistan; deputy for Beitullah Mehsud officially takes responsibility for killing of Islamabad-backed rival Qari Zainuddin; aid groups report militants filling vacuum created by delayed aid to IDPs in refugee camps.
Islamabad-supported rival of Pakistani Taliban leader Beitullah Mehsud shot down in Dera Ismail Khan; reported drone attack on militant training center in South Waziristan kills six militants.
Pakistani military air assaults on Pakistani Taliban militants continue in South Waziristan; reports claim al Qaeda and Taliban leaders met in South Waziristan to convince Beitullah Mehsud to shift operations to Afghanistan and avoid conflict with Pakistani military forces; Pakistani officials claimed operations killed militants elsewhere in FATA, including in Bajaur agency; Pakistan’s interior minister claims TNSM commander Maulana Fazlullah has been cornered.
The Pakistani army reportedly carried out aerial assaults on militant hideouts in South Waziristan; commentators highlight difficulties in a potential Pakistani army operation in Waziristan, identifying necessary tactics including use of special operations forces, airpower, and precise raids; security forces claim to have arrest over 100 militants in raids Kohat district; police forces reportedly arrested operatives linked with suicide bombing networks in Charsaddah and Rawalpindi.
Two rivals of TTP leader Beitullah Mehsud continued to publicly support potential Pakistani army operations targeting the Pakistani leader, with Qari Zainuddin Mehsud claiming Beitullah has links to India and Israel; an Indian defense intelligence briefing indicates the Pakistani army inflated the numbers of militants killed and underreported army casualties during recent Swat operations; IDPs are reportedly placing strains on local communities as their numbers are expected to swell if operations in Waziristan commence.
India and Pakistan pledge to resume ministerial-level talks; unconfirmed reports signal al Qaeda commander Qari Zia Rehman killed in Bajaur agency; Lahore police announced the arrest of a Punjabi Taliban member implicated in the March attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team; reports indicate Pakistani military operations in South Waziristan will be limited to target Beitullah Mehsud’s immediate network; residents of Waziristan have reportedly started taking refuge in neighboring districts ahead potential Pakistani military operations in the area.
Pakistani military officials claim to be taking ground preparation for operations in South Waziristan; international donors are pledging aid and equipment to upgrade Pakistani police forces; Pakistani and Indian heads of state met for the first time since last fall’s Mumbai bombing.
NWFP official indicates Pakistani military to launch offensive in South Waziristan; Pakistani military reportedly undertook strikes in Bannu, Malakand, and Waziristan over the weekend; eight people were killed in a market bombing in Dera Ismail Khan, adjacent to South Waziristan.
An outspoken anti-Taliban cleric was killed by a suicide bomber in Lahore on Friday; a suicide truck bomb targeted a mosque in Nowshera killing six on Friday; Pakistani military reportedly continued to clash with militants in pockets of Bannu, Malakand, and South Waziristan; Pakistani Taliban reportedly faces funding shortages which may lead to increased criminality in an effort to acquire more cash; U.S. House passed a $1.5 billion annual aid package to Pakistan while debates lingered on “how many strings come attached.”
JUNE 11, 2009
Aid groups face funding shortages and security concerns following fighting in Swat and violence in Peshawar; local anti-Taliban militias claim to have cornered militants in Upper Dir; Pakistani military officials claim to kill scores of militants in reactive operations in district bordering Taliban stronghold, where the army reportedly fought off militant attacks on military forts; a grenade-and-bomb suicide attack struck Peshawar days after a hotel bombing.
JUNE 10, 2009
The death toll from yesterday’s Peshawar hotel bomb rose to sixteen as Pakistani security officials indicated that Pakistani Taliban leader Beitullah Mehsud may have been behind the attack; Pakistani military forces allegedly killed nearly two dozen militants in retaliatory operations in Bannu district near North Waziristan; “anti-Taliban” local militias continued to clash with militants in Upper Dir; reports continue to surface regarding Pakistani military preparations for an offensive against militants in South Waziristan.
JUNE 9, 2009
On Tuesday, militants exploded a truck bomb inside the gates of a five-star hotel in Peshawar killing a dozen people; local villagers in Upper Dir received support from Pakistani military artillery and gunships as they continued to clash with militants in Upper Dir; local residents in Bannu district bordering Waziristan indicated that the Pakistani military had prepared for and begun an offensive aimed at militant hideouts.
JANUARY 21, 2010
JANUARY 25, 2010
Militants attack NGO office in Mansehra; ISI chief’s term extended one year; Pakistani lawmakers decline extra screening at US airport.
Five killed in drone attack; Taliban leaders thought dead still alive; Gen. David Petraeus endorses Pakistan’s strategic decisions; Taliban reintegration to be top of agenda in Pak-Afghan talks; armed lashkar set fire to 130 militant houses; two pro-government tribal leaders killed; Balochistan Government requests Frontier Corps during elections; local residents warned authorities of Lahore attack.