Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief – April 5, 2010

TTP attacks US consulate in Peshawar; eleven killed in police shootout near Peshawar; suicide bombing on ANP gathering in Dir kills at least 30; security forces clash with militants in Malakand, launch search operation in Mansehra; security forces gain key ground, repulse Taliban counterattacks in Orakzai; rival Taliban groups exchange fire in North Waziristan; militants attack checkpoint, blow up school in Mohmand; militants surrender to security forces in Bajaur; bomb blast injures three in Balochistan; military announces upcoming war games near Indian border.

Peshawar

• At least 8 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in what officials are calling a well-organized and well-equipped attack by militants on the US consulate in Peshawar. Three explosions detonated within a 15-minute period in an area close to both the US consulate and the Peshawar headquarters of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Heavily-armed militants riding in two vehicles then reportedly drove up to the consulate and tried to enter the building. The ensuing gun battled resulted in the deaths of four militants and one policeman. Two Pakistani security guards employed by the consulate and one civilian were also reported as killed in the incident. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Azam Tariq later contacted media sources to claim responsibility for the attack, stating that his group carried out the assault as revenge for US drone strikes.[1]

• On Saturday, eleven people were killed in a shootout during a police raid on a criminal hideout in the village of Sheikhan on the outskirts of Peshawar. Officials say the suspects were involved in several kidnappings and robberies. Eight criminals and three police officers were confirmed killed in the firefight.[2]

FATA

• Security forces repulsed attacks and killed approximately 40 militants in separate incidents in Orakzai on Sunday. (For detailed daily updates on Pakistani military operations in Orakzai, CLICK HERE). On Saturday, ground forces supported by helicopter gunships killed at least 30 militants and captured key positions in the Bizoti area. Six soldiers were also reported killed.[3]

• Militants from rival groups reportedly both part of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur organization exchanged fire during a soccer match in the village of Tapi, North Waziristan on Sunday. A total of four militants were killed, two from each side, and several others were wounded. [4]

• Early on Sunday, militants opened fire on a security checkpoint in the village of Manzari Cheena in Mohmand Agency. Three security volunteers and two militants were reported killed in the exchange. In Mohmand’s Baizai sub-district, militants set off explosives at the Bakhmal Government Boys’ Primary School, destroying the building.

• At least 28 Taliban militants in the Mamund sub-district of Bajaur Agency surrendered to security forces on Sunday. Search operations throughout Mamund also resulted in the seizure of several caches of arms and ammunition.[5]

NWFP

• Approximately 30 people have been killed and many others wounded in a suicide attack that took place during an Awami National Party (ANP) rally in the city of Timergarha in Lower Dir district. The ANP says the meeting was a celebration for the upcoming re-naming of the NWFP to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The TTP later claimed responsibility for the attack during the statement on Monday in which Azam Tariq declared his group’s role in the attack on the US consulate in Peshawar.[6]

• Security forces exchanged fire with militants in the Palai area of Malakand Agency on Sunday. Officials stated that the militants opened fire when security personnel tried to stop the men as they were attempting to enter Malakand from Buner district. All three militants were killed and two soldiers were injured. On Friday, army and frontier constabulary personnel launched an operation into the Kala Dhaka area of Mansehra district aimed at locating militants who have infiltrated the area from Shangla and Buner districts. No clashes or arrests have been reported yet. [7]

Balochistan

• A remote-controlled bomb blast ripped through the main bazaar of Dera Murad Jamali in Nasirabad district on Saturday, seriously injuring three people. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.[8]

Pakistan-India Relations

• Pakistan’s military has announced that it will launch war games near the Indian border on Saturday with the goal of “validating and refining newly evolved doctrines”. The “Azm-e-Nau 3” exercise , or New Resolve, will involve all branches of the military and will have a starting mobilization of 20,000 troops, which is set to rise to 40,000-50,000 by the end of the exercise.[9]