Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief – April 6, 2010 

Security forces target militant hideouts in Orakzai; suspected suicide bombers killed; US condemns attacks as a joint investigation of the consulate attack begins; UN closes Peshawar offices; Pakistani-developed drones conduct successful operation; Obama expresses confidence in Pakistani nuclear security; Australia blocks shipment to Pakistan; Chicago terrorism suspect pleads not guilty.

Orakzai

• On Monday, Pakistan gunship helicopters bombed militant hideouts in different areas of Orakzai Agency, killing eight militants and destroying four hideouts. The bodies of seven militants killed during clashes were found in the Bizoti area. Kaleemullah, a security official who was kidnapped a few days ago, was found beheaded in the Goteen area. (For detailed daily updates on Pakistani military operations in Orakzai, CLICK HERE).[1]

Peshawar

• Police killed two militants on Tuesday while responding to a tip that suicide bombers were hiding in the Mittani area on the outskirts of Peshawar. Police officials said one of the militants was wearing a suicide vest at the time of the raid.[2]
• On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs condemned the attack on the U.S. consulate. On Tuesday, US and Pakistani teams began an investigation of the attack.[3]
• The United Nations has closed its Peshawar offices for two days as a “precautionary measure” after the attack on the U.S. consulate Monday.[4]

Pakistani Drones

• Drones developed in Pakistan conducted a successful operation in Sargodha, Punjab, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas announced on Monday.[5]

Nuclear Security

• When asked about Pakistan’s nuclear security, President Barack Obama expressed confidence on the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.”[6]
• The Australian government blocked a shipment to Pakistan of two atomic absorption spectrophotometers, which analyze liquid samples, under the 1995 Weapons of Mass Destruction Act. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner said that there were “unacceptable risks associated with the provision of these goods.” The minister has previously used the same act to block shipments to Iran or to “countries deemed at risk of passing them on to Iran.”[7]

Chicago Cab Driver

• Raja Lahrasib Khan, a Pakistan-born Chicago taxi driver, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to send money to al Qaeda in a U.S. District court on Monday.[8]