Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistan Security Brief – 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.
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New details emerged regarding the capture of the Afghan Taliban’s top military commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. While there are many conflicting reports, a New York Times story claims that Baradar was not the intended target in the house that Pakistani forces raided; rather, security forces were targeting men associated with Baradar and they captured him unexpectedly. The Times and Wall Street Journal, however, reported that Pakistani officials are intentionally pursuing valuable militant leaders inside their country.[1]
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A US drone targeted a car travelling in North Waziristan on Thursday, killing Mohammad Haqqani and four other people. Mohammad is the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a militant leader who formerly commanded the Afghanistan-focused Haqqani Network.[2]
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Pakistani intelligence officials recently arrested three men associated with al-Qaida in Karachi. One of the men, Abu Reyan Al Zarkazi, was known to have connections with Osama bin Laden. Other recent arrests include a man who served the Taliban prior to 2001 and a liaison with Chechen and Tajik militants.[3]
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Interior Minister Rahman Malik made it clear that the recently caught Taliban commanders will not be deported to the US. Malik announced that if the commanders were not punishable under Pakistani law, they would be returned to their country of origin.[4]
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Pakistani helicopter gunships targeted several areas in Bajaur Agency on Thursday, killing an unknown number of militants and destroying “dozens” of hideouts.[5]
