Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistan Security Brief – January 12, 2010
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.
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The Pakistani military appears to be preparing for an operation into Orakzai Agency, located in the tribal areas south of Peshawar. The Frontier Corps established at least 18 checkpoints on roadways leading into the area, effectively closing all routes, and have positioned tanks in surrounding agencies that border Orakzai. Sources also report that thousands of militants have taken fighting positions along Orakzai Agency’s borders.[1]
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Residents in the Lyari area of Karachi held protests and demonstrations on Monday against recent police raids in the city. The pre-dawn raids were conducted after Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced that police forces will begin targeting criminals following the increase in politically motivated target killings throughout Karachi. The protest leaders expressed discontent with the isolated raids and claimed they should be conducted in other areas of Karachi in addition to Lyari.[2]
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According to extremist websites monitored by SITE Intelligence, a Jordanian Taliban commander operating in Afghanistan was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Waziristan. Mahmud Mahdi Zeidan died on January 10, but reports did not specify in which drone strike targeting militant positions in Waziristan he was killed.[3]
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Militants attacked a security checkpoint in the town of Ghanan Shah, which is located in Mohmand Agency. Over 30 militants stormed the checkpoint on Tuesday with automatic weapons and rocket launchers, killing one security official and injuring three more.[4]
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On Monday NWFP police forces arrested 30 suspected militants in Kohat district, including 10 foreign nationals. Police forces searched several isolated areas in the district during the operation and also confiscated rifles, pistols, and ammunition.[5]
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An alleged Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commander from Swat was arrested in Karachi on Monday. Police forces detained Hayatullah Hamyo, who was reportedly working for a Pakistani telecommunications company.[6]
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2009 was a violent year in Pakistan. A report produced by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies states that terrorist violence throughout 2009 killed over 3,000 people in the country and injured over 7,000. The total number of killed and wounded includes civilians, police, and military personnel. The report maintains that 87 suicide bombings occurred, which is included in the overall number of terrorist strikes placed at 2,586.[7]
