Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief – June 24, 2009

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.  
  • Around eighty people were killed after a series of drone strikes in South Waziristan on Tuesday targeted the funeral of a militant killed in an earlier strike. The attack on the funeral took place in the Ladha region after the funeral prayers were offered for Khwaz Ali Mehsud, a commander of Beitullah Mehsud and the Pakistani Taliban. It is rumored that a number of Taliban leaders may have been present, including Beitullah Mehsud, Qari Hussain and Sangeen; Qari Hussain and Sangeen were reportedly killed in the strike, however, militants associated with Qari Hussain indicated Hussain was still alive.[1]
     
  • Reports indicate that Maulana Shah Dauran, a senior deputy in the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat, has been seriously wounded following Pakistan military operations in Swat while other militants were reportedly killed in the Kabal area of Swat district.[2]
     
  • U.S. Colonel John Spiszer, commander of the 1st Infantry division based in northeast Afghanistan, stated that the operations of the Pakistan military against the Taliban militants in the frontier have “cut insurgent attacks across the border in eastern Afghanistan” and  “[deprived] them of a cheap supply of arms.” He made specific reference to operations in Bajaur agency as being responsible for the militants suffering a shortage of money and arms in Afghanistan.[3] 
     
  • A Beitullah Mehsud deputy has officially claimed responsibility on behalf of Beitullah for the killing of his rival, Qari Zainuddin Mehsud. Wali Rehman told reporters that Zainuddin had to be killed because of “his involvement in activities against the TTP interests in the tribal belt.” He further warned that “Anybody who was found involved in anti-TTP activities will face the same fate.” Gulbaddin Mehsud, the attacker that Beitullah allegedly dispatched to kill Zainuddin, managed to escape after the attack.[4]
     
  • An aid group has said that militant groups were operating in refugee camps and communities housing IDPs across the country. It says these “political actors” were providing aid to the displaced in the midst of a shortage of relief supplies facing other aid agencies. UN officials say that “only about 30 percent of a $543 million aid appeal it launched in May in a bid to avert a long-term humanitarian crisis had been met.” Aid groups blame the delays for creating a “vacuum which militants and other ‘political actors’ were filling.”[5]


[1] “Missile attacks kill 50 in South Waziristan”, Dawn News Online, June 24, 2009. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-suspected-us-drone-strikes-swaziristan-qs-03 Mushtaq Yusufzai & Irfan Burki, “80 die as drones hit Baitullah’s hideouts”, The News Online, June 24, 2009. Available at http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22899 Bill Roggio, “Senior Taliban leaders targeted in yesterday's Predator strikes”, The Long War Journal, June 24, 2009. Available at http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/06/senior_taliban_leade.php
[2] “Shah Dauran injured”, The News Online, June 24, 2009. Available at http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22900
[3] “Pakistani assault hurting Taliban: US officer”, Dawn News Online, June 24, 2009. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/pakistani-assault-hurting-taliban-us-officer-469
[4] “Baitullah deputy claims killing of Zainuddin”, Dawn News Online, June 24, 2009. Available at http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-baitullah-deputy-claims-killing-of-zainuddin-ss-03
[5] Paul Tait, “"Jihadists" helping displaced Pakistanis: aid group”, Reuters, June 24, 2009. Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE55N2VC20090624?sp=true
View Citations

View Citations

 

 

TIMELINE
Arrow down red
Jul '09
Jun '09