South Asian Outlook : An Independent e-Monthly | South Asia: Pakistan

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Waziristan: A Stygian Dark

Ajai Sahni
Editor, SAIR; Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management

After months of ‘preparation’ – massive and often indiscriminate bombings in the region, as well as the massing of Forces, blockades and endless curfews – there are now credible reports that the Pakistan Army is poised to ‘storm’ the principal strongholds of the Islamist terrorist groupings affiliated to the al Qaeda – Taliban – Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan complex, in Waziristan. For months, now, Pakistani Air Force and artillery units, backed by US Predator strikes, have been hammering away at nebulous ‘targets’ in the region, and the Army now appears confident that ground troops can go into what has long been regarded as Pakistan’s "‘black hole’ for security and intelligence forces".

But reports of an imminent ground campaign have already provoked political disquiet, with 19 Members of the National Assembly, including three Federal Ministers, elected from this region, submitting their resignations to Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani on September 29, 2009 (their resignations have not been accepted, though they insist, "we do not consider ourselves as Parliamentarians anymore"). The resigning Parliamentarians have warned of a ‘serious backlash’, and one of them, Saleh Shah, has declared, "This will be a major blunder, which will invoke (sic) a serious reaction from the tribesmen." Munir Aurakzai, the head of the Tribal Parliamentary Group, has noted that the ongoing aerial and artillery campaigns have already inflicted unbearable hardships on local tribesmen, who have "lost their properties and lives", with "hundreds of thousands" displaced.

The enormity of the aerial campaign can be partially assessed by the sheer loss of life already inflicted – before a ground campaign has even been initiated. At least 3,228 persons, including 2,480 categorised as ‘militants’, 545 civilians and 203 Security Forces (SF) personnel have already been killed in 2009 (till October 2) in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal database – with an overwhelming proportion of fatalities concentrated in the North and South Waziristan Agencies. These numbers may well be a severe under-estimate, with flows of information blocked off by denial of access to the media and other independent agencies. No verification of the categorisation of casualties is, of course, possible under the circumstances.

These fatalities add to at least 3,067 killed in 2008, including 1,709 ‘militants’, 1,116 civilians and 242 SF personnel – almost double the death count in 2007, when 1,681 persons, including 1,014 militants, 424 civilians and 243 SF personnel were killed in the region. In 2006, the death toll stood at 590 (337 ‘militants’, 109 civilians and 144 SF personnel).

As with the brutal and indiscriminate Swat campaigns, however, and in sharp contrast to the global response to the last stages of the Sri Lankan campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the relentless and often indiscriminate killings in FATA have provoked no more than a deafening silence from the international community. The projected illusion is that this area is being targeted essentially as the ‘epicentre’ of the anti-Western al-Qaeda – Taliban combine, and that what is being done is no more than necessary.

Both assumptions are manifestly false. For one thing, the various protagonists in Waziristan, and in the wider FATA region, are fighting a murky war, often at cross purposes. US objectives are, of course, by far the most obvious here, and they coincide with the general perception of the area being targeted essentially to ‘neutralize’ the al Qaeda – Taliban combine. Indeed, if US assessments can be relied upon, US drone attacks in the region – comprising the largest proportion, by far of such attacks in Pakistan – have been exceptionally ‘efficient’ (Pakistani sources strongly contest these assessments and allege that the numbers of those killed is far greater, and that a much larger proportion is civilian). A study in The Long War Journal notes that, of 88 US strikes within Pakistan since 2004, 78 strikes (88.6 per cent) have hit targets in North (36 strikes) and South (42 strikes) Waziristan. Indeed, all of the 30 strikes since April 1, 2009, have been in Waziristan. The study claims high accuracy levels, with more than one in three strikes killing a High Value Target (HVT). Civilian casualties, moreover, "have remained very low", though the study concedes that "it is difficult to determine the exact number of civilians killed" and that it uses "low-end estimates of casualties". On this count, of the 979 fatalities since 2004, just 9.6 per cent have been "identified as civilians".

A look at the targeted organisations, however, begins to reveal pernicious entanglements. The principal targets, in order of significance, include Baitullah Mehsud’s Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an organisation that is being vigorously targeted by Pakistani Forces as well, since it turned ‘rogue’ after the Lal Masjid debacle in July 2007, and directed its ire against Islamabad. Baitullah Mehsud has, in fact, been one of the HVTs neutralised in a US Predator strike, and the leadership of the group is currently uncertain; Hakimullah Mehsud is said to have taken command, but is also widely believed to have been killed in a succession war with another of the contenders, Wali-ur-Rehman. Others in the run for the top position in the TTP include Maulvi Faqir Muhammad and Qari Hussain. The second in significance of the US targets has been Mullah Nazir, who operates across territories in South Waziristan – and who is regarded by Islamabad as an ‘ally’ in its war against ‘foreign terrorists’ including cadres of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan led by Tahir Yuldashev (currently rumoured to have been killed), which had taken to attacking Pakistan Army and Government officials since 2006, and which had aligned with the TTP. Third in line is the Haqqani network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, which has long operated as the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) cat’s paw in Afghanistan, and has mounted numberless attacks against International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan troops. The Haqqani network, in close coordination with the ISI, orchestrated the suicide bomb attack on India’s embassy at Kabul on July 7, 2008. A fourth target has been Abu Kasha al Iraqi, considered a key al Qaeda operative, and closely linked to the Taliban, whose Forces operate principally from Mir Ali in North Waziristan. With his Pakistani commanders, Abu Kasha has mounted repeated attacks against coalition Forces in Afghanistan. The last among the targets of priority has been Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the ‘supreme commander’ of the Taliban in North Waziristan, who is also closely linked with the Haqqani network. Bahadur has had a vacillating relationship with Islamabad, and has been party to various deals with state agencies, and is perceived as part of the ‘government camp’. He announced a cease fire on August 22, 2009, for the period of Ramadan, after which incidents in North Waziristan virtually ceased. Increasingly, several Punjab-based terrorist groupings, including Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have established a significant presence across FATA. The last two among these have continuing linkages with state agencies, particularly strong in the case of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which orchestrated what is widely acknowledged as the ISI-backed attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

Crucially, Islamabad’s orientation to these various groups has been defined exclusively by the degree to which they have remained loyal to Pakistan’s objectives in destabilizing Kabul, or to which they have turned ‘renegade’ and attacked targets within Pakistan. The US and Pakistan, consequently, act at cross purposes with several of these and the many lesser groups operating in Waziristan. North Waziristan borders Afghanistan, and it is from here that the ‘Taliban’ – drawn from combinations of the various groups operating from this region – have mounted attacks on troops of the US-led ISAF and of the Afghan Army. This is the area over which Pakistan and the US have had a long and acrimonious dispute in the past, with continuous cross-border infiltrations being blamed on the ‘laxity’ and collusion of Pakistani border guards.

Islamabad has secured a great transfusion of confidence from the killing of Baitullah Mehsud in a Predator strike, and the probable death of his designated successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, and this will contribute at least in part to the decision to initiate ground operations in Waziristan. There is, however, a substantial residual uncertainty in the Army command. Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed, the Chairman of the Special Support Group, on August 18, 2009, noted that, while Baitullah Mehsud had died, ‘his system was still functioning’, and that the current objective was to "choke off supplies" to the Taliban, and employ aerial operations to create the "right conditions" for ground operations, something that could "take months" and could possibly go beyond the coming winter. Critically, Islamabad continues to direct its campaigns in Waziristan against the TTP, while US interests remain much wider, targeting the complex combine of Islamist terrorist groupings operating from this region.

While aerial strikes have certainly inflicted some damage on the radical Islamist networks in Waziristan, it would be a mistake to underestimate their surviving capacities. Indeed, even in neighbouring Swat, where Pakistan is claiming a decisive victory, the combination of aerial and massive ground operations failed to neutralize the leadership and main body of radical forces in the region, simply ‘squeezing’ them out into other areas, where they will inevitably recover and consolidate once again. This is what projected ground operations are expected to do in Waziristan as well. While some stiff resistance from fortified TTP positions can be expected in initial phases, it is clear that, with the enormous lead time available, most commanders will already have planned out their escape routes and future hideouts, initially, most likely, in the Dawar area of North Waziristan, the Upper Orakzai Agency and the Pashtun areas of Balochistan. Eventually, the battle will have to be extended into the Orakzai, Mohmand and Bajaur Agencies of FATA, and into Darra Adam Khel and beyond in the NWFP, where the ‘miscreants’ from FATA find frequent refuge. The sheer scope of such a campaign, which will inevitably crystallize the opposition to what will be perceived by the Islamists as a US-Pakistani campaign, will challenge the Pakistan Army – already overextended in campaigns in NWFP and Balochistan – to unprecedented limits.

It is, of course, the case that US and Pakistani efforts in Waziristan have the capacities to force radical strategic and tactical adaptations on the Islamist militants, but they cannot inflict a comprehensive and irreversible defeat – at least in part because Pakistan’s own orientation to many of the groups remains deeply ambivalent. Till a sufficiency of Force and will have been secured – something that does not appear on the current bill of fare – the protagonists in Waziristan will remain locked in struggle in the blinding darkness of deceit, betrayal and bloody violence. Worse, it is the wretched people of Waziristan who are subjected to the greatest and combined ferocity of a multiplicity of aggressors, none of whom appears to regard their security or well being as a significant objective in their campaigns.

[South Asia Intelligent Review]

News Briefs

No evidence on India's involvement in Balochistan, says US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the US does not have any evidence of India's involvement in Balochistan amid Pakistan's allegation that New Delhi was fomenting trouble in the province. "Well, first of all, we have no evidence of that. I mean, we just have no evidence of that," Clinton said in reply to a question that many Pakistanis believe that India is fomenting trouble in Balochistan. Describing Balochistan as "a very volatile region," she said, during her interaction with Pakistani editors in Lahore on October 29-night, that she had not seen any evidence from Pakistan about India's involvement in Balochistan. Rediff, October 31, 2009. Rediff, October 31, 2009.

233 militants and 33 civilians among 290 persons killed during the week in FATA: 23 militants were killed as troops advanced deeper into the Taliban-controlled territory in South Waziristan and captured Gherlama, an important position north of Kotkai, the hometown of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakeemullah Mehsud. Four soldiers are reported to have died in fierce gun-battles in areas around Gherlama, Kotkai, Nawazkot and Spinqamer. Shin Gher, a vital hilltop near Razmak in North Waziristan, was also captured. Tanks, backed by military jets and helicopter gunships, are reported to have targeted Taliban positions. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), troops secured the important Tarkona Narai hill after a 16-hour gun-battle and made gains on the Jandola-Sararogha axis, securing important ridges. Tarkona Narai, the highest feature on an important junction east of Sherwangi, has also been secured on the Shakai-Kaniguram axis. Meanwhile, many displaced people arriving in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank Districts of the NWFP said that the militants had left the villages recently captured by Security Forces days before the launch of the military operation in South Waziristan.

Six militants and three soldiers were killed in a clash in the Mattak village of Nawagai sub-division in Bajaur Agency on October 25. Further, six militants were killed when jet fighters targeted their hideouts in the Ghiljo area in Upper Orakzai Agency on October 25. Eyewitnesses said that two hideouts and a camp of the Taliban were also destroyed in the air strikes. Separately, two militants were killed and four others sustained injuries while two explosives-laden vehicles were destroyed in action by the Security Forces (SFs) in the Khyber Agency on October 25.

21 Taliban militants and three soldiers killed were killed as the SFs took control of Kotkai in South Waziristan, an important TTP stronghold and the native town of its chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, after intense fighting on October 24. Addressing a joint press conference with Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, the ISPR Director General, Major General Athar Abbas, said 21 terrorists had been killed and three soldiers martyred while eight people had been injured.

A suspected US drone killed 33 militants in the Bajaur Agency on October 24. The drone targeted a Taliban shura (executive council) meeting in the Damadola area, 12 kilometres north of Khar, the agency headquarters. Sources in the political administration said the TTP deputy chief Maulvi Faqir left the incident site minutes before the strike, adding that his relatives were among the dead.

18 persons, including some women and children, were killed and six others sustained injuries when a bus hit a landmine in the Mohmand Agency on October 23. According to Mohmand Rifles, the bus carrying wedding guests from Rawalpindi hit the mine at Suran Darra Chowk, some 25 kilometres from the Mamad Gat Frontier Corps camp. "The device was placed by militants who wanted to hit tanks and armoured personnel carriers," official sources said. No group claimed responsibility for planting the mine, but local people and officials believe it was the work of militants in reaction to a search operation carried out in the area by security agencies a few days ago. Separately, five militants were killed when military planes and artillery attacked their positions in the Mulla Syed and Banda areas of Bajaur Agency on October 23.

Fierce fighting was reported from the Sherwangai area in South Waziristan Agency as troops started their advance towards the militants’ strongholds on the Shakai-Ladha axis on October 23, the seventh day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. The Army claimed killing 13 militants, raising the casualty toll of the Taliban to 142 since October 17. However, the Taliban said only three of their men were killed since the launch of the operation. However, claims from both sides could not be confirmed.

SFs continued consolidating positions in the Tor Ghundai and Gurgurai Sar areas of South Waziristan on the sixth day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat on October 22. According to the ISPR, 24 militants and two Army soldiers were killed and four soldiers were wounded in different areas on the Jandola-Srarogha and Shakai-Ladha axis. There was no comment from the Taliban about the casualty toll. Sources said 12 of the slain militants were foreigners. Although Army officials confirmed the killing of two soldiers, independent sources put the death toll at four. Displaced people arriving in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan through different routes said Taliban positions were being targeted with artillery, jet fighters and gunship helicopters in Makeen, Ladha and Srarogha. They said majority of the areas where the troops had reached and which were once considered the strongholds of Taliban had been vacated by the civilians.

Five militants were killed and four others sustained injuries in clashes with the SFs in different areas of Bajaur Agency on October 22. In addition, the SFs claimed to have killed three militants and demolished their seven houses and six hideouts during operations in different areas of the Mohmand Agency on October 22.

Fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in South Waziristan on October 21, as the army hoisted the national flag in the Shingwari area on the fifth day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. An ISPR press release stated that, in the past 24 hours, 15 Taliban militants had been killed and 10 injured after jet fighters and long-range artillery struck Taliban positions in the Badar, Sam, Sararogha, Nanoo, Ladah and Makeen areas. It said four soldiers, including an officer, had also died in the same period. In addition, 12 persons, including Arab, Pakistani and Afghan militants, were killed and several others injured in a bomb blast in Surkot village, five kilometres east of Miranshah, headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency, on October 21-evening. Tribal and Taliban sources said four houses were destroyed in the blast caused by explosives dumped inside the house in Surkot. Separately, three militants were killed and as many injured during a search operation in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agency on October 21.

The army killed 20 militants on the fourth day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the TTP in South Waziristan, the military said on October 20, as troops intensified the battle for the control of Kotkai. The TTP claimed they killed seven soldiers in an attack, but the army said only four soldiers had been killed in the assault on positions around Kotkai – the hometown of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud and trainer of suicide bombers Qari Hussain. "We are consolidating our positions around Kotkai, and control of this town will pave the way for deeper advances towards Makeen and other strongholds of the Taliban," said military officials. They said troops battling their way into Kotkai were facing resistance from the Taliban. Separately, SFs on October 20 killed three militants and arrested two others during the ongoing operation in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. Further, two of the six recruits of the Frontier Corps abducted by unidentified gunmen were shot dead by the captors and their bodies dumped in the Yakh Kandao area of Orakzai Agency on October 20. The Orakzai Agency unit of the TTP had earlier issued threats to the tribesmen to stop joining the SFs or face consequences.

18 Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed and 12 soldiers were injured in the last 24 hours in South Waziristan, the ISPR Director General, Major General Athar Abbas, said on October 19. He told journalists at a press conference that the SFs were advancing from three fronts: on the Jandola–Sararogha axis, on the Shakai-Ladha axis and from the south and southwest of Razmak. He said the SFs had surrounded Kotkai, the hometown of Qari Hussain – reportedly the "mentor of suicide bombers" - and secured Tor Ghundai (east of Kotkai) and Shishwarm (northeast of Kotkai). He said the SFs were consolidating positions after securing Sherwangi despite stiff resistance from the Taliban. Further, 12 members of a displaced family were killed when a bomb hit them in South Waziristan on October 19. The dead included some women and children. According to sources, the family was fleeing the army operation against militants in Hendi Zawar area.

14 militants were killed and several others sustained injuries when jet fighters targeted militant hideouts in the Yakkaghund and Baizai subdivisions of Mohmand Agency on October 19. Official sources said fighter planes of the Pakistan Air Force targeted the militant hideouts in Karair, Koz Chinari, Shamshah, Spinki Tangi and Badmanai areas of the Yakkaghund subdivision and the Dawezai area of Baizai. In addition, three children were killed in the Dawezai area of Baizai sub-division when some bombs missed the target and hit a civilian area.

Six Taliban militants were killed and three others injured during operations by the SFs in the Salarzai and Mamoond sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency on October 19. In another incident, a suspected Taliban militant was killed while attempting to build a bomb in the Mandal area of Bajaur Agency. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, October 20-26, 2009.

Balochistan minister assassinated in Quetta: Unidentified gunmen killed the Balochistan Education Minister Shafiq Ahmed Khan, a member of the Pakistan People’s Party, outside his residence in the provincial capital Quetta on October 25, 2009. The Baloch Liberation United Front claimed responsibility for the assassination. Police in Quetta said unidentified motorcyclists shot dead the minister outside his residence on Thogai Road, while his brother’s father-in-law, Hydayat Jaffar, was injured in the same attack. Shafiq Khan is the second minister from Balochistan to have been killed over the last two months. Daily Times, October 26, 2009.

Eight persons killed and 17 injured in suicide bombing near Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra: Eight persons were killed and 17 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber exploded himself at a Police check-post on the GT Road near the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra in the Attock District of Punjab province in the morning on October 23. According to District administration sources, a suicide bomber blew himself when Security Force personnel intercepted him at the check-post near the PAC, some 60 kilometres from the national capital Islamabad. Consequently, eight persons were killed and 17 others were injured. District Police chief Fakhar Sultan said the attack killed six civilians and two Pakistan Air Force personnel. The Air Force said 15 security staff were wounded and confirmed two of its personnel were dead. "We have found a mutilated face, as well as other body parts, including legs and arms of the bomber," said Sultan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The News, October 24, 2009.

Six persons killed and 29 injured in twin suicide attacks at International Islamic University in Islamabad: Two suicide bombers targeted the new campus of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in the H-10 sector of Islamabad on October 20, 2009 killing at least six students and staff members, including two female students, and injuring more than 29 others. The Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad, Amer Ali Ahmad, said that the deceased were identified as Sidra Khalid (student), Hina (student), Pervaiz Masih (sanitary worker), Shaukat Bhatti (security guard), Amna (worker) and Khalil-ur-Rehman (student). This is the first terrorist attack on an educational institution in Islamabad. The first blast occurred at the cafeteria of the women’s campus at 3:07 pm while another took place at the Sharia bloc five minutes later, damaging the main structure of the building and dozens of cars parked near the blast site. The Inspector General of Police in Islamabad, Syed Kaleem Imam, said that a suspect, identified as ‘GM’, was arrested from the scene after the suicide attack at the cafeteria. He said the suspect belonged to Khanewal and had studied at the IIUI some seven years back. Kaleem Imam said according to the preliminary investigation, each bomber used 4 to 5 kilograms of explosive material and one and a half to two kg of pellets and ‘C-4’ kind of explosives were used in each suicide belt. The News, October 21, 2009.

231 militants and 16 soldiers among 255 persons killed during the week in FATA: The Army claimed killing 60 militants and losing five soldiers with 11 others sustaining injuries in the past 24 hours as Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path of Salvation) launched in South Waziristan Agency entered the second day on October 18, 2009. In its advance towards the Taliban stronghold of Makeen, the Security Forces (SFs) clashed with militants, killing 30 of them in the Jandola, Kotkai and Srarogha areas, said a statement of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). It said two soldiers died and four others sustained injuries in these clashes. The Mandana, Kund and Tarakai areas were secured from this side, added the statement. The operation progressed seven kilometres north of Shakai from the second direction where the SFs had captured areas like Boya Narai and Wozi Sar from the militants, said the ISPR, which also claimed that 20 militants and a soldier were killed while three soldiers were wounded in the same area. Securing some key heights around and south of Razmak, the Army said the advancing SFs killed 10 militants and lost two soldiers with four sustaining injuries.

The Pakistan Army launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat late on October 16 night, combating the Hakeemullah Mehsud-led Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killing 30 militants in air strikes targeting the Kotkai, Makeen and Ladah regions of South Waziristan. Four soldiers were also killed and 12 others injured on the first day of the offensive. Separately, 12 Taliban militants were killed and two injured in clashes between the SFs and Taliban in the Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies on October 17. Officials said three militants were killed and two injured in the Salarzai revenue division of Bajaur Agency. Official sources said the SFs continued the military operation in the Warr Mamoond and Salarzai sub-divisions to restore the Government’s writ in these areas. A spokesman for the Frontier Corps Media Cell told the APP that SFs killed nine Taliban militants, including seven foreigners, in an overnight operation in Agra Post of Mohmand Agency. He said one soldier was also killed in the fighting. Further, three soldiers were killed and six injured after two separate remote controlled bombings that targeted SFs convoys in Waziristan.

25 Taliban militants and three troopers were killed on October 16, as the military continued operations in South Waziristan and Bajaur Agency. 12 militants were killed during the third day of bombings in South Waziristan while 18 others were injured. Six terrorist hideouts were destroyed and several houses damaged in the operations. Separately, helicopter gunships killed 10 militants during raids on suspected terrorist bases in Bajaur Agency, officials told AFP. Also in Bajaur, three more terrorists were killed and two injured during a clash between SFs and the Taliban in the Salarzai area. Separately, a security official told AFP that suspected Taliban militants launched a rocket attack at a military camp in the Shakai area of South Waziristan, killing three soldiers and injuring four.

Military planes bombed suspected militant positions in the Laddah, Nawazkot, Khaisora, Saam, Sararogha and Tiarza areas of South Waziristan on October 15, killing at least 32 militants and non-combatants. 12 people were reportedly killed and seven others injured in the Kanigram and Karama areas of Laddah sub-division and nine in Nawazkot area adjacent to North Waziristan. Five people were killed when their car was hit in Maulvi Khan Sarai and six people died and five wounded in Tiarza. Separately, four Afghan Taliban militants were killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan on October 15. The slain men reportedly belonged to the Ghaznavi group of the Jalaluddin Haqqani network of the Taliban in Afghanistan. “Three missiles were fired by the drone in Dandi Darphakhel area and killed four Afghan Taliban from the Haqqani network,” officials told Daily Times. In addition, four militants were killed as the SFs targeted militant hideouts in the Utmankhel area of Orakzai Agency on October 15.

19 persons, including some militants and eight persons of a family, were killed and eight others sustained injuries when fighter planes targeted different areas of South Waziristan Agency on October 14. Four hideouts of the militants were also destroyed in the air strikes. Fighter planes are reported to have bombed the Maidan, Tangi, Bodinzai, Kacha Langarkhel, Sam, Ragh, and Salay Rogha areas in Ladha sub-division. At least 11 persons, including militants, were killed and seven others injured in the bombing. The sources added that a training centre of the militants, the house of a Taliban ‘commander’ and a hideout were destroyed in the Sam, Ragh and Salay Rogha areas, respectively, in air attacks. They said several houses were also damaged in the intense bombing by the Pakistan Air Force jets in Salay Rogha. Tribal sources said two fighter jets fired at a house of an 80-year-old tribal elder Malik Nekam Khan in the Spinkai area of Sarwakai Tehsil (revenue unit) at 3:00 pm, killing eight members of his family on the spot and injuring seven others.

Six Taliban militants were killed when fighter jets targeted the group’s positions in South Waziristan on October 13, said officials, even as jets and helicopter gunships bombed Taliban hideouts and ground forces fired heavy artillery in Bajaur Agency, killing 26 Taliban militants and injuring dozens of others. Fighter jets are reported to have launched another round of air-strikes in South Waziristan, destroying around 15 houses in Makeen, Ladha and Barwand, said a local intelligence official. Abdul Malik, a local Government official, said the military strikes in Bajaur Agency took place in the Damadola and Sawai areas.

At least 15 Taliban militants were killed and 16 others sustained injuries after the SFs launched Operation Sherdil in the Mamoond and Salarzai sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency on October 12. Elsewhere in the FATA, jets bombed Taliban positions in South Waziristan, killing six Taliban militants. SFs said that three Taliban hideouts were destroyed in the Bajaur raids. The AP news agency reported that fighter jets bombed suspected Taliban hideouts. www.dawn.com; www.dailytimes.com.pk; www.thenews.com.pk, October 13-19, 2009. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, October 13-19, 2009.

60 civilians and 12 soldiers among 80 persons killed during the week in NWFP: At least 15 persons, including three Policemen, were killed and 19 others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the Criminal Investigation Agency’s Special Investigation Unit in Peshawar, the capital city of NWFP, on October 16, 2009.

11 persons, including three Policemen, were killed and 22 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the building of the Saddar Police Station located in the military area of Kohat on October 15. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kohat region), Abdullah Khan, told reporters that a 22-year-old suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden double cabin vehicle just outside the main gate of Saddar Police Station, killing 11 people, including three Policemen Fayazul Hasnain, Muhammad Noor and Khurshid, and injuring 22 persons, including four Policemen. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim was made by TTP central spokesman Azam Tariq who contacted reporters to confirm that the attack was made by the Taliban militants operating in Darra Adamkhel. Elsewhere, an eight-year-old boy, identified as Hamza, was killed and 12 persons, including two Policemen, were wounded when a powerful bomb exploded in a three-storey building in the officers’ colony of provincial capital Peshawar on October 15.

The death toll from a suicide bombing in the Shangla District increased to 45 from 41 on October 13 even as the TTP claimed responsibility for the attack. “Two people died overnight and two more died this morning,” a doctor told AFP on October 13. Meanwhile in the Swat District, Security Forces (SFs) said on October 13 that they had killed five more Taliban militants and arrested five others.

41 persons - including six soldiers - were killed and 45 others were injured on October 12 in a suicide attack on a military convoy in the Alpuri area of Shangla District (which borders Swat District), NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain and a military official said. The bomber – believed to be 14 years old and on foot – targeted the convoy while it was passing through the busy Alpuri bazaar. A military spokesman said that 12 shops and seven vehicles were destroyed when the young bomber detonated explosives. “Some vehicles loaded with ammunition were also part of the convoy... they caught fire after the explosion,” said the spokesman. Dawn; Daily Times; The News,, October 13-19, 2009.

14 Policemen and seven civilians among 30 persons killed in three terrorist attacks on Police targets in Lahore: 19 persons, including 14 Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed and 41 others sustained injuries in three separate terrorist attacks in Lahore, capital of Punjab province, on October 15, 2009. All nine attackers were also shot dead by the SFs. The attacks were carried out at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building on the Temple Road, the Manawan Police Training Centre and the Elite Police Academy on the Bedian Road. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Amjad Farooqi faction claimed responsibility for the three attacks.

In the first attack, a terrorist wearing an explosive vest attacked the FIA offices. The assailant reportedly opened indiscriminate fire at the people, killing six persons, including two FIA inspectors, on the spot, The News reported. Police cordoned off the building and subsequently killed the terrorist. However, Daily Times reported that at least three terrorists attacked the FIA building, killing seven people. In the second attack, four terrorists stormed the Elite Force Training Centre and an encounter continued till afternoon until the SFs killed the two attackers and freed a family they were holding hostage. Two other attackers blew themselves up, Police said. An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police, Ghulam Jaffar, and a civilian, Adil, were killed and seven Policemen were wounded in the attack. The attackers of the Manawan Police Training School, wearing Police-like camouflage fatigues, lobbed a grenade and opened indiscriminate fire at the trainees, killing 11 Policemen and a civilian and injuring 34 Policemen, The News stated. However, Daily Times reported that nine Policemen died and 60 were injured when four attackers wearing suicide jackets attacked the compound. Three of the men blew themselves up, while one was subsequently killed by the Police. www.dailytimes.com.pk; www.thenews.com.pk; October 16, 2009. Daily Times; The News, October 16, 2009.

71 militants and 49 civilians killed during the week in NWFP: Nine Taliban militants were killed and five injured in a clash between the Security Forces (SFs) and Taliban militants in Darra Adam Khel on October 10, 2009.

49 persons, including a woman and seven children, were killed and 90 others were injured when a suicide attacker detonated his explosives-laden car at the crowded Soekarno Chowk in Khyber Bazaar in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, on October 9. A Police official said that people were busy in routine activities when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives laden in his car. Many of those killed and injured were passengers of a mini-bus that was passing through the area at the time of the blast. Seven children, many of them schoolboys, and a woman, were among those killed. The blast destroyed around 30 vehicles and partially damaged over 60 shops in the nearby markets. Windowpanes of hundreds of shops and offices were also reportedly destroyed. Among those killed or injured were patients and their attendants going or coming out of the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, the biggest public sector hospital in the NWFP. An official of the bomb disposal unit (BDU) estimated that around 50 kg of high-intensity explosives had been loaded in the car, being driven by the suicide bomber, while another official said the explosives were around 100 kg. "As the explosives were loaded in the doors and side cavities, it caused more damage to the nearby buildings rather than creating a huge crater in the ground," a BDU official said.

SFs claimed to have killed nine militants and arrested six besides destroying a training camp and four other hideouts in the Tora Cheena, Sherakai, Akhurwal and Bostikhel areas of the gun manufacturing Darra Adamkhel town on October 9. Official sources said four soldiers were injured in the shootout. The SFs, backed by gunship helicopters, targeted a militant camp in Tora Cheena area and killed nine militants, including an important ‘commander’ identified as Zubair alias Anas. Six militants were also arrested in an injured condition during the military operation.

The SFs on October 8 claimed to have killed 17 militants in Swat as General Officer Commanding, Major General Ashfaq Nadeem, asserted that peace had been restored to 95 per cent areas of the District. The SFs conducted search operations in Tiligram, Benjot, Ser and Mangultan and killed 12 terrorists, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed. In another operation in Kasona, it added that troops killed five militants. Ashfaq Nadeem, while briefing the media at Circuit House in Mingora, said peace had been restored to 95 percent of Swat. He said majority of the militants had either been killed or arrested during the Army offensive and some had surrendered. He also said curfew had already been lifted from most areas. Further, AFP reported that the bullet-riddled bodies of 15 suspected Taliban militants were found in Swat on October 8. "I can confirm that 15 bodies were found today, and our information is that they are Taliban… They might have been the victims of infighting among militant groups or killed by local people," Army spokesman Major Mushtaq Khan told AFP.

SFs claimed to have killed six militants, including commander Nisar, in the Swat Valley on October 7. ISPR said: "Important terrorist commander Nisar alias Ghazi Baba from Matta Tehsil has been killed this morning in Biha Valley." Nisar was carrying head money of PKR 10 million, the ISPR said, adding that he was involved in terrorist activities in Peuchar and Matta. Nisar was a member of the Taliban central shura and a close aide of Maulana Fazlullah. The ISPR said Nisar was involved in the killing of SF personnel and local elders. It said his son, whose name was not disclosed, had been arrested.

On October 7, Afghan Taliban militants killed six militant leaders of the Hakeemullah Mehsud group for refusing to release two men they had kidnapped. The incident occurred in the Hangu city. According to sources, the two men, Shahid and Shah Nawaz, had been kidnapped three days ago. An Afghan Taliban shura (executive council) meeting held in the Orakzai Agency of FATA asked the militants to release the men and ‘sentenced them to death’ when they refused to do so. The sources said bodies of Hafiz Kamal, Hafiz Mujahid, Ghulam Mohammad, Basit and Manzoor were lying at a place on the Orakzai-Parachinar border with bombs tied to them.

SFs killed eight Taliban militants and arrested 13 others in Malakand on October 5. Talking to reporters, an official spokesman said an operation in Palai had been completed, adding that the area had been cleared of the Taliban. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, October 6-12, 2009.

51 militants and four soldiers killed during the week in FATA: 21 militants were killed and eight others sustained injuries when fighter planes targeted their positions in different areas of Ladha and Makeen sub-divisions in South Waziristan Agency on October 11, 2009. Tribal sources said two fighter planes started bombing Ladha Sarai, Patowelai, Tangi, Bodinzai, Makeen, Bandkhel and other areas in the afternoon. They said that 21 militants were killed and eight others injured while five hideouts were destroyed in the air strikes.

At least four Taliban militants and three soldiers were killed in operations across the FATA on October 10. Four militants, including a key commander, were killed in the Laghari area of Mamoond tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency. Security Forces (SFs) neutralised four Taliban hideouts, sources said, adding that a Security official was also killed and two others injured during the attack.

Four militants were killed in an exchange of fire with troops in the Shawal area of North Waziristan on October 8The clash took place after a vehicle in an army convoy going from Daber Pepli camp to its base in Mana hit a bomb placed on the road and one soldier was injured. Troops pursued the militants and subsequently killed four of them. In addition, reports from Laddah stated that five militants were killed and several others injured when troops mounted a ground and air assault on suspected positions of the Taliban in South Waziristan. Sources said that three militants were killed in the Kalkala area and two in Shawal. An unnamed official source said that militants fired 10 missiles from Makeen at the Razmak fort and Scouts fort in Jandola. Separately, a soldier was killed and two others sustained injuries when a remote-controlled blast targeted a security vehicle in the Baicheena area of Khar sub-division in Bajaur Agency on October 8.

Troops killed six militants and injured two others in a clash in the Razmak area of North Waziristan on October 7. According to official sources, the clash occurred when troops retaliated after the militants had attacked a military base and fired 11 rockets. An unnamed official said that the exchange of fire continued for about two hours. He claimed that militants had taken away bodies of the assailants who had been killed. The claim, however, could not be verified from independent sources.

Fighter jets bombed Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan strongholds of Makeen and Nawazkot in South Waziristan on October 6 - killing six militants and injuring three others. Military sources said the strikes came a day after TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud vowed to launch attacks against the Security Forces (SFs) in the country. "The air strikes are part of a major offensive being planned against the terror network," sources told Daily Times. According to sources in Wana, the TTP holds considerable sway in both Makeen and Nawazkot, and the group has established its command-and-control structure there.

Five militants were killed when helicopter gunships targeted their hideouts on the Gurguri hilltop in Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency on October 5. The helicopters shelled the hideouts for over two hours after militants attacked the Fort Saloop, eight kilometres west of Bara bazaar. Three soldiers were injured when rockets hit the fort, officials said. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, October 6-12, 2009.

GHQ siege ends with troops rescuing 39 hostages and killing all nine terrorists: In a successful 18-hour operation, the armed forces – in collaboration with Special Services Group commandos – killed four terrorists, arrested one and rescued 39 hostages at a security office outside the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on October 11, 2009 ending a siege that began on October 10. Three civilians and two Security Force (SF) personnel were killed on October 11, while seven SF personnel and three civilians were injured during the 18-hour operation – which culminated in the arrest of the ringleader, Aqeel alias Dr Osman. Although Aqeel was injured, sources said his condition is stable. Six soldiers and five terrorists had already been killed in the siege on October 10. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General, Major General Athar Abbas, said that two army officials were killed and seven others injured in the commando operation. Three civilian hostages were also killed in the operation, he added. The ISPR chief said eight SF personnel, including a Brigadier and a Lieutenant Colonel, nine terrorists and three civilians were killed on October 10 and 11, while the total number of injured was 15 – 12 army personnel and three civilians. He said the operation to rescue the hostages began around 6am (PST), and continued for 45 minutes in the first phase – during which commandos rescued 30 hostages and killed four terrorists. He said the five terrorists killed in the first phase were armed with suicide vests and tried to resist the troops. "The terrorists had suicide jackets, improvised explosive devices, grenades... they wanted to blow up all the hostages and cause maximum damage," the AFP quoted him as saying. "Terrorist Aqeel alias Dr Osman was overpowered at around 9am in an injured condition when he tried to blow himself up and the rest of the hostages .. triggering a blast in adjacent offices of the security building ... five security personnel were injured in the final phase of the operation," he said. The siege began just before midday on October 10, when terrorists in military uniform and armed with automatic weapons and grenades drove up to the Rawalpindi compound and shot their way through a checkpoint. AFP quoted a security official as saying that Aqeel was also wanted in connection with a rocket attack on former president Pervez Musharraf in 2007 and the killing of the military’s surgeon general in February 2008. "He is a known terrorist. His name is mentioned in several cases," the unnamed official was quoted as saying. Daily Times, October 12, 2009.

Suicide bomber kills five persons at United Nations World Food Programme office in Islamabad: A suicide bomber targeted the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) office in Islamabad on October 5, 2009 killing five persons, including a UN diplomat and two women employees. Six other staff members were injured. The terrorist is reported to have entered the WFP building in Frontier Constabulary (FC) uniform through the small gate. He walked to the reception and blew himself up at 1217 hours, an investigation agency source said. The WFP office is located in a tightly-guarded residential area of the national capital. The dead included a UN diplomat and Iraqi national Bootan Ali, in charge reception Gul Rukh, assistant in charge reception Farzana Barkat, Abdul Wahab and Abid Rehman. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations), Bin Yameen, said the recovery of a severed head and two legs suggested that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. Over 80 employees, including about 20 diplomats, were inside the WFP office when the terrorist struck. The WFP office is reportedly well protected as a 15-foot high wall has been erected around it with barbed wire and security cameras in place. President Asif Ali Zardari’s private residence is situated near the blast venue apart from some other important houses. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed on October 6 it had carried out the suicide attack and vowed further attacks on Governments and foreign targets. Dawn, October 7, 2009; The News, October 6, 2009.

71 militants and a trooper killed during the week in FATA: Troops killed 27 militants in the Khyber Agency on October 2, 2009. According to sources in the Frontier Corps, helicopters shelled militant training centres in the Tirah valley of Bara sub-division, killing 27 militants, including two key commanders identified as Ghulam Nabi and Farooq Swati. Two hideouts, three caves and 19 vehicles belonging to the militants were also destroyed during the operation.

Two US drones fired one missile each at two vehicles at Norat village – 20 kilometres east of Miranshah – on the Miranshah-Bannu Road in North Waziristan, killing five Taliban militants and injuring six others, on September 30. Both vehicles and a house nearby were completely destroyed in the strike. Separately, at least five militants were killed during a clash between two rival groups of the Lashkar-e-Islam outfit in the remote Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on September 30.

Two suspected US drone attacks killed nine Taliban militants, while seven other militants were killed in air strikes and military action in different parts of Waziristan, officials said on September 29. The first drone attack targeted the house of local Taliban ‘commander’ Ifran Mehsud in Sararogha, a village northwest of Wana in South Waziristan. "A missile from a US drone fired on the compound of Irfan Mehsud killed five militants and injured six," said a security official in the area. He did not know if Irfan was among the dead. He also said the spy plane unloaded two missiles on the compound, adding that reports suggested three of the dead could be Uzbeks. "The death toll may rise," he told AFP. "The compound is completely destroyed and militants have surrounded the area," he added. Separately, another drone attack at Danday Darpa Khel – four kilometres north of Miranshah in North Waziristan – killed four Afghan militants and injured two others. The house targeted belonged to Emarati, an Afghan national, and the Afghan militants killed in the missile attack were said to be from the Jalaluddin Haqqani group. Further, Pakistan Air Force jets bombed Taliban bunkers in Kotkai, killing three militants in the strike. The military also targeted the Makeen area with long-range artillery, destroying three hideouts and killing four militants. "We are finalising arrangements for the launch of Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path of Salvation) against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in South Waziristan," officials said.

At least 12 Taliban militants were killed in a clash with Security Forces in Razmak tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan on September 28. The clash erupted after Taliban fired rockets at the Shawaal Rifles Camp – 75 kilometres from Miranshah – killing two troopers and injuring five others. Official sources said at least "110 missiles have been fired at the Army camp over the last 24 hours." Separately, six Taliban militants were killed and nine others wounded when helicopter gunships targeted hideouts in Upper Orakzai on September 28. Officials said the strikes – which targeted Ghalju, Mulla Pati and Khadezai areas – destroyed three Taliban hideouts. In addition, local Taliban militants in Upper Orakzai abducted four Levies Force personnel, and killed one of them. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, September 29-October 5, 2009.

25 militants and seven civilians among 34 persons killed during the week in NWFP: The Army killed nine Taliban militants – including three key commanders – in the ongoing military operation in Swat, said officials on October 4, 2009. According to the Swat Media Centre, six militants – including three commanders identified as Kota Younas, Noor Amin and Fazal Rabi – were killed in a clash with troops in Banjar village. The troops also killed three Taliban militants in the Bazdara area of Malakand. A lashkar (militia) member was also killed in Bazdara.

Three militants were killed in a search operation at Zulamkot-Serai in the Swat District on October 2. An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said the Security Forces (SFs) also conducted search operations in Shah Dheri and arrested local Taliban ‘commander’ Rehmat, besides arresting five militants at Shahid Khapa near Peochar and Sarsani. Separately, unidentified militants shot dead two Policemen in the Ghari Kapoora Police precincts of Mardan District on October 2. The two slain Police personnel were identified as Nasir Ali and Subhan Ali.

At least two Taliban militants were killed and several troopers injured when a Taliban militant blew himself up during a raid in Swat on October 1. "Security forces conducted a raid... in Toprai near Gat. During the raid on a house, one of the two Taliban inside the house – who was wearing a suicide jacket – detonated the explosives strapped to his body, killing himself and the other Taliban and injuring two soldiers," ISPR disclosed.

A resident of Swat who sheltered a Chinese engineer was found dead in the Changalai area of Khwazakhela sub-division on September 30, said witnesses, and blamed Taliban for the killing. The slain person was identified as Jamauddin. The Chinese engineer was reportedly abducted by the Taliban militants at Dir in the early part of 2009, but he managed to escape and got shelter from Jamauddin.

Local militia (Lashkar) members killed 10 Taliban militants, including ‘commander’ Momin alias Malang, in the Barikot tehsil (revenue unit) of Swat District on September 28, as troops arrested 10 Taliban militants and 10 others surrendered. One member of the Lashkar was also killed in the clash.

At least four persons, including a prominent anti-Taliban cleric, were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a car at Bannu. "The attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into a vehicle carrying pro-government local leader Abdul Hakeem," said Police Official Iqbal Marwat. Witnesses said Hakeem was on his way to office when the bomber struck. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, September 29-October 5, 2009.

Pakistan probe confirms LeT hand in 26/11 Mumbai attack, reports New York Times: Pakistan’s investigation into the November 26, 2008, Mumbai terrorist attacks (26/11) has concluded that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) carried out the assault, according to a report in The New York Times, which also said some people in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) knew about the plot but "closed their eyes." Quoting a dossier compiled by Pakistani investigators, New York Times reported that the LeT militants for the attack were vetted and trained in different parts of Pakistan, including at well-established camps in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), and in Mansehra in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). "A core group, the 10 chosen for the Mumbai assault, was eventually moved to Karachi and its suburbs, where the real drilling began and where Pakistani investigators later retraced the plotters’ steps," the report said. "The investigation concludes beyond any reasonable doubt that it was Lashkar militants who carried out the Mumbai attacks, preying on their victims in a train station, two five-star hotels, a cafe and a Jewish centre over three days starting last November 26," the report added. Quoting a "highly placed" LeT militant, the report said that the Mumbai attackers were part of groups trained by former Pakistani military and intelligence officials at the LeT camps. "Others had direct knowledge that retired Army and ISI officials trained Lashkar recruits as late as last year. Some people of the ISI knew about the plan and closed their eyes," New York Times quoted the militant as saying. The Hindu, October 1, 2009.

[South Asia Intelligent Review]