January 8
|
The Pakistan Army is reported to have launched
an operation against the al Qaeda at Kalosha in South Waziristan.
However, no one was arrested though the houses of four tribesmen
were destroyed for sheltering "unwanted elements."
|
January 9
|
Four soldiers were killed during a rocket attack
on a Pakistan Army camp at Zeray Noor village in South Waziristan,
several hours after a military operation in the area in which
three houses of tribesmen were demolished for allegedly harbouring
"foreign terrorists". Mohammad Azam Khan, political agent of South
Waziristan, said "Preliminary probe showed that the rockets came
from the south from an area inhabited by the Zalikhels, a section
of the Wazir tribe. We would now initiate action against the Zalikhel
tribe under the terms of the territorial responsibility."
|
January 10
|
The political administration of South Waziristan
has reportedly given a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ahmadzai Wazir
tribe to surrender three wanted tribesmen charged with harbouring
'foreign terrorists'. This ultimatum comes in the wake of the
January 9 rocket attack on a Pakistan Army camp in the area that
killed four soldiers and wounded several others. The ultimatum
was given to a Jirga (tribal council) of Ahmadzai Wazir tribe
in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan. More than 50 tribal
elders belonging to the nine sub-tribes of Ahmadzai Wazir attended
the Jirga. Among them were heads of the Yargulkhel section of
the tribe to which the wanted men reportedly belong.
|
January 12
|
Under a deal reportedly reached with the government,
the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe would raise a tribal Lashkar (force)
to hunt down about 22 tribesmen wanted by the political administration
of South Waziristan for allegedly sheltering al
Qaeda and Taliban
suspects and for the rocket attack against the Pakistan Army and
Frontier Corps camps. The agreement was reached during a Jirga
held in Wana.
|
January 14
|
Two more wanted men were turned over to the government
in South Waziristan as tribal elders stepped up their efforts
to arrest the 57 tribesmen accused of sheltering al Qaeda and
Taliban suspects. This brought to five, the number of wanted tribesmen
the Ahmadzai Wazir tribal elders have delivered to the political
administration in Wana, over the last two days.
|
January 15
|
Ten more wanted men were delivered by their respective
tribes to the government in South Waziristan.
|
February 13
|
A Jirga of hundreds of Utmanzai tribesmen in Miranshah
has reportedly decided to raise a militia to hunt down foreign
militants hiding in the region bordering Afghanistan. "They have
vowed to catch al-Qaeda and the Taliban men in the area and hand
them over to the government," a local official in North Waziristan,
Sherzada Khan said.
|
February 23
|
Pakistan said that some al Qaeda terrorists were
still hiding in the Waziristan region. Interior Minister Makhdoom
Faisal Saleh Hayat said in Islamabad that the tribal elders of
South and North Waziristan had handed over some al Qaeda suspects
hiding there. He added, "But some of them are still hiding there
and the Government of Pakistan would take every step to arrest
them."
|
February 24
|
Pakistani security agencies launched an operation
against suspected terrorists taking shelter in the tribal areas
bordering Afghanistan. At least 20 al Qaeda suspects, including
some foreign nationals, are reported to have been arrested during
these raids. Director General of ISPR, Maj. Gen Shaukat Sultan,
said that foreign nationals were among those captured in the Azam
Warsak and Shkai areas. Foreign national women were arrested from
Azam Warsak, some 12 kilometers west of Wana, headquarters of
South Waziristan. Unnamed officials were quoted as saying that
Saudi, Egyptian and Yemeni nationals were among those detained
and others could be Uzbeks or Chechens. The Government had set
February 20 as the deadline for tribal elders to hand over al
Qaeda operatives and thus far approximately 58 suspects have been
turned over.
|
February 27
|
The United States has handed over to Pakistan
a list of 53 al Qaeda suspects believed to be hiding in South
Waziristan.
|
February 29
|
Suspected terrorists are reported to have fired
two missiles at a military base in Miranshah, headquarters of
North Waziristan. There was no loss of life or damage to property.
The missiles were reportedly fired from the border area of Ghulam
Khan, a few kilometers north of Miranshah.
|
March 3-4
|
Paramilitary personnel and Pakistan Army soldiers
manning pickets close to the Afghanistan border in South Waziristan
came under rocket attack. However, there were no reports of fatalities.
Continuing the crackdown on 'non-cooperative'
South Waziristan tribes, the administration arrested 16 tribesmen
including four Yargulkhel and Kakakhel Wazir sub-tribes' elders
and the chief of Ahmedzai tribe. Two of the three most wanted
men - Naik Muhammad and Sharif - reportedly belong to the Yargulkhel
sub-tribe while the third - Maulvi Abbas - belongs to the Ashrafkhel
sub-tribe, which was fined Rupees 1.2 million on March 1.
|
March 4
|
Four persons were injured during a bomb explosion
near the Rustum Bazaar area in Wana.
|
March 7
|
Elders of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe decided to
raise a 600-strong armed force to track al Qaeda and Taliban operatives
in South Waziristan. More than 3,000 tribesmen assembled at Wana
to warn locals not to provide shelter to foreign nationals. They
also decided that if a local tribesman provided shelter to any
foreigner, his house will be demolished and a fine of Rupees one
million will be imposed on him along with expulsion from the region.
|
March 15
|
President Pervez Musharraf said in Peshawar that
the masterminds behind terrorist attacks in the country and the
suicide attempts on his life were hiding in the tribal belt along
the Afghanistan border. "We have busted a complete network and
found leads that a Libyan national was involved in the suicide
attempts on my life. He has not been arrested so far and we also
still don't know who ordered the attacks," said the President.
He also said that Pakistanis were being recruited, trained in
terrorism and offered millions of rupees by these elements to
carry out suicide missions. According to Musharraf, "We have information
that 500 to 600 foreign nationals were staying in our country,
especially in South Waziristan."
|
March 18
|
Pakistani troops are believed to have surrounded
the second-in-command of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, in an operation
near the Afghanistan border, three senior Pakistani officials
said. The officials said that intelligence indicated the Egyptian-born
al-Zawahri has been cornered in an operation that commenced on
March 16 in South Waziristan. At least 41 people, including 15
troops and 26 suspected terrorists, were killed on March 16 during
clashes in the area, and Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan
said there were an unknown number of casualties in continuing
action.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) regime in the
North West Frontier Province (NWFP) asked the Federal Government
to immediately stop the military operation in South Waziristan.
|
March 19
|
The operation against al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives
in South Waziristan continued with exchange of fire, said Director-General
of the ISPR Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan. The army and para-military
soldiers have reportedly cordoned off a 50-kilometer area and
about 300 to 400 foreign and local terrorists are present at about
seven targets in the region. According to Sultan, two terrorists,
including one foreigner, were killed. Four terrorists, one of
them a foreigner, were arrested while nine of them reportedly
returned to their hideouts in the area. He also said that authorities
have no confirmed reports about presence of high-value targets
in South Waziristan.
An unnamed security official said that al Qaeda
leader Ayman al-Zawahri may have narrowly escaped the raid. "He
may have slipped the net," the official said.
|
March 21
|
Fighting subsided in South Waziristan as a grand
tribal Jirga sought a cease-fire to facilitate medical assistance
to the injured and retrieve the bodies of those killed during
the last four days. However, helicopter gun-ships reportedly continued
to attack terrorist hideouts in the targeted villages. Brigadier
(retd.) Mahmud Shah, Secretary (Security) for the FATA, claimed
that two Chechen terrorists were killed when they attempted to
escape from the area. Members of the 150-member Jirga, which includes
representatives of six tribal agencies, met political agent of
South Waziristan, Mohammad Azam Khan, in Wana and sought his co-operation
for its peace mission.
|
March 22
|
At least 13 soldiers were killed and 22 others
sustained injuries as terrorists ambushed a Pakistan Army convoy
near the town of Wana in South Waziristan.
Unnamed officials said in Wana that some of the
al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists could have escaped through a series
of tunnels connecting the mud-walled fortresses in the area. Brigadier
(retd) Mehmood Shah, security chief for the Tribal Areas, said
that "The tunnels begin in houses in Kaloosha village and lead
towards a mountain range that straddles the Pakistan-Afghanistan
border."
|
March 23
|
Uzbekistan has demanded the extradition of any
of its citizens detained among the suspected terrorists surrounded
by soldiers during the ongoing operations against the al Qaeda
along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Government has given
the Pakistani Embassy a statement declaring that any Uzbek citizen
taken prisoner must be handed over to Uzbekistan's Justice Department,
which is an "international norm", President Islam Karimov said
at a press conference in the capital Tashkent. Unconfirmed reports
indicated that front ranking Uzbek terrorist Tahir Yuldash of
the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan could one of "high-value" targets
holed up in the Waziristan area. "Yuldash is a criminal like many
others who must appear before the court," Karimov said.
A helicopter gunship fired at four armed men in
the cordoned off area in South Waziristan.
Three persons were arrested in connection with
the March 22 ambush of an army convoy that killed 13 soldiers
and wounded another 24.
|
March 24
|
A bridge built during the British rule was blown
up during a bomb blast at Kot Langarkhel village near Ladha town
in South Waziristan even as a group of tribal elders continued
their efforts to seek the release of 14 Government officials held
hostage by the terrorists.
Meanwhile, authorities confirmed that the two
tribesmen who were fired at by a helicopter gunship in the Kalothay
area had died. The number of Pakistan Army and paramilitary Frontier
Corps personnel who have died in the ongoing South Waziristan
operations now stood at 60. Another 45 troops were wounded and
24 were missing.
The Islamabad Police have reportedly launched
a crackdown against at least 11 top religious leaders for issuing
a Fatwa (edict) against the ongoing Army operations against the
al Qaeda and Taliban in the Wana area of South Waziristan. Two
of them serving in the Lal Masjid mosque and secretariat mosque
have reportedly been dismissed from service.
|
March 26
|
The casualties suffered by the Pakistan Army in
the ongoing military operations against Taliban and al Qaeda in
South Waziristan rose to 43 when bodies of eight missing soldiers
were found by members of a pro-government tribal Lashkar (force).
These soldiers are believed to have gone missing when terrorists
ambushed their convoy near Sarwakai Tehsil on March 22. Corps
Commander Peshawar, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, confirmed that the
mutilated bodies of eight soldiers were found by the Mahsud tribal
Lashkar and delivered to the authorities.
Pamphlets in Pashto language threatening those
opposing the al Qaeda and Taliban and their local supporters with
dire consequences were reportedly found in circulation at Sarwakai
and Ladha in South Waziristan. Brigadier Mehmood Shah, chief regional
security commander for the tribal zone, said in Islamabad that
around 163 people have been arrested in the ongoing operations.
"All are suspects. They are Uzbeks, Chechens,
Afghans and local tribesmen and some are Arabs,"
|
March 28
|
Security forces are reported to have withdrawn
from the Azam Warsak area in South Waziristan after terrorists
freed 12 paramilitary troops they had taken prisoner.
|
March 29
|
The Pakistan military announced that the al Qaeda
intelligence chief, Abdullah, was killed during recent military
operations in the Wana area of South Waziristan. However, no further
details were provided during the announcement made by the Director
General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj. Gen. Shaukat
Sultan, at a press conference in Islamabad. Sultan also confirmed
that an Uzbek national Tahir Yuldeshev, injured during the operations,
was on the run. "Altogether 63 miscreants have been killed, maybe
there are more but this number is confirmed. One hundred sixty-three
have been arrested; 50 people have been released after interrogation.
This operation went on for two weeks and we have managed to seal
the area and ensure that no one slips away," disclosed Sultan.
Two South Waziristan Agency political administration
officials abducted by suspected Al Qaeda terrorists and their
local collaborators on March 16 were found dead.
|
March 30
|
The Director General of ISPR, Shaukat Sultan,
said in Islamabad that Abdullah, killed during the military operation
in South Waziristan, was a minor al Qaeda operative based in Wana.
Sultan had claimed on March 29 that Abdullah was the intelligence
chief of the al Qaeda. According to him, "Abdullah is not really
the intelligence chief of al-Qaeda… but he was one of the top
intelligence people in Wana for al-Qaeda."
|
March 31
|
More than 3,000 armed tribesmen from the Mahsud
tribe reportedly assembled in South Waziristan to become part
of a force that would launch operations against al Qaeda suspects
who killed 20 soldiers and wounded another 24 in an ambush on
a military convoy on March 22. Mahsud tribal elders said they
expected the force in Spinkai Raghzai village to increase to 6,000
soon.
Police are reported to have recovered a large
cache of arms and ammunition from an unnamed town near the Afghan
border that were intended for "terrorist" activities. The cache
includes several rockets, hand-grenades, mortar shells, incendiary
agents, detonators, anti-aircraft gun shells, timer fuses for
bombs and mines, said police officer Gul Khan.
Interior Minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh
Hayat said in Islamabad that the Islamist alliance MMA was patronizing
terrorists holed up in the Wana area of South Waziristan. "The
MMA should cooperate with the government and help it net the terrorists,"
said Hayat. He added that the MMA had been exploiting the Wana
situation to make political gains instead of co-operating with
the Government in flushing out the terrorists from tribal areas.
|
April 8
|
Two days ahead of the Federal Government's deadline
seeking his surrender, Nek Mohammed, the most wanted militant
commander in South Waziristan, has said that he would neither
give up arms nor accept military interference in the FATA. He
further warned that any new military offensive in South Waziristan
would provoke his supporters to launch attacks against the troops
and Government installations in all seven tribal agencies.
|
April 14
|
Three Zalikhel sub-tribes formed a 1500-man force
in Wana to help authorities fight the al Qaeda remnants and their
supporters. Elders from Kakakhel, Sheikh Bazaid and Utmankhel
tribes announced the formation of the force following pressure
from an all-tribes Jirga who had reportedly warned the Zalikhel
sub-tribes of "real danger" if they did not unite against al Qaeda
and its local supporters.
|
April 18
|
A 1950-strong tribal force is reported to have
launched operations targeting al Qaeda operatives and their local
supporters in South Waziristan. They demolished the house of a
tribal suspected of sheltering al Qaeda terrorists in Azam Warsak
and launched operations in the Shin Warsak, Seirkamar, Kalusha,
Manra, Parvezi Raghzai and Azam Warsak areas.
|
April 22
|
Five tribal elders accused of sheltering al Qaeda
terrorists in the Waziristan area have reportedly offered to surrender.
Brigadier Mahmood Shah, chief of security for the tribal regions,
said that local lawmakers met the men - Nek Muhammad, Haji Sharif,
Maulana Abdul Aziz, Maulvi Abbas and Haji Noorul Islam - at an
undisclosed location and relayed their offer to surrender.
|
April 24
|
Five tribesmen accused of sheltering al Qaeda
terrorists surrendered to the Pakistan army at a tribal council.
The five men from the Zalikhel tribe turned themselves in before
a council and also reportedly pledged loyalty to Pakistan in return
for clemency. The ceremony occurred at a Madrassa (seminary) in
Shakai, 20 kilometers north of Wana, in South Waziristan. "We
give amnesty to these people in return for their pledge of brotherhood
and loyalty," said Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Safdar Hussain.
"I congratulate Nek and his colleagues on their courageous decision.
You are our brothers and your allegiance pledge is exemplary,"
Gen Hussain added after the wanted men joined him in the ceremony.
The General also said that foreign terrorists had until April
30 to surrender and receive a pardon. He also announced the release
of 50 tribesmen arrested last month and a grant of Rupees 90.1
million for development in Waziristan.
|
April 28
|
Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said in Islamabad
that the amnesty offer for foreigners sheltering in tribal areas
was open to all but top al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
|
April 29
|
Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov said in Tashkent
that terrorists responsible for the coordinated series of attacks
during March 2004 that killed at least 47 people were based in
Pakistan along that country's border with Afghanistan. "The main
base where the terrorists found refuge is South Waziristan," Karimov
told a press conference during a parliamentary session. Suspects
detained after a series of suicide bombings, explosions and assaults
in the capital Tashkent and the central region of Bukhara had
confessed that they had been in South Waziristan and that they
had links to people operating there, said the President.
16 persons arrested during the military operations
in South Waziristan during March 2004 were released. Their release
brought to 66 the number of persons freed following the amnesty
agreement between the Pakistan Army and Islamist leaders on April
24 at Shakai in South Waziristan. 50 men were released the next
day under the terms of the unwritten agreement.
|
May 1
|
The South Waziristan political administration
released 78 tribesmen arrested last month during operations against
al Qaeda. According to Brigadier (Retd) Mehmood Shah, only 22
tribesmen remain in custody. A total of 163 people were arrested
in that operation and 141 persons have been released thus far.
|
May 2
|
Authorities in South Waziristan freed 14 more
tribesmen held during the March 2004 operations against al Qaeda
in Wana, bringing to 155 the number of people released under the
April 24 pact.
|
May 5
|
A tribal Jirga at Lowara in North Waziristan asked
the Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces to withdraw from the
area as the tribesmen would defend the country's western frontiers
against the US-led coalition forces. Leaders of the Alikhun Khel,
Bashi Khel, Nazar Khel, Hizar Khel and Tanarai tribes attended
the Jirga in which more than 100 armed youth allegedly expressed
displeasure over the US troops' briefly crossing Pakistani territory
on May 4. The Jirga also said that if US forces violated the border
again, they would be attacked.
A joint delegation of clerics from the Mehsud
and Wazir tribes commenced a dialogue with foreign elements, linked
to the al Qaeda and Taliban, over their registration with the
political administration in return for amnesty.
The Government has announced that it will not
extend the deadline - for foreign combatants to surrender - that
expires on May 7.
|
May 8
|
The Federal Government extended until May 10 the
deadline for 'foreign terrorists' in South Waziristan to get themselves
registered with the authorities and avail of the amnesty offer.
"The extension has been granted on the demand of Nek Muhammad,"
South Waziristan Political Administrator Asmatullah Gandapur told
the media in Wana.
|
May 10
|
Tribesmen in South Waziristan announced the formation
of an armed force to neutralise foreign terrorists and their local
protectors following the failure of talks between the Government
and representatives of the tribesmen. The Ahmadzai Wazirs announced
the formation of a 1,800-strong force to launch search operations
in the areas where the Government suspects foreign terrorists
have been holed up.
|
May 17
|
Pakistani women are being trained to become suicide
bombers by the widow of an Uzbek terrorist. Intelligence agencies
have reportedly submitted reports to the Interior Ministry revealing
that Aziza, a citizen of Uzbekistan and widow of Ubaidullah, an
active member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, is allegedly
training female suicide bombers at a base in Pakistan's mountains.
Ubaidullah was reportedly killed in January 2004 during an operation
in South Waziristan conducted by the armed forces of Pakistan.
|
May 17
|
The Ahmadzai Wazir tribal force that reached Azam
Warsak, 15 kilometers from Wana, to carry out search operations
is reported to have failed to locate any foreign terrorist.
|
May 19
|
Security agencies in Peshawar are reported to
have arrested five al Qaeda suspects who had allegedly escaped
during the Pakistan Army operation in South Waziristan.
|
May 20
|
The armed force of Ahmadzai Wazir tribe is reported
to have failed in its efforts to arrest any foreign terrorist
in the Shakai area of South Waziristan. The force, comprising
thousands of armed tribesmen, searched Spirkai and other areas
inhibited by the Khojakhel, Khonikhel and Etikhel sub-tribes of
Ahmadzai.
|
May 21
|
A meeting chaired by President Pervez Musharraf
is reported to have decided to take serious action against those
harbouring foreign elements in the tribal areas. "Pakistan will
not compromise on the fight against terrorism and foreign elements
hiding in the tribal areas have no place. If they do not surrender,
they will be eliminated," an ISPR press release quoted him as
saying.
Pakistan has officially protested an incursion
by US troops into its territory while hunting al Qaeda and Taliban
terrorists. This is reportedly the second such incident this month.
The incursion allegedly occurred on May 20 in North Waziristan
when they crossed the border during a search operation in village
parts of which are on both sides of the border, said Foreign Office
spokesperson Masood Khan.
|
May 29
|
Political authorities in South Waziristan arrested
dozens of Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen as part of a strategy to pressure
them into turning over foreign terrorists for registration. In
the latest crackdown on Ahmadzai tribe, the authorities arrested
34 tribesmen besides nine notables from the Zalikhel tribe.
|
May 30
|
The administration has sealed Wana, headquarters
of South Waziristan, by closing thousands of shops and impounding
dozens of vehicles as part of economic sanctions announced against
the defiant tribesmen. At least 64 tribesmen, including 13 elders
from Ahmadzai Wazirs, were arrested during the last two days for
their alleged failure to get foreign nationals registered with
the Government. Army and paramilitary forces have reportedly been
deployed at hilltops close to the Shakai area even as hotels,
business establishments and hospitals belonging to the Ahmadzai
Wazirs remained closed amidst fears of a military operation.
|
June 3
|
A suspected Uzbek operative of the al Qaeda and
a soldier of Shawal Scouts were killed in a suspected suicide
attack, while two soldiers sustained injuries at a check-post
in North Waziristan. The Uzbek attacked the militiamen at the
Dumdail check-post, 20 kilometers south of Miranshah, headquarters
of North Waziristan, when a passenger coach in which he was traveling
from Miranshah to Razmak was signaled to stop.
|
June 8
|
Protesting against the launching of military operations
against tribesmen in Wana, 11 parliamentarians from the FATA announced
withdrawal of support to the Federal Government.
A 4,000-strong armed tribal force charged with
tracking down al Qaeda/Taliban fugitives in Waziristan is reported
to have found cave shelters near the Afghanistan border where
foreign terrorists may have been hiding recently.
South Waziristan Agency's political administration
asked the Yargulkhel sub-tribe to produce four men, including
Nek Muhammad, within 24 hours or face punishment. A house-to-house
search for foreign terrorists entered the second day in Shakai
without any results. Nek Muhammad and his group, earlier on the
most-wanted list of the Federal Government, were pardoned under
the Shakai deal with the military on April 24. However, the notice
to the Yargulkhels did not state charges on which the Government
had asked for the surrender of Nek Muhammad, Haji Sharif, Maulvi
Noor Islam and Maulvi Abdul Aziz.
|
June 9
|
At least 25 persons, including 17 security force
personnel, were killed and 11 persons sustained injuries during
a gun-battle with terrorists in the Tiyarza area of South Waziristan.
Nek Muhammad, who fought the army in March 2004 and was later
pardoned on April 24 in the 'Shakai deal', has reportedly accepted
responsibility for the attack.
|
June 10
|
Attacks on military and paramilitary forces continued
for the second day in South Waziristan even as bodies of four
more suspected foreign terrorists were reportedly found increasing
the death toll to 41. Twenty suspected foreign terrorists, four
locals, including a woman, and 17 paramilitary personnel have
been killed thus far. While suspected al Qaeda terrorists and
their tribal supporters reportedly fired eight rockets and missiles
at a military camp in Zerhinoor, the Scouts Camp in Wana was targeted
with four rockets.
The South Waziristan administration has asked
people living between Tiyarza Fort and Torwam to immediately vacate
their houses in order to initiate military operations. Consequently,
hundreds of families were reportedly moving to safer locations.
The Federal Government has ordered security forces
in South Waziristan to 'capture or kill' five tribal militants
who were granted amnesty on April 24, 2004. The authorities have
decided to rescind the amnesty after the five militants had reneged
on their promise to get foreign militants under their protection
registered with the authorities. The five, Nek Muhammad, Haji
Sharif, Noor Islam, Maulavai Abbas and Maulavi Abdul Aziz, were
pardoned when Corps Commander, Peshawar, Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain,
announced the amnesty in return for their pledge to remain peaceful
and not to use Pakistan's soil against any other country.
|
June 11
|
In Peshawar, following tribal militant leader
Nek Muhammad's threat to launch terrorist attacks, security agencies
suspended all mobile phone services in the provincial metropolis.
The threat was made in connection with the ongoing military operations
in South Waziristan and other tribal areas.
On day three of the military operations against
suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives in South Waziristan,
the Pakistani Army backed by Air Force fighter jets, gunship helicopters
and artillery, are reported to have neutralised many terrorist
hideouts. According to reports, fighting in the area has left
58 persons dead, including 15 security force personnel, during
the last three days. Four jet-fighters bombed terrorist hideouts
at Shakai in the early hours and continued to hit other targets
in the adjoining areas. Later, gunship helicopters reportedly
flew over the area strafing positions of the terrorists. Further,
at least 26 helicopters flew overhead with some of them airdropping
army commandoes to secure the area. At least 10 choppers landed
at Naway Kot and are reported to have destroyed the homes of two
tribesmen, Dawar Khan and Eida Khan, who were accused of sheltering
the fugitives. There were also reports that at least 40 houses
used by the suspected terrorists, who reportedly include Uzbeks,
Chechens, Afghans and some Arabs, were attacked from the air.
Military regime spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat
Sultan said the military had responded with "appropriate measures"
against miscreants who violated the April 24-Shakai agreement
between the Government and tribesmen. Sultan also said the latest
fighting resulted in the deaths of 35 terrorists and 15 soldiers
and added that operations were continuing as of early evening
and described the situation as being fluid.
|
June 13
|
The army said that it had killed at least 55 terrorists
and dismantled several al Qaeda compounds in four days of fighting
in South Waziristan. 17 soldiers are reported to have died in
these clashes and no major arrests were made. Military regime
spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said army and paramilitary
troops "successfully dismantled and destroyed" terrorist hideouts
and that "most militants killed were foreigners."
Security forces killed at least eight suspected
terrorists who tried to sneak into Angoradda from Afghanistan
in three vehicles.
|
June 14
|
At least three paramilitary personnel were reportedly
killed and three more sustained injuries when a bomb blew up their
vehicle at Aidak village in North Waziristan.
|
June 15
|
Unidentified assailants fired rockets at different
places in South Waziristan even as the security forces killed
a suspected Chechen terrorist during an encounter at Jandola check
post.
|
June 16
|
At least six persons, including three soldiers,
were killed and an unspecified number of them sustained injuries
during an encounter after suspected terrorists attacked a paramilitary
checkpoint in the Ladah area of South Waziristan. The terrorists
targeted the Scouts Fort in Ladah with heavy and light weapons,
which was retaliated by the army and the paramilitary forces stationed
at the fort.
Missiles were reportedly fired at the Ziyarinoor
Army Colony on the same day. However, no loss of life was reported.
|
June 17
|
Fighter jets and helicopter gun-ships targeted
hideouts of suspected foreign terrorists and their local supporters
at Angoor Adda in South Waziristan. Fighter jets reportedly bombed
Baghar, Shanavana, Laghara and Mila villages near the Afghanistan
border. However, the number of fatalities could not be ascertained
as the military had sealed off all routes and roads leading to
the area.
Terrorists fired seven rockets on a paramilitary
fort in Serwakai. There were similar attacks at military positions
in Kaniguram and Tiarza. Nek Muhammad, the wanted militant leader,
was killed along with five associates during a missile attack
on his hideout near Wana.
A precision-guided missile hit his hideout around
9.45 pm (PST) in Dhok village, four kilometers north of Wana.
The house-owner's two young sons, Yasin and Tor, were also killed.
The dead reportedly also included Marez Khan, Shahrukh Khan and
Leetak, close associates of Nek Muhammad. Major General Shaukat
Sultan, military spokesperson, while confirming his death said
that the army targeted Nek Muhammad on the basis of specific intelligence
information. He also denied reports that the US military assisted
the Pakistan Army or on its own planned the operation to kill
Nek.
|
June 20
|
Haji Mohammad Omar is appointed 'acting commander'
of the group of Islamist terrorists to succeed the deceased Nek
Muhammad. Omar's elder brothers Haji Sharif Khan and Nur Islam
are on the Federal Government's wanted list for allegedly sheltering
al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists in South Waziristan.
Authorities in Wana renewed an amnesty offer to
foreign terrorists hiding in the area near the Afghan border.
|
June 27
|
Security forces in South Waziristan arrested Muhammad
Nazir, an al Qaeda 'commander', and his two associates at Zalai
check-post when they were coming from Angoor Ada to Wana.
|
June 28
|
NWFP Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussein
Shah said that a 40-member Jirga (council) of elders from the
Ahmedzai Wazir tribe had lifted economic sanctions in the tribal
belt for ten days beginning today.
|
June 29
|
Unidentified terrorists are reported to have
fired 10 rockets at paramilitary installations and offices of
the political administration at Razmak in South Waziristan. However,
most of them missed their intended targets. Three rockets were
fired from the north of the Razmak Fort and two of them landed
a few meters away from the boundary walls of the fort while the
third hit the ground near Makeen area. Paramilitary personnel
and terrorists reportedly exchanged gun-fire for several hours
although the latter managed to escape. Further, seven rockets
were fired at the Dosali check-post and offices of the political
administration. No fatalities were reported.
A Jirga (council) of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe
gave the Kakakhel and Karmazkhel sub-tribes two days to hand over
Maulvi Abbas and Muhammad Javed - wanted by the Federal Government
- or face consequences.
|
July 2
|
Two of the 10 most-wanted tribal militants surrendered
to political authorities in South Waziristan.
|
July 5
|
The Federal Government is reported to have arrived
at a five-point agreement with four tribes at Shakai in South
Waziristan. The tribes have promised to support the Federal Government
against foreign terrorists and their local patrons. FATA security
chief, Brig (retd) Mehmood Shah, said that with the signing of
the agreement, the situation in Shakai was under total control.
He said Chief Administrator Asmatullah Gandapur signed the deal
on the Government's behalf while former federal minister Faridullah
Khan represented the Shakai tribes. Under the agreement, the Sperkai,
Shudyakai, Khunyakhel and Khojelkhel sub-tribes pledged that they
would not allow foreigners in their areas, would hand over the
wanted tribesmen and protect army and government officials. This
was the second Shakai Agreement after the April 24 deal between
the army and Nek Muhammad, the tribal militant leader, who was
killed during the June 17 missile attack in Wana.
|
July 6
|
The Federal Government and the Islamist alliance
MMA agreed to co-operate on the issue of registration of foreigners
in Wana and on steps to combat sectarianism and terrorism. The
agreement was reached during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Shujaat Hussain and attended by top Government officials and MMA
leaders in Islamabad.
|
July 7
|
An Army camp in the Shakai region of South Waziristan
was attacked with rockets and mortars. However, there were no
casualties.
|
July 10
|
Suspected terrorists and armed forces exchanged
fire as deadline for surrender of the wanted tribesmen expired
and tribal elders sought more time to handover the alleged abettors
of foreigners hiding in South Waziristan. Reports from Shakai
stated that terrorists attacked a security post of the forces
in Mantoi area. Media reports added that the army targeted terrorist
positions with heavy weapons from Zari Noor and Tiarza army camps.
|
July 11
|
Security forces clashed with suspected al Qaeda
terrorists who attacked the troops with rockets and mortars in
South Waziristan. Army spokesperson Maj. Gen Shaukat Sultan said
there were no casualties. Unconfirmed reports said that two young
boys from the Toor tribe were killed in the exchange of gunfire
and one girl was wounded.
|
July 12
|
Ten civilians, including a woman and two children,
were killed during continuing clashes between foreign terrorists
and security forces in South Waziristan. While six persons, including
a woman, died when an artillery shell hit the residence of Qayyum
Khunyakhel in Khunyakhel village, four persons, including two
children, reportedly died when a shell hit another house.
Further, six soldiers were wounded when a landmine
hit their vehicle in the Azam Warsak area. In North Waziristan,
seven missiles were fired at the Razmak Fort although there were
no fatalities.
|
July 13
|
Two children were killed during a mortar attack
by suspected al Qaeda-linked terrorists on a military check-post
near Wana in South Waziristan.
|
July 14
|
Pakistan has reportedly asked the United States
for more intelligence to help its forces neutralise top al Qaeda
terrorists believed to be hiding near the Afghan border.
|
July 15
|
A civilian and a soldier were killed while two
soldiers sustained injuries during a gun-battle between the troops
and terrorists near Shakai in South Waziristan.
Wanted tribal militant, Maulana Shaukatullah,
is reported to have surrendered to the political administration.
The surrender occurred in the presence of tribal elders from Shakai,
led by former senator Faridullah Khan, at the South Waziristan
Agency political administrator's office in Wana.
|
July 16
|
Three tribesmen were killed and six others injured
in an exchange of fire between army personnel and militants in
South Waziristan.
|
July 19
|
Three terrorists are reported to have been killed
and six others sustained injuries during an encounter with the
troops near Mantoi valley in South Waziristan.
At least 27 persons belonging to the Karmazkhel
and Malikkhel sub-tribes of Ahmadzai Wazir are reported to have
surrendered to the political administration in Wana.
|
July 20
|
Security force personnel killed at least ten foreign
terrorists while targeting two hideouts with artillery and gunship
helicopters at Shakai in South Waziristan. Among those dead are
believed to be two Uzbeks.
Heavy fighting and bombing by Pakistani fighter
jets took place in the Santoi and Mantoi areas of South Waziristan.
|
July 21
|
At least four soldiers were wounded when their
vehicle hit a landmine at Toor bridge near Wana.
Suspected terrorists fired some rockets and missiles
at different places in Wana although no loss of life was reported.
One of the rockets reportedly landed close to the residence of
Political Agent Asmatullah Gandhapur.
Six relatives of the two most wanted tribesmen
are reported to have surrendered to the political authorities
of South Waziristan. The six persons - Hazar Dastan, father of
'commander' Javed, Alam Zeb, Abdul Wahab, Roshan Gul, Jan Muhammad
and Sawab Khan - were handed over to the authorities by the Ahmadzai
Wazir tribal council as replacement of 'commander' Javed and Maulavi
Abbas, the two wanted tribesmen who have refused to surrender
thus far.
|
July 27
|
Suspected terrorists detonated two remote-controlled
explosives targeting a newly established state-run radio station
at Wana. However, no loss of life was reported.
|
July 28
|
A minor girl was killed and two army personnel
sustained injuries during clashes with terrorists in South Waziristan.
Terrorists are reported to have attacked the Scouts Camp and offices
of the administration in Wana with at least five rockets. The
girl died and two soldiers were injured when a rocket hit a residential
quarter. The terrorists also reportedly targeted army and paramilitary
positions in the Shakai area. While six rockets were fired at
a temporary military camp established in a school in the area,
seven missiles fitted with time devices were recovered in the
vicinity of Wana.
The troops targeted terrorist hideouts in the
forest-covered Khamrang, Mantoi and Santoi areas near the border
with Afghanistan. However, no causality was reported.
In South Waziristan, leaders of Ahmadzai Wazir
handed over six persons to the administration for allegedly providing
shelter to al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists.
|
August 1
|
One soldier was killed and six others were injured
when an army convoy hit a remote-controlled explosive device at
Pash Ziarat near Shawain in North Waziristan.
|
August 2
|
A soldier is reported to have died while three
others sustained injuries when a military water tanker hit a landmine
planted by unidentified terrorists near Shakai in South Waziristan.
One soldier and a civilian were wounded during
a terrorist attack in North Waziristan. The economic blockade
of Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen was re-imposed on the same day following
failure of a tribal Jirga in facilitating the surrender of wanted
tribesmen Muhammad Javed and Maulvi Abbas to the administration
within the stipulated period.
|
August 3
|
The Pakistan Army said that it had 'flushed out'
al Qaeda-linked terrorists hiding in South Waziristan near the
border with Afghanistan during recent operations. "Security forces
during recent operations in Shakai and adjacent Santoi, Mantoi
and Khamrang valleys in South Waziristan Agency have not only
flushed out terrorists from the areas, but also seized a large
cache of arms," said a military statement. "These operations have
eliminated the main stronghold of terrorists in South Waziristan,"
the statement added. It said security forces seized cannons, mortars,
rocket launchers, grenades, rifles, fuses, anti-tank and anti-personnel
mines, communication equipment, medicines and a large quantity
of explosives.
|
August 5
|
At least 11 persons were killed and 12 others
sustained injuries in an exchange of fire between troops and terrorists
in different parts of South Waziristan.
|
August 6
|
At least six persons from the Khunyakhel sub-tribe
of Ahmadzai Wazir died when several houses were hit by mortar
shells fired by the security forces in pursuit of terrorists in
Shakai.
Terrorists unsuccessfully tried to target the
Shisha Picket outside Wana.
Troops arrested 30 suspects from Narai on suspicion
of their involvement in the recent attack on a military convoy
in Wana.
|
August 9 |
A driver was killed and 17 personnel of the Pakistan
Army and Frontier Corps were wounded when a bus en route to Wana
in South Waziristan was hit by an improvised explosive device.
|
August 10 |
Five wanted terrorists are reported to have surrendered
to the political authorities in Wana. They were identified as
Nazir Khan, Baitullah, Ghulam Nabi, Ajab Noor and Khair Mohammad.
|
August 12 |
The Mehsud tribe signed an agreement with the
political administration of South Waziristan to join the army
against terrorists in their areas. According to the agreement:
the tribe will not allow terrorists to use their areas against
the Government; terrorists will not be given shelter in the Badar
area; terrorists will be caught and handed over to the administration
and on the tribe will support the army in Badar, Shakai and Mantoi.
|
August 14 |
An Army soldier was killed and five persons, including
four women, were injured in clashes between security forces and
terrorists on the occasion of Independence Day in South Waziristan.
A rocket attack was made on a paramilitary Scouts
Fort on the same day, when the soldiers were attending a function
in connection with the Independence Day. There was no report of
casualties in the attack.
|
August 16 |
A military spokesperson denied a report in the
latest edition of Time magazine describing a "summit of terrorists"
held during March 2004 in South Waziristan. Time quoted some unnamed
US officials as saying the meeting may have been a "pivotal planning
session" in the same way a meeting of al Qaeda operatives in year
2000 was used to discuss plans for the 9/11 strikes. Major-General
Shaukat Sultan denied that any meeting took place. "The story
is fictionalized that a high-level summit meeting took place in
South Waziristan… There was no summit meeting," he said.
A soldier was killed and five others injured when
suspected terrorists attacked a military outpost in the Shakai
valley of South Waziristan.
|
August 17 |
President Pervez Musharraf said in Islamabad that
successful operations have led to leading foreign terrorists relocating
from the mountainous and tribal regions of Pakistan to cities
and even to other countries. According to Gen. Musharraf, military
operations in Wana, Shakai, Santoi and Mantoi villages of South
Waziristan had forced these terrorists to move away to other cities
and countries. He said the masterminds were foreigners who used
local extremists for planning and executing terrorist activities
in Pakistan.
Mohammad Sadiq, acting Pakistani Ambassador to
the Untied States, told Fox Television that there are over 100,000
Pakistani troops on the country's border with Afghanistan.
|
August 18 |
Paramilitary troops stationed at the Zari Noor
camp in South Waziristan attacked terrorist hideouts in the Joni
Mela area with mortar guns. However, no loss of life was reported
on either side.
The Zalikhel tribe reportedly held a Jirga (council)
in Azam Warsak to discus whether to co-operate with the administration
or not. All three sub-tribes, however, failed to reach a consensus
on the issue.
The administration gave the Ganghikhel tribe,
a sub-tribe of the Ahmedzai tribe, a list of 19 wanted men, including
clerics Maulvi Akhtar and Maulvi Gulistan, accused of sheltering
al Qaeda terrorists.
|
August 20 |
An Uzbek terrorist and a member of the Zalikhel
sub-tribe were killed during the clashes between the terrorists
and troops in the Santoi and Mantoi mountains of South Waziristan.
|
August 22 |
Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and
Secretary-General of Islamist alliance, MMA, Maulana Fazlur Rehman
has reportedly offered to resolve the crisis in South Waziristan.
"I can not only mediate but also resolve the issue of foreigners,
whom they call al-Qaeda," Rehman said.
|
August 23 |
Security
forces are reported to have killed four Uzbek terrorists during
an encounter in the Miranshah area of North Waziristan. "Four
bodies have been brought so far and it is possible the number
of casualties may be more," military regime spokesperson Maj.
Gen
Shaukat Sultan said in a statement. Three soldiers were wounded
in a landmine blast at Shakai in South Waziristan. The Utmankhel
sub-tribe of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe signed an agreement with
authorities in South Waziristan under which they agreed not to
protect terrorists in the area.
Leaders
of the sub-tribe also handed over 25 Kalashnikov rifles to Assistant
Political Agent Khan Bakhsh in Wana as a guarantee for providing
security to the troops.
|
August 24 |
Four Uzbek nationals were arrested for alleged
terrorist links during a raid in South Waziristan, Interior Minister
Faisal Saleh Hayyat said.
Security forces have reportedly increased patrolling
in North Waziristan, where troops raided a terrorist hideout on
August 23 and killed four foreigners and arrested another two.
|
August 26 |
Two
soldiers are reported to have died and five others sustained injuries
during a bomb blast in the Lawarki area of South Waziristan. A
remote-controlled bomb exploded at Lawarki near Kund Sarai when
a convoy of 25 military vehicles was passing on way from Wana
to Shakai.
Another
bomb, planted at Wana-Jandola road near Zor Sarokai, exploded
when a convoy of 20 military trucks was crossing the area. However,
no causality was reported.
|
August 29 |
Two soldiers of the Frontier Corps were killed
and eight others sustained injuries when terrorists fired three
missiles on a camp of the troops at Wana in South Waziristan.
A military truck was blown up by a remote-controlled
bomb at Maidano, close to Razmak, in North Waziristan killing
at least one soldier and wounding three others. There was another
explosion at the same spot where the military vehicle was destroyed
while two unexploded bombs were recovered and later defused by
the troops.
|
August 31 |
Two persons were wounded during a bomb explosion
at Azam Warsak in South Waziristan.
In North Waziristan, tribesmen called a strike
in the town of Miranshah to protest against the killings of three
locals during an Army operation against the al Qaeda near the
Afghan border.
|
September 5 |
Unidentified men launched rocket attacks targeting
Government installations at Wana in South Waziristan. However,
no loss of life or property was reported.
Two soldiers and a tribesman were killed and
two persons injured during a landmine explosion at Jag Zawar in
South Waziristan.
|
September 6 |
Officials in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan,
said that a device exploded when personnel of the 25 Engineering
Corps were trying to defuse it in the Jag Zawar area, some 25
kilometers north of Wana.
|
September 8 |
Curfew
was imposed after the killing of eight civilians and wounding
of 18 others in an explosion followed by security forces' firing
in Wana. Eight civilians died in the firing by the troops after
the bomb explosion, which destroyed a military jeep and injured
three soldiers, on a by-pass road in Wana. Fifteen others were
wounded. Military regime spokesperson Major General Shaukat Sultan
said on Pakistan Television that the army had arrested 28 people
after the clash in Wana.
|
September 9 |
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi indicted the
Waheed brothers for a series of charges, including providing medical
treatment to al Qaeda activists and other terrorists, and for
sending people to South Waziristan for terrorist training.
At least 50 terrorists, including some Chechens,
Uzbeks and Arabs, are reported to have been killed and 120 others
were wounded during an aerial raid on their training camp at Bad
Awaz Garang in the Kaikhel area of South Waziristan.
A military convoy, en route to the west of Ludda
sub-division, was attacked by terrorists near Karwan Manza, a
mountainous area about 72km to the west of Wana.
|
September 10 |
Seven
soldiers and six suspected terrorists were killed during clashes
in the Kanigoram and Karwan Manza areas of South Waziristan.
Spokesperson
of the 'commander' of tribal Taliban in Mahsud territory claimed
that 43 soldiers of the Sindh Regiment have been held hostage
during the September 9-night attacks on the Pakistan Army and
have been shifted to 'safer places'. He also said these soldiers
could be produced before the international media to prove the
claim.
However,
a military regime spokesman in Peshawar while rejecting the claim
said, "no such thing has happened and this is all rumour mongering."
Thousands of Mahsud tribals, including women and children, have
deserted their houses from Karama to Ima Raghzai area in search
of shelter and to avoid possible death due to the continuing clashes
in the region.
|
September 12 |
At
least 13 people, including five soldiers, were killed during clashes
between the security forces and terrorists in an area inhabited
largely by the Mahsud tribe in South Waziristan. While military
regime spokesperson confirmed that the troops had suffered casualties,
he declined to provide details while stating that operations were
still continuing. The death toll on both sides during the four-day
clashes has now reached 100. The troops, backed by Cobra helicopters,
were targeting terrorist positions in Karwan Mayanz.
|
September 13 |
At
least eight civilians were killed after army helicopters targeted
suspected terrorist hideouts in the Makeen area of South Waziristan.
Two
persons, including a woman, were killed and three children sustained
injuries as terrorists and troops exchanged heavy fire on the
night between September 12 and 13 at Karwan Manza and Makeen areas
of South Waziristan.
One
of the tribal 'commanders' in South Waziristan, Abdullah Mahsud,
who had recently been released from Guntanamo Bay, has reportedly
vowed to continue fighting against the American and allied forces.
Maj.
Gen. Shaukat Sultan said that the South Waziristan area had been
cleared of terrorists and thus far 100-150 of them, mostly foreigners,
had been killed and as many arrested during the ongoing anti-terrorist
operations. In North Waziristan, tribal elders allegedly set ablaze
the house of an influential tribesman on suspicion that he sheltered
foreign terrorists.
|
September 14 |
At least eight people
were killed when security forces clashed with suspected al Qaeda
terrorists in the Makin area of South Waziristan. Suspected terrorists
fired two rockets at a paramilitary base in Wana killing a soldier
and wounding three others, said military regime spokesperson,
Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan.
Troops returned fire
and targeted the suspected terrorist hideouts and a stray bullet
is reported to have killed a 12-year-old boy.
12 soldiers were killed
when a military truck was blown up by a remote-controlled device
between Luddah and Makin Bazaar. But, an army spokesman denied
that any such incident had occurred. Four soldiers were killed
and 11 others wounded when an army convoy was ambushed near Jandola.
Clashes were reported
from the Karwan Minza, Asman Minza and Della areas, largely inhabited
by the Mahsud tribe. In the Shakai area, security forces seized
weapons, laptop computers, detonators, and communication and surveillance
equipment during a raid at the home of a local tribesman, identified
as Eda Khan. Terrorists attacked a school in Khanigurram where
the army and paramilitary personnel are deployed. However, there
were no reports of fatalities.
|
September 15 |
Eight
soldiers and four terrorists were killed during clashes between
security forces and terrorists in the Laddha area of South Waziristan.
Seven soldiers and four terrorists are reported to have died and
13 soldiers sustained injuries during an encounter in the Karwan
Manza. Separately, a soldier was killed and two others sustained
injuries during clashes in the Makeen area. In South Waziristan,
terrorists destroyed a bridge near Tangi that connects Wana to
Dera Ismail Khan.
|
September 17
|
Two
soldiers were killed and two others wounded when a remote-controlled
device exploded at Ragzai in South Waziristan.
A man
and his four-year-old daughter were wounded when a mortar round
hit their residence in the Dhog village outside Wana.
Five
soldiers were injured in two landmine explosions. A military vehicle
hit a landmine at Chalghuzai in the Khanigurram area, injuring
three soldiers and another, carrying Frontier Corps personnel,
hit a landmine in the Sarwakai area on Dera Ismail Khan-Wana Road,
injuring two troops.
Troops
are reported to have fired mortar bombs and artillery shells at
suspected hideouts of al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Wana but there
were no details of casualties.
|
September 18
|
Fighting renewed in South Waziristan amid heavy
exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists. Security
forces, backed by helicopter gun-ships and heavy artillery, were
targeting suspected positions in Asman Manza, Karwan Manza and
Mir Kalam Ser of the Laddah sub-division to counter terrorist
attacks.
|
September 19
|
Authorities in South Waziristan have asked three
local tribes to hand over 216 wanted men to the Government if
they wanted economic sanctions against them to be lifted. The
wanted men, accused of sheltering foreign terrorists and their
local supporters, belonged to the Ahmadzai Wazir, Dottani and
Sulemankhel tribes.
. A 21-page list containing the names of the wanted
tribesmen was reportedly handed over to the tribal elders following
a Jirga with NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retd), Syed Iftikhar Hussain
Shah, in Peshawar a few days ago. Three missiles were fired at
the Frontier Corps post in Laddah. However, no loss of life or
injuries was reported.
|
September 20
|
Six missiles were seized by the soldiers from
Manzarkhel Zhay near Kaniguram in the Mahsud tribal territory.
They were reportedly aimed at troops' positions in the Asman Manza
area.
|
September 22
|
A paramilitary soldier and a tribesman were killed
and two people sustained injuries when unidentified terrorists
attacked an outpost in the Kaniguram area of South Waziristan.
The security forces retaliated with artillery fire from the Laddah
Fort and Asman Manza base camp for more than two hours.
Residents said that during the exchange of gun-fire,
one tribesman was killed, while a minor girl was wounded.Nazarkhel
Mahsud tribesmen, on voluntary guard duty at night, fired at three
men allegedly trying to plant missiles in the Manzarkhel Zhay
area. One of the men, suspected to be from Uzbekistan, reportedly
died and the other two, believed to be local tribesmen, were arrested.
President Pervez Musharraf said in Washington
that the "masterminds" of terrorism were based outside Pakistan
and the Waziristan military operations had been undertaken as
part of Pakistan's determined effort to crush the roots of terror.
|
September 23/24
|
At least 20 dead bodies were recovered from the
jungles of Karwan Manza in South Waziristan after fierce clashes
between security forces and terrorists.
A soldier was killed during clashes at various
places, including Karwan Manza, Suaysar, Sapna Khawar and Dangaysar.
In the Makeen area, terrorists fired rockets targeting troops
stationed there in which one Frontier Corps personnel was wounded.
A Government delegation, led by Col (retd) Inamullah
Wazir, engaged in secret talks with the terrorists, was airlifted
from Wana to Peshawar.
|
September 26
|
A remote control bomb exploded in the Rustum Bazaar
area of Wana injuring a soldier and a civilian.
Several missiles were fired targeting a convoy
of the Pakistan Army comprising 100 vehicles moving from Wana
to Laddha. However, no fatalities were reported.
|
September 27
|
Terrorists are reported to have attacked a military
convoy in South Waziristan with three remote-controlled explosive
devices killing five soldiers and injuring 10 others. Terrorists
exploded the remote-controlled devices in the Serwakai area when
the convoy, comprising 70 vehicles, was passing through the area,
which is largely inhabited by the Mahsud tribe.
The security forces recovered an unspecified quantity
of arms and ammunition from various terrorist hideouts in the
caves and makeshift camps of Asman Punga in South Waziristan.
These reportedly include automatic rifles, rocket launchers, rocket-propelled
grenades, mortar bombs along with fuses.
|
September 28
|
Four soldiers are reported to have died and five
others sustained injuries during a remote-controlled landmine
explosion in the Shakai area of South Waziristan.
Seven missiles were fired targeting the Ladah
Fort in South Waziristan although no casualties were reported.
Four children were wounded when an artillery shell
hit a residential compound in the Shakai valley.
|
September 29
|
A soldier died and six others sustained injuries
when their vehicle hit a landmine on the road to Karwan Manza.
Subsequently, a heavy exchange of fire occurred between the terrorists
holed up in the mountains above Karwan Manza and the troops camping
in the Laddah Fort.
A mortar shell hit a home in the Shamerai village
near Laddah, killing a retired Frontier Corps personnel, Mir Zaman,
and injuring seven members of his family. Two civilians were wounded
when they stepped on a landmine at Tapargay near the Sam village.
In South Waziristan, an army outpost near Makin
was targeted by the terrorists who reportedly used rocket-launchers
and light arms.
However, no casualty was reported. Four tribesmen,
suspected of involvement in the attack, were later arrested from
the Makin area. Troops targeted the Zanda and Gurguray mountainous
areas for several hours after observing movement of terrorists
there.
The Government and wanted tribal militants, accused
of harboring suspected foreign terrorists with al Qaeda links,
have reached an accord under which the most wanted trials, including
Shari, Nor Islam, Abdul Asia, Mauve Abbes and Jived, would surrender
to the authorities..
|
September 30
|
Two tribesmen were killed and a woman sustained
injuries during an encounter between terrorists and the army at
Spashteen village in South Waziristan.
|
October 1 |
A landmine explosion is reported to have killed
four schoolchildren, aged between nine and 13, and wounded another
in the Sarwakai area of South Waziristan
Armed men from the Mehsud tribe, allied to the
Government, killed a foreign terrorist and captured another after
a brief encounter in the Sarwakai area. While the deceased was
stated to be an unidentified Turkmen, the detained terrorist belongs
to Tajikistan and was identified as Muhammad Halide.
Pakistan Television quoted President Musharraf
as saying that security forces have killed about 100 Al Qaeda
terrorists during a recent military operation in the tribal areas
near Afghanistan.
|
October 3 |
A Tajikistan national was captured and one of
his alleged accomplices killed in the Sarwakai area of South Waziristan
by the tribal militia aligned with the Government. The foreigners
are believed to be involved in the killing of four school children
in South Waziristan.
|
October 4 |
Four terrorists were killed and nine security
force personnel sustained injuries during an encounter in South
Waziristan.
The troops are also reported to have targeted
terrorist hideouts in the Karwan Manza, Laddah and Asman Manza
areas of South Waziristan. The terrorists have reportedly agreed
to a 10-day ceasefire with the security forces to give a chance
to mediators to resolve the issue of foreign terrorists in the
tribal region. Commanders' Abdullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud
assured a 19-member mediation committee that they would hold fire
for 10 days to give them a chance to help resolve the contentious
issue of the presence of foreign terrorists in the region. Earlier,
a meeting between the tribal mediators and 'commanders' reportedly
occurred at Kotkai near Jandola on Oct 3.
|
October 5 |
Two soldiers were killed and seven others sustained
injuries during an explosion caused by a remote-controlled improvised
explosive device near Jandola on the Tank-Wana road. The incident
occurred a day after the agreement between the Army and the terrorists
to observe a 10-day ceasefire in the area inhabited by the Mahsud
tribe in South Waziristan.
Abdullah Mahsud, a 'commander' of the militants,
while denying his group's involvement in the blast added that
they could not be held responsible for incidents taking place
outside South Waziristan. Pamphlets in Urdu distributed in Wana
and other parts of South Waziristan called upon the Muslims to
join the Jihad against the "Jews and Crusaders" led by the US.
The pamphlets say that non-Muslim forces were killing Muslims
in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir and Afghanistan and, therefore, revenge
was justified.
Hundreds of additional troops assisted by helicopter
gun-ships have been deployed along the border with Afghanistan
to prevent terrorists from sneaking across the frontier to disrupt
the Afghan presidential elections on October 9, the Army said.
Military regime spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the
army has set up 250 new checkpoints along the border and deployed
Quick Reaction Force commandoes to take immediate counter measures
in case of any attacks. This is reportedly in addition to the
approximately 70,000 troops already stationed in the tribal regions
near the border.
|
October 7
|
The unwritten cease-fire between the military
and terrorists in South Waziristan was broken on the fourth day
of its enforcement when the two sides clashed near Kaniguram and
Karwan Manza in the Mahsud tribal territory. The military used
mortar, artillery and light machineguns to target terrorist positions
while the latter fired missiles and rockets at the troops. However,
loss of life, if any, was not known till last reports came in.
There were also reports that clashes had occurred in areas beyond
Karwan Manza and up to Karama.
|
October 10
|
Former Taliban 'commander' and chief of the militants
in South Waziristan, Abdullah Mehsud, has reportedly claimed to
have abducted two Chinese engineers, who were working on the Gomal
Zam Dam project. "At the moment the Chinese engineers along with
my aides are encircled by Jalalkhel tribesmen and the government
forces in Chakmalai area of South Waziristan, therefore, I am
unable to disclose the demands for their release," Mehsud told
a group of journalists in a mountainous area near Jandola. "It
is impossible for me to ensure the safety of the engineers at
this stage," he said while demanding that the Government release
militants arrested by security forces.
|
October 11
|
The Government offered to consider 'genuine' demands
of terrorists in South Waziristan if they released the two Chinese
engineers they had abducted on October 9. The offer was made as
terrorists set two deadlines to execute the hostages if the Government
did not accept their demands. Both the deadlines, however, passed
without any action.
|
October 14
|
One of the two Chinese hostages and five abductors
were killed as a result of an operation by the Pakistan Army commandos
near Chakmalay village in South Waziristan. Wang Ping, a Chinese
engineer working on the Gomal Zam Dam project, was killed in the
operation, while his colleague, Wang Ende, survived. Ping was
the chief surveyor in the private Chinese company that had brought
more than 80 persons from China to work on the project. Corps
Commander Peshawar, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, stated that the abductors
shot dead the Chinese hostage, prompting the troops to kill the
five kidnappers and rescue the second Chinese engineer.
The troops reportedly recovered five AK-47 rifles,
one rocket-launcher, four rockets, four hand grenades, and 17
magazines of bullets from the possession of the terrorists. Three
Army soldiers were injured when a remote-controlled improvised
explosive device hit their vehicle in the Shakai area of South
Waziristan.
Reports from the Laddah area said that militants
fired 10 missiles at the Frontier Corps Fort where Pakistan Army
troops are camped. However, no casualties were reported.
|
October 19
|
At least three soldiers were killed and five others
sustained injuries when terrorists ambushed a military convoy
in South Waziristan's Spinkai Raghzai town. Four terrorists and
two civilians were also killed in the fighting. Two among the
five wounded soldiers were stated to be of officer rank.
|
October 20
|
Hundreds of troops backed by helicopter gun-ships
launched an operation in the Spinkai Raghzai area of South Waziristan
to capture Abdullah Mehsud, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner and
the alleged mastermind behind the Chinese engineers' kidnapping.
Lt Gen Safdar Hussain, the Peshawar corps commander,
said that the area under attack was Abdullah's political and military
base. Troops entered Spinkai Raghzai in South Waziristan even
as five more deaths were reported. Sources said four of those
killed were civilians while soldiers found the body of a militant
in a ravine near Spinkai Raghzai.
Another militant was captured from the same place.
Haji Muhammad Umar, a Wazir militant and an associate of Nek Muhammad,
threatened to attack if the government did not accept his demands
within 10 days. "We will resume attacks if the government did
not respond," he said in Wana.
|
October 22
|
Two soldiers and three civilians were killed in
clashes between security forces and militants in different parts
of South Waziristan. Two soldiers were killed and nine others
were injured when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near the Laddah
Fort.
Soon after the bomb explosion, security forces
started firing from the Laddah Fort, killing a woman and her minor
child. An artillery shell hit the residence of a civilian, Haji
Mian Wali Khan, killing his 22-year-old son Attaullah Khan whereas
two of his close relatives also received injuries.
Security forces pounded suspected militants with
helicopter gun-ships and mortar fire but have failed to find Abdullah
Mahsud, the mastermind of the abduction of two Chinese engineers.
Two sub-tribes of the Mahsud tribe decide to allow
the security forces to carry out a house-to-house search in the
Spinkay Raghzay area where supporters of Abdullah Mahsud had been
holed up for the last few days. Militants killed two members of
the tribal peace committee, Yousaf Khan and Khuna Khan, in the
Sarwekai sub-division.
|
October 23
|
Security forces and elders of the Mahsud tribe
began a joint search operation in the Spinkay Raghzay area of
South Waziristan where authorities believed local and foreign
militants were holed up.
The troops seized 15 anti-tank mines, three Russian-made
hand grenades, six rockets, one rocket launcher, two disposable
rockets, three guns, one AK-47, 1,700 bullets and some landmines.
Anti-aircraft ammunition was also found during
the search operation. One soldier was killed and six others wounded
during an overnight exchange of fire between the army and the
militants in Karwan Manza. Authorities arrested six suspected
militants at the Chakmalai checkpoint on the Jandola-Wana road.
The young men, carrying three AK-47 and three hand grenades were
on their way to Barwand. Militants fired five missiles at the
Frontier Corps Fort at Tiarza without causing any losses.
|
October 24
|
Ten militants were killed in an hour-long clash
when the troops returned fire after they were attacked near Lalizai
village, north-east of Wana.
Three personnel of the paramilitary Frontier
Corps were injured in an explosion caused by a remote-controlled
improvised explosive device at Makeen in South Waziristan, while
the brother of a pro-government tribal elder, Ahmad Shah, was
killed in a land-mine blast in the same area.
Troops recovered some more weapons while searching
tribal homes in the militant stronghold of Spinkai Raghzai. Military
officials said one LMG gun, an AK-47 (Kalashnikov) rifle, five
rockets, one rocket-launcher, 20 disposable rocket shells, two
anti-tank mines with explosives, and 800 rounds of 14.5 mm gun
were recovered from some of the houses.
Bannu Police seized 120 kilograms of explosives
from a vehicle travelling to Bannu from North Waziristan. One
light machine gun, 48,247 bullets, and one anti aircraft gun were
also seized, besides the explosives. The police arrested three
residents of Bannu in connection with the incident.
|
October 25
|
Three soldiers were wounded during a heavy exchange
of fire between security forces and militants in the Karvan Manza
locality of Laddah sub-division of South Waziristan.
A militant 'commander', Haji Mohammad Omar, offered
a cease-fire during the holy month of Ramadan.
The 21-member peace committee comprising Mahsud
tribal elders and Ulema left for Peshawar on an invitation from
Corps Commander Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain. Members of the committee
said they would hold talks with the corps commander on ways and
means to effect reconciliation in the areas inhabited by the Mahsud
tribe and rid it of the presence of foreign militants.
|
October 26
|
17 tribesmen of the Mahsud jirga were killed and
many were injured in a rocket attack near Jandola, 65 kilometres
east of Wana in South Waziristan.
Army spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan blamed
militants for the incident and said, "Militants fired a 107mm
rocket at the jirga". However, a tribal elder disputed the spokesman's
claim and accused the security forces of targeting the tribesmen.
The house-to-house search by soldiers and tribesmen in Spinkay
Raghzai to arrest Abdullah Mahsud ended without success.
Five militants were injured when soldiers shelled
militant hideouts in Asman Manzai. Clashes between militants and
soldiers were also continuing for the past two days in the Karwan
Manzai, Soi Sar and Jalandhar areas and heavy and light artillery
is being used by both sides.
Militants also fired rockets at a Wana Scouts
camp. However, the rockets missed their target.
|
October 27
|
Three people were killed and two others wounded
when paramilitary troops opened fire on a van at a checkpoint
near Azam Warsak.
Locals alleged that they were civilians and had
nothing to do with militants operating in the region. However
Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said that those killed were militants.
Three soldiers were wounded in late night clashes
between security forces and militants in Karwan Mianza. In Shakai,
militants attempted to blow up a military vehicle through a remote-controlled
improvised explosive device but failed.
The vehicle was slightly damaged in the blast,
though, without causing any injury to soldiers. Troops shelled
Spinkay Raghzay and the adjoining areas from the Scouts Fort at
Jandola. However, no loss of life or property was reported.
Tribesmen were evacuating from Kotkai, Murghiband
and Sheik Ziarat amid fear of an impending military operation.
Families were seen moving towards Tank via Sra Rogha, Makeen and
Razmak areas, reports said.
Security officials believe the 29-year-old tribal
militant commander, Abdullah Mahsud, is hiding in Kotkai along
with scores of his fighters.
|
October 28
|
Militants fired missiles at military positions
in the Spinkai Raghzai area of South Waziristan. Four missiles
were fired but one did not explode, two landed in uninhabited
area and the fourth hit a private vegetable ghee factory. There
were no reports of any casualty.
|
October 29
|
A Pakistan Army soldier was killed and two others
sustained injuries in a clash with militants in the Karwan Manza
mountainous area in South Waziristan. Three Army soldiers were
injured while one of the military vehicles was destroyed when
a remote controlled bomb exploded on the Razmak-Isha road in North
Waziristan. After the explosion, troops opened fire killing a
shepherd. A land-mine was defused just in time at Tawda Cheena
near Makeen to prevent an explosion aimed at passing military
vehicles. Unknown miscreants cut down the underground telephone
cable in Jandola, where the Pakistan Army and paramilitary Frontier
Corps troops are headquartered, in a bid to disrupt communication
links.
|
October 30
|
Suspected militants fired several rockets at a
Wana Scouts camp but there were no casualties. Security forces
retaliated with heavy gunfire and targeted militant hideouts in
the southern mountains of South Waziristan. Witnesses and government
officials added that suspected militants fired three rockets from
the Karri Kot area, east of Wana, which landed inside the camp.
Suspected militants attacked Pakistan Army fortifications in the
Kamra area near Kani Gram. Security forces retaliated and shelled
militant hideouts in the Asman Manzai area. However, no causalities
were reported. The political administration announced compensation
for the families of the tribesmen killed in a mortar attack on
a Mehsud jirga in the Spinkay Raghzai area on October 26.
|
October 31
|
A soldier sustained injuries during an exchange
of fire with militants in the Karwan Manza area of South Waziristan.
A tribesman, identified as Rasim Wazir Torikhel,
suspected of 'spying' was shot dead by unknown assailants in Zha
Ghundai area near Wana. Residents in Spinkai Raghzai town said
the militants fired four missiles at military positions in the
area.
They said the missiles came from the Gardi mountain
range nearby and did not cause any human or material losses.
|
November 3
|
Militants attacked military positions in South
Waziristan's Spinkai Raghzai area with two rockets. Sources said
the rockets were fired from Khara Leeta in the mountains west
of the town but no casualties were reported.
Three missiles were defused in the Azam Warsak
area near the same spot where two tribesmen and an Afghan refugee
were killed a few days ago at a joint Pakistan Army-Frontier Corps
checkpoint.
|
November 4
|
Eight soldiers were killed and six others wounded
when their vehicle hit a landmine planted by militants near Kanigoram
in South Waziristan.
In another landmine explosion triggered by militants
three soldiers were wounded in the Makin area.
Military officials stated that about 250 militants,
including 100 foreigners, and more than 170 soldiers have been
killed in the offensive in the tribal region since March 2004.
|
November 5
|
Military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan
stated that one soldier was injured when an improvised explosive
device (IED) planted by militants exploded in Makeen.
Militants set off another IED in Khanigurram area,
but there were no casualties in the incident. Four soldiers were
injured in a bomb blast remotely triggered by militants at Rustam
Bazaar in Wana.
After the blast soldiers reportedly panicked
and opened fire, injuring a five-year-old boy. The Scouts Camp
in Wana was attacked with rockets fired by militants and a civilian
was reportedly wounded in the attack.
|
November 9
|
Backed by helicopter gun-ships and artillery,
the Pakistan Army started another operation against militants
in South Waziristan, killing six of them and losing three soldiers.
Military spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan stated
the operation was started in the area between Dilla Kula and Spinkay
Raghzai and added that the bodies of the six militants were retrieved
and "there could be more casualties among them".
Militants fired five rockets at a military post
in Karwan Manzai and one rocket at the Wana airport, but no casualties
were reported.
|
November 10
|
Five soldiers and two tribesmen were wounded in
sporadic exchange of fire between the military and militants in
different parts of South Waziristan.
The political administration has decided to release
about 250 tribesmen and Afghan refugees arrested under FCR over
a period of several months in Wana and Shakai areas on suspicion
of their involvement in militant activities.
|
November 11
|
Five most wanted tribal militants signed an agreement
with the government, pledging to live peacefully and not to harbour
foreign militants in South Waziristan. Yargulkhel, Kurmezkhel
and Malikkhel, three sub-clans of the main Ahmadzai Wazir tribe,
signed the agreement with the authorities in Wana on behalf of
the five militants, including Haji Mohammad Omar, who had been
declared successor to the slain militant commander Nek Mohammad.
The four other militants are Maulana Abdul Aziz, Haji Sharif,
Maulvi Abbas and Mohammad Javed. "The tribes have deposited Rupees10
million as guarantee for each of the five militants," said Brigadier
Mehmood Shah, the security chief (FATA), in Peshawar. The wanted
men did not appear in person before the local authorities. But
the FATA security chief said the five were produced before the
assistant political agent, Khan Bakhsh, by tribal elders following
which they were released on furnishing of the guarantees.
|
November 12
|
At least three Pakistan Army personnel were killed
and 22 injured while six militants were killed and one injured
during the latest army push into a militant stronghold near the
Afghan border.
|
November 13
|
An 18-year old student was killed and six people,
including two Army soldiers, were injured at Rustam Bazaar in
Wana during heavy retaliatory firing by soldiers following a landmine
explosion that targeted a military convoy on a nearby bypass road.
A camp of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Wana
came under rocket attack. However, the two rockets missed the
target and fell outside the camp in the Ucha Khwara dry stream
near the small Wana airport and in Dabkot without causing any
damage.
|
November 18
|
Troops seized seven rockets and six mortar-gun
shells from a roadside on the Makeen-Razmak road in the Mahsud
tribal territory in South Waziristan.
The Pakistan Army recovered a huge cache of explosives
and ammunition from Kanigarram in South Waziristan. "We have recovered
3,600 kilograms of explosives, hundreds of 82mm mortar rounds,
75mm rifle rounds, 18 107mm rockets and 40,000 rounds of different
calibres,"
a local administration official said. A 235-member
committee consisting of notables of the Mehsud Manzai tribe has
been formed to help the Pakistan Army in operations against suspected
militants thought to be in the tribal areas.
|
November 19
|
Pakistan Army spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan
rejected former Taliban 'commander' Abdullah Mehsud's claim of
finalising a ceasefire agreement with Pakistani authorities on
November 8. Sultan told Voice Of America that the government had
not extended any assurances to Abdullah. "The army has opened
all alternate options including dialogue for resolving the issue,"
he added. "There is no such agreement with him. The army was not
talking to Abdullah," he said.
|
November 21
|
An army officer was injured in a landmine blast
during search operations in South Waziristan.
|
November 22
|
Troops killed 20 militants in raids on a seminary
and a camp in South Waziristan. Eight people were killed at the
seminary in Lalejai area, a military spokesman said in a statement.
"In the Lalejai area, Maulvi Bashir's Madrassah had been serving
as a hub of terrorist activities from where miscreants had been
launching frequent attacks against security forces and the civil
population." 12 terrorists were killed in a 'hand-to-hand' fight
with security forces in the Karam-Manzai Chund Khel area, where
terrorists had made the local population hostage, the spokesman
said.
The Mehsud tribe has asked the government to return
weapons and ammunition to tribesmen, which had been seized during
the ongoing search operation in South Waziristan. About 700 elders
and maliks of the Mehsud tribe, who gathered in Tank, condemned
the seizure of arms and weapons in the garb of search operations
against foreign and local militants.
A rocket was fired at a security force in the
Shakai area. However, no casualties were reported.
|
November 23
|
Two foreign militants, belonging to Uzbekistan
and Tajikistan, were arrested after being overpowered by members
of a tribal peace committee in South Waziristan's Makeen area.
However, the struggling foreign militants managed to stab and
injure four tribesmen. The captured militants were identified
as Muhammad Hussain and Abdullah.
|
November 24 |
Troops arrested nine tribesmen after an improvised
explosive device targeted an eight-vehicle military convoy near
Laddah in South Waziristan. Four sub-machine guns and 800 cartridges
were recovered from them.
A landmine planted by militants exploded at Shpastin
near Laddah. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.
|
November 26 |
Corps Commander Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, while speaking
at a jirga of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe at the Governor House in
Peshawar, announced the withdrawal of troops and removal of check
posts from all parts of the Wana subdivision in South Waziristan.
(The army has nine check posts in Wana)
|
November 29 |
Police arrested an alleged Chechen terrorist who
had attacked police and other people with a hand-grenade after
failing to rob a money-changer in the Qandahri bazaar. "The Chechen
national came from Wana along with other companions," Balochistan
province Inspector General of Police, Chaudhary Yaqoob, said.
Initial investigations showed that the accused, identified as
Abdul Ghafar, was a Chechen and along with other Chechens had
escaped from South Waziristan and taken shelter in Quetta, after
the military action in the tribal areas.
The US State Department spokesperson Richard
Boucher said that Pakistan had withdrawn no forces from Waziristan.
|
November 30 |
Security forces recovered
a huge cache of arms during a search of eight tribal homes in the
Sam village near Kaniguram in an area inhabited by the Mahsud and
Burki tribes. There were three mortar guns, six guns of different
bore including AK-47 Kalashnikovs, two missiles launchers, two rocket
launchers, one anti-aircraft gun, one 75 RR gun, 22 missile shells,
184 mortar gun shells, 34 RPG-7 shells, one battery missile, seven
hand grenades, and more than 25,000 rounds. |
December 6 |
Pakistani authorities
blew up houses of the al Qaeda-linked militant 'commander' Abdullah
Mehsud and his relatives in a tribal law punishment. Security forces
reportedly used dynamite and bulldozers to demolish the homes of
Mehsud and five of his uncles in the Nano village of South Waziristan. |
December 9 |
Briefing the Peshawar-based
media at the Durrani Fort, Maj-Gen Niaz Khattak, General Officer
Commanding, Kohat, stated that the persistent military operations
against foreign militants and their local harbourers have reduced
the strength of these elements to 100 in South Waziristan. He added
that there were approximately 600 foreign militants at the time
the Army launched operation against the al Qaeda linked militants
and their local tribal sympathisers. "Their strength has reduced
to 100 plus now, who too lost support of the local population."
Regarding Army's losses, Khattak said the Pakistan Army and the
paramilitary Frontier Corps had so far lost 200 men in the Waziristan
operation. More than 246 militants, including some over 100 foreign
terrorists, were also killed, while 579 militants were arrested
in 35 military exercises. |
December 15 |
A landmine exploded near a paramilitary post at
Miranshah in North Waziristan injuring two soldiers.
Two tribesmen were killed and four others sustained
injuries during an ambush near Solay Khan Saraey in South Waziristan.
|
December 17 |
Military sources have indicated that during the
first week of October 2004, Rupees 60 million was distributed
through the al Qaeda network to its three key operatives in the
Waziristan area. One of the recipients was fugitive tribal militant
leader, Abdullah Mehsud, said sources. The cash, mostly in dollars,
comes generally from countries in the Middle East and Central
Asia and large amounts are distributed among local people to provide
refuge to foreign militants. It was found that in one particular
case, a seminary was paid PKR 100, 000 for providing shelter to
militants for one month.
The Government announced a PKR Five million reward
for the capture of Waziristan-based tribal militant Abdullah Mehsud.
Military authorities in South Waziristan have
also launched a hunt for three top militants - Uzbek national
Yaldeshev, Abdullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud, the 'commander'
of militant forces in Mehsud territory.
Military sources in Waziristan claim that Abdullah
Mehsud is now left with only about 15 hardcore militants around
him. A military vehicle was damaged when an improvised device
exploded on the road near Nano. However, no loss of life or injuries
was reported.
|
December 19 |
Waziristan-based tribal militant, Abdullah Mehsud,
claimed responsibility for the bomb blast a day earlier at the
Civil Secretariat in Quetta, capital of the Balochistan province.
Muhammad Yousaf, claiming to be Mehsud's spokesperson, made the
claim in a phone call from an unknown location. He also said that
more attacks would follow in different parts of Pakistan. "The
battle is no longer confined to South Waziristan. The Quetta blast
was carried out by our men in reaction to the announcement by
the corps commander Peshawar offering an Rs 5 million reward for
our commander Abdullah Mahsud's capture," the caller said. The
man also claimed an attack on the same day on a Rangers' check-post
in Jacobabad.
A 12-year-old boy, identified as Muslihuddin,
was killed during a bomb blast outside a seminary at Lalazai near
Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan.
|
December 21 |
President Pervez Musharraf
said that the Government had successfully handled the issue of foreign
terrorists in South Waziristan. "The foreign terrorists had threatened
the national integrity and if we had not taken strong action, they
would have created problems for us," he said during a speech at
the golden jubilee function of Khyber Medical College in Peshawar.
The military operation in Wana, he claimed, was not against local
tribesmen rather it targeted foreign terrorists and their collaborators.
He also described as ridiculous an allegation that the military
action had been launched at the behest of the US and said that the
masterminds of terrorist acts committed in the country had roots
in South Waziristan. |
December 23 |
The Government has turned
down an offer to surrender from the South Waziristan-based militant
leader, Abdullah Mahsud. Mahsud, a former Guantanamo Bay inmate
who is wanted for the abduction of two Chinese engineers, had made
only a conditional offer to surrender, said Mehmood Shah, security
chief for the tribal areas. "Our terms for his surrender are that
he should hand himself over to the authorities without any preconditions,"
Shah said in Peshawar. |
December 25 |
Security force personnel
blew up the house of a tribesman with explosives at Kot Langarkhel
village in South Waziristan. No loss of life was reported as the
occupants, primarily children and women after the male members had
gone underground, were asked to leave before the operation. |
December 27 |
The Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt Gen Safdar Hussain,
has warned the South Waziristan-based terrorists, including Abdullah
Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud, to surrender before January 15, 2005,
or else stringent military action will be taken against them.
Security forces arrested an Uzbek national with
suspected al Qaeda links close to the Afghan border although his
five Chechen associates managed to escape
|
December 28 |
A wanted militant in South Waziristan, Maulvi
Sharif, is reported to have accepted the Government amnesty offer.
Sharif, who belongs to the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe, was declared
the most wanted militant during the army operation and had earlier
refused to surrender. His four companions had already signed agreements
with the authorities in November 2004, promising them good conduct
and no shelter to foreign militants.
The troops raided a Madrassa formerly run by
Taliban leader Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani near Miranshah in North
Waziristan on reports that some foreigners, possibly Arabs, were
hiding there. However, no arrests were made.
|
December 29 |
A tribal politician with close links to the Afghan
President, Hamid Karzai, was reportedly shot dead by suspected
al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Wana. Shahlam Khan, whose brother
is Pakistan's Ambassador to Qatar, was reportedly shot dead by
masked gunmen from a moving car in Wana. His Pushtoonkhwa Milli
Awami Party has in the past campaigned against the Taliban and
Islamist extremism.
Rejecting the Government ultimatum to surrender
by January 15, 2005, or face military action, wanted militant,
Abdullah Mahsud, said that he would to continue his fight until
the eviction of the Pakistan Army from South Waziristan and the
removal of President Musharraf from office.
|
December 30 |
South Waziristan chief
administrator, Asmatullah Gandapur, was injured in a bomb explosion
near the Tank area. Gandapur and his driver were wounded when the
vehicle they were riding in passed over explosives planted on the
road outside Tank. |