FATA Timeline - Year 2005

January 2

At least one Frontier Corps personnel was killed during an exchange of fire with Afghan soldiers near the border town of Saidgai in North Waziristan. The firing followed crashing of a US drone in the area, when the soldiers approached the wreckage.

January 11

The military authorities have extended the deadline for two wanted militants in South Waziristan to surrender to January 26. Troops had earlier set January 15 for Abdullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud to surrender or face action. The deadline was reportedly been extended on the appeal of a 70-member Ulema (religious scholars) delegation belonging to South Waziristan, who called on Corps Commander, Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain.

A wanted militant from South Waziristan, identified as Maulvi Bashir, is reported to have surrendered at Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province.

January 15

Troops raided a compound near the border town of Lowara Mandi in North Waziristan and arrested 18 Pakistani tribesmen along with two Afghans suspects.

January 16

A 25-member Jirga (tribal council) of tribal elders met military and civil authorities at Miranshah in North Waziristan and reportedly demanded the release of around 20 tribesmen arrested by the Pakistan Army during a raid on a compound near Lowara Mandi on the Pakistan-Afghan border a day earlier.

January 17

20 tribesmen who were arrested from the border town of Lowara Mandi on January 15 were released on the demand of a representative Jirga.

January 18

Bodies of two foreign militants, who appeared to be Uzbeks, were delivered to officials at Makeen in South Waziristan by a pro-government tribal elder who claimed he killed them on January 17-night outside his home.

The Shabikhel Mahsud sub-tribe formed a peace committee and decided to raise a 3,000-member Lashkar (army) to pursue militants in their area.

January 22

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a senior tribal elder, Mohammad Ibrahim, who helped Pakistani troops trace al Qaeda cadres in the Makin district. Ibrahim, who was the head of a tribal committee which helps the government in negotiating with tribesmen suspected of providing shelter to al Qaeda linked fugitives, had also survived a bomb attack on January 18, 2005.

January 24

Military regime spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, has denied reports about the arrest of Uzbek terrorist, Tahir Yaldesh, and others in an alleged joint operation with US soldiers in South Waziristan a month ago. "No joint operation has been conducted on the Pakistani soil with the US forces. They (US) forces have never come to this side of the Pakistan-Afghan border for such an operation," Sultan said.

January 26

The Government's deadline to wanted militants to surrender ended with no clear sign yet that Abdullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud were seeking amnesty through the Jirga of tribal elders belonging to South Waziristan. The Pakistan Army had given the January 26 deadline to the tribal militants to surrender or face military action.

January 27

Soldiers exchanged fire with suspected al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Asman Manza, some 30 kilometers north of South Waziristan's main town of Wana.

January 29

One Afghan soldier is reported to have died and another sustained injuries during an exchange of fire between security forces and the Afghan National Army near Angor Adda in South Waziristan.

January 30

The Wana operation in South Waziristan has reportedly resulted in the largest ever peacetime casualty with an estimated 230 soldiers and personnel of paramilitary forces losing their lives and about 300 of them being injured.

February 1

Shariat Khan Wazir, a pro-Government tribal leader, was shot dead at Miranshah in North Waziristan by unidentified assailants. The 35-year old businessman escorted by his guard was returning home when he was attacked near Razmak-Eesha road. While his guard was injured in the ambush, the attackers escaped after killing Khan.

The Government approved the draft of a six-point peace agreement with a Mujahideen 'commander' aimed at restoring peace in South Waziristan. "We have approved the text of the six-point draft agreement. We have told Mehsud tribesmen negotiating the peace deal that we have no problems with it. As far as we are concerned the draft agreement stands approved," head of security in the Federally Administered Tribal Region (FATA), Brig. Mehmood Shah said. The draft agreement reportedly stipulates that Baitullah Mehsud, 'commander' of the Mujahideen in South Waziristan, and his supporters would not give protection to nor support any foreign terrorist in their area. Clause II of the draft says that Baitullah or his supporters will neither fire at any Government functionary nor cause damage to Government installations, nor will they obstruct development activities in the area. The third point provides for the exemption of Baitullah and his supporters from any legal and punitive action for their past activities. It does, however, provide for 'appropriate' punitive action under the Frontier Crimes Regulation against anyone violating the agreement and makes it incumbent upon the Mehsud tribesmen to hand over offenders to the authorities.

February 2

Baitullah Mehsud, one of the most wanted militants in South Waziristan, is reported to have signed a draft peace agreement in the presence of a tribal Jirga at his remote mountain hideout. Under the terms of the agreement, Baitullah and his associates have been offered amnesty in return for a pledge not to attack the Army and refrain from damaging Government installations. He has also reportedly committed not to harbour or support foreign terrorists and to allow development work continue unhindered in South Waziristan. The Government, on its part, has agreed to release Mehsud tribesmen arrested during military operations.

February 7

Tribal militant leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is reported to have signed a peace deal with the Government in South Waziristan as he laid down arms during a ceremony at Sararogha. The ceremony was held in an open field surrounded by Taliban cadres shouting "Death to America" and "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great) as Baitullah, a 30-year-old 'commander', signed the agreement along with 35 of his supporters. Abdul Kamal Khattak, Assistant Political Officer, signed on behalf of the Government.

Two journalists were shot dead and another sustained injuries when armed assailants attacked their vehicle at Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan. Allah Noor Wazir of The Nation and Amir Nawab Khan Wazir of The Frontier Post along with other journalists were en route to Wana after attending the ceremony arranged in connection with the compromise between the Government and tribal militant, Baitullah Mehsud, at Sararogha.

February 9

Abdullah Mehsud, one of the most wanted militants in South Waziristan, rejects the recent peace agreement between his former colleague, Baitullah Mehsud, and the Government. In a phone call to the BBC office in Peshawar, he expressed opposition to the agreement and added that he was not a party to it. Speaking from an unknown location, he claimed that the agreement failed to address the concerns and demands of the people in South Waziristan, particularly the Mehsud tribe.

February 13

The Peshawar Corps Commander, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, stated that the Army would not be completely withdrawn from South Waziristan and other tribal agencies but relocation and readjustment would take place in keeping with the demands of the situation. He claimed that acts of terrorism had ended in South Waziristan since the military had flushed out foreign terrorists and their tribal collaborators. He added that Uzbek terrorist, Tahir Yuldashev, and other foreign terrorists had rendered the tribesmen hostage and also paid local collaborators to provide them safe haven.

February 14

An alleged Afghan spy of the US was killed near Harmaz village in North Waziristan. His body was recovered along with a letter threatening 'others with the same fate if found spying for Americans or Afghan government in the area.' The letter also reportedly alleged that the deceased was an Afghan national named Masail Shah, and he was spying in the tribal areas of Pakistan for the US base in Khost province of Afghanistan.

February 17

Three suspected foreign terrorists were reportedly killed by one of their associates near Mirali town in North Waziristan. The lone assailant managed to escape after killing the two Uzbeks and an Arab.

A group calling itself Sipah-e-Islam (Soldiers of Islam) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the killing of two journalists in South Waziristan on February 7. "We accept responsibility for the killing of two journalists in South Waziristan last week," said a message faxed to a newspaper's office in Peshawar, "Some journalists are working for Christians while disguising themselves as media men. They are used as tools in the negative propaganda of Christians against the Muslim Mujahideen," claimed the statement signed by the group's spokesperson, Ahmed Farooqi.

March 1

A soldier was injured when terrorists opened fired at him in the Karama area in the Ladah sub-division of South Waziristan. Two terrorists sustained injuries and an equal number were arrested in the subsequent encounter. It was the first incident in which a soldier was wounded since a deal between tribal militant leader, Baitullah Mehsud, and the Government on February 7.

March 3

The Government offered to buy weapons at market price from the tribesmen in South Waziristan. It intended to purchase anti-aircraft guns, missiles, mortars, rocket launchers, landmines, hand-grenades, light machineguns and AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifles, said local administrator, Khan Bukhsh. "This is a golden opportunity for the tribal people… You can sell your weapons and the government will pay you at market price," he said during a meeting with members of the Mehsud tribe at Tank city in South Waziristan. Khan reportedly gave the tribesmen one week to consider the Government's offer.

March 5

Security forces killed two militants and captured 11 others after a heavy exchange of fire with suspected militants in the Deogar Sidgai area of North Waziristan. Two army officers and a tribal woman received injuries during the two-hour exchange of fire.

March 6

The authorities will seize heavy weapons belonging to tribesmen near the Afghanistan border if they are not surrendered in a Government buy-back programme meant to disarm militants in South Waziristan. The Government wants to purchase anti-aircraft guns, missiles, mortars, rocket launchers, landmines, hand-grenades, light machineguns and assault rifles from tribesmen, Brigadier Mehmood Shah, security chief of the tribal areas. "We are waiting a response from tribesmen and if no one comes up to sell these weapons then we will work out a strategy to confiscate them," Shah added.

March 7

The four foreign terrorists arrested during a military operation at Dewgar village in North Waziristan on March 5 reportedly include one each from Qatar, Albania, Somalia and Tajikistan. One of the two foreigners killed in the operation reportedly belonged to Sudan. The troops had also seized three rocket-launchers, 28 grenades, two RPG-7 rockets, eight sub-machineguns, one light machinegun and five anti-tank mines from the incident site.

March 9

Unidentified assailants shot at a vehicle of a semi-independent organisation near Miranshah in North Waziristan injuring a driver and a female worker. A vehicle belonging to the South FATA Development Project, an organisation tasked with creating social awareness among tribal people, was attacked at Shna Khwara, about 12 kilometers west of Miranshah.

March 10

The Government has reportedly banned possession, sale and use of heavy weapons of all types in all the tribal regions, according to a notification issued by the Governor's Secretariat. Tribesmen in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan, agreed to sell their weapons to the Government at market price. The Government, as part of the 'Weapons Policy for FATA [FATA]', has already started what it calls the 'Weapons Buy Back Programme' to encourage tribesmen to sell their heavy weapons to the Government. "The unrestricted dissemination of dangerous weapons and firearms in the tribal areas and their frequent use in various inter and intra-tribal feuds and use of such weapons against the security forces has been a serious cause of concern," the notification titled 'Weapons Policy for FATA' said.

March 13

A spokesperson for the Waziristan-based militant, Abdullah Mehsud, claimed that he "died of his wounds" sustained during a military operation in North Waziristan on March 5.

Six persons were arrested during a military operation involving more than 700 troops and nine helicopter gun-ships in the Shawal valley of North Waziristan.

March 14

Dozens of foreign and local terrorists have moved out of the Saidgai border area of North Waziristan in small groups of fours and fives to undisclosed safer locations. Local tribesmen said the movement of the Mujahideen was part of the strategy as well as fears about their safety.

March 15

A bomb explosion occurred at Ali Khel village in North Waziristan without causing any loss of life or injuries. Unidentified miscreants targeted the house of Altaf, an employee of the NGO, South FATA Development Project.

March 17

Abdullah Mehsud, responsible for the abduction of two Chinese engineers last year, is "safe and alive", his spokesperson claimed. Earlier, an unidentified spokesperson for Abdullah was quoted as saying on March 14 that he (Abdullah) had died on March 12 after being wounded in a gunfight with security forces' on March 5. "I reject reports of Abdullah being dead," Mohammad Yousaf, spokesperson for the militant, told the BBC Urdu service.

March 22

A bomb exploded outside a guesthouse in the Shakai area of South Waziristan damaging the main gate and the boundary wall. The guesthouse in owned by pro-Government tribal elder and former Federal Minister, Malik Faridullah Khan.

March 25

Peshawar Corps Commander, Lt Gen Safdar Hussain, stated in Lahore that 48 military operations have been carried out in the length and breadth of South Waziristan and that the possibility of Osama bin Laden being in one of the target areas cannot be ruled out. Christian Science Monitor quoted him as saying that "Last year, thousands of military and paramilitary troops battled Al Qaeda militants and tribal supporters in South Waziristan Agency. The 48 military operations resulted in more than 500 deaths, including 304 foreign and local militants and around 200 troops." The paper also quoted Hussain as saying that bin Laden was guarded by some 50 men, divided into concentric circles of security.

March 29

Five missiles were fired at an army camp along the border with Afghanistan in the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan. Consequent to retaliatory firing by the soldiers, the assailants escaped.

March 31

At least 16 people were wounded when an unidentified man threw a hand grenade in Mirali Bazaar, a town in North Waziristan. Officials later said two tribesmen were arrested from the incident site.

April 3

A security force personnel is reported to have died after being attacked by a tribesman who opened indiscriminate fire on him in the Makin area of South Waziristan. The incident occurred when the deceased, Fazl Wahab, tried to disarm a tribal who entered the Makin area with an AK-47 assault rifle, as the political administration had banned displaying arms in the area.

April 14

One person is reported to have died and three others sustained injuries when a landmine blew up a jeep at Mir Ali Bazaar in the Miranshah area of North Waziristan. Another mine lying nearby was defused before it could explode.

April 18

The Government is reportedly planning to launch an operation against terrorists in North Waziristan even as US forces prepare to undertake a spring offensive in Afghanistan. This was stated by Commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, Lt-Gen David Barno, while talking to journalists at the US Embassy in Islamabad. While referring to a meeting of the Tripartite Commission of the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan held earlier in the day, he said: "We collectively feel that there is a need to undertake an operation in North Waziristan. That's an area where I think the Pakistani military is about to undertake a military operation to keep pressure on terrorist networks." According to Barno, "We are in the middle of beginning a spring offensive and the Pakistani forces are busy moving troops to North Waziristan to continue to put pressure on terrorist networks."

April 19

A senior military official threatened the tribes in North Waziristan with a military operation if they did not expel foreign terrorists from their areas. "You people should flush them out, otherwise the military will start an operation," Brigadier Sajjad of the Pakistan Army told a Jirga of the Utmanzai tribes in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan.

April 20

The Peshawar Corps Commander, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, described as 'highly irresponsible' remarks by a US General that Pakistan was planning an army operation against terrorists in North Waziristan. "It is a figment of his imagination. No operation is being launched in North Waziristan. This is highly irresponsible on his part. This is unwarranted and I condemn it," Hussain said.

April 23

A tribesman was killed and two others wounded during a bomb blast at Kaniguram village in South Waziristan.

A few days after Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain declared him alive, the most wanted militant, Abdullah Mehsud, is reported to have released a leaflet containing his views on Jihad and urging fellow Muslims to take up arms before it is too late. The cyclostyled Urdu leaflet claims it is incumbent upon every Muslim to spread its message to other Muslims while another slogan asks Muslims to wage Jihad and 'don't miss the caravan'.

April 27

American instructors have been training Pakistan army commandos and helicopter pilots in night-vision flying and airborne assault tactics against al Qaeda operatives in North Waziristan, according to the US commander in Afghanistan. Lieutenant General David Barno said he visited the Special Services Group headquarters at Chirat on April 23 to attend graduation ceremony of two companies trained by Americans and watched a display by the units in their new Bell4 helicopters.

April 30

Unidentified gunmen killed a tribesman, Bismillah Wazir, at a bus stand in the Miranshah Bazaar of North Waziristan, suspecting him of spying on militants.

May 1

Unidentified assailants fired three rockets targeting a house in the Sirarogha area of South Waziristan. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

May 4

Islamist militants in Miranshah have reportedly ordered hotels and music shops to stop showing television and selling movies or face dire consequences. In a leaflet distributed overnight in Miranshah town and signed "from Al Qaeda group and Taliban group", militants gave businesses five days to stop showing movies and television. "Remember this is not an idle threat. Do not dismiss it. Also stop showing sexy movies or else there will be a strict punishment after five days," said the hand-written leaflet.

May 5

Authorities banned the display of weapons in North Waziristan while forming two committees to buy heavy weapons from the tribesmen. A spokesperson for the FATA Secretariat stated that after the ban on the display of firearms in North Waziristan Agency's main bazaars, the political administration had set up two committees to purchase heavy weapons from the tribesmen at market prices. "The public display of weapons in the agency's main bazaar's has been banned under a disarmament campaign in the tribal areas. Those violating the ban will be fined and their weapons will be confiscated," he said.

May 6

At least 10 video shops were damaged during a bomb explosion at a video market in Miranshah. However, no loss of life was reported. The explosion occurred in the wake of militants' warning five days back to the owners of music shops to stop the business of, what they called, obscene and vulgar cassettes and CDs or face dire consequences.

Thousands of tribesmen staged a rally in the Miranshah town against the hunt for al Qaeda-linked terrorists and burnt effigies of US President George W Bush. Witnesses said a large number of people, shouting 'Down with the United States', attended the rally organised by the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam demanding of the Government for end to 'illegal military operation'. Militants fired three missiles at two check posts of paramilitary forces near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, some 15 kilometers west of Miranshah. However, there were no reports of injuries or loss of life.

May 7

Four tribesmen were killed and one injured when a rocket they were trying to dismantle exploded in Wana.

Two people were reportedly killed when a bomb exploded in their car at Toorikhel in the Mirali sub-division of North Waziristan.

May 8

Three paramilitary checkpoints were attacked with missiles. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported. Two missiles landed near the Gushet checkpoint, while five missiles were fired on the Eidak Palaseen and Kajuri checkpoints.

May 15

While there has been no official confirmation, some American news reports have claimed that al Qaeda leader Haitham al-Yemeni was killed last week by a missile fired from an unmanned Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-operated drone in Toorikhel, a suburb of Mirali in North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan. "The Predator drone, operated from a secret base hundreds of miles from the target, located and fired on al-Yemeni late Saturday night ...", citing an unnamed U.S. official and two counterterrorism experts. However, Pakistan's Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, denying these reports said, "No such incident took place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border."

May 16

The Government announced that it will close Afghan refugee camps in North Waziristan on June 15, offering Afghan residents the choice of voluntary repatriation or relocation. Pakistan asked the UNHCR and Afghan Government to approach the World Food Programme in Afghanistan to provide food rations of additional three months as an incentive for the refugees to return from the NWFP and FATA, which include North Waziristan.

May 20

During his visit to South Waziristan, the Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain, claimed that at least 100 foreign terrorists, still hiding in Waziristan, were no longer able to plan and execute terrorist attacks. "We are hunting them. They cannot operate now," said Hussain.

Armed tribal Lashkar (a local tribal force) comprising around 2,000 men demolished the houses of two clerics, Maulana Muhammad Amin and Maulana Faqir Muhammad, in the Bajaur Agency area to punish them for allegedly harbouring foreign terrorists.

May 21

Five tribesmen were reportedly killed during an attack by US helicopters in the Lawara Mandai area of North Waziristan. Another 20 shells fired by the coalition forces from Paktika province in Afghanistan landed near Lawara Mandai, but did not cause any damage.

May 25

Six members of a family were killed and three others sustained injuries during a bomb explosion at their residence in the Bandkhel village of South Waziristan. Among those killed were a son, daughter, sister-in-law, nephew and two nieces of Abresham Khan Abdullai, whose son Sakhi Muhammad was close to Ahmad Shah, head of the Makeen Amn (Peace) Committee that has been fighting the tribal militants in the area.

Three persons were wounded and three shops were damaged during two bomb explosions near the border village of Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan.

May 28

Director General ISPR, Major General Shaukat Sultan, and General Officer Commanding and in-charge of Anti-Terrorist Operations, Major General Niaz Muhammad Khattak, stated that as many as 306 terrorists were killed while 700 arrested by the security forces in around 50 anti-terrorist operations carried out in North and South Waziristan. The slain terrorists included around 100 foreigners, while security forces suffered 250 casualties during these operations which were carried out from March 2004 till December 2004, they informed.

May 29

Former federal minister and Senator, Malik Faridullah Khan Wazir, was assassinated along with two other tribal elders by four suspected terrorists in the Jandola area of South Waziristan. Wazir was a leading pro-government tribal elder and had played a crucial role in opening up the former militants' stronghold of Shakai in South Waziristan and enabling the Pakistan Army and paramilitary FC to enter the area. Also killed were tribal elders Malik Aabil, who was driving the vehicle that was hit by a rocket fired by the attackers, and Malik Mirbaz alias Mirbachay.

May 30

Suspected al Qaeda-linked terrorists shot dead two tribesmen in the Mir Ali area for allegedly spying for the United States. Their mutilated bodies were found lying near a vehicle at Mir Ali, about 25 kilometers east of Miranshah.

June 1

Three suspected terrorists shot dead a tribal leader, Malik Sahkhi Marjan, at Alwara Mandi in North Waziristan.

June 2

Security agencies in North Waziristan arrested two local al Qaeda suspects from the Hasukhel area near Mir Ali town.

June 4

A bomb blast at a school at Spinkai in South Waziristan destroyed two rooms and made deep cracks in the building. However, no casualty was reported.

June 11

Two remote-controlled bombs were detonated in the Makeen area of South Waziristan but no casualties or damage were reported

Unidentified people attacked a tribesman's home in the same area with a bomb, wounding his two young children.

June 13

A bomb blast is reported to have damaged a Government-run embroidery centre at Sarwakai in South Waziristan. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

June 23

Four people were killed when unidentified assailants ambushed a truck near Sararogha in South Waziristan.

June 26

Suspected al Qaeda-linked militants have issued death threats to 28 tribal elders, prayer leaders and social workers accused of spying for the Government. Photocopies of a note handwritten in Pashtu were circulated at Mir Ali village in North Waziristan. It listed the names of 28 people and warns them 'to get ready to die'. Three of them have already survived attempts on their lives.

June 27

Electronic items worth millions of rupees were destroyed when a time bomb exploded at an electronics market in the Miranshah Bazaar of North Waziristan. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported. Two of the total 11 shops were completely destroyed.

July 2

Two persons were arrested along with a cache of rocket-propelled grenades, rockets and hand-grenades during a search and cordon operation in North Waziristan.

July 6

Six terrorists, including a foreigner, were arrested after an armed clash in which one soldier died and four others sustained injuries in the Meeradeen area of North Waziristan.

July 12

A bomb exploded at Rustam Bazaar in Wana damaging a music shop but injuring no one.

July 14

Military authorities have given a 24-hour deadline to the Utmanzai tribesmen in North Waziristan to expel foreign terrorists from their areas or face 'large scale' action.

US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan killed at least 24 terrorists and destroyed two vehicles in a missile attack in the Lawara Mandi area of North Waziristan.

July 16

18 people, including a soldier, were killed and four people sustained injuries at Waziri Kot near Miranshah in North Waziristan in an incident in which troops targeted a vehicle moving in a dry stream.

July 17

In South Waziristan, unidentified gunmen opened fire targeting a pro-Government tribal elder at Khaisor village. However, it missed the intended target and a passer-by was killed and another injured

July 18

Military spokesperson Major General Shaukat Sultan said that the seventeen militants killed at Waziri Kot near Miranshah in North Waziristan on July 16-night were all from Kazakhstan and included women and teenagers. "We now believe the entire group was from Kazakhstan," the military spokesperson said. He said authorities had recovered four passports and some documents and identity cards which indicated they were Kazakhs. The 17, including women and teenagers, were killed as they tried to break the siege and flee the compound in two vehicles after a shoot-out, Sultan stated.

July 19

Afghan refugees living in North Waziristan have been asked to leave the area in six weeks, said an official from the Afghan refugee directorate in Miranshah, "By September 7, all Afghans living in urban and rural clusters have to leave the North Waziristan Agency. The Afghan population living in the area has been informed about the decision through public announcements by local radio and by drum beating at other prominent places like markets," Akbar Ali Jan Wazir, Agency Administrator for Afghan refugees said from Miranshah. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 30,000 Afghans, primarily hailing from refugee camps, have been assisted by the agency, under their voluntary repatriation programme.

July 22

Unidentified gunmen assassinated nine tribesmen, including two leading pro-government tribal elders, in different parts of South Waziristan. Malik Mirza Alam Khan, a prominent Ahmadzai Wazir tribal elder, was shot dead along with his son, nephew and two brothers while he was on his way from his village Zha Ghundai to Wana. And in the Mehsud tribe's territory of Karwan Manza near Karama, another leading tribal elder, Malik Khandan Khan, was killed along with his young son Musa Khan and cousin Malik Mato Khan.

July 25

Two military officers were injured in a rocket attack and a bomb blast near the Afghan border in North Waziristan. An Army Major was wounded as terrorists fired more than 30 rockets on four different army locations near the Afghan border while another army officer sustained injuries when a remote-controlled bomb hit his patrol convoy.

July 26

Ahmed Shah Mehsud, a tribal elder who had assisted the Pakistan Army track terrorists, was shot at and wounded by terrorists in South Waziristan.

Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Safdar Hussain disclosed that approximately 70 to 80 foreign terrorists were still in North Waziristan. "Anti-Pakistan elements are indoctrinating young tribesmen in order to advance their ulterior motives. That is concerning and we won't allow such elements to succeed," he said. Hussain, who leads operations in South and North Waziristan, also informed "In more than a year, Pakistani soldiers physically covered an area of 38,000 square kilometers and took part in 53 operations, killing 342 terrorists including about 175 foreigners and arresting 774 others." He said 252 soldiers had also been killed while 550 had been injured.

July 27

Five rockets were fired at military camps in North Waziristan without causing any damage while a missile narrowly missed a Pakistan Army convoy near Mir Ali. While four rockets fell into a dry stream near the military camp in Miranshah, another landed near a military post in Loya. Official sources also confirmed that a 15-vehicle military convoy was attacked with a long range SAKR-20 missile near the Mir Ali town on the same day.

Tribal militant leader Baitullah Mehsud announced in South Waziristan that they would pursue Government targets afresh after accusing the military authorities of not abiding to a peace agreement. "The government has not kept the agreement with us. It is not holding anymore… They have violated the agreement by arresting our Mujahideen," he claimed. Mehsud claimed, "I will fight such a dangerous war against the government, which will not be ordinary."

July 28

A suspected terrorist was killed and three others, including a foreigner, were arrested after security forces raided a house near a Madrassa (seminary) at Miranshah. The deceased was later identified as Abdul Latif, hailing from Lakki Marwat. The troops neutralised a terrorist hideout functioning from a Madrassa, Shoaibul Uloom, and subsequently recovered rocket launchers, improvised explosive devices, detonators, booby traps and ammunition during a search of the compounds. The leader of the gang, Amir Hamza, and his four accomplices had been arrested a day earlier.

A militant 'commander' reportedly warned that the Mujahideen will wage a war against security forces in Waziristan if the Government does not stop killing and arresting militants. "The military is not keeping its words," Haji Muhammad Omar, 'commander' of the Mujahideen from Ahmadzai Wazir tribe in South Waziristan. He claimed that 'sector commanders' of the Mujahideen from South and North Waziristan had met last week at a secret location and decided to co-ordinate and launch simultaneous attacks on security forces if there was a further escalation in the situation. The 41-year-old Omar, who succeeded Nek Muhammad after he was killed during a missile attack in June 2004, said the Mujahideen resented the way the military rescinded from their promises and killed and harassed them.

August 2

At least four soldiers sustained injuries when a remote-controlled bomb hit their vehicle in the Naridog area, approximately 10 kilometers north of Miranshah.

The Peshawar Corps Commander, Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain, said that foreign suspects and their local collaborators shifted from South Waziristan to North Waziristan after a military operation was launched in 2004.

August 4

Five security force (SF) personnel, including an Army officer, died and two SF personnel sustained injuries in a bomb blast in the Ghalnamai area of North Waziristan. A military convoy was going to Lawara Mandai from a base camp in the Datakhel area when one of the vehicles was hit by an improvised explosive device in Ghalnamai, 40km west of Miranshah.

An unidentified man was killed in a blast on the Ghulam Khan road, 10 kilometers north of Miranshah, on August 3-night. Officials said that the man was planting a remote control device on the road when it exploded killing him on the spot.

August 6

Paramilitary troops while on a routine patrol near the North Waziristan town of Miranshah near the Afghanistan border were targeted, when a bomb planted under a small bridge exploded. There were no casualties, although the bridge was destroyed. Security force personnel arrested a man carrying two hand grenades near a cadet college in the town of Razmak in North Waziristan just before the arrival of provincial governor Khalilur Rehman for the parents' day ceremony held there.

Four persons are reported to have died when the vehicle of a tribal elder supporting the ongoing military operations against terrorists hit a landmine in the Taza Ghondai area of South Waziristan. Malik Hadeen, head of a committee aiding the military campaign, was returning home when the vehicle exploded after hitting a landmine 10km west of the Wana Bazaar.

A rocket is reported to have exploded in a field near an Independence Day celebration in South Waziristan without causing any loss of life or injuries.

Security agencies are reported to have neutralised a terrorist hideout established within the Madrassa Abu Shoaib near Miranshah. The troops launched an operation against the Madrassa and surrounding compounds, which was heavily contested and subsequently, a chief operative code named Malang was killed while seven terrorists, including one foreign national, were arrested.

Some damage was caused to shops in Miranshah night when two of the five rockets fired by unknown persons targeting military installations landed in the market place. The three other rockets also missed the target. No casualties were reported in the attack.

Pakistan Army troops raided the Zway Saidgai village near the border with Afghanistan in North Waziristan and searched six houses following intelligence reports about presence of foreign terrorists in the area. However, no terrorists were found in those houses but six rocket launcher shells were recovered during the raid.

Security forces seized weapons, wigs and women's outfits from a fake seminary near Miranshah.

Troops arrested seven suspected terrorists from Mera Din town in Shawal Valley while three others were detained in an area near the Afghan border. Suspected terrorists blew up a main telephone line affecting over 1,000 telephones in Wana.

A army tanker carrying water for the troops was blown up when it struck against a landmine near Maddakhel Serai.

A tribal force backed by the security agencies in North Waziristan is reported to have neutralised a terrorist hideout operated by a tribesman in violation of the agreement signed with the Government.

Two soldiers were killed and another sustained injuries when an army truck was blown up near Bori Saidgi in the Shawal area of North Waziristan.

A pro-government tribal elder, Mehboob, was shot dead by armed assailants at Spinkai Raghzai Bazaar in the Laddha area of South Waziristan.

Four soldiers were wounded during an attack on their convoy near Miranshah in North Waziristan.

Warnings were issued to three officers of the political administration in North Waziristan by an anonymous militant outfit indicating that they would be killed for supporting the US-backed war on terror and helping them in the arrest of Mujahideen.

Three officials of the political administration were reportedly shot dead and one Khasadar (a local force) and two other persons were wounded in Miranshah town. The incident occurred near the Razmak bus-stand when a patrol tried to disarm four armed tribesmen. In South Waziristan, unidentified assailants blew up a school building and a basic health unit in Wana. While no casualties were reported from the incident site, two persons were arrested in this connection.

Three soldiers were wounded when a military truck was hit by an explosive device in the Soor Bagh area of North Waziristan.

Terrorists are reported to have killed three people accused of being spies for the United States by slitting their throats. Their bodies were found in a drain in the town of Tappi, 16 kilometers east of Miranshah.

The terrorists left a note in Pashto language saying "anyone working as an American spy will meet the same fate," said an unnamed official. They have issued a 'hit list' of 28 local elders whom they called "government spies".

Security forces arrested 15 wanted terrorists, including nine foreign nationals, during a search operation at the Haqqani Madrassa located at Dande Darpakhel and two other places in North Waziristan. During two separate operations at Miranshah and Machikhel village, three suspects were arrested.

Security forces arrested 21 terrorists in a major military operation in North Waziristan.

Seven al Qaeda militants of Afghan origin were arrested and a huge cache of weapons was recovered from the "biggest Al Qaeda base in North Waziristan" at Miranshah. Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain said that the base, located inside a seminary and the nearby compound, was owned by Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of a former minister of the Taliban. Haqqani, however, managed to escape after a tip-off.

A suspected terrorist, identified as Yaqub, was killed in the Srarogha area of South Waziristan by a man who was blamed as a pro-government spy.

13 elders from the Machikhel sub-tribe of the Mahsud tribe were arrested when they came to Tank to meet Assistant Political Officer Anwarzeb. They had been reportedly invited for the meeting to discuss the case of the official vehicle that the militants had snatched ten days ago in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan.

Nine terrorists were reportedly arrested during cordon and search operations by the troops in the Dua Toi and Goor Waik areas of North Waziristan.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a 50-year-old schoolteacher, identified as Taj Ali, at Wana in South Waziristan. Ali was reportedly a teacher at a school for the children of security forces and Government officials.

A paramilitary fort was attacked by two missiles in North Waziristan. The attack, however, did not cause any casualty.

Two persons were wounded when supporters of two tribal militants clashed at Jandola in South Waziristan. The clashes occurred when armed men of the wanted militant commander Abdullah Mehsud abducted two supporters of his former comrade Baitullah Mehsud.

A soldier and a tribal elder were killed and eight people sustained injuries in two separate bomb blasts in the remote Shakai valley in South Waziristan.

Security forces arrested four suspected terrorists from Wana in South Waziristan.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized from Landhi Noor.

September 22

Security forces arrested 10 suspects, including few foreigners, during a search operation in the Datakhel area of North Waziristan. The operation was conducted in three areas near the Afghan border - Madakhel, Maizer and Manzerkhel, about 45 km west of Miranshah.

The troops recovered 600 rounds of anti-aircraft guns from a house and other ammunition from a vehicle in the Madakhel area.

September 23

Authorities in North Waziristan are reported to have arrested 20 tribesmen following attacks on troops in their area.

Those arrested include 14 men from the Hamzoni tribe inhabiting the Dattakhel area and six from the Torikhel Wazir tribe. In Miranshah, 14 tribesmen from the Hamzoni tribe were detained following the attack on a military convoy on September 22 in which one soldier was wounded.

September 25

Six improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were defused near Miranshah in North Waziristan Official sources said the IEDs linked to remote control system were found wrapped in a rope near Chashma Bridge, three kilometres from Miranshah, on the busy Miranshah-Bannu road.

September 28

Security forces arrested five suspected terrorists during two search operations near Mir Ali in North Waziristan and recovered an unspecified quantity of rockets, rocket-launchers and ammunition.

Paramilitary forces are reported to have foiled a terrorism bid by defusing three missiles in North Waziristan.

September 29

Unidentified gunmen ambushed a police vehicle in Wana killing four police personnel and a civilian. The victims were bringing money to pay the salaries of the local tribal police force from a bank in the neighbouring town of Tank when their vehicle came under attack.

At least 40 terrorists and five soldiers were killed in clashes between security forces and the former in the Khatey Kali area of North Waziristan.

September 30

Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao disclosed the deaths of 11 soldiers during two days of fighting in North Waziristan even as helicopter gun-ships continued to bomb villages to flush out terrorists who have been offering stiff resistance to the troops. In an interview to BBC Urdu service, Sherpao said six soldiers were killed on September 29 while another five, including an Army Major, died the following day. The minister estimated that 25 to 30 terrorists were also killed in the fighting.

Two civilians were killed during an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in the Mirali area.

October 2

Three soldiers are reported to have died and six others sustained injuries in separate rocket attacks on military posts in North Waziristan. Unidentified terrorists fired at least 40 rockets from different locations on a military post near Ghulam Khan check-post near the Afghan border killing two soldiers and injuring four others. Terrorists also fired five rockets on a paramilitary camp in the Mirali area killing one soldier and wounding two others.

A missile attack was reported from the Spin Wam area, although it caused no damage.

Two suspected terrorists were shot dead and two others were arrested, one of them in wounded condition, when troops opened fire on a bus at Eisha check-post in North Waziristan.

Unidentified terrorists shot dead Najmuddin Khan, the son of a pro-government tribal elder Khadeen Wazir, near Zha Gundai in South Waziristan. One of Khan's associates, Aslam Noor, was wounded in the attack.

October 3

Security forces killed six terrorists in an encounter that ensued after a group of at least 30 terrorists attacked a military post at Zara Mela in North Waziristan.

October 4

Unidentified terrorists are reported to have fired at least eight rockets targeting a paramilitary recruitment centre in the Mirali town of North Waziristan. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported from the incident site.

Unidentified gunmen are reported to have abducted and subsequently shot dead Mohammad Alam, a pro-government tribal leader, near Sararogha village in South Waziristan.

October 6

Three members of a family were killed and two others sustained injuries in an exchange of rocket fire between militants and security forces in the Datakhel area of North Waziristan. Two other members of the family, including a five-year-old boy, received injuries.

October 9

Unconfirmed reports have indicated that three soldiers were killed when a military vehicle ran over a landmine near Miranshah.

Three paramilitary troops and two terrorists were killed while one person was arrested after an exchange of fire in the Shawal area of North Waziristan. Terrorists are reported to have attacked a paramilitary post at Zoi Saidgei, killing three soldiers and in the retaliatory firing by security forces, two terrorists were killed.

One person was killed and four others wounded during a bomb blast in a vehicle in the Angor Adda area of South Waziristan.

Security forces killed six suspected terrorists and arrested two others in the Laddha sub-division of South Waziristan. Officials said that all the dead and one of the arrested persons were foreigners and belonged to Uzbekistan.

A pro-government tribal chief who had been abducted by suspected militants from Wana in South Waziristan was reportedly found dead. Officials said that the body of the chief of the Dotani tribe, Malik Mashad Khan, was found near the Wana bypass.

October 23

Unidentified terrorists are reported to have shot at three off-duty Pakistani soldiers at Mir Ali in North Waziristan killing one of them and injuring the others.

October 24

A soldier was killed and 11 others sustained injuries when a bomb blast hit their truck near Laddah fort, 40 kilometers northeast of South Waziristan's main town of Wana.

Troops are reported to have arrested an Afghan refugee on suspicion of planning to attack Madrassas at Miranshah.

October27

A soldier is reported to have died and 11 others injured after a bomb blast targeted a military vehicle near Kot Langarkhel village in South Waziristan. Three tribesmen were subsequently arrested in this connection.

November 5

Six foreign al Qaeda suspects, including a woman, were killed when a bomb they were making exploded near Miranshah.

November 9

Afghan and US forces have arrested a suspected suicide bomber who is allegedly from the neighbouring tribal region of Waziristan in Pakistan, "In a joint operation on Tuesday we arrested a Pakistani national who was attempting to carry out a suicide attack in Khost city," said Abdul Ghafar, top intelligence official in the eastern province of Khost. He added that the suspect was also connected to an incident last month in Khost when security forces seized an empty car filled with explosives that they said was to be used in an attack.

November 11

A pro-government tribal leader, Allah Khan alias Allahgai, was reportedly shot dead by militants in his village Oucha Khwara near Wana in South Waziristan. Khan was reportedly the 74th pro-government tribal elder to be killed in South Waziristan.

A Captain and a soldier of the Pakistan Army were wounded in an improvised explosive device explosion in the Landi Noor area of South Waziristan. Two suspects, Ziauddin and Firullah, were arrested near the site of the explosion and two Kalashnikov rifles and some hand grenades were recovered from their possession.

November 21

Five soldiers of the FC (FC) are reported to have been wounded when three bombs exploded in the Mirali Bazaar of North Waziristan. An official said that the first remote-controlled bomb exploded at 8.45am near the FC checkpoint along the Khaisaro Road in Mirali. The second device exploded at the Mirali Chowk without causing any casualty. The third bomb planted near a petrol pump exploded at approximately 11am injuring the five FC personnel.

November 28

Tribal clerics handed over 35 suspected militants to the political authorities in North Waziristan after signing a peace agreement in Miranshah. The agreement was signed by a group of tribal Ulema (religious scholars), including Maulana Abdur Rehman, former parliamentarian Maulana Deendar and Senator Mateen Shah. The suspects are wanted in connection with militant activities in and around North Waziristan. Under the agreement, the tribal group has promised not to harbour foreign militants and agreed to take action against those involved in anti-state activities.

November 29

Two soldiers were injured in a bomb blast near an army outpost in the Hamrang area of South Waziristan. Subsequently, the troops launched search operations and arrested three suspects.

November 30

Three foreign terrorists of Middle Eastern origin were among five people killed when a fortified house came under a missile attack at Asoray village in the Mirali sub-division of North Waziristan. Another foreigner was wounded in the attack.

December 2

Armed men abducted Ikramullah, an official of the Tribal Electricity Supply Company, and his two bodyguards from Mirali in North Waziristan.

A senior al Qaeda 'commander' was reportedly killed in the December 1-missile attack at a house in North Waziristan. The sources said that 'operational commander' Hamza Rabia, believed to be of Syrian origin, was among the five persons killed in the missile attack on a mud-house in Asoray village, to the east of Miranshah.

December 3

Electricity supply to the Mirali town and adjoining villages in North Waziristan was disrupted when rockets fired by unidentified people hit a pole.

December 4

An unidentified terrorist was killed and another arrested after they shot dead an Army soldier in the Shakai area of South Waziristan.

An explosive device planted in mud being used for construction of additional rooms in a Government school in Hormuz village exploded injuring one person.

December 5

Five masked men abducted a local journalist from Mirali Bazaar in North Waziristan. Hayatullah Khan, a correspondent for an Islamabad newspaper and contributor to a German wire service, had left his home to report on a demonstration by college students near Mirali town against the November 30-missile attack on a house in Asoray village, in which five people were killed.

December 6

Four soldiers, Umar Khattak, Akhtar Zaman Bhittani, Shahzad Mahsud and Mahtab Mahsud, were abducted from Wana.

A bomb blast on December 6-night caused slight damage to a private school in Karikot near Wana.

December 6-7

At least 17 persons were killed in clashes involving local Taliban cadre and bandits in North Waziristan. North Waziristan Political Agent, Syed Zaheerul Islam, said 17 people were killed and four injured in fighting that began on December 6-evening and continued the whole night and the next day. He informed that four of the dead were Taliban cadres and 13 were bandits. He said eight houses, including those used by bandits for gambling and other activity, were destroyed and set ablaze by Taliban and their supporters. Neither the political administration nor the Pakistan Army, deployed in North Waziristan, reportedly intervened to stop the clashes or arrest the people involved in these clashes. The bandits' bodies were later tied to trees near the Eidgah and allegedly mutilated.

In Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan, locals discovered and subsequently handed over to the authorities bodies of two Frontier Corps personnel who along with two other soldiers were abducted from the Wana Bazaar. The deceased soldiers were identified as Omar Ali Khattak and Akhtar Zaman Bhittani while the fate of their colleagues was unknown.

Taliban cadres killed two people, allegedly extortionists, and hung their decapitated bodies upside down on pylons in North Waziristan. The victims, both Afghan refugees, were members of the so-called Hakim group that had reportedly attacked the Taliban. The attack led to reprisals and clashes that have so far claimed 21 lives.

December 8

At least 12 people were killed and 50 others sustained injuries in a powerful bomb explosion at Jandola Bazaar in the Tank area of South Waziristan. The death toll in the December 7 clashes between Taliban cadres and bandits rose to 21 as militants continued to target members of a group that locals said was involved in extortion. A bomb exploded at a private school that a tribal journalist is running in the Kalikot area of South Waziristan. Journalist Dilawar Khan, who is working for BBC World Service and Dawn, told Daily Times that the private school his family was running was the target of the explosion. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

December9

The brother of Hayatullah, a journalist who was abducted last week, said that the Taliban had written to him denying that they were behind the abduction. He said the whereabouts of Hayatullah remained unknown. There are now suspicions that Hayatullah might have been picked up by some intelligence agency for taking pictures of the pieces of missiles that reportedly killed Hamza Rabia of the al Qaeda. The pictures showed US marking on missile pieces.

December 11

Four tribes have signed an unconditional agreement with the political administration not to harbour foreigners and pledged full cooperation in maintaining law and order in South Waziristan. The Ditta Khel, Deerhati Khel, Dil Khel and Peerian Degal tribes signed the agreement with Political Agent, Syed Zaheer-al-Islam, in Miranshah. The political administration also issued notices for the arrest of 66 wanted people and ordered all Afghan refugees to leave the area within 24 hours.

December 12

Militants have begun to open recruiting offices in North and South Waziristan to recruit fighters against the Pakistan Army and US forces in Afghanistan. The Christian Science Monitor reported from Islamabad that videos released by the militants, and sold in local shops as part of their recruitment drive, show militants training openly. The militants have also reportedly held public gatherings, the most recent in October 2006 to mark the year anniversary since the Pakistan military bombed a militant camp in Dela Khula, killing 40 of their comrades.

December 16

An Army soldier was wounded in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device that targeted a military vehicle in the Shakai area of South Waziristan. Military sources added that another roadside bomb in Shakai was found and defused on the road.

A tribal journalist's family escaped unhurt after his house was attacked with bombs that damaged a wall of the journalist's house in South Waziristan. Dilawar Khan Wazir, a Wana-based tribal journalist working with BBC World Service, said that he was the target of the explosion. "It is no longer safe to live in Waziristan as journalist and I have made up my mind to migrate to a safer place somewhere in Pakistan," he said.

December 21

Three men sitting in a barber's shop in Wana were killed when four unidentified assailants indiscriminately fired at them. The deceased included an unidentified Afghan refugee and two local tribesmen, identified as Ishaq Wazir and Allah Noor Wazir. Terrorists are reported to have issued a warning to all barbers' shops to stop shaving beards.

A representative of the students said five bandits and two students were killed in the remote Shawal area after the raids on several fortress-like homes.

December 22

Seven people were killed in a gunfight in North Waziristan, as seminary students, calling themselves the Taliban, raided homes searching for rivals, residents and a representative of the students said. Two bullet-riddled bodies were found in a stream on the outskirts of Miranshah. More than 30 people have died in December alone during clashes between the students and rivals they have branded bandits.

December 23

Three soldiers were wounded in a landmine blast on a road leading to the border town of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan. Troops laid siege to the area after the explosion and arrested 12 suspects

December 24

A nephew of a pro-government tribal elder, Ahmad Shah Mahsud, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at a market in the Tank area of South Waziristan.

December 26

Three Government officials of Wana escaped unhurt when an improvised explosive device went off on a road they were using to reach Dera Ismail Khan city in the North West Frontier Province.

Three soldiers were wounded when a land mine exploded in South Waziristan.

December 27

A soldier sustained injuries in a land mine explosion while he was walking to a nearby post west of Wana. Six local tribesmen and an Afghan were arrested in this connection.

December 28

A paramilitary solider was shot dead by suspected terrorists in the Mirali town of North Waziristan.

Authorities raided a house in Baroman village near Miranshah and arrested two 'spies' accused of taking money from 'enemies of Pakistan' and paying the local tribesmen to plant bombs in North Waziristan.

In South Waziristan, an explosion near a checkpoint in Azam Warsak failed to hit its target.

December 29

Authorities found the body of a local tribesman with his throat cut in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan. A note left nearby said that the man was killed for being an American spy.