FATA Timeline - Year 2006

January 3

Suspected militants bombed a security check-post in the Ladah sub-division and a girls' school at Sher Muhammad Kot in South Waziristan but there was no loss of life. Both incidents occurred in the Sararogha area where the tribal militant Baitullah Mehsud is dominant.

January 5

Unidentified gunmen are reported to have killed eight tribesmen, including seven of a family, in two separate incidents in South Waziristan. Seven men of the Karikhel sub-tribe were shot dead near a paramilitary force base in Wana. Seventy-year-old Abdullah Jan along with three sons and three grandsons were killed when attackers from another vehicle shot at their car. Separately, in the Karama area, assailants killed a tribesman near his residence.

January 7

Terrorists armed with heavy weapons attacked a new Frontier Corps (FC) checkpoint on Khasokhel bridge near Mir Ali, the main town in North Waziristan, killing eight FC personnel. Six soldiers were reported missing. Maj. Gen. Muhammad Akram Sahi, Operations Commander in North Waziristan, is reported to have given the tribal elders in Miranshah a 24-hour ultimatum to hand over the suspected Taliban who attacked the checkpoint.

Hours after the attack, aircraft attacked pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Noor Muhammad's house in Saidgai village, three kilometers from the Afghan border, killing eight tribesmen and injuring 19 others. All those killed in the attack were members of Mohammad's family.

In the Ladah sub-division of South Waziristan, unidentified gunmen shot dead a pro-government tribal leader, Malik Essa Khan, his brother, cousin, a young child and another occupant of the vehicle they were traveling in from Tank to Kotkai.

A six-year-old Afghan refugee died in a bomb explosion at Wana in which another eight-year-old child was wounded.

Security forces raided Mosaki village, 29 kilometers east of Miranshah, to target suspected terrorists, but there was no reports of casualties. Residents said they believed a gunship helicopter had attacked the house of a religious scholar, who supports the Taliban.

January 8

Military authorities gave a one-week deadline to the Utmanzai tribe in North Waziristan to hand over the accused involved in the killing of paramilitary troops a day earlier. "The tribe should fulfill its legal responsibilities and surrender the culprits within a week, otherwise security forces will use full-scale force," Major-Gen Akram Sahi told leaders of the Utmanzai tribe in Miranshah.

A Jirga (tribal council) held in the Eisokhel village of Mirali, unanimously demanded of the Government to remove security forces from the area. However, commanding officer of the army, Major-Gen Akram Sahi, while rejecting the demand said that paramilitary forces would reconstruct the check-post and warned that the army would use full force, if troops came under attack in the area in future.

January 9

Three paramilitary soldiers were wounded in a pre-dawn attack on a checkpoint near Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan. The political administration and security forces launched a joint search operation hours after the rocket attack, a military spokesman said. Local residents said that helicopter gun-ships carried out two sorties to bomb suspected militant hideouts in Musaki village. However, there were no reports of any civilian casualties or terrorists killed in the air raids.

The Khasokhel tribe handed over 10 members to the Government as guarantee for holding negotiations with the latter after the festival of Eidul Azha to identify and hand over the men responsible for the January 7-attack in which eight soldiers were killed.

US authorities denied their troops were involved in the raid at Mosaki village, 29 kilometers east of Miranshah, to target suspected terrorists, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a briefing, adding that authorities were investigating reports that a foreign helicopter had landed on the Pakistani side.

January 10

Seven soldiers and 14 suspected terrorists were killed following an attack on a FC outpost in North Waziristan in the early hours. Official and tribal sources confirmed that the Sarbanki post located three kilometers southeast of Miranshah was attacked with rockets at 3 am. According to officials, troops returned fire with heavy weapons until 5 am and targeted the area from where the rockets were fired.

January 11

Unidentified armed men attacked a FC check-post in North Waziristan with sophisticated weapons. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

January 14

Unidentified assailants fired several rockets at a military post in Sarbandki village in North Waziristan, sparking a gun-battle between the two sides in which at least one person was killed and three children injured.

Militants attacked a paramilitary check-post at Amin near Miranshah with five rockets. However, no casualty was reported.

About five rockets exploded in the border town of Lawara Mandi, which faces Afghanistan's Paktika province. No loss of life or injuries was reported.

January 15

Four people, including a woman and a child, were injured when security forces (SFs) opened fire on tribesmen in the Kushali Turikhel area of North Waziristan. They said that local residents came under attack when they were collecting usable articles from the rubble of their houses demolished by the army and paramilitary forces. The troops had earlier demolished the houses of eight tribesmen in the region under the collective responsibility act of the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

January 19

Three of the foreign terrorists killed in the January 13 air strikes in the Bajaur Agency have been identified, ABC News said. One of the dead was said to be 52-year-old Midhat Mursi, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, a top Al Qaeda bomb maker with a five million dollar reward on his head. Another was reported to be Abu Obaidah al-Masri, Al Qaeda's chief of operations for the eastern Afghan province of Kunar and the third was Abdur Rehman al-Maghribi, the Moroccan son-in-law of Osama Bin Laden's top lieutenant Ayman Al-Zawahri and the head of Al Qaeda's media operations. The fourth has not been identified but reports said that he may have been an Egyptian national named Mustafa Usman. A Pakistani intelligence official said that Khalid Habib, head of Al Qaeda's operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, may have also have been among the dead.

Unidentified men fired rockets at a Tochi Scouts camp in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, but no casualties were reported

January 30

Two FC personnel were killed and 11 of their colleagues were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) blast blew up a SF vehicle they were traveling at Mubarik Shahi village near Miranshah. While one FC personnel was killed on the spot, the other succumbed to his injuries later. Four persons have been arrested from the nearby village soon after the incident.

January 31

SFs launched a search operation in North Waziristan and arrested two suspected terrorists from the Mir Ali area.

In Wana, seven rockets were fired at a checkpoint at Shahalam where SFs arrested a Turkish Al Qaeda suspect three days ago.

February 1

The site of the Gomal Zam dam in South Waziristan was attacked with more than 10 rockets although no loss to life was reported.Official sources said the rockets targeted the posts set up by the paramilitary FC and the largely untrained Khassadar Force at the site of the under-construction dam.

Eight rockets were fired targeting the Shalam check-post manned by the Pakistan Army and FC on the Wana-Angoor Adda road in South Waziristan. But no loss to life or property was reported.

Unidentified assailants attacked a military check-post at Kanja Thakri in the Mahsud tribal area in South Waziristan with four rockets

February 4

Three paramilitary soldiers were killed and another sustained injuries when suspected terrorists detonated an explosive device at Zarmilan in South Waziristan.

The roadside device exploded as a convoy of the FC was returning to Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan. Troops seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition from a truck heading to Datakhel near Miranshah. The seizure included rockets, heavy guns, shells and landmines.

February 5

An explosion targeted a vehicle supplying water to the Pakistan Army and FC personnel in the Tanai area of South Waziristan and injured its driver. Tribal sources said the vehicle was on its way from the Tanai area to Gulkach when it was attacked. The political administration subsequently arrested seven tribesmen living in the area under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

Unidentified persons fired four rockets targeting a military outpost at Asman Panga in the Shakai area of South Waziristan. However, no loss to life or property was reported.

February 6

A military truck hit a landmine near the last Pakistani border town of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan injuring two soldiers. The soldiers were riding on a water tanker traveling to a stream to fetch water for their base when the landmine exploded near the Afghan border.

February 7

A bomb planted outside the boundary wall of the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Wana exploded causing minor damages.

In another incident in Wana, two hand grenades were lobbed into the privately owned Ajmal Hospital. No loss of life or injuries was reported.

February 8

A headless body was found, along with a message saying that spying for America and Pakistan "will result in this". The body of Kismat Khan was found in Dabkot, near Azam Warsak Road, and a letter in Pushto was also left with his body saying his death was "justified." The letter read: "This man was a spy and he was passing information to Pakistani and American intelligence networks."

Terrorists fired eight rockets on a paramilitary force-manned checkpoint north of Wana in South Waziristan. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

February 11

Two women were killed and four children injured by suspected US mortar fire in a village in North Waziristan.

Suspected terrorists fired three rockets at a military post near Wana in South Waziristan, but no one was hurt.

February 13

A rocket partially damaged the residence of a Government official and the wall of a mosque in the FC Camp in Wana. No loss of life or injuries was reported.

February 15

Security forces arrested two Uzbek militants at the Khajuri check-post near Mirali in North Waziristan. They were identified as Mohammad Aziz and Mahmood, believed to be affiliated with Qari Yaldashev's Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. An unnamed official said the troops detained the duo from a passenger coach at Khajuri check-post.

February 17

At least six soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a landmine at Tanai near Wana.

Another landmine explosion damaged an army vehicle near the border town of Angoor Ada. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

Security forces are reported to have recovered heavy arms, ammunition and explosives, most of them foreign made, from the Paya area near Dara Adam Khel in the NWFP. The Inter-Services Public Relations said in a press release that terrorists were planning to transport the weapons to North Waziristan. The seizure included some rocket launchers, 122 mortar bombs, 37 rockets, fuses and cartridges.

February 19

Three FC personnel attached to the Mahsud Scouts went missing. An official said the three had gone to the FC Fort in Tiarza from their outpost in Khat Ghunday but were now untraceable.

An IED exploded near Angoor Adda, the Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan in South Waziristan, without causing any damage.

Two remote-controlled explosions caused by IEDs targeted a Pakistan Army convoy between Ghariwam and Dossali on the Razmak-Bannu road. The blasts partially damaged two military vehicles but no soldier was wounded.

February 20

Two Uzbeks and a local tribesman were killed during a clash involving foreign terrorists and local tribesmen at Eisokhel village in North Waziristan. The clash occurred when two Uzbek terrorists shot dead a local tribesman, identified as Shanzeb Khan. Following the killing, Khan's nephew Mohammad Hanif opened fire on their rivals, killing one of them on the spot. Villagers of Eisokhel laid a cordon around the fleeing terrorist and subsequently killed him after a brief encounter.

A fort used by the FC at Kajhorai in North Waziristan came under rocket attack. Official sources said that unidentified assailants fired four rockets from the nearby mountains of Baka Khel area. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

Two soldiers were injured when they stepped on a landmine at Dray Nishtar in the Shakai area off South Waziristan.

February 21

Terrorists are reported to have shot dead two civilians, Badshah Khan and his brother Rasul Khan, in the border village of Angoor Adda in South Waziristan. Villagers said militants operating in the area suspected the brothers of spying for the US and the Afghan Government. They said the two men frequently travelled across the border to Afghanistan.

Three rooms and boundary wall of the Government Primary School in Panjgoona village near Angoor Adda were destroyed in a bomb blast. The school is located on the premises owned by a local cleric, Maulana Shakirullah. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

February 22

A pro-government tribal chief was killed in an ambush in Wana. Eyewitnesses said that gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in the main Wana bazaar, carrying Malik Arsallah Khan, chief of the Khuniakhel Wazir tribe, and some of his family members. Malik Arsallah died on the spot while three of his relatives were injured.

February 23

The NWFP Governor, Khalil-ur-Rehman, claimed in Miranshah on that the Government has suspended operations in North Waziristan because it believes that tribesmen are able to restore peace and normalcy through their own customs and traditions.

February 26

Suspected terrorists are reported to have shot dead two police personnel and injured two others in an attack on a police patrol in the Tank district of North Waziristan.

March 1

SFs are reported to have killed at least 41 foreign terrorists, including their Chechen 'commander', in a raid carried out by gunship helicopters on their hideout at Danday Saidgai village in North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan. Four Pakistani tribesmen and a soldier were also killed and an unspecified number of them were injured in the raid and subsequent exchange of fire between the two sides. An unnamed senior military officer said the slain Chechen 'commander' was named Asad. The officer denied reports that Tahir Yuldashev, chief of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, was the prime target in the raid.

The raid on Danday Saidgai reportedly led to protests in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan, and triggered violence. Eyewitnesses said pro-Taliban tribesmen responded to a call for Jihad by Maulana Abdul Khaliq, head of the Gulshan-i-Ilm Madrassa (seminary) in Miranshah, and began firing rockets and R/R guns at the FC Fort and other military installations. Military sources said the troops returned fire and used artillery guns and other heavy weapons to fire in the direction from where they were attacked. Homes in Hamzoni, Palangzai, Darpakhel, Saidgai and Miranshah were consequently damaged. The cross-firing also caused injuries to a number of civilians, including at least four women. One woman was reported killed in Palangzai village.

March 2

Taliban operatives are reported to have taken over Government buildings in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan, occupied the area's telephone exchange and patrolled the streets. Eyewitnesses and Government officials said that after the March 1 gun-battle between SFs and Taliban, a large number of families started moving to safer places. Sources said that Taliban operatives had taken over the telephone exchange in Miranshah. The exchange had already been shut down by the military to disrupt communication between terrorists. The Taliban also reportedly took over the irrigation department building, snatched Government vehicles and occupied rooftops of buildings near the main market. Political authorities pulled out paramilitary troops from the main bazaar as the Taliban took positions at key points in the town.

March 4

More than 100 terrorists were reportedly killed in two separate operations by SFs at Miranshah and Mir Ali in North Waziristan. Three SF personnel died while nine others were wounded in the operation. The main army base at Miranshah came under heavy rocket fire from terrorists, who also occupied the main Miranshah Bazaar, various Government offices and the telephone exchange. SFs retaliated with helicopter gun ships and heavy artillery fire. It confirmed that at least 85 terrorists had died in the operation.

Unidentified men ambushed a SF convoy in Mir Ali, killing two soldiers and injuring seven others. The troops killed 25 terrorists in retaliation.

March 6

At least 19 terrorists are reported to have died in clashes with the army in Miranshah. US-built Cobra gun-ships opened fire on a hamlet near Miranshah after rockets were fired at army positions, while troops seized control of the main bazaar and key Government buildings. Military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said, "As a result of an exchange of fire, some 19 militants including some foreigners were killed." Officials said two local clerics, Maulvi Abdul Khaleq and Maulvi Sadiq Noor, were leading the uprising.

Curfew was imposed in Miranshah to restore law and order after several days of clashes between the army and terrorists.

March 7

The Political Agent in North Waziristan, Syed Zaheerul Islam, survived an assassination attempt, when his vehicle was attacked near Mirali. However, one of his guards was killed while another sustained injuries in the attack.

Security forces destroyed a school run by a wanted cleric in Miranshah. A building housing Maulvi Abdul Khaliq's Darul Uloom Faredia Gulshan-i-Ilum was destroyed in an attack by a Cobra helicopter gunship. Officials said that Maulvi Khaliq had been using the religious school as a meeting place for militants in the area.

March 8

Security forces expanded their operations to other areas of Miranshah and blew up terrorist hide-outs in the Datakhel area of North Waziristan. Official sources said troops had blown up hide-outs at Datakhel and also demolished the religious school of Maulvi Abdul Khaliq in the same area.

March 10

Pakistan Army artillery shelled Khattay Killay village, 10 kilometers from Miranshah in North Waziristan and gunship helicopters targeted terrorists' positions following reports that two of the most wanted clerics, Maulvi Sadiq Noor and Maulvi Abdul Khaliq, and their supporters were hiding there. Military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, claimed 25 terrorists were killed in the attack.

Unidentified persons killed three men accused of spying for the US or Pakistan Government in different parts of South Waziristan recently. One Nawaz Khan was shot dead in Tabba Takka village on March 8 and his body was thrown in a deserted area. A note pinned to his body said all those spying for the Americans would meet the same fate. In Ouspas village, one Syed Ahmad Shah, son of pro-government tribal elder Muneem Khan, was killed. A pamphlet distributed in parts of South Waziristan also explained the reasons for the murder of one Lal Khan, whose body was found in Jandola a few days ago.

Tribal clerics announced the enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law) in South Waziristan, saying that feuds and tribal enmities would now be resolved through Islamic laws instead of the tribal Jirga (council). Eyewitnesses and tribal elders said that the announcement was made during Friday prayer sermons in Wana and other towns of South Waziristan. "We are glad to announce that an Islamic judge will decide cases from now on and not the jirga," a cleric in Wana was quoted as announcing.

March 11

At least 15 bodies were recovered from Khattay Killay, 10 kilometers off Miranshah, as calm prevailed in the area shelled by the Pakistan Army on March 10-night. Political authorities claimed that 28 terrorists, including five foreigners, were killed in the operation wherein artillery and helicopter gun-ships were used against terrorists' positions.

Unidentified men destroyed three check posts of the security forces in the Sarokai area of South Waziristan. The Taray Sawar, Torwam and Arokandsar posts were destroyed by explosive material planted by unidentified men. However, no loss of life was reported.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao told the National Assembly that the unrest in Miranshah had spread to surrounding districts. "These miscreants were continuously challenging the writ of the government, which forced us to take action," Sherpao said. He said the situation had affected the areas of Tank and Mir Ali, where local Taliban had forced the closure of video shops and were asking people not to shave. At least 120 soldiers and supporters of the Government have been killed in North Waziristan since March 1, NNI quoted the minister as saying.

March 12

Security agencies recovered the dead body of a young man accused of spying for the US on the Mir Ali-Miranshah road in North Waziristan. The deceased was later identified as Hafiz Jamil, belonging to Anghar village in the Miranshah area. A note kept near the body said the deceased was a spy for the US and warned that all those spying for the Americans would meet the same fate. The note was from the "Mujahideen of Waziristan."

The body of another man suspected of links with Afghan forces was found in the Madakhel village near Miranshah.

March 13

Authorities in North Waziristan said that thousands of Afghans thought to be living there must leave and return home. North Waziristan Political Agent Zaheerul Islam said Afghans had been given deadlines to leave two or three times during 2005 but had not done so. "Now they are not Afghan refugees but foreigners and must leave North Waziristan immediately. Severe action will be taken if they don't do so," he said, without elaborating.

Authorities reportedly arrested eight suspected terrorists in and around Miranshah.

March 15

SFs arrested three suspected terrorists and seized three AK-47 assault rifles and eight hand grenades at a roadblock near Wana.

Two Pakistani engineers, Hamidullah and Surat Khan, and their driver were abducted from Bannu, 50 kilometers east of Miranshah, Radio Tehran said.

March 16

Suspected terrorists reportedly fired three rockets at a security post in the Khamrang area of South Waziristan without causing any damage.

A spokesman for the NWFP Governor's FATA Secretariat denied that local Taliban had been allowed to open offices in Wana to enforce Islamic law in South Waziristan. "No office has been opened or is in the process of opening in Wana under the auspices of seminary students or so-called Taliban," he said.

March 17

Two paramilitary personnel, identified as Mohammad Shoaib Afridi and Alikhel Afridi, were wounded when two forts came under rocket attack in the Mirali subdivision of North Waziristan.

More than two dozen rockets were fired on the forts in Speenwam and Shawa. Terrorists fired rockets at the military's Mana Camp in North Waziristan's Shawal valley without causing any damage.

March 18

Suspected terrorists reportedly fired rockets at army installations in Miranshah, but no casualties were reported. Eight rockets were fired at security check posts, two of which landed in a grid station, two in a stadium and the rest around the army fort.

March 19

Two soldiers were killed when a grenade exploded at a roadside military post near Miranshah in North Waziristan.

Reports from Tank added that suspected terrorists attempted to set ablaze a police check-post at Kowar on the Tank-Jandola road and partially damaged it.

March 20

Unidentified persons blew up the transmission tower of Radio Pakistan at Wana with explosives.

Three Pakistan Army soldiers, including two officers, were wounded in a landmine explosion at Mir Ali. Tribal sources said the explosion caused by an improvised explosives device targeted a military convoy using the main Miranshah-Mir Ali-Bannu road.

In Mir Ali, North Waziristan's second major town after Miranshah, the FC post in Government High School at Mir Ali Bazaar was attacked. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported

March 21

Two personnel of the paramilitary FC were wounded when suspected terrorists attacked their post near Razmak in North Waziristan.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad that foreign terrorists hiding in Waziristan would not be given amnesty "because the deadline has now expired". "All camps of Afghan refugees in the tribal areas have been closed. The process of their repatriation has also been accelerated," he disclosed.

March 22

A pro-government cleric was killed by gunmen in the Laddah subdivision of South Waziristan. Witnesses told that the car of Maulana Sibghatullah was ambushed at Laddah, about 70 km south of Wana. The masked attackers killed Maulana Sibghatullah and also abducted three other people who were in the car. Sibghatullah had been associated with the Taliban in the past before entering into an agreement with the Government.

The telephone exchange at Shakai in South Waziristan was blown up at around midnight cutting off telephone links with the rest of the country. No one was injured in the blast.

March 23

Terrorists attacked a SFs post in the Shakai Valley. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

Planes dropped leaflets in both South Waziristan and North Waziristan on the occasion of Pakistan Day to urge the tribesmen to beware of foreigners and their local supporters who had allied themselves with the "Yahood Aur Hanood" (Jews and Hindus. The leaflets, in Urdu and Pashto with the title "warning", was produced and dropped by the Pakistan Army. The leaflets, dropped in Wana, Makeen, Tiarza and other places in South Waziristan and in the Miranshah and Mir Ali areas of North Waziristan, argued that the war on terror in Waziristan was not against the people of the tribal areas. The statement said it was a war against foreigners and their local harbourers "who were standing shoulder to shoulder with the Yahood Aur Hanood" and were posing threats to Pakistan's integrity and causing harm to the tribal society.

March 24

20 terrorists were killed after SFs retaliated to an attack at Dattakhel in North Waziristan. One FC personnel died and four army soldiers were wounded in the pre-dawn attack on the joint check-post of the paramilitary force and army. "Around 20 miscreants were killed," said North Waziristan Chief Administrator Zaheerul Islam.

March 25

Suspected terrorists ambushed vehicles carrying police officers in a remote northwestern region near the Afghanistan border, injuring four of them. The attack occurred on a road between Mir Ali and Miranshah in North Waziristan, a day after the military said it had killed at least 20 terrorists.

March 27

The local Taliban executed a 25-year-old man for killing a taxi driver in South Waziristan under Sharia (Islamic law), said residents. The execution is the first case tried under Sharia in the tribal areas. Hayat Gul was executed on March 26 at an undisclosed location in the Ladah sub-division after a Taliban Shura (council) 'found him guilty'. Gul was accused of killing Bilal, a taxi driver, in Wana a month ago.

Terrorists blew up a checkpoint of the security forces near Mirali without causing any damage.

March 28

The police are reported to have arrested three cadres of the HM, a terrorist group active in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, carrying explosives and ammunition at Tank near South Waziristan. Senior Superintendent of Police Dar Ali Khattak said the three were on their way from South Waziristan in a vehicle when they were apprehended at a checkpoint in Tank. "We recovered explosives, arms and ammunition, and some manuals for making bombs," Khattak claimed.

Security forces arrested two tribesmen and recovered from their possession a rocket launcher, four shells and two Kalashnikovs at Mirali Bazaar in Miranshah. However, three others are reported to have escaped from the incident site.

March 30

Stray mortars hit several homes during fighting between pro-Taliban militants and SFs at village Hurmaz in North Waziristan, killing at least two villagers and injuring six persons.

April 1

A Frontier Constabulary personnel was killed and four others were injured when unidentified people fired a rocket at Tochi Fort in North Waziristan. Another rocket fired by the paramilitary troops in retaliation reportedly landed in a nearby house, injuring three children aged six to 10.

April 2

The bullet-riddled body of a cleric was found in the Sararogha village of South Waziristan. Zahir Shah had been abducted on March 30 and a note written by suspected terrorists was found with his body, which said that he had been shot dead because of his links with Americans.

April 3

11 people, including three women and two suspected terrorists, were reportedly killed in three incidents in North Waziristan and Tank.

Three men and two women were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in struck a landmine near Deghan.

In Mir Ali, paramilitary personnel shot dead two suspected terrorists. The duo had earlier been asked to hand over their weapons to be taken to the forces' headquarters. However, they lobbed a grenade at security personnel injuring five soldiers and were killed in retaliatory fire.

Residents in the Tank area said that local tribesman Azam Khan, his wife and two children were killed in a bomb blast at Jandola.

Terrorists reportedly fired rockets targeting a military post on the outskirts of Miranshah, triggering a gun-battle but causing no casualties.

April 4

A group of Taliban stormed a wedding ceremony to disrupt a music programme, injuring one man a few days after they ordered Bhittani tribesmen to grow beards. Dozens of Taliban activists attacked a music programme at the wedding of Haji Saeedullah's two sons in the Maghzey village of Tank district. Riaz Kundi, Tank district official, confirmed the incident but gave no details.

April 5

16 terrorists were killed and 19 arrested after SFs retaliated to two attacks at two sites in North Waziristan. "Four troops were killed and eight injured in the attacks," said Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Inter Services Public Relations Director General. The terrorists first attacked a SF check-post in Dattakhel and another at Mana in the heavily forested Shawal region. The army reportedly used ground troops, heavy guns, artillery and gunship helicopters to comb the Mana area where the troops recovered six bodies of the slain terrorists from a compound.

April 6

A Government spokesperson informed that 43 terrorists and three soldiers had died during the clashes at Shawal and Datakhel in North Waziristan a day earlier. Official sources said two children and a woman were injured while several houses were damaged after SFs had started shelling in response to the terrorist attack near Miranshah.

Power supply was suspended in three areas of Miranshah after rockets were fired and electricity line feeders destroyed by unidentified people. No loss of life was reported.

Three major tribes in North Waziristan, Ahmadzai Wazir, Dawar and Utmanzai, have announced to observe April 7, as 'black day' against the military action and killing of innocent people.

April 7

Pro-local Taliban tribal clerics in North Waziristan demanded the army pull out of the area while parliamentarians and officials of seven Frontier districts asked the Government to take military action against outlaws in the Malakand Agency.

April 8

Suspected terrorists fired rockets at a FC post at Tuth Naray near Miranshah and troops retaliated by firing with artillery guns. There were no reports of losses in the exchange of firing by the two sides.

April 10

Suspected terrorists killed two persons who supplied water to security forces near the Afghan border in North Waziristan. The two men - a water tanker driver and his assistant - were shot dead in Dherdoni, 10 kilometers north of Miranshah.

The local Taliban is reported to have offered to enter into negotiations with the Government for peace in North Waziristan. "Troops should leave Waziristan, all arrested people should be released, wanted men be given amnesty, military operations be halted and innocent people should no longer be killed or their homes demolished and the ban on display of weapons be lifted," were some of the key Taliban demands read out from a letter by clerics at a Jirga (council) in Mir Ali, said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman faction) General-Secretary Maulana Abdur Rehman.

April 11

Two missiles were fired from the Afghanistan side towards the Pakistani border village Ghatghai in Bajaur Agency. A mosque was damaged, but no casualty was reported.

April 12

Gunship helicopters reportedly destroyed a suspected terrorist compound at Nagar village in North Waziristan, killing a number of foreign terrorists. The raid, launched on the basis of "confirmed intelligence", targeted a hideout in the Nagar village, six kilometers south of Miranshah, said military spokesperson Major General Shaukat Sultan.

The Pakistan's military claimed that it had killed an unspecified number of militants including foreigners in an attack by Cobra gunship helicopters on a compound in village Anghar Killay near Miranshah in North Waziristan. Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan, Director General, Inter-Services Public Relations, said the operation was carried out on the basis of "confirmed intelligence" about the presence of foreign militants in the compound. A top Al Qaeda man, Mosheim Musa Mutawwali Atwa, alias Abdur Rahman Mohajir is reported to have been killed in the attack.

Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao informed the cabinet that Taliban forces have thus far killed 150 pro-government tribal leaders in the North and South Waziristan Agencies and are openly challenging the writ of the Government by engaging a number of security forces' personnel in the area.

April 13

Unidentified men abducted five paramilitary soldiers from Razmak sub-division in North Waziristan.

April 15

A civilian was killed and another injured when a bomb exploded in a scrap shop in Ghulam Khan bazaar, 15 kilometers north of Miranshah in North Waziristan.

Security forces shot dead a suspected terrorist who had attacked a convoy of army vehicles in North Waziristan.

Six soldiers were wounded in terrorist attacks on two different convoys heading towards Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan.

April 16

The beheaded body of an Afghan national, Murtaza, was found in the Saidgai area near Afghan border. Official sources informed that he had been abducted from Wana in South Waziristan on April 13. They said that a note was found on the body, warning that spies for US troops would face same consequence.

A tribesman, identified as Balot, was killed in the Kher Kamer area of Datakhel. His relatives said that Balot supplied food items to American troops across the border.

Residents in a market area of North Waziristan on the Afghan border reportedly found the beheaded body of a man with a note saying he was an American spy and a warning others would face the same treatment. "He was an American spy and all of you will face this if you follow him," a Government official quoted the note as saying.

April 17

A beheaded body was found in the Madakhel area near the Afghan border. The deceased was identified as Taza Gul. Sources said that he had been killed on the charge of spying for US forces.

Armed men reportedly snatched a truck from its driver Tawab Khan in the Dusali area of North Waziristan. The driver belonged to Peshawar and had been supplying edible items to the army and paramilitary troops in North Waziristan.

An alleged Al Qaeda operative of Turkish origin captured two months back in South Waziristan was handed over to his home country. Authorities arrested Mohammad Yousaf on January 28, 2006 suspecting him of being an Al Qaeda operative and handed him over to Turkish authorities after an investigation, which lasted two months.

April 18

Suspected terrorists beheaded a tribesman in the Mirali area of North Waziristan for allegedly spying for the U.S. Waseeullah, a resident of Sira Tala, had been abducted from the Mirali town a day earlier.

Three missiles are fired on the paramilitary fort in Miranshah. However, no casualties or damage was reported.

SFs fired artillery shells hitting several houses in the Qutabkhel and Angher villages near Miranshah.

SFs arrested two tribesmen from the Khar area of Bajaur Agency on suspicion of having links with terrorist groups.

April 19

Five soldiers were wounded when a paramilitary truck was struck by a remote-controlled bomb on Spinwam Road.

Three missiles fired from across the Afghan border landed in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agency, wounding a girl.

SFs arrested two Afghan nationals from Bajaur Agency for their alleged links to the al Qaeda.

April 20

At least eight paramilitary soldiers were killed and 27 others wounded when a convoy of SFs was ambushed at Spilga village near Miranshah. At least five attackers were reportedly killed when soldiers retaliated.

One soldier and a suspected Al Qaeda operative were killed and two soldiers sustained injuries during a shootout in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Four hand grenades, a video camera, a diary written in Arabic, a CD mike, a recording of the funeral of those who were killed during an air strike on Damadola village on January 13, 2006, a charger and children's clothes were recovered from the incident site. The slain Al Qaeda operative is believed to be Abu Marwan al-Suri, who is wanted by the United States and earlier thought to have been killed in the January 13-incident. Unnamed officials said Abu Marwan al-Suri was the head of Al Qaeda's operations in Waziristan. Military spokesperson Major General Shaukat Sultan confirmed the incident but had no details of the dead man's identity.

April 21

A self-proclaimed Pakistani Taliban leader invited people to come to Afghanistan to fight a 'holy war against US-led forces'. "We are leaving for Afghanistan tomorrow, those who want to participate in Jihad can join us," Asmatullah Shaheen told a gathering of more than 300 people in Jandola town in South Waziristan. The 30-year old Shaheen also announced a three-month extension on an Islamic edict he handed down in March 2006 stating that men in the conservative region should all grow beards.

The Political administration in North Waziristan detained 35 tribesmen in Miranshah under "territorial responsibility" clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations and imposed a Rupees 10.13 million fine on three major tribes. North Waziristan Chief Administrator Zaheerul Islam said that the detained tribesmen would remain in jail as long as the tribes did not hand over militants involved in the April 20-attack on a paramilitary convoy killing around eight soldiers and wounding 22 others near Razmak. He said that three major tribes - Darpakhel, Burakhel and Miranshah Kalay - were collectively fined Rs 10.13 million for failing to meet territorial responsibility by not defending Miranshah against militants' attacks.

The Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao confirmed the death of wanted Al Qaeda explosive expert Abu Marwan Al Suri, calling it a major "achievement" in the war on terror. "It is confirmed that he is killed," said Sherpao.

April 24

Unidentified terrorists reportedly fired a series of rockets at a military convoy after it stopped when a roadside bomb exploded close to it in North Waziristan. No one was hurt in the bomb blast, but one soldier was killed and 12 others wounded in the follow-up rocket attack.

Terrorists opened fire targeting a security post east of Miranshah, killing one soldier.

In South Waziristan, terrorists fired rockets, mortars and small arms at a security post, triggering a gun battle with troops in which one terrorist was killed and two others wounded.

The beheaded body of an employee of the Water and Power development Authority, Niaz Mohammed, was found in the Karwan Manza area of South Waziristan. The victim had been abducted from the Moma Karama area on April 16.

Pro-Taliban militants reportedly set bundles of newspapers on fire in North Waziristan and threatened newspaper correspondents who referred to them as 'terrorists' and 'miscreants', eyewitnesses said. "As the van bringing Urdu and English newspapers reached Mir Ali, around eight masked Taliban torched the newspapers," said a tribal journalist. A pamphlet was later left in the bazaar, reading: "If any newspaper calls us terrorists or miscreants, we will hold its North Waziristan correspondent responsible."

April 25

Cobra gunship helicopters hit the hideouts of suspected pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan after a military convoy was attacked a day earlier, leaving up to seven persons dead. Three soldiers were killed when the terrorists ambushed a convoy heading towards the Afghan border. Four of the attackers were also killed in the incident.

Pro-Taliban militants beheaded a taxi driver on suspicion of being an informer for the United States, the fourth such killing in the Waziristan region during April 2006. The body was found by the roadside in Shavai Kainari, 25km south of Wana in South Waziristan.

A tribesman was killed when FC personnel retaliated after a rocket attack on the Sarbandki check post on the Bannu road near Miranshah.

A bomb exploded near a school building housing paramilitary forces at Mirali in North Waziristan, injuring one soldier.

Terrorists reportedly looted food items from two trucks that were carrying ration for army and security forces at Mirali and Dattakhel.

April 26

SFs arrested two Afghan nationals, Khalilur Rehman and Sharifullah, from Miranshah and recovered war maps and formulas to prepare explosives from them.

President Pervez Musharraf told a tribal council in Peshawar that the army could be pulled out of the tribal areas if tribal chiefs "guarantee permanent peace" in Waziristan. "You people will have to first expel all foreign terrorists and secondly stop tribal militancy before we pull out the army," Musharraf said. "If the tribesmen tighten the noose around the terrorists and put an end to Talibanisation on their own then the troops will be withdrawn from the tribal areas," he claimed.

April 28

President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have told that "Extremism in a Talibanised form is what people are now going for. Mullah Omar and the Taliban have influence in Waziristan and it's spilling over into our settled areas."

April 29

The officer in charge of operations in Waziristan, Major General Akram Sahi, insisted the army was in control in North Waziristan and said reports that the Taliban had taken over the area were "untrue".

April 30

Unidentified gunmen ambushed a truck carrying prominent tribal militant Asmatullah Shaheen on a road near Tank in South Waziristan, wounding him and his two bodyguards.

May 1

The bullet-ridden body of senior tribal cleric Maulana Janat Mir was found, nine days after his abduction by suspected Taliban militants from Mir Ali in North Waziristan. Mir, a pro-government cleric, was reportedly on a hit-list circulated by the Taliban some six months ago warning him and 27 others against "spying" on the militants for the Government, said a security official.

Malik Mir Sharof, a pro-government Dawar tribe elder, was abducted on his way home from Mir Ali to Haider Khel village. He was released four hours later.

The Taliban agreed to cease anti-government attacks after a three-member Tablighi delegation asked them to not attack during Tablighi congregations starting on May 4. The Tablighis said their talks with the local Taliban were successful, and they had announced a truce till May 11.

May 2

Suspected Taliban operatives looted PKR 910,000 meant for the salaries of employees at two Government schools at Narak in North Waziristan. The money was being carried in a local passenger van when the operatives stopped the vehicle and took the money, authorities in Miranshah said, suspecting that local militants were behind the robbery.

No report of violence anywhere in North Waziristan was received on the first day of the 10-day unilateral cease-fire announced by the militants. The militants had declared the truce to facilitate the peaceful holding of the three-day Tableeghi gathering in Miranshah from May 4.

May 4

Two tribesmen were wounded when paramilitary forces opened fire on a car at Miranshah. Official sources said that the car heading towards South Waziristan from Miranshah was carrying five people and it was stopped at a check-post for checking. The tribesmen reportedly belonged to the Mahsud tribe of South Waziristan.

A message from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was distributed in the Miranshah and Mir Ali bazaars of North Waziristan, calling on Pakistani Muslims to help "the oppressed people of Waziristan". The message was printed on pamphlets, which enjoined the receiver to print more copies and distribute them to everyone. The message reads: "Pakistani Muslims, May Allah reward you and bless you for what you did for your brothers affected in the October 8 earthquake. It is incumbent upon you to come forward and help the great sons of tribal Pakhtuns whose houses have been demolished by the Pakistani army to please the US government… I pray to Allah Almighty to accept the martyrdom of those who laid down their lives in jihad and give health to the injured and bless their families. I also pray to Allah to punish Bush, Pervez Musharraf and their forces and give them the punishment that they deserve besides giving an opportunity to one of the lions of Islam to kill Bush's slave in Pakistan." Apart from the message, the pamphlet contains verses from the Holy Quran and the name of the militant outfit Mujahideen Amaraat Islamia Afghanistan.

Suspected tribal militants fired two rockets at a Bajaur Scouts security camp in Khar. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

United States helicopter gun-ships wounded at least three Pakistani labourers in a missile strike against suspected Taliban operatives in South Waziristan. The three were brought to the border town of Angoor Adda from a nearby mountain where they had been mining for minerals, but another eight men were unaccounted for, said unnamed officials. However, the US military later said that the air strike killed four suspected Taliban or al Qaeda fighters. US ground troops later found the operatives dead and captured a fifth, Lt-Col Paul Fitzpatrick said at the US military base at Bagram outside Kabul in Afghanistan. Maj.

Gen Shaukat Sultan of the Pakistani Army denied news about the border violation, saying no incident occurred. One police personnel was killed in a landmine blast in a remote area of Bajaur Agency. Officials said the incident occurred at Inayat Kili, around 15 kilometers west of Khar.

SFs arrested a suspected Tunisian Al Qaeda operative, Abdur Rehman, along with a Pakistani and an Afghan near the Bannu town on the border with Afghanistan.

Security forces arrested three Afghans and a Pakistani in North Waziristan for alleged links to the Taliban.

Six more bodies were found in the Khwaja Khizar mountains of South Waziristan, taking the death toll in an attack on Angoor Adda to 10. US planes intruded into Pakistani territory on May 8 and fired at least three missiles on Khwaja Khizar mountain near Angoor Adda when miners were excavating chromite. The local tribes recovered four bodies from the site, while six more bodies were found later. Three workers were reportedly wounded.

Suspected terrorists shot dead a soldier, identified as Hamza Ali, at Razmak Adda in North Waziristan.

Troops retaliated as at least eight rocket were fired on Datakhel Fort, about 25 kilometers west of Miranshah, targeting paramilitary troops. However, no casualties were reported in these incidents.

Unidentified assailants shot dead an official, identified as Sultan Khan, in the Jandola area of South Waziristan.

Suspected militants fired rockets on the residence of a pro-government tribal elder, Malik Sadaat Khan, in the Esokhel area near Mirali.

Unidentified assailants fired five rockets towards security forces in North Waziristan from nearby mountains in Datta Khel, near the Pakistan border with Afghanistan.

Security forces killed at least 18 terrorists and blew up two vehicles near Miranshah. The action was taken after a soldier had been killed in an attack on a picket. Reuters, quoting security officials, said that 11 terrorists were killed in the incident whereas AFP put the number of deaths at nine. The gun-battle occurred near the Nariwala area on Razmak-Miranshah road when terrorists fired on the security picket of Mohmand Rifles, killing one soldier and wounding three.

Two personnel of the Khasadar (a local security force), Habibullah and Shundi Gul, were shot dead in the Miranshah bazaar. A wanted militant, Maulvi Sadiq Noor, announces a ban on music and video shops and narcotic use in the Hamuzai area near Miranshah.

An announcement was made through loud speakers from mosques, asking men to grow beards and give up un-Islamic practices including listening to music and using narcotics. "Violators will be punished according to Shariat", the announcement said.

An army officer was killed and five others, including a captain, were injured when suspected militants attacked their convoy in the Maizer Madakhel area near Dattakhel. The soldiers retaliated and captured 11 suspects, including three in an injured condition.

Suspected terrorists shot dead a senior pro-government tribal chief in the Khaddi area of Miranshah. Tooti Gul, leader of the 30,000-strong Dawar tribe in Darpakhel district, was returning to Bannu from Miranshah by car when he was forcibly dragged from the vehicle by unidentified assailants. His body was discovered by the paramilitary force three hours later.

Two paramilitary soldiers and a militant were killed in a grenade attack at a security checkpost in North Waziristan's Mirali town. The attacker, later identified as a local tribesman, was killed as troops retaliated.

A clinic at Hamzoni village near Miranshah was damaged when explosives planted by suspected terrorists went off.

A bomb explosion occurred in a car, which had been stopped at a check-post in the Dattakhail area of North Waziristan. The driver and soldiers, Ashraf Khan and Nazer Khan, were killed and two other soldiers, Zulfiqar and Muntazim, wounded.

In Mirali bazaar, five unidentified assailants attacked a car, killing pro-government tribal elder Malik Takhti Khan on the spot.

Three girls, Shabeena, Parveen Bibi and Maryam, were killed when they stepped on an anti-personnel mine at Akori village in the FATA.

Security forces shot dead a bystander after a military convoy hit a remote-controlled device on the main highway near the Mirali Bazaar in North Waziristan. A vehicle, which was part of the convoy, was partially damaged in the explosion but soldiers in the truck remained unhurt. Eyewitnesses said that after the explosion troops started firing, killing a tribesman.

A pro-government tribal elder, Malik Mehrdil, was shot dead at Chakmalai on the Wana-Jandola road in South Waziristan.

A soldier of the paramilitary FC was wounded on in a terrorist attack at Boya Ahmadkhel in North Waziristan. An improvised explosive device was reportedly blown up with remote control when the FC convoy reached Boya Ahmadkhel from Bairamand on its way to Miranshah.

Unidentified assailants fired at and injured a divisional forest officer and his driver on the Tank-Wana road in the limits of Tank district of South Waziristan.

Two soldiers were reportedly wounded when a bomb exploded near their truck along a road in Shakai.

Hour before the bombing, terrorists targeted several security posts with around 45 rockets, mortars and assault rifles at various locations in Shakai. No one was hurt in the spate of small-scale attacks that began after midnight on May 30 and continued through the early hours of May 31.

Two people were killed and a woman sustained injuries when two rockets were fired at the house of one Noor Gul near Miranshah.

A paramilitary soldier was injured when he stepped on an explosive device on the Razmak-Aesha road.

Terrorists reportedly blew up a picket of the security forces in North Waziristan.

Terrorists reportedly fired rockets at a military convoy near Miranshah, killing two soldiers and injuring two others. Another soldier was accidentally killed and six were wounded in 'friendly fire' near a suspected militant hideout, following the attack.

Terrorists reportedly launched a rocket attack on the Oblanki check-post in the Dosali area of Razmak subdivision in North Waziristan, killing one soldier and injuring another. Sources said that 15 rockets were fired. The army pounded assailants' positions with artillery for two hours.

The political administration sealed 35 shops of the Humzoni tribe in Miranshah under the Collective Responsibility Act of the Frontier Crime Regulations and arrested four tribesmen in connection with a bomb blast in Shahzadkot a few days ago. The explosion had killed two army personnel and injured two others.

Terrorists reportedly attacked an army convoy with an improvised explosive device in the Chashma area of North Waziristan, injuring a soldier and a civilian.

No foreign forces will be allowed to operate in the FATA against the al Qaeda, a meeting presided over by President Pervez Musharraf decided. "Only our own forces will ensure security in North and South Waziristan agencies and other FATA areas. As a sovereign country, Pakistan cannot allow any foreign troops to operate on its soil," Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said.

Terrorists reportedly triggered a bomb near a patrol of troops in North Waziristan and soldiers opened fire in retaliation, wounding one civilian. The soldiers were on a routine security patrol when the roadside bomb exploded in a bazaar in the Mir Ali town. No one was injured in the explosion but the passer-by was hit by a bullet when the troops retaliated.

June 9

A landmine explosion in South Waziristan killed one person and wounded four others. The blast occurred in the Shakai valley, 35 kilometers southwest of Wana, at around 9:00am when a private tractor hit a landmine. Saeed Rehman, the 18-year-old driver, died on the spot while his four co-workers sustained injuries.

June 10

Pakistan Army helicopters bombed a terrorist hideout at Darbalooki village in North Waziristan in a pre-dawn raid, killing up to 20 terrorists. Among those killed was the purported militant 'commander', identified only as an Arab by the name of Abu Nasir.

June 11

Local Taliban and religious leaders in North Waziristan issued public notices warning people of "serious repercussions" if they do not shun "un-Islamic activities" like watching movies and listening to music. The announcement comes a day after the military bombed a terrorist hideout, killing up to 20 terrorists. The Taliban warned tribesmen to avoid hashish, heroin and wine, end all smuggling, ban all "un-Islamic" video and audio cassettes, ban dish antennas in houses and bazaars, and close all gambling dens. All such places of gambling will now be used for a "noble purpose", the announcement said. The Taliban also announced a ban on interest on loans, and staged fights between birds and animals. "Any person committing these atrocities from Monday [June 12] will be punished accordingly if spared by the government," said the announcement. Sources said that most local tribesmen supported the announcement, believing its implementation would bring peace to the troubled tribal agency.

The Pakistan Army raised the number of militants killed in a raid on a training camp a day earlier to more than 30, mostly foreigners including Arabs, Uzbeks and local fighters who also took part in attacks inside Afghanistan. 22 Arabs, three Uzbeks and seven local tribal militants linked to the al Qaeda and Taliban were among those killed in the attack, a senior Pakistani security official said on condition of anonymity.

June 13

An improvised explosive device exploded near a FC picket in Mir Ali wounding one soldier.

The local Taliban reportedly burnt a car on the same day at Mir Ali claiming that it was being used to supply ration for the security forces.

Militants opened fire at a roadblock manned by paramilitary troops on the outskirts of Miranshah, but no one was wounded.

June 14

The headless body of an Afghan national, identified as Asim Khan, was found in the Thabi village, 20 kilometers north of Miranshah. A note in Pushto language found on his body said he had been slaughtered as a punishment for spying for the American forces in Afghanistan.

SFs opened fire on four suspected militants at the Army Camp in Miranshah, killing one of them.

Two Frontier Corp personnel were injured in a landmine blast in Ahmedkhel.

June 15

Two SF personnel were wounded and an army vehicle was damaged in a landmine explosion at Darpakhel in North Waziristan. An unidentified woman was killed as SF personnel retaliated.Two tribesmen were arrested.

A soldier was killed and six others wounded when an IED went off near an army convoy in the Speem Wam area.

June 16

Tribal journalist, Hayatullah Khan, who went missing on December 5, 2005, while investigating the death of an al Qaeda operative, was found dead in North Waziristan. The Assistant Political Agent of Mir Ali, Muhammad Fida Khan, said, "We found a dead body, which was recognised as Hayatullah, the missing tribal journalist. He was handcuffed and had a long beard, suggesting he spent a long time in captivity. He looked very weak." The body was found in the Khaisor Mountains, four kilometers south of Mir Ali. Hayatullah is the third tribal journalist to be killed in the Waziristan region. Two journalists were killed in Wana in February 2005.

Suspected pro-Taliban militants fired rockets at a military post at Mir Ali, wounding one soldier and damaging two vehicles.

June 18

SFs shot dead two suspected tribal militants, Zainullah and Bulbul, and wounded another in response to an attack on their check-post in North Waziristan. SFs also arrested five suspected tribal militants and seized 14 grenades while searching a van in the same area.

A self-proclaimed leader of militants, Haji Mohammad Omar, while speaking at a big gathering in Shakai, said peace could not return to the North and South Waziristan Agencies unless army left the region and said that suicide attacks and Jihad in Afghanistan would continue till foreign troops left Kabul. The gathering was organised to commemorate the second death anniversary of militant leader, Nek Mohammad Wazir, who was killed in a missile attack.

June 21

The Taliban in North Waziristan claimed to have shot down a Pakistan Army helicopter that crashed, killing four soldiers. Taliban spokesperson Abdullah Farhad said that they had launched attacks on army helicopters in the past, but this was the first successful strike. However, Military spokesperson Major General Shaukat Sultan refuted the claim saying that the helicopter crashed due to technical problems.

Three FC personnel were killed and three others sustained injuries in an IED blast on the Bannu-Mir Ali road.

June 22

Security agencies arrested five foreigners who were on their way to Wana in South Waziristan from Zhob in Balochistan.

Unidentified assailants opened fire on a police patrol party on Bannu-Miranshah Road, killing three police personnel, including one officer.

June 25

Militants in North Waziristan announced a month-long unilateral cease-fire to allow a tribal Jirga to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the security problems in the volatile tribal agency. Abdullah Farhad, a self proclaimed spokesperson for the Taliban in North Waziristan, said that the truce was temporary and the militants had the right to defend themselves if attacked. He demanded the return of SFs operating in the agency to their bases during the cease-fire period and that the forces leave the tribal area within the next month. He also demanded abolishing all new check posts in the tribal areas and said that only the Khasadar (a local tribal force) force should be deployed at check posts established before the military operation.

The Taliban spokesperson also demanded the release of "all people" arrested by the authorities during the military operation and said the government should also revive incentives to tribal elders which were stopped because of the elders' "non-cooperation".

NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai told reporters, "We welcome the announcement made by the militants and the government will reciprocate accordingly," adding, the grand tribal Jirga would also consider the militants' demands.

Three FC personnel were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their convoy near Banda village, five kilometers south of Miranshah.

Six SF personnel were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car at Aisha checkpoint, 10 kilometers east of Miranshah. A man identifying himself as Abdullah Farhad and claiming to be a spokesperson for the Taliban initially denied the group's involvement in the attack, saying, "Some elements within the government do not want peace in North Waziristan." However, hours later, Farhad said that the bombers were Taliban militants but had not intended to launch an attack.

Unidentified assailants attacked five members of a criminal gang and killed its leader, Guldar, in Shawal.

A soldier was reportedly injured in a bomb blast that occurred near Miranshah, where the military convoy was heading from Bannu. Unconfirmed reports said that three persons were killed in retaliatory fire by the security forces.

Unidentified militants shot dead a religious leader, identified as Pir Lala Khan, and injured three others at Spinkai Raghzai village in South Waziristan.

The NWFP Governor Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai stated that the one-month cease-fire announced by militants in North Waziristan could be extended. Addressing a tribal Jirga, he said an extension of the cease-fire could be negotiated, if needed, adding, "I hope the ceasefire will hold because tribal people honour their words."

A senior official in Miranshah, Muhammad Iqbal Khattak, said that 50 tribesmen who were arrested under the Territorial Responsibility Law of the Frontier Crimes Regulation had been released.

Two separate pamphlets, one from the Government and the other from the Taliban, were distributed in Miranshah. One pamphlet hailed the cease-fire while the other warned tribesmen against "foreign agents" who were using religion to misguide the people.

The Pakistan Army reportedly released 35 tribesmen following a similar move by civil authorities to shore up a cease-fire by militants. The release of detainees was one of the demands made by the militants when they called a month-long ceasefire to allow tribal elders to begin talks with the Government to end violence.

The local Taliban staged the public execution of an alleged killer at Ipi, a town near Mir Ali. "The man was shot with AK-47 assault rifles by relatives of the murdered men," said eyewitnesses, adding, the Taliban had "arrested" the man and had asked the victims' relatives to kill him in public. They added, "The militants blindfolded him and tied his hands together, dragged him to a public area in the village and gave assault rifles and three bullets to one of the relatives of each of the dead. The sound of the gunshot echoed in the area, as people chanted Allahu Akbar (God is great)." Sources said that the execution was the first of its kind in North Waziristan, where the Taliban's influence was spreading despite the presence of large contingents of the Army.

July 6

Suspected tribal militants fired several rockets on an army checkpoint at Landai Noor in the Shakai area.

At least 10 rockets and seven rocket-propelled grenades were fired on an army checkpoint in Tip Ghar.

Also, troops posted at Narai Oba in Wana came under fire. Rockets were fired on South Waziristan Scouts posted at Nawai Kot.

July 10

One person was killed and two others sustained injuries when SFs opened fire following an IED blast at Eidak village near Miranshah. The explosion occurred near a seminary when a military convoy was heading towards Bannu. One among the three persons wounded in the explosion succumbed to his injuries later at a local hospital.

July 10

Suspected Islamist militants shot dead a pro-government tribal leader, Fateh Khan, and one SF personnel in a pre-dawn attack at Babara village in the Bajaur tribal Agency.

July 17

A police personnel, Hashim Khan, was killed when unidentified gunmen attacked a security check post at Torghundai in South Waziristan.

Unidentified militants attacked two-security check posts at Sarwakai town.

Suspected militants blew up a roadside bomb near Miranshah. However, no casualties were reported.

The local Taliban commanders have warned the South Waziristan administration against collecting import tax. A senior official, who wished not to be named, said on an unspecified day that the Taliban considered the tax collection "un-Islamic" and warned the tax collectors of "serious consequences" if they do not stop immediately. Authorities collect thousands of rupees in taxes on goods imported into and exported from South Waziristan at more than 20 check posts every day and the money goes to the political agent's 'Agency Development Fund' for meeting the administration's expenses.

July 20

32 tribesmen who were arrested for their suspected links with militants in North Waziristan have been set free on an unspecified place.

July 21

Militants freed four SF personnel belonging to the Shawal Scouts who were abducted from Razmak Road three months ago at an undisclosed location near Miranshah.

July 22

A grand tribal Jirga negotiated a one-month extension to the ceasefire in North Waziristan between local militants and government forces. The Jirga led by Maulana Nek Zaman, National Assembly member from North Waziristan, held talks with local Taliban commanders at an undisclosed location east of Miranshah.

July 24

The North Waziristan administration has reportedly set free 25 more tribesmen after a grand tribal Jirga met senior government officials in Miranshah. The tribesmen were arrested about a year ago for their suspected links with Taliban in Afghanistan and attacking security forces. The administration has so far released about 150 tribesmen since June 25 when local Taliban announced a unilateral ceasefire. Six check-posts have also been removed near Miranshah, which is also a condition for the ceasefire.

July 27

A soldier was killed and three others sustained injuries when a remote-controlled bomb hit a military convoy at a spot between Bannu and Miranshah in North Waziristan. This is the first such attack on the army since June 25 when local Taliban announced a unilateral truce.

July 28

The Taliban have taken over several military check posts in North Waziristan. BBC reported that more than a dozen check posts monitoring the highway between Kajhori and Miranshah earlier had been abandoned and the Taliban are patrolling the highway between Mir Ali and Miranshah.

July 31

Uzbek militants in North Waziristan announced that they would not comply with the unilateral cease-fire by the Taliban, saying that they had never consented to it.

August 4

Five soldiers were injured and several vehicles damaged when a remote-controlled device exploded near an army camp at Shakai.

August 7

Taliban militants beheaded a pro-government tribal elder in North Waziristan. The body of Loi Khan was found dumped on a road in Garhiyoum, some 40 kilometers south of Miranshah. The man was abducted last week from the adjoining South Waziristan and a note found on the body reportedly said Khan had been killed as punishment for working as an "informer."

Suspected terrorists reportedly fired a rocket that landed near a military base in Wana, without causing any damage.

August 9

Suspected terrorists killed a tribal elder in South Waziristan for allegedly "spying" for the United States. Noor Muhammad was shot dead in Angoor Adda, 40 kilometers west of Wana.

August 11

Suspected terrorists fired dozens of rockets at two military posts at Shakai and Ladni Noor in South Waziristan, but no injuries were reported. The 12 rockets fired in the first attack landed near a mountaintop security post, while 15 rockets fired in the other attack landed in a field near another post in Landi Noor.

August 25

Militants in North Waziristan have extended the cease-fire by another 15 days as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has joined efforts to help clear some obstacles to an agreement for restoring peace in the tribal region.

August 28

The bullet-riddled body of an Afghan refugee was found in North Waziristan with a note attached accusing him of spying for the United States.

August 30

Unidentified persons decapitated two Afghans accused of spying for US and Afghan authorities in North Waziristan. Their bodies were found in two villages near Miranshah. The dead were identified as 45-year-old Noor Wali, a religious leader, and an Afghan refugee identified as Hak Nawaz.

September 1

At least 13 militants, who were arrested earlier for attacks on SF personnel in North Waziristan, were released.

September 3

Troops vacated four checkpoints and two Government buildings at Miranshah after local militants reached an understanding with the Government to restore peace. About 250 troops have pulled back from 11 roadblocks in Miranshah. An unspecified number of troops have also left posts guarding two key Government buildings.

September 4

The Army pulled out of several check-posts in North Waziristan ahead of the signing of the peace agreement between the local administration and militants.

Official sources said that hundreds of troops had vacated key posts on the main Bannu-Miranshah road and other areas of North Waziristan and returned to the Tochi Scouts' fort in the town. Soldiers had reportedly left Khajori, Aesha, Boya, Doosali, Oblanki, Pash Ziarat base camp near Shawal Valley, Kalanjer and Shel Ghali posts.

September 5

Taliban militants signed a peace agreement with the Government, pledging not to launch cross-border attacks in Afghanistan and not to shelter foreign fighters. The agreement aims to end two years of violence in North Waziristan, where hundreds of people have died in clashes between security forces and Taliban militants. The Taliban had been observing a unilateral cease-fire since June 2006. Taliban representative Azad Khan and North Waziristan chief administrator Fakhar-e-Alam signed the agreement in Miranshah, in the presence of army commander Major General Azhar Ali Shah. A 10-member committee of tribal elders, clerics and administration officials was set up to monitor the progress and implementation of the agreement. Under the agreement, the Taliban accepted the Government demand that cross-border attacks would not be launched nor foreign militants sheltered. They also agreed not to attack Government buildings or security forces, and not to conduct "target killings" of Government servants, tribal elders and journalists. In return, the Government agreed to stop air and ground operations; return all weapons and other material seized during operations; restore privileges of tribesmen; and remove all check-posts.

September 6

Military regime spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan is reported to have said that if Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan, he "would not be taken into custody as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen." Sultan's comments came in the context of questions in the US about the withdrawal of Pakistani military from Waziristan under a deal with pro-Taliban militants.

The political authorities and militants exchanged weapons and vehicles in North Waziristan as a part of implementation of the peace agreement signed a day earlier. Administration returned 24 AK-47 rifles and eight trucks to the militants in Miranshah. The rifles and vehicles had been seized in army operations in the region. The militants, meanwhile, handed over three G-3 rifles, some wireless sets, berets and badges to the authorities.

Officials said that the authorities had abolished 11 new checkpoints and the army had evacuated outposts in the area. The political administration reportedly removed the names of two militant commanders, Maulvi Sadiq Noor and Maulvi Abdul Khaliq, from the list of wanted men, officials said in Peshawar.

September 8

The NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai rules out withdrawal of the army from North Waziristan, and said troops will remain along the Afghan border to check infiltration. He rejected an impression that the Government had signed a deal with militants or the local Taliban. "We have not signed any agreement with the Taliban; this is a deal between the government and the Utmanzai tribe," he claimed.

September 9

The bullet-riddled body of a civilian 'accused of spying' for US forces was found near Miranshah town in North Waziristan. "The man had confessed during interrogation that he spied on the Taliban activities for the Americans", said a hand-written note found on the body.

September 10

Suspected Islamic militants killed a tribal elder in South Waziristan. Malik Dalai was killed near Wana, the area intelligence official said.

September 13

A Government official was abducted in North Waziristan, the first such incident in the region after a peace deal was signed with pro-Taliban militants on September 5. Aurangzeb Gandapur, a rural development department official, was abducted on the outskirts of Mirali town.

September 15

The U.S. indicated that the agreement the Government signed with pro-Taliban tribal chiefs in North Waziristan on September 5 has the 'potential to work'. In a speech at the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher endorsed the deal as an effort to get tribal support to defeat terrorism. Boucher said: "The agreement really has the potential to work." The U.S., he said, understood that to effectively control the Afghan border, Pakistan needed "cooperation from local tribes and they are really trying to get in."

September 17

Suspected militants injured two soldiers in an attack, using rockets and assault rifles, on a military base at Shakai in South Waziristan.

September 18

Taliban militants executed a tribesman in the Laddha village of South Waziristan, after convicting him of double murder. Sangeen Khan, who was shot dead, was charged with killing a rival and the latter's spouse after torching a house in 2005, said an official.

September 20

Three people, including a Government official, were shot dead and two others were wounded in South Waziristan. Unidentified persons, riding a car, opened fire on an official vehicle in Wana bazaar around 8pm killing an official, identified as Gul Zada, and his two associates, Minal Khan and Khizrullah, and injuring two others.

In North Waziristan, security forces arrested 10 people from the Lawara Mandi area. The action was taken after six US helicopter gun-ships intruded into the Pakistan airspace following clashes between the allied forces and Taliban across the border. After the September 5-peace accord between the Government and militants it was the first action by the security forces in the region.

Reports from Peshawar said that five bodies were brought from Afghanistan's Paktika province to Miranshah, the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan. Official sources said that all the deceased, including a prominent militant commander Maulana Abdul Kalam, belonged to North Waziristan. They said that the tribesmen might have been killed in a gun-battle with the allied forces in Afghanistan.

The Government denied a report by a British newspaper that the peace agreement in Waziristan was endorsed by Taliban chief Mullah Omar. "There is no truth to the story. We strongly deny that the peace deal with the tribesmen was signed with the consent of Mullah Omar. There was no outsider involved in the agreement," Senator Tariq Azeem, state Minister for Information, told Daily Times. British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the fugitive Mullah Omar signed a letter explicitly endorsing the truce announced on September 5. "Had they been not asked by Mullah Omar, none of them were willing to sign an agreement," said Lateef Afridi, a tribal elder and former National Assembly member.

Five suspected militants, including two foreigners and local militant 'commander' Khanan, were injured in a bomb explosion in the Shakai valley. Khanan had reportedly launched a campaign to expel Tajik and Uzbek nationals from South Waziristan, but he could not succeed.

Rockets were fired on the Scouts camp in Wana injuring a soldier, Ali Merjan Afridi.

Unidentified gunmen killed two militants and injured three others near Wana in South Waziristan. No one claimed responsibility for the incident, but an area intelligence official said the attack may have been linked with rivalry between pro-Taliban tribal militants and a group of Uzbek fighters. The attacked militants were believed to be loyal to a pro-Taliban tribesman known as Hanan, who had started a campaign to oust Uzbek militants living in the Shakai mountain valley region north of Wana, an intelligence official said.

The local Taliban have set up their office in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, for 'curbing crimes and anti-social activities' in the area. Announcements were made and pamphlets distributed in the town, asking residents to co-operate with the Taliban in keeping peace in the area. The office has reportedly been set up on the premises of the main bus stand in Miranshah. The Taliban Shura has appointed a committee to run the office. "There is complete lawlessness in the area and crimes have increased. So after the peace accord Taliban have set up office to serve residents of the area and restore peace," read one pamphlet, referring to the agreement signed between the Government and the Taliban on September 5. Another leaflet posted around Miranshah said clerics would be collecting funds to pay for a force aimed at protecting people from criminals.

The Taliban have imposed ban on the movement of 'masked men' in the agency and asked people to inform them if anybody found moving about in the area with his face covered. The pamphlet said that if an incident of robbery, dacoity or any other criminal act occurred in the area, people should immediately contact the Taliban by phone or lodge a complaint at their office.

Military authorities returned Kalashnikovs, books and other material belonging to a seminary run by Afghan Jihadi 'commander' Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani. Officials said security forces had raided the seminary a few months ago and seized arms and equipment. Under the peace accord, the Government and militants would return weapons and other equipment snatched during army operations.

An Afghan national was shot dead in the Mirali area on suspicion of spying for the US. Assistant Political Agent Fida Muhammad said that the body of Malang Khan was found near Khadi village on the Mirali-Miranshah Road. The deceased hailed from Afghanistan's Khost province and was living in a refugee camp in Kohat. A note found on the body said: "Malang has been spying on the Taliban in the North and South Waziristan agencies for Americans. A satellite phone set has also been recovered from him."

A senior official of the political administration of Bajaur Agency escaped a remote-controlled bomb blast unhurt. Yar Muhammad Khan was on his way to Khar when a roadside remote-controlled bomb exploded damaging his vehicle's windscreen

Saboteurs fired two rockets on the scouts' camp in Garmai Headquarters at Wana. However, no casualty was reported.

Two soldiers were killed and three others were wounded when militants attacked a check post at the Ganji Tekri in South Waziristan.

In the Bajaur Agency, security force personnel escaped unhurt after their check post came under rocket attack while an explosion destroyed a video shop in the agency's headquarters.

October 28

The movement of militants from Pakistan into Afghanistan has increased since Islamabad signed a deal with tribal elders in September 2006, said NATO's top military commander. The International Security Assistance Force was monitoring the situation after the agreement with pro-Taliban elders in North Waziristan, General James Jones told reporters.

November 3

The local Taliban in North Waziristan beheaded an Islamic cleric for allegedly spying for the United States in Afghanistan. The decapitated body of Maulvi Salahuddin was found in the Makeen area, 75 kilometers south of Miranshah. A note attached to the body warned: "The Maulvi was an American spy and all of you will face this (fate) if you follow him."

The Taliban in Wana addressed a local Jirga (council) on new rules to punish collaborators and criminals. They informed the 300-strong congregation of tribal elders that they would first warn a collaborator's family of the consequences of working for the Americans. But if the suspect continued spying, he would be executed.

Seven men convicted of banditry by the Taliban were paraded in a Wana bazaar after having had their hair torn out in fistfuls as punishment.

A less-known al Qaeda affiliate in North Waziristan gave the go-ahead for the attempted rocket attacks in and around the federal capital Islamabad in October 2006, a senior investigator has said. The investigator said that the al Qaeda affiliate, the Islamic Jihad Group, based at Mirali in North Waziristan, had approved the plot before the Pakistani masterminds executed it in early October. "While the fingers were in Islamabad, the tail was in Mirali," the investigator said.

November 5

A Shura of militant groups in North and South Waziristan has decided to launch a campaign against lawlessness and appoint a committee to collect donations to finance Mujahideen activities. Pamphlets distributed purportedly on behalf of the newly-appointed militant commander Mullah Muhammad Nazir in Wana and Miranshah said the Mujahideen Shura had outlined steps for restoring peace and curbing crime in the two areas bordering Afghanistan.

Militant groups had reportedly unanimously declared Mullah Nazir as their Amir (chief) about two months ago. Nazir has reportedly replaced Haji Muhammad Omar, elder brother of 'commander' Nek Muhammad who was killed in a missile attack in 2004. Nazir, who is on a list of people wanted by the Afghan Government, had close affiliation with the Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Senior local administration official, Faizullah, who was traveling in a passenger van was abducted by armed gunmen at Mir Ali.

November 7

Unidentified people fired two rockets at the Scouts Camp in Wana, where the NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai was attending a Jirga of tribal elders but no harm was caused to him or anybody else in the heavily-guarded office-cum-residential complex for the paramilitary Frontier Corps troops and officials of the political administration. Later in the evening, five more rockets were fired at the Scouts Camp with at least two falling inside its perimeters and injuring a Frontier Corps soldier, identified as Khannan Afridi.

November 8

Electricity supply to Wana was disrupted when militants clashed with security forces. Militants fired four rockets at the Scouts Camp in Wana, three of them hitting the camp. Security forces retaliated, resulting in the disruption of electricity to Wana.

November 9

Militants fired five rockets targeting a military fort near Mir Ali town in North Waziristan.

Armed men reportedly snatched a private vehicle carrying supplies for troops at Ippi village and took the contractor hostage.

November 10

A tribal peace committee member, Malik Khan Jan, and his three associates were killed when a bomb hit their vehicle at Shakai.

November 14

Pakistan received approximately $1.1 billion in 2005 from the United States for the logistical support it provided for counter-terrorism operations, including its own military operation mainly in Waziristan and other tribal areas along the Durand Line. According to a recent report of the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan received about $1.1 billion from the United States for logistical support. And according to a report of the Congressional Research Services (CRS), updated on October 26, the United States disbursed about $3.7 billion to Pakistan for counter-terrorism operations during January 2002 to August 2005.

November 19

A cleric was killed on suspicion of spying for the United States and his body was found near Razmak in North Waziristan on November 19. Sources said a note found on the body read that Maulvi Mohammad Hashim was a `US spy' and that he had been punished in accordance with the Shariat. Maulvi Hashim, 45, was an aide of Maulvi Salahuddin, who was abducted and killed on suspicion of spying in the same area on November 3. Both the clerics belonged to the Musaki village.

November 27

Paramilitary forces in North Waziristan killed four suspected terrorists. BBC Urdu quoted security force officials as saying that some anti-state elements had attacked a paramilitary base near Mir Ali. The paramilitary forces retaliated, killing the four militants on the spot. While the militants removed the bodies of three of the dead men, paramilitary forces managed to recover one corpse. The dead man was identified as Abdul Rehman, a resident of Spin Wam.

Suspected pro-Taliban militants killed a cleric in South Waziristan, accusing him of spying for US forces operating in Afghanistan. Authorities reportedly found the bullet-riddled body of Maulana Gul Thaheem in a ravine in Makeen. A note found on the body said Thaheem "spied for Americans and he was a friend of Maulana Salah-ud-Din, and Maulana Hashim Khan", two clerics shot dead previously, accused of spying.

December 22

A Khasadar (tribal police personnel), identified as Akal Noor, is killed and two others are injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Government official's vehicle in North Waziristan.