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FATA Timeline - 2008

January 1

Security forces (SFs) killed five suspected militants in the Laddah area of South Waziristan after four paramilitary soldiers were abducted in the area. Troops also fired artillery and mortar shells from Tiarza and Shakai forts on militants’ positions.

Two persons were killed and five injured on the 11th consecutive day of sectarian clashes in the Kurram Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). A peace Jirga (council) that arrived from Hangu continued talks with the rival groups in an attempt to strike a truce but no progress was made.

January 2

At least 27 militants were killed in two days of clashes in South Waziristan, a military official said. The clashes broke out after pro-Taliban militants abducted four Pakistan soldiers in South Waziristan on January 1, the official said. "Five militants were killed yesterday and 22 overnight," he stated.

January 3

At least 11 more persons, including seven non local Taliban, have died and 13 persons injured during the on-going sectarian clashes in the Kurram Agency while clashes continued for the 12th conservative day. The curfew imposed on November 16, 2007 has reportedly not been relaxed so far, owing to which routine life has been paralysed in the entire Agency. The main Tull and Parachinar highway has been closed for the last 48 days due to which edible items and medicines are not available in Kurram Agency and road links to the various tribal areas are also disconnected. Hundreds of Pakistani families have poured across the border into Afghanistan in recent days as clashes between different clans continued on the 13th day in the Kurram Agency. Six people are reported to have died and 11 inured in the fresh clashes.

Two rockets were fired on a base of the security forces in South Waziristan. According to residents, the rockets landed near a fort housing troops and did not cause any casualty. Army and paramilitary forces later carried out a search operation and arrested five suspects.

Warplanes bombed suspected locations of militants in South Waziristan after an intelligence report that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud was hiding somewhere in the area. Locals said that two planes dropped six bombs and attacked various areas in Tiarza, Emer Raghzai and Enzer in Sara Rogha subdivision at about 2pm.

January 4

Three more persons were killed as sectarian violence continued in the Kurram Agency. Clashes were reported from the Jalmai and Meangak areas of Lower Kurram. The non-local Taliban suffered heavy casualties in the lower parts of the agency while the peace Jirga (council) was reportedly facing difficulties in brokering a cease-fire.

January 6

Rival militants attacked offices of a pro-government militant, killing nine and wounding eight of his men. The attackers first stormed the office of Maulana Nazir in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan, and killed three of his supporters and injured four others. The militants, reportedly equipped with rockets and heavy weapons, launched another attack on the office of Nazir’s close associate, Maulana Khanan, in Shakai town, killing six people and injuring five others. A spokesman for Maulana Nazir blamed Baitullah Mehsud’s supporters for the attack and asked all Mehsud tribesmen to leave the Wazir tribe-dominated areas to avoid bloodshed. Local people said that Nazir’s supporters later shot dead an associate of Baitullah Mehsud and captured four others in Wana.

Militants attacked a number of checkpoints with heavy weapons in different areas of the Bajaur Agency. However, no loss of life or property was reported. Checkpoints in Khar, Siddiqabad, Inayat Kallay and Nawagai areas came under attack from different sides. Security forces reportedly countered the attack and fired mortar shells in the direction of the attackers.

January 7

Four paramilitary soldiers were wounded in clashes between security forces and militants in the Ghazi Baig area of the Mohmand Agency. An unnamed official said that militants attacked a check-post of a paramilitary outfit, the Mohmand Rifles, in the Ghazi Baig area, some 20km northwest of Ghalanai, the administrative headquarters.

Militants fired two rockets on the Police Line in Tank. However, no damage or loss of life was reported.

January 8

A soldier was killed and three others sustained injuries in clashes with militants in South Waziristan. Officials said three militants and a non-combatant were also wounded in the shelling on suspected hideouts of militants in the Spinkai Raghzai and Chugmalai areas.

The militants abducted three security force personnel near Mouli Khan Sarai. The paramilitary soldiers were going from Wana to Jandola in a private car when armed men intercepted their vehicle at Mouli Khan Sarai and took them away to an unknown place.

January 9

Two security force personnel were injured when two rockets hit a military post in South Waziristan.

Thousands of armed tribesmen of South Waziristan met in Wana, vowing to organise a Lashkar (army) to hunt down al Qaeda-linked militants blamed for killing nine of their kinsmen on January 6.

January 9-10

At least 50 militants were killed by troops during clashes that erupted when around 250-300 miscreants concentrated and attempted to attack Ladha Fort and check post on the night of January 9 to 10 in the Wana area of South Waziristan.

January 10

Militants bombed a music centre by detonating an explosive device near the shop at Tank in South Waziristan.

January 11

Four members of a family were wounded when mortar shells hit their house at Mamond village near Khar of Bajaur Agency.

Militants fired three missiles on a Mohmand Rifles camp at Yousaf Khel in Ghalanai. One militant was injured in the incident.

A group of militants armed with rockets and mortar shell attacked the Bajaur Scout camp at Badwal Kot. However, no casualties were reported.

January 12

Police said that militants attacked a garrison, the police lines and a picket with rockets and heavy gunfire in Tank. The building of a vocational college where troops had been stationed also came under attack. The security forces retaliated with gunfire and the clashes went on for two hours. A policeman, identified as Latifullah, who suffered injuries died later.

January 13

Two Uzbek militants were killed when a group of them attacked the house of a pro-government tribal elder in South Waziristan. The pre-dawn clash erupted when dozens of miscreants launched an attack on the house of Khan Khannan in South Waziristan district, said local administration official Ayaz Mandokhel. Khannan’s men who were guarding the house, retaliated and killed two Uzbek militants, he said, adding that the other militants escaped after the clash.

In North Waziristan, militants fired missiles at the Mana army camp in the Shawaal area, injuring one soldier.

January 14

At least 23 militants and seven soldiers were killed in fighting in the Mohmand Agency. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said, "It was an ambush on a paramilitary convoy." The convoy was reportedly ambushed while traveling from Gath to Ghalanai. The Taliban spokesman Maulana Omar, however, denied that any militants were killed, claiming that they had killed seven soldiers and taken 17 of them as prisoners. "Our activities will continue till an end to the military operation in Swat and release of Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz," he stated.

Militants fired 12 rockets on the Monrah security camp in the Dattakhel sub-division of North Waziristan. However, no loss of life or property was reported.

January 15

Hundreds of militants captured a paramilitary fort in South Waziristan after killing 22 soldiers and taking several others hostage. 600 to 700 militants reportedly attacked the fort in Sararogha, manned by the South Waziristan Scouts, firing rockets and mortars. 38 paramilitary soldiers and six civilians were in the fort when it came under the assault. The military said on January 16 that 40 militants were killed in the gun battle. Tehrik-i-Taliban spokesman Maulana Umar said that militant commander Baitullah Mehsud had led the charge on the British-era fort. The locals said that after capturing the compound the militants took away weapons, communication tools and blew up the building with explosives. According to eyewitnesses, the militants captured several soldiers and slaughtered many of them.

The paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel claimed that two alleged teenage suicide bombers were killed while a third committed suicide by swallowing poisonous capsules in the Mohmand Agency.

January 16

Clashes continued in Sararogha, Ludda and another nearby village but there were no immediate reports of casualty or damage.

January 17

Over three dozen paramilitary soldiers are reported to have abandoned a fort in South Waziristan before it was attacked by militants. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Maulana Umar claimed that about 60 paramilitary soldiers had surrendered without putting up resistance. He said the militants had taken away weapons and hoisted a white flag at the compound. However, official sources said that the Seplatoi fort in Serwakai sub-division manned by about 40 personnel of the FC was vacated on January 16-night after reports were received that the militants were planning to attack it. On January 17-morning, the militants took control of the abandoned building, an unnamed official said.

Local people said the security forces had bombed some places in the Makin area of South Waziristan on January 16-night and January 17. A number of houses also reportedly came under fire and one woman was killed. Seven people, including three children, were wounded in the shelling. The militants also fired rockets on a helipad near Jandola fort.

Troops traded fire with militants at another fort in Ludda in South Waziristan after the Taliban fired rockets and small-arms.

Local Taliban militants snatched computers from ring-tone shops in the main Landi Kotal Bazaar of Khyber Agency. The militants had earlier warned the shopkeepers to stop downloading ring-tones onto mobiles, terming it an "un-Islamic" practice. Around 10 armed militants reportedly came to the bazaar and took away computers from the ring-tone shops at around 5pm.

Thousands of people have started leaving their homes in the militancy-hit South Waziristan. Acute shortage of edible items is another factor behind the decision of the people to migrate to safer places as security forces had imposed a ban on the supply of foodstuff to the region three days ago.

Two major al Qaeda operatives in the FATA have reportedly called upon their followers to intensify the ‘holy war’ against security forces and to seize control of Islamabad. "Jihad is compulsory in Pakistan as it is compulsory in Afghanistan," said the chief of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Uzbek militants in North Waziristan, Qadri Tahir Yaldeshiv, in a video message, according to Adnkronos International. He also urged Muslims to avenge the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) operation in July 2007, the German news agency said. Yaldshiv also talked about the need for a strict Sharia law in Pakistan. He said, "Pakistan came into being in the name of Islam, therefore Islam should be enforced in the country."

January 18

Security forces claimed to have killed about 90 militants in two different encounters in the Ladha area of South Waziristan. In the first incident, militants attacked a convoy on the Jandola-Wana road in Chagmalai at 12.30pm. Troops returned fire and between 20 and 30 assailants were killed. Four security force personnel were injured and two vehicles were damaged. Security forces attacked a large number of militants who had gathered to attack the Laddah fort and killed up to 60 of them, the military said. Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbass said "Our soldiers have bravely guarded the Ladha Fort. They were attacked from mountain tops but they retaliated with heavy weaponry including artillery, killing about 90 insurgents," he stated. He added that the SFs suffered no casualties.

Army troops recaptured the Siplatoi fort in South Waziristan, a day after paramilitary soldiers had abandoned it. Army and paramilitary personnel reportedly moved into the area in three helicopters and took over the abandoned Siplatoi fort on the Wana-Jandola road. Sources said that 22 paramilitary soldiers, who had escaped from the Siplatoi fort on January 16-night, were still missing. Militants claimed that some 60 soldiers had surrendered and all of them were freed on the directives of the Taliban Shura (executive council).

SFs pounded with artillery suspected militant locations in the Mehsud area and local people had to move out to safer places. Local people said that heavy shelling rocked the area and several houses were hit. Two persons, including a girl, were killed in the Makin and Spinkai Raghzai areas.

Militants fired six rockets on a military base in the Shakai area, inhabited by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe. However, no casualty was reported.

SFs started search operations in the Taliban dominated Tank city and its adjacent areas. They reportedly raided several houses and suspected hideouts of the militants. While more than 100 people were reportedly arrested, most of them were released after a brief interrogation. Troops also detained 17 suspected militants who have been shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

January 19

Troops arrested 50 Islamist militants in an operation in South Waziristan, a day after killing dozens of militants in the area, the military said. Troops also recovered 10 bodies of the militants from the Chaghmalai area in South Waziristan, which witnessed a major clash on January 18 in which an estimated 30 militants were killed, chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.

January 21

Even as troops continued targeting militants’ positions in South Waziristan, Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, warned of serious repercussions if the military operations were not stopped. His spokesman Maulana Umar said: "The government wants to enter the Mehsud area by force. But it must take into account the consequences of such a harsh action." He accused the security forces (SFs) of ‘killing innocent people’ and ‘damaging their homes’ and warned that the government would have to "pay a heavy price".

Sources said that the SFs shelled the house of militant leader Asmatullah Shaheen in Jandola, injuring a woman and a child. Local people said that the building had been hit by four artillery shells. Several houses were reportedly damaged in attacks in Makin, Birwand, Chegmalai and Wala in the Mehsud area. In Makin, a shell hit a house, killing a man and wounding another.

A jirga (council) of the Mehsud tribe held in Tank has urged the government to free seven supporters of Baitullah and halt the military operation. It also called for lifting a ban on supply of food to the Mehsud area.

Police have arrested Baitullah’s close associate Younas Mehsud. Sources said police had recovered weapons and explosive materials from Younas who is a ‘right hand man of Baitullah Mehsud’ and brother of his spokesman, Wahab Mehsud.

The militants in North Waziristan extended until January 27 a cease-fire that they had announced on December 17, 2007. The truce had earlier been extended until January 20. The militants had stopped their activities on December 17 and security forces had removed some makeshift checkpoints in the area.

January 22

Seven SF personnel and at least 37 militants were killed in clashes in North and South Waziristan agencies, the army said, updating an earlier toll. Five of the soldiers and all of the militants were killed after the latter attacked a military fort at Ladah in South Waziristan, which houses paramilitary troops and a nearby observation post before dawn, said chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas. "Through air intercepts and our sources we have confirmation now that at least 37 militants were killed when forces retaliated the attack in Ladah," Abbas said.

In North Waziristan, two SF personnel were killed and 10 others injured when militants fired rockets at a military fort in Razmak. Sources said the militants attacked the Razmak army camp, 75 kilometers south of agency headquarters Miranshah, around 1pm. After the attack on the fort, two fighter jets bombed mountainside villages nearby, killing one civilian. The military spokesman, however, said jets had flown reconnaissance missions, and no bombs were dropped. Further, a spokesman for Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, Maulana Muhammad Umar, said the militants captured 13 soldiers in the action, a claim denied by the military. "We will target sensitive installations in Islamabad, including the headquarters of intelligence agencies, if the military does not stop its operation," Umar said from an undisclosed location.

A spokesman for militants in North Waziristan, Ahmadullah Ahmadi, asked the military authorities not to use bases in their area against militants in South Waziristan. "Taliban will withdraw from peace talks if security forces use our soil against us," Ahmadi said. Militants in North Waziristan had on January 21 extended a cease-fire till January 27.

Five check-posts of the Khasadar force were blown up in Ghalanai, administrative headquarters of the Mohmand Agency in the FATA. Suspected militants blew up the check-posts with explosives in Wranpul, 15km from Ghalanai, Thamboo and Jan Sher areas. Two of the pickets were completely destroyed. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

January 23

A man was killed and another injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police check-post at the confluence of Khyber Agency and Peshawar. Assistant Political Agent Jamrud Rasool Khan told reporters that the attacker was apparently targeting the police check-post near the Karkhano market. However the explosion occurred before he got closer to the check-post. A man who was standing near the blast site was killed while a truck driver was injured.

One soldier was killed and two others were wounded when militants attacked SFs in the Nawaz Kot area of North Waziristan.

Two SF personnel were wounded in an explosion in Ghathundai and a convoy also came under fire near Jandola. However, no loss of life or damage to property was reported, according to the military.

The army sent reinforcements, for the first time with tanks, to South Waziristan after clashes between security forces and militants intensified in the Mehsud area. Official sources and local people said that the infantry, backed by tanks and heavy artillery, were seen heading towards the Spinkai Raghzai fort from a base in the adjoining Frontier Region of Jandola. Infantry units reportedly comprising 600 troops reached Spinkai Raghzai from Jandola amid fierce clashes. "For the first time the movement of battle tanks has been seen in the area," a security official said. Sources said the troops had launched an operation in three areas — Makin, Spinkai Raghzai and Tiarza — inhabited by Mehsud tribesmen.

January 24

40 militants and 10 soldiers were killed and dozens injured as the Pakistan Army, backed by tanks and gunship helicopters, launched a major offensive against the militants in South Waziristan. The Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement that troops had cleared Spinkai Raghzai, Nawazkot and the adjoining area of Tiarza and taken over some strongholds and hideouts of the militants. The troops arrested 30 militants who were trying to escape during the clashes. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed to have captured five soldiers and taken into custody five trucks loaded with heavy arms and ammunition, supposed to be delivered to the SFs fighting against the militants in South Waziristan.

There were reports about heavy clashes in Torwam near Shakai and Mohammad Nawaz Kot areas near Razmak in North Waziristan, in which both sides suffered heavy losses. Major General Abbas confirmed clashes in these towns where, he said, two soldiers were killed and seven others injured, but added he did not receive reports about casualties among the militants.

Two persons were wounded in a grenade explosion in the Halimzai subdivision of Mohmand Agency. Eyewitnesses said that Sher Alam and his son Wahab Khan were examining the hand grenade, which exploded injuring both of them.

The government closed all entry and exit points to the tribal region and banned the supply of edibles, which created a severe shortage of foodstuff in the area.

January 25

Two soldiers were killed and seven others wounded when militants attacked with rockets an outpost on a hill in the Spinkai Raghzai area of South Waziristan. However, militants claimed that five troops had been killed in the attack. Military sources said that a convoy of security forces going to Nawazkot from Razmak had been attacked with small arms. The troops retaliated with artillery and mortar fire. One trooper was injured in the incident.

Two people were killed and a woman injured in separate incidents in Bajaur Agency. Unidentified militants opened fire towards former police personnel, Mamoor Khan, who was on his way home from the Khar market. He died of his injuries later.

Suspected militants exploded a remote-controlled bomb, killing a person identified as Maulana Mursalin.

Militants fired rockets at the Nawagai scouts camp. Security forces retaliated the fire using heavy artillery, leaving a woman injured.

January 26

An Afghan national, identified as Said Rehman of the Kunar province, was killed allegedly for spying for the US, by the militants in the Mohmand Agency. His body was found in the Ata Bazaar area of Khwezai, some 30-kilometres west of Ghalanai, headquarters of the agency. The residents said they found a piece of paper pinned on the body, reading that the man had been punished for spying for the US.

In Kotkai, the hometown of militant commander Qari Hussain, the troops set up security posts and launched a search operation targeting the militants. The troops had purged Kotkai from the militants without facing any considerable resistance.

Unidentified militants blew up three check-posts of the Khasadar force in Mohmand Agency. The check-posts were located in the Sharmakhan, Darwazgai and Mamad Gat areas of the lower subdivision Yaka Ghund. The Khasadar force and the militants later traded fire at the Sharmakhan checkpost, but no casualties were reported.

January 27

For the first time, the militants attacked two check-posts in the so far peaceful Orakzai Agency of the FATA, killing three security force personnel and injuring two others. The militants attacked Levies check-posts at Ghaljo, the headquarters of upper Tehsil (administrative division) of the agency with rockets at about 11 am. The unidentified militants riding vehicles escaped after the attack.

The SFs pounded suspected hideouts of militants allied to Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan. Military authorities said gunship choppers targeted hideouts in Makin, Shabi Khel, Srarogha, Ladha and the adjoining mountainous region. "The troops are now in control of Spinkai Raghzai and Kotkai, which were the strongholds of the Baitullah Mehsud-led fighters," said the authorities.

January 28

The Army fired mortar and artillery shells from military camps in Razmak and Jandola on the militants’ hide-outs in Kaza Panga, Dher Narai, Shaga, Treekh Narai, Wrasta Bazeena and Shaktoi areas in which officials said five militants were killed. They said intercepts from militants suggested that eight of their colleagues were wounded.

In the Mohammad Nawaz Kot area near Makin, militants attacked a security post manned by the Pakistan Army soldiers. In the ensuing encounter, two soldiers died and four others were injured.

Five civilians, including two women, were killed when artillery shells hit their homes in Kotkai village. Residents of Torwam also reportedly complained that SFs were targeting the civilian population. They claimed that dozens of houses owned by civilians were damaged in the artillery shelling.

There were reports of heavy clashes between the two sides in various parts of the Mehsud-inhabited areas of South Waziristan such as Makin, Ladha, Torwam and Tiarza in which military authorities said militants suffered significant losses. Besides gunship choppers and artillery shelling on militants’ positions, the Army called two fighters which targeted the strongholds of Baitullah Mehsud’s militants in the Makin and Ladha towns. Military authorities said a number of militants were killed while their hideouts destroyed in the bombardment.

Militants fired 35-40 rockets on the Razmak military camp in North Waziristan which officials said resulted in serious injuries to three soldiers.

In the Kotkai village, residents said two soldiers were injured when fired at by militants.

Suspected militants overran a security checkpoint in the Yakh Kandao sub-division of upper Orakzai Agency in the FATA and set it ablaze. Suspected militants of the Tehrik-i-Taliban also snatched weapons from the Levies personnel stationed at the check-post at gunpoint before setting it ablaze. However, no causality was reported in the incident. The same group of militants attacked the rest house of the political administration nestling the Levy check-post and set it on fire too before escaping.

The SFs were reported to have captured some of the strategic hilltops in Angamal area which enabled them to oversee the entire area where the military authorities believed militants had set up their hideouts.

Military officials said 12 militants were arrested after they were trying to flee their positions in the Tiarza area.

Amid reports of clandestine talks with the government for durable peace, militants in North Waziristan extended their one-sided cease-fire till February 10. The announcement was made by militants’ spokesman in North Waziristan, Ahmadullah Ahmadi. He called reporters from an undisclosed location and said the Shura or council of militants, headed by ‘commander’ Maulana Hafiz Gul Bahadur, held a crucial meeting somewhere in the region and agreed to extend the truce, as it helped restore peace to the militancy-hit tribal agency.

Militant ‘commander’ Maulana Faqir Muhammad was named the ‘political face’ of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan for the purpose of holding talks with the government and negotiate a truce. "Ameer Baitullah Mehsud has authorised Maulvi Faqir Muhammad to hold talks with the government on behalf of the new organisation (formed last year)," purported Taliban spokesman Maulana Umar told Daily Times from an undisclosed location. Faqir leads Taliban militants in the Bajaur district of FATA, overlooking Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The spokesman said the Taliban were "ready for talks" with the government.

January 28

A missile apparently fired by a pilot-less plane hit a house in a village near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, killing 15 people - 10 suspected militants, two women and three minors. Intelligence sources said those killed also included Arab nationals but their identity was not known. A militant source said that five men "speaking the language of the holy Quran" were among the dead, suggesting that Arab militants were among the victims.

The targeted house was in Khushali Torikhel, 12 kilometers south of Mir Ali town. The owner of the house, Madad Khan, believed to be a Taliban militant, survived the attack while his guests sleeping in the Hujra (male guesthouse) died in the missile strike at 1:15 am, and so did two women and three minors of his family. It was not clear where the missiles were fired from. Residents, however, claimed that an unmanned spy plane, of a type often used by US forces in Afghanistan, was involved in the attack. The plane is capable of firing missiles and taking photographs from a considerable altitude. "We recognise the sound and shape of the American drone and two such planes have been hovering in the sky since Monday afternoon, and people have seen them over Mir Ali and Miranshah," said local residents.

Militants blew up a Khasadar check-post in the Aato Khel area of Halimzai sub-division in the Mohmand Agency, but no casualties were reported. Sources said the check-post was located around 30 kilometers north of agency headquarters Ghalanai.

Tribesmen reaching the Tank district from the far-off and troubled Serwakai and Tormande areas due to excessive bombings and artillery shelling on civilian localities complained that seven minors had died of severe cold when people were fleeing their homes and walking through the unfrequented routes in the mountains.

January 28 -29

Militants reportedly fired several rockets on the Ladha and Serwakai forts where the paramilitary Frontier Corps and the Pakistan Army troops are based, but the soldiers remained unhurt. Four soldiers, however, sustained injuries in the Razmak military camp in North Waziristan, when militants allied with Baitullah Mehsud fired 35 to 40 rockets on the base from the adjoining Makin area.

People continued fleeing their homes for safe places in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan due to bombing by the fighter aircraft and gunship helicopters as well as artillery shelling on the residential areas. The people have complained of shortage of food items in the region as the government imposed a complete ban on the supply of foodstuff to the restive region three weeks ago.

January 29

14 people, including 10 militants, three Pakistan Army soldiers and a civilian, were killed and several others injured in heavy fighting and bombing by fighter aircraft in South Waziristan.

Sources said that fierce clashes continued between the SFs and militants in parts of the Mehsud-populated areas of South Waziristan, including Torwam, Tiarza near Shakai, Ladha, Serwakai, Nawaz Kot and Kotkai. Militants loyal to Baitullah Mehsud reportedly suffered significant losses when fighter aircraft targeted their positions in the Torwam area. Around 10 militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in the bombing.

Three Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and four others wounded when militants attacked the troops in the Angamal area near Razmak. The troops returned the fire which led to a heavy shooting, resulting in the killing of three soldiers and injuries to four others. Military officials said several militants were also killed in the gun-battle and artillery shelling from Razmak military camp later, but they were unaware of the exact losses suffered by the militants. They added that 12 militants were subsequently arrested from Tiarza.

A labourer was killed and four of his colleagues were injured when warplanes attacked them at Gabar area, inhabited by the Bhittani tribe near Spinkai Raghzai in Jandola, where they were constructing a road. Two trucks parked on the site were also destroyed in the attack. An unnamed military officer said the pilots might have mistaken the labourers for the militants.

Army and paramilitary troops, backed by tanks, patrolled the Darra Adam Khel town and seized arms and ammunition in different areas. The security forces claimed to have captured the hilltops around the town. They said that Sheraki area, considered to be a stronghold of militants, was under curfew, although most of the local people had left the area for safe places. During a search operation, troops seized a truck with heavy weapons in Zarghunkhel area, and a large quantity of arms was found in bunkers vacated by the militants. Troops also continued to target suspected militant locations with artillery.

Troops also continued attacks in the Tor Chappar area near Jawaki on the fifth day of the operation in Darra Adam Khel. The Zarghunkhel of the Afridi clan has reportedly been cleared of the militants but troops were yet to take control of the area.

Two commanders of the militants, Tariq and Zahid, are reported to have escaped towards Khyber Agency. Another commander, Momin, has surrendered whereas another top militant who was holding the Kotal hill, died in a helicopter attack.

Officials are reported to have confirmed that 72 militants had died in the five-day operation while the locals said dozens of bodies were still lying in the mountains.

The body of a tribal elder was found in the Kong area of Khuzai sub-division in the Mohmand Agency of FATA. Tribal elder Muhammad Afzal, his son Syed Asghar and Malik Mir Alam were abducted from Yakaghund by unidentified gunmen on the same day, sources said, adding that Alam and Asghar were still missing.

Unidentified people abducted the Agency Population and Family Planning Officer Abdul Aziz, his driver Aftab and impounded their vehicle. Another tribal elder, Malik Nisar, was also kidnapped from the area.

Security forces arrested a suspected militant in Drushkhela.

January 30

The bodies of 13 soldiers killed by militants during the military’s ongoing operation in Darra Adam Khel in the NWFP have been found, the army said. Three of the dead were army personnel that the militants had captured, along with ammunition and food trucks, near the Kohat Tunnel on January 24. They said militants had abducted the remaining 10 personnel. Three bodies could not be recognised, they added. "They [soldiers] were apparently killed last week but their bodies were found today," a police official told Reuters.

The ISPR said security forces were in full control of the region and efforts were underway to open the Kohat Tunnel for public use. No incidents of artillery, shelling or small arms fire were reported from the region.

A convoy of more than 50 vehicles, the first after almost six days, had civilians returning to their homes under tight security. A similar convoy arrived in Darra town from areas adjacent to Kohat district. Around 80 percent of the population had reportedly evacuated the area and taken refuge in areas adjacent to Peshawar or Kohat, following the start of the military operation on January 25.

Two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and several others sustained serious injuries on when militants from adjacent South Waziristan fired 40-50 rockets on the Razmak Military Camp in North Waziristan. The militants fired these rockets on the military base from their hideouts in Mamu Ghar, Spin Kamar and Khumata in Makin.

Heavy fighting continued between the SFs and the Baitullah Mehsud-led militants in South Waziristan where troops targeted three vehicles carrying militants, killing an unspecified number of them. Clashes were reported from Kaniguram, Nawaz Kot, Kotkai, Ladha and Torwam near Tiarza. In Kaniguram town, tribal sources said three residents were injured when some houses were damaged in the artillery shelling. Most of the residents of the town had already left their homes and shifted to Tank and Dera Ismail Khan due to the fighting. The troops, after capturing Kotkai, the hometown of militants' commander Qari Hussain, known for beheading his opponents, moved towards the Inzar area. The soldiers, during their movement, reportedly did not face any major resistance from the militants and set up checkpoints in Inzar village.

Militants retrieved and buried the bodies of 12 foreigners who had been killed in a missile attack on a residential compound in the Khushali Toorikhel area of North Waziristan on January 28-night. Local people said the identity of the militants killed in the attack remained unknown but according to unconfirmed reports seven of them were Arabs while the other five were central Asians.

January 31

Senior al Qaeda commander Abu Laith Al-Libi has been killed in Pakistan, CNN quoted "a knowledgeable Western official and an unnamed military official" as saying. The 41-year-old Libyan was active in operational planning and training, and according to the US official, "not far below the importance of the top two al Qaeda leaders" – Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri. He was placed on the US military’s most wanted list in 2006, behind Laden, Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

A Website used by militant groups carried a statement in the name of Al-Fajr, al Qaeda’s media wing, saying "he was martyred with a group of his brothers in the land of Muslim Pakistan." The statement was referring to a missile strike at Khushali Torikhel in North Waziristan on January 28. 10 militants, two women and three minors had died in the missile strike. However, a US military official with the Combined Joint Task Force-82, the anti-terror unit responsible for searching Libi in Afghanistan, told CNN he had no information on Al-Libi’s death, but added that CJTF-82 did not collect information from outside of Afghanistan and would be informed of targeted operations only "if the Pakistani military share that with us". AP said Pakistan’s Interior Ministry officials did not confirm Al-Libi’s death and were "still trying to gather details on the missile strike." Pakistani Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP that "We have no information of his killing."

February 1

At least six persons, including five security personnel, were killed and eight others were injured when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a security check post at Kajhori near Miranshah of North Waziristan. "It was a suicide attack on a security check post in which three tribal policemen and two paramilitary soldiers [died]," military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said. Meanwhile, the local administration sources said that 19 people including nine Frontier Corps soldiers died in the attack. They said a number of Khasadars (tribal policemen) and civilians were also killed. Security forces fired artillery shells at several hilltops after the attack, they added.

Two soldiers were wounded when a bomb targeting a security convoy was exploded near Wana town in South Waziristan.

February 4

Several computers were destroyed in a bomb explosion at the Khyber Agency Headquarters Hospital in Landi Kotal. Tribal authorities said the bomb exploded at 3:15pm (PST) inside the office of accountant attached to the office of the medical superintendent. However, no casualties were reported.

February 6

Two persons, identified as Arab Din and Amin Jan were killed and another, Baz Mohammad, was injured when a bomb exploded at a storehouse of scrap metal in the Shahkas area of Khyber Agency.

February 8

A grenade explosion killed a 7-year old child, Jehanzaib, who was playing with it at his house in the Shati Kor locality of Gandab area in the Mohmand Agency.

February 10

Police arrested a suicide bomber, identified as Muhammad Ibrahim, a 20-year old Afghan national, from the Shahkas area of Jamrud administrative division in the Khyber Agency and recovered an explosive jacket, wire and fuses from his possession.

February 11

At least 10 people were killed and 13 others sustained injuries when a teenaged suicide bomber blew himself up amidst a gathering of the Awami National Party (ANP) and tribal Lashkar (force) at Mirali in North Waziristan. President of the North Waziristan chapter of the ANP, Haji Anwar Shah, was among the dead. Witnesses said that a suicide bomber blew himself up when the party workers reached Eedak village where armed men of the tribal Lashkar were manning a checkpoint set up on the main Bannu-Miramshah road to search vehicles carrying goods to Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin was abducted along with his bodyguard and driver in the Jamrud sub-district of Khyber Agency. "He is missing and we believe that he has been kidnapped," a security official said. A political administration official in Jamrud confirmed the incident, but said that the administration had no prior information about his visit. "We had no prior information of his travel. The ambassador would never inform us whenever he traveled to or from Afghanistan," said deputy administrator of Landi Kotal Ahmad Khan Orakzai.

February 12

The Bajaur Agency Scouts Fort in the Mamoond sub-division of Bajaur Agency was attacked with small mortar gun shells and rockets. The military said 10 rockets landed in the area. However, no loss of life or property was reported.

February 13

Pakistan's Election Commission postponed elections in a constituency in the Waziristan region due to the law and order situation in the area. Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Dilshad said in a statement that the polls to the NA-42 constituency in Waziristan had been postponed until further orders. This was done after reports received from the Secretary of the FATA said the law and order situation in South Waziristan was not conducive to holding elections.

February 14

A roadside bomb struck a SFs vehicle in Mamoond in the Bajaur Agency, killing three SF personnel, including Major Farhan, and injuring two others. The SF personnel were going from the Katkot Fort to Khar when their vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb on Tarkho bridge.

Unidentified militants fired two missiles on the Miranshah army camp, but no casualties were reported.

The local Taliban in Bajaur Agency assured a jirga (council) in Mamoond that they would suspend their activities during the elections and would not attack SFs on February 17 and 18.

February 16

A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the election office of an independent candidate in Parachinar city of FATA, killing at least 47 persons, including six children, and injuring 109 others. According to eyewitness, the bomber hit the election office of independent candidate for NA-37 Kurram Agency, Syed Riaz Hussain Shah, where a large number of people had gathered.

February 17

The EC announced that it had postponed the February 18 polls in NA-37 Parachinar. EC Secretary Kanwar Dilshad told Geo Television that the general elections had been delayed after the provincial government requested the centre to do so in view of the volatile security situation that had gripped the area after the suicide blast.

February 18

The Wazir and Daur tribes reached an "agreement" with the North Waziristan political administration against "extremism" and "terrorism". "The political administration of North Waziristan and all sub-tribes and clans of Wazir and Daur tribes have agreed to jointly struggle against extremism and terrorism throughout the agency," a press release from Governor’s House said. "The agreement was signed in Miranshah (headquarters of North Waziristan)," it said. The press release, however, gave no details of the agreement.

Polling was held peacefully in the FATA although there were apprehensions that militants might try to obstruct the electoral process. A large number of tribesmen are reported to have exercised their right to vote. For the first time in region’s history, women were seen casting vote at many polling stations in Wana, the regional headquarters of South Waziristan. Women were also allowed to vote for the first time in the Yakaghund and Landi Kotal areas. The overall atmosphere in Waziristan was reportedly peaceful.

February 19

Four tribesmen were injured in the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan in a mortar attack from Afghanistan. Sources said that 40 mortar shells fired from the Afghan side landed in the Pakistani territory. One shell hit a mud-house in the Ghulam Khan area, causing injuries to four tribesmen.

In the FATA, six constituencies out of a total of 12 have been officially announced. Elections in two of the constituencies were postponed. As all the candidates in the region contested the elections as independent candidates, no political parties won any inroads in the region.

February 24

Paramilitary soldiers shot dead a suspect when he attacked a security check post in Miranshah in North Waziristan. Witnesses said that the unidentified man was attempting to advance towards the check-post and when the soldiers asked him to stop for a body search, he did not stop and lobbed a grenade at the post after coming closer, adding that the soldiers opened fire on the man.

February 27

Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said that a tribal militant commander and mastermind of two suicide attacks on the former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and killer of a serving Intelligence Bureau (IB) official was killed in an encounter with security forces on February 26. "Abdul Siar, head of Siar group in the Tribal Areas, was killed on Tuesday in an encounter between security agencies and his men between Charsada and Mohmand Agency," Hamid told reporters. Nawaz said almost 116 innocent people had died in various terrorist attacks by Siar and his men in various parts of the country. He said security forces had also arrested two of Siar’s men during the encounter.

Unidentified militants bombed the Dir-Doni-One check-post in Miranshah in North Waziristan. However, no casualties were reported.

February 28:

At least 10 suspected militants were killed in a missile strike on a house in South Waziristan. The dead were believed to be of Pakistani and foreign origins, residents and officials said. The attack occurred at approximately 2AM (PST) in Kaloosha village, 10 kilometers west of Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan.

March 1

A civilian and a soldier were killed and 23 persons, including eight security force personnel, injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a security forces vehicle in the Jardar area of Bajaur Agency.

March 2

An Afghan national was killed in North Waziristan on charges of spying for the United States. Local people said that the Afghan national, identified as Dewana, had been abducted from the Saidgai area near the Afghanistan border a day earlier.

March 3

Five militants were killed in a clash with the SFs at the Nakai check-post in the Mohmand Agency. An official said that SFs had stopped a car at the check-post, about 12 km north of Ghalanai, the Agency’s headquarters, and told its five occupants that they needed to be frisked, but the latter refused. The militants subsequently tried to escape and in the ensuing encounter, SF personnel fired a rocket on the car, killing the five.

March 5

Police recovered a cache of explosives from a truck in the Yaka Ghund area of Ghalanai, headquarters of Mohmand Agency, and arrested two persons on charges of smuggling the contraband. The seizure included 36,000 detonators, 1,000 safety fuses and 140 cartons of explosives.

March 9

Security forces backed by helicopter gun-ships pounded suspected militant positions in the Mohmand Agency, killing one person and injuring two women and four children. Officials said the action followed a militant attack on Khasadar posts early in the morning in Lakaro, 24km north of Ghalanai, headquarters of the Mohmand Agency. The helicopters bombed suspected hideouts and paramilitary forces shelled the area from their bases in Yousaf Khel and Mamad Gat. A checkpoint of paramilitary forces in Darwazgai was also attacked but no casualty was reported.

March 10

The Taliban in Mohmand Agency said that they were attacking security forces to avenge the killing of five of their men a week ago. On March 4, security forces had killed five militants after firing rockets at the Nahaqqi check-post in the Agency. The newly appointed Tehreek-e-Taliban Mohmand Agency spokesman, Dr Asad, said, "The Taliban will continue to attack security forces in the agency until and unless security forces end operations in Swat and Waziristan Agency." He, however, denied that the Taliban had blown up Khasadar check-posts in the Agency, saying the government was responsible for the attacks.

Unidentified militants abducted tribal leader Ilyas Khan in Ghalanai. However, Taliban spokesman Dr Asad denied their involvement in the incident.

March 11

11 people, including two women, were killed and over a dozen injured in fighting between the security forces and tribal militants in the Nawagai sub-division of Bajaur Agency. The fighting erupted after militants attacked the paramilitary FC personnel, who were fetching water from a nearby stream. A paramilitary soldier was injured in the improvised explosive device attack, and this was followed by a heavy gun-battle between the two sides for several hours. 11 people were reported killed so far in the shelling while over a dozen injured.

Four women and two children were killed when artillery shells fired from the Afghan side of the border hit a number of houses in the Tangri area of North Waziristan. Local people said that the area came under fire after a security camp in Afghanistan’s Khost province adjacent to North Waziristan had been attacked by some people.

Armed militants of the local Taliban have started patrolling the streets of Bajaur at the request of the local shopkeepers to stop the ever increasing crime rate. Eyewitnesses have reported that in Inayat Kali, a popular market, militants could be seen guarding it. The president of Inayat Kali Association Shah Mahmood said the crime rate in the area had increased and the government was unable to handle the situation. The shopkeepers subsequently decided to arrange their own security and requested the local Taliban who agreed to perform the duty.

March 13

A civilian, Mehmood Masoozai, was killed in a bomb blast in the Terak village of Kurram Agency.

March 14

The bullet-riddled body of a tribesman was found in the Dosali area of North Waziristan. A note found on the body said he had been executed because he was a US spy. Local people said that the man from the Mehsud area of South Waziristan had been abducted about three days ago by unidentified people.

March 15

At least five persons, including four tribesmen and one Taliban, were killed and another seven wounded, including five Taliban, as two rival groups exchanged fire during a local jirga in the Mir Ali subdivision of North Waziristan.

March 16

At least 20 people were killed as several missiles hit a house in South Waziristan. Seven missiles landed on the house of Noorullah in Toog village, located four kilometres south of Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan. Local journalist Sailab Mehsud said 20 people were killed and five others wounded in the missile attack. He said all those who died were Arabs and Turkmen, who had gathered at the house when the attack occurred.

A spokesman for Baitullah Mehsud warned of fresh attacks if the government did not stop military operation in the region. Maulana Umar described suicide attacks in Lahore and Islamabad as a reaction to the ongoing army operation in the area and said that security forces should halt the operation.

March 17

Taliban militants blew up four Khasadar Force check-posts and a female vocational centre in the Mohmand Agency of FATA. No loss of life was reported in the incidents.

March 18

A bomb planted on the Landi Kotal-Peshawar GT Road near Takia Zakha Khel village in the Khyber Agency exploded, destroying an oil tanker. The oil tanker was carrying oil for the NATO and ISAF forces in Afghanistan.

March 20

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a military vehicle in front of the brigade headquarters at Zari Noor in South Waziristan, killing five soldiers and injuring 11 others. A man claiming to be a spokesman for the pro-government militant commander Maulana Nazir claimed responsibility for the attack. It is for the first time that Maulana Nazir’s group has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack.

At least three nomads are feared to have been killed after some rockets fired from the Afghan territory, hit a makeshift house near the Angoor Adda in South Waziristan.

March 21

Pro-Taliban militants attacked check-posts manned by the Bajaur Scouts and Bajaur Levies in the in Rehmanabad, Sadiqabad and Shende Mor area of Bajaur Agency. "The crossfire lasted for an hour, but no loss of life was reported from either side," a source said.

March 23

Two persons were killed and 50 others injured when six bomb blasts ripped through two parking lots, and destroyed 40 oil tankers in the Khyber Agency. The tankers were carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan, and were parked in the Bacha Mina area near the Torkham Border crossing. Each oil tanker carried around 45,000 litres of fuel, sources said.

Militants fired a series of rockets at a hospital in Ghalanai, headquarters of the Mohmand Agency, damaging the hospital building, and disrupting the supply of electricity and water. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported. Asad, the purported spokesman of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mohmand Agency, told Daily Times that the TTP was not involved in the attack.

March 24

Militants fired rockets and mortars at the Chargo check-post in Salarzai. However, no one was hurt, the area’s political administration said. Security forces launched a retaliatory action in the direction of the attack, it said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

March 25

A civilian, identified as Abdul Ghani, died in a landmine blast in the Salarzai administrative division of Bajaur Agency.

Militants accused an Afghan citizen of spying for the US, and shot him dead late on March 24 in the Ahmed Khel area of North Waziristan. Abdullah Jan, a resident of the Afghan province of Paktia, was shot in the head on the Miranshah-Dattakhel road. Locals found the body with a note which stated that "all US agents will meet the same fate". Residents said the man had been abducted last week from Miranshah bazaar.

March 26

Seven people, including two women, were killed and two others sustained injuries when gunmen ambushed a Government ambulance in the Lower Kurram region. The ambulance was going to Peshawar from Parachinar when it came under attack at the Chappari check-post.

Militants attacked a security check-post in the Bajaur Agency, although no casualties were reported. The Sadiqabad Phatak check-post, around four kilometers from the agency headquarters at Khar, was attacked with rocket launchers. Security forces retaliated against the attack.

March 30

A missile allegedly fired from across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border destroyed the office of Mullah Nazeer, a pro-government Taliban leader, in Wana in South Waziristan. It was the second missile attack on Nazeer's office in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, in a fortnight. The office building was destroyed by the blast but there was no loss of life. However, officials of the political administration said the explosion was caused by a time-bomb planted by unknown people at the office of Nazeer.

March 31

A suspected militant was killed in an exchange of fire with the SFs at a checkpoint near Tank in South Waziristan. Police said that the clash occurred at the Luqman checkpoint on the Tank-Jandola road at about 12 noon.

A man and a woman were stoned to death by militants in the Khwezai-Baezai area of Mohmand Agency after a ‘qazi court’ (Islamic court) found them guilty of adultery. This is the first incident of Rajam (stoning to death) carried out in FATA. Earlier, couples found guilty of adultery by militants or tribesmen were executed by firing squads.

Suspected militants fired three rockets at the Inayat Killay Scouts fort in the Bajaur Agency, although no casualties were reported.

A bomb exploded near the Agency headquarters at Khar, but there were no casualties.

April 3

Unidentified armed men killed militant commander Maulana Matiur Rehman in the Ladha sub-division of South Waziristan.

The Taliban are reportedly negotiating with the Ahmedzai Wazir tribes the return of former militant commanders and their foreign fighters to Wana after they were evicted in an operation in 2007. "However, we have told the Taliban that the former commanders are welcome to return, but they cannot bring Uzbek or other foreign militants back to Wana or surrounding areas," said a tribal elder who was part of the jirga. The Taliban leadership had invited influential Ahmedzai Wazir elders to a jirga in Wana on March 31 to discuss possible permission for the return of ex-militant commanders along with foreigners who fled when local Taliban leader Maulana Nazir led a campaign against foreign militants, especially Uzbeks.

April 6

Sectarian violence broke out between Shia and Sunni sects in three villages of Kurram Agency after a bomb exploded at Khurmana Pul, killing three people and injuring 22 others. A 16-member jirga (council) consisting of elders of the two sects intervened and brokered a truce between the warring groups in the villages of Khwar Kalay, Balish Khel and Sangeena, in the presence of political administration officials.

Unidentified miscreants attacked the Dhand check-post in Mohmand Agency. The miscreants fired several rockets from the surrounding hills at the check-post, housing paramilitary troops. Troops of the Mohmand Rifles and Khasadar forces retaliated with rockets and large machineguns. However, no causality was reported.

Unidentified terrorists blew up six shops, including two selling CD (compact disk), at Khar, headquarters of the Bajaur Agency. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

April 7

Unidentified people triggered an explosive device near a girls’ school at Jamrud sub-division in the Khyber Agency. While the boundary wall of the building was destroyed, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

Militants are reported to have fired a series of rockets at the Karia check-post, around five kilometers south of Ghalanai, headquarters of the Mohmand Agency. Security forces retaliated against the attack and fired rounds of heavy artillery at the militants. However, there were no reports of casualties on either side.

April 8

Unidentified men fired a rocket on a Khasadar (tribal police) check-post in the Ghazi Baig area of Mohmand Agency. However, no loss of life or damage was reported.

April 9

A man was killed and six others sustained injuries as sectarian clashes in the Kurram Agency for the fifth consecutive day.

April 11

A mortar shell hit the Awami Market in the Chinar Chowk of Kurram Agency, killing two people and injuring three others.

Sectarian clashes continued in various parts of the Kurram Agency for the seventh consecutive day. Both sects reportedly used heavy weapons in Balish Khel and Khar Kalay, wounding several people. In an attempt to stop the fighting, security forces used heavy artillery and fired upon hilltop positions of both sects, resulting in the death of one Haji Masood Khan. One of the shells hit the house of Haji Banaat Khan, a prominent tribal leader of the Sadda area, killing his 13-year-old son, Kausar. The shelling also injured his two nephews, Yousuf Khan and Naseeb Khan.

April 12

Eight people were killed and 10 others injured in fresh violence between rival groups of the Kurram Agency, raising the death toll of the past eight days in the area to 35. Five tribesmen — Qadir Gul, Hamid Hussain, Rafique, Taib Khan and Abdul Hanan — were killed, and 10 injured, during a clash in the Marro Khel area of Lower Kurram Agency. Similarly, three people were shot dead by armed rival groups in the areas of Balishkhel, Sadda, Karman, Para Chamkani, Pewar and Teri Mengal.

Three dead bodies of security force personnel, who were reported ‘lost’ during a military operation earlier this year in South Waziristan, were found.

April 14

The death toll in the ongoing sectarian violence rose to 48 as seven more persons were killed and 16 others sustained injuries in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency. Five people were killed when a mortar shell hit a trench in Parachamkani and one each was killed in the Balashkhel and Sadda areas.

April 15

A cease-fire was enforced in the Balishkhel, Sadda, Khwar Killay and Sangeena areas of the Kurram Agency after 11 days of sectarian violence, which left over 50 people dead and more than 100 wounded. Officials said the two factions had agreed to a cease-fire and vacate hilltops in the troubled areas of the Kurram Agency bordering Afghanistan. However, sources said sporadic clashes continued in Parachamkani and Kirman, and Pewar and Tangi areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. At least one person was killed and six others injured in clashes.

A two-day ‘Ghazi Islam Conference’ organized by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) began in the Mohmand Agency at the mausoleum of Haji Sahib Turangzai. Local ulema (religious scholars), Taliban leaders and delegations from the Tank and Swat districts of the NWFP, and the North and South Waziristan, Kurram Agency, Orakzai Agency and Bajaur Agency participated in the conference. However, the media has been prevented from reporting their names.

April 16

At least 20 persons were killed as fighting erupted between activists of the militant group Lashkar-e-Islam and Kooki Khel tribesmen of the Khyber Agency.

April 17

The Lashkar-e-Islam chief, Mangal Bagh, has said that his outfit is fighting against terrorism, crime and gambling and has 180000 volunteers in the Khyber Agency. Mangal Bagh also claimed that his outfit had no contacts with al Qaeda and any other organisation.

Suspected militants shot dead a female health worker stationed at a clinic in the Baytha area of Safi sub-division in the Mohmand Agency. Eyewitnesses blamed the local Taliban for the killing of Nihar Begum.

April 18

Two students were killed when suspected militants opened fire at Alizai in the Kurram Agency.

Security forces near Parachinar allegedly killed two youngsters in the Kurram Agency.

The Lashkar-e-Islam ended clashes with the Kooki Khel tribe in the Jamrud subdivision of Khyber Agency after the tribe accepted the militant group’s demands to end illegal businesses. The Peshawar-Torkham Highway was opened for traffic after five days of closure due to fighting between the two sides. Suspected militants released 16 security force personnel who were abducted during the clashes.

Militants of Bajaur Agency offered shelter to Osama bin Laden and Mullah Mohammad Omar, should they ask for it. Militant commander Maulana Faqir Mohammad also offered a general amnesty to all their opponents, except alleged US spies and those involved in adultery, and announced the formation of various committees for settling people's conflicts.

April 19

Local Taliban in South Waziristan Agency publicly ‘executed’ three people who had allegedly killed a teenager, Intezar Mehsud. The deceased, identified as Janan Mehsud, Farooq Wazir and an Afghan national, had allegedly murdered the boy who belonged to the Bandkhel tribe, after robbing him of PKR 60,000. The local Taliban held an investigation and subsequently executed the ‘criminals’ at Makeen Ada, report said. Laddha Assistant Political Agent Yayha Wazir confirmed the incident.

In Miranshah Bazaar, the Taliban paraded two alleged thieves through the bazaar in a pick-up truck after painting their faces black and shaving their heads.

April 23

A FC soldier died and another sustained injuries in an exchange of fire between Pakistani security forces and the Afghan army "due to a misunderstanding" at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Nawa Pass in the Bajaur Agency. Up to 10 militants of a group which attacked the Afghan check-post and caused the "misunderstanding" were also killed in the clash. A press release issued by the ISPR said that militants had attacked the Daud Qilla check-post in Afghanistan. The Afghan army started firing in the direction of Pakistani forces with heavy weapons and Pakistani troops reportedly retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for some time. The ISPR said the exchange of fire occurred due to a "misunderstanding" between the Afghan troops and the FC personnel.

Two workers of a NGO were abducted from the Karapa area of Ghalanai, headquarters of the Mohmand Agency. Officials said that Noorul Haq, logistics officer of Save the Children, and his driver Amir Mohammad were going from the agency headquarters hospital in Ghalanai to Peshawar. The NGO is running a family health project in Mohmand Agency for training women doctors and paramedics and is also providing life-saving drugs for children.

The leader of TTP, Baitullah Mehsud, has ordered his militants to "immediately cease their activities" in the FATA and NWFP. "Baitullah Mehsud has issued directives to all his comrades that in order to restore peace in the region, they should cease their activities forthwith both in the tribal region as well as the settled districts of the NWFP," said a pamphlet released on April 23. "He has warned that his directives should be complied with and those violating them will be publicly punished," it said. A spokesman for Baitullah confirmed the contents of the pamphlet circulated in South Waziristan in FATA and the adjoining districts of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP. A 15-point draft agreement, to be signed between the Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan and the local political administration, calls for an end to militancy, exchange of prisoners, withdrawal of the military and resolution of issues in accordance with local customs and the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

April 24

Militants shot dead a man, identified as Gul Zali Khan, near Miranshah in North Waziristan for "spying for the United States". Locals found the bullet-riddled body the victim hailing from Birmal village along with a note that read, "This man has met his fate because he was spying for the American and Afghan forces and giving them help". He was reportedly abducted from a bus stop last week just outside Miranshah by the militants.

April 26

Three Taliban militants and four suspected criminals were killed and several others, including women and children, injured in a clash in the Dadukhel area of the Mohmand Agency.

April 27

A man was executed in public by Taliban militants in the Rahim Korona area of the Mohmand Agency. The Taliban had ‘sentenced’ Zaiver Khan to death after finding him guilty of hijacking vehicles and killing a number of people. The execution was carried out in a field where a large number of militants had gathered around. With the execution, the death toll in the ongoing clashes between the local militants and tribesmen rose to 13. Three militants, three children and a woman were among the dead.

April 28

Pro-Taliban militants beheaded a police officer in South Waziristan after accusing him of spying for the security forces. The body of 35-year-old Shaukat Khan was found in a field at Dabar village a day after he was abducted by gunmen, reported senior police officer Mumtaz Zarin. A note found near the body reportedly said he was involved in the killing of warlord Nek Muhammad in a suspected US missile strike in June 2004 in the region. "He had admitted his role in providing intelligence to the authorities... We have repeatedly said we will teach such people a lesson", the note said.

If the Government does not remove all military check-posts from the Mohmand Agency in FATA within three days, the Taliban will not accept any peace agreement with the Government, militants’ spokesman Asad warned. He told Daily Times by telephone that if the Government did not remove the check-posts, the Taliban would destroy them themselves. He also warned all criminals, including murderers, proclaimed offenders and robbers, to immediately leave the Agency or be prepared to face judgement in accordance with Islamic laws.

April 29

Suspected militants abducted three Government employees in the Mohmand Agency. The employees – two drivers and a clerk – were commuting to work from Yaka Ghund to Ghallanai when their vehicle was ambushed.

May 1

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a madrassa (seminary) in the Khyber Agency injuring at least 18 people in an apparent attempt to assassinate Haji Namdar, chief of a religio-militant organisation the Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar (Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice). Namdar escaped unhurt in the attack. The suicide bomber, aged between 15 and 18, blew himself up as he approached Namdar at the madrassa in Takya.

A bomb blast damaged an oil tanker and injured a passerby woman in the Sultankhel area of Landi Kotal.

On the appeal of a tribal jirga (council), militants in the Mohmand Agency extended their deadline till May 3-evening for removing all roadside checkpoints in the region. However, the deadline given to criminals, car-lifters, kidnappers and other anti-social elements expired on May 1-evening and militants announced to launch a crackdown against them.

May 2

The Hakeemullah Group, a militant organisation associated with Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on a madrassa (seminary) in the Khyber Agency on May 1. Sources said the Hakeemullah Group had told the organisation that the suicide attack on its chief Namdar was "the result of its links with the Government and the expulsion of Hakeemullah Group by the Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar at the behest of the Government." The sources said Namdar "held the Hakeemullah Group responsible for all the mess in the Khyber Agency."

The head of the US armed forces warned that militants hiding in the FATA pose a direct threat to the United States and other Western nations. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are using the area to regroup and "I believe they are preparing to launch attacks against the US and Western interests," said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

May 3

A bomb exploded at Akbar Shaheed market in FATA, destroying three shops and partially damaging eight others. However, no loss of life or damage to property was reported.

Following successful talks with the political administration, the local Taliban in the Mohmand Agency released four employees of two NGOs. Noorul Haq and Ameer Muhammad Khan of the Save the Children and Sher Muhammad Khan and Namdar, drivers with the Community Motivation and Development Organisation, were abducted on April 23.

Pamphlets were dropped in several schools in the Mohmand Agency, warning teaching staff against their absence from duties. The pamphlets threatened strict action against those found absent from their duties. Most teachers reportedly do not attend schools citing poor law and order.

May 5

An army official was injured when the Baitullah Mehsud-led Taliban militants launched their first attack on the army after peace talks in South Waziristan failed. Security forces shelled various suspected positions in the Jandola and Manzai areas after the attack. However, no causalities were reported. According to the local administration, the Taliban attacked a Baloch Regiment patrolling team in the Sankai Raghzai area at about 12pm, wounding an army official. However, a spokesman for the TTP alleged that the first shot had been fired by the troops. "The army attacked the Taliban first and they (militants) returned fire in self-defence," Maulana Umar told Dawn.

Militants attacked the Pewar village in Kurram Agency "to disturb the law and order situation in the agency", official sources said. They said that both light and heavy weapons were used in the attack, adding that no casualties were reported.

The TTP has banned musical alerts on mobile phones in the FATA. Geo News reported quoted a TTP spokesman as saying that TTP deputy chief Maulana Faqir Muhammad had banned playing music in vehicles as well as on cellular phones. He said that violators would be punished according to the Shariah (Islamic law).

May 8

Troops blocked the main road leading to the South Waziristan in a confrontation with al Qaeda-linked militants who operate in the region. The blockade of the road leading to South Waziristan on the Afghan border came after militants loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, set up check-posts on the road to exert control over the region. "The road is blocked to put pressure on the militants to remove the check-posts," said an intelligence official based in the area. Hundreds of trucks and cars were backed up along the road from the town of Tank in the NWFP, residents said.

May 9

The political administration in Bajaur Agency launched a crackdown on the Salarzai tribe and arrested over 50 people under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation. The administration also impounded 10 vehicles. The crackdown was launched after militants attacked a convoy of the Bajaur Scouts going to Latai Post from Khar and took 20 paramilitary soldiers hostage and snatched two vehicles and weapons from them on May 8. Sources said the militants later set the soldiers free but did not return the vehicles and weapons.

May 13

A policeman was killed and two other persons, including a minor girl, sustained injuries when suspected militants fired rockets at various checkpoints of the Bajaur Scouts and Levies at Khar in the Bajaur Agency. Fighting continued for nearly three hours after the attacks check-posts in Raghgan Dag, Haji Long Chowk, Badan Kot, and Inayat Qilla. Security officer Mohibullah Khan was killed and another, Khitab Khan, was injured. A 10-year-old girl was also injured when a shell hit a house in the Raghgan area.

Elsewhere in the Bajaur Agency, suspected militants shot dead a Levies trooper near Khar. Afzal Khan was returning home after work when he was attacked by masked militants in the Dor Mandal area.

May 14

At least 12 militants, including some foreigners, were killed in a suspected United States missile strike on two houses in the Damadola area of Bajaur Agency. Two missiles, apparently fired by a US drone aircraft, demolished a house and a compound used by suspected al Qaeda militants, an unnamed official said. Taliban spokesman Maulana Omar said that ‘commander’ Maulana Obaidullah’s house had been targeted. He said most of the house’s residents, including women and children, were killed. He said the Taliban believed that the US army had initiated the attack to undermine peace efforts, adding, "We will avenge this but will continue talks with the Government." However, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said that there was no army in the area and he had no knowledge of any missile strike.

A civilian was killed in firing by security forces in the Nawagai sub-division of Bajaur Agency. Troops reportedly opened fire on suspected militants, killing a civilian, identified as Ali Muhammad.

A man accused of spying for the United States was abducted and later killed in Mirali in North Waziristan. The beheaded body of Feroz Khan was found in Mubarak Shahi. He belonged to the Khushali Toorikhel tribe of North Waziristan.

The Pakistan Army exchanged prisoners with the local Taliban in South and North Waziristan, as the military began to readjust its positions in the Mehsud areas to facilitate the return of displaced families. "Twelve security personnel — five army jawans and seven Frontier Corps personnel — were swapped for over 30 Taliban prisoners," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. He also said the army had started readjusting troop positions close to the populated areas to facilitate the return of displaced families. He stated that the troop readjustment was in no way a withdrawal from the area.

The NATO announced a sharp increase in insurgent attacks in east Afghanistan and raised concerns that it was partly due to pacts between Pakistan and the militants in tribal areas on its side of the border. The number of violent incidents in the Afghan east stood last month at 50 per cent above the same time last year, an alliance spokesman said. The violence there was close to a peak reached last August, he added. "The concern is that the deals struck by the Pakistan Government and extremist groups in tribal areas may be allowing them to have a safe haven," spokesman James Appathurai told a regular briefing after a meeting of alliance ambassadors.

May 15

A soldier was killed and another sustained injuries in the Spinka Raghda area after a roadside bomb exploded when a patrol team of soldiers passed by the area.

Differences among the local Taliban militants left one of their leader dead at the Baghzai village in Lower Kurram in the Kurram Agency. The political administration said a local Taliban leader Nawab Khan was killed by his associates due to differences among them.

Militants released six soldiers, bringing to 18 the number of soldiers released by them under a prisoner swap agreement between militant leader Baitullah Mehsud and the Government. The soldiers were handed over to security forces in the Shawal Fort area of South Waziristan, by Taliban’s local commander identified as Dr Jan.

May 16

Authorities found the beheaded body of a paramilitary soldier in the Bajaur Agency, close to where a United States missile strike left at least 20 people dead on May 14. A note left on the body of soldier Aftab Gul in the Pusht Bazaar Salarzai area read that the beheading was retaliation for the US bombing of Damadola. The note, signed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also warned tribal elders that they could face similar action if they co-operated with authorities.

May 18

A civilian was killed and his associate sustained injuries in a remote-controlled bomb blast in the Mamirogha Manzar village in North Waziristan.

A landmine exploded near an army camp in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan, without causing any damage.

Pakistan "disagreed" with the United States intelligence assessment that al Qaeda is using the FATA to plot attacks on the US as Operation Zalzala continues in South Waziristan. "No Pashtun is a terrorist," 14 Division GOC Major General Tariq Khan told journalists while showing them the forward positions of the army in a former stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud. Disagreeing with the US allegation that the Pakistan Army was being lenient with al Qaeda and the Taliban, he said "I would disagree with the US claims of [us] being soft on militants."

May 19

Three civilians were killed and two others sustained injuries when an improvised explosive device exploded outside a mosque in the Dabar area of Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency.

The military has reportedly started looking for evidence to confirm the death of Qari Hussain, the Taliban’s chief ideologue and principal suicide bombing trainer, after intercepting militant communications saying Hussain was ‘killed in Operation Zalzala. "We have picked up intercepts of militants saying Qari Hussain has been killed in the operation," said senior army commanders who led Operation Zalzala in South Waziristan. Qari Hussain, a Mehsud tribesman affiliated with a banned militant/sectarian group, is known for running Baitullah Mehsud-led Taliban suicide bombing training centres.

A militant outfit in the Bajaur Agency of the FATA has announced separation from the TTP and said that it would not become part of any peace deal between the Government and the local Taliban. The splinter group named Jaishul Islam decided that it would not take part in peace talks with the Government unless security forces halt action in Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP and other parts of the country. The group leader, Qari Saifullah, told journalists that they did not agree with the policy of TTP headed by Baitullah Mehsud to strike a peace deal with the Government. He said that on the one hand Government had started negotiations with the Taliban while on the other operations had been launched in Darra Adamkhel.

May 21

Four relatives of two parliamentarians from the FATA were killed in an ambush in the Jamrud sub-division of Khyber Agency. The attack left MNA Noorul Haq Qadri’s brother Hamayun Khan, uncle Hafiz Abdul Aleem and brother-in-law Bacha Jan, and Senator Hafiz Abdul Malik’s son Hafiz Nooruddin dead, said officials.

Security forces and local Taliban militants traded fire in the Mamadgut area of Mohmand Agency, according to a local Taliban spokesman. However, no casualties were reported.

The federal cabinet said that it would not engage in talks with extremists and terrorists and decided to pay compensation to the people affected by military operations and militancy in the FATA, especially South Waziristan. Presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, a cabinet meeting declared that peace talks were being held only with ‘peaceful tribesmen’ and there would be no deal with militant and extremist outfits who challenged the Government’s writ.

May 22

Suspected militants shot dead a correspondent of a private TV channel in the Bajaur Agency. Witnesses said that five gunmen shot dead Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, a correspondent for the Express television channel and Daily Express, near Inayat Kali while he was going to his village from Mamond sub-division on a motorcycle. Sources said that Ibrahim had interviewed Maulana Umar, spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, early in the morning.

May 23

Militants killed an Afghan citizen for allegedly spying for the US. Locals found the body of Gul Payu, a resident of Khost, Afghanistan, on the Tall-Mirali Road. A note written in Pashto and found near the body read that Gul was a US spy and that anyone involved in spying would meet the same fate.

A bomb struck a vehicle carrying civilians in the Khyber Agency, killing one person and injuring three others, local official Ghulam Habib told AFP.

May 25

An al Qaeda figure killed in a United States air strike in Bajaur Agency on May 14 is believed to have been an Algerian allegedly involved in training militants and plotting attacks against the West, officials told Los Angeles Times on May 23. They said the Algerian, known by the nickname Abu Sulayman Jazairi, apparently died in the aerial strike that killed 14 people and destroyed a compound near the Damadola village.

May 26

An improvised explosive device exploded in the Salarzai sub-division of the Bajaur Agency, without causing any casualties.

May 27

Eight persons were killed and 13 others sustained injuries in the Orakzai Agency when militants of the Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansar-ul-Islam, the two rival groups of Khyber Agency clashed. Activists of the AI led by Mahboobul Haq and LI of Mangal Bagh are reported to have clashed in the Kata Pana area of Orakzai Agency. Two vehicles were damaged in the gun-battle and Utmankhel tribesmen captured two vehicles of the Mangal Bagh group. Sources said that the Mangal Bagh group which was operating in the Bara and Jamrud sub-division of the Khyber Agency had now extended its activities to the Orakzai region.

May 27

Eight militants were killed and four others sustained injuries when a vehicle loaded with ammunition blew up in the Salarzai sub-division of Bajaur Agency. Assistant Political Agent Muhammad Iqbal Khattak said that the vehicle carrying explosives was going from Bajaur to Jandol in the Upper Dir district.

May 29

Four persons were who were traveling to Sadda were abducted and later shot dead in Zeeran.

May 30

Two persons from the Toori tribe at Zeeran in the Upper Kurram area were killed in Peshu Khawr of Kurram Agency. Local sources said that the killings were in retaliation to the killing of four persons on May 29.

May 31

A bomb exploded in a vehicle owned by the Taliban in the Mamad Ghat area of the Mohmand Agency, killing at least three militants and a bystander while injuring three more militants.

Militants blew up a security check-post in a timed explosion in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan. However, no casualties were reported. Sources said this was the first incident after the Government and the TTP signed a peace agreement which had not yet been made public.

Talks between TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and the Government have reportedly been suspended and the former is of the view that the US pressure has forced the authorities to go slow on finalising the proposed peace accord. "We are still in contact with each other, but signing of the peace agreement may take some time as the government is under tremendous pressure from Americans and other Western powers," said a senior Taliban commander and close aide of Baitullah Mehsud.

June 9

Three persons were killed in the Balyameen area of the Lower Kurram Agency when unidentified militants opened fire on a vehicle. The vehicle was travelling to Balyameen from Anzari when gunmen opened fire, killing Sajid Hussain and his driver Ahmed Gul on the spot while another unidentified man died soon after.

June 10

Two people were injured when a remote-controlled bomb exploded in a village five kilometres from Miranshah city in North Waziristan.

An unmanned US drone is suspected to have fired a missile in the Suran and Sheikh Baba areas in the Mohmand Agency, an unnamed Government official confirmed. The Director General of ISPR, Major Gen Ather Abbas, however denied any such incident.

Also in Mohmand Agency, Pakistani security forces and Afghan National Army troops exchanged fire. Afghan forces attempted to set up a check post in the disputed Suran area, report said. US helicopters were seen flying in the area following the exchange of fire.

June 11

Unidentified militants kidnapped and killed a woman from Inayat village in Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency suspecting her to be an American spy. The body of the unidentified woman was found dumped besides a road near Khar. A note was found with the body, reading, "She was killed because she was an American spy and a prostitute and those found involved in such activities will face the same fate."

Unidentified militants killed a former government official, Namoos Khan and injured his brother Kawos Khan at Manudara village in the Salalzai area of Bajaur Agency.

June 12

Two persons were killed and two others sustained injuries when Taliban and local people exchanged fire at Mulla Gori under Jamrod tehsil (administrative division) of Khyber Agency in the FATA.

Jamaat-e-Islami leaders of Bajaur Agency said that 10 million tribal people would avenge June 10 bombing of Mohmand Agency by US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces.

June 13

Militants shot dead five tribesmen, including a pro-government tribal elder, Malik Zahideen, near Miranshah in North Waziristan of FATA. Malik Zahideen was travelling from Miranshah to his native Behramand village along with his two brothers and two nephews when four militants intercepted their vehicle near Kharseen, killing all five. The unidentified militants later managed to escape. Militants shot dead the tribesmen suspecting they were spying for foreign forces in Afghanistan, a local official said.

The Wazir tribesmen of the Mir Ali area disconnected power supply to North and South Waziristan due to an ongoing dispute among them. According to the channel, the tribesmen cut off the transmission line supplying electricity to North and South Waziristan, suspending power supply in both agencies.

The NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani has said that the Government will continue its dialogue with militants in the FATA despite ‘enormous’ international pressure, adding, "The NWFP government’s peace agreement with militants in Swat is yielding positive results and that is why the federal government is going to make a peace deal with FATA militants." Concerning US and Afghanistan worries on Pakistani peace talks with militants, Ghani said peace in FATA could not be restored within days, adding that peace deals required some time in order to yield positive results.

June 18

Three persons were killed and eight others injured in a mortar attack and firing incident in village Shalozan of Kurram Agency. The dead were identified as Syed Younis Hussain, Hasmat Ali and Tajdar. Official sources said that the armed supporters of Mengal tribes allegedly fired mortar shells and opened indiscriminate fire on the positions of rivals from the Bangesh tribe. The Bangesh tribesmen also retaliated and reportedly injured two men of the Mengal tribe.

June 19

Militants belonging to a Sunni group ambushed a food convoy killing four persons and subsequently set ablaze three trucks loaded with goods at Kurram agency. Militants used heavy weapons including, rocket launchers and AK-47 assault rifles, in the ambush. Meanwhile, security forces, backed by helicopter gunship, retaliated killing five militants in region.

June 21

Five people were killed and nine others injured in an exchange of fire between two religious groups in the Teerah Valley of Khyber Agency. The Ansarul Islam (AI) said it took into custody 30 people belonging to its rival group Lashkar-e-Islam (LI). AI said the five people killed in the fighting belonged to LI and 30 LI men were taken into custody, adding that its shura (council) would decide their fate. Meanwhile, LI refuted AI’s claims saying that the houses of AI activists Qayyum and Jumma Baz were razed to the ground during the fighting and several important posts were captured. However, LI confirmed the death of two of its men in the fighting.

June 22

At least 15 militants were dead and dozens injured in a clash between two militant groups, Lashkar-i-Islam and Ansarul Islam, in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. The violence began on June 21 when militants belonging to Lashkar-i-Islam leader Mangal Bagh attacked a stronghold of the Ansarul Islam, led by Ustad Mehboob. The two sides used mortars and rocket-propelled grenades during the clash.

Taliban in the Mohmand Agency have warned women to either wear burqas or face punishment. The Taliban, through posters pasted in various places of the Agency, has also asked women not to work in the fields and prohibited them from attending marriage ceremonies and visiting doctors and markets without a male escort.

June 23

12 persons were killed in the continuing clash between the Lashkar-i-Islam and Ansarul Islam in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Meanwhile, local tribes on the same day brokered a temporary cease-fire between the two warring groups.

Gunmen shot dead eight members from a Shia tribe in the Kurram Agency.

Militants loyal to the Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud captured Jandola town in South Waziristan after a gun-battle with pro-government tribesmen in which six persons, including four tribesmen and two militants, were killed. Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman said nine people, including seven tribesmen, had been killed and the Taliban had abducted 10 pro-government fighters.

Militants released four people, including a Frontier Constabulary official, in the Mohmand Agency.

June 24

Taliban militants began withdrawing from Jandola in FATA, a government and a security official said. "The situation has improved. There has been no untoward incident today and they’re moving out," said Barkatullah, the top Government officer in the region. An unnamed security official said the militants were pulling out after a Government threat to launch an offensive against them. Meanwhile, according to APP a representative Jirga (council) has been constituted to end the three-day standoff, Barkatullah said.

June 28

Eight persons were killed and five others injured as clashes between two groups in the Tirah area of Khyber Agency in the FATA. The report said that the groups were using mortar guns, small missiles, rockets and other heavy arms in the fight.

Local Taliban in the Bajaur Agency of FATA publicly executed two Afghans after accusing them of spying for the United States forces suspected of launching a missile strike on the region in May. One of the men was stabbed to death and then beheaded, while the second was shot with an assault rifle. "They were spies. Whoever spies for the Americans will meet the same fate," Wali Rehman, a Taliban leader said. He also said that the two persons have provided names of some more spies and he would kill all those involved in the attack.

Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud suspended peace talks with the Government, when troops launched an offensive against militants in the Khyber Agency of FATA. "We are suspending peace talks with the government because the government is constantly using force against us," Mehsud told AFP by satellite telephone. "The government is not showing any seriousness and is using force against us. But if the government takes any military action we are also ready for martyrdom," he added.

June 29

Soldiers backed by armoured vehicles retook control of Bara town in the Khyber Agency of the FATA and prepared to advance to other areas in the district, including the Tirah Valley. An unnamed official said that the LI chief Mangal Bagh had moved to the remote Tirah Valley before the launch of the military operations. The second day of the NWFP Government’s operations ended without any resistance, as the paramilitary FC troops continued their advance into the tribal region near Peshawar. In Bara, Bagh had directed his supporters against fighting Government forces. The 5,000-troop contingent of FC soldiers that launched the operation on June 28 was supplemented with a fresh deployment of 400 troops and 20 vehicles on June 29.

Local official Muhammad Siddiq Khan said the FC had also encountered no resistance as it moved into areas outside Bara. Muhammad Ilyas, a bodyguard of Mangal Bagh, confirmed that the LI cadres had been strictly directed against fighting Government troops by "amir sahib". During the operation’s second day, security forces razed several buildings, including the Mehboob Markaz, the Tayab, Misri and Gud Malang centres and a private jail. A security official said that soldiers also blew up a building belonging to the Taliban-linked group AI. However, FATA Additional Secretary Habibullah Khan declined to comment on the target of the operation. "This operation is not against a particular individual or group," he told reporters.

Foreign elements hailing from Central Asian Republics (CAR) are disturbing peace in the FATA, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Gilani said that the foreign militants from CAR are behind the current unrest and spike in violence in the FATA. Dismissing foreign pressure and involvement in the crackdown on militants in the FATA, he said that this is a provincial matter and the federal Government acts on the invitation and advice of the province. The prime minister also said that the NWFP Government had concluded a peace agreement with tribal chiefs but they violated the agreement by hanging people publicly, kidnapping members of minority and by setting girls’ schools on fire. "No government can afford a parallel government and we will never compromise the country’s sovereignty, dignity and self-respect," Gilani said. He stated that the Government was adopting a three-pronged strategy to counter militancy in the FATA: political dialogue, development in the region and use of force as a last resort.

June 30

Seven tribesmen were killed and nine others sustained injuries in a blast at the base camp of a banned outfit in the Bar Qambarkhel area of Bara sub-division in Khyber Agency. A blast that some locals believed to be a missile attack on the house of one Hakim Khan killed seven tribesmen and injured nine others. The building was being used as a base camp by the Amr Bilmaroof wa Nahi Anil Munkar group of Haji Namdar. The political authorities in Khyber Agency, however, said the blast was not linked to the military operation, claiming that it probably occurred when explosives stored in the building went off. A spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban, however, termed it a rocket attack carried out by a US drone.

More contingents of the Frontier Corps arrived in Bara and were deployed in the Shalobar, Qambarkhel and other areas.

Tribesmen took 30 paramilitary soldiers hostage in the Piwar area of Kurram Agency. The tribesmen suspected that some of the persons wearing FC uniform belonged to their rival Mangal tribe. Political Agent Azam Khan said that a jirga (council) had been sent to the area to secure release of the soldiers.

The Taliban have threatened four journalists in South Waziristan to give up their profession or face the consequences.

The Ministry of Interior said that the operation launched in the Khyber Agency of FATA would continue till its objectives were achieved. It also announced a ban on three groups operating in the region for their involvement in criminal activities. "Lashkar-i-lslam of Mangal Bagh, Ansar-ul-lslam of Mahboob-ul-Haque and the Haji Namdar group have been banned under the Anti-Terrorist Act and a notification to this effect has been issued," sources at the interior ministry said.

Two groups of local Taliban in Waziristan have joined hands to fight against the NATO troops in Afghanistan. The Mulla Nazir group of South Waziristan and Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of North Waziristan agreed to jointly fight the NATO troops in Afghanistan. They nominated Hafiz Gul Bahadur as the joint ameer (chief) and Mufti Abu Haroon as spokesman for the Taliban militants.

July 1

Security forces continued their attacks on militant hideouts in the Khyber tribal region, dismantled two centres of extremist groups and arrested 24 suspects.

Lashkar-i-Islam chief Mangal Bagh is reported to have contacted the political authorities and expressed willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue.

14 SF personnel, who were abducted the Jamrud sub-division of Khyber Agency a few days ago, were set free. They were abducted from check-posts on the main Peshawar-Torkham Highway.

Clashes between rival religious groups continued in the remote Tirah Valley of the Khyber Agency. 44 people have lost their lives in the gun-battles between the activists of LeI and Ansarul Islam over the past 10 days.

July 2

Two people were killed and two others sustained injuries when a missile fired from Afghanistan landed near a border post in the Bajaur Agency. It was not clear if Taliban militants in Afghanistan or international forces fighting them had launched the missile. An Afghan refugee and a local resident were killed, and two others including a security official and a taxi driver were injured, he said.

Security forces continued their military operations at Bara in the Khyber Agency and rural areas of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, arresting 69 alleged militants, including a top militant commander. The arrested commander was identified as Amal Khan of the Lashkar-e-Islam. Authorities claimed he was arrested in Mandikas area along with his 10 companions when he was allegedly transporting ammunition to the Tirah Valley. "A total of 87 militants have been arrested during the five days of operation Siraat-e-Mustaqeem," said an official communication.

July 3

Five people were killed and several others injured in fresh clashes between LI and AI in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. According to locals, clashes have continued for 13 day and both groups have occupied strategic positions in the mountains of Tirah Valley and are attacking each other with heavy ordinance. They said that over 80 people had been killed on both sides since the start of the clashes and the political administration had not been able to stop the fighting.

Militants abducted two FC drivers who were taking food supplies in two mini trucks for FC personnel deployed in North Waziristan. They were en route from Miranshah to Dattakhel and were abducted at Kharkamar at around 2 pm (PST).

The TTP Mohmand Agency chapter ordered women in the agency to observe purdah (veil) and announced a penalty for the male relatives of women in breach of the order. The TTP spokesman Asad told reporters that the orders had been issued by the TTP Mohmand Agency commander Omar Khalid. The TTP also claimed responsibility for the abduction of three locals – Meherban, Momin and Mumtaz – from the Qilagai area of Lakro tehsil in the agency.

July 4

Taliban abducted two journalists and a local who entered a militant stronghold in the Mohmand Agency. The militants detained freelance reporter Pir Zubair Shah Wazir and photographer Akhtar Soomro in Ziarat village.

The offensive in Khyber Agency will continue until the writ of the government is restored in the region, said NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani.

The government suspended its security operation against suspected militants and criminals in the Khyber Agency for 36 hours to allow Afridi tribesmen to meet Mangal Bagh and conduct peace talks. "The operation has been suspended until Saturday morning on the request of the tribal jirga and we have relaxed the curfew in Bara to facilitate locals," Khyber Agency Chief Administrator Tariq Hayat Khan said. He said that Afridi elders had approached him on July 3 and offered to conduct negotiations with Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh to help restore peace in the area. Khan said the government had provided the jirga members with a list of demands for Bagh, adding that these included surrender of all weapons along with a guarantee that Bagh would not challenge the state’s writ. He also said security forces had destroyed 16 militant compounds during the past six days of the operation, adding that they had also identified 14 other such compounds.

July 5

SFs suspended a crackdown against militants for 36 hours in the Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan to allow local elders to negotiate with them. The crackdown code named "Sirat-e-Mustaqeem" (Righteous Path) had been launched on June 28.

An 18-member jirga (council) met Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh at Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency to discuss measures to end fighting in the region between rival militant groups. During the parleys, Bagh demanded that the Government should call off the military operation.

Two more persons were killed in clashes between cadres of Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansar-ul-Islam, taking the toll in recent fighting between the groups to 91.

July 6

The TTP has reportedly established Sharia courts in the Bajaur Agency and a large number of people are using them to get disputes resolved, instead of waiting for action by the tribal administration. The courts have been functioning in the Sewai area, about 20kms northwest of the agency headquarters of Khar, for a couple of weeks. "We have set up the courts in accordance with people’s wishes," said Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar, adding that people was fed up with the previous legal system.

The three organisations that were running parallel governments in the Khyber Agency have been disbanded, bringing normalcy to the area, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik, said.

July 7

A Pakistani paramilitary soldier was injured when attackers from within Afghanistan shot at the Chartanna check-post in the Mohmand Agency. The security forces reportedly returned fire but the attackers escaped.

The local Taliban and tribal elders decided at a meeting to expel Uzbek militants and their local collaborators from the areas of Ahmadzai Wazir tribe in South Waziristan. The meeting in Wana was attended by about 500 elders and chieftans and representatives of the Taliban Shoora (executive council) from North Waziristan. "The grand jirga [council] of the Ahmedzai Wazirs has approved the agreement between [Ahmedzai Wazir chief] Maulvi Nazir and [Utmanzai Wazir chief] Mullah Gul Bahadar, allowing the two leaders to forge a unity against Mehsud," a tribal elder told Daily Times.

July 8

Unidentified militants killed five security force personnel and injured three others while attacking their vehicle in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. There were unconfirmed reports about the death of a militant in retaliatory fire, whose body was taken away by the militants.

The local Taliban took possession of two girls’ primary schools in the Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division in the Bajaur Agency and announced the conversion of these schools into madrassas (seminaries). The Taliban captured Government Girls Primary School Manugi and Government Girls Primary School Azghar Charmang.

A bomb blast in a residential area of the agency headquarters in Bajaur partially damaged a house. There were no reports of any casualties.

July 9

The political administration and Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) signed an agreement making it binding on the banned group to accept the Government’s writ in the Bara subdivision of Khyber Agency. The agreement signed by officials of the political administration and six elders of the Afridi tribe prohibits the movement of supporters of the group in Bara town and display of weapons. The group’s chief Mangal Bagh and his men will not attack security forces and Government installations. Haji Shaukat Khan, a member of the jirga (council) which negotiated the agreement, told Dawn that security forces would stop the operation in the area and return to the barracks. He said all the people detained during the operation would be released on July 9.

A landmine exploded at the Sateen Camp area in Kurram Agency, killing a man and injuring another.

Unidentified people blew up a CD shop and two centres believed to be drug dens in the Landi Kotal area of Khyber Agency.

Two bombs exploded in two shops in Landi Kotal. There were no casualties reported. A third bomb, which was found by children in the area, was defused safely.

July 10

At least seven people were killed and 12 others were wounded in three separate landmine explosions in different parts of Kurram Agency. According to the Assistant Political Agent of Lower Kurram, three people were killed and six others injured when a vehicle carrying vegetables struck a landmine in Arawali village. Four people were killed and five others wounded when a tractor trolley struck a landmine in the Kach area, he added. Similarly, one person sustained injuries when he passed over a landmine in the Magnek village.

Clashes between the two rival groups, the Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e-Islam and the Mehboob-led Ansarul Islam, in the remote Tirah Valley of the Khyber Agency continued. There were reports that at least three persons were killed and nine others injured in the fresh clash between the two groups. Two of the killed were Lashkar activists, who allegedly attacked the Ansar's base in the Malikdin Khel area of the valley, while six of the group's men sustained bullet injuries.

The body of a doctor killed by suspected militants was found in the Dosli sub-division of North Waziristan. Identified as Dr Farrukh Aftab, a resident of Islamabad, officials said that the man had been shot four times in the chest. A note pinned to his body read: "He [Dr Farrukh Aftab] was opposing Islam and jihad, and he was a supporter of European countries. He was working for NGOs." It is yet unknown whether the man was seized while visiting the region, or abducted from Islamabad and brought to Waziristan.

Militants fired three rockets at the house of a Bajaur Levies trooper, Sahibzada, in the Salarzai sub-division of Bajaur Agency in FATA, killing his 15-year-old daughter Salma Jan and injuring his other two children, daughter Sana and son Samar Gul.

July 11

Eleven persons, including nine Pakistani soldiers and two civilians, were wounded when two NATO warplanes attacked Angoor Adda, a village on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in South Waziristan, on the night between July 10 and 11. Official and local residents said several bombs fell inside the Pakistani territory and hit the border towns of Zayara Leeta and Musa Neeka areas near Angoor Adda. Sources said a joint post of the Pakistan Army and paramilitary Frontier Corps on the border also came under attack, injuring nine soldiers. Two local tribesmen living in Angoor Adda also sustained injuries in the attack.

July 12

Seven people, including two women, were killed and four others injured in clashes between the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and Ansar-ul-Islam in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. The militants groups exchanged heavy fire, although a Jirga (council) of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Shujaul Malik was due on July 12 in the valley to defuse the tension in the area.

July 13

Six persons were killed and 10 others sustained injuries in fresh clashes between the two warring groups of the Mangal Bagh-led Lashkar-e-Islam and the Mahoob-led Ansar-ul-Islam in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Activists of the two groups clashed in the Bar Shalobar area and exchanged gunfire, resulting in the death of six persons.

Militants beheaded a man in North Waziristan alleging that he was spying for the US. Locals found the beheaded body of Muhammad Ghani, a resident of Bannu, at Kharqamar, 45 kilometers west of Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan. Eyewitnesses said a note found near the body read: "He was a US spy and anyone found involved in spying for Americans will meet the same fate."

Armed militants abducted four persons from different areas of the Kurram Agency.

July 14

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has set up Qazi courts in four places in the Mohmand Agency in the FATA. Taliban spokesman Assad told Dawn that the Qazi courts had been set up to settle disputes in accordance with the Shariah (Islamic law). He said that Mohammad Ziad had been appointed the chief Qazi and other Qazis would be named later. He stated that the courts had been established in Pandialai, Khwezai, Lakaro and Dawezai.

July 16

Seven persons were killed and five others injured in clashes between the Lashkar-e-Islam and the Ansar-ul-Islam militant groups in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency.

A militant was killed and three others sustained injuries in a clash between two rival groups in the Khalodag village of Mohmand Agency over the occupation of a madrassa (seminary). Sources said that the clash started when the Shah Sahib militant group tried to take control of a madrassa in Khalodag village from the Commander Umer Khalid militant group. Mamor, a militant, was reportedly killed in the ensuing clash and Mansoor, Fayaz and Ayaz were wounded.

The NATO-led troops in Afghanistan used attack helicopters and artillery to fire into Pakistan after coming under rocket attacks from the Pakistani side of the border, the alliance force said. The counter-attack on July 15 was launched from Afghanistan’s Paktika province, which adjoins Pakistan’s North Waziristan.

July 18

Despite a cease-fire brokered by two senior Afghan Taliban commanders on July 17, fighting between two rival militant groups continued on July 18 in which more than 50 militants were killed and dozens injured in the Mohmand Agency. Two rival militant groups – the Baitullah Mehsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Commander Shah Khalid-led militants which is considered as pro-government — have been fighting for the past three days for the control of the Mohmand Agency.

Suspected militants three persons in the Karwan Manza area of South Waziristan on suspicion of them spying for the US. A note, written in Pashto, was also found near the bodies, accusing the dead of spying for the United States. It warned that other "US spies" would face the same fate.

Unidentified militants shot dead a madrassa (seminary) head in the Mir Ali subdivision of North Waziristan. The attackers shot at Maulana Abdullah while he was standing in front of his seminary before escaping.

A man died in a bomb blast in the Khyber Agency’s Bara division. But unconfirmed reports put the death toll at over five. The bomb exploded in a cave in the Tindi area, 18 kilometers from Bara. Sources said the bomb was kept in a store of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam.

Taliban militants broke windows and punctured the tyres of 22-wheeler trucks loaded with goods for NATO forces in Afghanistan. Armed squads of the Taliban stopped a convoy of trailers carrying goods for NATO forces at the Landikotal bypass and damaged their windows using guns and punctured their tyres with iron bars. Unidentified militants had earlier distributed pamphlets warning transporters against taking any goods to NATO forces in Afghanistan. The transporters were threatened that they would be killed and their villages and vehicles set ablaze if they ignored the warning.

July 19

Nine persons were killed and 10 injured in clashes between the Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansar-ul-Islam in the remote Tirah area of Khyber Agency. Sources said the clashes occurred in the Daki, Sangar and Inqilab Morcha areas.

Four members of a rival militant group, taken hostage by the Taliban, were executed by their captors in the Mohmand Agency. The commander of the rival group, Shah Khalid, and his deputy Qari Ubaidullah, are among the dead. The Taliban said that 118 other captives belonging to the Shah group would be penalised ‘in accordance with the Sharia law’. Sources said that both the commanders were shot dead by Taliban at 10am following a verdict of the local Shura (executive council) held at an unspecified location.

July 21

Taliban militants shot dead two Afghan men in North Waziristan after accusing them of spying for the United States forces in Afghanistan. A note left on the bodies in the border village of Lowara Mandi indicated that the two men were spying for the US forces, an official said, AFP reported. "All those spying for the US will suffer the same fate," it said. A source identified the slain Afghans as Muhammad Anwar and his son Gul Nawaz Khan.

Malak Shahjehan Khan, a prominent pro-government tribal leader and chief of the Mamond tribe, was killed and three other people were injured in an ambush near Shandi More, about one kilometer from Khar, headquarters of the Bajaur Agency. Malak Shahjehan and tribal leader Malak Mohammad Ayaz were reportedly going to Peshawar to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mohmand Agency commander Omar Khalid said that he has ‘arrested’ 80 activists of the Shah Sahib group, along with two intelligence personnel. Speaking to reporters from an undisclosed location, he said that the Taliban would reveal the identities of the intelligence personnel to the media after they had completed their investigation. He said that the Mohmand Agency Taliban had suspended their peace talks with the Government, adding that they would cease their attacks on officials when the Government stopped arresting their people at check-posts.

The Khasadar Force foiled a terrorism bid by seizing an explosive-laden vehicle traveling from Khyber Agency’s Jamrud sub-division to Peshawar, capital of the NWFP.

July 22

Mangal Bagh, chief of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam in the Khyber Agency, escaped an attempt on his life after three persons armed with remote controlled bombs were intercepted by his personal guards. Khalid Khan, a local LI commander at Bara division, said three persons managed to reach very close to Mangal Bagh in the disguise of being part of a special squad guarding him.

July 24

Two mortar shells fired from across the border in Afghanistan hit a house in the Bajaur Agency causing injuries to a tribesman. Bajaur Agency political administration officials said that two mortar shells fired from across the border at 1pm (PST) hit Islam Gul’s house in Charmang Hashim, 40 kilometers from Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur Agency.

Unidentified militants attacked the Bajaur Levies check-post at Rarang, 30 kilometers from Khar, and abducted Levies officer Hayatullah.

Armed supporters of Tehreek Islami Khyber, a new militant group, led by Gul Rehman Afridi raided the Landikotal headquarters hospital in Khyber Agency and called for the immediate removal of the "corrupt" medical superintendent, Dr Zar Alam Shinwari.

July 25

Taliban militants took control of three security posts abandoned by the paramilitary forces along the Afghan border in the Bajaur Agency. Sources said that the Bajaur Scouts had vacated the posts in Kaga Pass, Da Mangi Pass and Laiti in the Mammond division. An unnamed official said that the posts were located in areas which had no strategic importance and that logistically it was difficult to maintain these posts. Paramilitary soldiers moved out of the area and the Taliban immediately took over the posts and reportedly deployed their men.

July 27

Two persons, including a minor boy, sustained injuries as a watchman of oil tankers and suspected Taliban militants traded heavy gunfire in the Sultankhel area of Landikotal division in the Khyber Agency. The incident occurred when the militants entered a private parking lot to dynamite the empty oil tankers. On resistance by the watchman, Zamoor Afridi, militants opened fire on him which was retaliated by the family members of the watchman from nearby houses. Consequently, a 12-year old child of the watchman and an alleged Taliban militant, Mujeer, sustained injuries. Later, the injured militant was handed over to the political administration.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur was unanimously reappointed the Taliban chief in North Waziristan. A decision to this effect was made at a meeting of the local Taliban, which was held at Razmak, 75 kilometers south of Miranshah. Over 800 Taliban militants attended the meeting, which was presided over by Bahadur, who hails from the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe. He accused the Government and security agencies of creating rifts among various militant groups to weaken what he said ‘their movement against imperialist forces’, according to Dawn.

The Taliban have reportedly directed the traders living on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to terminate cross-border trade. Taliban distributed pamphlets among the traders living on both sides of the Durand Line, warning them of ending trade across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The pamphlets warned the traders of loss, if they continued to trade after the declaration.

July 28

A missile apparently fired from a Predator drone killed at least six persons in a compound in South Waziristan near the Afghan border. An unnamed security official said the strike might have killed a senior al Qaeda trainer known for his expertise in explosives and chemicals. "Our report suggests that the missile strike might have killed Abu Khabab Al Misri, an Egyptian. But it remains unconfirmed," the official said. A resident of Wana said two missiles struck a seminary and an adjoining compound in the Zyara Leetha area of Azam Warsak early in the morning, killing six people and wounding a woman and her two children. 55-year-old Midhat Mursi As-Sayid Umar alias Abu Khabab was considered to be an expert in conventional explosives and some western media reports said he headed a project named Al Zabadi, or ‘curdled milk’, for making chemical and biological weapons. The US had offered a $5 million reward on information leading to his capture.

Militants executed a man in the Mohmand Agency for allegedly spying for the United States. Locals found the body of 60-year old Ibrahim at Kundao in the Ambaar Sarlara division and a note written in Urdu and Pushto near the body, which read that the deceased was spying for America. Ibrahim was a resident of Ghabri in the Bajaur Agency.

Militants set off explosives and damaged the Government Boys Primary School in Bad Siah. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

The Taliban took over a Pakistan Television booster in the Barang division of Bajaur Agency.

The Taliban in the Bajaur Agency has split into two factions after infighting between two militant organisations in the Mohmand Agency led to the killing of eight members of one group on July 18. Pro-Baitullah Mehsud Taliban leader Umer Khalid killed eight members from the Shah Sahib militant group, including its chief and deputy chief, on July 18. "We, four commanders, are resigning from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) over the killing of mujahideen in Mohmand Agency," Salar Masood, a spokesman for the four commanders, told Daily Times on July 28. "We will form our own group – Tehreek-e-Taliban Al Jihad – to continue jihad against the United States," Masood said on the phone from an undisclosed location in Bajaur. Maulvi Munir, Dr Abdul Wahab and Maulvi Abdul Hameed are the three other commanders who left the TTP.

July 29

Security forces targeted Taliban positions after militants seized a Pakistan Television booster in the Bajaur Agency. Bajaur Scouts troops used artillery to bomb a hilltop in the Koi Sar area where armed Taliban militants had taken control of the booster. The Taliban withdrew after the artillery shelling, the authorities said. Armed militants had taken control of the booster in Bajaur on July 28.

Senior leaders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Bajaur Agency denied any differences in the Taliban ranks, and said they had no disagreement with TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Faqeer Muhammad. Addressing a press conference, the four senior TTP leaders in Bajaur Agency –Abdul Wahab, Maulvi Abdul Hameed, Commander Hamza and Maulvi Muhammad Munir – said they had no differences with the TTP chief or other leaders and strongly condemned media reports about differences between them.

July 30

Militants shot dead an Afghan woman accused of being a US spy in North Waziristan, and dumped her body in a sewer, a witness and intelligence officials said. The body of Gulzada Bibi, a woman in her mid-thirties, was found with three bullet wounds in her chest near Degan village, some 35 km west of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan.

Mortar shells and rockets fired from across the Afghan side of the border landed in the Spin Wam area of North Waziristan. Local people said that seven rockets and nine mortar shells landed in the area, but did not cause any damage.

The Taliban militants re-occupied a PTV booster and a Levies check post in the Barang sub-division of the Bajaur Agency. According to Aaj TV, security forces had earlier taken control of the booster compound and the check post vacated by Taliban but on July 30 the Taliban regained control.

Militants holding talks with a tribal jirga (council) in the Orakzai Agency released two hostages they had kidnapped along with eight officers of the Water Management Board on June 30. The militants, who are still holding 23 persons captive, have demanded release of their seven commanders and withdrawal of troops from the area in return for their freedom. The two hostages released on July 30 were identified as Jan Akbar and Abdul Wahab.

Unidentified militants kidnapped four employees of the Khushhali Bank from the bank’s premises in Lower Aurakzai Agency. Armed militants entered the bank situated near Kalaya, kidnapped branch manager Mohammad Jenan and three staff members at gunpoint, and shifted them to an undisclosed location.

August 1

Militants kidnapped two Bajaur Levies soldiers at the Jar check-post, 12 kilometers from the Bajaur Agency headquarters in Khar. 35 armed insurgents reportedly stormed the roadside check-post and abducted the two soldiers, Associated Press quoted local commander Major Fazle Rabi as saying.

August 3

An Afghan national was killed on charges of spying for America in the Bajaur Agency. Local people said that the Afghan national identified as Mohammad Qasim was shot dead in the Tangi area of Bajaur Agency. He was accused of spying for USA. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.

The Taliban in Mohmand Agency released six members of Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Shah Group following a jirga (council). A jirga led by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) chief Fazlur Rehman Khalil is reportedly in Mohmand Agency for talks with the Taliban leadership.

August 4

At least nine Pakistan Army soldiers were injured when a military convoy hit an improvised explosive device planted on the roadside at Tanai near Wana in South Waziristan. The troops were en route to Wana, regional headquarters of South Waziristan, from Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP.

August 5

A paramilitary soldier was killed in a clash between local Taliban militants and Arang tribesmen in the Uthmankhel area of Bajaur Agency. Sources said that the Taliban had occupied a levies check-post and the tribe asked them to vacate it and leave the area. In the ensuing gun-battle, a trooper of the Levies was killed. The local Taliban had reportedly occupied two other check-posts in the area some time ago but later vacated them.

Unidentified militants attacked military installations in South Waziristan with rockets. Officials said that they fired four rockets in Wana in which one rocket hit an electricity transformer inside Zyari Noor military camp, causing power suspension to the camp. Two other rockets fell near the building of the political administration but did not cause any human or material loss. Similarly, four rockets were fired at the paramilitary Frontier Corps fort Sarakanda near Angoor Adda. The sources said two rockets fell on the helipad while two others landed near Kutchery building.

Suspected militants opened fire on a military post near Khamrang and injured a soldier.

August 5

Highly-motivated ‘boys and girls’ are eager to mount suicide attacks all over the country, including Karachi, targeting high-profile Government functionaries, according to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Addressing a press conference in Anayat Kalley in the Bajaur Agency, the TTP deputy chief Maulana Faqir Mohammad and spokesman Maulvi Omar said that a ‘Fidayeen Squad’, comprising 10- to 20-year-old boys and girls, was ready to carry out the attacks if the Government did not immediately stop the operation in Swat in the NWFP and did not reverse its decision to launch military operation in other tribal areas.

August 6

Four persons were killed when clashes resumed between the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and the Ansar-ul-Islam (AI) after two weeks of lull in the remote Tirah valley of the Khyber Agency. "Four fighters of LI were killed and several injured in the attack," sources said, adding the group was also forced to vacate a post in Sandapal area. A leader of the AI, Qari Ezatullah, claimed that five men of the rival group were killed and 12 ‘seized’ while three important posts were also captured in the fighting. However, LI spokesman Misri Khan said three cadres of his organisation were killed and one post was captured by the rival group.

Frontier Corps and Bajaur Levies personnel, backed by gunship helicopters, launched an operation against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-linked militants in the Bajaur Agency. Official sources said that gunship helicopters targeted suspected hideouts and locations of the militants led by TTP deputy chief, Maulana Faqir Mohammad, at Loisam area in Nawagai town. There were also reports of casualties suffered by the two sides in the fighting.

A new Taliban group in Waziristan claimed responsibility for the missile attacks and bomb blasts in South Waziristan a day earlier. Led by its commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the Taliban Ittehad said that they were responsible for firing missiles on three locations the previous day. Taliban Ittehad spokesman Ahmadullah Ahmadi said that they would retaliate against any attack by the Government. Another commander Abdul Khaliq Haqqani said that he had prepared a group of suicide bombers to be used against the Government.

August 7

Hundreds of Taliban militants attacked a security check-post near the Afghan border late on August 6, sparking fierce clashes in which up to 10 soldiers and 25 militants were killed, officials said on August 7. The security forces (SFs) had deployed a large force at Loyesam, 12 kilometers from Khar, headquarters of the Bajaur Agency, in a bid to reclaim important nearby Taliban strongholds. A Frontier Corps officer told AFP that 300-400 militants armed with AK-47 assault rifles, rocket launchers and grenades, participated in the attack.

Five troops were killed and several others injured when three roadside bombs hit a convoy of the SFs near Rashakai area, some 8kms from Khar in Bajaur.

A soldier was killed and two others sustained injuries when their vehicle going to Khar from Lowi Sam hit a bomb detonated by remote control in the Tang Khatha area.

Three paramilitary soldiers were wounded when another convoy was attacked in the Kamar Sur area of Mamond sub-division. The Jaish-i-Islami, a banned outfit, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Militants attacked a security check-post in the Umari area. It had reportedly been recaptured by the SFs on August 6.

Thousands of people are reported to have left their homes in Peora, Lowi Khwar, Tangi, Inzaree, Khazana and moved to the Anbar area of Mohmand Agency. People are also migrating from Mamond area to Munda and Jandol in Dir Lower.

August 8

More than 70 Taliban militants were killed and 60 others sustained injuries in a gun-battle between militants and the SFs in the Bajaur Agency. Seven paramilitary troops also died in clashes near the Afghan border, as helicopter gun-ships and mortars targeted militants’ hideouts in the Rashakai and Tank Khata areas. "Intense firing again started at 8am at Loisam, Omari and Nawagai areas where a large number of armed Taliban are attacking security forces," an unnamed security official told AFP.

Militants beheaded two men and shot dead another in Bajaur Agency after accusing them of spying on them. The bodies of three men were found dumped by a road at Kayrala village, with notes saying, "These people were spying on Taliban," said a local Government official. Witnesses said that two had their heads severed and the third was killed by a gunshot.

At least 10 people were killed and 17 others sustained injuries as clashes between the Lashkar-e-Islam and its rival Ansar-ul-Islam continued for the second day in the Bilyamen area of Lower Kurram.

August 9

Paramilitary troops retreated from the Loyesam area of Bajaur Agency, three days after an attempt to recapture the Taliban stronghold near the Afghan border. Loyesam lies on the strategically important road leading towards Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. About 200 Frontier Corps (FC) troops were deployed on August 6 to set up check-posts near the Afghan border, prompting "tough resistance" from the militants. A press statement from the FC headquarters in Peshawar said six soldiers were killed and 15 injured after the paramilitary troops broke a Taliban siege and reached Khar, the agency headquarters.

August 10

At least seven persons were killed and more than 20 injured in fighting between the militants and SFs in the Bajaur Agency, as Taliban occupied a 15-kilometre stretch of land from agency headquarters Khar to the Jaar area. Fighter aircraft and helicopter gun-ships targeted militant hideouts in the agency after paramilitary troops withdrew from the Taliban stronghold of Loyesam following three days of fierce clashes. Two helicopters and two fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in Loyesam, Bando, Rashakai, Tang, Jaar, Haji Lawang, Yousafabad and Charmang areas until 4pm (PST). Approximately 40 houses were destroyed during the bombing. Taliban militants reportedly attacked the bombers with anti-aircraft guns in the Carela and Tang Khata areas.

Militants have warned petrol pump-owners in the FATA to desist from transportation of fuel to Afghanistan and sell only the oil supplied by the Government-owned Pakistan State Oil. After threats, several outlets have reportedly stopped sale of oil supplied by multinational oil companies, while the rest were weighing options either to close their pumps or to contact the PSO for further supply, or to switch over to other businesses, sources said. "We have been receiving threats from the Taliban to stop selling oil supplied by the multinational oil companies and sell only the supplies of the Pakistan State Oil," said the manager of a petrol pump, selling oil of a multinational oil firm in the Khyber Agency. A letter received by several petrol stations in various agencies of the FATA had warned them to close these establishments owned by multinational companies. The letter said that in case of failure on the part of the pump-owners to comply with the warning, their pumps would be set ablaze and they would be penalised.

August 11

Security forces killed approximately 50 Taliban militants in fresh clashes in the Bajaur Agency, taking the death toll to nearly 160 in five days of fighting. "Helicopter gun-ships pounded positions of the militants in Bajaur and killed about 50 of them," an unnamed security official told Reuters. "Some of the bombs dropped by jets on suspected militants’ hideouts in Tauheedabad and Damadola villages also hit many houses killing six civilians and wounding 12 others," the security official told AFP. Civilian casualties were also reported in the Charmang area of Bajaur and the Manja area of Khar. According to The News, at least 13 members of a family, including women and children, were killed as a result of bombing at an unnamed village in the Bajaur Agency.

The militants beheaded two men for "spying" on them and shot dead a pro-government leader in Bajaur.

August 12

A senior al Qaeda operative and 17 other militants were killed and several others sustained injuries when low-flying helicopters bombed their positions in the Bajaur Agency. Sources said Abu Saeed al-Masri alias Mustafa Mohammad Ahmad was killed in the air strike. The Egyptian-born Abu Saeed was reported to be a senior member of the Majlis-i-Shura and financial chief of al Qaeda. They said that Cobra helicopters precisely targeted militants’ positions in Shahnari, Haji Lawang, Ragha Dagg and Takht areas where security forces had been using air power since August 8. The helicopters attacked militants’ hideouts in Shahnari, killing 13 Taliban militants. They also hit four vehicles in Takht, killing five militants and injuring three others.

Militants fired rockets on a van carrying a displaced family in Gardai area. A man and his wife were killed and their three children were wounded.

August 13

Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft and military gunship helicopters continued targeting suspected hideouts of militants in the Bajaur Agency, killing 21 more people, including three civilians, and injuring several others. Official and tribal sources said that fighter aircraft and the Pakistan Army Cobra gunship choppers heavily bombarded suspected militant positions and hideouts in various parts of Bajaur Agency, including Pashat, Naraza and Mulla Said Banda in Salarzai sub-division and Inam Khwaro and Damadola in the Mamond sub-division. The officials claimed 12 militants were killed in the air strikes. In Jar Kalley of Utmankhel sub-division, a group of militants sitting on the roadside to target the troops through IEDs were targeted by gunship choppers that killed six militants. In Pashat village, three tribesmen, including an elder, were killed when his house came under attack from a warplane.

12 militants, including three Turkmen, some Arabs and Waziri tribal fighters, were killed and several others injured when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fired four Hellfire missiles on Shnawana village in South Waziristan (SW), along the border with Afghanistan on August 12-night.

A doctor held hostage reportedly by pro-Taliban militants in his house was killed along with his eight captors when a mortar shell hit the house in the Haji Lawang area in Bajaur Agency. Security forces hit the house of Dr Bawar on August 12-night, killing him and the eight militants who had forced him to stay in the house and treat their injured comrades. Dr Bawar who worked in the Bajaur Agency headquarters hospital in Khar was alone in his house after sending his family to another area because of bombings carried out by the security forces.

SFs clashed with militants in the nearby Jandola region in South Waziristan. Officials said that two militants of the Baitullah Mehsud group were killed in the clashes. The clashes followed an attack by militants on a vehicle of the security forces in the Kirri area on August 12. One soldier was killed and five others were wounded in the attack.

The paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) vacated Bajaur's biggest FC post at Sadeeqabad near Khar. Sources close to the militants said the Taliban sent a delegation to Tableeghi Markaz in Sadeeqabad and gave them a letter in which they urged the Ulema (religious scholars) and local traders to ask the FC officials to vacate the Sadeeqabad post or they would attack the post and then they would not be responsible if the local people and business community suffered human or material losses. Residents of Sadeeqabad village said the militants later reached there and started patrolling the streets.

The head of a banned militant group in the Khyber Agency was shot dead. Amr Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar chief Haji Namdar was delivering his routine sermon for his FM radio channel from a mosque in Bar Kambarkhel when an unidentified man shot and killed him. The attacker was later captured by Namdar’s supporters. The executive body of the vigilante organisation named Haji Hukam Khan as the new chief of the group.

August 14

Amid reports of the killing of prominent militant Taliban commander Maulana Faqir Mohammad in Bajaur Agency, the SFs intensified the ongoing military operation against the militants in the area, killing 33 more Taliban militants. Military officials in Bajaur said two vehicles carrying important Taliban commanders, including their regional chief Maulana Faqir Mohammad and his close associates, were targeted in Damadola. "Two vehicles carrying senior Taliban commander Maulana Faqir Mohammad and his close aides were targeted by two gunship choppers. But I am not sure whether he (Maulana Faqir) died in the attack or not," said a senior military official. 11 militants were reportedly killed in this attack. Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar confirmed the air attack on a double-cabin pick-up truck of Maulana Faqir, saying the vehicle was badly damaged. However, he said Faqir Mohammad remained unscathed in the attack, as he had just alighted from the vehicle.

Similarly, four gunship helicopters continued targeting militants’ suspected hideouts in their strongholds in Seway, Mamond, Mulla Said Banda, and Utmankhel sub-division. According to military officials, 22 suspected militants were killed and several others injured when gunship choppers targeted a Madrassa (seminary) run by chief of the Bajaur Agency unit of Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) and Taliban commander Maulana Mohammad Munir at Seway in Mamond sub-division. Officials said the militants were using the seminary, built in the middle of orchards, as their hideout. However, there was no information on whether Maulana Munir, who is head of transport wing of the Taliban militants in Bajaur, was killed in the attack or not.

People in Bajaur said 10 people were killed when artillery shells hit two houses in the Kass and Sheenkotai areas of Mamond sub-division late on August 13-night, Dawn reported. Four houses were damaged in Kass, 30kms northeast of Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency.

The bullet-riddled body of a pro-government tribesman was found in Umari.

In addition, a Government primary school for boys was blown up in Mian Kalay, near Mohmand Agency.

Military authorities issued a warning to civilians in Taliban-dominated areas in Bajaur to move to safe places. Witnesses said people in droves were fleeing areas considered to be strongholds of the militants in Mohmand Agency, near its boundary with Bajaur, and heading towards Peshawar, Charsadda and some safe locations in the tribal area. Pamphlets were dropped from helicopters in Khar, asking people to vacate the areas where militants were hiding and not to travel after sunset and warning that they could be attacked if the instructions were not followed.

August 15

At least 35 persons were killed when helicopter gun-ships attacked militants in several areas of the Bajaur Agency. Sources said the militants’ headquarters at Savei in the Mamond sub-division was heavily bombed, killing 11 people. The building housed a so-called ‘Sharia court,’ a private jail and a store of weapons and ammunition. In another attack, the office of the local Taliban in a seminary was hit. The Taliban had installed an FM radio station at the seminary run by Maulvi Muneer. Witnesses said that militants attacked helicopters with anti-aircraft guns in Saddiqabad near Khar. At least five of the assailants were killed when the helicopters retaliated. In Mamond, at least 10 militants were killed and 12 others wounded.

Political authorities said about 3,000 displaced families had left the area and crossed the Thoorghundai checkpoint.

August 16

The SFs hit two vehicles in the Salarzai area of Bajaur Agency, killing 14 militants. Three children were killed when a mortar shell missed its target and hit a house in the Cheengai village in Damadola. Meanwhile, gunship choppers targeted hideouts and locations of the militants in the Loisam and Mamond areas. The SFs in Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency, also fired artillery and mortar shells on suspected locations of the Taliban. Sources said two militants were killed when a mortar shell hit a roadside post manned by the armed Taliban at Lagharay in Mamond sub-division. Similarly, two unidentified bodies were recovered from the main road in Utmankhel.

Seven suspected militants were killed when artillery shells were fired on their position on Khaza Ghar mountains in Mamond. Militants had reportedly taken refuge in caves and bunkers in the mountain and were using the route for crossing into the adjoining Dir district from the Bajaur Agency.

The house of Assistant Political Agent for the Frontier Region, Abdul Hamid Jan, was destroyed in the shelling by the SFs in Tauheedabad area.

The residence and seminary of Maulvi Niamatullah was bombed in the Salarzai area.

Military authorities and the Taliban militants disagreed with the figures given by Rahman Malik in his press briefing in Peshawar about the casualties of militants in the military campaign in Bajaur. Malik had claimed that 461 militants had so far been killed in the military action. Military officials, while quoting intercepted messages, said 165 militants had been killed in the ongoing operation. Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar also denied losses of their people at such a large scale in the air strikes and artillery shelling.

August 17

Four militants were killed when three Pakistan Army gunship helicopters targeted Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency. Military sources said two militants riding a motorcycle in Inayat Killay Bypass Road were targeted by the military chopper and killed on the spot. In the same area, local tribal sources said military choppers hit a petrol pump and razed it to the ground. Military authorities suspected that militants operating in the adjoining Mamond and Inayat Killay were getting fuel from the petrol pump. Similarly, military sources said two militants were killed when a chopper fired on Haji Lawang bridge in the Utmankhel sub-division.

Militants beheaded a man accused of spying for the United States-led NATO forces late on August 16 in Shawaal, 70 kilometers from Miranshah in North Waziristan. The beheaded body of 40-year-old Said Munir, a resident of Zoee Saidgi, was found on August 17. Locals also found a note pinned to the body, which read that Munir had been spying for NATO forces.

A house was targeted in Badano village where militants had hidden vehicles they had snatched from the security forces. They claimed that four to six vehicles were destroyed in the strikes on the house.

Gunship choppers bombed militants’ suspected hideouts in other small villages of Mamond sub-division and Mulla Said Banda and Pashat in the Salarzai sub-division.

August 18

Seven persons, including two children, were killed and nine others sustained injuries when gunship helicopters attacked suspected militant positions in the Jar, Mulla Kali, Haji Lawang, Banda, Salarzai and Damadola areas of Bajaur Agency. The helicopters reportedly hit the house of one Pinda Khan in Nawagai near the Afghan border, killing the two children. Local people said that five other people were killed in the attack. They also said that a local militant commander had also been killed, but it was not confirmed by independent sources.

August 19

25 militants and five soldiers were killed in clashes following a Taliban attack on a scouts’ camp in the Bajaur Agency. Three civilians were killed in air strikes, sources said. Assistant Political Agent Mohammad Jamil said that militants attacked the Bajaur Scouts camp in Nawagai area at about 11pm on August 18 and the heavy exchange of fire continued till 4am the next day. He said 15 militants and five soldiers were killed while three soldiers sustained injuries. However, local people said that 25 militants had been killed.

The militants are reported to have attacked security forces in Inayet Kali, but there was no casualty.

Helicopters continued to attack militants’ positions in different parts of the region. Witnesses said that three villagers were killed in the air attacks. The helicopters also hit the house of Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar in the Mamond area. The house was destroyed but there was no report of any casualty.

The number of displaced people of Bajaur Agency has gone up to over 250,000 and the Government has sought help from non-governmental organisations in relief and rehabilitation work. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik told representatives of 39 international and local NGOs in Islamabad that the Government was providing shelter, food and medicines to the displaced people but its resources were not adequate to alleviate their suffering.

August 20

Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft and Army gunship helicopters continued bombing suspected militant hideouts in the Bajaur Agency, killing three more persons and destroying a number of houses.

In addition, 14 militants were killed when the security forces repulsed a Taliban attack.

SFs fired artillery and mortar shells from the Bajaur Scouts headquarters in Khar towards suspected Taliban positions in Nawagai, Mamond and Salarzai. Artillery and mortar shelling was also directed at Inayet Kali. However, there were no details about the losses suffered by the militants.

The Frontier Corps (FC) killed about 15 Taliban militants in the Kurram Agency. The FC was directed to launch the operation after all efforts for a cease-fire between the warring factions in the Agency failed, said a press release issued by the Interior Ministry in Islamabad. The statement said a jirga (council) from Hangu was dispatched to Kurram Agency to establish a truce between the warring factions. However, both sides violated the cease-fire and the FC was directed to establish the writ of the Government. The press release said that on August 19-night, between 300 to 400 Taliban militants attacked an FC post at Matak. The troops repelled the attack, inflicting heavy casualties on the militants.

12 persons, most of them alleged foreign fighters, were killed and five others sustained injuries when a US Predator fired two Hellfire missiles on a house in the Zari Noor village of South Waziristan. Military Spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed the incident but said he would not confirm whether it was a missile or rocket attack. He said he had heard that 8-12 people had been killed in the explosions. The military spokesman, however, denied reports that a US Predator had fired Hellfire missiles on the Pakistani territory.

An Afghan national was killed for his alleged ‘spying’ for American forces while a kidnapped non-commissioned officer of security forces was set free in the Mohmand Agency. The Afghan national, identified as Abdul Qayyum, was shot dead by Taliban militants in the border village Kodakhel on the charges that he was spying for the US and its allied forces in Afghanistan. A note found with his body said that those spying for American forces would meet the same fate. Further, the militants also freed a security forces officer, identified as Khalilur Rehman, who was kidnapped from the area in January 2008.

Four Taliban militants were killed and another was injured in a clash between tribesmen and militants in Khyber Agency’s Bara sub-division. The clash, in which heavy weapons were used, erupted when the tribesmen tried to stop a car carrying Taliban militants in the Malik Dinkhel area. The militants opened fire at the tribesmen, who retaliated with rocket fire and killed four militants and injured another.

August 21

Sixteen more people, including 10 militants and six civilians, were killed in mortar and artillery shelling by the security forces in the Bajaur Agency.

The paramilitary Bajaur Scouts shelled militant locations in their strongholds - Mamond and Salarzai subdivisions - inflicting heavy losses on the Taliban. Two militants were killed at Safarey village when a house they were staying in was hit by an artillery shell. Sources from the militant stronghold in Mamond said that forces from the Bajaur Scouts headquarters in Khar continuously fired mortar and artillery shells on Mulla Said Banda, Safarey, Katkay, Bandaray and adjoining small villages reportedly inhabited by the militants. Several houses were damaged in the overnight shelling.

The paramilitary forces fired artillery shells at militant hideouts in various parts of Salarzai, killing five militants.

Four persons - two women and two children - were killed in Mulla Said Banda in artillery shelling, causing damage to several houses.

Five persons, including three Taliban militants and two children, died in artillery firing on Kach village of Salarzai.

The deputy chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Maulana Faqir Mohammad, offered to stop fighting if the security forces halted bombing and mortar and artillery shelling on residential areas of the tribal region.

August 22

A civilian was killed and eight others sustained injuries when SFs targeted the hideouts of suspected Taliban militants in the Haji Lawang area of Bajaur Agency. Locals said that some houses were destroyed and others damaged in heavy shelling by the security forces on the 17th day of military operations.

Official sources in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan, said militants loyal to Maulvi Nazir fired rockets at the Tiarzah Fort injuring a paramilitary soldier. Seven militants were reportedly wounded when security forces retaliated, local administration officials said. The attack on the fort came hours after NATO forces – in an operation co-ordinated with Pakistani forces – "fired multiple artillery rounds into Pakistan," the International Security Assistance Force statement said.

August 23

Five members of a family were killed and six wounded when a mortar shell hit a residential compound near Khar in the Bajaur Agency. Local people said the shell fired by security forces landed in the house of one Qasim Jan at about 2:30 pm. The attack triggered fear among people and tribesmen again started vacating their houses. Some families had recently returned to their homes. Officials said that over 200,000 people had been displaced because of the conflict in Bajaur. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that about 14,000 displaced people have moved from the agency to Afghanistan’s Kunar province.

The Taliban militants killed two tribesmen for allegedly spying for the United States in North Waziristan. "They were working as ‘spies’ for America," a letter found with the two bullet-ridden bodies read. Residents said the bodies were found early on August 23 near a roadside in Dosali sub-division, 40 kilometers south of Miranshah.

August 24

Militants belonging to the pro-government Taliban commander Maulvi Nazeer clashed with the SFs in South Waziristan (SW) and five militants were killed and two sustained injuries. Three SF personnel were also injured in these clashes even as the fighting spread to Dray Nishtar, Sholam, Dana and Patay and the two sides used mortars guns, rocket-launchers and other heavy weapons.

Reports said the SFs fired artillery shells at the militants’ positions in Dana, 10 kilometers west of Wana, the headquarters of SW. They were retaliating against the militants, who in the early hours of August 24 attacked a post of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Zam Cheena, 25 kilometers west of Wana, with rocket-launchers and other sophisticated weapons and caused injuries to three soldiers.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a cease-fire in Bajaur Agency "after a request from tribal elders" and said they would initiate a dialogue with the Government. "We have directed our militants to stop attacks against the government and security forces in Bajaur from today," Maulvi Omar, TTP spokesman told AFP. He said, "The jirga (elders’ council) insisted that Taliban should stop fighting in the interest of the people of Bajaur." The jirga has "assured" the Taliban that troops will also suspend shelling and bombing raids in the area, he added. "We are ready for talks with the Government and the truce is an important development towards dialogue," Omar stated.

August 25

Gunship helicopters killed five militants while shelling militant hideouts in the Bajaur Agency near the Afghan border. "Helicopters gunships shelled militant hideouts in several villages in Bajaur Agency, which left five militants killed and 10 injured," an unnamed security official said.

The local Taliban led by pro-government militant commander Maulvi Nazir announced a unilateral cease-fire after fierce clashes with security forces in South Waziristan. Militant sources said a Jirga (council) of Ahmadzai Wazir tribal elders held an emergency meeting with Political Agent Syed Shahab Ali Shah and informed him of the frequent violation of Pakistan's airspace by the US spy planes and carrying out air strikes in the Agency, killing innocent tribesmen in the name of al Qaeda. The Jirga assured the Political Agent of their co-operation in maintaining law and order in the area and convinced the official that in future Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen would refrain from attacking the security forces.

August 27

Troops killed at least 50 militants, including some foreign fighters, in the Bajaur Agency. SFs targeted militants holed up in a health centre, killing 30 of them and wounding many more, military spokesman Major Murad Khan told AP.

In another clash, helicopter gun-ships and aircraft targeted militant hideouts in the Loyesam, Charmang and Ghonday areas of agency headquarters Khar, and Rahgan, Aupusht and Dherai area of Salarzai sub-division, killing eight militants and injuring 12 others.

23 Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed, while 20 militants and seven soldiers were injured after clashes broke out in different areas of South Waziristan. Sources said that the Taliban attacked a check-post in Tiarza, three kilometers off Wana on August 26-night. The security forces (SFs) countered the attack, killing 11 militants and injuring 20 others. Fierce fighting between the two sides reportedly continued throughout August 27. Two soldiers were killed and seven others sustained injuries when the Taliban attacked three army vehicles near Wana bazaar in the evening. Fighting was intensified in different areas after the attack on the army convoy. Sources added that 12 more militants were killed in the clashes. Further, a woman and a man were killed after a mortar shell hit their house.

Ahmadullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militant group of Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Maulvi Nazir, said that the Taliban had declared a unilateral cease-fire till August 30 in the tribal area. He said that they would not violate the truce without provocation.

August 28

SFs killed five militants in fresh attacks on suspected locations in the Salarzai sub-division of Bajaur Agency. The SFs targeted locations in the Derakai, Raghagan, Ghakhay and Chawatra localities of Salarzai, killing the five militants. Sources said tribesmen killed a militant and captured five others in the Pashat area.

Four mortar shells hit the house of an Afghan national Sherin in the Siddiqabad area, killing his son Nematullah.

In Siddiqabad, the militants blew up a middle school for girls.

A missile fired from a United States drone injured a woman and three children in South Waziristan late on August 27-night, officials and residents told Daily Times on August 28. The US missile struck the backyard of the house of Sardali Khan in the Ganghikhel area, injuring four members of his family.

August 29

Three suspected militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries when SFs backed by artillery and helicopter gun-ships targeted the Malkana, Chothra, Ghakhi and Berakai areas in Bajaur Agency with mortar and canon shells.

August 30

At least five militants were killed and four others were injured in a missile strike on a house in South Waziristan. The missile, which targeted the house of Noor Khan Wazir, is said to have been fired from an aircraft. Reports indicated that at least two foreigners were among the dead. The area is considered to be the stronghold of pro-government warlord Maulvi Nazeer, who had expelled Uzbek militants from there following several days of fierce battle in 2007.

A house came under attack in South Waziristan and four persons, including two Canadians of Arab origin, were killed.

The military operation in the FATA will be suspended on August 31 in view of the holy month of Ramazan, said Interior Adviser Rehman Malik. But he said the military would respond ‘with full force’ if it were attacked. "It is not a ceasefire… If they fire a single bullet we will respond with 10 bullets," he said while talking to reporters in Lahore.

August 31

Six people were killed and eight others sustained injuries in a missile attack on a residential compound in Ghundi village of North Waziristan. It was not clear if the missile had been fired from a US drone, but some local people reported seeing an unmanned aircraft flying over the area. According to AFP, most of the dead were foreign militants, including Arabs and Uzbeks. This was the fourth missile attack in the tribal region during August.

Militants killed a watchman of the local Intelligence Bureau office. Sher Baz Khan, an Afghan national, had been abducted from outside the office in Miranshah on August 29 and his body was found on the Razmak-Eisha road the next day.

A joint operation by the Frontier Corps and the Khasadars forced the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh to leave Landi Kotal. The political administration had given a deadline to the LI to vacate the area by 11am on August 31. The authorities closed the road leading to Torkham and imposed a curfew in Jamrud. Bagh reportedly fled for Gagrina in Bazaar Zakhakhel an hour before the operation.

September 1

Eight persons were killed when mortar shells hit a house in the Inayet Kali area of Bajaur despite a cease-fire announced by the Government on August 31-night.

A tribal lashkar (army) formed to end militancy in Kurram Agency re-took Char Dewal and Jalmai villages, strongholds of the Taliban, while six militants were killed and 26 injured in fresh clashes.

A lashkar (army) of the Salarzai tribe set ablaze 18 houses of suspected militants as it intensified its campaign in the area.

September 2

A tribal lashkar (army) is reported to have shot dead six Taliban militants in fresh clashes in various parts of the Kurram Agency in the FATA.

A retired schoolteacher was shot dead in the Koza Banda area of Kabal sub-division.

A suspected militant was wounded in a missile attack in the Charkhel area of North Waziristan.

The tribal lashkar torched five houses to punish tribesmen for providing refuge to Taliban militants at Salarzai in the Bajaur Agency.

September 3

At least 20 people, most of them women and children, were killed in an assault by US-led coalition forces on a village near the Afghan border.

At least four militants were killed and several others injured in attacks by security forces (SFs) on their hideouts in Bajaur Agency.

The violence and shelling have again forced local people to leave Damadola, Dabbar and Badano and shift to Sadiqabad, Anayat Kalley, Khar and other adjacent areas.

A lashkar (army) formed by the Salarzai tribe continued attacks on hideouts of militants.

At least seven Khassadars (tribal police force) were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from Ziarey check-post in the Khyber Agency.

Afghan intelligence claimed, it had arrested a Pakistan national who said he was paid by his country’s intelligence agency to help abduct a Japanese aid worker who was later shot dead.

September 4

Six people, including two suspected Arab nationals and four Dawar tribal militants, were killed and four others injured in yet another missile strike by a US Predator on Achar Khel village near Miranshah in North Waziristan.

Five soldiers were injured in an attack by militants in the Bajaur Agency of the FATA.

SFs targeted suspected hideouts of the militants in parts of the Mamoond sub-division. However, no reports of casualty were available.

September 5

Four children were among six civilians killed in a suspected missile attack from an unmanned United States spy plane on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan.

Security forces continued targeting militants’ positions in different areas of the Mamond and Salarzai areas of Bajaur Agency killing two suspects and injuring five others.

Pakistan stopped supplies to the United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan through its western Torkham border, citing security concerns.

The coalition forces also get supplies through the Chaman border in Balochistan, but the bulk of the supplies goes through Torkham – a shorter route for Kabul where the US and NATO forces are based.

September 7

Tribesmen used a machine gun to fire at a low-flying pilotless US aircraft above North Waziristan. However, the aircraft was not hit. The tribesmen said that NATO missile attacks from Afghanistan always followed drone flights. Violations of Pakistan’s airspace by US drones have reportedly increased in the last six months.

September 8

Suspected US drones hit the house and seminary of former Taliban commander Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani in the Dandi Derpakhel area of North Waziristan killing 23 persons, including three Arab and two Azerbaijani nationals among them.

A woman and two children died on the same day when a mortar shell hit their house in Shago area of Khar.

Several suspected Taliban hideouts were destroyed as security forces re-established their posts in Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur Agency, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Taliban hideouts were destroyed in Khar and Siddiq Abad areas.

Pakistan reopened supply lines to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, after the road through the Khyber Pass was blocked, days after a raid by the US commandos on a Pakistani village.

September 10

30 Taliban militants were killed when the troops backed by tanks and heavy artillery attacked the militants in the Rashakai area of Bajaur Agency in FATA said a Frontier Constabulary statement.

A Jirga (tribal council) vowed to keep terrorists out of the Salarzai tehsil (revenue division). The Salarzai tribe jirga renewed its pledge "to stand by the government" as it announced new sanctions against people supporting militancy in their areas.

The missile strike in North Waziristan in the FATA was carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency, claimed two unnamed US officials. Unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials told Associated Press that the four foreigners killed in the strike were Abu Qasim, Abu Musa, Abu Hamza and Abu Haris. However, a Pakistani army spokesman, Maj Murad Khan, said that the military had no information about the identity of the men killed in the ‘explosions’.

Militants fired rockets at military camps in the Mir Ali and Miranshah areas. However, no loss of life or damages to the property was reported.

Militants in North Waziristan have threatened to target girls’ schools and government offices unless madrassas destroyed in military operations were reconstructed.

The US military will revise its strategy for Afghanistan to include militant ‘safe havens’ in Pakistan in its area of concern, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said.

A cease-fire between two sects in the Kurram Agency in FATA was holding, as security forces took positions on both side of the divide.

Elders from the Bangash tribe told reporters that they had vacated all their positions and hoisted white flags.

A Washington Post report said that missile attacks by the US drones in Pakistan have tripled in 2008 after ‘frustrated’ US and Pakistani officials decided to change tactics in the war on terror. Pakistani officials have reported 11 such strikes in FATA this year, the report said, compared with three in 2007.

The US National Intelligence Council (NIC) warned the Bush administration in August that a decision to launch ground attacks inside Pakistan could further destabilise the Pakistani government and the military. Security analysts believe if US commando raids continue beyond a few months they could provoke large-scale defections from the Pakistani Army serving in FATA.

September 11

At least 100 militants, most of them foreigners, were killed and around 25 others injured in the continued military offensive in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. "Eighty to 100 militants were killed in Bajaur today. Most of them are foreigners," an unnamed official said. The casualties were reported in Loyesam, Tangkhata, Rashakai, Khazana and Banda areas following air strikes, artillery and mortar fires, adds Reuters. Several militant hideouts were also destroyed in the offensive. Taliban’s main office in Inayat Killi, nine kilometres off Khar, was also targeted in an air strike while 200 shops in a commercial market were destroyed. The whole market was in flames following the attack, causing damage worth millions of rupees.

Five people, including four militants, were killed and seven others injured in clashes between rival tribes in the Kurram Agency of FATA.

Taliban militants shot dead three pro-government tribesmen accusing the victims of spying against them, officials said.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted bail to three Taliban militants whose release was one of the local Taliban’s key demands from the government since they were arrested in July.

September 12

At least 85 heavily armed terrorists were killed in an air and land offensive in Bajaur Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), a Frontier Corps’ (FC) statement said.

A missile from a suspected United States drone killed 14 people when it hit a house in the outskirts of Miranshah in North Waziristan tribal area in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). It was the fourth such strike in a week.

September 13

At least 60 militants were killed and 25 injured during clashes with security forces (SFs) in Bajaur Agency in FATA. Six terrorists were killed and five others injured when a helicopter gunship attacked the vehicle carrying them to Mohmand Agency. However, a military spokesman, Major Murad Khan, told the Associate Press, "We killed 72 militants, while eight of our soldiers have died in Bajaur since Wednesday." The sources said security forces attacked the Loyesam, Tangkhata, Rashakai, Khazana, Banda, Glukas, Baichina and Kerala areas of Khar Tehsil (administrative unit) with heavy artillery, tanks, gunship helicopters and fighter jets, destroying "several" terrorists’ hideouts.

Four people, including three militants, were killed and six others wounded in clashes between warring tribes in the Kurram Agency in FATA.

The SFs are preparing for an advance towards terrorist strongholds in Nawagai and Chamrkand Tehsils after having captured "the most important" terrorist stronghold of Loyesam. The terrorists, sources said, are resisting the forces’ advance towards the central areas of Loyesam.

Three missiles fired from Afghanistan landed in the Suran Darra area of Mohmand Agency in FATA.

September 14

At least 30 terrorists were killed and several others injured during military action in the Bajaur Agency of FATA.

Unidentified terrorists killed a man in the North Waziristan, accusing him of spying on them for the United States (US).

Clashes between rival tribesmen continued in various parts of the Kurram Agency in FATA, leaving one person dead and five others injured, an unnamed political administration official said.

US military strikes at Taliban and al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan are risky but necessary and were long overdue.

September 15

Helicopter gun ships and fighter jets killed 24 Taliban militants in raids on their hideouts in Bajaur Agency in FATA.

Two United States (US) military helicopters turned back to Afghanistan from the border after shots were fired from the ground, but there were conflicting accounts of the incident.

Troops have been deployed in trenches vacated by warring tribes in the Kurram Agency in FATA, political authorities said.

Security forces arrested a Taliban commander, Abdul Rashid, at the Ghalani check post in the Halimzai Tehisl (administrative unit) of Mohmand Agency in FATA.

September 16

Ten Taliban militants were killed and several others injured when Pakistan Army helicopter gunship and fighter jets fired shells at militant hideouts in Bajaur Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

September 17

At least 19 Taliban militants were killed in the ongoing military operation in different areas of Bajaur Agency in FATA.

A United States missile strike on a compound used by militants in South Waziristan in FATA killed at least six people and wounded three others.

One person was killed and five others injured in clashes between two warring tribes in the Kurram Agency.

The telephone and mobile phone services have been suspended to the area as some miscreants had detonated the telephone exchange in the Sadda area a few days ago.

The security forces (SFs) took control of the vacated Koza Bandai area of Swat in the FATA. Taliban had vacated the area after an agreement with the local peace committee on September 15-16.

September 18

14 people were killed and 26 others injured in clashes between the warring tribes of the Kurram Agency in FATA. The clashes have intensified in the Pewar, Pewar Tangi, Mangak and Arwali areas of Kurram despite deployment of security forces in the area.

Local Taliban have evicted around 200 shia families from the Aurakzai Agency who have resettled in Kohat.

The security forces (SFs) killed at least eight Taliban militants and injured several others in an attack on Taliban strongholds in Bajaur Agency in the FATA. Their command and control system was also destroyed.

Three out of seven people killed in US drone attack on the Baghar village of South Waziristan Agency included two Arabs, one of them a senior al-Qaeda commander, and one hailing from the Punjab Province. The two Arabs were identified as Jiran, the al-Qaeda commander, and Sabri while the name of the militant commander from the Punjab could not be ascertained. An unnamed senior militant commander, said all the three men were sitting in a vehicle parked in front of a mud-built house in Baghar village near Angoor Adda when two US drones fired four Hellfire missiles, killing them and four others staying in the house. He said Jiran was appointed as al-Qaeda’s operational commander for a particular region in Afghanistan following the death of senior al-Qaeda commander Abu Imam while fighting the US forces near Bagram in Afghanistan three months ago. "Jiran was a senior operational commander and was mostly living in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He used to change his locations due to continuous surveillance by the US spy planes on the border villages," said the tribal militant commander.

September 19

At least 20 people were killed and 18 others sustained serious injuries in clashes between the Toori and Mangal tribes in the Kurram Agency of FATA. The clashes between the two rival tribes have been continuing for the seventh straight week, with both sides using heavy automatic weaponry. Local residents were facing food shortages due to the closure of several highways for the last year. Electricity supplies to the area had been cut off for the last six weeks.

The helicopters flew over Mamoond Tehsil (administrative unit) in the Bajaur Agency in the FATA and shelled the Damadola area. Fighter aircraft also flew over the area and bombed suspected Taliban hideouts. However, no casualties were reported.

The security forces (SFs) gained total control of Siddiqabad, Toheedabad, Rehman Baba, Shandai Mor, Faja, Sabu Kalay, Yousufabad, Sharpana, Nawidand, Shomlo Qila and Mamizo areas of Khar Tehsil. They have also established check posts in the area and are patrolling the roads.

The SFs captured at least four Taliban militants after in a clash in the Loyesam area.

The United States (US) drones continued their flights over various areas of North and South Waziristan in the FATA, creating panic and fear among the locals. The US spy planes were seen flying over Ghulam Khan, Hamzoni, Ditta Khel and Mir Ali areas of North Waziristan and Angoor Adda and Mateen areas of South Waziristan.

September 21

Preliminary investigation suggests there was a strong connection with South Waziristan Agency regarding the Islamabad blast. The six-wheeler dumper used in the attack carried 600-kilogram’s of RDX and TNT explosives, along with splinters, mortars, artillery rounds, mines and aluminum powder – which caused the fire. The hotel was not the intended target. 53 people, including four foreigners, had been killed in the attack and 266, including 13 foreigners, had been injured.

The Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that terrorists had intended to target Parliament and the Prime Minister House where key figures of the country were present after attending a joint parliamentary session.

The federal government says it will intensify operations in FATA, with more security personnel set to be committed to the fight for a large operation which is to begin sometime in the next 48 hours. The operation in Swat, Bajaur and other tribal agencies will continue. After a brief consultation between the prime minister, the adviser on interior and other security officials, it was decided not to show any sign of weakness in the operation against the militants. The intensity of the crackdown against the banned organizations will be increased.

September 22

Afghan Consul-General in Peshawar, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, was abducted and his driver was shot dead for resisting the assailants.

Pakistani troops reportedly fired at two US gunship helicopters that intruded into the Lowara Mandi area of the North Waziristan Agency (NWA), forcing them to fly back to Afghanistan.

September 23

Security forces killed at least 10 militants in Bajaur Agency.

Foreign al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are ‘infiltrating’ into Bajaur from Afghanistan to join their colleagues in the crucial battle for survival in the face of an all-out military action. Foreign militants are leading the fight against the army. The army action is beyond the local combatants’ capacity and they need hardened and well-trained foreign militants. The foreign Taliban and al Qaeda – Arabs, Chechens, Uzbeks and Afghans – are being led by an Afghan commander, Qari Ziaur Rehman.

The army undertook a leading role in the operation from September 1, after paramilitary forces made a failed attempt to take over Loyesam from the militants on August 6. Since then, 80 percent areas of Utmankhel, Salarzai and Khar tehsils have been ‘cleared of militants’. However, Nawagai and Mamoond tehsils have not yet been secured against the militants.

Three persons, including two women, were killed in a mortar attack on the Pewar village of Kurram Agency in the FATA. The Mengal tribesmen allegedly fired four mortar shells at a house in the Pewar village that belonged to a Toori tribesman, killing three people.

September 24

25 Taliban militants and seven soldiers were killed during fierce fighting in different areas of Bajaur Agency in the FATA. Troops used heavy artillery, fighter jets and helicopter gun ships to target Taliban positions in the Loyesam, Rashakai, Tang Khata, Gang, Tangi, Shnikot, Bai Cheena and Kosar areas. After the armed clashes in the Rashakai area, helicopters and fighter jets hit the area. Taliban hideouts in Gulani were bombed and security forces took control of Machni and Rashkai areas. Several Taliban bunkers were also destroyed in the operation. The troops recovered arms and ammunition from several compounds they searched in the Tang Khata, Rashakai and Khazana areas.

Two volunteers of a tribal lashkar were killed and seven others injured when their vehicle hit a roadside landmine in the Ghakhi area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue division).

Tribal elders, clerics and Taliban militants publicly uted four criminals in Wana in South Waziristan for allegedly committing murder. The Taliban blindfolded the four (alleged) criminals before allowing people to shoot them.

At least three people were killed when a shell hit their vehicle as security forces (SFs) and Taliban militants clashed in the Karapa area of Mohmand Agency in the FATA.

Five clerics were wounded in separate attacks in North Waziristan in FATA. Maulvi Ahmed Zaman was wounded in a bomb blast near his home in Miranshah while four other clerics were wounded when unidentified assailants opened fire on them near Mir Ali town. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

September 25

At least 16 Taliban militants and two civilians were killed when army helicopter gun ships attacked Taliban hideouts in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Helicopter gunships pounded positions of militants in the Damadola, Shinkot areas from morning until evening, killing 16 Taliban and wounding 20 others, most of them civilians. Two civilians were also killed in the shelling.

Meanwhile, an Utmankhel tribe Jirga (council) decided to take action against the Taliban and their backers in the area. Thousands of Salarzai tribesmen announced to launch an operation against the Taliban on the fourth day after Eid. The Salarzai tribesmen torched the houses of 18 people accused of helping or sheltering the Taliban. Around 234 families left the agency in the wake of the military operation against the Taliban.

Suspected Taliban militants killed one person and abducted another from the Jamia Azizia mosque in the Khyber Agency of FATA. Roz Khan, who had dedicated the land for the mosque, was killed and a cleric was abducted in the attack. Witnesses said the Taliban sprayed the sides of the mosque with bullets.

A 3,000-strong armed tribal lashkar forced Taliban out of the Malagori area near Jamrud. A spokesman for the lashkar told reporters that around 150 Taliban had fled the area. Taliban vacated the area to avoid clashes with the lashkar. Subsequently, the lashkar torched Taliban bases and centers in the Tortopay and Zag Gujjar Dand areas.

The Government Girls School and College in Jamrud received threatening letters from the Taliban. The letters warned girl students not to attend school and asked the parents not to send their daughters to college, threatening them of dire consequences otherwise.

At least three persons were injured when a hand grenade went off in the Maro Khel area of Kurram Lower in the FATA. According to the political officials, three tribesmen sustained injuries when a hand grenade blasted in the restive agency. The clashes between the warring tribes in Kurram Agency have halted as peace negotiators started discussing peace in Peshawar.

In the Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan Agency, unidentified militants abducted a contractor and his driver. Political administration officials identified the contractor as Muhammad Sadiq and his driver as Ali Muhammad.

September 26

14 militants were killed and 20 others injured when security forces, backed by helicopter gun ships and artillery, pounded suspected militant positions in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Militants had attacked a security check post in the Tang Khatta, about nine kilometers from Khar, early in the morning. Security forces retuned fire and a gun battle that continued for about five hours killed seven militants while injuring several others.

Also, helicopters shelled militant hideouts in the Tang Khatta, Damadola, Rashakai, Bicheena and Banda areas, killing another seven militants.

The situation in Bajaur Agency will be stabilised within two months, the Frontier Corps (FC) chief in the region said on September 26. "My timeframe for Bajaur is anything from between one-and-a-half to two months to bring about stability," FC Inspector General Maj Gen Tariq Khan told reporters. He informed that the troops had killed more than 1,000 Taliban and injured 2,000 others since the offensive began in early August and that five top al Qaeda and Taliban commanders were among those killed in the month-long operation. He said they included four foreigners. They were Egyptian Abu Saeed Al-Masri, Arab Abu Suleiman, Uzbek Mullah Mansoor, and an Afghan commander called Manaras. The fifth was a son of Faqir Mohammad, the top Taliban commander in the region. Faqir himself was believed to be injured. Some 63 troops had died and 212 were injured in the operation so far, Khan further said. Khan estimated 65 percent of the Taliban problem would be eliminated if they were defeated in Bajaur, describing the region as a ‘centre of gravity’ for the Taliban. "If they lose here, they’ve lost almost everything," he said. Khan also showed reporters photos of tunnel systems and trenches, suggesting the Taliban were well established in the region that is considered a likely hiding place for top al Qaeda leaders including Osama Bin Laden. He put the Taliban’s strength at around 2,000, including Afghans, Uzbeks and Arabs as well as Pakistani Taliban. He said the Taliban’s fighting strength had not gone down appreciably despite heavy casualties due to reinforcements coming in from the northwest as well as Afghanistan. "I personally feel that trained squads have been moved in," Khan said.

A local tribesman was killed and four Taliban militants were injured during a clash in the Shakai area of South Waziristan Agency in FATA.

September 28

The security forces killed at least 16 Taliban militants after coming under attack at Bajaur Agency in FATA. Taliban attacked three military posts near Khar on September 27 -night. But soldiers repulsed them with artillery and mortar fire. He added that helicopter gunships and fighter jets bombed Taliban positions in three villages in the district.

September 29

Thousands of Charmang tribesmen following in the footsteps of Salarzai and Utmankhel tribes announced the formation of a grand 'laskhar' to launch massive crackdown against militants in the Agency and vowed to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the Pakistan Army. The decision of forming the national laskhar was taken during a jirga (council) held at Khar which was attended by large number of Charmang tribesmen and elders of Bajaur. "Any person found guilty of giving shelter to Taliban fighters in their areas or homes would be severely punished and their houses would be burnt down," the jirga said. The Charmang tribes have announced to launch the campaign from the Fourth Day of Eidul Fitr.

September 30

Four Taliban militants were killed and two others were wounded in the shelling of a vehicle at Mamoond town, when tribesmen backed by Army helicopter gunships fought the Taliban at Bajaur Agency in the FATA. Troops killed another five Taliban militants after they launched an attack on a military checkpost in the same town, leading to a gun battle that lasted nearly an hour, the official said. A tribal lashkar killed two Taliban militants and captured another in Lower Kurram, following the abduction of a tribal elder.

The helicopter gunships destroyed explosive-laden vehicles of Taliban militants at a basic health unit. The local administration said the Taliban subsequently blew up two security checkposts and a bridge in retaliation to the vehicle attack on September 29. The report added that the latest clash broke out in Mulla Saib Dara village, when a 6,000-strong tribal lashkar tried to set ablaze houses and hideouts of Taliban militants. "Fighting is going on and to help us, the army sent some gunships which fired at the Taliban, killing several of them," tribal elder Malik Younus told Reuters. He said his men would battle the Taliban until they were cleared from the region. "It’s now clear to everybody that we can’t tolerate lawlessness in our land. Everyone has to obey our tribal rules and they can’t make our land a hub of terrorism," Younus added.

Further, residents said government helicopters dropped leaflets in various parts of the agency calling for the support. Meanwhile a Taliban spokesman, Maulvi Omar, said over telephone from an undisclosed location, "There is no revolt against the Taliban," Reuters reported. "It’s government propaganda. Nobody dares stand up against the Taliban," Omar added. He said the Taliban had killed 15 tribesmen in the clash over the past two days. Associated Press of Pakistan reports that following the Salarzai and Charmang tribes, the Utman Khel tribe declared to form a lashkar against the Taliban after Eid.

October 1

At least 13 more militants were killed and ten others injured when a Qaumi lashkar (army) of the Salarzai tribe launched an operation against the militants in the Salarzai tehsil (revenue division). A member of the lashkar told local journalists that operations were launched in Dara, Mullah Syed and Banda areas of the tehsil wherein various hideouts of militants were razed to ground. An elder of the tribe was also killed in the operation. As reported earlier, the Qaumi lashkar of Salarzai tribe announced to fully support the security forces in their hot pursuit against the militants in Bajaur Agency.

 

Five people had been killed in a US strike, eight kilometres south of the town of Mir Ali. Reports said that a US pilot less drone fired two missiles at a house in the area.

October 2

Troops backed by artillery killed 25 Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency in FATA. Gun battles erupted overnight and continued until late night after militants attacked security check posts in four villages, an unnamed security official told AFP, adding, "there were fierce clashes and we have reports of 25 militants being killed" in the villages of Rashakai, Tang Khata, Bai Cheena and Khazana.

 

The local government has ordered Afghan refugees in Bajaur to leave the area within three days. There are an estimated 70,000 Afghan refugees in Bajaur, who have been living there since the late 1970s after fleeing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

A tribal lashkar (army) of the Peroz Khel tribe ‘arrested’ at least 18 pro-Taliban militants, including four suspected suicide attackers, and ‘seized’ two explosive-laden vehicles at Goin area in the Orakzai Agency. According to officials of the political administration, the militants were ‘arrested’ during the ongoing operation against pro-Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency. The lashkar also recovered two explosive-laden vehicles and large quantity of weapons and ammunition, including four suicide jackets, from their possession. The tribal lashkar of Peroz khel tribe had established blockades in different points of the agency and captured important hill tops in a bid to resist the militants' movement in the area. The lashkar and security forces also exchanged fire with the militants on October 1-night.

October 3

United States air strikes on three villages in North Waziristan in FATA killed at least 20 people. Intelligence officials said a pilot less drone aircraft launched an attack on the Mohammad Khel village, 30-kilometres west of Miranshah, at around 9:30pm (PST).

Pakistani intelligence officials reported another US air strike on Datta Khel village, situated closer to the border with Afghanistan, in which at least three persons were killed.

Taliban militants abducted a trooper in the Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in the FATA. Subedar Daulat Khan was on his way home from Bara along with his family members when he was abducted by masked men, who forced him to stop his car.

October 4

Volunteers of the Salarzai tribe set ablaze eight Taliban houses in the Aundai area of Bajaur Agency. Taliban militants attacked the lashkar (army) and three Taliban militants were killed in the exchange of fire.

The residents of Mamoond have also decided to form a lashkar to combat the Taliban. The decision was taken during a meeting of tribal elders. Another meeting of tribal leaders would be held on October 5 to devise a strategy against Taliban.

The Afghan refugees started leaving Bajaur Agency following a three-day deadline given by the local administration for them to vacate the agency, locals said.

Tribesmen in the Mir Ali sub-division fired rockets at two drones that crossed into Pakistan. The two drones entered Pakistani airspace from the Afghan side in Mir Ali sub-division, located 23-kilometers east of Miranshah, locals said. The spy planes returned as locals fired rockets at them. However, no casualty was reported.

October 5

At least five Taliban militants were killed when security forces targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in the Bajaur Agency of FATA with heavy artillery and helicopter gunships. Eight Taliban were also injured in the operation at Tang Khata, Rashakai, Khazana, Kausar and Shinkot. The APP, however, quoted a Frontier Corps (FC) press release as saying that six Taliban wearing the FC uniform were killed in the Khazana area.

Seven people were injured when a remote controlled bomb exploded at the hujra (guesthouse) of a tribal elder in the Pusht area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue division). The bomb was placed in a plastic bag at the main entrance leading to the hujra of former parliamentarian Shahabuddin Khan.

Five persons were killed and three others injured after clashes between tribal rivals in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA.

October 6

Six militants were killed in a fierce clash with the Frontier Corps (FC) in the Khazana area of Bajaur Agency in the FATA. In a statement issued in Peshawar, FC authorities said that the militants "wearing militia uniforms" had occupied a house.

The security forces (SFs) backed by tanks and artillery advanced towards Lowi Sam, a militant stronghold after destroying their sanctuaries and consolidating their position in the Rashakai area. Sources said that troops had established several checkpoints and cleared one and a half kilometre stretch between Rashakai and Lowi Sam of mines and other types of explosives. Militants’ positions in other areas were also attacked. The sources also said that the militants were firing on troops from their positions. Several rocket-propelled grenade launchers and pistols and Afghan currency notes were seized during a mop-up operation.

An official said that 25 Afghans had been arrested while a large number of Afghans had left the area.

Two more tribes in the FATA formed militias on to take action against Taliban and several others assured the government of their support in its efforts to restore peace in the Tribal Areas. Hundreds of armed men from Mamoond tribe of the Bajaur Agency burned the houses of several Taliban including a commander. Elders of the tribe said their men would continue action against the Taliban until peace was restored in the agency.

In Khyber Agency, 30 elders representing Shinwari tribes participated in a jirga (council) and decided to raise a 300-strong ‘Qaumi Lashkar’ (national militia) against the Taliban. But elder Haji Gulab Shinwari denied an armed group had been formed, insisting a committee would ‘handle law and order’. APP said the jirga made it compulsory for each tribe to contribute at least 10 volunteers to the militia. A jirga of the Khyber Zakha Khel tribe also decided to set up a militia against Taliban. "For now, a 20-member committee will monitor the situation and take timely decisions," said Shakir Khan Afridi, an elder. Local volunteers had earlier helped restore the government’s writ in the Salarzai, Otmankhel, Barang and Khar areas.

A press release by the FATA Secretariat’s media cell said tribal elders from the Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand and Orakzai agencies and the Frontier Regions had assured the government of support against the Taliban in separate jirgas. The Salarzai, Mamoond and Utman Khel tribes of Bajaur Agency, Mullagori, Zakha Khel and Adam Khel Afridis of Khyber Agency and the Kohat Frontier Region, and the Ali Khel tribe of Orakzai Agency had formed lashkars against the Taliban, the statement said. The Koki Khel tribe in Khyber Agency however declined to form a militia against the Taliban. Its head, Attaullah Jan Koki Khel, told a jirga raising militias was ‘American policy’.

October 7

Pilot less aircraft continued their flights over Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA as tribesmen fired rockets to target them as they entered Pakistan’s airspace. According to locals, the tribesmen fired without success on the drones when they attempted to fly at low altitude in various areas of the agency. Earlier, on October 5, the tribesmen in the Mir Ali sub-division had also fired rockets at two drones that had crossed into Pakistan airspace from Afghanistan.

October 8

At least 20 Taliban militants, including eight foreigners, were killed when helicopter gun ships hit their hideouts in the Badaan area of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The sources said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) spokesman Maulvi Omar’s house was also destroyed in the action.

The Taliban militants blew up three houses with explosives in the Tauheed area of Khar.

The Utmankhel and Mandal tribes of Bajaur Agency have convened jirgas (councils) on October 9 to make decisions regarding law and order in the agency. Elders of the two tribes have announced support for the security forces’ strict action against the Taliban. In the jirgas, the tribesmen will also form local peace committees to monitor the activities of the Taliban. The committees will take action against the Taliban through armed tribal lashkars (army).

A pilot less drones from Afghanistan violated Pakistani airspace, and flew over various areas of Mohmand Agency, locals said. They said two drones flew over the Sheikh Baba, Soraan Darra, Mamadgut, Chamar Kund, Aleengaar, Khazina, Sagi, Duazai and Qandaro areas of the agency in the morning. The locals said unmanned aircraft had been flying over the agency for the past 10 days.

October 9

At least eight persons, include seven Taliban militants and a local tribesman, were killed when the local Toori tribesmen and security forces (SFs) clashed with the Taliban militants in the Kurram Agency of FATA.

A suspected suicide attacker missed his target of approaching oil tankers that ostensibly supply to the international forces in Afghanistan, near the Michni post in Landi Kotal. Nearby trucks, however, were damaged.

At least seven people, including three foreigners, were killed in a missile attack by a suspected United States (US) drone, 20-kilometres east of Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA.

Five persons, including three suspected militants and two women, were killed and several others sustained injuries in continued shelling by gunship helicopters on suspected positions of Taliban militants in the Mamond sub-division of the Bajaur Agency in FATA.

In the Mandal area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue division), a tribal lashkar (army) comprising thousands of armed tribesmen announced a crackdown against militants in their area from October 10.

October 10

At least 40 persons were killed and around 90 others wounded when a suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle set off an explosion in an anti-Taliban jirga (council) of the Ali Khel tribe in the Khadezai area of Upper Orakzai Agency in the FATA.

13 militants were killed in a clash with a tribal lashkar in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agency in the FATA. Five militants were also killed in an air strike carried out by security forces in the Mamound area.

The Taliban militants beheaded four elders from the Charmang tribe after they had attended a pro-government jirga (council).

Four Taliban militants were killed when security forces neutralised their hideouts in the Rashakai, Tang Khata, Khazana and Kauser areas of Bajaur.

A jirga in Bajaur Agency ruled it was necessary to act against the Taliban. An emergency meeting was held in Chaarmang at the hujra (guest house) of Mohammad Rehman. The meeting ruled tribesmen would take action against foreigners and local militants, and raise a lashkar for this purpose. After the meeting, orders were given to set ablaze the houses of Taliban.

October 11

The death toll in the Orakzai suicide blast of October 10 increased to 85, while 200 persons were reported injured.

A suspected US missile strike killed four people while the ISAF claimed it had killed five Taliban militants inside Pakistan.

Tribesmen exchanged fire with the Taliban militants and demolished their houses in retaliation of the suicide attack.

The Taliban militants released 11 government officials in the Orakzai Agency. The freed officials included Frontier Constabulary personnel, police cadets and Kohat tunnel employees.

Tribesmen in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agency in the FATA accelerated their action against the local Taliban after the recovery of the beheaded dead bodies of four tribal elders in the area. They were beheaded on October 10. The victims were volunteers in an anti-Taliban tribal lashkar (army).

October 12

Security forces said they have killed 27 Taliban militants in an air strike in the Orakzai Agency of FATA.

Troops and helicopter gun ships killed at least 24 Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency of the FATA.

20 Taliban militants and three lashkar (army) men were killed and several others injured when fierce fighting erupted between volunteers of the armed tribal force and the Taliban militants in the Charmang area of Nawagai tehsil (revenue division) in the Khar sub-division of Bajaur Agency in the FATA.

Four Taliban militants and two locals were also killed in an exchange of fire between a tribal lashkar (militia) and the Taliban.

A missile strike killed at least four people at Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA, residents said.

Four tribesmen were killed in clashes between the Taliban militants and a tribal lashkar in the Kotkai village near Charmang area, Reuters quoted another government official as saying. He said several Taliban militants were also killed, but was unsure of the number.

The lashkar torched seven houses of militants in different areas of Charmang. In retaliation, the militants also set on fire three houses of lashkar elders, destroying them completely.

Tribal lashkars in the Mamond tehsil and Mandal area of Salarzai sub-division also continued operation against the militants in their respective areas. They destroyed several houses of suspected militants by setting them ablaze.

Relations between the Ali Khel and Mamuzai tribes have worsened following a suicide attack targeting an anti-Taliban jirga (council) of the Ali Khel tribe on October 10.The Ali Khel tribe is against the Taliban, while the Mamuzai tribe does not openly oppose the Taliban in the area, local sources said.

A jirga (council) held in Charmang decided to expedite action against the militants and miscreants. The jirga resolved that the tribesmen would extend full support to the security forces in the ongoing operation against the militants.

Local Taliban set free three abducted cadets of the Police Training College (PTC) Hangu. The PTC sources confirmed the cadets’ release. Around 30 PTC cadets were abducted from Khyber Agency in FATA a month back when they were on their way to Hangu.

October 14

At least 28 Taliban militants and a tribesman were killed in the latest clashes in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Jets and helicopters killed 16 Taliban in Bajaur, while artillery and mortars overnight killed 10 others.

The SFs targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in various areas of Bajaur Agency, killing 14 Taliban and wounding several others. The SFs used jet aircraft, helicopter gun ships and heavy artillery to destroy Taliban hideouts in the Rashkai, Tang Khatta, Tangi, Chinar and Kotki areas of the agency. Two more Taliban militants and a tribesman were killed in a separate incident in the same agency.

At least three people were killed while three others were injured when unidentified assailants opened firing on a van in the Sanbaga area of Orakzai Agency. The van was going from Daburi to Ghiljo when it came under attack.

The Bajaur political administration arrested 100 people of the Mamoond tribe for not taking action against Taliban militants.

The political administration continued its crackdown on Taliban and Afghan refugees, arresting 16 people, including some refugees.

The beheaded body of Frontier Corps personnel, identified as Raj Wali, was found in the Sirchinai area of Kabal tehsil (revenue division). He had been abducted by Taliban three days ago. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan accepted responsibility for his murder.

The militants blew up a high school in the Fazalabad area of Kanju town.

Five mortars fired from across the Afghan border landed in the Bangi Dar area of the North Waziristan Agency in FATA. No damage was reported in the area, which is 30-kilometres northeast of Miranshah.

American spy planes had flown over the Ghulam Khan Border area of the agency.

October 15

Security forces (SFs) pounded Taliban hideouts in the Bajaur Agency of FATA killing at least 16 Taliban militants. Troops fired artillery and mortars onto hideouts of Taliban in Loyesam, Rashakai, Chinar and Babra areas, killing 10 and wounding eight others. Six other Taliban militants were killed by helicopter gun ships in the same area.

By clamping curfew in Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency, the SFs have started preparations for decisive action against Taliban

The SFs and political administration of Bajaur Agency destroyed the houses of two important Taliban commanders in Khar and Yousaf Abad. They used dynamite to blow up the house of Commander Iqbal at Khar and the house of Commander Liaqat Yousaf at Yousaf Abad.

A tribal lashkar (militia) in Charmang refused to co-operate with the SFs in operating against Taliban. Lashkar took the stance that the government did not co-operate with them. The lashkar had torched eight Taliban hideouts over the last five days.

October 16

The security forces (SFs) killed seven militants in the daylong shelling by artillery and gunship helicopters in different parts of the Bajaur Agency in FATA. Local sources said that the SFs pounded suspected hideouts of militants in the Charmang, Barbra and Chenar areas of the Nawagai tehsil (revenue division) throughout the day, killing seven of them. Several other militants were injured and their hideouts destroyed in the attacks, the sources added.

Volunteers of the tribal lashkar (militia) and officials of the political administration set ablaze three houses of local commanders of militants in the Tauheedabad area, 10-kilometres from Khar. In retaliation, around 20 armed militants destroyed the houses of two tribesmen in the Inayat Kellay area. The sources said owners of the houses were brothers and were serving in the Bajaur Levies Force.

A suspected US drone fired two missiles into South Waziristan, killing five people, including at least one foreigner, security officials said. "Two missiles were fired, completely destroying the house. Reports confirm five dead. There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from the Pakistani military or from the US-led coalition in neighbouring Afghanistan.

A missile attack reportedly by a drone on a car and residential compounds in the Sam area of South Waziristan in FATA killed two foreigners. Three missiles fired by the Predator drone at around noon struck the car and three houses in the predominantly Mehsud area.

In North Waziristan in FATA, unidentified assailants beheaded an Afghan refugee and his body was found on a road near Miranshah. A note pinned to the body signed ‘mujahideen’ alleged he was a United States spy.

Taliban militants fired at a military helicopter in the Muhammad Gat area of Safi tehsil (revenue division) in the Mohmand Agency of FATA, but there were no casualties. The attack followed a gun battle in the Sagai area. The Taliban fled after troops stationed at the security forces base camp in Muhammad Gat retaliated.

Seven Afghan suspects were arrested in the agency during a search operation.

The political administration banned government officials from entering the agency because of abduction threats.

The insurgency based in Pakistan’s FATA is intensifying, a soon-to-be completed US intelligence assessment.

October 17

The security forces launched an offensive against the Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency of FATA, killing 12 militants. Backed by helicopter gun ships, artillery and jet fighters, the troops launched the operation in the Loyesam area.

October 18

13 Taliban militants were killed in attacks by the security forces (SFs) on Taliban positions in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The SFs continued targeting Taliban posts with heavy artillery and fighter jets in the Zor Bandar, Loyesam, Charmang, Kohi and Babara areas of the agency, killing 13 and destroying several Taliban hideouts.

The SFs reportedly completed preparations for a massive operation against Taliban in the Charmang and Mamoond areas. The troops have also started advancing towards the Loyesam, Zor Bandar and Tangi areas of Khar tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur.

October 19

Seven Taliban militants were killed when jets bombed suspected Taliban hideouts in the Loyesam, Zorbandar, Sar Lara and Enzara areas of Khar tehsil (revenue division) and Sawai, Tangai, Dabara and Zarnawoo areas of Mohaman tehsil in the Bajaur Agency of FATA.

Three Taliban militants were killed in other parts of Bajaur when they tried to attack security posts.

A woman was killed and another injured in a bombing in the Qambarkhel area of Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in FATA.

Four tribes joined hands to fight Taliban and al Qaeda in their areas in Orakzai Agency of FATA. The Ali Khel, Mullah Khel, Mushti and Shekhan tribes demolished Taliban hideouts and ‘asked them to leave’. Taliban left to take refuge in the Mamozai area where their headquarters are located. Elders of Mamozai tribe held a secret meeting, it said, to plan a strategy against them.

October 20

15 Taliban militants were killed as security forces used heavy artillery, fighter jets and helicopter gun ships to target suspected Taliban hide-outs in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. After the attacks in the Chinar, Charmang, Kohi, Babra, Zorbandar, Hashim and Loyesam areas of the tribal region, helicopters ped pamphlets asking tribesmen to support the Government against Taliban. Government troops now control Salarzai and Utman Khel tehsils (revenue divisions) and parts of Khar.

About 300 elders from the Salarzai tribe vowed to resist Taliban in their areas during a grand jirga (council) held in Bajaur. The elders said they would fight Taliban for Pakistan’s sake and would not allow them to re-enter their land. They asked the Government to launch development and welfare projects in the area to win more tribesmen over.

October 21

Helicopter gunships and fighter jets pounded Taliban hideouts in the Bajaur Agency of FATA, killing 11 Taliban militants and wounding 10 others. Security officials said important Taliban positions were destroyed in the attacks in the Chinar, Charmang, Kohi, Babara and Hashim areas of Nowagai tehsil (revenue division).

A Salarzai grand jirga (council) held at a government school in Pusht decided it would expel anyone harbouring Taliban militants from the agency, burn their houses and fine them PKR 2 million. Elders of the Banda and Ghundai tribes backed the decision.

State media said law and order in most areas of Bajaur Agency had improved. All the business centres, government offices and educational institutions remained open in district headquarters Khar, Salarzai tehsil and Atmankhel tehsil.

The ANP asked the militants to directly approach the Government if they were ‘sincere’ in talks for establishment of peace and give up issuing press statements. "They are welcome for dialogues. They must approach us if they are really sincere in talking peace," ANP provincial president Afrasiab Khattak told reporters "They aren’t sincere in talks for peace but want to get the sympathies of the people by issuing statements wherein they offer talks for peace," said Khattak. Establishment of peace was of prime significance in the region, he said, adding that the sanctuaries of militants inside the FATA had volcanic effects on both sides of the border in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "The militants’ attempts to set up a parallel government could not be materialised and the elected government would spare no effort to defend the lives and properties of the people," he warned.

October 22

Security forces backed by helicopter gun ships and jet fighters targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in the Nawagai and Mamond tehsils (revenue divisions) of Bajaur Agency in FATA, killing more than 12 Taliban militants and injuring 10. Several Taliban dens in the Charmang, Chinar and Zorbandar areas of the agency were also destroyed.

At least four Taliban militants were killed in a clash with the security forces (SFs) in Khyber Agency. One Frontier Constabulary soldier was also injured. The SFs also arrested seven Taliban militants from the Shah Kas area.

A Salarzai tribal militia set ablaze 12 houses that they said belonged to Taliban commanders. The houses were located in the Banda and Ghundai areas of Salarzai tehsil.

Two Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants were killed in a clash with the security forces in the Khyber Agency of FATA, when they were stopped at the BC-1 checkpoint while on their way from Jamrud to Bara tehsil (revenue division). Two children passing by were also killed in the crossfire.

Troops arrested six LI militants, including top Mangal Bagh commander, Mullah Abdur Rahim, in a raid on the house of Jamrud-based trader Haji Aqil Khan. Jamrud political official, Fida Bangash, said he had warned Haji Aqil against inviting LI men to Jamrud.

October 23

Security forces carried out ground and air strikes in the Bajaur Agency of FATA, killing at least 35 Taliban militants. Jet fighters continued targeting suspected Taliban hideouts in the Loyesam and Charmang areas, killing eight associates of Taliban commander Maulvi Omer in an attack on a hideout in Badan.

Taliban militants killed at least eight pro-government Ferozkhel tribal elders in an ambush in the Orakzai Agency of FATA. The victims were returning from a jirga (council) to discuss strategies for combating Taliban in the agency when their vehicle was stopped in the Babraki Ziarat area on the Oblana-Kohat road.

Suspected US drones fired missiles into a madrassa (seminary) set up by veteran pro-Taliban commander, Jalaluddin Haqqani, killing eight people and wounding six others, near Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA.

16 Taliban militants had been made hostage and two killed in recent clashes with the Ferozkhel tribal militia. Taliban so far have not accepted responsibility for the attack.

A Salarzai tribal militia set ablaze houses of Taliban militants, including Commander Qari Gulrez. The tribe has also banned the entry of relatives of Taliban militants in the areas it controls and has said it would expel, fine, and burn houses of those who sheltered Taliban.

The political administration destroyed the house of an unidentified Taliban commander in the Sidiqabad locality.

The curfew was imposed in the Sadiqabad, Sunday Morr and Nawakaly areas of the agency headquarters in Khar.

In Khyber Agency, Taliban took control of a check post at Sahi Pull in the Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) and abducted five persons, including a policeman.

Frontier Corps Inspector General Maj Gen Tariq Khan has alleged that Taliban militants are infiltrating from Afghanistan into Pakistan to help those battling security forces in Bajaur Agency.

October 24

SFs targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in various areas of Bajaur Agency in the FATA, killing 12 Taliban militants and wounding many others. Sources said the SFs backed by tanks and helicopter gun ships pounded Taliban positions in the Charmang, Chinar, Kohi and Banda areas of Nawagai tehsil (revenue division) and Zobandar and Anzrai areas in the Khar tehsil. The SFs also advanced in the Zoband and Luijor areas of Khar tehsil and strengthened their positions, the sources said, adding, the forces destroyed a number of underground bunkers of the Taliban in these areas. Jet aircraft also bombed Taliban hideouts in the Shinkot area of the agency.

Taliban militants beheaded two men in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA after accusing them of spying for neighbouring Afghanistan. The bodies of the men were found dumped near a road in Azam Warsak. Their killers left a note in Pashto language claiming that the slain men, who were abducted five days ago, had confessed to being spies, said a local administration official. "During interrogation they told us that they had come after taking money from Afghanistan for espionage. They also disclosed the names of some of their colleagues," the official quoted the note as saying.

A grand jirga (council) of Mamoond tribes’ elders was in progress at Badaan till the reports came in. The aim of the jirga is to extend full co-operation to the SFs to restore the government’s writ in the area.

October 25

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman, Maulvi Umar, had been killed when an air strike in the Budano area of Bajaur Agency in the FATA.

The security forces have killed 1,500 Taliban militants during the Bajaur operation so far and regained complete control of strategic towns including Loyesam, military officials said at a media briefing. 95 civilians and 73 troops were also killed during the operation codenamed "Sherdill", Frontier Corps Inspector General Maj Gen Tariq Khan and ISPR Director General Maj Gen Athar Abbas told reporters. They said 950 Taliban militants had also been arrested during the operation that began in August, 2008, including 300 foreign terrorists mainly from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Soldiers fought a fierce battle with the well-prepared Taliban militants battling hard from networks of tunnels and fortified compounds especially in the Tang Khata, Rashkai, Khazana and Loyesam, they said. "No other agency has been prepared for a battle like this," Gen Tariq Khan said. "The worst is over . . . I think we’ve turned the corner." But he added that the operation "could go for several months before the area is completely cleared of militants". Gen Athar Abbas said Taliban had set up a ‘parallel system of administration’ in the Mamund, Charmang and Salarzai tehsils (revenue division). He said they were attacking security forces, had set up parallel courts beheading people in public, granting business licences and collecting taxes. They had killed 12 tribal elders in 2008 by August.

October 26

At least 11 people, seven of them Frontier Corps personnel and three Khasadars, were killed and five injured in a suicide attack in the Mohmand Agency of FATA. The channel quoted sources as saying that a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the Naqi check post, killing the 10 SF personnel and a technician. Talking to the channel, Mohmand Agency Assistant Political Agent Saeed Ahmad Jan, however, denied that anybody had died, saying that the attack had only injured nine SF personnel.

Political authorities in Mohmand Agency have rejected a grand tribal jirga’s (council) offer to mediate between the authorities and the local Taliban militants for attaining peace in the area. According to the channel, the authorities said that security operations would continue until the area was cleared of the Taliban.

The Taliban militants attacked a security post on the outskirts of Khar, headquarters Bajaur Agency in the FATA. Troops retaliated, killing six Taliban.

Five more militants were killed when troops attacked a suspected Taliban base in the Charmang district.

The elders from Salarzai tribes said that there should be no dialogue with the Taliban, as they are extremists killing innocent people. Addressing a press conference, the Salarzai elders claimed that some political parties were criticising tribal lashkars (militias) without any justification, while it was only because of these armed tribesmen that the Taliban had fled the agency. Major (r) Malik Karim Khan, defended the decision to raise tribal lashkars, as ‘the Taliban are killing innocent people’. He said a tribal lashkar had become a necessity for the Salarzai tribes to defend themselves.

At least seven persons were killed when the suspected US drones fired missiles into an alleged Taliban compound near Wana at South Waziristan in FATA. "Initial reports say at least seven people were killed in the missile strike, which destroyed the premises," one senior security official told AFP. There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from the military or from the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. The attack was the 12th such incident in the past 10 weeks, all of which were blamed on US-led coalition forces or Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) drones based in Afghanistan.

Unidentified militants killed an elder of the Kookikhel tribe in the Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in the FATA.

October 28

Four Taliban militants were killed in fighting with the security forces in the Bajaur Agency of FATA.

The SFs injured three Taliban militants and arrested five others after an hour-long gun battle in the Mohmand Agency of FATA. Major Farooq told the media at the Mohmand Rifles’ headquarters in Ghalanai that they had information that a group of militants was heading towards security camps in Khanch and Yousufkhel areas to carry out an assault on the posts. The SFs launched a search operation and after an hour-long gun battle, four militants were arrested, who were identified as Usman, Mohamamd Zaman, Bilal and Mosa Khan, he added. He said the accused militants were Pakistani nationals, adding that five others militants managed to escape. He claimed that three militants were also wounded in the clash, while three Kalashnikov rifles, hand-grenades, cell phones and thousands of cartridges were seized from their possession.

The SFs arrested a key local militant commander, Qari Jamal at Krapa check post near Pindyali.

Local Taliban in the Orakzai Agency of FATA have agreed to lay down arms, demolish training camps and expel foreign fighters, including Uzbeks and Arabs, from their respective areas. A Mamozai tribal elder told Dawn that local Taliban could stay in the area if they gave assurance of good conduct.

October 29

Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel killed five Taliban militants in the Lakaro tehsil (revenue division) of Mohmand Agency in the FATA.

A suspected Taliban militant was killed and another sustained injuries in firing by the FC personnel in the Safi tehsil. FC personnel stopped a vehicle at Darwazgai check post for breaking the curfew and ordered the three men sitting in it to raise their hands. The FC personnel opened fire when they refused to comply, killing one while injuring another. One Taliban militant managed to escape.

Unidentified militants abducted five pro-government triabl chiefs from the Anbar tehsil.

400 volunteers had reportedly started patrolling in Aurakzai Agency to prevent Taliban activities.

Local Taliban in the Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency in the FATA surrendered to a jirga (council) and assured it they would not provide shelter to foreigners. The Taliban also announced to halt actions against the government and said anyone found sheltering foreigners would be fined PKR 1 million. The tribal elders decided to torch the houses sheltering foreigners, confiscate properties of those providing shelter, and expel them from the area.

October 30

Security forces in Mohmand Agency of FATA killed five Taliban militants and captured an explosives expert known to have links with Afghan insurgents. One Taliban was killed and another was wounded in a shootout with troops, who chased their vehicle when they refused to stop at a check post. Four other Taliban arrived in a jeep to rescue the injured, but security forces attacked the vehicle, killing all of them. The alleged explosives expert was identified as Pakistani Taliban commander Imran alias Mansoor.

Two persons were killed and another injured when a shell accidentally hit a house in the Bai Cheena area of Khar tehsil (revenue division) in the Bajaur Agency of FATA.

The SFs continued operation against the Taliban militants in the Agency and pounded suspected hideouts in Mamoond, Nawagai and Khar tehsils. The SFs have strengthened their position in Loyesam and surrounding areas of Khar.

The Pakistani officials deported 17 Afghan nationals at Torkham border and arrested 25 Uzbek nationals travelling without valid documents.

The Tribal volunteers positioned on mountains in North and South Waziristan agencies opened fire on suspected US drones flying over the. Tribesmen said the spy planes escaped the firing as they were flying at a high altitude. The drones continued flying over the two agencies throughout the day.

October 31

20 Arab fighters of the al Qaeda were killed when two suspected US missiles struck a pick-up truck and a house west of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan of FATA. Security officials said Abu Akash al-Iraqi, an ageing Al Qaeda leader, was suspected to be killed in the attack. He was living in the house rented from a local, Amanullah.

At least 12 suspected Taliban militants were killed when two missiles were fired by a suspected US drone at a hideout near Wana in the South Waziristan of FATA. An unnamed senior security official said that top Taliban commander Mullah Nazir was also wounded in the strike.

Six persons were killed and five others, including two women and three children, injured in the shelling by fighter planes in Sapri area of the Mamond tehsil (revenue divisions) in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. An official of the security forces said that fighter planes targeted the positions of militants in the mountains of Nawagai and Mamond tehsils.

Security forces claimed to have captured a strategically important mountain in Dabar area of the Mamond tehsil, which militants previously used for targeting the security forces. An official of the security forces said they demolished several bunkers in the mountain. The volunteers of the Mamond tribal lashkar (militia) captured the headquarters of the militants in Sewai area of the Mamond tehsil and deployed several of their colleagues there. They also arrested four important commanders of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The spokesperson for the TTP, Maulvi Omer, said their offer of negotiations with the government was still valid, while the security forces continued shelling towards the hideouts of militants in Sheenkot and Mandal areas of the Khar tehsil. Maulvi Omer, talking to reporters by telephone for the first time since the start of the operation in August, once again offered the government to settle the dispute through negotiations. "We will not refuse to talk to the government," Omer said, adding that the use of force was no solution to the dispute. Omer said the TTP had not offered resistance to the security forces in Mamond tehsil, one of the strongholds of militants in the Bajaur Agency.

Four persons were killed and three others sustained injuries during an attack by the Taliban militants in Daboori area of upper Orakzai Agency in FATA. The retaliatory fire killed a militant and injured another.

November 1

At least Eight Taliban militants were killed and 10 others injured as helicopter gunships of the security forces targeted Taliban positions in the Damadola and Mataro Sha areas under Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency in the FATA. The volunteers from the Mamoond tribe reportedly captured several check posts abandoned by the Taliban in different areas.

November 2

A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint near the main gate of the Zalai Fort in South Waziristan FATA, killing eight paramilitary troopers. The Army’s top spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said, "We have confirmed reports of eight deaths." Four persons were also wounded in the attack. The Zalai Fort was reportedly located 20 kilometres outside Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan Agency. The troops were washing their vehicles when the suicide attacker came, two intelligence officials said. They described the explosion as ‘large’ and said it destroyed the checkpoint and damaged the front wall of the fort.

Three Taliban militants were killed and four others injured in a military operation in Bajaur Agency FATA. Several Taliban hideouts were also reportedly destroyed in air strikes and artillery shelling.

Kohat police arrested 43 foreign nationals who had entered Pakistan at Torkham border and had no legal travelling documents.

Three missiles were fired in the Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan in FATA from Afghanistan. However, no loss of life was reported.

November 3

18 Taliban militants were killed in SF operations in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Four Taliban militants were killed in artillery shelling in different areas of Mamond tehsil (revenue division) in the morning, while 14 Taliban militants were killed in bombing by jet fighters in the afternoon, officials said.

In Khar, the agency headquarters, a grand jirga (council) of tribal elders decided to take strict action against those found involved in anti-State activities. They said the houses of those found sheltering the Taliban would be set ablaze and they would be expelled from the area. The jirga decided to impose a fine of PKR Two million on those who sheltered the Taliban in their areas. The jirga members assured the government of their full co-operation, and said they would fight alongside the SFs for restoration of peace in the agency. The jirga members expressed satisfaction over the restoration of the government’s writ in many areas of Salarzai tehsil. They asked the tribesmen to continue co-operation with the government to ensure lasting peace in the agency.

Two persons were kidnapped while three trucks packed with wheat bags were commandeered in the Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in the FATA. Sources said unidentified militants abducted two persons, whose identity could not be ascertained, from Teidi Bazaar on Pak-Afghan Highway in Jamrud tehsil. It was reported that the victims were riding a car when the kidnappers opened fire on the car puncturing the tyre. The kidnappers took the victims to an undisclosed location but so far no group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

In another incident, some unidentified militants lifted three trucks loaded with wheat bags being transported to Afghanistan under the World Food Programme (WFP) near Sur Kamar area of Jamrud tehsil. It was reported that the miscreants handed back the two empty trucks along with a loaded one to the political administration after holding successful talks.

A suspected US drone was seen flying at low altitude over several areas of North Waziristan Agency in the FATA, spreading panic among the people. Locals said drones that fly low usually fire missiles. But, the white-coloured spy plane did not fire. Speaking at an emergency news conference following drone flights in the area, local elders asked the government to stop US attacks in the agency. They said the violation of Pakistani airspace by US spy planes was a threat to the country’s security. The elders asked the government to take practical steps instead of lodging protests with the US. The elders said if the attacks were not stopped, the tribesmen would join the Taliban to fight against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. They asked the government to ensure the joint resolution passed after an in-camera briefing to parliamentarians is implemented.

The political administration of Orakzai Agency in the FATA arrested at least 20 tribesmen, including men of the Rabia Khel and Asa Khel tribes, accused of involvement in the abduction of six people, including two security force personnel, on November 1. The political administration said it would continue action against the tribes until the recovery of the abducted people.

November 4

Five Taliban militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in artillery fire and bombing by jet planes on suspected Taliban hideouts in the Bajaur Agency. Jet fighters targeted Taliban positions in the Dama Dola area of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division). Troops backed by artillery and mortars also targeted suspected hideouts in several other areas of Bajaur.

The lashkar (militia) of Barozai tribe in Ward Mamond continued its drive against the militants. The chief of lashkar, Haji Rahmatullah, told journalists that more than 12 villages had been cleared of the militants during the past few weeks. He said most of the militants were either killed or injured during the drive, adding that the remaining fled to mountainous areas along the Afghan border. He said that tribal forces would continue to chase the militants till their complete elimination from the tribal region. He said that movement of militants had been confined to some of their hideouts after the lashkar established check posts being manned by volunteers.

Unidentified militants shot dead a tribal elder in the Orakzai Agency.

Government aircrafts dropped pamphlets over Mohmand Agency to announce the proscription of Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan.

November 5

11 Taliban militants were killed in bombing by jet fighters and artillery shelling in different areas of Bajaur Agency. The SFs targeted Gat Agra, Damadola and Janzai areas of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) and destroyed several Taliban hideouts.

The tribal militia in Mamoond and Salarzai tehsils continued its operation against the Taliban.

A tribesman was killed and another was injured when their tractor hit a roadside landmine at Taida village in the Kurram Agency.

Militants shot dead a hostage in the Qandaro area of Mohmand Agency. Officials said Amir Taj, a former official of the political administration, had been abducted along with six tribal elders a few days back. Militants had accused them of supporting the Government.

Tension gripped Mohmand Agency after tribesmen interpreted an appeal by the Government to expel militants and vacate houses as an indication of an impending military action. An exodus started from Anbar subdivision and people headed towards Peshawar, Mardan and other areas.

November 6

22 tribesmen were killed and 45 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Salarzai jirga (council) in the Bajaur Agency. The blast targeted a lashkar (militia) in the Batmalani, about 40-kilometres northeast of agency headquarters Khar. "Two to three hundred members of the lashkar were finalising their strategy after demolishing houses of Taliban when the blast occurred," said local police official Fazal-e-Rabi. Among the dead were lashkar head Malak Fazal Karim and his aides Malak Wazir Khan and Malak Sakhi. Meanwhile, a man claiming to be a member of a previously unheard-of ‘Karwan-e-Nematullah’ accepted responsibility for the attack in telephone calls to journalists.

19 Taliban militants were killed as fighter jets and helicopter gun ships targeted suspected hideouts in the Mamoond and Nawagai tehsils (revenue division). Officials said the dead include Taliban commander Wali Rehman who was known to shelter foreign al Qaeda militants.

An unnamed Frontier Constabulary official said the house of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) deputy commander Maulvi Faqir Muhammad was destroyed in an air strike in Damadola, adding, a major Taliban ammunition dump was also destroyed in the raid.

November 7

At least 20 Taliban militants were killed and 10 others injured at Bajaur Agency. Helicopter gunships and fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in the Mamoond and Nawagai areas as SFs increased aerial strikes in the agency. Troops hit Taliban hideouts in Damadola, Seweai, Sparay, Kharkay, Shinkot areas of Mamoond revenue division and Charmang and Zoorband areas of Nawagai. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that 30 Taliban militants were killed while 15 underground bunkers were destroyed. The jets also bombed the Aareb area of Mamoond tehsil targeting the house of Jaish-e-Islami leader Wali Rehman. Sources said six members of Rehman's family were killed.

13 persons were killed as suspected US drones fired two missiles at a house in Kamshaam in Razmak tehsil (revenue division) of North Waziristan. The house belonged to a tribesman, Ghani Gul. Latifur Rehman, a senior Government official in the region, told Reuters the missiles hit a 'militant' compound.

November 8

Two schoolboys, Zahoor and Sultan, were injured in a landmine explosion in the Warsak village of Kurram Agency.

November 9

16 Taliban militants were killed as SFs continued targeting Taliban positions with fighter jets and helicopters in the Bajaur Agency. Officials said the areas targeted included Sapri, Banda, Khakai, Damadola and Sewai of Mamoond revenue division, and six bases and an arms depot were also destroyed in the offensive.

Unidentified assailants fired two rockets at a security post in the Serai area – four kilometres from Khar – but there were no casualties.

NATO jets bombed Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency, killing eight members of a banned outfit – Amar Bil Maroof – and injuring three. Amar Bil Maroof spokesman Munsif Afridi confirmed that those killed were members of his group. He said that 10 Afghan soldiers had been killed in a gun battle with his group at the Torkham border earlier in the day.

November 10

Six Taliban militants were killed in the Sewai and Damadola areas of Bajaur Agency when jets bombarded Taliban hideouts. The SFs also targeted Taliban positions in the Zorbandar and Sabagi areas of Khar, but there were no casualties.

In the Salarzai area, a bomb blast killed one man and destroyed a guest house.

A remote-controlled bomb injured four people in Mamoond.

12 Taliban commanders surrendered to the political administration at a jirga (council) of the Otmankhel tribes held in Khar. They assured the jirga and the political authorities that they would not side with the Taliban in future. Salarzai and Mamoond tribes also held separate anti-Taliban jirgas in Bajaur.

The Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said an abducted Chinese engineer would be set free when the authorities released all 50 militants on a list given to Malakand Deputy Inspector General Tanveerul Haq Sipra. He also demanded the release of another 25 Taliban militants in exchange for three kidnapped policemen.

SFs retrieved 15 trucks that had been hijacked by the Taliban earlier in the day while en route to Afghanistan to deliver goods to US-led coalition forces. The trucks were seized at four places along a road leading to the Afghan border at Jamrud in the Khyber Agency. "About 60 masked gunmen popped up on the road and took away the trucks. Not a single shot was fired. A military offensive followed the hijacking, with two gunship helicopters targeting Godar, Saurkamar and Varmado Mela areas of Jamrud. At least two Taliban fighters were killed in the operation. "We have successfully recovered all the trucks ... two militants were killed and five wounded in the operation," a news agency quoted official Rahat Khan as saying. But doctors told that those killed in the operation were civilians – including a 12-year-old boy. They said that six civilians had also been injured, and most of them were children.

The Khyber Agency Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Mustafa Kamal has warned that the group would attack the Peshawar airport if the military operation is not stopped. He said his group would not ‘forgive’ the assistant political agents of Khyber.

November 11

Seven Taliban militants were killed as troops targeted their hideouts in Bajaur Agency. SFs targeted Taliban positions with helicopters, jet fighters and heavy artillery in the Nawagai and Mamoond tehsils (revenue division). Artillery shells also hit civilian areas, but there were no reports of casualties.

Three persons were killed during a clash in the Kas Ghundi locality of Machni in Khyber Agency. The clash ensued after suspected Taliban militants set ablaze a truck carrying a US military jeep to Karachi near the Machni check post.

In Mohmand Agency, Taliban militants freed four of the seven tribal elders they had abducted a week ago.

Suspected Taliban militants fired at a bus in Orakzai Agency, killing one passenger and injuring nine others. The Kohat-bound vehicle carried passengers from the Feroz Khel tribes who are in a conflict with the local Taliban over the expulsion of foreign Taliban militants.

Three missiles landed near a house in the Goteen area. The house was destroyed but no casualties were reported.

In Shaho Khail, unidentified militants abducted a tribesman.

November 12

Suspected Taliban militants blew up a Khasadar (tribal police) check post, located near the Jamrud Bazaar in Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency. The explosion did not result in any casualty.

SFs stationed at Warsak Camp fired artillery shells at suspected Taliban hideouts in the Shanoghundo area of Mohmand Agency. No casualties were reported.

November 13

Security forces arrested 25 Afghan nationals from different areas of Bajaur. The three-day official deadline for Afghans to leave Bajaur had expired. Earlier, the administration had given a deadline in September to all Afghans to leave the area or face deportation.

The Mohmand agency political administration warned the tribes of imminent military operation if they did not sever ties with local and foreign Taliban militants.

SFs continued their attacks on suspected Taliban hideouts in the Shnow Ghundo, Spray, Juma Khan Koroona, Kas Koroona and Mullah Ghani Baba areas in Machni. Details of Taliban casualties were not available.

Six suspected militants were arrested in the Kashmir Koor area following a raid on a house in the Haleemzai revenue division. Nine more suspects were arrested from the Machni area.

The Taliban in Machni claimed responsibility for the November 12 suicide attack on a security force camp in Charsadda district in the NWFP. "We have carried out the attack to avenge killing of innocent people by the military," Abid Khair Khwahee, spokesman for the Taliban in Machni area, told reporters by telephone.

November 14

SFs, backed by helicopters and tanks, launched an operation to flush out militants from areas around Charsadda and Peshawar as part of a wider plan to establish the government’s writ in Mohmand Agency of FATA. While officials claimed that 21 militants had been killed and several others wounded in the operation, local population put the death toll at 13 including seven militants and six civilians. One soldier was killed and another injured. A curfew has been clamped on parts of Charsadda, Peshawar and Mohmand and people in large numbers are reportedly leaving the area.

Local residents told that helicopter gun ships carried out attacks on the Kandharo area in Saafi tehsil (revenue division) of Mohmand, targeting a double-cabin Taliban jeep. Three militants were killed while two others were injured.

Suspected US drones fired four guided missiles early at a house in Aula Din Garaj Khel village in North Waziristan, killing 12 people and injuring three others. The targeted house, belonging to a local tribesman Ameer Gul, was completely destroyed in the missile attack. Associated Press reported that the 12 people killed included several foreign fighters. According to an estimate, this missile attack is the 38th during the tenure of the Pakistan People’s Party Government, while a total of 36 such attacks took place during the earlier Gen. Musharraf regime.

Six Taliban militants were killed and several injured in shelling by helicopter gun ships and artillery firing as security forces in Charsadda district and nearby Mohmand Agency in the FATA, official sources said.

The ongoing military action against Taliban continued and SFs targeted the Nawagai and Mamoond areas destroying militant hideouts.

The Khyber Agency administration has sent a notice to local tribal elders in Jamrud warning that in case of a failure to expel Taliban militants from their areas, they would have to face the consequences under the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

November 15

Six Taliban militants were killed as troops targeted Taliban hideouts in the Bajaur Agency.

A policeman was killed when a shell landed on his house during the operation against the Taliban in Machni.

A Frontier Corps trooper was killed in the clashes in the same area.

November 16

Ten militants and two tribal elders were killed in clashes in the Gutkai and Bandarae areas of Bajaur Agency and six militants and two civilians were killed by security forces’ shelling in the Mamond and Nawagai sub-divisions.

The security forces targeted suspected positions of militants in different areas of the Mohmand Agency and nearby villages of Shabqadar sub-division and, at least, four persons were killed and eight others were injured in the attacks.

The SFs heavily shelled suspected hideouts of militants in Bhaota, Mulla Khel, Yakh Dhand, Uthmanzai, Qandaro and Qayumabad of Lakaro sub-division and Bhai Dag, Khawaizai areas of Ambar and Pandyalai sub-divisions in Ghalanai, the agency headquarters.

November 17

At least five Taliban militants were killed when the SFs targeted their hideouts in the Bajaur region. The five were killed in Siprai village, where the SFs have been engaged in fierce clashes with militants for the past three months.

November 18

At least 10 persons were killed in clashes between the Taliban and pro-government tribal leaders in Bajaur Agency. The Taliban on November 17 intercepted a convoy carrying 12 pro-government elders of the Mamoond tribe, local Government official Israr Khan told. The tribesmen opened fire and killed three Taliban militants, including their commander, he said. The elders later took refuge in a guesthouse belonging to a local tribal chief, but more militants arrived, who besieged the house and demanded the local chief hand over the elders. "They opened fire and lobbed hand grenades inside, killing four elders and three servants of the tribal chief," Khan said.

November 19

12 militants were killed and several others injured when the SFs targeted their suspected hideouts in different areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said that the SFs, with artillery and gunship helicopters, targeted suspected hideouts in Damadola, Saparay and Shinkot areas of Mamond Tehsil (revenue division) and Charmang, Zorbandar and Sagi areas of Nawagai subdivision Khar headquarters and Torghundai camp.

The Mamond and Salarzai tribes are reported to have announced complete support to the ongoing military operation to flush out the militants from Bajaur and establish the writ of the Government in the agency.

November 20

At least 24 Taliban militants, including 11 foreigners and one local commander, were killed in the military operation in Bajaur Agency. The foreign fighters killed in Bajaur were suspected to be Uzbek nationals, said Frontier Corps sources. They said the Taliban casualties came when security forces targeted militants in the Darbari, Saparai, Gatki, Bagori and Zorbandar areas of Mamoond and Nawagai sub-divisions.

The chief of a tribal Lashkar (militia) and eight other persons were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in the Badan village of Bajaur Agency. Eyewitnesses said the bomber succeeded in entering the mosque on the premises of the house of one Malak Rehmatullah during Maghrib prayers. Rehmatullah, a tribal chieftain and head of the Mamond militia, and eight of his close relatives, including a nephew, were killed.

Militants allegedly abducted 18 elders of the Parachamkani tribe from Tindo-Badam area in the Kurram Agency. Sources said the tribes of Parachamkani and Masozai had been clashing over a piece of land for the last six years, which had claimed 20 lives so far. The local Taliban militants reportedly intervened and mediated between the groups but Parachamkani tribe did not accept the mediation. There was an Afghan camp at Tindo area that was evacuated some six years ago and since then four tribes, Parachamkani, Masozai, Balishkhel and Sadda Bangash, had been claiming their ownership over the abandoned property.

November 21

22 militants were killed and five others sustained injuries when the SFs targeted hideouts of suspected militants in the Damadola area of Bajaur Agency. Sources said the SFs targeted hideouts in Damadola, Tanikhwar, Sapray, Charmang, Kotki, Zorbandar, Glokas Shenkot, Kharkay and Gutki areas of Mamond and Nawagai sub-divisions.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) denied its involvement in the mosque attack in the Badan area of Mamond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency. Talking from an undisclosed location by phone, TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar claimed: "Taliban cannot even think of committing such an act in the mosque as we do not believe in assault. The TTP is in favour of resolving issues through talks and Taliban have made an offer of talks but the Government does not respond."

The death toll in the November 20 suicide attack on the mosque has risen to 12. "Rescue teams found more bodies from the site of the attack late on Thursday, rising the death toll to 12," said local administration official Mohammad Jamil. The mosque was run by an anti-militant militia chief, Haji Rehmatullah, who was also killed in the attack.

Taliban attacked an army convoy in Miranshah in North Waziristan with a remote-controlled bomb, injuring two SF personnel. The convoy was traveling from Bannu in the NWFP to Miranshah when the bomb exploded at Pir Kali, 20 kilometers east of Miranshah on Bannu-Miranshah road.

November 22

Four Taliban militants and three women were killed in bombing by fighter aircraft in the Bajaur Agency. Officials said the aircraft attacked suspected hideouts in Kas, Gatki and Kharki areas of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division).

British terror suspect Rashid Rauf was among the five people killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan. "We have got him, but dead," an unnamed senior intelligence official confided in Peshawar while referring to Rashid Rauf, the suspected mastermind of a 2006 plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners who was arrested in August 2006 and escaped from police custody in December 2007. "We are investigating at the moment, but we do not have any information," a British Foreign Office spokesman said about Rauf’s reported death. The government has not confirmed his killing. A Western diplomatic source told the missile was fired from a jet across the border in Afghanistan. Peshawar-based intelligence officials said another al Qaeda militant Abu Zubair Al Masri was also among the dead, adding, "He is a low-ranking Al Qaeda leader."

At least three people were injured when a remote controlled bomb targeted a container carrying supplies for the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.The bomb went off when the vehicle – on its way to Torkham on the Pak-Afghan Highway – reached close to the Baghiari check post near Shagai area in the Jamrud town of Khyber Agency.

November 23

Five militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in fresh air raids and artillery shelling in different areas of the Bajaur Agency. Sources said SFs, backed by jet fighters, gunship choppers and artillery, moved towards the headquarters of Nawagai revenue division and adjoining villages and took control of the area. The area, which was once a stronghold of the militants in Bajaur, fell to the SFs for the first time after the launch of ‘Operation Sher Dil’ against the militants on August 6. The troops were establishing checkpoints on the main Peshawar-Bajaur Road, the sources added.

November 24

The SFs targeted suspected hideouts of militants in different areas of Pandyalai tehsil (revenue division) in the Mohmand Agency with artillery killing five militants and injuring an equal number of them. The SFs claimed that militants had attacked a check-post of the Mohmand Rifles with mortar guns which was retaliated.

In the Agency, the jirga (assembly of elders) of Haleemzai tribe produced 17 out of the 30 suspected persons before political authorities. Sources said the 60-member jirga was held in Ghallanai wherein 17 suspected persons were presented to political authorities. The political administration pardoned the suspects after the jirga signed an agreement with authorities that in future they would never indulge in any militancy or criminal activities, but instead work for restoring the peace in the area. The jirga assured that those who violate the agreement would be punished and have to pay a fine of PKR 1 million to the administration.

November 25

At least six Taliban militants were killed overnight as the Pakistani Army moved in on their hideouts in the Bajaur Agency. "Pakistani artillery pounded Taliban hideouts and underground bunkers, killing six and injuring four others," said local administration official Mohammad Jamil.

The residents of the Mamond subdivision in Bajaur Agency started fleeing houses due to the fear of military action against militants.

United States drones violated the Pakistani airspace again and were reportedly seen conducting surveillance flights over various areas of the North and South Waziristan agencies. Provoked by the frequent flights by the drones over their areas, local tribesmen opened fired on them, upon which the spy planes returned to Afghanistan.

The Lashkar-e-Islami (LI) Amir (chief) Mangal Bagh resigned as head of the organisation in a meeting held at Daro Adda Akakhel in the FATA. Sources said the meeting of LI consultative body was held at Daro Adda Akakhel and was attended by elders and notables of the Shlobar, Malakdinkhel, Sepah, Zakhakhel, Akakhel, Jamarkhel and Kamarkhel tribes of the Khyber Agency. Mangal Bagh tendered his resignation, which was accepted by the participants of the meeting and appointed unanimously another Amir, Haji Haleem Shah, belonging to Kamarkhel tribe. The spokesman for the organisation, Misri Gul, said according to the LI charter, the new chief Haleem Shah would lead the organisation for only three months.

November 26

Helicopter gunships shelled various areas in the Safi tehsil (revenue division) in the Mohmand Agency killing two Taliban militants and a civilian and injuring 12 others. Among the injured are four militants and eight civilians, including a woman and a child.

Two Taliban militants were killed and several injured in the ongoing military operation in Bajaur Agency. The duo was killed in a clash with SF in the Tang Khatta area. SFs also targeted Taliban positions with artillery in the Nawagai and Khar sub-divisions.

The TTP would target President Asif Ali Zardari and his allies for their ‘pro-American’ stance, a regional commander told journalists in the Orakzai tribal region. Hakeemullah Mehsud, deputy to Baitullah Mehsud, accused the ANP, PPP and MQM of "working to break up Pakistan in collaboration with the US". The TTP also threatened to ‘cut off’ supplies to American forces in Afghanistan if US drone attacks did not stop. The TTP also displayed one of the two American Humvee military vehicles they had hijacked in Khyber Agency on November 10.

November 27

Five suspected militants were killed when a roadside explosion destroyed their vehicle in the Tiarza area of South Waziristan. Local people claimed that suspected militants belonging to the TTP of Baitullah Mehsud were traveling in a vehicle when it hit a roadside landmine at Tiarza, around 25 kilometers north of Wana. Locals suspect that relations between the groups of Baitullah Mehsud and deceased militant commander Abdullah Mehsud soured during last couple of days, resulting in this incident.

November 28

Three militants were killed when the SFs attacked militant hideouts with gunship helicopters in different areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said SFs targeted hideouts in the Charmang, Chamarkand and Chinar areas of Nawagai and Momand sub-divisions. Troops also reportedly destroyed the hideouts and bunkers of militants during the routine operation.

November 29

At least three people were killed and two injured in a missile attack by a suspected United States drone in the Chashma village of North Waziristan. They said that the attack targeted the house of a local tribesman Taj Muhammad, around two kilometers south of Miranshah. There was no immediate information about the identity of those killed. Official sources, however, denied reports of the suspected drone attack in North Waziristan.

Two persons, identified as Wahidullah from Sadu Khel and Shafiullah from Wali Khel were killed in a bomb blast in the Landikotal area. An unnamed government official told that the deceased might have been carrying explosives which exploded before they had used it. A resident said the nearby truck stand might have been their target because trucks carrying American consignments to Afghanistan used the stand.

November 30

SFs claimed killing nine militants in artillery and air attacks on their hideouts in the Mamond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency. Four others were injured. A 40-year old woman was killed when artillery shells reportedly hit a civilian area. Air attacks were carried out in Kharkay, Damadola, Gatkai, Irab, Gat Agra, Tarkho and Kass areas. Earlier on November 29-night, the SFs targeted militants’ locations in the Mamond and Nawagai tehsils with artillery, destroying several bunkers. Some families were reported to be moving out of Mamond to avoid being caught in the cross-fire.

The Taliban hanged and shot dead an Afghan man in North Waziristan, accusing him of spying for the United States, an official said. The body of Ajab Khan was found in the agency, a local administration official told. A note found with Khan''s body said he was killed because he was spying for US forces.

December 1

The fighter jets and artillery killed 15 Taliban militants in Bajaur Agency. The clashes took place in several areas of Bajaur where troops are engaged in fighting with the Taliban since the launch of an army operation in August 2008. Local administration official Mohammad Jamil said six militants were killed and three others injured in artillery fire in Nawagai, while nine were killed after fighter jets bombarded their hideouts in Mamoond. Jamil added that a woman was also killed when a mortar hit her house in Mamoond.

December 2

Six Taliban militants were killed and several others injured in security forces’ operation in several areas of Bajaur Agency. Locals said troops targeted the Kosar, Bai Cheena, Jannat Shah and Charmang areas of Khar tehsil (revenue division) with artillery. The six militants were reportedly killed in the operation in Bai Cheena. The troops continued to advance into various areas of Khar and Nawagai, which were earlier under the Taliban control, the locals said. Officials said several areas in Nawagai were now under the army’s control.

Three persons, including two women of a family, died and a minor was critically injured when a shell struck their house in lower Chinari village of Lakaro tehsil in Mohmand Agency. SFs carried out heavy shelling on suspected hideouts of the militants with artillery and mortar guns from Bhai Dag and Mamad Gat camps. A man identified as Hazir Khan, his wife and sister-in-law, were killed and a minor girl sustained severe injuries when an artillery shell struck their house in Chinari area.

SFs targeted Ziarat Killay in Khazina, Adamzai, and Alingar of Lakaro tehsil with artillery and mortar guns, damaging several houses. However, no casualty was reported as the residents had already left the area. The troops are also reported to have targeted some areas of Pandyalai tehsil with artillery from Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand Agency.

SFs claimed to have arrested four suspected persons and seized four suicide vests, arms and ammunition when they raided the house of commander Raheel in Michni area.

The Taliban have killed a Frontier Corps (FC) official who had been in their captivity for the last few days, officials in Orakzai Agency said. The agency’s political administration officials told that they found the body of FC official Hadi Gul in a sack in the Sunpag area of upper Orakzai tehsil.

Sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni tribes erupted in Orakzai after a dispute over a girl. One tribesman was injured in the clash between Bar Muhammad Khel (Shia) and Utman Khel (Sunni) tribes, the political administration said.

Three persons were wounded when a remote-controlled bomb targeting a truck carrying supplies for United States forces in Afghanistan exploded at the Machni check-post in Landikotal.

December 3

14 militants and seven civilians were killed when fighter planes and gunship helicopters targeted various areas in the Lakaro revenue division of Mohmand Agency. Fighter planes and gunship helicopters bombed the hideouts of militants in Ziarat mountain, Ghaziabad, Bagh hill, Bhawatha, Shawa Farsh, Mamad Gatt, Alingar, Hazeena, Chinari and Karer areas.

A 30-member jirga (assembly of elders) of Kamali Haleemzai tribe handed over seven of the 10 wanted accused to the political administration, who were later bailed out for one million rupees.

SFs took control of another important town in Bajaur Agency. According to locals, troops backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers secured Nawagai town, near the Afghan border. The militants did not put up resistance and vacated their positions before the troops’ arrival. According to sources, militants had set up a vast network of tunnels and bunkers, as well as ‘detention centres’, in the town.

December 4

Suspected militants abducted a foreign NGO’s project manager and his driver in Khyber Agency. The Jamrud Elementary College principal and a couple of doctors were also kidnapped earlier in the day.

December 5

Six persons were killed and eight others sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle blew up in the Kalaia area of Lower Orakzai Agency. Officials said the suicide bomber was attempting to target a local fair, but the vehicle blew up before reaching the site when a petrol station’s guards started firing at it. Orakzai Political Agent Kamran Zaib told that six people were killed and eight injured in the explosion, but local sources put the death toll at 10, and said 15 people were injured.

Three people were killed in a missile attack by a suspected United States drone in the Mir Ali tehsil (revenue division) of North Waziristan. Two missiles were fired at a house in Kateera village in Khushal Torikhel area, around 20 kilometers south of Mir Ali, locals said. Intelligence officials and residents said those killed in the attack were Taliban militants. Two people were also injured in the attack.

Taliban militants shot dead a tribesman in North Waziristan, accusing him of spying for the United States. The body of the 30-year-old man was dumped on a roadside in Mir Ali town. A note attached to the victim’s body warned that anyone "found spying against Mujahideen would face the same fate."

SFs targeted Taliban positions in the Nawagai and Mamoond sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency. Several Taliban hideouts were destroyed in the offensive, but no casualties were reported.

December 7

SFs neutralized a number of hideouts of militants in the hilly areas of Nawagai and Mamond sub-divisions in Bajaur Agency. However, no casualty was reported in the action.

A rocket fired by unidentified miscreants on a security checkpoint in Navi Dhand area of Khar landed near it, causing no loss of life or damage to the structure. Suspected militants also reportedly fired several rockets on the house of Salarzai tribal lashkar (militia) chief Malik Munasib Khan. However, the lashkar men and security force personnel retaliated and forced the attackers to flee the incident site.

December 8

A senior Government official and his seven bodyguards were abducted near North Waziristan, the region’s chief administrator said. Assistant Political Agent (APA) Mir Ali Asmatullah Wazir was on his way home for Eid celebrations when he was abducted in Bannu in the NWFP, Political Agent Mutahar Zeb told. "The APA has gone missing after crossing the Kajhori checkpoint," the crossing point into North Waziristan, Zeb said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

December 10

Two militants were killed when fighter jets bombed the Khazina area.

December 11

Five militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries in an exchange of fire with the SFs in Targhakhi area of Pandyalai tehsil (revenue division) in the Mohmand Agency. A group of local militants attacked the Targhakhi checkpoint in Pandyalai tehsil near Ghalanai, the Agency headquarters, with mortar guns and other heavy weapons. However, the SFs retaliated with artillery and mortar guns from the Ghalanai headquarters and the Yousafkhel checkpoint, killing five militants on the spot and injuring seven others. The houses of Mutabar Khan and Rahmanuddin in Pandyalai were also destroyed in the shelling.

A jirga (assembly of elders) of Haleemzai tribe handed over seven more suspects to political authorities, while 63 wanted persons had already surrendered.

Six suspected militants were killed when a missile apparently fired by a US drone struck a house in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan. The missile hit a house next to a seminary, a senior security official told. Local intelligence officials confirmed the strike, saying the missile destroyed the house and damaged the seminary.

A Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militant was killed and two others were injured in an exchange of fire between the SFs and the LI militants in Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency.

December 12

One militant was killed and another wounded when local tribesmen fired at them in Nawagai sub-division of Bajaur Agency. Sources said local tribesmen fired at the two vehicles of militants who were attempting to enter Nawagai from Mohmand Agency. While one of the militants was killed another was injured. Sources added that a passer-by was also injured in the attack.

SFs continued firing artillery shells on suspected positions of the militants at Khar, Inzari, Doda, Nawagai, Charmang, Chinar and Tangi areas. Military authorities said the SFs controlled some important locations at Nawagai area.

December 13

A commander was among four Taliban militants killed during an operation in the Bajaur Agency. The Taliban commander – identified only as Ismail – was killed in Bajaur’s Nawagai tehsil, while three other Taliban militants – all of them Afghan citizens – were killed in Sperai area of Mamoond tehsil.

Suspected Taliban militants killed two Afghan nationals they accused of spying for US forces. The victim’s dead bodies were found in Miranshah in North Waziristan. A letter found nearby alleged the men gave information that aided the US in launching missile strikes in the region.

A child was killed and six people injured when a mortar shell hit their house in Anayat Kalay area of Khar in Bajaur Agency. Four more children were injured when a missile fired by the Taliban landed in a residential area of Khar.

December 14

Two persons were killed and one injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the vehicle of a tribal elder in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency. Malik Shamsheer Khan was going home after attending a jirga (assembly of elders) of the Kokikhel tribe when gunmen riding two vehicles opened fire on his Land Cruiser, killing his nephew Farooq and driver Gulzar. A passer-by identified as Samiullah, an Afghan refugee, also sustained injuries in the attack.

Two Taliban militants were killed and four others were injured in security forces’ operation in Bajaur Agency. The security forces targeted Taliban hideouts with artillery and mortars in various areas of Mamoond and Nawagai sub-divisions.

Suspected militants fired two rockets, hitting the Bajaur Press Club and causing damage to the club’s building. The attack did not cause any loss of life as journalists had long stopped visiting the press club due to the adverse security situation. The militants reportedly wanted to target the security forces that had set up a bunker on the roof of the press club building, which is close to the heavily-guarded Government offices, the political agent’s office and residence and military camp.

December 15

Two Taliban militants were killed and three others were wounded in SFs operation in Bajaur Agency. The duo was killed in shelling and mortar fire by helicopter gunships in the Mamoond sub-division. Locals said gunships targeted Taliban hideouts in various areas of Mamoond after a pause of 10 days. The Taliban had reportedly begun digging trenches in the Tanai and Omarai areas of Mamoond to stop the SFs advance towards their positions.

A missile strike by suspected United States forces killed at least two Taliban militants and injured three others in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan. "A missile fired by US forces killed two men outside the town of Miranshah," a security official told. Three persons were wounded in the missile strike and it was not immediately clear if the missile was fired from a drone or fired by US forces deployed across the border in Afghanistan, he added. The missile struck the house of local tribesman Ghunchagul Wazir in Tabitolkhel village

December 16

SFs killed seven militants, including a prominent commander, when the latter attacked a checkpoint in Safi area of the Mohmand Agency. Talking to the media, a spokesperson for the Mohmand Rifles, a wing of paramilitary Frontier Corps, said a group of 120 militants attacked the Darwazgai-2 check-post with heavy weapons on the night of December 15. SFs retaliated and targeted militants’ positions with artillery and mortar guns. The official said seven militants, including an important commander Zar Muhammad alias Zaray, and a trooper from the Mohmand Rifles, Ibad Gul, were killed in an encounter that continued for three hours.

The elders of a Jirga (council/assembly of elders) of Dadukhel and Qasimkhel, the sub-tribes of the Tarakzai tribe, handed over 90 suspected persons out of the total 220 to the political administration in Yakaghund tehsil (revenue division) of lower Mohmand Agency. Jirga members said they had renounced militancy and would not indulge in any criminal activity in future. A surety bond of PKR 1 million each was also furnished.

An oil tanker carrying fuel for the NATO forces in Afghanistan was completely destroyed when militants fired rockets on it at Landikotal in Khyber Agency. Sources said the militants came in a double cabin pick-up and fired several rockets at the oil tanker parked at the roadside near the Shalman gate in Cantonment area. The tanker, which was full of GP8 fuel and was bound for the US Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, caught fire and was completely destroyed. Frontier Constabulary personnel, who were posted at the Shalman gate, opened fire on the militants with Kalashnikov rifles but they escaped.

Unidentified militants shot dead Haji Khattak Kokikhel, an elder of the Kokikhel tribe, in Sakhi Pul area of Jamrud tehsil (revenue division).

December 17

The Taliban shot dead a man in South Waziristan, accusing him of spying for the United States. The man was identified as Ismail Khan after his bullet-riddled body was found dumped in the middle of a road near Wana, a security official told. "A note found on his body said all those spying for the US will suffer the same fate," the official said, adding the man appeared to be an Afghan national. Locals said masked men had abducted Khan a few days ago from Wana.

The Taliban fired rockets at a convoy of trucks taking supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan, killing a woman and injuring a child, officials in Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency said. Political administration officials said the Taliban fired three rockets from an unidentified location at a 150-truck convoy carrying supplies for NATO forces in Takhta Baig area of Khyber Agency. The rockets missed the convoy. However, one of them hit the house of tribesman Gohar Khan, killing his wife and injuring his child. The Taliban also abducted Inayatullah, the owner of a terminal for NATO forces’ supplies and took him to an undisclosed location, sources said. Inayatullah was abducted from Shahkas area of Jamrud, they added.

Security Forces targeted Taliban hideouts in various areas of Bajaur Agency. However, there were no reports of casualties. The troops fired mortars and artillery shells at Taliban hideouts in Bai Cheena, Kosar and Tandar Gate areas.

December 18

One militant was killed and an unspecified number of them were wounded during the ongoing operation against Taliban in Bajaur Agency. Official sources said that Security Forces backed by artillery fire, gunship helicopters and mortar guns, targeted militants’ positions at Gangi, Damangi and Kharkay in the Mamond sub-division and dismantled several hideouts. The troops have reportedly made advancement in the troubled areas of Nawagai tehsil and started patrolling.

Large areas of Bajaur and Mohmand agencies have been cleared of ‘miscreants’ and complete Government control would be established in the two agencies by the end of December 2008, Frontier Corps Inspector General (IG) Major General Tariq Khan told President Asif Ali Zardari during a briefing. Zardari met the tribal elders for the second day, as part of a series of consultations with politicians that an official statement said was meant to "assess the situation in FATA from the perspective of the elected tribal representatives and other stakeholders responsible for peace and security in the region". Talking to the FATA representatives, the president said a special officer in the presidency would be deputed to liaise between tribal representatives and the state functionaries responsible for FATA affairs, including the governor, the interior adviser, the states and frontier regions minister, the chief secretary, and the Frontier Corps IG. He said that peace in FATA was the foremost priority of the Government, which was using all available resources to bring stability to the region

December 19

Two drivers and a cleaner were killed when militants opened fire on an empty oil tanker near the Landikotal Bazaar in Khyber Agency. Sources said the oil tanker was on its way to Khyber Walikhel after supplying oil to the US forces in Afghanistan, when the militants attacked it with light and automatic guns, killing driver Rehan and cleaner Shabir on the spot. The co-driver, Wasif, also sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to the Landikotal Civil Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

SFs destroyed several Taliban hideouts in a military operation in Bajaur Agency. Sources told that several hideouts were destroyed in the SFs shelling in Mamoond and Nawagai sub-divisions. However, no casualty was reported.

SFs arrested an unspecified number of suspected people in Khar, headquarters of Bajaur Agency.

The Bajaur Agency Political Agent, Shafirullah Khan, said that a cell to provide financial assistance to people affected by the military operations had been established in the Agency on the directives of the federal Government.

Unidentified gunmen abducted a Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited employee from Kalaya area of lower Orakzai Agency. Sources said the armed men abducted telephone operator Zahid Khan when he came out of the Kalaya Telephone Exchange.

The TTP Orakzai chapter chief Hakimullah Mahsud enforced a ban on the movement of women in Orakzai Agency. In his decree, Hakimullah warned tribesmen not to allow their women to move out of their homes, otherwise, the father or husband of the woman — caught moving outside of their homes — would be punished.

December 20

Suspected Taliban militants abducted at least nine tribesmen from the upper tehsil (revenue division) of Orakzai Agency. The abducted people were members of the Shaikhan, Ali Khel and Mushti tribes. In Landi Kotal, a NATO supplier, Mehfooz Khan, was abducted on the Charwagzai main road while he was on his way to Peshawar. Mehfooz – the owner of Torkham Pak Custom Clearance Agency - had been abducted 15 years ago. Earlier in the morning, two other people were abducted from Ghariza Jamrud while they were travelling to Peshawar.

December 21

Six persons, including two women, were killed and three others sustained injuries when jetfighters targeted the Omaray area of Mamond sub-division in the Bajaur Agency. Sources said fighter planes targeted suspected hideouts of the militants in Omaray, killing two persons. Eyewitnesses said a truck, parked in the main square of Omaray, came under attack of jetfighters, killing four persons, including two women, on the spot and injuring three others. Reports indicated that those killed in the bombing belonged to Mamond and had shifted to a camp in the Munda area of Dir District when the military operation against the militants was launched in Bajaur Agency in August 2008. The family was returning home in Mamond when the jetfighters targeted the vehicle.

The Taliban in Mir Ali sub-division of North Waziristan killed two Afghan refugees, accusing them of spying for the United States. Officials said the bullet-ridden bodies of two brothers Hasan Muhammad and Akhtar Muhammad, both in their late forties, were found near Shirah Talla area on Mir Ali-Tall Road. Hasan and Akhtar hailed from Khost in Afghanistan. A letter found with the bodies said that the men were killed for spying for the US and anyone doing so would meet the same end.

An attack by unidentified men destroyed an oil tanker in the Bahadar Khel area of Khyber Agency. However, no casualties were reported. The tanker was carrying 24,000 litres of fuel to a private company in Afghanistan. Sources said the tanker was attacked with a rocket and machine guns.

SFs fired at three suspected Taliban vehicles in the Shagai area of Jamrud in Khyber Agency. However, no casualties were reported.

The Taliban announced imposition of sharia (Islamic law) and to ban cutting forest trees in several areas of Upper Orakzai Agency. Sources said the announcements were made in sermons from mosques in Khangarpur, Ghundako, Kundi Mushti and Qaum Aakhel areas of Orakzai Agency, adding the local Taliban had also banned the cutting of forest trees in the agency. The announcements directed the residents of the tribal region to contact local Taliban centres in Ghalju and Kundi Mushti to seek solutions to their disputes, adding all disputes would be decided in accordance with the sharia. The sources said sharia had also been imposed in Ghalju, Ghundki, Nawakali Khangarpura, Amir Zai Kalay, Sultan Masay, Moorcha Ghari and Sahibzadagano Kalay areas.

December 22

Seven suspected militants reportedly belonging to the Punjab province were killed and several others sustained injuries when three US spy planes fired missiles at two vehicles and a house at Karikot, Azam Warsak and Dhog villages of South Waziristan Agency (SWA). Officials and tribal sources told from Wana, headquarters of SWA, that the CIA-operated spy planes fired three missiles, two at vehicles parked at Karikot and Azam Warsak villages, and another at a house, which did not explode. They said the Maulana Nazeer-led Ahmadzai Wazir and Punjabi Taliban had installed heavy weapons on both the vehicles from which they fired at the drones in the morning. Sources close to the militants said three militants hailing from Punjab were killed at Karikot village where the drone fired a Hellfire missile at a double-cabin pick-truck parked near the village. Similarly, they said, four more suspected militants, also from Punjab, died when their truck was hit by the pilotless spy plane. Villagers in Wana said another missile, which the drone had fired at a home at Dhog, could not explode.

SFs targeted Taliban positions in the Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency using mortars and artillery guns, but no casualties were reported. Official sources said the troops targeted Taliban hideouts in various areas of the tehsil, adding the latest operation forced a majority of the residents to move to safer areas.

Unidentified men fired three rockets on the headquarters of Bajaur Scouts in Khar. No casualty was reported, officials said.

Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar claimed that no militant was killed or injured in the jet aircraft attack on their hideouts in Mamoond on December 21. Talking to journalists over telephone, Omar claimed those killed and injured were civilians.

The Government High School in Pandyali in Mohmand Agency was blown up by suspected militants who had planted an improvised explosive device in the school, which exploded destroying the school building. Gunship helicopters later targeted suspected militants’ hideouts in upper villages of Panyali. However, no casualty was reported in the shelling.

A jirga (assembly of elders) of Isakhel and Burhankhel tribes held in Yakaghund, Lower Mohmand handed over 22 suspected people to the political administration. The political administration has given a list of 61 wanted people to the two tribes.

December 23

Militants publicly executed two criminals accused of a series of murders and kidnappings for ransom in Bara town in the Khyber Agency. The militants blindfolded the two criminals and tied their hands behind their backs before shooting them with rifles, an AFP photographer witnessed. Around 500 local militants and tribesmen reportedly watched the utions, which took place after the suspects were tried in a self-styled court headed by local militants, a local administration official said. The official said the two men had been accused of several crimes, but were sentenced to death after pleading guilty to the recent murder of a taxi driver. The court allegedly authorised the uncle and brother of the deceased to shoot the two criminals.

A trooper was killed and three others injured when Taliban attacked a security post with rockets in Miranshah in North Waziristan.

At least three shells fired by NATO from Afghanistan landed in the Speen Wam area of North Waziristan. However, there were no casualties.

An important Taliban leader was handed over to the authorities at a jirga (assembly of tribal elders) in Mohmand Agency.

December 24

A bomb blast was reported in the Miranshah area of North Waziristan. However, no casualty was reported.

December 25

SFs killed four Taliban militants in the Mamoond revenue division of Bajaur Agency. According to a private TV channel, the SFs continued operations against the Taliban in different areas of the tehsil. The SFs also destroyed a number of Taliban hideouts.

A previously-unknown pro-Taliban group, Ansar Wa Mohajir, has claimed responsibility for the December 24-bomb blast in Lahore and the earlier rocket attacks on Dera Ismail Khan. Toofan Wazir, identifying himself as a commander and spokesman of the group, telephoned from somewhere in North Waziristan to claim responsibility for the two attacks. He threatened more attacks against the Security Forces and Government installations to avenge the two recent US missile strikes in North Waziristan in which several militants belonging to Punjab province were killed. According to Toofan Wazir, the US drones fired the missiles at Pakistani targets with the agreement and co-operation of the Government of Pakistan. He said revenge would be taken from both the Americans and the Pakistan Government. In Pakistan, he warned, suicide bombings would be carried out and bombs would be planted and exploded at important Government installations.

December 26

A child was killed and nine persons were injured when the Taliban militants fired rockets on Civil Colony in the Khar district and Fajja village of Bajaur Agency.

SFs targeted Taliban hideouts in the Mamoond and Khar sub-divisions, but no reports of casualties to the Taliban were received.

Pakistan is reportedly moving nearly 20,000 troops from the FATA to Kasur and Sialkot amid reports of Indian troop movement and rising tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi. An unnamed senior military official said the redeployed 14th Division would "counter any misadventure by India". "The troops have been moved from the western border areas where the operation [against Taliban] is not going on. But this is a limited movement to reinforce our defence on the eastern border," the official told. He said Pakistan Army had restricted the leaves of its troops and officers in view of the security situation.

December 27

Four persons, including three children, of a family were killed when a shell landed at their house in the Bajaur Agency. The shell fired from an unidentified location hit the house in the Mandal area of Bajaur, sources said.

The SFs and Taliban clashed in Sakhipul area of Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) in Khyber Agency. However, no casualties were reported.

A new extremist group by the name of Khana Jangi (civil war) has emerged in the Bara tehsil of Khyber. Headed by Riaz Ludhianvi, the organisation came to the surface when it claimed abducting a local journalist Rehmatullah, who was released after three hours in captivity. A member told reporters over telephone that the group was against a Bara-based organisation, adding Khana Jangi had both locals and foreigners as members, who would conduct guerrilla activities in the country.

December 28

Three persons were killed by suspected militants on charges of ‘spying for the United States’ forces in Afghanistan and their bodies were thrown on the main Bannu-Miranshah Road. The body of one of the alleged spies, 25-year-old Rahim Gul, was found with multiple gunshot wounds and a broken arm near a market in Miranshah, a security official told. He said the bodies of the other two men – 22-year-old Inayatullah Khattak and 18-year-old Shooti Bannu – were hung from a bridge in a village outside the town of Mir Ali. He said the killers left a note with the bodies saying, "Those spying for the US and ISI will suffer the same fate."

Four Taliban militants were injured in the Sindukhel area of Lakroo sub-division of Mohmand Agency in firing by the SFs.

Unidentified armed men made a foiled attempt to blow up a bridge near Ghazi Baig.

December 29

The SFs targeted Taliban hideouts in various areas of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency, injuring four persons. In addition, armed men fired eight rockets at the agency headquarters, Khar. However, no casualty was reported. A house was also damaged in the shelling.

Armed men burned the houses of eight pro-government tribal elders in Mamoond.

Three oil tankers caught fire when a bomb reportedly planted in one of the tankers exploded at a petrol station at the Torkham border in Khyber Agency. It could not be ascertained whether the oil tankers were destined for Afghanistan or had come to the petrol station.

December 30

Five militants and three civilians were killed and several others injured when SFs targeted suspected militant hideouts in different parts of Bajaur Agency. SFs resorted to heavy mortar shelling after militants fired five missiles towards Khar, regional headquarters of Bajaur Agency, from Kohi Mor and Maram Ghundai areas. They said that three missiles landed in the Civil Colony, one fell near a check post in Fajja and one hit the Siddiqabad area. However, no casualty was reported in these missile attacks. The SFs countered the attack and fired mortar shells to target the militants’ positions. Two militants were consequently killed and a number of hideouts destroyed in the shelling on Kohi Mor and Maram Ghundai hills, said official sources. They also said a mortar shell fell in the Tope area, killing three civilians and injuring one. Officials added that three more militants were killed when SFs retaliated to an attack on a check post in the Zor Bandar area, about 18 kilometers from Khar.

Militants torched houses of four elders of the tribal Lashkar (militia) in the Mamond district, raising the number of burnt houses to 12 during the past two days.

Authorities detained 25 tribesmen under the collective and territorial responsibility laws of the Frontier Crime Regulation. Sources said that 15 of the arrested men belonged to Mandal tribe and the remaining 10 to Tangi tribe of the agency.

Pakistan suspended supplies to more than 65,000 NATO and United States troops in Afghanistan when SFs imposed curfew in and around Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency to initiate a military operation against the Taliban. Two militants were among five people killed in the joint operation by military and paramilitary forces. "We have launched crackdown against people creating disturbances, and army, paramilitary and levy force is jointly conducting the operation," Khyber Chief Administrator Tariq Hayat told in Peshawar. Hayat also said the operation was targeting six Taliban-linked organizations. "This operation will continue as long as all targets are achieved," he stated. According to him, the operation was aimed at putting a stop to both attacks on NATO supply vehicles and a spate of kidnappings for ransom in the FATA, where the Taliban and al Qaeda are active. Troops had already seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition in a raid on a warehouse in Jamrud, Hayat said, adding that a complete curfew had been imposed on the area, with paramilitary troops patrolling the streets. The early-dawn operation followed recent Taliban activities, which attempted to cut off supply lines to international forces in Afghanistan and threatened Peshawar’s security. "Helicopter gunships pounded suspected hideouts of the Taliban and their local facilitators while ground forces with tanks and heavy artillery provided backup," residents of Jamrud told. Troops shelled Taliban strongholds in the Ghundi, Sakhipul, Tedi bazaar, Shah Zaman Kalay and Ghuriza areas of Jamrud. "Five people were killed," political administration officials said, but did not provide details. Local residents said three civilians, including a child, were killed in an area close to Tedi bazaar and Ghuriza by the shelling. Local residents said the militants put up little resistance to the operation.

The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has said that the existence of alleged safe havens in FATA has allowed the resurgence of the Taliban in the region. "Part of the problem there is that nobody has been able to deal with the sanctuary across the border in that ungoverned part of Pakistan," said Rice.

December 31

SFs demolished dozens of houses and arrested scores of people on the second day of the military operation in Khyber Agency's Jamrud sub division. Two army gunship helicopters reportedly targeted militant hideouts and houses of Kukikhel elders in Ghundi locality the entire day. Tanks and artillery also targeted positions of suspected militant commanders in the area. The Peshawar-Torkhum highway and Torkhum border also remained closed for the second consecutive day. The closure of Torkhum border has is reported to have affected supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan. Briefing newsmen at the Khyber House about the operation called ‘Here I Come’, Political Agent of Khyber Agency, Tariq Hayat Khan, claimed the SFs had so far demolished at least 19 houses of militant commanders and Kukikhel elders in the last two days. Three civilians were killed when their home was hit by 'mistake,' he said. SFs have demolished the houses of Malak Attaullah Kukikhel and Senator Nasar Khan in Ghundi and Shah Kas localities respectively. Three family members of Malak Attaullah were among the 116 persons arrested during the operation. Tariq Hayat said that a huge quantity of arms and ammunition had also been recovered from the house of a militant commander Iftekhar in Ghundi area. However, the suspect commander could not be arrested during the operation.

Taliban militants executed a man in the Mir Ali town of North Waziristan after accusing him of spying for the United States. The bullet-riddled body of 28-year-old Mohammad Nawaz was found dumped on a roadside in Mir Ali, a local police official said. Nawaz had been abducted in November 2008 after a US missile strike near Mir Ali killed some local and foreign militants. A note found near his body said Nawaz had been "found guilty of spying for the US," the official said.

A Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) exchange was partially damaged in a bomb blast in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan. Official and tribal sources told that the blast did not cause any human loss. They said it was not clear whether the perpetrators of the blast wanted to target the telephone exchange, military convoy or bunkers of the law-enforcement agencies located near the PTCL exchange.

SFs have flushed out the Taliban from various areas of Salarzai tehsil and Khar area of Bajaur Agency, officials said. The areas cleared of Taliban presence include Arrang and Barrang in Utmankhel tehsil, Roghgan and Pashat in Salarzai tehsil and Khar area of Bajaur. In other areas, the SFs continued targeting Taliban positions with artillery and mortars, but there were no reports of casualties.

Militants attacked two checkpoints of the SFs in different areas of Mohmand Agency. However, no casualty was reported in these attacks. Sources said militants attacked the checkpoints in Darwazgai-II of Safi tehsil and Lakaro with mortar guns and other heavy weaponry. However, the SFs repulsed the attack by using artillery and mortar guns from Ghallanai, Bhai and Mamad Gat camps.

 

 

 

 

 
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