FATA Timeline - 2012

January 1

Fifteen militants were killed and five hideouts were destroyed when fighter jets bombed militant hideouts in Torsmat, Jabba Kellay, Akhunkot and Sama Bazaar in Upper tehsil of Orakzai Agency in FATA. The dead included five terrorists of 'Commander' Ziaur Rehman group of TTP.

At least 12 militants were killed and three hostages were rescued from their custody after an encounter with SFs in the Alamgir Killay of the Karmina area in Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency. Khasadar Force sources said that a FC soldier was also killed and another injured during the encounter.

A girl, identified as Hajra Bibi, was killed and three persons, two among them members of an anti-TTP lashkar, were injured when a bomb planted by suspected militants in a sewerage line in Tarano Kalli bazaar of Bajaur Agency exploded.

January 2

At least 20 militants were killed in two separate operations by the Army on January 1-2 in Upper tehsil of Orakzai Agency in FATA.

12 militants were killed and nine others got injured when jet fighters pounded their hideouts in Bilras, Bar Mella and Toor Semath area of Mamozai tehsil. Sources said that hideouts were destroyed.

Three militants and a volunteer of Qaumi lashkar were killed during a clash in Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency.

January 3

Three persons including two Levies personnel were killed and eight civilians were injured when a powerful car bomb exploded in Landi Kotal Bazaar of Khyber Agency in FATA. Officials said that explosives fitted in a car were detonated with a remote controlled device when a number of Levies and Khasadar personnel and civilians were present in Bacha Khan Chowk at around mid-day.

One passenger was injured in a roadside bomb blast at Pir Qayum village near Sadda Town in Kurram Agency.

Militants blew up a Government primary school for boys in Gurbaz Gagezai area of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency. An unnamed spokesman for TTP Mohmand chapter claimed responsibility for the attack.

January 4

SFs killed 10 militants and injured five others during an operation in the Central Kurram Agency in FATA.

At least six LI militants and a volunteer of Zakhakhel lashkar were killed in renewed clashes between LI and the Lashkar in Bazaar-Zakhakhel area of Khyber Agency. Another Zakhakhel volunteer was injured in the incident. Meanwhile, several LI bunkers were captured by the tribal lashkar.

Militants bombed the house of Haji Muhammad Saleem, a tribal leader from Sada area of Kurram Agency injuring two of Saleem's daughters, two other children and his brother Malik Sardar. Saleem had played a vital role in the agreement between the Shia and the Sunni factions in the area.

The Abdullah Azam Brigade (AAB) has threatened to target all public and private places and social and religious gatherings in Khyber Agency in retaliation of the military operation conducted in Karamna area in Landikotal on January 1.

January 5

TTP militants killed 15 Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA to avenge, in the words of a TTP spokesman, the death of one of their 'commanders' in another tribal area at the hands of SFs. The bullet-ridden bodies thrown on a hill in Mir Ali sub-district were spotted by tribesmen in the morning. According to an unnamed security official, "We had been trying to get them freed and we maintained contacts with their captors. Until last night the indications were positive. God knows what happened afterwards." TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told local media in Miranshah, "We have killed these personnel". He said the killings were in retaliation for the death of Qari Kamran, an important 'commander' of TTP, who was killed along with 12 others on January 1 by SFs at Alamgir Killay in the Kermina area near Landikotal in Khyber Agency. "This is revenge for the killing of our comrades in Khyber by Pakistani forces. We will soon take revenge for other operations too," Ehsan added.

The 15 personnel guarding the boundary between the FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been taken hostage on December 23, 2011 in a pre-dawn attack by TTP militants on their post in Mullazai area of Tank District (KP).

TTP released 17 children, who mistakenly crossed the border into Afghanistan from Bajaur Agency, after three months of captivity. Bajaur administration official Islam Zeb said, "Today TTP has released 17 of them. They have been freed unconditionally. Some 8-10 are yet in their custody." Zeb said the boys had been abducted by a militant group allied with TTP 'commander' Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, who led local insurgents but is believed to have fled to Afghanistan in 2010. More than 30 children were abducted from Bajaur Agency during Eid holidays on September 1, 2011.

January 6

At least six militants were killed and 12 got injured after LI and its rival Zakhakhel tribal force exchanged gunfire to gain control of a key base in Bazaar Zakhakhel area of Landikotal in Khyber Agency of FATA.

The head of a peace committee, identified as Malik Mohammad Ali Haleemzai, remained unhurt in a blast targeting him in Sangar Khwar area of Mohmand Agency.

Militants bombed science laboratory of Government High School in Miramshah of North Waziristan Agency in FATA in the night.

Security agencies want the TTP to abandon their strongholds of Orakzai and Khyber Agencies of FATA for a possible truce but are not keen to wrench back the control of other lawless tribal regions from the TTP. Officials and TTP affiliates told The Express Tribune on January 6 that the militants were being pushed to vacate Orakzai Agency because of its close proximity to the garrison city of Kohat.

January 7

Militants fired rockets at the Tochi Scout camp in Miramshah town of North Waziristan Agency in FATA.

January 9

The dead bodies of 10 FCB paramilitary troops were recovered from in Dabori town of Orakzai Agency in FATA. One security official said 23 soldiers were attacked late in the night on December 21 by nearly 100 heavily armed militants. TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan in a phone call to Reuters said that his men were behind the December 21, 2011 attack.

Arshad Khan, who was injured in a blast targeting a local jirga on December 31 in Khugakhel area of Landi Kotal in Khyber Agency, succumbed to his injuries in a Peshawar hospital.

A passer-by, identified as Sohail, was injured when a bomb planted on the roadside exploded at Ali Masjid.

Elsewhere in Landi Kotal, unidentified assailants abducted a transporter, Niamat Wali, at gunpoint in front of his house from Kuktarhel area at around 9pm. Sources said that Niamat Wali was allegedly involved in stealing goods from NATO containers.

Unidentified militants blew up a NATO oil supplying tanker at village Mian Khel on Shalman Road. The Afghanistan-bound oil tanker was parked at Mian Khel village when the militants detonated explosive material planted on the tanker.

January 10

A powerful bomb planted in a pick-up van exploded at a petrol station in Jamrud bazaar in Khyber Agency of FATA, killing 35 persons, four of them Khasadar personnel, and injuring 78 others. The bomb was triggered by remote control. Senior Administration Official Shakeel Khan Umarzai, put the death toll at 35 and the number of injured at 69 while 11 of them were in critical condition. A TTP 'spokesman' who identified himself as Mohammad told by phone from an unspecified location that his organisation had not carried out the attack.

After a lull of about 55 days, the US resumed its drone operation by killing four suspected militants in the out skirts of Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency.

Unidentified assailants shot dead Haji Kaleem, commander of Akkakhel peace committee for Margatkhel area in Khyber Agency.

One child was killed another two got injured when a mortar shell landed in a playground in Spin Qabar area.

A tribesman was killed in crossfire between militants and SFs in Mian Mandi Bazaar of Mohmand Agency.

An explosion at a market injured seven persons and caused damage as many shops in Landi Kotal of Khyber Agency. The blast occurred after evening prayers when all the shops were closed.

In Akkakhel area, two women received injuries when two mortar shells fell on the houses of Khyber Khan and Ambel Khan.

Unidentified militants blew up a Government school in the remote Haji Nadir Shah Kallay in Zakhakhel Bazaar area.

January 11

At least 11 militants were killed and six others got injured when jet fighters pounded their hideouts in Jabba, Toor Semath, Akhunkot, and Mir Qalamkhel localities in Mamozai tehsil in Orakzai Agency of FATA. Four hideouts were destroyed.

Rafiq alias Akhlaq, head of a militant group Jundul Khyber, was killed by the cadres of AI in Bagh locality of the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency. The sources said that Akhlaq had abducted an associate of the rival Tariq Afridi group, a commander of TTP, and imprisoned him at his Hujra in Narkhaw area of Maidan being controlled by AI.

Persons displaced from Bara tehsil and currently sheltering in tents and rented houses have complained of prolonged curfew and closure of Bara bazaar, educational institutions and hospitals, and demanded an early end to ongoing military offensive in their area to ease their misery.

Paris-based global media rights group Reporters without Borders and Tribal Union of Journalists jointly held six safety-training sessions for over 90 journalists in Peshawar. Pakistan was the world's deadliest country for journalists for the second year running in 2011.

A grand Jirga of Utmankhel Qaumi Movement demanded complete educational facilities for girls at Utmankhel Tapa in Bajaur, Malakand and Mohmand agencies.

January 12

At least 15 militants were killed and several others got injured while 3 terrorist hideouts destroyed in an air attack by SFs in different areas of Orakzai Agency in FATA.

At least six militants were killed and two others injured when a US drone fired two missiles at two vehicles in the Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency. The strike took place in the New Adda area, said officials while confirming the strike.

Five people, including four children and a woman were killed when a mortar shell fell on a house in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.

A militant was killed and two hideouts were destroyed during a search operation by SFs in Akakhel area. Two soldiers were also injured during the crossfire.

January 13

The local TTP set ablaze over a dozen computers, television sets, cellular phones and several cassettes in the Wana bazaar of South Waziristan Agency in FATA. The TTP led by Maulvi Nazeer said they had already banned using television and computers for watching movies and music and carrying cellular phones with cameras.

January 14

A Khasadar official, identified as Duny Dar, was injured in an IED explosion near Landikotal railway station in Khyber Agency of FATA.

The local political administration sent a notice to all Afghan nationals in the area, asking them to leave within the next five days or face strict legal action.

January 17

One person, Muhammad Dost, sustained injury in a remote-controlled blast in Khyber Sadu Khel area of Landikotal in Khyber Agency of FATA in the evening.

Annoyed with the silence of the Government and others over the US drone intrusions, gun-toting tribesmen took things in their hands and fired at the drones that appeared over North Waziristan Agency.

January 18

At least three LI militants were killed when they clashed with volunteers of Akkakhel peace committee in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA. Three slain LI militants were from Shalobar, Zakhakhel and Malikdinkhel area.

January 19

Abdullah Khorasani, a militant who acted as a senior operations organiser for al Qaeda was targeted and killed in one of the two US drone strikes launched on January 10 on a compound near the town of Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA, an unnamed US official said.

January 20

Four militants, two each from both sides, were killed when cadres of LI clashed with the TTP militants in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency in FATA.

Unidentified assailants shot dead an official of Frontier Corps in Malikdinkhel area of Bara tehsil.

Seven SF personnel were injured when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Baz Garha area of Bara.

Three volunteers of a tribal peace committee were injured in a bomb blast in Tirah Valley. Sources said that an explosive device planted along a roadside went off when volunteers of Kukikhel tribal lashkar were on a routine patrol in Dwa Thoe area after the Friday prayers.

Militants blew up a government primary school for boys at Bacha Mayna in Landikotal near the Torkham border at around 8:30pm. Nobody was hurt in the explosion.

The Government is establishing two de-radicalisation centres to ensure psychological and economic rehabilitation of those people of the FATA who renounce militancy. These centres are being set up in Sikandaro area of Bajaur Agency in FATA and Government Degree College in Tank town of Tank District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is adjacent to the militancy-infested South Waziristan Agency.

January 21

A little known Tehreek-e-Taliban Islami Pakistan group militants shot dead two alleged kidnappers, Israfeel and Ghulam Nabi, in Touda Chenna area of Kurram Agency in FATA.

An Army official, Lieutenant Atta Muhammad, was killed when a landmine planted by militants on a dirt track exploded in Talai area of Kurram Agency.

Four Levies Force personnel received injuries when their vehicle was targeted with a remote controlled bomb near Mian Mandi Bazaar in Haleemzai tehsil of Mohmand Agency. The spokesperson for TTP Mohmand Agency chapter chief, Mukarram Khurassin, talked to local journalists by telephone and claimed responsibility for the attack.

A security man, Bashirullah, was injured when one of the vehicles taking paramilitary forces from Alizai to the garrison town of Thall was hit by a bomb near the Chappari check-post of Kurram Agency.

SFs arrested 35 persons in the wake of January 20's bombing of a school in Torkham of Landikotal.

Around 390 families from Khyber Agency took refuge in Jalozai internally displaced persons camp as an intensified crackdown on militants has triggered displacements from Shalobar tribal area.

A large number of families left Qamberabad, Surkas and other villages inhabited by Shalobar tribe in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency. People began leaving their houses after hearing that the Government has decided to extend IDP status to members of the Shalobar tribe in view of intensified crackdown.

January 22

Two militants were killed in a bomb blast in Zakakhel Banjwal area of Khyber Agency in FATA. Sources said that the militants were planting a bomb under a bridge at Zakakhel Banjwal on Landi Kotal Road when it went off, killing both of them instantly.

A donors' conference will be held next month to raise the required USD 200 million funds for quick rehabilitation of internally displaced persons of FATA. A handout issued said that during a presentation on FATA Disaster Management Authority, held at Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar was told that so far 145,338 displaced families out of total 298,715 had been sent back to their permanent dwellings.

January 23

At least five militants were killed when US drone fired two missiles on a house and a vehicle at Mohammad Khel and Degan village in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA. Intelligence officials said the dead militants were from Turkmenistan, but their exact identities were not immediately known.

January 24

Seven militants and two soldiers were killed during a clash in Jogi area of the Central tehsil in Kurram Agency of FATA. Two soldiers were also injured.

A Khasadar, identified as Murtaza Khan, was killed and two persons were injured when a bomb, buried under the debris of a destroyed school, went off in Sheikhmal Khel area of Landi Kotal tehsil in Khyber Agency.

Officials of the Education Department said that number of schools destroyed in Khyber Agency had reached 57. Out of these schools 32 were targeted in Bara, 22 in Landi Kotal and four in Jamrud, depriving 16,000 children of education only in Bara tehsil.

A CD shop was destroyed completely when explosive went off in a market in Dagai village of Landi Kotal. Two other adjacent shops were also damaged. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

January 25

Twenty two militants and six soldiers were killed during a clash when SFs captured a TTP stronghold in the Jogi area of Central tehsil of Kurram Agency in FATA. According to sources, the clash broke out when security personnel launched a search operation in the Jogi area.

Militants attacked a SFs' checkpost with rockets, small and heavy weapons in Haleemzai tehsil of Mohmand Agency. However, no casualty was reported. TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar has said that peace will be maintained in Kurram Agency at all costs. He urged the tribesmen, relevant authorities and parties to the peace agreement to watch the situation for a quick response to any eventuality.

January 26

One soldier was killed and another injured when a group of militants stormed a FCB checkpost near Baran dam in FR Bannu. The attack killed FCB soldier Saleem Afridi and injured another Owalyar Khan.

January 27

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar has appointed chairman and two members of the FCR Tribunal. A notification issued by the law and order Department of FATA Secretariat in Peshawar said that the Governor had appointed Shah Wali Khan as chairman of the tribunal whereas Advocate Pir Fida Mohammad and Akbar Khan had been appointed its members.

January 28

Two soldiers were killed in a roadside blast in the Jogi area of Kurram Agency in FATA. Official sources said that a convoy of Security Forces was on its way to its camp when a roadside bomb exploded, killing two soldiers on the spot.

January 29

A driver was killed and eight passengers received injuries when SFs opened firing on a vehicle when driver did not stop the vehicle for checking at a checkpoint in Alam Goder area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.

A soldier was killed and another received fatal injuries in a landmine explosion in Kari Wam area of Frontier Region Tank.

A roadside bomb blast killed one security official in Jandola tehsil of South Waziristan Agency.

A landmine blast killed Frontier Corps trooper, Irfanullah, in Jawakai areas in the FR Kohat.

A volunteer of Aman lashkar was also killed by terrorists in the same area.

Two security personnel were injured in a mortar shell attack in the Jogi area of Kurram Agency.

Six shepherds went missing while they grazed their cattle in Haleemzai tehsil of Mohmand Agency in FATA, close to the Pak-Afghan border. Although their whereabouts remain "unclear", authorities believe they might have been abducted by militants and taken across the border.

The tribesmen extended full support to SFs during operation against militants in Mohmand Agency, said Brigadier Aftab Ahmad. Addressing a jirga at Ghalanai, he said that a quota will be specified for Mohmand tribe to encourage youth of the area to join Army. He said that a cadet college would be established in the area.

At least 35 militants and eight soldiers were killed in a gun-battle after a newly-established security checkpost was attacked in Jogi heights of Mamozai tehsil in Kurram Agency of FATA. Over 100 terrorists attacked the post in Jogi heights in the morning, damaging the post badly. 15 soldiers and scores of militants injured in the attack.

Six militants were killed in a clash with security personnel, the third day of an operation in the Frontier Region Kohat. The SFs intruded for the first time into the Golono Tangi area in the semi-autonomous tribal area while chasing militants and a clash took place between the two sides.

Reacting to US President Barack Obama's admission of drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas, elders from North Waziristan Agency of FATA announced a long march from the tribal belt to the Parliament House in Islamabad on February 25.

Army fighter jets pounded militant hideouts in the Mamozai area of Orakzai Agency in FATA before dawn, killing at least 20 TTP militants. "At least 20 Taliban militants were killed in the bombing," a military official in Peshawar said. The hideouts belonged to TTP 'commanders' Mulla Toofan and Maulvi Moinuddin, a security official said. Commander Maulvi Moinuddin and six foreigners were among the dead, says another report.

The beheaded body of a missing bread baker, identified as Waris Khan, was found in Khowgakhel area of Khyber Agency. Waris Khan was abdcuted by unidentified militants on January 31 evening when he was returning home from a nearby mosque after offering Maghrib prayers. A chit found with his body said that he was executed on charges of spying against TTP.

A jirga of Safi Masood tribe in Mohmand Agency decided that tribesmen would not accept any pressure to form peace committees. The jirga, attended by about 300 tribesmen, was addressed by Haji Gul Nabi, Hussain Ahmad, Saeed Khan, Malak Mohammad Jan, Jangrez Khan and others."

One trooper was killed and another four injured when militants stormed a check post in Daulat Khel area of Khyber Agency in FATA.

SFs recovered a huge cache of ammunition and an explosives-packed car, defused two bombs and arrested eight suspects from the Khugakhel area in Landikotal.

KP Governor Syed Masood Kausar said that a swift change is taking place in FATA as restoration of peace has ushered in an era of development. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed 110 kilometres Tank-Jandola-Makin Road in South Waziristan Agency, he said that development activities in FATA would pick momentum in the days to come and peace would be maintained at all costs to facilitate an uninterrupted uplift process across the tribal areas.

Eighteen militants and seven soldiers were killed and three others injured during a clash that broke out when a group of 40 TTP militants attacked on SFs checkpost in Shidano Dand area of Kurram Agency in FATA. TTP 'spokesman' Ehsanullah Ehsan in a telephone call from an unidentified place claimed responsibility for the raid, saying 12 Frontier Corps soldiers were killed and four others captured by terrorists. "We carried out this attack to avenge the killing of our commander Taj Gul in Khyber Agency," Ehsan said, without giving details when he was killed and his significance to the outfit.

Three militants and a volunteer of the tribal lashkar were killed in fresh fighting between the LI and the Zakhakhel tribe in Sherkhel area in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. The sources said that the Zakhakhel tribal lashkar continued its advance towards Sherkhel and Zor Killay amid tough resistance from the rival side.

LI militants attacked a security checkpost in Malikdinkhel area, leaving one FC soldier dead and four others injured. Sources said that two suspected militants were killed during the SFs' operation in the area soon after the attack.

In Bazaar Zakhakhel area of Landi Kotal, an explosion outside the house of a local elder killed his son and injured two of his other family members. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast. The Zakhakhel tribe revolted against LI in April 2011 and after forcing the LI activists to leave their area, they now have found their own armed group, Tawheed ul Islam.

A LI militant was killed and three others were wounded when LI cadres and its rival outfit AI clashed in Akkakhel area.

A bridge in Shalobar area was partially damaged when a time device planted to it exploded. Forces have recently established a number of checkposts in Shalobar area of Bara after nearly 3,000 families vacated their houses and shifted to Jalozai camp in Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The main mosque was blown up in Motharey area of Tirah Valley. They said the area was populated by the Ziauddin sub-branch of the Zakhakhel tribe and the explosion was meant to hit the tribesmen by the rival LI. No human loss, however, occurred, as nobody was present at the mosque at the time of the explosion, the sources said.

Unidentified assailants shot dead an eight-year-old boy in Peerokhel area of Landikotal in Khyber Agency of FATA. The boy was carrying a patient along with other family members to hospital when the assailants asked them to stop their car. The driver did not stop the vehicle, prompting the attackers to open fire. The boy was killed in the attack.

SFs arrested 18 persons during a search operation in Shinwari area of Landikotal. Landikotal Tehsildar Abdul Nabi confirmed the arrests, although the political administration did not take part in the operation.

The house of an alleged militant was demolished in the Mabikhel area.

One security official was killed while 12 others were injured when militants ambushed SFs in the Shahedano Dhand area of Kurram Agency in FATA. The militants detonated a bomb near a military vehicle and then opened fire at the convoy. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.