|
|
North West Frontier Province Timeline-
2009
Month/Date
|
Incidents
|
January 1
|
Four persons were killed and two
others kidnapped in separate incidents in Swat District of NWFP.
A person identified as Sardar Ali was dragged out of his house
and his head was chopped off at the Green Square. In another incident
at the same location, unknown assailants shot dead a man, whose
identity could not be ascertained. The body of one Zahir Shah
was found at a roadside while the body of an unidentified man
was recovered from Nishat Square. Two farmers were abducted at
gunpoint from fields and were shifted to an unidentified location.
Three Policemen were killed and
six injured in two bomb blasts in the Peshawar and Bannu districts.
Unidentified men blew up a Police check-post near Jabba Mosque
in the Mathra Police station precincts of Peshawar, killing constable
Asif Khan. Senior Police official Jamilur Rehman said the attack
could be a reaction to the ongoing military operation in Khyber
Agency. Meanwhile, two Policemen - Abbas Ali Khan and Muhammad
Ali Khan - were killed and six injured when a bomb being defused
by officials of the Bannu Bomb Disposal Squad exploded.
|
January 2
|
Seven persons, including an Awami
National Party leader and two Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel,
were killed in different parts of the Swat District.
Police sources said militants
kidnapped two FC officials, identified as Hameed and Rehmat Gul,
from the Balogram Police post. Later, their mutilated bodies were
found on roadside in Odigram.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead
Deedar Gul, president of the Kalam chapter of the ruling Awami
National Party.
Suspected militants shot dead
a female dancer at Green Chowk in Mingora city. Ziarat Gul, the
husband of the slain dancer, had reportedly expelled her from
his house.
In the Shakardarra area of Matta
sub-division, two persons, Ameer Hameedullah and Muhammad Kareem,
were shot dead by unidentified assailants.
Militants ringed the Prince Hotel
in Mingora and abducted two persons from there. The militants
claimed that their colleagues were attacked from the same hotel
the other day in which one had sustained bullet injuries.
The militants kidnapped Muhammad
Sher from Sarbanda area in Matta and an FC trooper Daulatmand
from Mingora Bazaar.
Militants stormed the houses of
Inspector Amjad Khan and Fazle Rabbi, a professor at Jehanzeb
College in Saidu Sharif, in the Charbagh area. The militants later
set ablaze their household items.
Taliban announced the enforcement
of Sharia (Islamic law) in the Shakai, Sheikhan and Mulakhel
areas of Hangu District. The decision was made in a jirga (assembly
of tribal elders) and announced in mosques during the Friday sermons,
and comes days after a similar decree in the bordering Orakzai
Agency. Women have been stopped from visiting bazaars, other than
for medical treatment, and that too only if they are accompanied
by an elderly male relative. TV, CDs and video centres have been
banned. Sources in the area said the Taliban had been using loudspeakers
installed in mosques to ask people to bring their issues to the
‘Taliban Islamic courts’ to resolve them in accordance with Islamic
law. The Taliban also reportedly blackened the faces of three
men and paraded them on donkeys in the area for alleged immorality,
the sources said, but it was not clear when the incident took
place.
|
January 4
|
Five persons, including two Security
Force (SF) personnel, were killed in separate incidents of violence
in the Swat District. Frontier Corps official Sabir Khan from
Chhuta Kalam and a Police official from Mamdheri, Azizur Rahman,
who were abducted by the militants on January 3, were killed the
next day. Aziz’s bullet-riddled body was thrown at the Green Chowk
in Mingora city. Sabir Khan’s head was chopped off and hanged
on a pole in same area. In another incident, unidentified assailants
shot dead three persons at the Matta College Square and later
escaped from the incident site.
Eight bodies were recovered from
different parts of the Swat District. Three bodies were found
at Green Chowk while two bodies were recovered from the Ode Gram
area of the District. Three more bodies were found from a house
in the Shakardara area of Matta sub-division. The killings were
part of a series of targeted killings in the valley. Separately,
Taliban militants killed the Traders Association President Jameel
Khan in Barikot.
Ten persons, including four Policemen,
were killed and 27 others injured in two bomb blasts near the
Polytechnic College in Dera Ismail Khan. Sources said an explosive
device, planted by militants near the main gate of the Polytechnic
College, went off at 7:07 pm, injuring four persons. Eyewitnesses
said soon after the blast, Police personnel and people rushed
to the spot. As a large number of Policemen and people gathered
at the site, a 16-year-old suicide bomber forced his entry into
the crowd and blew himself up, killing 10 persons, including four
Policemen, and injuring 21 others.
A suicide bomber was killed while
two people sustained injuries near a check-post in Officers’ Colony
in Bannu. The suicide bomber blew himself up in an attempt to
target a check-post but could not succeed as the bomb exploded
before he could reach his target.
A senior Taliban leader was arrested
from Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. A senior Policeman confirmed
Ustad Yasir was arrested, but declined to give details. Formerly
a leader of Abdurrab Rasool Sayyaf’s Ittehad-e-Islami group in
Afghanistan, Yasir joined the Taliban in 2001 after Sayyaf announced
support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He was arrested from
the NWFP in 2005 and released from Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi prison
in exchange for kidnapped Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo.
|
January 5
|
Four persons, including two militants,
were killed in continued incidents of violence in the Mingora
city of Swat District. Two persons, identified as Javed and Nisar,
were killed in the Mingora city and their bodies thrown at the
Green and Suhrab squares. The duo was identified as local militants.
Meanwhile, unidentified assailants shot dead a former councillor,
Muhammad Sahib, in the Aligram area of Charbagh. In another incident,
some unidentified gunmen barged into a house at Watkay in Mingora
and shot dead a woman.
Unidentified persons in the Shakardara
area of Matta sub-division blew up the house of a local journalist,
Hameedullah.
|
January 6
|
Six bullet-ridden bodies of Security
Force (SF) personnel, who had been abducted by Taliban militants
a few days ago, were found in the Mingora city of Swat District.
The militants brought the six persons to the College Square in
Mingora in the night of January 5 and shot them dead.
A girls’ high school was set ablaze
by suspected militants in the Fatehpur area of Khwazakhela sub-division.
While no casualty was reported, the furniture and record of the
school were destroyed. Militants in Swat have so far reportedly
set ablaze or blown up 104 girls’ and 62 boys’ schools.
Clashes between the SFs and militants
took place in the Matta and Manglawar areas of the valley. Troops
shelled the suspected positions of militants but no loss of life
was reported.
Sub-Inspector Rehamtullah of the
Bomb Disposal Squad in Bannu District Police was killed while
defusing a bomb in Bannu.
|
January 7
|
The Taliban in Hangu District
killed three Policemen and abducted three others when they stormed
a Police check-post. Officials said the Taliban attacked the Police
post in Dalan area of Tal tehsil (revenue division) using
heavy weapons. Three Police personnel - Taimoor, Fazal Rahim and
Daulat Shah - were killed, while Mohibullah, Tariq and Akhlaq
were abducted by the militants, who also set ablaze the check-post.
Militants attacked a check-post
of the SFs in the Koza Bandai area of Kabal sub-division in Swat
District, which triggered a gunfight between the two sides. Five
SF personnel were wounded and two vehicles of the troops destroyed
in the clash while a vehicle was taken away by the militants.
The SFs shelled suspected positions of the militants in the area
and consequently, a mortar shell hit a house owned by one Aurangzeb,
killing his daughter and injuring three others.
Two persons were shot dead in
separate incidents in Kabal and Matta. Unidentified assailants
shot dead a person, identified as Shuja Khan, near a hospital
and threw his body by a water tank. In Aghal Barthana, unknown
gunmen killed one civilian, identified as Bahr-e-Karam.
Militants abducted the son of
District Revenue Officer Sultanat Khan from the Kaymalpur area
of Charbagh.
SFs arrested two suspected militants
from Mingora bazaar in Swat during patrol.
|
January 9
|
Four people are reported to have
died and dozens of others injured after clashes erupted in the
Hangu town and its surrounding areas. A mourning procession from
Ustarzai, Ibarhimzai, Sherkot and Chakarkot villages was heading
for the Hangu city despite a curfew. Sources said militants allegedly
attacked the procession with rockets from the hilltops when it
reached near Bahadur Banda, prompting an exchange of fire with
the mourners. Consequently, four people were killed in the clashes.
Police sources said both sides used heavy weapons against each
other. The areas where the clashes erupted included Charbagh,
Gangyan, Serai Banda, Lakhtay Banda, Ibrahimzai, Bahadur Banda
and city bazaar areas, the sources said.
Police in the provincial capital
Peshawar arrested three alleged would-be suicide bombers and six
other suspects from various parts of the city after a tip-off
about the plot to disrupt the processions on the Muharram day.
Police received information that three would-be suicide bombers,
Qari, Asad and Amjad, had been tasked to carry out bombings during
the Ashura processions. Police subsequently arrested the
three would-be suicide bombers as well as six other suspects from
different urban parts of the provincial capital.
Ziaullah, relative of a retired
Superintendent of Police, who was abducted some days ago, was
killed. His body was found in the Jehanabad area of Manglawar.
Another body, which could not be identified, was also found in
the same area.
Militants kidnapped two relatives
of official Jamal Nasir and allegedly demanded ransom for their
release.
Militants kidnapped two alleged
drug-peddlers, identified as Fazl and Barkat, from the Gunban
Meera area of Mingora.
In Nawey Kalay, the militants
took away a rickshaw driver, along with his rickshaw.
The militants burnt another Government
Girls’ High School in the Sheen area of Khwazakhela in Swat.
A bomb blast at the Nehar Chowk
area of Mardan destroyed a CD centre and some other shops. However,
no casualty was reported in the incident.
|
January 10
|
At least 17 people were killed
and 30 others injured in the ongoing sectarian clashes in Hangu.
Officials said that fighting between the rival Shia and Sunni
groups had been continuing since late January 9 while army helicopter
gun ships were targeting the warring parties’ positions to control
the situation. The clashes erupted when people from Kohat, who
were protesting against the imposition of curfew in Hangu on the
eve of Ashura, were attacked by the rival sect. The two
groups started targeting each other with heavy and light weapons.
According to officials, clashes occurred in the Khanbari, Singhar,
Paskalay, Gungano Kalay, Malik Abad and Ibrahim Zay areas of Hangu
city.
A bomb blast partially damaged
two cellular phone shops in Naurang bazaar in Lakki Marwat.
|
January 11
|
A cease-fire between rival factions
was reached in Hangu, after 30 persons were killed and 50 injured
in sectarian clashes that broke out on January 9, according to
Daily Times. However, The News put the death toll
in the three days of sectarian clashes at 40. 20 houses – including
that of the District Zakat committee chairman – were set ablaze
in fresh clashes despite an earlier truce in the afternoon of
January 11, as helicopter gunships targeted ‘miscreant’ hideouts.
A private TV channel said the house of local Awami National Party
leader Yahya Qureshi was also torched. Sources said three local
commanders, Maulvi Nadeem, Momin and Ihsanullah, were among the
six militants killed in sectarian clashes in Saidan Banda and
Pass Kellay, while six civilians were also injured. Clashes between
the armed groups continued in various areas, including Sangarabad,
Bahadur Ghari, Saidan Banda, Mardokhel Banda, Kach Banda, Ibrahimzai,
Nerobaag, Sheikhan Kellay and Lakhtay Banda throughout the day.
Heavy weapons, including rockets, mortar shells and missiles were
used in the clashes.
Some troops were pulled out of
parts of the Swat District but military officials insisted it
was not a withdrawal but readjustment and rotation of forces.
Reports from different troubled areas of the valley suggested
that SFs withdrew from some key locations. Sources said the SFs
vacated Golibagh, Charbagh, Sherpalam and Gashkor. They also said
troops billeted in Paithom Hotel in Golibagh left the building.
Four persons were killed in fresh
incidents of violence in the Swat valley. On New Road in Mingora
town, unidentified gunmen shot dead a person Hakim Siraj while
the body of another person, whose name could not be ascertained,
was found in Matta Bazaar. In Durushkhela village of Matta sub-division,
the body of Ahmad Jan and his son were found at the roadside.
Militants attacked the house of
NWFP Minister for Science and Technology Ayub Ashari. The attack
led to a brief clash between the militants and family members
of the minister. However, no loss of life on either side was reported.
Militants flogged three alleged
drug addicts 30 times each in Kanju Dherai area.
|
January 12
|
One soldier and four other persons
were killed and 13 others, including nine SF personnel, were injured
as sectarian clashes between rival groups continued in the Hangu
District despite announcement of a cease-fire. Sources said gunship
helicopters continued shelling different areas, including Pas
Kellay and Ibrahimzai check-post.
A soldier was killed and nine
persons, including five soldiers and four civilians, sustained
injuries when shells reportedly hit SFs’ bunkers. Further, the
bodies of Abdul Ali, Arif, Ali Askar and an unidentified man were
recovered from Ganjiyano Kellay.
Police recovered 35 rocket shells,
30 misfired mortar shells and 13 rockets during a search operation
launched after taking control of the violence affected areas.
|
January 13
|
A mortar shell - allegedly fired
by the SFs - hit a house in the Gulagai area of Matta sub-division,
killing three children and injuring a woman.
A child was killed and two others
sustained injuries when mortar shell allegedly fired by the SFs
landed on a house in Janabad village.
A man, identified as Khona Gul,
was killed in another attack allegedly by the SFs.
A beheaded body was recovered
near the Raheemabad Police station in Mingora. It was subsequently
identified as that of Ahmad, a rickshaw driver from Saidu Sharif,
who was abducted a few days ago.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire
on an oil tanker in Matta area, killing driver Naseem Khan on
the spot. The cleaner of the tanker, Fazal Wahid, sustained injuries
in the attack.
A security official was killed
while three others sustained injuries when suspected militants
attacked the SFs convoy in Durushkhela area of Matta, according
to the Swat Media Centre. The troops instantly retaliated and
killed an unspecified number of the attackers. A petrol station
was also reportedly set ablaze in Matta.
A trooper was killed when militants
attacked the Kotal check-post in Kohat District. The militants
fired dozens of rockets at the Frontier Constabulary check-post
and the army retaliated with artillery from Kohat side. The SFs
subsequently targeted the hideouts of militants in Bosti Khel
area.
Several militants attacked the
house of Mohammad Ayub, the NWFP Minister belonging to the ruling
Awami National Party, in Asharay village in Matta. However, SFs
deployed there repulsed the attack. There were no reports of casualties
in the incident.
A remote-controlled bomb exploded
near the convoy of SFs in Sambat near Matta town. However, no
casualty was reported.
There were also reports of clashes
between SFs and militants in the Charbagh area of the Swat valley
throughout January 13. However, there were no reports of causalities
suffered by either side in the fighting.
In the provincial capital Peshawar,
after paramilitary troops were withdrawn from NATO terminals on
the Ring Road for Muharram, militants once again launched attacks
on parking bays of two terminals in the wee hours of January 13,
firing six rockets. "Militants attacked the Faisal Terminal
and the Khyber Ittifaq Terminal at midnight with rockets from
the nearby fields. Four containers were gutted in the Khyber Terminal
and two in the Faisal Terminal," a Police official told The
News. Two of the containers were empty while the rest were filled
with different items being trans-shipped for the allied forces
in Afghanistan. Police rushed to the spot, the unnamed official
said, and engaged the attackers. Firing from both sides continued
for quite some time after which the attackers fled.
|
January 14
|
Several CD shops and offices were
completely destroyed when three time devices planted by suspected
militants at three separate markets exploded in the wee hours.
Six other shops and the house of a Pakistan People’s Party leader
were partially damaged while three more bombs recovered from the
markets were defused. However, no casualty was reported, as nobody
was present in the market.
|
January 15
|
SFs claimed to have killed and
injured ‘a large number of hardcore militants’ including their
‘operations commander’ in Manglawar in the Swat District when
an attack was repulsed. However, a spokesman for the Swat Media
Centre could not tell the exact number of militants killed in
the clash. Giving details, he said the militants attempted to
attack a SFs’ check-post at Manglawar early on January 15 morning
but it was effectively repulsed.
Approximately 20 shops were damaged
when an explosive device went off in a market in Shabqadar. However,
no loss of life was reported.
About 400 private schools in Swat
have announced to abandon girls’ education in their institutes
in the wake of the deadline (January 15) given by the militants
to discontinue the practice, depriving more than 40,000 students
of their basic right to get education, The News reported.
In addition, 84,248 girl students of state-run schools are unlikely
to attend schools due to the fear of militants despite attempts
by the local administration to reopen the schools on March 1.
Maulana Fazlullah-led militants had asked all Government and private
schools on December 24, 2008, to stop imparting female education
by January 15, 2009.
|
January 16
|
18 people, including 12 militants
and three SF personnel, were killed in different parts of the
Swat District. A press release of the Military’s-run Swat Media
Cell (SMC) claimed that 12 militants were killed and many others
injured in a clash in the Chamtalai area of Khwazakhela sub-division.
The TTP Swat chapter leader Shah Dauran also claimed killing several
SF personnel in the clash. "Several troops were killed and
five vehicles were destroyed in the attack," he claimed on
his illegal FM radio. The SFs subsequently clamped a curfew in
Khwazakhela and started shelling suspected hideouts of the militants.
Two people were killed when unidentified
gunmen started indiscriminate firing in the Qambar area of Mingora
sub-division. The deceased were identified as Arsalan Khan, a
retired Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police, and Shareef Khan, reportedly
a relative of Shah Dauran, the TTP commander in Swat.
Unidentified gunmen dragged Ameer
Zeb, a Police constable, out of his house in Charbagh and shot
him dead.
In the Alamganj area of Khwazakhela,
a man identified as Dost Muhammad was killed when a mortar shell
allegedly fired by the SFs hit his house.
Militants destroyed a house owned
by the Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in Madyan
Chaktari area. The militants reportedly planted explosives in
the house, completely destroying it. However, no loss of life
was reported as the house had been abandoned by the family of
Asfandyar Wali.
|
January 17
|
Militants shot dead a person accused
of spying on them in the Shalpin area of Khwazakhela sub-division.
SFs continued shelling the suspected
positions of the militants, which resulted in the death of a woman.
In the first incident of its kind
in provincial capital Peshawar, religious scholar Pir Hafiz Rafeeullah,
who was kidnapped on January 16, was reportedly slaughtered and
his decapitated body was found in the Matani area of the capital
on the morning of January 17.
Suspected militants blew up an
abandoned police post in the Balogram area of Swat.
The militants destroyed another
Government high school in Qambar, the native town of TTP Swat
deputy chief Shah Dauran.
|
January 18
|
In the Gulkada area of Swat District,
unidentified gunmen entered a house and opened fire on the inmates,
killing two brothers, Hazrat Ali and Zafar Ali, on the spot. Two
other persons also sustained injuries in the attack.
Suspected militants shot dead
a soldier, Arshad, at the bus terminal in Mingora town.
A civilian, Omar Rehman, is reported
to have died during aerial firing by the SFs in Swat.
A faith-healing centre on the
Circular Road in Peshawar was damaged when an explosives device
went off late on January 18. However, no loss of life was reported.
|
January 19
|
Two SF personnel were injured
in a remote-controlled bomb attack on their vehicle in the Shand
area of Madian in Swat District.
The Taliban blew up five boys’
and a girls’ school in Swat. Militants reportedly planted bombs
around the buildings of five schools, which detonated late on
January 18, while the sixth was detonated in the afternoon of
January 19. However, no reports of casualties were received.
|
January 20
|
Four Policemen and four civilians
were injured when a Police patrol van was hit by a roadside bomb
on Ring Road in the Hazarkhwani area of Peshawar. The blast took
place at about 8:03am (PST) near a security check-post when Pandu
Police Station officials were patrolling the Ring Road. "Almost
1kg explosives, planted in a gas pipeline, exploded when the police
patrol vehicle was passing through the spot," Superintendent
of Police (City Circle), said Mohammad Ashraf.
President Asif Ali Zardari and
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tasked ally Maulana Fazlur Rehman
to aid talks between the Government and the Taliban in Swat during
a meeting. "Force is being used as a last option," a
private TV channel quoted President Zardari as saying. The leaders
discussed national and regional security and "other important
matters" in the meeting at the President’s House that also
included Interior Adviser Rehman Malik. Fazlur Rehman, the chief
of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, had denied he
was assigned such a task but said he would play his part in the
peace efforts if he was given the responsibility.
The NWFP Chief Minister Ameer
Haider Khan Hoti offered dialogue to the Taliban to restore peace
in the troubled areas. He said the dialogue offer was still intact,
asking the Taliban to come to negotiate without weapons as problems
could not be solved by force.
After proscribing female education
in the Swat District, the militants reportedly issued another
decree, asking the local people to wear caps and stop shaving
beards after January 25. The militants set January 25 as deadline
for keeping beards in the Matta sub-division and also asked people
to wear caps in order to implement Sharia (Islamic law) in the
area. They had already stopped barbers from shaving and trimming
beards in the valley while following their fresh decree all barbers
reportedly displayed "shave is banned" posters at their
shops. Taliban sources said after the expiry of the deadline,
no one in Matta would be allowed to trim beard as they were trying
for the establishment of a complete Islamic society.
The militants blew up the house
of an activist of the ruling ANP, Muhammad Ilyas, in the Manja
area of Kabal sub-division. Local sources said Ilyas was brought
outside and his house was blown up in front of him.
The cabinet of ANP Mingora city
tendered en-bloc resignation over what they called flawed and
anti-people policies and the ongoing military operation in the
valley. They also reportedly resigned from the party.
|
January 21
|
Taliban militants destroyed two
more Government-run schools and a health centre as violence continued
in the Swat District. Explosive devices planted at the high school
for boys and a basic health unit in Sher Falam in the Matta sub-division,
and the girls primary school in Mangalstan in Charbagh sub-division,
went off early in the morning, razing the buildings to the ground.
With the destruction of these two schools, the number of schools
torched and blown up in the Swat valley increased to 189. The
Swat District Coordination Officer Shaukat Khan Yousafzai confirmed
destruction of the schools, saying that most of the 189 schools
destroyed by the Taliban were for girls. He said that over 100,000
students had been affected.
|
January 22
|
21 persons, including 11 militants,
were killed and an unspecified number of them injured in the ongoing
military operation and fresh incidents of violence in the Swat
District. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)-run
Swat Media Centre (SMC), 11 militants were killed and nine injured
in Qamber and Koza Drushkhela. The SMC spokesman claimed that
a militants’ hideout was destroyed in shelling at Qamber and four
militants, identified as Abu Hamza, Ismail, Abdul Rauf and Qari
Ghaffar, were killed. Sources added that SFs also carried out
a ground assault in the Koza Drushkhela area of Matta sub-division,
the stronghold of Maulana Fazlullah-led militants, and killed
seven militants besides injuring three others.
A dumper truck was attacked in
the Chamtalai area of Khwazakhela sub-division by the militants,
killing the driver and a passer-by on the spot. In Terat area
of the upper Swat town, Madyan, beheaded bodies of two persons,
including a prayer leader identified as Khanzada, were found.
Eight persons were also kidnapped from the area. Assailants reportedly
opened fire at Abdullah in Kanju Bazaar, Kabal, killing him on
the spot while another man Shah Wali, who sustained injuries,
was rushed to hospital.
A FC soldier was killed and five
others sustained injuries when militants attacked a check-post
in Darra Adamkhel. Sources said the militants attacked the SFs
check-post in Tor Chappar with light and heavy weapons, killing
an FC trooper, identified as Zahid, and injuring five others.
Sources said SFs targeted the hideouts of militants soon after
the attack with gunship helicopters and the mortars but there
were no reports of casualties.
The ISPR Director General, Major
General Athar Abbas, said that the peace deal signed with the
Taliban in Swat has provided them an opportunity to re-emerge
in the area, and the Sharia (Islamic law) imposed by them is terrorism.
Talking to a private TV channel, Abbas said the Taliban had regrouped
in Swat as the SFs had changed their strategy after the peace
deal. He said the Government’s writ was intact in the areas where
SFs were present.
|
January 23
|
In an IED attack in the Takhtaband
area of Mingora town in Swat District, three civilians, including
a woman, were killed and a soldier sustained injuries. The militants
reportedly intended to target a convoy of the Security Forces
but failed in their bid. The Taliban claimed responsibility and
warned of more attacks. "As long as bullets are fired at us, such
attacks will continue to take place," a spokesman for the Swat
chapter of the banned TTP threatened.
Five members of a family, including
three children, were killed when a mortar shell hit a house in
the Manpetai village of Khwazakhela sub-division. A couple and
their three children died and their house was destroyed in the
incident.
Two SF personnel were killed in
a suicide attack near Mingora town. A car laden with explosives
blew up near the Fizagat check-post, killing two SF personnel
and injuring 22 others. Troops had signaled the suspicious vehicle
to stop and also fired on it, but it accelerated and hit the post.
In the Kalakot area of Kabal sub-division,
a mortar shell killed Babar Shah and injured three others. In
a similar incident, a man on way to his home was killed in a mortar
attack in the Chaqo area of Matta sub-division.
Suspected militants shot dead
a bank manager, Shah Rahman, in the Banora area of Fatehpur. In
addition, a civilian wounded during shelling in the Qamber area.
The NWFP Minister for Science
and Technology addressed a press conference in Gul Kada in Swat,
reiterating the Government’s resolve to give amnesty to those
laying down their arms. Ayub Asharay said that the Government
was ready to announce a general amnesty if the militants abandoned
their armed movement and stopped challenging the writ of the Government.
|
January 24
|
Eight Taliban militants, including
commander Noor Bakhtiar, were killed by the SFs during clashes
in the Nangolai area of Kabal tehsil (revenue division) in Swat.
The SFs also recovered a large cache of arms from the Taliban’s
hideout after the operation.
Troops also took control of schools
in Swat following Taliban militant’s threats against their reopening.
The decision was made to protect educational institutions in the
district, where, according to official figures, 174 schools have
been destroyed by Taliban militants during the past one and a
half year. The forces established their check posts near the schools
to thwart further attacks by the Taliban militants, who are against
female education in the district. In December 2008, the Taliban
had warned the Government to close all girls’ schools in Swat,
threatening to kill any female student that dared receive education.
|
January 26
|
Nine people, including two children
and two women, were killed and 17 others sustained injuries in
different incidents of violence in various parts of the Swat District.
Sources said a woman and her two children were killed when a mortar
shell, allegedly fired by the SFs, landed in a house in Serai
area near Manglawar. Three persons were wounded in the incident.
Further, two persons, including a woman, were killed and 14 injured
in Sangota when mortar shells hit their houses. There were reports
that several houses were also damaged in the shelling.
Four bodies were recovered from
the Ningolai area of Kabal sub-division. One of those killed was
later identified as Abdul Aziz. SFs reportedly arrested nine people
for violating curfew. The curfew remained in force from Shakardarra
to Koza Bandai for the second consecutive day.
Unidentified miscreants fired
four rockets at the Kotal Pass security check-post. However, no
loss of life was reported. Sources said the rockets were fired
from Bostikhel area of Darra Adamkhel.
Six people were killed and 22
others sustained injuries when a bomb rigged to a bicycle exploded
in a populated area in Dera Ismail Khan. Three of the victims
were in a car while the other three were walking past the bicycle
parked in front of the main gate of the town hall.
The remote-controlled bomb apparently
targeted a Sunni leader. Locals told that the explosion occurred
when NWFP assembly member, and leader of the banned SSP, Khalifa
Abdul Qayyum, was passing through the area. They said Qayyum escaped
unhurt, but his car was damaged in the blast. Talking to reporters
later, Qayum said he was the apparent target of the blast, as
he had been involved in efforts for bringing peace to the district.
He said it was a terrorist attack, adding he did not have personal
enmity with anyone. Police said the bomb weighed around 10 kilograms
and seemed to be foreign made.
|
January 27 |
SFs killed more than 16 militants in Darra Adamkhel
in the NWFP. The SFs claimed that they had besieged a large number
of militants after a fierce battle which claimed the life of an
army officer and injured five soldiers in Tor Chappar. The troops
had reportedly been attacking the militants' hideout in the area
with artillery fire and shelling for the last four days. The Inter-Services
Public Relations said in a press release from provincial capital
Peshawar on January 26 that 16 militants were killed in a gun
battle in Tor Chapper on January 25. The operation was planned
after the military was told that the Tor Chappar Valley, "is again
witnessing terrorist activity", the statement said. However, a
Taliban spokesman denied the report of the death of 16 people
and said that all of them were safe and alive.
The authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew
in the main city of Swat, said a statement by the army's media
centre - hours after the SFs launched the third phase of a military
operation in the valley. Military sources said the third phase
of Operation Rah-e-Haq had been launched in light of a
list released by the Taliban which contains names of officials
'wanted' by the group.
After the operation began - five civilians were
killed by artillery and mortar fire. Locals said a man, a woman
and three children were killed when mortar shells hit four houses
in Mangalawar area of Charbagh sub-division in the night of January
26 as SFs targeted Taliban positions. After the start of the intensified
operation late on January 26, official sources and locals told
that the Government had already imposed curfews in Nengolai, Bara,
Koza Banadai, Shakar Dara and Charbagh towns for an indefinite
period, and issued shoot-at-sight orders for violators. The curfew
in Mingora was imposed after about 100-150 Taliban militants stormed
the streets of the town displaying arms. While no violence was
reported, a private TV channel said the Taliban had taken over
bus stands in Mingora town.
In the Matta sub-division, a convoy of SFs was
targeted in a remote-controlled bomb attack, but there were no
casualties.
The Taliban blew up two more schools at Kabal
in Swat, taking the number of destroyed schools to 188.
Unidentified gunmen killed a Shia civilian in
Dera Ismail Khan in the second sectarian-linked attack during
the last 48 hours. "Unidentified gunmen shot dead Athar Hussain
Shah on the Dayal road while he was returning to town from his
nearby farm and then escaped," local police official Tauqir Abbas
said. Abbas added the victim was the son of a caretaker at a local
Shia mosque. "It seems to be a sectarian killing," the official
said. There was, however, no immediate claim of responsibility
for the attack.
|
January 28 |
16 more people, including seven militants, were
killed and 23 others injured in the Swat District, even as Army
Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani vowed to establish the writ
of the Government.
On the eve of the COAS's visit to Swat, the military
spokesman, Major Nasir Ali said the military operation would be
"decisive and final" and the militants would be completely crushed,
while their strongholds would be destroyed or captured. The spokesman
claimed that SFs had killed seven militants and injured 11 others
in Manglawar and Sanghota towns during a ground action backed
by helicopters. "The two were strongholds of the militants but
we have completely secured them now," he claimed. Earlier, General
Kayani made an unannounced visit to the Swat valley and issued
fresh directions about the operation.
The militants' commander and presenter on FM Radio
channel, Maulana Khalil, who recently replaced Shah Dauran, claimed
to have killed 35 SF personnel in Qambar. As an indefinite curfew
remained in force in Manglawar near Mingora, six people were reportedly
killed for curfew violation. Those shot dead by the SFs were reportedly
attempting to migrate from the troubled area.
Three persons, including a child, were killed
and 12 others wounded when mortar shells landed on their houses
in Sanghota. Several houses were also destroyed in the daylong
shelling by the SFs in the same area. Sources said SFs also used
gunship helicopters to target suspected hideouts of militants
in Sanghota and its adjacent areas. SFs also continued targeting
suspected hideouts of militants in the Chuprial area. One of the
shells fired by the troops landed in a taxi stand in the village.
However, no human or material loss was reported.
The SFs abandoned the fortified security check-post
in the Venai area near Matta. It was the last military post before
the Taliban-controlled area. The abandonment of the Venai security
post prompted both the militants and SFs to take new positions
in the adjacent Sarbanda and Aghal areas.
Around 25 projects operated by USAID in the FATA
and settled areas of the NWFP have been temporarily closed over
security concerns. The staff members working on several projects
in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, and North and South Waziristan agencies
have been called back due to worsening security in those areas.
|
January 29 |
Four militants were killed and several others,
including a Policeman, sustained injuries when suspected militants
attacked a police post near Baran Bridge in Bannu with rockets
and heavy arms.
Three more persons were killed and four others
injured in the Swat District amid several abortive attacks by
the militants on SFs.
The SFs after capturing Manglawar are reportedly
advancing to secure more Taliban-infested areas. They shelled
suspected positions of the militants, which claimed the life of
Rahman Ali, besides injuring three others, when a mortar shell
hit his house in Manglawar. Several houses were also reportedly
damaged during the shelling.
In the Spairdad area of Matta sub-division, two
persons were killed when SFs on a hilltop opened fired on their
car, they were travelling in.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman
Malik told the Senate that a new strategy had been worked out
to combat militancy in Swat. He said the groups behind the insurgency
in Swat included al Qaeda, TTP led by Maulana Fazlullah, Tanzeem-i-Islami,
Tora Bora group and Qari Mushtaq group. He said that a Taliban
'commander', Qari Hussain Ahmed, ran a training camp for suicide
bombers in Waziristan and Maulana Naamdaar had a role in bringing
suicide bombers from Waziristan to Swat. Qari Hussain was reported
killed in January 2008 when his house was destroyed in an air
strike. Malik said the objective of the militants was not to enforce
Sharia (Islamic law), but to destroy Pakistan. He told the Senate
that around 1,200 civilians had been killed and 2,000 injured
in violence, while 189 military personnel had lost their lives.
He said 123 Government schools and 10 private schools had been
destroyed and many CD shops and barbers' salons set ablaze. He
also said a so-called 'Taliban court' had 'summoned' 40 people.
The Darra Adamkhel unit of the TTP issued a one-week
deadline to the NWFP Government to accept their demands and in
case of non-compliance they would kill the kidnapped Polish geologist.
A Taliban spokesman told that : "We cannot wait more as the government
has taken acceptance of our demands (in return) for the release
of Polish geologist Peter (Stanczak) very light. So, our Shura
has decided to wait till Feb 4 evening for a positive reply from
the government and in case of refusal we will kill him." The spokesman,
who identified himself as Mohammad, said they had demanded from
the Government complete withdrawal of SFs from tribal areas and
release of their captured associates. He also said, "We are not
interested in ransom and just want the government to accept our
two longstanding demands." The Polish geologist working for the
Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) is in the custody
of the Taliban reportedly at a place near the Pakistan-Afghanistan
border. He had been kidnapped from an OGDCL facility near the
Jand town of Attock district in Punjab province four months ago.
He had been shifted from Attock in a boat through the Indus River
to Kohat and then taken by the Taliban to their hideout. The Taliban
had released his video in which the victim had appealed to his
Government to request Pakistan for acceptance of demands of the
Taliban to save his life.
|
January 30 |
Six persons were killed as the military operation
in Swat continued on the sixth day. The SFs continued targeting
Taliban hideouts in several areas of the Chaharbagh sub-division,
including Coat and Darul Uloom. Troops reportedly advanced into
the valley and consolidated their positions in Matta and Manglawar
areas of the District. The curfew in Sangota, Koozabandai, Darra
Bandai, Nangoi and parts of Shakardara also continued.
The militants attacked Matta Police station, which
triggered a clash between the two sides. However, there was no
report on casualties.
A private TV channel said that Taliban leader
Maulana Fazlullah had 'permitted' education for girls in the valley
up to the fourth grade.
Two suspected terrorists were arrested from the
Ring Road area in Peshawar.
Civilians appealed to the SFs for safe passage
and facilities for internally displaced persons. People in all
those areas where the military has been carrying operations for
the last few days have been complaining against the SFs for targeting
the civilian population.
Four soldiers were killed and eight injured when
an Army convoy was attacked with a remote-controlled bomb in Malakand.
The SFs cordoned off the area after the attack, which occurred
in the Jalala area. Official sources told that a military convoy
of the Sindh Regiment was on its way to provincial capital Peshawar
from the militancy-hit Swat valley when a remote-controlled explosive
device, planted by militants near a school building on Ghat Koto
Road, went off, killing four soldiers and injuring eight others.
A person was killed and eight others abducted
in several incidents of violence in the Hangu District. They said
unidentified armed men opened fire on a vehicle near Tutkas graveyard
in the District's Tal sub-division. The passengers were reportedly
traveling from Kurram Agency to Hangu. A man, identified as Johar
Ali, was killed in the firing, while the assailants abducted the
other three men. Separately, unidentified men abducted two persons
from Tura Waray road in the Doaba Police station precincts. An
Afghan private security guard, Syed Agha, was abducted from Tal
city, while unidentified men abducted a Government contractor,
Fazal Akbar, and Imtiaz, an employee of NADRA in Orakzai Agency,
from separate areas of the District.
|
January 31 |
10 persons were killed in fresh incidents of violence
in the Swat District. Locals said three people were killed in
a clash between SF personnel and the Taliban militants in the
Dherai area of Kabal revenue division. Those killed were identified
as Bakht Buland, Mian Pirzada and Akbar Zada, they said, adding
a Taliban militant was also killed in the clash. Three people
were killed as helicopter gun ships targeted Taliban positions
in Kabal. The SF's air attack also destroyed a self-proclaimed
Taliban court building. Meanwhile, the district's Kooza Bandai,
Bar Bandai, Tangolai and Shakardara areas remained under curfew
for the seventh day. In the Aligrama area of Kabal, the Taliban
militants attacked a SF's convoy killing three SF personnel while
another was injured in the attack.
The Peshawar city Police arrested 15 people suspected
of having links with the Taliban, during a crackdown in the Mathra
Police station precincts. One of the arrested people was a Taliban
commander, suspected of training suicide bombers.
|
February 1
|
32 persons, including three soldiers,
were killed and 22 others sustained injures as the SFs intensified
the operation in the Charbagh, Matta and Sangota areas of the
Swat District. Locals said most of the people killed in Charbagh
and Sangota during shelling were civilians, who were finding it
difficult to move to safer places due to the perpetual curfew
and escalating clashes. They said SFs targeted suspected positions
of militants in Charbagh with artillery before consolidating their
position in the town. Eight persons, including four women and
two children, were killed and 16 others injured when mortar shells
hit several houses in the area. In the Roshanabad area, two persons
were shot dead by the SFs when they opened fire on them. Eight
bodies of unknown people were retrieved from Shakar Tangay area
of Sangota.
A mortar shell hit the house of Rahmat
Ali in the Shakro area, killing five persons, including four women.
A Police constable, Fazle Mannan, who was abducted by the militants
when he was on his way to Rahimabad Police station in Mingora
city, was shot dead. The body of an unidentified person was recovered
from the Aligrama area of Kabal. Two persons were killed in firing
at ambulances belonging to Medicine Sans Frontiers and Edhi, which
were shifting the injured to a hospital. Both militants and SFs
reportedly blamed each other for the incident.
Three SF personnel were killed in
a clash with the militants in the Sar Banda area of Matta sub-division.
During the clash, a militant was also killed which was confirmed
by the Taliban spokesman in Swat. Three more SF personnel were
injured during the militants' attack on the Frontier Corps camps
in Kanju and Dherai. In the Parri area of Barikot, councillor
Muhammad Hanif was shot dead by unidentified assailants.
The ISPR-run Swat Media Centre in
Mingora claimed that the SFs have killed 16 militants during the
last 24 hours.
|
February 2
|
The military claimed it had killed
70 Taliban militants and injured several others during its assault
on a village in the Chaharbagh sub-division of Swat District.
Officials said residents had already vacated the village on February
1 before troops launched the operation. They said the SFs targeted
Taliban hideouts in the Alamganj and Waliabad areas of Chaharbagh,
killing approximately 70 militants.
The Swat Police recovered eight bullet-ridden
bodies from the region. "The bullet-ridden bodies of eight local
residents were found in various areas of Swat," said an unnamed
Police official. He blamed the killings on the Taliban militants
loyal to Maulana Fazlullah.
Trapped amidst clashes between the
Taliban and SFs, residents in Swat have begun a mass exodus from
the area. Thousands of civilians were fleeing the fighting in
the valley. The people leaving Swat are joining thousands of villagers
who have fled fighting in other restive areas, particularly Bajaur
Agency. Government officials have blamed the militants for using
villagers as human shields. "Thousands of people are migrating
from the areas of fighting because of the military operations
and the militants' use of civilians as human shields," the Swat
valley's top administrator, said Shaukat Khan Yousafzai.
|
February 3
|
Over 70 militants were killed by
SFs during clashes in the Swat District in the night of February
2 and February 3. A group of Taliban militants were attacked and
dispersed by troops in the Alam Ganj Waliabad area of Charbagh
on February 2-night. In the evening of February 3, the militants
gathered again and were reported to be planning an attack when
the SFs cornered them. At least 64 militants were killed and several
others were injured.
The militants surrounded the Shamozai
Police post manned by about 30 personnel. Six militants and three
SF personnel were killed and 10 persons, including five militants,
were injured in an exchange of fire.
Suspected militants attacked a military
convoy on the Mingora bypass. Troops subsequently cordoned off
the area and launched an operation, killing four militants.
The Takhtaband village on the bypass
was deserted with residents having left their homes and moved
to other areas fearing retaliatory attack by the army. Thousands
of people of Aligrama, Koza and Bara Bandai, Kanju and Akhund
Kalley have also reportedly left their homes and are reported
to be going to Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar and other places. An
exodus of about 45,000 people has been reported from Charbagh
and adjoining areas. According to official sources, about 300,000
people have left the Swat valley so far and many of them have
taken refuge in camps set up by the authorities in different areas.
A man was killed and 18 others injured
in a hand grenade attack on a Sunni mosque at Mohallah Joginwala
in the Dera Ismail Khan District. The attacker hurled the hand
grenade at the worshippers in Madani mosque during Maghrib prayers,
Police said. Local Police officer Yaseen Khan said the explosion
had caused a stampede as panicked people tried to flee.
|
February 4
|
Nine members of the Bara-based Lashkar-e-Islam
militant group were killed in an encounter with the Police and
the Qaumi Lashkar (militia) comprising armed villagers
when they allegedly attempted to kidnap the chief official of
Bazidkhel union council near Peshawar. Three Policemen sustained
injuries in the first incident of its kind in which the Police
and villagers jointly countered the militants operating in Peshawar.
The Taliban in Swat set free 30 SF
personnel in the presence of journalists in the Kotli Dadhara
area of Kabal sub-division in Swat District, after securing written
promise from them that they would quit their Government jobs.
"The hostages have been released on humanitarian grounds, but
with a condition that they will quit their jobs and never fight
against the Taliban," local Taliban leaders told journalists after
a meeting of the Taliban Shura (executive council). The
SF personnel were abducted on February 3 when the militants overran
a Police checkpoint in Shamozai area adjacent to the Lower Dir
district. The area had been under siege for 36 hours. The SF personnel
surrendered when they ran out of ammunition and their request
for reinforcements from the army base camp in Kabal went unheeded,
a freed policeman said. Taliban leaders said the released SF personnel
would publish advertisements in local newspapers, announcing their
resignation and promising never to take part in any future action
against the Taliban.
The Taliban's siege of the checkpoint
triggered shelling from the military base in Kabal, Swat and Chakdara
Fort. Four civilians were consequently killed in the shelling.
Local people said the victims were taking breakfast when mortar
shells hit their homes, killing them on the spot.
A militant commander, identified
as Noor Rehman, was killed while several others were injured in
an exchange of fire between SFs and militants in the Kandeel area
of Madyan sub-division.
The militants torched the house of
a close relative of Awami National Party's senior leader Afzal
Khan in the Bagh Dehri area of Matta sub-division. Unlike other
legislators elected from the Swat valley, Afzal Khan, a former
federal minister, has not left his native Daroshkhela village
despite several attempts made by Taliban to kill him and his relatives.
A private TV channel reported that
a French aid agency has suspended its operations in Swat after
two of its Pakistani workers were killed.
|
February 5
|
Three women were killed in Swat District
as Taliban continued their attack on people they consider to be
pro-government. The women, Zarmina, Zarbibi and Farzana, were
killed and three men were kidnapped when militants stormed their
house in Dagai village and accused them of supporting security
personnel manning the nearby Wenai bridge post.
A suicide attacker detonated an explosive-laden
car near a Police station in the Mingora town, injuring a dozen
officers and destroying part of the building, said Dilawar Khan
Bangash, the Police chief. Bangash said militants also fired three
rockets before the attack and one damaged a nearby hotel.
A truck driver was injured when a
remote-controlled device, planted by militants on the Mingora-Takhta
Band Road, exploded. The truck, which was loaded with ration,
was part of a convoy of Security Forces.
Militants blew up two Government
schools in the Nazarabad area of Matta sub-division.
The house of Police constable Abdul
Kamal was set on fire in the Kala Kalley area of Kabal sub-division.
|
February 6
|
One passenger was killed and two
others were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a
passenger coach near Gandiyali area in the Kohat District. Sources
said that a Rawalpindi-bound coach was attacked when it reached
Gumbat area, leaving one Muzammil Hussain dead while Muhammad
Shafique Ahmed, a Frontier Corps soldier, and driver Ahmedullah
Khan injured. Meanwhile, talking from an undisclosed location
by phone, the Darra Adamkhel spokesman for the TTP, Muhammad,
claimed responsibility for the incident.
|
February 8 |
11 civilians and three SF personnel were killed
in fierce clashes between the SFs and militants in different areas
of the Swat District. A group of militants loyal to Maulana Fazlullah
ambushed a vehicle of the SFs in the Aligrama area of Kabal sub-division
and killed three soldiers on the spot. Troops subsequently targeted
suspected militant hideouts with artillery fire. Four persons
were killed in heavy shelling and fire between the SFs and militants
in Takhtaband area in the outskirts of Mingora city. Helicopter
gunships were reportedly used to target militant positions. Three
people were been killed and ten injured as mortar shells hit houses
in the Shewar area of Matta sub-division. Further, a father and
his son were killed and a woman was injured as mortar shell hit
their house in the Sekhbanr area of Matta sub-division. In addition,
the decapitated body of Habibullah was recovered in the Alam Ganj
area of Khwazakhela sub-division. A motorcyclist was killed in
firing in the Dherai area of Kabal.
Taliban kidnapped at least 35 people after evicting
them from their houses in the Shahukhel area of Hangu District.
The kidnapped people belong to the Mushti tribe and the residents
said the Taliban claimed to have 'arrested' them after public
complaints were filed against them.
|
February 9 |
26 persons, including 11 children and a soldier,
were killed while 38 others sustained injuries when mortar shells
hit some houses during ongoing clashes between SFs and militants
in the Qasimkhel area of Darra Adamkhel. Sources said militants
fired three rockets at the Babozai check-post, killing a soldier,
Mirdad, and injuring two others. SFs also retaliated and an exchange
of fire continued for sometime, during which heavy weapons were
reportedly used. Reports said several shells fell at the main
gate of the Government Girls Primary School Qasimkhel and nearby
houses on the outskirts of Darra Adamkhel.
Nine persons, including five militants, were killed
and 11 others sustained injuries in artillery shelling and incidents
of violence in the Swat District. Sources told that five militants
and two civilians were killed and five others sustained injuries
when gunship helicopters shelled the Engaro Dherai, Takhta Band
and Ogaday areas near Mingora city.
An artillery shell fired by the SFs hit the house
of one Fazlullah in Chuprial area, killing his two children and
injuring his wife and a child.
Six soldiers were injured in an encounter between
the SFs and militants in the Charbagh area.
The SFs targeted suspected hideouts of the militants
in the Shakar Dara, Kuza Bandai and Bara Bandai areas of Kabal
sub-division with gunship helicopters and artillery.
Unidentified men torched a Basic Health Unit in
the Nazarabad area of Matta sub-division. However, no loss of
life was reported as no one was present in the building.
Suspected militants destroyed the Takhta Band
bridge by planting an explosives device.
Militants torched a boy's school in the Matta
sub-division, bringing the number of destroyed schools to 190.
18 FC personnel were injured in a suicide attack
on the Baran Pul check-post of the Frontier Reserve Police (FRP)
in the jurisdiction of Bakkakhel police station in Bannu District.
Sources said a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden mini
truck hit the building of the FRP check-post at Baran Pul, injuring
18 FC soldiers.
|
February 10 |
One soldier was killed and 13 persons, including
two civilians, were wounded as SFs and militants clashed in different
areas of the Swat District. Sources said the militants attacked
a convoy of the SFs in the Kanju area of Kabal revenue division,
killing a soldier and injuring another. The militants subsequently
fled when the SFs retaliated.
The militants opened fire on SFs in Charbagh area
injuring two more soldiers.
A convoy of the SFs was attacked with an explosive
device in the Bara Bandai area of Kabal, leaving a soldier injured.
Two civilians were wounded in firing by the SFs
in the Hazara area of Kabal.
The Swat-based Taliban leader Maulana Muhammad
Alam alias Khalil has asked the people of Malakand division
not to pay electricity bills. Announcing this on FM radio, Khalil
said his militants would teach a lesson to those who tried to
disconnect the power supply in the area. "We are demanding our
rights but these are being denied. Therefore, the people of Malakand
must not pay utility bills to the Government… We would either
implement the Sharia [Islamic law] in Swat or embrace martyrdom,"
he said. He vowed to continue efforts for the Sharia enforcement
and claimed that the uprising from Swat would spill over to the
whole country.
The local Taliban leadership has decided to send
its militants to Islamabad as a reaction to the military operations
in Darra Adamkhel and Swat Valley in the NWFP and in this regard
chalkings on the walls of Islamabad are already appearing. Many
religious scholars in Islamabad have also received messages from
the Taliban that they have only two options, either to support
the Taliban or leave the capital or they will be considered collaborators
of the "pro-American Zardari government" which, they claim, is
not different from the previous Musharraf regime. The Taliban
have also reportedly accused some militant leaders of the tribal
areas and some leaders of the banned LeT, HuM and HM of trying
to stop youngsters from fighting the Pakistani forces. Taliban
have declared all these "pro-Pakistan" Jihadis as their enemies.
The names of Maulvi Nazir from South Wazirastan, Hafiz Gul Bahadur
from North Waziristan, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Maulana Farooq Kashmiri
and Syed Salahuddin have been included in the hit lists of the
Taliban, who have threatened some HM leaders in Swat and Dir to
leave the areas as soon as possible. In addition, another Taliban
leader in the Mohmand Agency, Maulvi Omar Khalid, has threatened
LeT cadres to leave the tribal agency or face death. Khalid has
claimed that these militants are only interested in fighting against
the foreign troops in Afghanistan or against India.
|
February 11 |
Alamzeb Khan, a Member of Provincial Assembly
from the ruling Awami National Party (ANP), was killed in a remote-controlled
bomb blast in Momin Town in Peshawar, the NWFP capital. The blast,
which also injured seven others, including the driver, the gunman
and personal assistant of the legislator, occurred on the day
the newly-appointed special US envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan,
Richard Holbrooke, was paying a visit to the city and the adjacent
Khyber Agency. Locals said Khan was on his way to attend a function
in the city when his car was hit by a huge explosion at around
11:20 am on the main road of the Momin Town, close to his residence.
"It was triggered through a remote control," Capital City Police
Officer Safwat Ghayyur told journalists. Alamzeb Khan was elected
a member of the NWFP Assembly from the PF-1 in the general elections
in 2008.
Three soldiers were killed and several others
were injured during clashes between SFs and militants in the Charbagh
area of Swat District. Sources said the militants besieged and
attacked a SFs' camp in Darul Uloom Charbagh with heavy weaponry.
The attack triggered a fierce gun-battle between the troops and
militants, which was reportedly continuing till last reports were
filed. Militants claimed that three SF personnel were killed and
several others sustained injuries in the encounter while the camp
building was also damaged. The adjacent houses and shops were
also reportedly damaged in the attack. The militants' sources
claimed that they had inflicted heavy losses on SFs in Charbagh,
but the Swat-based spokesman for the military rebutted the claim.
The militants kidnapped the provincial chief of
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) along with
others but freed them after 'investigation'. The militants abducted
the ICRC provincial chief, Daniel Romali, along with his teammates,
during 'checking' in the Qambar area. However, they were later
freed after 'questioning'. Daniel Romali belongs to Switzerland
while his associates were Pakistanis.
The militants kidnapped the driver of Swat District
and Sessions Judge, Sher Zaman, and shifted him to an undisclosed
location. His vehicle was also seized by the militants.
The Swat-based Taliban leader and FM radio presenter
Maulana Muhammad Alam alias Khalil claimed during an address
that the Taliban had the addresses and names of children of the
SF personnel engaged in fighting with Taliban in Swat. He read
out some of the names of officials, their addresses and names
of their children and the educational institutes in which they
were studying.
Thousands of protesters set a three-day deadline
to the Government to implement Sharia (Islamic law) or
they would march towards Islamabad. The protesters staged a rally
at Barikot in favour of the Sharia implementation. The
protesters, who had come from surrounding villages and gathered
in the Barikot Square, warned that if Sharia was not enforced
within three days, they would march towards Islamabad on foot.
|
February 12 |
Five persons were killed and 12 others injured
during the ongoing military operation in Swat District. One person
was killed in the Shahdara area of Mingora town when SFs opened
fire on him. In another incident, a man was shot dead in the Spairdar
area of Matta sub-division. Sources said 12 persons were injured
during the shelling in Kanju area. A child, peering out of windows
of a house, was hit by a bullet, killing him on the spot. The
mother of the child, who rushed to pick the body, was also killed
in the firing. Sources said SF personnel resorted to indiscriminate
firing after a remote-controlled bomb attack on their convoy in
Kanju. They said one soldier sustained injuries in the attack.
A trooper was killed in an attack on the Takhtaband
area, while several others sustained injuries. The militants claimed
to have inflicted heavy losses on SFs, but the latter have rejected
this claim.
After the attack on the FC camp in Kanju, the
SFs targeted Takhtaband, Qamber and Charbagh with artillery.
The militants set ablaze the furniture of the
destroyed Government Girls' High School in Odigram.
The militants kidnapped a Police official during
checking of vehicles and shifted him to an undisclosed location.
The militants are reportedly stopping vehicles at Qamber, question
passengers and examine their national identity cards. Such checking
has reportedly been increasing despite the military operations.
The militants have again taken control of Charbagh
sub-division, while the SFs fired about 400 mortar shells on the
area. Sources said two women were killed due to the firing of
mortar shells by the SFs on Charbagh. Earlier, the militants attacked
five positions of the SFs. They attacked the troops at Zarai Tehqiqati
Farm, Takhtaband, Matta Police station, Charbagh Darul Uloom,
Kanju post and FC camp in Kanju with rockets and small arms.
|
February 13 |
Five persons, including a security official, were
killed and several others sustained injuries in Swat District.
Sources said the militants attacked the SFs at Zarai Tehqiqati
Farm Takhtaband, killing one soldier and injuring many others.
Further, a soldier sustained injuries during a clash with the
militants in Khwazakhela. In addition, three civilians, Taj Muhammad,
Malik Zada and Gul Rahman, were killed and an unidentified person
was wounded during shelling by the SFs. They reportedly targeted
suspected positions of the militants in the Bedara area of Matta
sub-division. A man, identified as Mulla Jan, was killed when
a soldier in a convoy of the SFs opened fire in the Kanju area
of Kabal sub-division.
In continuation of their protest, residents in
Mingora, the district headquarters of Swat, took to streets, demanding
enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law).
The Taliban killed two veil-clad women in the
Kohat District and dumped the bodies by a roadside. Police official
Riaz Khan said the slain women had a 'bad reputation' and were
warned by people about a year ago to abandon their 'immoral ways'.
The bullet-riddled bodies of the women, about 25 and 40 years
old, were dumped on a roadside.
|
February 14 |
Militants set free a Chinese engineer they had
kidnapped six months ago from Lower Dir District. Long Xiaowei,
who worked for a Chinese mobile phone company, was handed over
to officials in the Shamozai area of Bari Kot subdivision of Swat
District in the evening of February 14 and he was immediately
taken to Islamabad where the Chinese Embassy confirmed his release.
Press officer of the embassy, Li Ming, said that Xiaowei had safely
arrived and he would go to China soon. Sources told in Peshawar
that Xiaowei had been released on payment of a huge amount of
money as ransom, but the militants' spokesman Muslim Khan said
in Swat that the engineer had been freed as a goodwill gesture.
Xiaowei and his colleague Zhang Guo were abducted on August 29,
2008 from Khal area of Lower Dir where they were inspecting a
telecommunication tower. Guo, however, managed to escape in October
2008 when SFs launched an operation in Swat. He was assisted by
a local man named Liaquat Ali who was later shot dead by the militants.
|
February 15 |
Four members of a family, including a minor, were
killed in the Swat District. Sources said a shell fired by the
SFs hit a house in the Hazara area of Kabal sub-division, killing
four members and wounding 10 others of a family.
Suspected militants destroyed a school in the
Charbagh sub-division. The school was already in the custody of
the Taliban, who were using it as a base camp.
The militants snatched a truck supplying ration
for the SFs in the Koza Bandai area of Kabal.
The militants attacked the Saidu Sharif airport
with rockets and heavy weapons, which triggered a clash with the
SFs. However, there were no reports about casualties.
|
February 16 |
The NWFP Government formally announced the implementation
of Sharia (Islamic law) known as the Nizam-e-Adl Regulations
2009 in Malakand Division and Kohistan District. "The provincial
Government in consultation with all political parties, Sufi Muhammad
and Ulema with the approval of Federal Government introduced changes
in the 1999 Nizam-e-Adl Regulation. Today I announce promulgation
of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (Amended) 2009… The regulations will
be implemented in Malakand following the return of peace and restoration
of writ of the Government," NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan
Hoti told a press conference after chairing a jirga (council
of elders) in Peshawar. The jirga was attended by a 29-member
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) delegation from Dir,
leaders and representatives of political and religious parties,
members of the NWFP cabinet and senior bureaucrats. He said the
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 had been approved by President Asif
Zardari following consultation with TNSM representatives.
"We will reciprocate the militants' 10-day armistice
with a cease-fire for good," the Chief Minister said. Hoti also
said troops would remain in "reactive mode" instead of "proactive
mode" and would not target anyone unless threatened. He said the
army should be removed only after peace has been restored. For
its implementation, Hoti said, a task force comprising the federal
secretary interior, the NWFP chief secretary, the provincial presidents
of the ANP and the PPP, the law and home secretaries, would be
established.
The centre has released PKR 623 million to the
NWFP and FATA administration to provide compensation to the victims
of militancy, an official announcement said. President Asif Zardari
is reported to have termed the victims of militancy as national
heroes and advised the NWFP Government to immediately undertake
payment of compensation to their families. PKR 283 million have
been released for the FATA and another PKR 340 million for the
NWFP Government to compensate the families of the victims of suicide
bombings and acts of terror. Under the compensation programme,
PKR 300,000 will be paid for every fatality and PKR 100,000 for
the injured.
|
February 17
|
Five people were killed and 17
injured in a car bomb blast outside the Hujra (male guest
house) of the union council chief in Bazidkhel village of Peshawar.
Faheemur Rahman, the union council chief of Bazidkhel, eight kilometres
south of Peshawar on Kohat Road, alleged that the Mangal Bagh-led
LI was involved in this "cheap act" of terrorism. Eyewitnesses
said the blast occurred in a car parked on a street near the Hujra
of Rahman. The blast also destroyed two cars and damaged six
buildings.
Suspected Taliban militants patrolled
the Harichand Bazaar in Charsadda and threatened barbers, Internet
café and CD shop owners to close their "un-Islamic
businesses". The militants also destroyed CDs at some shops
they visited. They ordered women to wear veils and asked people
to support them in the implementation of Sharia (Islamic
law) in the area. The Police arrested one of the men and shifted
him to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
|
February 18
|
A TV and print media journalist
was found dead hours after he was abducted in Swat. Musa Khankhel,
correspondent for The News and a private TV channel, Geo
News, was covering a ‘peace march’ led by Maulana Sufi Mohammed,
chief of the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) in Matta
when he was kidnapped and later found dead, said Mingora-based
journalists.
The TNSM chief Sufi Mohammed led
hundreds of supporters and activists in a march to plead peace
with the leadership of the Swat-based Taliban. Before leaving
for the Matta sub-division of Swat District, Sufi and his activists
staged a peace rally in Mingora town. Police and witnesses estimated
that 15,000 people marched in the crowd, waving black and white
flags as they paraded through the town. The TNSM spokesman said
Sufi Mohammad would stay in Swat District till the complete restoration
of peace in the valley and surrender by the Taliban.
A meeting of the Swat chapter
of the TTP was held at an unidentified location in Matta in which
top commanders and Fazlullah’s lieutenants participated. They
reportedly constituted a committee to hold talks with the TNSM.
Further, speaking at a press conference in Mingora, the NWFP Senior
Minister Bashir Bilour said the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 could
also be replicated in other districts following its success in
the Malakand Division. The provincial Government wanted to solve
problems through dialogue as use of force was not a solution to
problems, he added. He said that courts in Malakand would not
be like that of Afghanistan’s Taliban but the regulation was aimed
at providing speedy justice. A 14-member TNSM delegation headed
by Safiullah met Bilour and reportedly discussed the regulation
in detail.
Police in Peshawar, the NWFP capital,
recovered 100 kilograms of explosive material from a vehicle.
Police Sources said a suspicious vehicle that was chasing the
vehicle of the Provincial Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah was intercepted
and even as occupants of the van fled abandoning their vehicle,
Police recovered more than 100kg of explosive material from the
vehicle.
|
February 19
|
A bomb exploded at the Government
Degree College in Peshawar. However, no casualties were reported.
An unnamed Police official told that it was a low intensity device,
which was only meant to create panic. The device was planted on
the building’s second floor and exploded around 12pm.
The Swat Taliban chief Mullah
Fazlullah discussed with the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad
the Swat peace deal in a meeting at an undisclosed location in
the Matta sub-division of Swat District. TNSM spokesman Izzat
Khan said Sufi and his delegation tried to convince Fazlullah
and other Taliban leaders to disarm. He also said the TNSM chief
told the Taliban that he too had given up his protest after the
announcement that Sharia (Islamic law) would be implemented
in the Malakand Division. The spokesman said Fazlullah has sought
a day’s time for consultation with his Shura (executive
council). He would talk to his associates after the Friday prayer
on February 20 to make a decision, Izzat Khan said.
|
February 20
|
32 persons were killed and 145
others injured when a suicide bomber exploded himself in the funeral
procession of a slain employee of the Tehsil Municipal Administration
near the busy Shubra Square in Dera Ismail Khan. Sources said
the funeral procession of local Shia community leader Sher Zaman
alias Shera, who was killed in firing by unidentified persons
on February 19, was heading towards Kotly Imam Hussain for his
Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayer) and burial when a suicide
bomber ran into the mourners and blew himself up. "We cannot
immediately say who could be behind the bombing but it appeared
to be linked with the ongoing sectarian attacks," said Saadullah
Khan, the local police station chief. "The head and a foot
of the suicide bomber has been found at the scene. The bomber
appeared to be 20 years old with a beard," he added. Riots
broke out in the city following the blast, and Police confirmed
that two people were killed in the firing that followed the suicide
bombing. Separately, Police said they had arrested three of the
four people suspected of killing Sher Zaman.
|
February 21
|
Two people were killed and five
others injured in Dera Ismail Khan, as curfew remained in place
and the army and Police continued to patrol the streets, the District
administration said. The District Nazim (local official), Haji
Abdul Rauf, said armed men opened fire on members of the funeral
procession of those who died in February 20 bombing, injuring
seven persons two of whom died later in the hospital.
Two suicide bombers were killed
when their explosives-laden car blew up before hitting its intended
target in the Lakki town of Bannu District. The bombers intended
to ram the vehicle into a Police post but it exploded a few metres
short of its target, Police officer Muhammad Habibullah said.
"We have found body parts of two bombers from the blown up
vehicle," the officer told, adding, there were no Police
casualties.
|
February 22
|
Taliban abducted and later released
the new District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) in Swat and his six
bodyguards to secure the release of their three aides. "We
have released the official and his six guards in exchange for
the release of our two colleagues," said Taliban spokesman
Muslim Khan. "The Government has released two (of) our men
and soon they will release the third. The Government violated
the agreement by arresting our men in Peshawar and killing in
Dir (district) that is why we had to do this," Khan said.
The Swat Private School Management
Association Chairman Ahmed Shah said all the private educational
institutions would be opened on February 23, but girls would go
to schools in veil.
The NWFP Government would arm
30,000 civilians in an attempt to counter criminal gangs operating
across the province as authorities formally approved the setting
up of an Elite Police Force (EPF) by sanctioning 2,657 vacancies.
The Government would give 30,000 rifles to civilians after proper
scrutiny by a committee, headed by respective district co-ordination
officers. The respective station house officer would recommend
the names of civilians for the village defence committees (VDCs),
which would assist law-enforcement agencies in maintaining law
and order in their respective areas. "After going through
a thorough process, the government will provide rifles and permits
to 30,000 members of the VDCs to counter criminal gangs in the
area with the help of the public," said an official.
The Taliban said they would decide
within days whether to call a permanent cease-fire in Swat after
the Government agreed to allow Sharia (Islamic law) in
the valley. Muslim Khan, spokesman for Taliban leader Maulana
Fazlullah, said they would review their current 10-day truce in
the Swat valley when it expires. "We declared a 10-day cease-fire
just after the agreement was signed and you will see an exemplary
peace prevail in the valley once Sharia is enforced… In the next
five or six days, our Shura [executive council] is meeting and
it will decide about a permanent ceasefire," Khan told. Fazlullah
said the cease-fire would be made permanent provided the militants
were confident about the Government’s intentions. He was speaking
after talks with Tehreek TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammed, who
signed the deal with the Government. Sufi held a meeting with
close aides in Mingora to review the situation, his spokesman
Ameer Izzat said. Earlier on February 21, the Government and the
Swat chapter of TTP agreed to a permanent cease-fire in Swat after
Fazlullah accepted the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009, leading the
Government to announce the reopening of schools and return of
the internally-displaced persons. Speaking on his FM channel,
Fazlullah indicated that he would give up fighting in Swat but
would not surrender. Fazlullah also stated that he would continue
his struggle at the international level and the fight against
the US till Washington was defeated.
|
February 23
|
A Police guard was killed when
he flung himself onto a suicide bomber to prevent him from entering
a compound in Bannu. The attacker was trying to enter the compound,
where judges and senior police officials live and work, when the
guard intercepted him. "The suicide bomber tried to enter
the compound. Then the police guard saw him, grabbed him and he
exploded himself," local Police official Ghafar Ali told
by telephone. Two other police guards were wounded in the attack.
Suspected Taliban militants blew
up five houses in Adezai village near Darra Adam Khel. An official
of the Mattani Police station said suspected Taliban militants
had planted explosives near the houses. Three vehicles were also
damaged in the explosion. However, no casualties were reported.
Maulana Sufi Muhammad, chief of
the banned TNSM, announced a 10-point peace plan for Swat in a
press conference in Mingora. Sufi asked the Taliban to remove
all their check-posts and not to display arms in the Swat valley.
He asked the Government to withdraw troops from schools and other
buildings and stop all military operations immediately. He also
called on the Taliban and Government to release each others prisoners.
The TNSM chief asked employees of the District administration
to resume their duties, and the Government to reinstate such Frontier
Corps, Police and Government officials who had been dismissed
during the past few years. He also demanded immediate compensation
for the people of Swat, inviting the NWFP Chief Minister to visit
the valley to make an announcement in this regard.
Schools reopened in Mingora and
other areas of Swat, but girls’ attendance at both the Government
and private schools remained thin. The Swat District Coordination
Officer Khushhal Khan said arrangements would soon be made to
rebuild the schools that had been destroyed.
The military operation in Swat
has been stopped and the Pakistan Army fully supports the peace
deal as an instrument to find a non-military solution to the problem,
the Inter-Services Public Relations Director-General Major General
Athar Abbas said while addressing a seminar. "Pakistan Army
... has backed the Swat peace deal to strengthen the hands of
the political government," he said, adding that the security
of the state was the military’s top priority.
|
February 24
|
Two civilians were killed in a
bomb blast targeting Police near the garrison town of Kohat. "An
improvised explosive device planted on the Kohat-Rawalpindi Road
went off as a police van passed," District Police Officer Abdullah
Khan said. The Policemen were unhurt but the blast killed two
motorcyclists in the Bahadurkot area, he said.
The Taliban in Swat declared an
indefinite cease-fire in the valley. The decision was made in
a meeting of the Taliban shura (executive council), Taliban
spokesman Muslim Khan said. Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah announced
the decision in a speech that was reportedly cut short when the
security forces blocked the transmission of his FM radio channel.
A private TV channel said the Security Forces had imported equipment
to jam the radio transmission and used it for the first time.
Fazlullah asked his men to stop displaying weapons, end their
armed patrols and not to attack security convoys or abduct Government
officials, according to copies of the speech sent to the media.
He urged the Government to restore all officials removed during
the unrest in Swat. Fazlullah ordered his commanders to disband
their checkpoints, which he said created "unnecessary problems"
for residents. The Taliban chief also stopped all non-government
organisations (NGOs) from operating in the valley until the implementation
of Sharia (Islamic law). "All NGOs should leave Swat because
they are creating problems for peace," Fazlullah said in the speech.
But he added that emergency medical crews were exempt from the
order. Fazlullah called on soldiers deployed in Swat to remain
at their bases, vowing to retaliate against any troop increase.
More than 500 police officials
returned to their duties in the valley following last week’s agreement
between the NWFP Government and the TNSM that includes the implementation
of Sharia in Malakand Division and Kohistan District. More
Policemen are expected to return to their offices in two days.
The move follows Malakand police chief’s announcement of ‘amnesty’
for the officials who had quit their jobs as Taliban took control
of parts of the Swat valley.
|
February 25 |
Taliban disbanded checkpoints and stopped carrying
weapons in public a day after announcing an indefinite cease-fire
in the Swat valley. Taliban commander Mullah Fazlullah ordered
his followers to disband checkpoints in a speech on his illegal
FM radio station late on February 24 and asked them not to carry
weapons in public. "The Taliban have removed their checkpoints
in and around Mingora," Irfan Ahmad, a resident of Swat, said.
Another Swat resident, Mushtaq Khan, said checkpoints have been
removed from Matta, Charbagh and Kabal, all Taliban strongholds.
"We adhere to the announcement made by Mullah Fazlullah on Tuesday
night… We will completely remove all checkpoints after army troops
withdraw from the area," said Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan. Fazlullah
announced that the Taliban would not attack army vehicles carrying
rations or moving between bases. Khan also said girls could go
to schools if they are properly veiled.
|
February 26
|
Three rockets fired from the Bara area of Khyber
Agency landed in fields near the Mattani Police station in Peshawar.
However, there was no loss of life or damage to property. Three
rockets had landed in the Pishtakhara area of the provincial capital,
without causing any damage.
Suspected Taliban militants stopped a SFs convoy
from entering Mingora in the Swat District by planting a roadside
bomb in Balogram area. Sources said the Malakand Division Commissioner,
TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammed and representatives of the Taliban
had started talks to sort out the matter.
SFs have vacated all checkpoints in the Swat valley
as part of the ongoing efforts to restore peace and stopped checking
vehicles forthwith. Sufi Muhammad had asked the troops to demolish
all the checkpoints to ensure free movement of the people. He
had also asked the Taliban to direct their fighters to stop their
activities and display of weapons at public places. However, the
sources said militants were still blocking the movement of SFs
in Qamber and Takhtaband. The militants reportedly forced eight
vehicles of the military to move back to Barikot. Locals from
Mingora said that militants were still patrolling public places
in Qamber, a town situated three kilometers from Mingora. In addition,
the Taliban have 'arrested' five of their fighters for flouting
the directives of their leadership of non-interference and announced
to award them punishment in line with Sharia (Islamic law).
Sufi Muhammad said he was ready to play his role
for restoration of peace in Waziristan and Bajaur. He said he
was in consultation with the Malakand Commissioner, Deputy Inspector
General of Police (Malakand Range), and senior military officials
for restoration of peace in Swat. He said he was also in contact
with the Taliban leadership. He called on the people of Malakand
Division and Kohistan District to withdraw all the cases pending
before the courts in order to file them afresh under the proposed
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009.
Over 700 policemen have so far reportedly rejoined
their duties and those suspended are trying to restore their services.
All major trading centres, markets, bazaars, commercial banks,
Government and semi-government offices and educational institutions
were opened.
|
March 1
|
SFs killed seven militants in an encounter in
the Ghurzandi area of Lachi sub-division in Kohat District. Sources
said SFs cordoned off the Ghurzandi, Hoti Banda and Chashmi Miangan
areas in an attempt to arrest the militants, who were allegedly
involved in incidents of kidnapping for ransom and murder. The
militants allegedly opened fire on the troops, injuring a soldier
identified as Irfan Sajjad. In retaliatory action by the SFs,
seven militants were killed and five others wounded. The troops
also reportedly freed four persons, who had been kidnapped by
the militants a few days back.
SFs arrested two activists of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam
(Fazlur Rehman faction), including Ahmed Nawaz Haqqani and Masroor
Shah, on suspicion of having links with the militants.
The Taliban in Dir District have threatened to
carry out suicide attacks against their opponents and district
administration in Doog Darra area of Upper Dir if they did not
stop organising volunteers against militants to expel them from
the area. "The central shura of Taliban has firmly decided under
Sharia principles to carry out further attacks against the US
agents in Doog Darra area and the law enforcement agencies if
they did not stop disturbing Taliban there," a Taliban spokesman
threatened. Talking on telephone from an unspecified location,
the District chief of Dir Taliban Hafeezullah said that Mullah
Mansoor had been appointed as their new spokesman in the District.
While welcoming the peace deal between the NWFP Government and
TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad, he said the Taliban would restart
their activities if the proposed Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2009
were not enforced forthwith. "Now the ball is not in the court
of Taliban but in the court of government," he added. Later, the
newly-appointed spokesman Mullah Mansoor claimed that one of his
men had been shot dead by Police in Upper Dir some days ago and
then an official statement was issued that he had blown up himself.
Two FC soldiers were injured in the Kabal sub-division
of Swat District in a gun and bomb attack on a security convoy.
The banned TTP claimed responsibility for the attack in Sarsanai
area of Kabal. The army said the attack violated the recent truce
between the Government and the Taliban.
A FC commander and his four guards were abducted
in the Kambar area of Swat valley. According to a television channel,
the Malakand Commissioner Muhammad Javed said he was in contact
with TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad for the release of the kidnapped
men. Talking to another channel, the Swat Peace Committee chief
Inamur Rehman said efforts for the release of the abducted FC
commander had been accelerated.
The NWFP Government has withdrawn its decision
regarding the distribution of rifles among villagers to protect
their areas against militants. The decision was taken during a
meeting of the NWFP cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Ameer Haider
Hoti in capital Peshawar on February 28. The meeting discussed
the arms distribution and majority of the members asked for reversal
of the decision following which the cabinet decided not to go
for distribution of rifles, said Information Minister Mian Iftikhar.
The Government had taken the decision of arms distribution on
the demand of people of the troubled areas, the minister explained.
He also said the cabinet observed that arms distribution among
villagers would create more problems instead of providing some
help to the Government.
|
March 3
|
Four unidentified bodies presumed
to be of foreign militants were recovered in the Babu Khwar Muslimabad
area of Nowshera. The Cantonment Police inspector Shakeel Khan
told the media that all of them had been shot dead and the bullet
shells were recovered from the spot. However, there was no sign
of blood near the place where the bodies were abandoned, he added.
Police in the initial investigation maintained that the deceased
were killed at least 72 hours before their bodies were retrieved.
About the identity of the deceased, the Police said two of them
seemed to be Uzbeks or Tajiks while the remaining two were said
to be Afghan nationals having long locks and beards. They were
said to be 25 to 30-year-old. However, the reason behind their
killing was yet to be ascertained.
Militants killed two SF personnel
in an ambush in the Ronyal village of Matta sub-division in Swat
District and kidnapped, but released after some time, three NWFP
Government officials. The military described the attack on SF
personnel a violation of the peace agreement, but chief of the
TNSM Maulana Sufi Mohammad blamed the army for moving around without
informing the TNSM. The army said a captain was wounded in the
ambush and two soldiers were killed when they were carrying water
from a water channel. "There absolutely was no violation
of the agreement on our part. Our forces were engaged by militants
and we did not retaliate," the Inter-Services Public Relations
(ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas told. "Our
security forces are threatened, their ration supplies are disrupted
and forces are attacked without any provocation. We have been
exercising restraint in larger interest of the people and peace
in Swat," he said.
An ISPR press release said the
attack was followed by exchange of fire which continued for an
hour. Both sides are reported to have used heavy weapons. SFs
fired artillery shells for the first time after a cease-fire was
declared in Swat. One mortar shell hit a house, killing a man.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claimed the soldiers were attacked
because of their movement in the area without giving prior information.
He alleged that the movement of troops was pre-planned and aimed
at consolidating their positions. At a press conference in Saidu
Sharif, Sufi Mohammad blamed the SFs for the incident and said
that they had violated the truce. According to him, it had been
decided that no side would move till mid-March, except with prior
permission of the TNSM. He said it was agreed that whenever the
troops wanted to move they would inform the TNSM in advance to
avoid misunderstanding. "The troops didn’t inform us which
led to the ill-fated incident," he said. The TNSM, he said,
was satisfied with the Taliban activities, but had reservations
about the role of SFs in the peace process.
Provincial director and assistant
director of anti-corruption Yamin Khan and Bakht Zada and their
aide Hameed were abducted near Qamber when they were on way to
Mingora from provincial capital Peshawar. Suspected militants
intercepted their car and took them to an undisclosed location.
They were, however, freed in the evening on Sufi Mohammad’s intervention.
|
March 4
|
The NWFP Government struck a 17-point
deal with the banned TNSM in the Swat valley. "A 17-point
understanding was reached with a TNSM delegation … music has been
banned in Swat and it has been agreed to expel prostitutes and
pimps from the district," said a senior official. The Awami
National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-led
the provincial Government at the talks, while Maulana Safiullah
and spokesman Amir Izzat Khan represented the TNSM – with Malakand
Commissioner Syed Muhammad Javed also in attendance. The meeting
came a day after suspected Taliban militants killed two army troops
and continued taking Government officials hostage, despite having
agreed to a cease-fire in the wake of the provincial Government’s
February 16 accord on the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law)
in Swat.
|
March 5
|
One person was killed and 19 others
sustained injuries when a hand-grenade hurled by unidentified
miscreants at the worshippers exploded in Ameer Hamza mosque on
Circular Road in Dera Ismail Khan. Eyewitnesses said unidentified
miscreants threw a hand-grenade at the worshipers from the main
gate when they were offering their evening prayers in the mosque,
which exploded killing a civilian and injuring 19 others.
Successive bomb blasts in the
Khurshid Market of Takhtbhai destroyed 24 shops. No casualty was,
however, reported. Shopkeepers told that the miscreants planted
explosive devices at three places in the market. They said about
three months ago they had received threats to wind up their "un-Islamic
business". Bahadur Khan, the market watchman, said around 10 Taliban-styled
men reached the market at midnight and after overpowering him,
planted bombs in the market.
Suspected Taliban militants blew
an ancient shrine of a 17th century Sufi poet - Rehman Baba -
in the Akhund Baba graveyard of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP,
said locals and police, with the reporting that a letter delivered
three days before the attack to the management of the mausoleum
had warned against its promotion of ‘shrine culture’. The white-marble
shrine was badly damaged when explosives planted along its pillars
went off at around 5:10am. There were, however, no casualties.
Militants fired 18 mortar shells
at a union council official’s house, said police, but the house
was not damaged and there were no casualties.
The TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad
and Swat Taliban chief Mulla Fazlullah met at an undisclosed location
to discuss the implementation of the Swat peace deal with the
Government. Sources said that Sufi had firmly told Fazlullah to
stop armed Taliban militants from patrolling Mingora and other
parts of Swat and lay down weapons immediately. Sufi said talks
with the provincial Government had been satisfactory and the Taliban’s
demands would be met soon, while Fazlullah’s response had also
been positive, they said. Meanwhile, the TNSM spokesman Izzat
Khan told after a meeting between a TNSM jirga and the Malakand
Commissioner that the Government had accepted only one demand
for the withdrawal of the army from Imamdheri Markaz. He said
that Takhtaband-Angrodheri Road was still closed, "and this is
making us suspicious … the government should take steps to overcome
my group’s mistrust".
|
March 6
|
A union council official was killed
and his bodyguard injured in a remote-controlled bomb explosion
in the Bannu District. Kakki Union Council chief Khairullah died
and his bodyguard Safiullah sustained injuries in the explosion.
The NWFP Chief Minister Ameer
Haider Hoti said in Peshawar that only those Taliban prisoners
that fall in the ‘white category’ will be released as part of
the peace deal in Swat. Prisoners in the black and grey categories
– who are a serious threat to national security according to police
investigation manual – will not be freed, he told. "I have
directed the home secretary to look into the cases of those prisoners
who are in the white category. We will not free prisoners in black
and grey categories," the chief minister said. Maulana Sufi
Muhammad, chief of the banned TNSM, had demanded the release of
all Taliban prisoners arrested during military operations in Swat.
|
March 7
|
Eight persons, including five
Policemen, two Frontier Corps personnel, and a civilian, were
killed in a remote-controlled car bombing at Mashugagr village
in Peshawar. Some villagers also sustained minor injuries. Muhammad
Wali, a villager, said the car was unlocked and the villagers
had found the body of an old man in it. "The blast occurred
when police officials walked towards the vehicle," he said.
Security officials said about 40 kilogrammes of explosives were
packed in the vehicle. They said it was likely that the militants
who had blown up the shrine of Sufi poet Rehman Baba were involved.
Two civilians were killed and
seven others, including six SF personnel, injured in another car
bombing at Darra Adam Khel. Eyewitnesses said the Taliban detonated
a car parked alongside the road when a convoy of Mehsud Scouts
reached Bazi Khel graveyard. They said SFs launched indiscriminate
fire after the attack and arrested 15 locals. At least 10 people
were injured.
|
March 9
|
One passenger was killed and four
others, including a woman, were injured in a rocket attack in
Darra Adamkhel. The militants fired rockets at the Kohat Friendship
Tunnel in retaliation to a large-scale crackdown launched against
them by the military, which moved into their suspected hideouts
with tanks and also used three Cobra helicopters in the operation.
A rocket fired by the militants hit two commuter vans near the
tunnel, killing a civilian, Hayatullah, on the spot and wounding
four other passengers. The military said that the operation had
been planned in view of the increasing attacks on troops and bomb
blasts in Kohat and on the Indus Highway in Darra Adamkhel.
The NWFP Chief Minister Ameer
Haider Hoti signed the draft of the proposed Nizam-e-Adl (Sharia)
Regulation 2009, and sent it to Governor Owais Ghani to be forwarded
to the President for approval, sources in Chief Minister’s Secretariat
told. The TNSM has set March 15 as the deadline for the Government
to implement Sharia (Islamic law) in Malakand. NWFP Law Minister
Arshad Abdullah told a press conference that the provincial Government
had given final shape to the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 and President
Asif Ali Zardari would sign the document in three days. The law
minister said the regulation would deal with criminal cases only.
According to the regulation, the minister said that two appellate
Sharia courts – Darul Qaza and Darul-Darul Qaza – would be established
in Malakand Division. He said that verdicts delivered by the Darul
Qaza court could be challenged in the Darul-Darul Qaza court,
whose verdict would be final. The law minister also said the Nizam-e-Adl
Regulations would be deemed to have come into effect on February
16.
|
March 10
|
SFs backed by helicopter gunships
killed at least 35 Taliban militants during a two-day operation
in Darra Adamkhel, Inter-Services Public Relations sources said.
The SFs targeted the militants in Buland, Mirali and Torchena
areas. Three SF personnel were reportedly wounded in the operation,
the sources said, adding that several Taliban hideouts had been
destroyed.
|
March 11
|
The NWFP Senior Minister and Awami
National Party leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour survived an assassination
attempt that left six persons, including two suspected suicide
attackers, dead in Namak Mandi in the provincial capital Peshawar.
Four persons, including a young girl, were wounded in the firing,
grenade attack and suicide blast. "Bilour and others were
coming back after opening a road project when a young man, followed
by another, rushed towards him while loudly reciting Allaho Akbar.
A security official pushed the attacker back after explosives
around his vest did not go off despite his repeated attempts,"
said an eyewitness. A nearby shopkeeper said the attacker fell
on the ground after which one of them lobbed a grenade at the
crowd. Police, he added, also opened fire. A vendor, Tehmash,
was killed while constable Himayatullah, a trader, Khalilur Rahman,
and a six-year-old were injured in the incident. Even as the attackers
managed to flee the Security Force personnel continued to chase
them until the attackers forced their entry into the house of
an auto-mechanic located around 500 meters from the earlier spot.
Police besieged the house and "As the terrorists failed to
find any way out, they triggered the explosives around the vest
of one of them, killing the two attackers and three members of
the family that owned the house," a Police official said.
Bashir Ahmad Bilour told media persons that it was second failed
attempt on his life.
The NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed
Ghani signed the draft of Nizam-e-Adl (Sharia) Regulation 2009,
for forwarding it to the president for a final approval, official
sources told. The sources, however, did not confirm if the draft
had been sent to the president. NWFP Law Minister Arshad Abdullah
said the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 was expected to be implemented
in Malakand Division and Kohistan District by March 15, and would
have a retrospective effect from February 16, 2009. The minister
said President Asif Ali Zardari had verbally agreed with the NWFP
Government to sign the draft as soon as he received it. The Nizam-e-Adl
Regulation will repeal the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment)
Ordinance 2001, the law through which the executive magistracy
was abolished across the country on August 14, 2001, and will
revive the former system including the offices of district magistrate,
additional district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate and
other executive magistrates.
|
March 12
|
Unidentified men blew up 20 shops
in three explosions at Khor Market in Nowshera. According to Police,
at least 12 shops were damaged while five were destroyed in the
explosion.
Militants took hostage 20 Policemen
escorting the procession of TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad,
representatives of the Government, Taliban and Qaumi Amn Jirga
that was taking the newly-appointed Qazis (Islamic judges) to
different areas of the Swat District. The Police officials, riding
two mobile vehicles, were providing security to the procession,
which was taking the Qazis to their offices. The militants kidnapped
all the 20 Police officials in Qamber, a town located three kilometers
before Mingora. However, the Policemen were later freed on the
intervention of Sufi Muhammad and others.
The Swat-based TTP demanded that
the Police and paramilitary forces should resume their duties
wearing plain clothes and not their uniforms. Sources in the TNSM
told that the Taliban’s demand came after the appointment of Qazis
to hear cases in accordance with Sharia (Islamic law) in Swat
District. The sources said the Taliban had asked TNSM chief Sufi
Muhammad to forward their demand to the Government.
A Shia couple was shot dead while
passing on a motorbike through the area. Muhammad Sharif, a low-ranking
anti-terrorist court official in Dera Ismail Khan, and his wife
died when unidentified gunmen, also on a motorbike, opened indiscriminate
gunfire. "It was a targeted killing," local Police official
Ehsanullah Khan said. Khan also said the couple lived in a small
Shia community close to South Waziristan. The two gunmen escaped
after the shooting, the official said.
|
March 15
|
Intelligence officials said that
two missiles fired by suspected United States drone planes killed
five people at Chota Janikhel village in the Bannu District. The
officials said the dead included two Arabs and three other people.
The missiles struck a house at around 10:30pm.
Two Sunnis were shot dead in the
second apparent sectarian attack in Dera Ismail Khan in as many
days. Muhammad Shoaib and Asad Khan were killed a day after a
Shia couple were shot dead by armed motorcyclists in the same
area. The two men were coming out of a mosque when the gunmen
opened fire, before escaping on a motorbike, Police official Ehsanullah
Khan told. "It seems to be a sectarian killing," he
added.
Dozens of suspected Taliban militants
attacked a terminal storing NATO supplies on the Ring Road in
Peshawar, destroying at least 12 trucks and 20 containers. This
is the first major attack on a NATO depot since February 2009.
Police sources said several militants started firing at trucks
and torching trailers vehicles parked at the terminal. Following
an exchange of fire, the militants escaped. There were no casualties.
Two truck drivers were injured in the attack. They torched trucks
contained food, while a witness said some military vehicles were
also being transported to the border. City Superintendent of Police
Ijaz Abid said that around 40 militants attacked the terminal
using guns and petrol bombs.
|
March 16
|
Suspected Taliban militants torched
30 vehicles in an attack in Peshawar on a terminal for trucks
carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan. Truck drivers
at the Al-Faisal Terminal said over 50 armed men entered the compound
after breaking the boundary wall firing rockets and Kalashnikovs.
The militants remained in the terminal for about an hour, sprinkled
trucks with oil and later set them ablaze. There were reports
the attackers escaped towards Bara. This was the second such attack
in two days. 20 vehicles had been burnt in an attack on a terminal
in the Hazarkhwani area on March 15.
12 activists and leaders of the
outlawed Sunni group SSP were arrested in a crackdown by Police
in Dera Ismail Khan. Sources said the Police had launched a crackdown
on the SSP and arrested 12 activists, including principal secretary
of provincial legislator Khalifa Abdul Qayyum. Raids were reportedly
conducted in Alam Sher Colony, Madena Colony, Shiekh Yousaf Adda
and Katch Painda Khan.
|
March 17
|
Police claimed to have arrested
a would-be suicide bomber along with his relatives during a raid
in the Turangzai village of Charsadda District. Addressing a press
conference, the District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Riaz said
the Police raided a house in Turangzai and arrested a would-be
suicide bomber, identified as Qari Shahid Ali, his father Kifayat,
brother Imran and sister Iffat Begum, who is a lady Police constable,
and a minor. He said Police also seized a suicide vest, a Kalashnikov
rifle, a computer set, CDs and literatures from their possession.
The DPO said the suicide bomber confessed to have links with the
banned TTP headed by Baitullah Mehsud. He also said the would-be
suicide bomber and one Kamran were allegedly involved in plotting
the earlier suicide bombings in which the Pakistan People's Party
(Sherpao faction) chief Aftab Sherpao and Awami National Party
chief Asfandyar Wali Khan were targets. "The bomber was planning
to target NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti’s father and former
federal minister Azam Khan Hoti, and Imtiaz Shagai, the recently-elected
PPP MPA from Mardan’s PF-30 constituency," the DPO added. He said
the bomber was a teacher in Maulana Zubair’s seminary and was
an active member of the TTP in the area.
|
March 18
|
Four Policemen and a Malakand
University security guard were killed and three others were injured
in a gunfight with militants on the premises of the campus. The
Taliban later ‘arrested’ 14 militants involved in the incident
in a search operation. Sources said about 40 armed men in the
guise of Taliban arrived at the university’s main entrance and
opened fire on the guard, Khaliqdad, for offering resistance.
The guard sustained serious bullet injuries. After receiving information,
a Police party of Ouch Police Station rushed to the incident site
but the militants fired a rocket at the Police van, killing three
Policemen on the spot. The Police van driver Muhammad Nazeer and
security guard Khaliqdad succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the militants escaped in two vans of the university,
leaving behind their own vehicles and some arms. Sources said
soon after the incident, the Swat-based Taliban launched a search
operation in Shamozai area and ‘arrested’ 14 militants, besides
seizing both the vans of the university from their possession.
The militants’ threats have forced
hundreds of compact disc (CDs) dealers in Mardan District to close
their business. A survey conducted by The News revealed
that so far over 100 music and CD shops had been blown up in various
areas of the District. Six shops were destroyed while 20 were
damaged near the Punjab Regimental Centre, 15 shops were blown
up in Chato Chowk, 10 destroyed in Mir Afzal Khan Market, 10 at
Hoti Chowk, six in Bakhshali, two at Ghari Chowk, nine on Gaju
Khan Road in the City Police Station limits, while 25 shops were
blown up in Takhtbhai bazaar and five were recently bombed in
Sherghar.
Militants armed with rocket launchers
and other sophisticated weapons patrolled the suburbs of provincial
capital Peshawar. Militants in around 12 double-cabin pickups
patrolled the Ring Road and the Bara Road in the afternoon. The
militants later disappeared before the Security Forces could challenge
them.
The NWFP Government directed the
judges of subordinate judiciary of the Peshawar High Court in
Swat not to attend courts and restrict themselves to their houses.
The order came after a warning from the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi
Muhammad to the judges of Swat not to attend their courts. A civil
judge in Swat told that after Sufi’s warning, they had been directed
by the Government and district administration not to attend courts
due to security concerns. The judge, however, said most of the
judges had started deciding cases of petty nature at their houses
due to security reasons.
|
March 19
|
Suspected Taliban militants blew
up a 500kV electricity pylon in the limits of Urmur Police Station
plunging several parts of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, into
darkness. A spokesman of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company
told reporters the explosion destroyed the tower.
SFs arrested 14 Taliban militants
at the Gammon check-post in the Khawazakhela sub-division of Swat
District. Armed militants subsequently came out on the roads in
Alam Gunj and Dakorak areas to protest the arrest. However, sources
said the SFs released the militants soon after the arrest.
|
March 20
|
The SFs have set free 15 more
Taliban prisoners, including the brother of banned TTP Swat chapter
spokesman Muslim Khan, after the NWFP Government’s peace accord
with Maulana Sufi Mohammad, the chief of outlawed TNSM. Sources
said the Taliban had handed a list of 220 prisoners to the Government
after the peace accord. However, 15 militants were released, bringing
the tally of the freed militants to 28 after the peace accord.
The released militants included Noorul Huda, Ayub, Dilaram, Inayat,
Fazle Ilahi, Anwar Hussain, Muzaffar, Rehmat, Munir Khan, Gul
Zada, Saddam Hussain, Muhammad Yaqub, Arsala Khan, Sher Bahadur,
Umar Khan and Zahir Shah. Noorul Huda is the brother of TTP Swat
spokesman Muslim Khan.
Unidentified armed men attacked
a SFs convoy in the Sarsenai area of Kabal sub-division. Even
as the troops retaliated, no casualty was reported in the incident.
|
March 22
|
Unidentified men blew up a girls’
school in the Mardan District. According to Police sources, the
men planted explosives near the Government Girls High School Hattian,
located near the residence of the NWFP senior minister Rahim Dad
Khan. However, no casualties were reported.
Unidentified men fired two rockets
at a Police station near Gomal University for Women in Dera Ismail
Khan. However, no casualties were reported. The channel said there
were reports of firing in several areas of the city after the
attack near the university.
An imambargah (a Shia place
of worship) was partially damaged by an explosion near the building
in Tank city. No casualties were reported.
The TTP ordered all NGOs to immediately
leave Swat. In an interview with IRIN, the TTP spokesman Muslim
Khan said, "They come and tell us how to make lavatories
in mosques and houses. I’m sure we can do it ourselves. There
is no need for foreigners to tell us this... NGO is another name
for ‘vulgarity and obscenity’." He also said NGOs hired women
who worked with men, in the field and in offices. "That is
totally unIslamic and unacceptable," he declared. When asked
why the TTP was against the polio vaccination, Khan said, "The
TTP is against polio vaccination because it causes infertility."
"I’m 45 and have never had one drop of the vaccine and I
am still alive," he said, adding that another reason the
TTP was against polio vaccination was that the campaign was run
by NGOs and the vaccine was imported.
|
March 23 |
A member of the banned Sunni group SSP was killed
in an apparent sectarian attack in Dera Ismail Khan. Abu Khan,
an SSP activist, was near his shop on the outskirts of Dera Ismail
Khan when two gunmen shot him dead and later escaped on their
motorbike, witnesses told. A boy on the street was also wounded.
Local Police official Rasheed Khan said "He was an active member
of Sipah-e-Sahaba… It seems to be a sectarian killing."
Unidentified persons fired a rocket at the cantonment
area in Kohat which damaged the boundary wall of junior section
of a school, situated near the combined military hospital. Police
said that the rocket hit the boundary wall of the school resulting
in a big explosion which also destroyed the windowpanes of the
school and nearby buildings. SFs reportedly retaliated by targeting
the hideouts of militants with artillery in the mountains of Darra
Adamkhel.
|
March 26 |
12 persons, including a woman, were killed and
22 others sustained injuries when a teenage suicide bomber blew
himself up outside a crowded restaurant in the Jandola bazaar
of Tank District. A pro-government group of Bhittani tribesmen,
led by Haji Turkistan, is believed to have been the target of
the suicide attacker. Eyewitnesses told from Jandola - the gateway
to South Waziristan - that a young boy blew himself up outside
the crowded restaurant in the bazaar. The bazaar is located in
front of heavily guarded British-era fort, currently inhabited
by the Frontier Corps and the Army. The Taliban claimed responsibility
for the attack. "The TTP claims responsibility for the suicide
attack in Jandola," spokesman Maulvi Omar said in a telephone
call from an unknown place to reporters in Bajaur. He called the
suicide attack a revenge for the clashes in 2008. "Turkistan Bitani's
fighters killed 35 of our people last year, and we killed his
people today in the suicide attack," Omar added.
Unidentified men blew up a power pylon in the
Mirza Kali Urmur area of Peshawar, the NWFP capital, suspending
power supply to the adjacent areas. Police sources said the men
had planted explosives under the 500KV tower. Shaukat Afzal, the
Peshawar Electric Supply Company spokesman, said the assailants
had blown up tower number 295.
29 shops were destroyed as suspected militants
blew up two markets in the Thana town of the Malakand region.
Suspected militants had planted three improvised explosive devices
in the Mina Bazaar and the Bara (Upper) Bazaar in Thana, two of
which exploded. 24 shops were destroyed in the Mina Bazaar and
five in Bara Bazaar, causing huge financial losses to traders.
The third, a home-made bomb, was defused by personnel of the Malakand
Levies.
Three Sunnis were killed in an apparent sectarian
attack in Dera Ismail Khan. Motorcycle-borne gunmen opened indiscriminate
gunfire on a medical store, killing its owner and two relatives.
Three other men were injured, an unnamed Police official said,
adding that the victims were from the Sunni community. "The killings
were linked to sectarian violence," he added.
|
March 27 |
SFs and militants clashed in the Qamber area of
Swat District, which resulted in the death of a recently released
militant, 'commander' Hayat Khan, and injuries to a soldier. The
gunfight occurred when militants allegedly fired at a convoy of
the SFs, which was taking ration to Qamber town on the outskirts
of Mingora. This was the third clash between the militants and
SFs after the peace deal between the NWFP Government and the TNSM.
|
March 30 |
Seven persons, including five Army soldiers, were
killed and nine others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber
rammed his explosive-laden car into a military convoy near a filling
station on the Bannu-Miranshah Road. The dead also included an
Assistant Engineer of Radio Pakistan Razmak station, Basharat
Afridi, and a lady travelling in a passenger coach. However, military
spokesman and ISPR Director-General Major General Athar Abbas
said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device
planted in a roadside car.
The military convoy was on its way to Miranshah,
the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, from Bannu in NWFP
when it came under attack near an abandoned security check-post
known as Mirzael post, located near a filling station. Officials
told that the suicide bomber had parked the explosive-laden car
right in the middle of the road and rammed it into the military
convoy when it arrived at the scene. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers,
after the attack on the convoy, opened indiscriminate fire that
caused bullet injuries to five people, including a woman, travelling
in a passenger coach from Peshawar to Miranshah. Basharat Afridi
of Radio Pakistan Razmak station and the woman later succumbed
to their injuries. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility
for the attack.
|
April 01 |
Militants ambushed a Police mobile van on the
Dir-Kohistan Road in Upper Dir District, killing five Police officials,
including a Station House Officer and an Assistant Sub-inspector,
and injuring two others. Area residents and officials said the
militants fired two rockets at the van in Jitkot village in the
jurisdiction of Sheringal Police station, setting the vehicle
on fire. After the rocket attack, the militants, whose strength
could not be ascertained, opened fire on the van. The rocket and
rifle attack killed five Police officials, including two senior
officers.
More than 70 Taliban militants attacked the famous
Gojaro Kalay emerald mine in Shangla District and took control
of the mining operations. The mine had been leased to American
firm Luxury International, which had been paying Pakistan PKR
40 million a year. The company had left recently because of the
security situation. The Taliban took positions around the mine
after the security guards fled. They announced to take control
of mining operations and offered the locals to work with them
and share the profits.
SFs released 10 more Taliban militants. Sources
said SFs, under the peace pact signed between the NWFP Government
and the banned TNSM, freed 10 more militants. Those released were
identified as Maulana Abdul Shakoor, Rohul Amin and his namesake,
Amjad, Aftabuddin, Muhammad Sahib, Khan Nawab, Zakria, Fazal Akbar
and Gul Akbar. The Government has released a total of 44 Taliban
militants so far.
Thousands of local residents staged a protest
in Manglawar and demanded immediate withdrawal of security forces
from the check-posts established near the civilian population
and schools and colleges.
|
April 2 |
A would-be suicide bomber shot himself dead before
hitting his target i.e. the funeral prayers for slain Police official
Fateh Rehman in the Haryan Kot area of Dargai sub-division. Five
Police personnel, including Station House Officer Fateh Rehman,
were killed in a rocket and rifle attack on a Police mobile van
by militants near Jitkot village in Upper Dir District on April
1. Sources said the bomber abandoned a bag full of explosives
and his suicide vest and hurled two hand-grenades at the people
before fleeing. However, the hand-grenades did not explode and
he shot himself on the spot with a pistol. The villagers found
a national identity card with the body identifying him as Irshadul
Haq, son of Niaz Muhammad, of Targhao area in Bajaur Agency.
Police in Dera Ismail Khan arrested 28 suspected
terrorists linked to various banned religious groups. According
to the Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer Muhammad Iqbal,
the Police were carrying out search operations in the District
to arrest saboteurs, adding the action would help eradicate sectarianism
and terrorism. The second day of a joint search operation by the
Pakistan Army and Police was carried out in Madina Colony and
Mohallah Chah Syed Munawar Shah areas. A Kalashnikov, a rifle
and bullets were seized. With this, the total number of arrests
has increased to 116. The operation that was launched on April
1 is expected to continue for a few days.
|
April 3 |
A would-be suicide bomber was killed when he tried
to target the Pakistan People's Party-Sherpao (PPP-S) NWFP President
Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao in Charsadda District. Sherpao, a
member of the NWFP provincial assembly and a son of the former
NWFP Chief Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, was addressing a
public gathering in the Mandani area of Charsadda, at the time.
A Mandani Police Station official told the Police ordered the
would-be bomber to stop, who was approaching on a bicycle. They
opened fire at him after he ignored repeated warnings to stop.
The attacker was killed and his aide was arrested. The attacker
was wearing a suicide vest, said sources.
Dozens of armed Taliban militants stormed a NATO
supplies container terminal in Peshawar, the NWFP capital, and
torched nine vehicles and several offices. Police and locals said
the terminal, located on the Ring Road in Pishtakhara Police station
precincts, was attacked early in the morning, adding that the
Taliban and Police exchanged heavy fire, but no casualties were
reported. Police officials said there were more than 100 militants
who participated in the raid. They said the Taliban also used
rockets to target the Police party but failed to hit anyone. Meanwhile,
the Taliban had destroyed nine vehicles parked at the terminal.
The vehicles were bound for international forces in Afghanistan.
"There were no casualties in the attack early Friday, but the
fire destroyed nine NATO vehicles, including fire-fighting vans
and 4x4 jeeps," local Police official Fazal Wahid Khan told
The Taliban militants intruded into the National
Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office in Swat, and
barred those present in the building from working, a private TV
channel reported. According to the channel, the armed militants
intruded into the office in the morning and told the officials
to stop routine operations. The group said it had stopped the
officials from working because men and women were working in the
same place. They demanded the NADRA authorities ensure that men
and women work separately in the office.
President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned
the flogging of a 17-year-old girl in public in Swat and ordered
an inquiry into the matter. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah
Babar said Zardari had sought a report from the NWFP Government
and the local administration and called for arresting those responsible.
The two-minute video reportedly shows the girl, wearing a veil,
face down on the ground with two men holding her arms and feet
and a third man in a black turban with a long beard whipping her.
The incident occurred in the Kala Killay area of Kabal sub-division.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan acknowledged that
his group was responsible for the flogging in public, "because
no indoor arrangement for Islamic punishment could be made, as
we are at war with the government". The provincial Government
spokesman Mian Iftikhar said the flogging took place on January
3, much before the peace deal with the Taliban. "We believe there
is a conspiracy to sabotage the peace process by airing a video
recorded before the deal," he claimed. Muslim Khan, however, said,
"this incident took place nine months ago." Muslim Khan also said
the Taliban had handed out a 'lenient' punishment to the girl
- suggesting she would have been stoned to death had a 'serious
view' of the 'crime' been taken. Samar Minallah - who works for
a Pakistani human rights organisation - distributed the video
given to her by people in Swat to the Western media. "The entire
village knows she is innocent," Samar told. She told The Guardian
that the flogging had taken place in the last 10 days.
|
April 5 |
SFs killed a suspected Taliban militant in the
Dooba area of Hangu District. Locals said some Taliban militants
were on their way to Zargari when SF personnel stationed at the
Shanwari Zargari check-post asked them to stop. When they tried
to escape, the troops fired at them, killing one of the militant.
The others, however, managed to escape from the incident site.
Unidentified men blew up a girls' school in Jahangir
Khel in the precincts of Miryan Police Station of Bannu District.
Police sources said the men had placed explosives in the building
of the Government Girls' School, damaging it. However, no casualties
were reported.
Chand Bibi, the young girl who was shown being
flogged by the Swat Taliban in a videotape aired on television
channels, gave a statement to a Qazi (Islamic judge), denying
the incident. Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the NWFP Information Minister,
told that she made the statement to Mohammad Riaz, the judge of
the Qazi Court for Matta Tehsil (revenue division), and
the Commissioner of Malakand Division, Syed Mohammad Javed, both
of whom visited her village, Kala Killay, in Kabal sub-division.
Quoting the Commissioner, Mian Iftikhar said Chand Bibi made it
clear that she was indeed married to Adalat Khan and everyone
in the village knew about it. She refuted the reports that both
of them were flogged by the Taliban as punishment for maintaining
illicit relations and then forcibly married. According to the
information minister, the Commissioner and the Judge had visited
Kala Killay to record the statements of the couple on the directive
of the NWFP Chief Secretary. The Chief Secretary and Inspector
General of Police (NWFP) had been directed by Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, to
appear before his court and also produce the girl who was flogged.
The Chief Justice had taken suo moto notice of the case
after the two-minute videotape was shown on TV channels.
The Government freed three more Taliban militants
from Mingora, as part of its peace accord with the TNSM. The total
number of released Taliban militants has now reached 47. The men
freed have been identified as Munawar Hassan, Abdul Haliq and
Qadeem. The Taliban had provided a list of 220 of their men to
the Government that they wanted released.
|
April 6 |
A volunteer of Buner Qaumi Lashkar was killed
and another sustained injuries when Taliban militants opened fire
in the Gokand area of Buner District. Residents from various villages
and sub-divisions had formed the Lashkar (militia) to confront
around 100 Taliban militants who had entered Buner from Swat on
April 5. The Taliban said they would stay in Buner until their
chief had had talks with the local chapter of the TNSM.
|
April 07 |
21 people, including 16 Taliban militants, were
killed in an overnight clash when local volunteers and Police
personnel tried to enter the Gokand Valley to flush out militants
who had infiltrated into Buner area on April 4 from the neighbouring
Swat District. Three policemen and two Lashkar (militia) volunteers
were among the dead. When the combined force attempted to enter
the area via Rajagaly Kandow from the Pir Baba side and dislodge
the militants, Taliban militants took position and reportedly
refused to go back. Sources said that the militants had sent 16
bodies and taken 13 of their wounded colleagues to Swat via Kalil
Kandow.
Suspected Taliban militants planted a remote-controlled
bomb that blew up a music shop and neighbouring stalls at Charsadda
bus stand in Peshawar. "CD and music centres, as well as three
other shops were destroyed when a locally-made bomb went off in
front of a bus stand in Faqirabad area," local Police official
Anwar Khan said. No casualties were reported as the shops were
closed overnight when the bomb exploded, Police added.
Militants of the banned TTP, Swat chapter, occupied
a local college and a filling station while a traffic constable
was also kidnapped in the Swat valley. Sources said that armed
militants stormed the Government Technical College in Pan area
of Mingora city and occupied all its rooms. In addition, unidentified
men abducted a traffic constable in Mingora city. In another incident,
the militants occupied a filling station in Barikot, owned by
Said Ahmed, a resident of Buner District.
Expressing satisfaction over the truce in the
Malakand Division, the NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar
Hussain said the Government's writ had been restored in about
70 per cent of Swat area after the February 16 peace deal. "This
is a suitable recipe for bringing peace and we shall apply it
wherever it is needed once it proves successful in Malakand Division,"
Mian Iftikhar told a press conference in Peshawar. Briefing journalists
after the 10th meeting of the provincial cabinet, the minister
said militants had agreed to lay down arms after the enforcement
of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand. The minister, however,
admitted that situation in parts of Swat was not ideal, but there
was no reason to call it disappointing. He claimed that schools
and colleges had been reopened, businesses had been resumed and
the people were happy.
|
April 09 |
Maulana Sufi Muhammad, the TNSM chief, concluded
his "peace camp" in Swat, in protest against the delay in the
implementation of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation. "But the peace deal
with the provincial government is intact," Sufi Muhammad told
a press conference in Mingora before moving out of the District.
"If something unpleasant happens after our peace camp has been
wrapped up, President Asif Zardari will be held responsible,"
Sufi read a written statement in Pushto. He alleged the federal
Government was not sincere. TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat Khan said
Sufi Muhammad left for Amandara town in Malakand where he will
chair a shura (executive council) meeting. "The ball is now in
the president's court," he told. However, the Malakand Commissioner
Syed Muhammad Javed said the federal Government would sign the
regulation soon.
One unidentified militant was killed by the Security
Forces when a group of Taliban militants attempted to loot the
house of a former District official in village Qalagai. A group
of armed militants raided the house of Ajmeer and loaded the valuable
household items in their vehicles, besides taking four people
with them. However, soon after the raid of the Taliban, the SFs
arrived and opened fire on the Taliban convoy.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said peace in the
country is only possible through the imposition of Sharia
(Islamic law). Talking to Daily Times, he joined Sufi Muhammad
in condemning the president for not signing the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation.
"We support Sufi Muhammad's stance against the federal government…
If clashes between Taliban and the security forces resume, the
president will be responsible," he said.
The Taliban agreed to leave Buner District unconditionally
after successful talks with a peace jirga (council of elders)
in Mingora. Malakand Commissioner Syed Muhammad Javed told a private
TV channel the Taliban had agreed to leave Buner and would completely
vacate the area by April 10 (today). He said the Taliban had made
no demands for vacating the area. Earlier, the local jirga held
talks with the Taliban under the supervision of the commissioner.
Javed said Maulana Waliullah mediated between the jirga members
and Taliban. A group of Swat Taliban had moved into Buner last
week. However, local villagers resisted them, engaging the heavily
armed militants and killing 20 of them.
|
April 10 |
A man was killed and two others sustained injuries
in a bomb blast in Bannu. According to a private TV channel, a
jirga (council of elders) was underway when the blast occurred.
The Taliban extended the cease-fire in Darra Adam
Khel for 10 more days. The Taliban announced the extension during
a jirga with five local tribes at an undisclosed location.
The Taliban also authorised local elders to hold talks with the
Government.
Taliban militants triggered a bomb blast in the
Chamkani area, outside provincial capital Peshawar, destroying
six tankers supplying fuel to the NATO troops in neighbouring
Afghanistan. Around 35 tankers were parked at the incident site,
when militants placed a bomb under one of the vehicles loaded
with diesel, petrol and aviation fuel, said Police official Asmatullah
Khan. The blast triggered a fire which spread to another five
tankers, he added.
Two police posts were targeted with rockets in
the Nowshera District that partially damaged the buildings. However,
no casualty was reported.
Instead of pulling out of Buner District as they
had announced on April 9, the Taliban of Swat moved to consolidate
their hold and took control of new areas, including the shrine
of Sufi saint Pir Baba. Security Forces reportedly offered no
resistance. "They have taken control of vast areas in Buner. They
are freely moving around while police and other law-enforcement
personnel remain confined to their posts," said a man who lives
near the shrine of Pir Baba. He said that the militants had earlier
announced that they would leave after holding a march in various
areas. Local people said that the militants, who occupied houses
of influential people organising an anti-Taliban militia, were
still patrolling the road leading to Daggar, the District headquarters.
Militants set on fire TV sets, pictures and paintings and audio
and video cassettes before the Friday prayers. They also reportedly
locked the shrine, stopping followers of Pir Baba from visiting
the place. "We have been asked by our seniors not to interfere
with the Taliban," said an officer of the Pir Baba Police station.
He said the Taliban had advanced weapons, some of which he had
"never seen before".
The TNSM assured the NWFP Government that it would
keep the peace deal intact, but warned that the delay by President
Asif Ali Zardari in signing the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation could hinder
the return of peace to the Swat Valley. The NWFP Information Minister
Mian Iftikhar Hussain and the peace envoy to the NWFP Government
Afrasiyab Khattak reportedly went to Batkhela to meet the TNSM
chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who wound up the peace camp in Swat
on April 9. However, Sufi Muhammad refused to meet the visiting
delegation in protest against the delay in the signing of the
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation. "We met him (Sufi) during the Friday prayers
but he did not participate in the talks," said Mian Iftikhar.
Mian Iftikhar and Afrasiyab, accompanied by Home
Secretary Fayaz Toru, Malakand Commissioner Syed Muhammad Javed
and District Coordination Officer Malakand Agency Arshad Khan,
held talks with the TNSM team, represented by its spokesman Amir
Izzat Khan, Maulana Syed Wahab, Ghayasuddin, Latif Khan and Multanmir.
After negotiations, Mian Iftikhar said they agreed to keep the
deal intact. He contradicted some media reports about the scrapping
of the accord and said some elements were bent upon sabotaging
the agreement but their nefarious designs would be foiled. Talking
to reporters, Amir Izzat said their agreement with the provincial
Government was intact. "Sufi Muhammad just wound up the peace
camp in protest and it is not related to the scrapping of the
pact," he said. The TNSM spokesman said Sufi Muhammad did not
take part in the talks in protest and would not hold negotiations
with the Government till the implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl
Regulation.
|
April 12 |
A security guard was killed and three others injured
when armed men stormed into three terminals storing NATO supplies
in the limits of Yakatoot Police Station in Peshawar, capital
of the NWFP. A Police official said that around 200 suspected
Taliban militants, who attacked the Aasim and Amanullah Terminal
on Ring Road, also set ablaze 12 vehicles. He said a guard, Arif,
had succumbed to his injuries, while three others were injured.
SFs targeted Taliban hideouts near the border
between Hangu District and Kurram Agency in the FATA. Official
sources said that dozens of houses and a mosque were also damaged
in the attack. However, no casualties were reported. The operation
followed a Taliban attack on the convoy of Kurram Agency Political
Agent Arshad Majeed near Tutkas area two days ago in which one
trooper was killed and seven were injured.
The Swat District administration released five
Taliban militants in accordance with the peace accord signed by
the NWFP Government and the TNSM. Official sources said with the
latest release, the number of the Taliban militants released after
the deal has risen to 53. The sources identified those released
as Fazal Qadeer, Misbahur Rehman, Ameer Rehman, Bahadar Khan and
Hafeezullha.
The Taliban from Swat, who have taken control
of a number of areas in the Buner District, are converting mosques
in Buner into recruitment centres to urge youths to join their
ranks. Almost all mosques in Sultanwas, Pacha, Bhai Kaly, Malkpur,
Kalakheelam, Jure, Bagra, Manyarai and Gokand are being used by
them to recruit local people to their cause of enforcing Sharia
(Islamic law) in the Malakand Division and eventually in the rest
of the country.
The militants took villages in the Chamla sub-division
under their 'protection' and faced no resistance from law-enforcement
agencies. "We are in touch with their (Taliban) leaders in Swat.
The situation will return to normal in a few days," the Buner
District Co-ordination Officer Jawed Ahmad said, adding that local
people had entered into an agreement with the Taliban in Swat
through a trible elders' council. He said: "We are pursuing a
policy of restraint. Even a minor mistake can derail the government's
peace initiative. These Taliban are peaceful. Till now they have
not harmed anyone in the district." He also denied that the Swat
Taliban was recruiting youths in Buner.
|
April 13 |
The head of a bomb disposal squad, Gul Sher Khan,
was killed when a bomb planted along Ladi Lora Bridge at Bannu
detonated while he was trying to defuse the explosive. Two other
persons were also injured in the explosion.
An explosion at a girls' primary school in Noor
area destroyed the entire building. However, no casualties were
reported from explosions.
Three people, including an Education Department
official, were abducted in two separate incidents at Charsadda.
Senior Education Department official, Dil Khan, and Haji Muzaffar
Mandni were abducted by unidentified men in Hari Chand. In another
incident, a man was abducted while travelling between Mandni and
Shabqadar.
Taliban militants stopped the polio vaccination
campaign launched in Darsmand union council area under Tal tehsil
(revenue unit) in Hangu District, threatening to abduct health
officials if they would go ahead with the campaign. Khan Meer,
head of one of the polio teams working in Darsmand, told that
around 10 am armed Taliban militants came to the area and told
his three-member team to stop vaccinating children. He said he
stopped work in the area immediately after the Taliban warning,
and "this is the reason the Taliban have not done anything so
far".
Officials said that unidentified men had abducted
a renowned businessman of the NWFP, Meer Zaki Shah, from Shanawarai
area. Police said the armed men abducted the businessman while
he was taking his children home from school.
The Federal Government in Islamabad presented
the peace accord to lawmakers for approval. Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani had said the deal would be presented in the National
Assembly to reach a consensus on the subject.
|
April 14
|
President Asif Ali Zardari signed
the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 for Swat, after the National Assembly
passed a resolution in favour of the draft regulation. "Yes, the
president has signed the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation before leaving
for Dubai on a two-day visit," said presidential spokesman Farhatullah
Babar. Earlier on April 13, the National Assembly unanimously
passed a resolution recommending the President sign the regulation
to be imposed in the Malakand Division in accordance with a peace
agreement between the NWFP Government and the TNSM. The Muttahida
Qaumi Movement had expressed its reservations over the resolution
but abstained from voting to allow it to be passed unanimously.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the National Assembly that
the issue had been brought before the House to build a broad national
consensus and establish the supremacy of Parliament.
Terming the Army the defender
of the country and the nation, the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad
asked the Taliban to lay down their arms after ratification of
the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 by the president. "The TNSM will
extend unflinching support to the Army," he said and added that
he would continue efforts to bring peace back to Malakand and
other parts of the country. He said a general amnesty would be
announced for all those prisoners who were in the captivity of
the Taliban at a public meeting soon.
The TTP spokesman for Swat, Haji
Muslim Khan, asked the militants to lay down arms. "Henceforth,
no one is allowed to take weapons even into the Taliban headquarters
in Mamdherai," he said. He also directed the Taliban to cease
brandishing any weapons in public places, and anyone defying the
orders would not be a Talib. He said that in all the districts
of the Malakand Division, Qazis would be deputed and all decisions
taken according to Islamic laws. The TTP chief in Swat, Maulana
Fazlullah, is reported to have said the federal Government has
won the hearts of the people of Malakand and the Taliban with
enforcement of Sharia. Talking to a private television
channel, Fazlullah said the Taliban will extend full cooperation
to the federal Government.
Sharia (Islamic law) courts
formally started functioning in Swat after the enforcement of
the Sharia justice system. These courts had started functioning
in six Tehsils (revenue divisions) of Swat, including Bari Kot,
Kabal, Matta, Khwazakhela, Bahrain and Babozai, from March 12,
2009 but owing to delay in signing of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation
by the president, their powers were very limited. However, after
approval of the regulation, these courts will have full powers.
|
April 15
|
18 persons, including nine Policemen,
were killed and five others injured when a suicide bomber rammed
an explosives-laden vehicle into the Harichand Police Post in
Charsadda District. The NWFP Inspector General of Police, Malik
Naveed, said Police wanted to stop the suicide bomber’s speeding
car and fired at it, but it had reached close to them by the time
the explosives went off. The blast also left a crater about three
metres wide, damaged windows in nearby buildings and severed power
cables, plunging the area into darkness. District Police Officer
Riaz Khan said the attack might be in retaliation to the killing
of a suicide bomber by the Charsadda Police a few days ago. The
suicide attacker was shot dead by Station House Officer Jehangir
Khan, when the bomber was on his way to blew himself up at a public
gathering being addressed by the provincial president of the Pakistan
People’s Party (Sherpao faction) Sikander Sherpao in Charsadda.
The NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed
Ghani signed the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, formally enforcing Sharia
in Malakand Division and Kohistan District. "Today, it
is an historic day," he told reporters in provincial capital
Peshawar after signing the law two days after President Asif Ali
Zardari approved it following a nod from the National Assembly.
The Taliban will not lay down
their arms in NWFP as part of the peace deal that included the
introduction of Sharia (Islamic law) but will take their
"struggle" to new areas, a spokesman of the group said.
"Sharia doesn’t permit us to lay down arms… If a government,
either in Pakistan or Afghanistan, continues anti-Muslim policies,
it’s out of the question that Taliban lay down their arms,"
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said by telephone. "When we
achieve our goal at one place, there are other areas where we
need to struggle for it," he said. Khan also said militants
would go to Afghanistan to fight US-led forces if the Afghan Taliban
called for help. "Our struggle is for a cause and that’s
to enforce Allah’s rule on Allah’s land. We will send mujahideen
to Afghanistan if they demand them," he said.
|
April 16
|
A woman was killed when an office
of a NGO was blown up with explosives in the Hathian area of Mardan
District. Unidentified saboteurs had planted the explosives close
to the NGO’s office, which killed a woman walking past the building
upon detonation.
|
April 17
|
SFs blew up a militant headquarters
in the Jarma area of Kohat District. Police said the militants
were planning attacks on Police installations, armed robberies
and kidnappings.
The SFs raided a seminary in the
Kharmatu area of Kohat District and arrested three suspects for
allegedly assisting the kidnappers of three Oil and Gas Development
Limited employees.
|
April 18
|
27 SF personnel were killed and
55 others injured in a suicide attack on a security check post
in the Doaba area of Hangu District. Locals told that the attack
on the checkpoint, about 45 kilometres southwest of Hangu, took
place at around 4:15pm (PST) when SF personnel were visiting the
area for the inspection. Two Police vehicles were passing by the
check post when the suicide bomber driving a double-cabin pickup
rammed the vehicle into the structure, they said. The explosion
destroyed the check post, adjacent building housing troops and
Police, and eight SF’s vehicles.
A man and a woman accused of committing
adultery were shot dead by the Taliban militants in the same District
in the presence of their relatives. Later, unidentified persons
sent a video to the Dawn newspaper showing a Taliban firing
squad killing the man and woman. In the video, the woman is heard
appealing to the Taliban for mercy. "Have mercy on me, please
have mercy. The charges against me are false and no man has ever
touched me," she is heard saying. The Taliban militants first
pumped several bullets into the woman’s chest and then fired a
burst from assault rifles at her and the man. As the woman was
apparently still alive after being shot, some Taliban are heard
shouting: "She is alive, kill her." The newspaper quoted its sources
as saying that the incident took place a few days ago.
|
April 20 |
The TTP spokesman Muslim Khan said Sharia
(Islamic law) would not be restricted to the Malakand Division
in Swat District, and that the Taliban will not lay down weapons
unconditionally. Asked whether the Taliban would extend Sharia
to other areas of Pakistan, Khan said: "Sure, because [the holy]
Quran is not only for Malakand division. It is for all humanity,
for all Muslims and we will go for the implementation of Sharia
in other parts of Pakistan as well." He also said Taliban would
not lay down their weapons unconditionally. "We are Pakhtuns and
every Pakhtun has a gun. We have no tanks, no helicopters or jets,"
he said. Muslim Khan said the Taliban would keep their weapons
if the qazi courts allowed them to. He said nobody had asked American
forces to keep their weapons on the other side of the Atlantic
Ocean or to surrender, but everyone had been asking the Taliban
to lay down their arms. About international criticism that the
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 is a parallel system of Government,
the Taliban spokesman said: "We don't care about the reaction
of the government in Pakistan or abroad."
Unidentified men kidnapped six Security Force
personnel and a driver from Swat in separate incidents. Official
sources told that two of the troops and the driver of an ambulance
were kidnapped from Charbagh area when they were returning from
Khwazakhela. The four other soldiers were abducted from Khwazakhela
sub-division. No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions.
|
April 21 |
The Taliban in Swat have said they are not bound
to honour the peace accord between the Government and TNSM Maulana
Sufi Muhammad. They said the NWFP Government had signed the deal
with the TNSM, and not with the Taliban. Taliban spokesman Muslim
Khan in a telephone interview with the CNN demanded the imposition
of the Taliban's model of Sharia (Islamic law) throughout Pakistan
and beyond, "even in America". He also denounced any Pakistanis
who disagreed with his interpretation of Islam, calling them "non-Muslims".
He also called for the imposition of jiziya, a tax to be levied
on all non-Muslims in Pakistan. In an Associated Press interview,
he said Osama bin Laden was welcome in Swat. "Yes, we will help
them and protect them," he stated. Muslim Khan counted the LeT,
the JeM, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Al Qaeda, and the
Taliban of Afghanistan among his allies. "If we need, we can call
them and if they need, they can call us," he said.
The TTP is reported to have warned lawyers in
the Shangla District of serious consequences if they continued
to appear in un-Islamic courts (civil and district courts) from
April 22. "Lawyers are warned through this notice not to appear
before civil and district courts," a member of the Shangla District
Bar Association quoted the letter as saying.
The Interior Adviser Rehman Malik warned of stern
action if the TNSM violated the peace agreement it had made with
the NWFP Government. He said that the Nizam-e-Adl was invoked
in 1994, under which a session judge was named Qazi. "No one should
create the ambiguity that any Maulvi (cleric) will hold the charge
of a judge," he said. Malik also ruled out lifting the ban on
the TNSM.
Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner
and started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the District.
The militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on
April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the
past five days. They have robbed Government and NGO offices of
vehicles, computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers,
and food and nutrition packets. Sources said that leading political
figures, businessmen, NGO officials and Khawaneen (feudal lords),
who had played a role in setting up a Lashkar (militia) to stop
the Taliban from entering Buner, had been forced to move to other
areas. The Taliban have extended their control to almost all tehsils
(revenue divisions) of the District and law-enforcement personnel
remained confined to Police stations and camps. The Taliban, equipped
with advanced weapons, were reported to be advancing towards border
areas of Swabi, Malakand and Mardan, the hometown of NWFP Chief
Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti. The militants have reportedly
set up check-posts and camp bases in Kangar Gali village, along
the Malakand border Naway Dhand village, along the Mardan border
and Tootalai village, along the Swabi border. Officials of the
Frontier Corps camp in Jorh had asked people to vacate their homes
in view of threats of an attack.
|
April 22 |
The Taliban have said they will not leave Buner
District until the Nizam-e-Adl was implemented in Malakand Division.
"The Taliban will leave Buner after enforcement of the Nizam-e-Adl,"
the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Muslim Khan told AFP
from Swat. "The government writ is not being challenged" in Buner
and the Taliban were not creating problems for the administration
there, he claimed. "We went into Buner because the administration
there had totally failed to provide justice to the people and
resolve the problems being faced by them," he added.
Regular courts stopped functioning in Buner after
judicial officers went on leave for an indefinite period in compliance
with directives of the Peshawar High Court. The TNSM chief, Maulana
Sufi Mohammad, had asked the Government on April 19 to abolish
regular courts and set up Darul Qaza for appeal by April 23. In
the neighbouring Shangla District also, judges could not perform
their duties because lawyers did not appear in courts after they
received a threat against doing so. In a letter pasted near the
bar room, militants had warned lawyers against appearing before
courts. Buner and Shangla are two of the seven districts of Malakand
Division where the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 will be enforced.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of his own faction
of the Jamiat Ulema-I-Islam (JuI-F) warned in a speech in the
National Assembly that the Taliban were closing in on Islamabad.
"You talk about Swat and Buner, but according to my information,
they have reached Kala Dhaka and Tarbela. And if they continue
advancing, there will be only Margalla Hills between them and
the federal capital," he said. He blamed the "civil war-like situation"
on former president Pervez Musharraf's decision to join the US-led
war on terror. The Swat peace deal was "based on defeat, not success",
he said, adding there was no writ of the state in the NWFP.
|
April 23 |
The SFs claimed to have killed eight militants
and destroyed their ammunition depot during operation in different
parts of the Kohat region. SFs said that they launched a major
operation against militants in the Jammu, Jawaki, and Bulai Khand
areas and helicopter gunships killed eight militants during shelling
in the mountains of Darra Adamkhel. In addition, the ground troops
and helicopters targeted a huge ammunition storage facility of
militants in Bulai Khand.
The Taliban spokesman in Darra Adamkhel claimed
to have killed 35 SF personnel during a clash in Kohat. The spokesman,
Mohammad, told by telephone that the Government took their cease-fire
decision as their weakness whereas they had announced a unilateral
truce keeping in view the sufferings of the tribesmen.
Six tankers supplying fuel to the NATO forces
in Afghanistan were set ablaze and a guard sustained injuries
after suspected Taliban militants opened fire on them. A Chamkani
Police official told that five militants equipped with sophisticated
weapons and rocket launchers entered the Pakistan Oil Tanker terminal
at Jhagra Chowk at around 3 am and opened fire on the tankers
parked there. He said the guard, Razam Khan, sustained injuries
and six tankers were charred. He said at least three blasts were
also heard, but the cause was not certain yet.
At the request of the NWFP Government, the TNSM
chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad agreed to defer the deadline of April
23 he had set for setting up Darul Qaza (Islamic courts) in Malakand.
A meeting of the TNSM Shura (executive council) held at its headquarters
in Amandara endorsed Sufi Mohammad's decision to extend the deadline
for an indefinite period. TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat Khan told
that the Maulana had accepted the provincial Government's request
to withdraw his decision of pulling out of the peace accord if
Darul Qaza was not set up by April 23.He said the Government was
sincere in the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation and hoped
Darul Qaza and Qazi courts would be set up soon.
|
April 24 |
The Taliban announced its withdrawal from the
Buner District after a meeting between the TNSM chief Maulana
Sufi Muhammad and key Government officials. "All the Taliban who
have come from [outside Buner] will go back," Amir Izzat Khan,
a spokesman of Sufi Muhammad, told. However, sources close to
the Taliban said that the "local Taliban will stay in Buner".
It was not clear if those who stay will surrender weapons. Witnesses
in the Poran sub-division of Shangla District also reported a
Taliban withdrawal. The Malakand Commissioner Syed Muhammad Javed
told the withdrawal was a result of the peace talks with Sufi.
|
April 25 |
12 children were killed and four others injured
when girls of a local primary school in the in the Luquman Banda
area of Lower Dir District had found the toy bomb and were playing
with it when it exploded. The dead girls were aged between four
and 12 years. Seven of the 12 dead children were from the same
family. A woman and three children were injured.
|
April 26 |
26 Taliban militants, including an important commander,
and a trooper were killed after Security Forces launched an operation
in the Maidan area of Lower Dir. "At least 26 bodies of Taliban
were found from Lal Qila. The FC [Frontier Corps] has taken control
of Lal Qila," said the SFs, after the Government decided to establish
the writ of the state in areas bordering Swat. An Inter-Services
Public Relations statement said, "On the request of the provincial
government and the people of Dir, the Frontier Corps launched
the operation early on Sunday against suspected Taliban positions
in Islampura and Lal Qila in Lower Dir. An exchange of fire took
place in Kala Dag and scores of Taliban were killed." It said
that a soldier was also killed and four others were injured.
Sources said the troops entered Lal Qila after
an intense battle. The SFs reportedly used helicopter gunships
and artillery in the operations, and shelled the Tokri and Kal
Dherai areas in Maidan, the ancestral village of the TNSM chief
Maulana Sufi Muhammad. The SFs fired mortar shells from Chakdara
Fort - killing eight Taliban militants, including Lower Dir 'commander'
Maulana Shahid, and injuring scores of others. Troops and the
Taliban also engaged in crossfire. The NWFP Information Minister
Iftikhar Hussain told, "The situation was such that the security
forces had no option but to launch an operation … the district
police officer (DPO), the district nazim and other officials have
already been killed and a number of troops and people kidnapped."
Iftikhar said the SFs had been coming under attack, and they had
to take action under the circumstances. The minister, however,
said that the operation would not affect the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation
2009, and SFs were still present in Malakand.
A spokesman for the TTP, Dir chapter, said the
military operation in Dir was unjustified and against the Swat
peace deal. Talking to a private TV channel, Mullah Mansoor Dadullah,
the TTP spokesman for Dir, said the Taliban would retaliate to
the SFs with full force. The government, he said, has no intention
to ensure the implementation of the Swat peace deal. We have not
violated the deal and, therefore, the operation is unjustified,
he claimed, adding the Taliban would attack those who had ordered
operation against them in Dir. In addition, the TNSM spokesman
Izatt Khan said the operation by SFs in Lower Dir is a 'violation'
of the Swat peace deal. Talking to a private TV channel, the spokesman
claimed that the house and a seminary owned by TNSM chief Maulana
Sufi Muhammad had also been damaged in the operation.
Interior Adviser Rehman Malik said the Government
has no option but to take action against the Taliban. Malik said
citizens "cannot bear such unwanted elements in the country that
compel the government to take action against them". In Islamabad,
the Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the Government's
peace deal with the Taliban in Swat is 'intact' despite the launch
of a military operation in Lower Dir. Babar said the operation
did not void the pact. Lower Dir is part of the Malakand Division,
which is covered by the agreement.
The Taliban in Buner District shaved the heads
and moustaches of four men as 'punishment for listening to music',
said one of the victims. "I was with three other friends in my
car, listening to music when armed Taliban stopped us and, after
smashing cassettes and the cassette player, they shaved half our
heads and moustaches," he said. "The Taliban also beat us up and
asked us not to listen to music ever again," said the man. The
local Police, however, said they had no information of the incident.
The victim said the friends had decided not to file a complaint
with Police, as this would have been 'useless'. "It might have
annoyed the Taliban further and I fear for my life," said the
man. Residents of Mingora in Swat said Taliban posters had been
put up in streets and markets ordering women not to go shopping.
|
April 27 |
Frontier Corps (FC) personnel killed 26 Taliban
militants, including key commanders, as Operation Toar Tander-I
(Black Thunderstorm-I) continued in the Maidan area of Lower Dir
for the second day. "Forty (Taliban), including commanders Maulana
Shahid and Qari Quraish, have been killed in the last two days
of operation," the FC said in a press statement. Officials said
SFs were gaining ground against the Taliban and their hideouts
in Kalkot, Islam Dara and Hoshyari Dara were targeted. "After
a stiff encounter with the [Taliban], the Frontier Corps soldiers
regained control of Lal Qila and flushed them out from Maidan
valley," the FC statement added. Paramilitary troops and helicopter
gunships bombed suspected Taliban bases during the operation,
an unnamed military official told. "Eight security officials were
also killed in two days of operation," another military official
said. The operation was launched on April 26 after the Taliban
militants attacked SFs and Government officials and closed roads
for the movement of government and FC convoys.
Two persons, including Lakki Marwat Headquarters
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Asmatullah Khan, were killed
when a bomb targeting a Police van exploded in Lakki Marwat. "The
remote-controlled bomb was planted near a bridge. It went off
when a police van was crossing the bridge," Lakki Marwat town's
Police officer Habibullah Khan told. "We received two bodies,
one of them was a Police officer," said Doctor Muhammad Shakirullah
of the local hospital.
The NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar warned
the Taliban of military action if they did not leave Buner district.
"Leave Buner or face action," the minister said while addressing
a news conference in Timergara where new Malakand Commissioner
Fazal Rahim Khattak was also present. The minister said the provincial
Government has received reports of presence of "foreign militants"
in Buner, where some of the Taliban had been speaking languages
the locals could not understand. The foreigners are likely Uzbeks,
Chechens or Arabs. The minister said there was no military operation
going on in Lower Dir, adding that the clashes there were "retaliation
to the attack by miscreants on the security forces". The armed
forces were present in Malakand division "only to maintain peace
and harmony".
The TNSM has suspended talks with the NWFP Government
to protest against the military action in Dir, the TNSM spokesman
Amir Izzat Khan told in Mingora city. "We, however, still adhere
to the February deal," he told, referring to the accord that sought
Taliban disarmament in return for the imposition of sharia law
in Malakand division. "We will not hold any talks until the operation
ends," he told Associated Press. "The agreements with the Pakistan
government are worthless because Pakistani rulers are acting to
please Americans," Muslim Khan, spokesman for Taliban in Swat
valley said. A Taliban spokesman identified as Umar said to Associated
Press that the Taliban would agree to talks about the situation
in Dir, but only if the military operation is halted. "We were
living peacefully in Dir," Umar added further.
|
April 28
|
The Inter-Services Public Relations
Director General, Major General Athar Abbas, told a news conference
in Rawalpindi that the military operation in Lower Dir, which
started on April 26, had been completed. "The operation in
Dir has successfully been completed, during which 70 to 75 militants
were killed," he said. Ten personnel of the Security Forces
were also killed during the operation. He said over 300 militants
had started entering Lower Dir on April 2 and 3. Despite warning
from the Government officials, they did not stop their unlawful
activities, he added. "They were involved in kidnapping for
ransom, killing police and other security officials and other
unlawful acts," he said. He also said no foreign militant
was found during the Dir operation.
SFs, backed by artillery, gunship
helicopters and jet fighters, launched a full-fledged operation
against the militants in Buner District of NWFP, targeting their
suspected hideouts in different areas, besides placing the whole
District under curfew. "Today at 4pm, the FC and military
troops launched a joint operation against the militants in Buner,"
the Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Major General
Athar Abbas said at a press briefing in Islamabad. He said FC
Inspector General Major General Tariq Khan is commanding the operation.
Nearly 300 Taliban entered Buner from April 2 to 4 and began to
terrorise the locals, in violation of the Swat deal, Gen Abbas
said. "The government warned the militants but they refused
to listen and staged only a symbolic withdrawal. They government
was left with no option expect to use force," he said. According
to several news agencies, he said it would take up to a week to
clear an estimated 500 Taliban militants from Buner. The militants,
on the other hand, blew up a bridge, a Police post in Ambaila
and occupied the Paacha Police Station, sources said.
Militants in Swat warned media
personnel of dire consequences if they did not ‘mend their ways’.
According to a private TV channel, pamphlets sent to the offices
of newspapers and TV channels asked them to review their role
and avoid following "an anti-Taliban agenda". It was
signed by the ‘commander’ of the Fidayeen (suicide squad)
section of the TTP. The pamphlets accused the media of following
a new trend over the past week which showed that "everybody
is following a pro-western policy under pressure or for greed".
The Taliban also warned that they would move the Sharia (Islamic
law) courts if the media did not follow their instructions.
The NWFP Government is all set
to establish the Darul Qaza appeals court in Malakand and appoint
Qazis in the area, Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar
Hussain said, inviting the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad for
talks to implement the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009.
|
April 29
|
Troops took control of the main
Daggar town, headquarters of the Buner District after being dropped
by helicopter behind Taliban lines, killing over 50 Taliban militants
in two days of fighting, the military said. Troops were operating
on three axis – Ambaila, Malandar and Karakar – military spokesman
Major General Athar Abbas told reporters in Rawalpindi. "Two
high-value targets — Maulvi Shahid and Qari Quresh — are among
the 50 militants killed so far in Buner when gunship helicopters
targeted militants’ positions during the operation launched on
Tuesday afternoon," Abbas stated. "The security forces
are facing stiff resistance, particularly around Ambaila heights,"
a key gateway to the mountainous region where the Taliban detonated
three roadside bombs, he said. One soldier had been killed in
the operation and three were injured. "The airborne forces
have linked up to police and Frontier Constabulary in Daggar,"
the spokesman said. The Army spokesman informed the media that
Daggar has been cleared of the militants while Sultanwala, Nawagai
and Pir Baba Ziarat are still in the militants’ control.
Gen Abbas also said the soldiers
had freed 18 of some 70 police and militiamen kidnapped by the
Taliban on April 28. However, BBC Urdu reported that the
Taliban had freed the hostages at the Pir Baba police station
"under a deal" on April 28.
An Arab correspondent of Al Jazeera
TV, Abdul Rehman Matar, was injured after his vehicle was caught
in crossfire in Daggar. Abbas said Taliban were getting weapons
and assistance through the Afghan border.
The military estimated some 500
militants were in the Buner Valley and that it might take a week
to clear them out. Jet fighters and helicopter gunships provided
air support for army and paramilitary troops leading the offensive.
Artillery fire on suspected Taliban
hideouts continued in the Maidan area of Lower Dir District, despite
an announcement by the military that the operation had been completed.
SFs set up a new check-post in Rehanpur village, and army troops
were positioned on the Zulam Bridge linking Lower Dir with the
Bajaur Agency in FATA. The Amnesty International estimated that
at least 33,000 civilians have fled their homes in Lower Dir.
Suspected militants blew up about
25 shops at Adezai bazaar in the suburb of Peshawar. A Police
official of the Matani Police station said unidentified miscreants
had planted explosives which went off at about 1am. Many of the
shops were owned by one Mohammad Kalam. However, chief of the
local Union Council, Haji Asad Khan, said the shops were owned
by poor people who were selling items of daily use. In the past,
he said, people used to sell CDs and cassettes in different areas
but after threats by the Taliban they had abandoned the business.
Police defused explosives which
were planted near the main gate of the Peshawar High Court. Police
officials said the explosives weighed about two kilograms and
were packed in a plastic bottle. Detonator, cable and batteries
were also recovered from the site.
|
April 30
|
The ISPR Director-General Major
General Athar Abbas said that 24 militants had been killed so
far in the military operation in Buner and SFs had cleared the
District headquarters Daggar of the militants. Addressing a press
conference in Islamabad, he said due to the successful operation,
launched jointly by the FC and Pakistan Army, life was returning
to normalcy in Lower Dir. He also said the number of casualties
might increase in Buner and Lower Dir. Abbas added that the militants
were still holding positions at Sultanwas and Pir Baba.
He said the militants attacked
SFs’ post in the Jawari Pass area and in the retaliatory action
four militants were killed, while the rest fled from the scene.
During the crossfire, one FC trooper sustained injuries, he said.
Further, militants blew up a camp of the Frontier Constabulary
and took away weapons, while jets and helicopters continued heavy
bombing on their suspected positions in different parts of Buner
District. However, no casualty among militants was reported in
the attacks by helicopter gunships. Major General Abbas said the
Government and SFs had been exercising maximum restraint despite
clear violations of peace deal by the Taliban in Swat. He claimed
the Taliban were carrying out patrolling, setting up check-posts,
kidnapping for ransom and killing and damaging private properties,
violating the peace deal.
A roadside bomb blast in the Kohat
District killed a Shia man and wounded six others traveling in
a mini-bus in an apparent sectarian attack. "Seven people were
injured in the bomb blast," local Police official Shafiq Khan
said. "It appears to be a sectarian attack as all the passengers
in the van were Shias," he said, adding the blast was caused by
a crude, makeshift device.
|
May 01
|
SFs have killed approximately
60 Taliban militants in the Buner District over the last 24 hours
as helicopter gunships continued shelling suspected hideouts,
with almost 400 militants putting up a fierce resistance to the
military operations. According to the ISPR spokesman, Major General
Athar Abbas, "Nearly 55 to 60 Taliban have been killed over
the last 24 hours in the Buner operation." He informed the
media that two Frontier Corps personnel had also been killed and
eight injured in the operation, which entered its fourth day on
May 1. Abbas said the troops were killed when a suicide bomber
blew up a booby-trapped house.
The military spokesman said the
resistance the Taliban had put up and their weapons – assault
rifles, anti-aircraft missiles and mortars – showed they had come
to Buner with the intention to stay. He said locals had confirmed
that foreigners were also present in Buner and fighting the SFs
along with the Taliban. Abbas said the SFs had foiled Taliban
plans to target the troops in suicide attacks. He claimed that
one would-be suicide bomber had also been arrested, after he attempted
to blow himself up. He also said ground troops backed by helicopter
gunships destroyed nine suicide vehicles and six vehicles of ‘fleeing
Taliban’. Three suicide motorcyclists were shot dead by ground
troops advancing on narrow mountain tracks, he added.
A curfew remained imposed in Sawari,
Ambela, Daggar, Pir Baba, and other areas of Buner throughout
the day except for four hours between 2pm to 6pm. Pir Baba, Jor,
Gokand, and a few other areas are reportedly still under Taliban
control.
SFs killed two Taliban commanders
and injured four others in a clash at the Langar check-post in
the Khwazakhela sub-division of Swat District. Sources said the
militants opened fire on the check-post, leading to a gun-battle
in which two Taliban commanders, identified as Nisar and Islam,
were killed and four others injured. SFs also recovered a rifle,
two hand-grenades and a Kalashnikov from the militants. In addition,
gunship helicopters continued shelling the hilly areas of Matta
and Peuchar.
|
May 02
|
Five Taliban militants, including
two key commanders, were killed in fighting with the SFs in the
Charbagh revenue division of Swat District. Sources said the troops
also seized a car prepared for a suicide attack and arrested three
armed Taliban militants.
The Taliban militants lobbed two
hand grenades in a house in Upper Dir District, injuring two civilians.
SFs seized control of a key road
in the Buner District, the military said. According to the Inter-Services
Public Relations, the SFs are removing improvised explosive devices
along the Daggar-Mardan road and will open it soon.
In Langer, troops seized 12 military
uniforms from a jeep after a gunfight. The clothes were to be
used in terrorist activities, the army said. The troops also established
check posts to stop Taliban entry into Shangla.
The military said that the Taliban
militants attacked a security check post on Khawazakhela Bridge
in Swat in violation of the peace deal. The military said that
10 Levies personnel abducted by the Taliban militants in Upper
Dir area were released, but the militants took their weapons.
|
May 03
|
Brigadier Fayyaz Mehmood Qamar,
who is in-charge of military operations in the Buner District,
said the operations will be completed within a week. Briefing
the media in District headquarters Daggar, he said SFs killed
27 suicide attackers, bringing the death toll of militants to
80. Three SF personnel were also killed in the operation, he added.
The Brigadier said SFs faced stiff resistance while entering into
Buner, as the presence of militants at the Ambela hills was very
thick and suicide bombers, riding on motorcycles and vehicles,
were out to target the troops. Militants were still present in
Pir Baba and Suleman Bakhsh and a plan had been chalked out to
launch operation in this area, he said. The SFs have not initiated
any land offensive so far and the entire operation was conducted
with the help of artillery and gunship helicopters, he said. Brig
Fayyaz said the local militants were very few in strength while
Uzbek insurgents were present in large numbers, putting up a stiff
resistance. Further, the District Coordination Officer disclosed
that about 30-35 suicide bombers were still present in the area.
An Inter-Services Public Relations
(ISPR) press release stated that consolidation of positions was
carried out in Daggar and the surrounding areas. The press release
said the dead included a militant commander, Khalil alias Alam
Buneri, a main leader of the TTP. SFs also successfully evacuated
20 girls, who were trapped in the Daggar Girls College.
Unidentified gunmen looted three
branches of various banks in different areas of Buner. Eyewitnesses
said unidentified armed men arrived in pickups and looted a branch
of the Allied Bank at Tor Warsak, the United Bank in Jiwar and
the Habib Bank’s branch at Bazargai in broad daylight and decamped
with the cash, furniture and computers. It wasn’t clear how much
money was looted.
Armed Taliban militants blew up
the Pakhtangi check-post in Shangla District and fled with the
weapons of the Policemen stationed at the post. About 20 militants
attacked the checkpoint on the Alpuri Puran main road, took the
Policemen hostage, seized their weapons and then reportedly blew
up the post with explosives. The locals said the Taliban wanted
to abduct the Policemen but they managed to escape.
Taliban militants arrived at the
emerald mines in Goch area of Shangla once again, after having
‘disappeared’ for several days. Unnamed officials said Police
had emptied an arms storehouse in Alooch Police station after
receiving reports that Taliban were planning to attack.
Armed Taliban militants were out
on the streets of Mingora town in what the ISPR called a gross
violation of the peace deal. "Militants are involved in various
criminal activities threatening the lives of the civilian population,
the civil administration as well as security forces personnel,"
it said.
The Taliban blew up a girls’ high
school in the Ningolai area of Kabal sub-division. While the building
was destroyed, no casualty was reported. Further, a mechanic was
arrested from Watakai Chowk when he was preparing a vehicle for
a suicide attack. Another vehicle prepared for a suicide attack
was on its way to Saidu Sharif when the troops spotted it and
later destroyed it after a gunfight. Three Taliban militants were
arrested along with a suicide vehicle in Mingora, the ISPR said.
The Taliban attacked a grid station
with rockets, destroying the facility and disrupting power supply
to Mingora. They also attacked a Police station in Rahimabad.
The ensuing gunfight reportedly continued until the next morning.
The Taliban also partially destroyed the Chamtalai Bridge in Khawazakhela
by a bomb blast. Four militants were reportedly injured in a clash
after they attacked the Security Forces in the Sambat Ridge area.
Separately, the Taliban abducted the Mingora town municipal officer
and his son from Sharifabad. They released the two later but seized
their vehicle.
In Madyan, the Taliban fired at
the SFs killing one soldier. Three other soldiers were injured
in various clashes with the Taliban in Swat.
A civilian was killed as SFs and
the Taliban clashed in Madyan. Further, two beheaded bodies were
found in the Alam Ganj area of Khwazakhela. Witnesses said both
were Frontier Corps troopers. The Taliban also robbed a bank in
Chakdara bazaar. Reports said they took away PKR 600,000 from
the Habib Bank.
238 Policemen along with 126 soldiers
of the Army and 67 personnel of the paramilitary FC have been
killed in 1,240 terrorist attacks in the NWFP since January 2004,
according to official statistics. In addition, 526 Policemen,
204 FC personnel and 324 soldiers were wounded in these attacks
that also killed 806 civilians and injured 1993 others till April
15, 2009. Among those either killed or wounded during these attacks
were a number of senior officers of the Frontier Police, the FC
and the Army. The senior most of them was Deputy Inspector General
Malik Mohammad Saad, who was heading the Peshawar Capital City
Police when hit by a suicide bomber on January 27, 2007.
|
May 04
|
A suicide car bomber killed four
SF personnel and wounded eight persons in the outskirts of Peshawar.
Police sources said the attacker rammed his car into a vehicle
carrying SFs.
A Policeman died and four people,
including another policeman, were injured when suspected Taliban
militants opened fire on the Bahadar Banda Police Post on Hangu-Kohat
Road in the Hangu District.
Two people were arrested for trying
to abduct Hangu passport office director Muhammad Tahir from Samana
Road in the Hangu. However, Police arrested the duo and foiled
their attempt.
The Swat peace agreement crumbled
as Taliban militants took over Mingora, District headquarters
of Swat, taking positions atop Government and private buildings
and patrolling the deserted streets. "The city is in complete
control of the Taliban, who say they are taking positions to guard
the local population," Mingora residents said. Local residents
said both the SFs and Taliban militants set up checkposts on roads
leading to Mingora and soldiers were seen on high alert in Kabal.
Military authorities had announced a curfew in the city from 7pm
to 6am and had warned violators of stern action.
The Taliban have made about 2,000
civilians in Buner hostage and are using them as human shield,
the chief military spokesman said. Major General Athar Abbas told
the state-run Pakistan TV that Taliban had made the civilians
hostage in Peer Baba and Sultan Was areas and were not allowing
them to leave.
Calling the Pakistani Government
and Army "enemies of Muslims", the Swat Taliban vowed to march
forward till death. "Either we’ll be martyred or we’ll march forward,"
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told. He said elements in the military
and the Government were trying to sabotage the peace process to
please the United States. "This is not our army, this is not our
Government," he added. They’re worse enemies of Muslims than the
Americans. They’re US stooges. "We will give a fitting reply
to security forces if Sufi Muhammad decides to revoke the deal
with the Government," he said while talking.
A TNSM spokesman said that establishing
peace was the responsibility of the Government and not the TNSM.
Talking to reporters in Batkhela, he said the TNSM would only
be responsible for peace if Sharia was enforced in the
Malakand Division. He called for an end to the military action
against the Taliban in parts of the division and said peace could
not be restored by force and could only come through "the enforcement
of sharia". He also claimed the NWFP Government had not consulted
the TNSM on the appointment of qazis.
The NWFP Government will not tolerate
any violation of the Swat peace agreement any longer, provincial
Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain said. Talking to reporters,
he said the Government had demonstrated full sincerity in the
promulgation of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation and had announced the
establishment of Darul Qaza to fulfill the demands of TNSM chief
Maulana Sufi Muhammad and the Taliban for peace in Malakand. However
he warned of stern action and "the use of the second option" against
anyone who would challenge the writ of the state. The minister
asked the Taliban to lay down weapons and support the Government
in its peace initiatives, and told them the Government would not
tolerate any violation of the agreement in future after the implementation
of Nizam-e-Adl.
|
May 05
|
During clashes between the SFs
and militants in the Swat District, at least 18 persons, including
three militants and two SF personnel, were killed and 20 others
sustained injuries. Sources said clashes were going on in Mingora
city, Khwazakhela, Barikot and Shamozai areas, while heavy shelling
was witnessed in Qambar area. The shelling and firing continued
overnight in which scores of houses were destroyed. Militants
also attacked the DIG of Police’s office, Commissioner Office,
Police station and museum in Saidu Sharif and captured the DIG
office.
While talking to reporters, Taliban
spokesman Muslim Khan claimed militants were in control of ‘90
per cent’ of the valley and said their actions were in response
to "Army violations of the peace deal." The NWFP Government, however,
accused the Taliban of not honouring their commitments under the
peace deal despite the announcement of Darul Qaza in the Malakand
Division.
SFs continued shelling the militant
hideouts, while militants fired rockets and mortar shells at the
commissioner house, grid station, circuit house, Police station
and Police posts in Mingora city, Barikot and Shamozai areas in
which over a dozen of people were killed. Two SF personnel were
also injured in clashes with militants. According to the Swat
Media Centre, a number of militants were killed during fighting
with the SFs. Huge explosions were heard during the night in Mingora
where militants also attacked office of the DIG, Police Station
at Saidu Sharif and museum with rockets and later occupied the
DIG office, which had already been vacated by the officials. Sub-Inspector
Syed Ail Shah was killed during the clash. Further, fierce fighting
between the two sides was reported from the Frontier Constabulary
camp in Mingora. Electricity had been suspended in most of the
areas of Swat after militants attacked the grid station.
An Inter-Services Public Relations
statement said militants in Swat blew up a Police station and
fired rockets at posts of SFs at Shangla Top, Shamzoi Bridge,
Bariam bridge and grid station in Mingora. Militants also looted
a store of the World Food Programme in Swat and took away bags
of wheat and cans of edible oil, the statement said. The militants
have occupied important Government offices, including that of
the Commissioner Malakand Division, DIG, Frontier Reserve Police,
district nazim and Police investigation offices, in Saidu Sharif.
The NWFP Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain while
confirming the militants’ control over the commissioner and DIG
offices, expressed ignorance about other offices.
There was a panic among the people
when the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Khushal Khan directed
the residents of Mingora city, Amankot, Makanbagh, Qambar and
Rahimabad areas to leave for safer places when the curfew was
relaxed for five hours. Approximately 40,000 people fled the areas
soon after the directives of the DCO. The NWFP Information Minister
said up to 500,000 people were expected to flee the Swat valley.
Seven people, including two children
and a Frontier Corps soldier, were killed and 48 others sustained
injuries an explosives-laden car rammed into a pick-up near a
check-post on the Bara road near Peshawar. The Bara Qadeem check-post
was manned by the Police and Frontier Constabulary. Eyewitnesses
said the car on a suicide mission was following a Frontier Corps
pick-up from Bara and hit it when it slowed down near the check-post.
The pick-up was carrying students to a school in Peshawar. The
Senior Superintendent of Police Mian Ghulam Mohammad said no one
had accepted responsibility for the blast. According to bomb disposal
personnel, the explosives weighed about 85 kilograms. The blast
also reportedly caused a deep crater in the middle of the road
and damaged dozens of houses and shops.
The banned TTP has allegedly warned
doctors of the public sector hospitals in Peshawar, the NWFP capital,
to stop wearing shirts and trousers or face suicide bombing. A
senior doctor at the Lady Reading Hospital told they had received
a letter from the TTP, asking doctors and all other medical staff
to immediately stop wearing shirts and trousers or suicide bombers
would target them at their institutions. Two other senior doctors
at the Hayatabad Medical Complex and the Khyber Teaching Hospital
also confirmed receiving similar threats from the TTP. The NWFP
Secretary for Health, Dr Sohail Altaf, confirmed the threatening
letters that were received by the hospital executives from unknown
people. He said he too had received a copy of the letter, adding
that he did not believe the Taliban would have sent the letter.
|
May 06
|
In a bid to recapture the Government
buildings seized by the Taliban, SFs targeted militants’ strongholds
with gunship helicopters and artillery, killing 60 militants.
In the daylong fighting across the Swat District, 40 civilians
and two FC soldiers were also killed.
The main clash occurred in Shahdarra
where gunship helicopters targeted the militants, who had captured
the emerald mine, killing 35 of them and forcing the survivors
to leave the mine. SFs also targeted the Takhtaband stronghold
of the Taliban, killing 15 militants and injuring scores of others.
The militants attacked a convoy of the SFs in Kanju, killing one
FC trooper and injuring two others. In the subsequent retaliation
by the FC, 10 militants were killed. Similarly, another FC convoy
was hit by an improvised explosive device, killing one soldier
and injuring two others. Seven persons, including five SF personnel,
were killed and nine others injured in different incidents in
Batkhela. Approximately 60 persons also sustained injuries in
clashes between the two sides in different areas of Swat. SFs
targeted suspected militant positions in many areas, including
Malokabad, Shahdarra, Rung Mohallah, Rajabad, Zamrud Mine, Qazi
Baba, Watkai, Naway Killay, Ingoro Dherai, Takhtaband, Balogram
and Qambar.
The militants are reported to
have descended from their mountain hideouts and seized homes and
Government buildings. They also looted four branches of banks,
including the MCB Saidu Sharif branch and main bazaar Mingora
city branches of the UBL, NBP and HBL. The militants were also
seen patrolling the streets of the main town of Mingora. Taliban
militants who came down from the mountains late on May 5 were
still occupying the homes of local residents and are in possession
of many strategic points.
The Taliban have planted countless
landmines and explosive devices around the populated areas of
Swat to stop the people from leaving their homes and for using
women and children as human shields against the military operation,
a federal cabinet meeting was told. However, sources close to
the Taliban denied mining of the area. They said those charging
the Taliban with such inhuman acts may themselves have made such
plans. They said the Taliban could not think of using civilians
as human shields.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan
told Al Jazeera that they are in control of "90 percent"
of the Swat valley. Blaming the breakdown of the Swat peace deal
on the Pakistani military, Khan said the peace accord with the
Government in Swat was over.
22 militants were killed after
the paramilitary forces raided Elahi village in the Buner District.
"The FC conducted a raid in the village of Elahi, located
west of Daggar, killing 22 militants," the FC said in a statement.
"Reportedly, 50 militants were looting the villagers and
on receiving this information, a force was sent to control them.
After a stiff encounter, 22 militants were killed and the rest
of them ran away," the FC stated. The death toll, however,
could not be independently confirmed due to the ongoing military
operation.
Reports from the District headquarters
Daggar indicated that four bodies of civilians, including a woman,
were recovered from two different areas. Sources said the beheaded
body of a man identified as Habib Khan, a resident of Elahi, was
found dumped in the Jawar Chawa area. Some unidentified miscreants
had killed him and left a letter beside his body, stating that
he was a traitor. In addition, three bodies of unidentified civilians,
including a woman, were recovered from roadside in the Elay village.
Heavy firing occurred in Elay
village between the militants and SFs, but there was no report
of casualties.
14 worshippers were wounded when
unidentified motorcyclists lobbed a hand grenade at a mosque in
Dera Ismail Khan. Sources said two unidentified men, riding a
motorcycle, arrived at the Chichyan Mosque in the Kaneriyanwali
locality and hurled the hand grenade when the people were offering
‘Isha’ prayers. "At least, 14 people were injured in the
attack," an eyewitness said.
|
May 07
|
Jet fighters and helicopter gunships
targeted Taliban hideouts and centres in various parts of the
Swat and Lower Dir Districts, killing 60 Taliban militants. "We
have carried out air strikes on known centres of militants killing
around 60 [Taliban] in Swat and Lower Dir," chief military
spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told.
Military sources said 12 militants
were killed in the Shamoozai area of Swat, eight others in Malam
Jaba and 14 militants were killed in Matta, Shahdheri and Kooza
Cheena. Taliban commander Ibne Aqil was also reported killed in
a counter-attack by the Police when the Taliban attacked Matta
Police station. "In 24 hours, we lost nine soldiers and about
10 of them [were] injured," General Abbas told. Seven of
the soldiers were killed when Taliban ambushed a convoy at the
entrance to Mingora. Two soldiers were killed in the valley north
of Matta," said the military spokesman.
In Lower Dir, District administration
officials said the Taliban abducted 11 paramilitary troops after
attacking the Malakand Levies Fort in Chakdara. They said three
soldiers had been killed in the attack.
The SF killed a son of the TNSM
chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad in a clash with the Taliban in Lower
Dir District, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said
in a statement. During an exchange of fire, 10 militants, including
Kifayatullah – son of Sufi Muhammad – was killed, it said. The
TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat Khan said the 43-year-old was killed
in helicopter gunship firing in Maidan area. "In an attempt
to eliminate and flush out [Taliban] from the area, FC [Frontier
Corps] launched an attack in early morning today… During exchange
of fire, 10 [Taliban] were killed including Kifayatullah, son
of Sufi Muhammad," the ISPR said.
Five members of a local armed
Lashkar (militia) were killed and six others injured when militants
opened fire at them in the Siyalo Talab area of Hangu District.
Sources said a person identified as Saifullah was abducted by
the militants and armed villagers of Manjikhel tribe chased the
kidnappers. An exchange of fire took place in Siyalo Talab area,
leaving five men dead and six others injured. Sources said the
clash between the militants and armed Lashkar continued for three
hours in which four vehicles were also destroyed.
Taliban militants blew up a high
school in Darra Adam Khel. According to a private TV channel,
militants had planted explosives in a Government high school in
the Bosti Khel area in Darra Adam Khel. While the blast damaged
the building, no loss of life was reported.
|
May 08
|
The SFs killed more than 140 Taliban
militants as the military operation continued in the Swat valley
of NWFP. 13 of them were killed in a major gun battle at Matta
Police station. Seven soldiers were also killed as the SFs took
control of Khawazakhela and Chamtalai, ISPR Director General Maj
Gen Athar Abbas said in a media briefing. He said military had
launched a "full-scale operation" in Swat and the Taliban
militants were on the run. He said the Taliban militants were
trying to block an exodus of civilians through coercion, taking
hostages, bombings and blocking roads with trees. According to
Reuters, he said there were 4,000 to 5,000 Taliban militants in
Swat, including Uzbeks and Tajiks. On May 8, troops targeted Taliban
mountaintop training camps, ammunition dumps and command and communication
centres in precision strikes. "Special care has been taken
to strike identified targets and those targets which are away
from populated areas," he added.
10 Taliban militants were killed
in attacks in Takhtaband, Qambar Top and the house of a local
lawyer. Another 10 were killed in an attack by helicopter gunship
in Kabal. Five Taliban militants, including Commander Akbar Ali
were killed in Kanju. The ISPR Director General said the Taliban
militants killed the brother of Khawazakhela union council nazim
and abducted two Policemen from SorBridge in Khawazakhela. They
also fired six rockets at the Circuit House in Mingora, killing
a soldier. The ISPR said the Taliban resistance in Buner had been
reduced considerably, but they were maintaining positions at Sultanwas
and Pir Baba. A search and cordon operation continued in Lower
Dir. 15 Taliban militants were killed in an attack on a Taliban
compound in Maidan, General Abbas said, adding that they included
two key commanders.
Four people were killed and several
others injured when a rocket fired from an unidentified location
hit an Afghan refugee camp in the Jangal Khel area of Darra Adam
Khel. Four people, including two women and a child were killed
when the rocket hit a house at the Afghan Refugee Camp number
two. Three children were also seriously wounded.
An operation was launched against
the Taliban militants in the Shen Dhand, Tor Chappar, Sunni Khel,
Bosti Khel and Akhorwal areas of Darra Adam Khel.
|
May 09
|
SFs killed 55 Taliban militants
in various areas of Swat in NWFP, while 14 Taliban were killed
in Lower Dir District after gunship helicopters targeted Maidan
area. "We have hit certain militant positions in Mingora
with helicopter gunships," said military spokesman Major
General Athar Abbas. "The Taliban were harassing the civil
population and intensely involved in various activities of looting
and arson in the city of Mingora and, in an early morning attack,
helicopters engaged militant hideouts and reportedly left 15 militants
dead," Abbas added.
SFs also targeted suspected Taliban
positions at Rama Kandhao ridge in Matta tehsil (revenue division)
and destroyed the main headquarters of the Taliban there, a military
statement added. "Reportedly, 30 to 40 militants have been
killed," it added. Indiscriminate mortar fire by the Taliban
militants in Mingora had caused civilian casualties, it said but
no details were provided. A Taliban source confirmed heavy bombardment
of the Taliban positions by jet planes and helicopters.
Five suspected terrorists were
killed and a Policeman injured during an encounter at Baghbanan
Road in Peshawar. According to a statement, Police arrested three
suspected terrorists in the limits of Chamkani Police Station
during a routine search. It said four more suspected terrorists
ambushed the Police when the suspects were being shifted to a
Police post. They killed the three suspects in Police custody,
while two of the attackers were also killed in the encounter,
the statement added. Three of the dead have been identified as
Arab Shah, Abdul Akbar and Musarrat Shah, all residents of Afghanistan.
Unidentified men fired three rockets
at the Peshawar International Airport from undisclosed locations,
but no casualties were reported.
|
May 10
|
SFs said they had killed up to
200 Taliban militants in 24 hours during the on-going operation
in Swat even as they secured the Shangla top and important towns
and ridges in the Dir and Buner Districts. Troops engaged the
Taliban in their Peochar headquarters and at hideouts in Kanju,
Mingora, Banai Baba, Namal, Qambar, Fizagath, Tiligram and Chamtalai,
the Inter-Services Public Relations said in an update. The Inter-Services
Public Relations claimed that 140-150 militants were killed in
an attack on the Banai Baba training camp in Shangla and 50-60
militants were killed in different areas of Swat valley.
The SFs secured Shangla top advancing
up to Biladram town, encountering improvised roadside bombs and
fierce Taliban resistance on Chamtalai bridge. The troops resumed
operation from Point 2245 and Point 2266 heights captured on May
9, and advanced up to Shalwal Kandao, where one soldier was killed.
The SFs also destroyed a Taliban training camp at Banai Baba in
Shangla, where up to 150 militants were confirmed dead.
The Taliban’s indiscriminate mortar
fire and roadside bombs planted in populated areas killed an unspecified
number of civilians. The Taliban also blew up two schools at Barikot
and Maniar, and killed a local prayer leader, Zahid Khan, at Nishat
Chowk.
In Dir, troops secured Kala Dag
and advanced up to Haya Sarai and continued to secure positions
on Gulabad heights. The Taliban is reported to have abducted a
TV reporter from Chakdara in Dir.
Helicopter gunships fired at Taliban
hideouts in Barwada Char in Buner, and two Taliban ammunition
dumps were destroyed. Troops also secured key ridges around Sultanwas
in Buner, surrounding the Taliban.
Three civilians were killed in
strafing by gunship helicopters and a paramilitary soldier was
shot dead by militants in the Malakand.
Reports from Timergara added that
SFs claimed to have secured areas from Kaladag to Hayaserai and
killed five militants in an operation in the Maidan area of Lower
Dir District. Other sources put the number of militants’ casualties
at 10. One soldier also sustained injuries in the operation. Major
Qilla, considered to be one of the strongholds and defence line
of militants, was also captured.
Suspected militants attacked the
post of Levies Force at Palai area in Malakand, killing one soldier.
They also kidnapped three other soldiers. Residents of Palai area
told that about four vehicles comprising Taliban militants came
to Palai and surrounded a check-post. Muhammad Ayaz Bacha said
the heavily-armed militants first opened fire on the post killing
a Levies soldier, and then abducted three others. The Taliban
retained control of Palai area for about 14 hours and blocked
the roads linking the town to Mardan and Dargai.
|
May 11 |
SFs claimed to have killed 52 militants in the
Swat District during the last 24 hours, while 31 persons, including
three civilians, were killed in Lower Dir District. Three soldiers
were also killed and 14 others wounded in Swat. In addition, seven
bodies, including one of a prayer leader at a mosque, were found
in different towns of Swat valley.
The ISPR said SFs shelled suspected positions
of the militants in the Kabal, Tutano Bandai, Deda Khura, Peuchar,
Sarband and Matta areas of Swat, killing 30 militants. Locals
said that Shagai, Panr and emerald mines were also shelled. However,
it could not be confirmed whether there were casualties in these
attacks. SFs also targeted militant hideouts in Peuchar, the Taliban
headquarters in Matta sub-division, and Mingora killing 11 militants.
At Ayub Bridge, the ISPR claimed troops killed seven militants.
It said militants had a tunnel and hideouts in Qambar Ridge which
were targeted by helicopters, resulting in the killing of three
militants, besides injuring five others. Further, a militant was
killed in Chamtalai when he was planting an improvised explosive
device. The ISPR added that the SFs killed 52 militants in the
ongoing operation in the last 24 hours. However, this claim could
not be confirmed from independent sources.
During clashes, the SFs also suffered casualties.
Three soldiers were killed and several others injured in Benai
Baba Ziarat when the troops were clearing the area. The advancing
troops are reportedly facing fierce encounters with militants,
military sources said. However, Banai Baba has now been secured,
the ISPR said. The troops also cleared the route up to Khwazakhela.
Separately, in an attack on Kanju Fort, five SF personnel were
wounded while two were injured in the firing on Circuit House,
the SFs headquarters in Mingora for Rah-e-Haq-II operation. Militants
also fired mortar shells at the Mingora Police station, injuring
four soldiers. They also demolished the Government Primary School
for Boys at Fazalabad.
Seven bodies were found in different towns. While
four bodies were recovered from the Alamganj area of Khwazakhela
sub-division, a corpse found in Charbagh was believed to be that
of a prayer leader. A Police official Anwar Ali, kidnapped a few
days back, was also killed and his body was thrown in Naway Killay.
A beheaded body was found near Palwasha Cinema.
Construction work on the Lowari Tunnel Project,
connecting Chitral with rest of the country, was suspended and
foreign engineers and consultants moved to Islamabad due to the
deteriorating security situation and persistent curfew that hindered
construction activities.
Reports from Timergara indicated that approximately
31 persons, including three civilians, were killed in Lower Dir
District in the ongoing military operations. Local sources said
seven bodies of militants were found in one house and four in
another in the Hayaserai area of Maidan. They said that nine bodies
of suspected Taliban militants were lying in Badwa primary school
while eight corpses were found on Warsak road. The sources said
three civilians were killed and eight others injured in Chakdara
area. Two persons were killed when a vegetable-laden vehicle was
targeted. Another person identified as Sohail was killed when
a mortar shell landed on his house in the same area. Eight persons
were wounded when a shell hit a vehicle of the Al-Khidmat Foundation
in Chakdara.
11 people were killed and 13 others injured in
a suicide attack on a camp of the FC in the Spina Thana area of
Darra Adamkhel. The banned TTP, Darra Adamkhel chapter, claimed
responsibility for the attack, saying more suicide attacks would
be carried out if the military operation was not stopped in Swat
and other parts of the country. Authorities confirmed the killing
of nine people, including an FC soldier and a child. Apart from
the Frontier Constabulary, the Frontier Corps is also stationed
at the camp to jointly curb militancy in the area. Those injured
included an FC soldier and five members of a family. 12 shops,
a car, a coach and two trailers were also destroyed in the blast.
Eyewitnesses said a white double-cabin pick-up narrowly missed
the FC camp and went off at the entrance of the military establishment.
They said the explosives-laden vehicle was being driven by a young
man. Police said around 200 kilograms of explosive material was
laden in the car. Spina Thana is located between Matani village
of Peshawar and the gun-manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel.
|
May 12 |
Reports from Mingora and Peshawar quoting FC sources
said the SFs killed 13 militants in the Torwarsak area of Buner
District while there were reports about the killing of 37 Taliban
militants in an assault in the Gulabad area of Dir Lower District
and four others in Swat. Six bodies were found in parts of Swat
Valley while a person was shot dead in Kanju. The SFs said four
militants were killed in a clash triggered by Taliban's firing
at Mamdherai. Further, six beheaded bodies of unidentified persons
were recovered from Suhrab Khan Chowk, Peopleís Chowk, Rahimabad,
Landikas and Green Chowk. Arshad Kanju, resident of Kanju, was
shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
Fierce clashes between militants and the SFs were
reported from Gulabad and Chakdara towns of Dir Lower. Sources
said 37 militants were killed in an attack on Government Degree
College Gulabad, which was occupied by militants. Sources said
that 17 bodies were recovered from the building, damaged in clashes.
One soldier was also reported to have been killed in the clashes.
Nine militants, including a commander, were arrested in Chakdara
and Gulabad.
The Pakistan Army dropped helicopter-borne troops,
including commandos, in the stronghold of militants' chief Maulana
Fazlullah to conduct a search operation, while SFs made significant
achievements in the operation named as Rah-e-Haq 4. "The troops
have landed in the Peochar Valley in the north of Swat to accomplish
the task assigned to them," military spokesman Major-General Athar
Abbas said at a press briefing in Islamabad.
General Abbas said SFs in Swat, Shangla, Dir Lower
and Buner Districts had achieved considerable successes and, so
far, 751 militants and 29 SF personnel had been killed in the
ongoing operation while 77 soldiers sustained injuries. "The operation
was progressing smoothly, the militants were on the run and the
criminal elements, which had earlier joined the Taliban militants
in Swat, were deserting them along with new recruits," he added.
He said during the operation, measures had been taken to avoid
collateral damage and only confirmed hideouts and strongholds
in the valleys and on the mountains had been targeted from air.
The militants' strongholds in Mingora, Peochar,
Kabal, Khwazakhela and Shangla have been targeted successfully.
Banni Baba Ziarat training camp of the militants has been destroyed,
reportedly killing 200 militants. Since the start of the operation
in Swat, 18 SF personnel were killed and 47 others injured. A
cordon and search operation continues in Banni Baba Ziarat, where
the militants have suffered heavily and 11 soldiers were injured
in the last 24 hours. About Dir, he said the operation was still
in progress in some areas and exchange of fire was continuing.
In Buner, consolidation around Daggar continues and Sultanwas
area has been surrounded by SFs, said Abbas. He said there were
plans to kill high value targets, adding, some of the high value
targets had already been killed in the operation. He said a timeframe
for the completion of operation in Swat could not be given at
the moment, but it was effort of the Government and the Army to
bring the operation to an early end.
The military spokesman also said a corps headquarters
had been designated as Special Support Group for the management
of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). He said Corps Commander
Mangla, Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed, has been designated as the officer
in charge of the group in view of his vast experience as the deputy
chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority.
Special Task Group representative Brigadier Amir said the number
of IDPs, including the old IDPs from Bajaur, was close to 1.3
million. He ruled out terrorists reaching camps in the garb of
IDPs, saying a screening process had been put in place to avert
such a possibility.
The military on May 12 said that SFs had suffered
29 casualties and inflicted 751 casualties in operations in Swat,
Buner and Dir Lower so far.
|
May 13 |
11 militants and four SF personnel were killed
in clashes in the Swat District as troops dropped from the helicopters
gained a toehold in Peuchar, the Taliban headquarters. In addition,
five beheaded bodies were found in and around the Mingora city.
Further, there were reports of 24 casualties, including 18 militants,
in Lower Dir District. The Swat Media Centre (SMC) said 11 militants,
including 'commander' Naseebur Rahman, were killed in the ongoing
military operation against Maulana Fazlullah-led militants in
Swat. The SMC said four soldiers were also killed and 12 others
sustained injuries during operations in the last 24 hours.
SFs were heavily targeting the mountainous hideouts
and strongholds of the militants in various towns, including Mingora,
from gunship helicopters and fighter planes, besides artillery
guns. The SMC said troops had gained a foothold in Peuchar from
where they targeted the hideouts of the militants. Forces also
consolidated their positions in Banai Baba Ziarat and Brem Bridge.
They reportedly cleared the area from Khwazakhela to Brem Bridge
besides Chakdara-Gulabad road. A soldier was killed in the area
in firing by the militants. Separately, a mortar shell allegedly
fired by SFs hit a house, killing Saidur Rehman, his mother and
a child. While five beheaded bodies were found in and around the
Mingora city, seven persons were killed on May 12 in separate
incidents of violence.
Though there was no official account, local sources
reported the killing of 24 people, including six civilians. They
said an attack on a veterinary dispensary in the Kethiari area
of Adenzai left 12 militants dead. In Tandodag and Berarai areas,
there were reports about the killing of six militants and as many
civilians.
Normalcy is reportedly returning to Buner district
where people have started harvesting their crops, the SMC said,
adding that shops had also been opened. It said that steps were
being taken to clear the Sultanwas area.
Yahya Mustafa Kamran alias Hijrat, an Afghan national
and Taliban commander based in the Jamrud sub-division of Khyber
Agency, was killed along with four other militants in an encounter
with the SF personnel near Peshawar, capital of NWFP, about three
days ago. He had been arrested three months ago by Pakistani security
agencies for leading a series of attacks on NATO supplies. He
was associated with the Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP and was one of
his loyal commanders. Baitullah had appointed him commander for
the strategic Peshawar-Torkham Road, and tasked him to disrupt
and destroy the NATO supply line to neighbouring Afghanistan.
Eight trailers were torched when militants attacked
two parking lots, which were once used for transporting supplies
for the NATO forces in Afghanistan, while two check-posts were
also attacked with missiles. Police officials said around 40 people
attacked the Khatoot-e-Aman Terminal and the Javed Bilal Terminal
on the Ring Road in the jurisdiction of Pishtakhara Police station
at around 3:45 am. A source said the attackers first fired a rocket
at the parked vehicles and later set ablaze eight of them. The
attackers also assaulted the watchmen and drivers and deprived
them of their cash and valuables. An encounter took place between
the miscreants and Police when contingents rushed to the area.
The assailants, however, managed to escape from the incident site.
Miscreants fired four missiles at the Arbab Tapu
check-post in Matani and Spina Thana security post in Darra Adamkhel
early. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.
|
May 14 |
60 Taliban militants and nine soldiers were killed
during the ongoing military operation in Swat District. Military
spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed 54 Taliban deaths
in a daily briefing, and said the military was taking "extra-ordinary
measures to avoid collateral damage". He said the army destroyed
at least 15 Taliban hideouts in the Ramotai Loe area of Shangla
District. Abbas said Security Forces in Barikot removed roadside
bombs and eliminated the remaining Taliban resistance to clear
areas up to Udigram, six kilometers short of Mingora, the main
town in Swat. While 13 militants were killed in the Tursak suburb
of Mingora, three of the, including a key commander, were killed
during clashes in Udigram. Further, Frontier Corps sources said
30 Taliban militants were killed in Kalpani and 20 more were killed
in the Hayasarae area of Lower Dir District when troops destroyed
the house of a local administration official that the Taliban
had occupied. In addition, intense fighting was reported from
Shalpalam and Sultanwas, the Taliban stronghold in Buner District.
The Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani, visited Swat valley and vowed to flush out militancy from
the area. Gen Kayani visited Swat and met field commanders and
troops taking part in the operation. Appreciating the high morale
of the troops, he reiterated the Army's resolve to flush out militancy
from Swat and defeat the militants.
Nine militants were killed and 12 others arrested
in a search operation carried out by the SFs in the Mulakhel area
of Darra Adamkhel, which was launched after the militants blew
up a school in Akhorwal area. Sources said unidentified militants
had planted explosive devices in the Government High School for
Boys at Akhorwal, which went off at 5:00 am, destroying four rooms
of the school. Consequently, SFs launched a search operation in
the Mulakhel, Sanikhel, Akhorwal and Bustikhel areas, killing
nine militants were killed and arresting 12 others. They also
targeted militants' hideouts in the Spina Thana area with gunship
choppers and artillery. The militants also fired four rockets
on Spina Thana. However, no casualty was reported in the attack.
Eight Policemen were injured when terrorists on
motorbikes attacked three Police posts in Dera Ismail Khan with
hand-grenades. Police said the attacks carried out in a span of
half an hour, partially damaged the posts. The first attack took
place after evening prayers when a hand-grenade was hurled on
a Rescue 15 post in Topawala Square on the Circular Road, injuring
six Policemen. About 15 minutes later, Police Post No 3 at Tank
Adda was attacked and two constables were injured. The third attack
was on Police Post No 4 at Muslim Bazaar.
|
May 15 |
While asking the internally displaced people (IDPs)
to help identify the fleeing militants, SFs claimed to have killed
55 militants in the Swat and Buner Districts during the ongoing
military operation against the Taliban. SFs conceded three casualties
besides injuries to 11 soldiers. The SFs also claimed to have
gained success in their actions in different areas of the valley,
but the areas were not specified. The ISPR said SFs had credible
reports that the Taliban militants had shaved off their beards
and trimmed hair to escape action. It said these militants were
fleeing the Swat Valley in the guise of civilians. It asked the
people to help identify the fleeing militants to SFs.
In Peuchar, the Taliban attacked a SFs' check-post,
which was retaliated and 13 militants were killed while one of
their vehicles destroyed, the ISPR said in a statement. The troops
had successfully been linked up in Odigram, where the Police force
joined the Army troops. Between Matta town and Bar Bamakhel, SFs
have reportedly succeeded in establishing several check-posts
to strengthen their positions. The ISPR said troops have cleared
Giga and Jura areas and reached northwest of Matta. During their
advance towards village Adai, the SFs destroyed two compounds
of the militants. In Sultanwas, where the Taliban were reported
to have established their headquarters after gaining control of
Buner District, SFs launched action against the militants, who
fired heavy weapons on soldiers. One soldier was killed and three
others injured in the firing. The SFs, in their action in Sultanwas
and Kalpanai, killed 42 militants and claimed destroying 15 vehicles
of the Taliban. SFs also arrested an important Taliban commander,
Dawa Noor, who was involved in terrorist activities in Sultanwas
and Daggar in Buner District. A member of the banned TNSM, Dawa
Noor, instigated the civil population of the area against SFs
on the FM radio and loudspeaker on a jeep. He is reported to have
played a key role in facilitating taking over of Buner by the
Taliban.
|
May 16 |
47 Taliban militants were killed in various areas
of Malkand Division during the last 24 hours, said the ISPR spokesman
Major General Athar Abbas. Claiming significant achievements in
the ongoing military operation against Taliban militants in the
Malakand Division he confirmed the presence of hardcore foreign
militants fighting alongside the Taliban against Security Forces,
adding, some 'key' foreign intelligence agencies were also involved
in the insurgency. He also said that there were around 4,000 fighters
in Swat, at least 10 percent of whom were not locals.
11 people, including two women and two children,
were killed and 31 others were wounded when a powerful car bomb
ripped through a congested locality in the provincial capital
Peshawar. Superintendent of Police (City) Ijaz Abid said the explosion
was caused by a timed bomb in a car parked in the Kashkal area
of the city. He said the apparent target of the blast was a nearby
internet café. The bomb exploded at around 2:20pm and destroyed
17 cars and around a dozen shops. Casualties from a special children's
school bus passing the area and caught in the explosion could
not be confirmed.
Six people, including two women and two children,
sustained minor injuries when a low-intensity explosive device
went off in a busy market in Peshawar.
|
May 17 |
As troops closed in on militants in the Matta
sub-division on Swat District, SFs said they had killed 25 militants
in the Arkot and Peuchar areas during the last 24 hours. One officer
was killed while seven soldiers sustained injuries during the
fighting.
A statement from the ISPR said the troops were
expanding their foothold in Peuchar, the area which served as
the headquarters of Maulana Fazlullah and his fighters. The troops
attacked a militant location in the area and secured an important
position in the area. Fierce fighting took place for the control
of the militant position, which resulted in casualties on either
side. The ISPR said during the operation one officer was killed
and two soldiers sustained injuries. The militants engaged SFs
with rocket launchers and 12-7mm machine guns and in the retaliatory
action, troops killed around 20 militants. In the Arkot and Nazarabad
areas of Matta, the troops destroyed a compound of the militants
from where the SFs faced resistance during their advance. The
compound was surrounded and cleared from militants while five
militants were killed during the operation. Following fierce fighting,
SFs were successful in securing the area between Kanju and Nawan
Kallay (Ayub Bridge) and from Ballogram to Takhta Band Bypass.
The militants were reportedly putting up resistance on the outskirts
of Mingora, the District headquarters of Swat, where intense clashes
were reported.
SFs launched an operation against militants in
Dir Upper District as warplanes dropped bombs in five villages
of the remote Doog Darra area to target suspected hideouts of
the militants allegedly led by an Afghan commander. Sources said
the strikes killed a child and a woman and injured several people
but there was no word about the militants' casualties. Dir Upper
became the sixth district of the Malakand Division out of the
seven where SFs have launched military action against the Taliban.
Chitral is the lone district where there is no military operation
at the moment.
Locals said that warplanes launched the first
aerial attack in the area at around 4:25 pm and targeted suspected
positions of the militants. They said jetfighters carried out
two more strikes in Doog Bala, Panaghar, Maluk Khuar, Miana and
Shatkas, the five villages of Doog Darra where militants have
been present for months. Two mosques, one of them also serving
as a seminary, two houses and a health facility reportedly came
under attack from the warplanes. There were also reports that
the bazaar was also targeted where some shops were damaged. Sources
in Dir Upper said the militants, three of them Afghans, were holding
a meeting in bazaar but it could not be ascertained whether they
were targeted or not. A woman and child were reported killed in
the strikes while six others were injured.
Four civilians were killed when a mortar shell
landed on a house in Maidan area of Dir Lower District, where
SFs have been engaged in operation against the militants. The
SFs were consolidating their positions in Chakdara while they
cleared the area from Barikot to Tandodag. In the Warjai area
of Maidan, four persons of a family were killed when a mortar
shell struck the house of Abdullah. He told the media that his
mother, wife and two children were killed in the incident.
Two persons were killed when SFs allegedly opened
fire on the house of a local lawyer in the Lelonai area of Shangla
District. This was the first action by SFs in the area. In addition,
40 militants reached the Chedam area of Chakesar sub-division
and occupied a Government school. Sources said armed militants
also lifted a vehicle from a basic health unit from Choga area
in Puran sub-division.
|
May 18
|
27 militants were killed as the
SFs started a ground offensive in the Swat District. Three important
commanders, including Okasha, Malanga and Riaz, were among 27
militants killed during the operation that has now been named
as Rah-e-Rast, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas
informed the media. He said Mamdherai Markaz was targeted by the
SFs and 10 to 15 terrorists hiding inside were killed. He also
said three SF personnel, including an officer, were also killed
and 17 others injured during the fighting. Abbas stated that the
SFs were engaged with militants inside Kanju town to clear the
area and an operation was underway in Takhtaband area, where seven
combatants were killed in a close encounter. According to him,
SFs had also expanded their foothold in Peuchar and killed 12
militants in the area. The troops also attacked and secured the
Dumber training centre, which was being used by militants as their
logistics base.
Several persons, including women
and children, were killed and a number of others sustained injuries
when families fleeing the military operation in Swat District’s
Matta town were shelled while crossing a mountainous path to reach
Karo Darra in Dir Upper District. Eyewitnesses, who escaped the
attack or were able to reach Wari town of Dir Upper in injured
condition, said they were targeted by gunship helicopters. However,
Police officials said they might have been hit by a stray shell.
Local people said they saw some 12 to 14 bodies on a mountain
on the Swat side but could not go near to retrieve them or help
the injured for fear of another aerial attack.
An AP report stated that
the TTP Swat chapter spokesman Muslim Khan has said the Taliban
would resist the SFs until the "last breath". "We
will fight until the last breath for the enforcement of Islamic
law," Muslim Khan told in a brief phone call from an undisclosed
location on May 17.
SFs killed five militants, including
an important commander in the Mulakhel area, and arrested six
others in an injured condition. Sources said the militants, equipped
with heavy weapons and explosives, were traveling in five vehicles
towards a camp of the SFs located beside the Friendship Tunnel.
They said the militants wanted to attack the camp located near
the tunnel. However, when flagged down at the checkpoint in the
Mulakhel area, the militants opened fire on the SF personnel.
In the retaliatory action, the troops killed five militants and
wounded six others who were subsequently arrested. The slain militants
included ‘commander’ Bilal Afridi, who planned and executed attacks
on the SFs in Darra Adamkhel. The four others were identified
as Umar, Majeed alias Hussaini, Saifullah and Munkaray.
|
May 19
|
A Major and three soldiers were
killed in the ongoing military operation in Swat District as SFs
killed 16 more Taliban militants in fierce street battles in 24
hours. With the area surrounded by the SFs, Major Abid was hit
in an exchange of fire with the Taliban inside Matta. "Operation
Rah-e-Rast is making headway as planned, and in last 24 hours,
16 Taliban were killed ... an officer and three soldiers also
died," said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in
a statement.
The SFs are reportedly consolidating
their positions in Peochar valley and conducting search-and-target
operations. Troops cleared more than 40 houses in Kanju and areas
ahead of Takhtaband Bridge. Footage broadcast on private television
channels showed armed soldiers standing outside locked shops in
the main bazaar in Matta, a bastion of Taliban leader Maulana
Fazlullah. Military officials said SFs were advancing on several
fronts towards Mingora. "Troops continue to close in on Mingora,
from where Taliban are trying to escape, but our strategy is not
to let them flee," an unnamed security official was quoted
as saying by the agency. He said the chief objective in coming
days was to take over the Taliban’s main headquarters in Peochar,
where commandos opened a new front last week.
The military is reported to have
stated that approximately 15,000 troops are confronting about
4,000 well-armed militants in Swat. Authorities said more than
1,030 Taliban militants and at least 53 troops have been killed
in a three-pronged onslaught launched in the districts of Lower
Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8.
An operation to clear Sultanwas
in Buner District is reportedly in progress and troops are conducting
cordon and search operations in the area.
Reports from Chakdara indicated
that three civilians, including two children, were killed and
several others sustained injuries when jetfighters allegedly bombed
houses in Kithiarai and other areas of Adenzai in Dir Lower District.
Residents said jetfighters hit a house owned by one Yar Mulla,
killing his wife and two children. Three persons were also injured
in the attack in the area. In Landi Shagi area of Ouch, gunship
helicopters carried out shelling in which, according to the residents,
four persons, including a woman, were injured.
Suspected militants blew up a
police post in the suburbs of Peshawar, the NWFP capital. An official
of the Mathra Police said explosives had been planted at the Police
post located at Bacha Garhi, which went off at about 4am, destroying
the structure. He said the Police post had been abandoned two
months ago due to lack of personnel.
The building of a public call
office near a CNG filling station on the Kohat Road was damaged
when explosives planted there went off, the Bana Manai Police
said.
|
May 20
|
SFs have completely secured the
Sultanwas area of Buner District, overcoming tough resistance
and killing 80 militants, Director General of the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas said in Islamabad.
"Since Tuesday morning to the completion of operation before
dawn, 80 militants have been killed," Abbas told a press
briefing. However, he said there was no independent confirmation
of the casualties due to the ground situation in the area.
The military spokesman said 1,057
militants and 58 SF personnel had been killed in the Swat, Dir
and Buner Districts since April 27. He said the foreign nationals
arrested so far included Afghans, Uzbeks and Arabs. "The
strategy is to kill the maximum number of terrorists. The militant
leaders are paying $50 to 60 per day to the fighters," he
said.
SFs claimed to have killed over
200 militants during the ongoing military operation in the Maidan
area of Lower Dir District since the launch of the offensive.
Operational Commander Brigadier Amal Zada, in charge of the ongoing
military operation in Lower Dir, told reporters in District headquarters
Timergara that over 200 Taliban militants had been killed so far,
while 14 Security Force personnel were also killed and 30 others
injured. He said a large number of militants had left the area
in the guise of internally displaced persons. He, however, said
they had cordoned off the militant infested areas and established
checkpoints in Hayaserai and Lal Qila areas of Maidan.
A soldier was killed while nine
others sustained injuries during the last 24 hours in various
areas of Swat District. Director General of the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas said in Islamabad
that search and destroy operations continued at Peuchar while
clearance of compounds and houses in Matta was in progress. Search
and cordon operation was also going on in Kanju, he added. Three
soldiers were injured during search and cordon operations in Kanju
and Ayub Bridge. During operations in Takhtaband, a soldier was
killed and six others wounded.
SFs arrested three Uzbek militant
commanders traveling towards Swat to join the Taliban. "The
militant commanders from Uzbekistan crossed into Pakistan from
Afghanistan and were headed towards Swat to join the Taliban in
fighting security forces," unnamed officials told.
Residents of Kalam town in Swat
District took eight Taliban militants as hostage after a clash
with them. "Heavy clashes are taking place between Kalam
residents and Taliban since Tuesday," residents told. There
were no reports of casualties on either side.
|
May 21
|
19 people, including 11 suspected
militants and three SF personnel, were killed in the ongoing military
operation and a roadside blast in the Maidan area of Dir Lower
District. Sources said two SF personnel, identified as Captain
Omarzeb and Lance Naik Shahzad Alam, were killed and two others
sustained injuries when a military convoy was attacked with a
remote-controlled bomb in the Shahi Koto area of Maidan. Consequent
to the blast, SFs opened fire, killing four persons and injuring
two children. Further, one trooper, Mehboob, was killed during
the search operation in the Kumbar area. Four militants were also
killed in the search operation.
During clashes in the Nanbati
and Kalpani areas, seven militants were killed, while a soldier
sustained injuries. In addition, a man was shot dead in Chakdara
for violating curfew. Residents of the area reportedly said there
was a curfew in the area for the last eight days.
The Adenzai Qaumi Jirga (council
of elders) held successful talks with the militants and the Taliban
agreed to leave the area. The militants’ commanders reportedly
assured the elders that they would leave the area to end the misery
of the local population. Locals claimed that the Taliban had started
moving out of the area.
SFs said that ‘a number of Taliban’
– including an important commander – and five soldiers were killed
in 24 hours in Swat, in the latest update on the military operations.
"An important ... [Taliban] commander, Abu Tariq, was killed
and seven Taliban were apprehended… A number of Taliban were killed,
while five soldiers also died in Kanju and Takhtaband area,"
said the Inter-Services Public Relations. The SFs have cleared
a number of Taliban hideouts in Peochar valley, and are conducting
search and destroy operations that have resulted in several battles
between the Taliban and the troops. The SFs have reportedly secured
and cleared the area up to Shahid Khapa, and are strengthening
their positions around Takhtaband Bridge, Barikot, Gokdara and
Udigram areas. The SFs also attacked Banai Baba Ziarat on May
20 and secured the highest point in the area.
|
May 22
|
17 militants and three SF personnel
were killed and ten SF personnel sustained injuries during fighting
in various areas of Swat District. According to an official announcement,
troops are consolidating their positions and expanding their control
over the valley. The SFs are reported to have secured militants’
strongholds in Takhtaband village and Qambar. During an encounter
between the two sides, eight militants and one soldier were killed
and six SF personnel were wounded.
The bodies of two policemen were
found lying in the Nishat Chowk in Mingora town. In addition,
four militants were arrested from the Kot Musa area.
In the Shangla District, troops
took control of Baini Baba Ziarat, Nazarabad, Uchraisar, and Wanai
Ridge. During clashes between the Taliban and SFs, three militants
and an Army officer were killed.
A powerful car bomb exploded near
the Tasveer Mahal Cinema hall in the busy Kabuli Chowk area of
Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, killing at least 10 people and
injuring over 65 others. Besides destroying the front elevation
of the Tasveer Mahal Cinema, the powerful explosion also damaged
another nearby movie hall, dozens of music centres and shops as
well as several vehicles. The blast also disconnected power supply
to the area hampering rescue efforts. Windowpanes of buildings
in the adjoining Qissa Khwani, Khyber Bazaar, Mohallah Jhangi,
Shoba Bazaar and Namakmandi areas were damaged due to the impact
of the explosion. The Capital City Police Officer, Safwat Ghayyur,
while admitting a security lapse, said 40-50 kilograms of explosives
were used in the blast. However, bomb disposal squad experts said
over 60 kilograms of explosives and several mortar shells were
used in the bomb that was triggered through a time-device.
|
May 23
|
17 Taliban militants, including
a ‘commander’, were killed by the troops at Mingora in Swat, chief
military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. He said the
troops had secured a part of the city from the Circuit House to
Makan Bagh. Battles to secure Nawan Killi have begun and a link
up between forces coming from Fiza Ghat to Whataki Chowk and Ayub
Bridge to Nawan Killi has been completed. Intense clashes were
reported from Nishat Chowk in Mingora. The report adds that a
suicide bomber was shot dead and an explosives-laden vehicle was
destroyed in Makanzai area of the city. On the Qambar Ridge overlooking
Mingora, three caves with large quantities of ammunition and rations
were discovered during a search and destroy operation. The Taliban
militants are on the run in small groups from their former Peochar
stronghold. Troops have secured the vital Wanai Bridge linking
Matta with Peochar. Gen Abbas said there were about 1,500 ‘hardcore
militants’ still fighting in Swat, and that the army would try
to complete the operation in eight weeks.
|
May 24
|
Troops have secured several important
areas in Mingora, including a crossing infamous for beheadings
carried out by the Taliban, said SFs as the military killed 10
more militants in various areas of Swat District. The Inter-Services
Public Relations said 10 militants and three soldiers were killed
in gun-battles in various areas of Swat, while 14 militants were
also arrested. Five of the militants were killed in Malam Jabba
when the SFs were tipped off about their presence in the area.
The troops secured various important areas in Mingora – including
Wattakai Chowk, Nawakilli Chowk, Nishat Chowk, Sirafe Chowk, Gulshan
Chowk, Green Chowk, Haji Baba Chowk and Sohrab Chowk – in the
24 hours preceding the latest ISPR update on the operation. Green
Chowk is infamous for beheadings carried out by the Taliban. The
military said troops defused four IED during the operation in
Mingora. Further, after surrounding Peochar valley, troops entered
Peochar village and seized a huge cache of arms from Taliban hideouts
and overtook a factory manufacturing bombs and IEDs.
Police in Charsadda District said
they have arrested seven Taliban militants. Charsadda Police chief
Riaz Khan said the arrested men included Qari Ihsanullah, a Taliban
commander suspected of carrying out attacks both in Pakistan and
Afghanistan. "We recovered three suicide jackets, explosives
and assault rifles from their possession," he said.
|
May 25 |
The SFs claimed to have secured the training centre
and logistic base of militants in the Malam Jabba area of Swat
Valley. SFs also killed four militants during operations in the
Fizagat and Peuchar areas and arrested eight others. According
to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), SFs faced stiff
resistance from the militants in Malam Jabba. However, it said
the troops secured Malam Jabba, believed to be one of the strongholds
of the militants in the valley. Located on main line of communication
that links the Swat Valley with Mansehra, the area with thick
forest was being used as a training centre and logistic base by
the militants.
SFs also secured Fizagat, a few kilometers north
of Mingora city, and the area up to Watakai. During the operation,
two militants were killed and six soldiers were wounded in an
encounter. One armed personnel carrier and a huge cache of arms
and ammunition were also recovered. After resumption of the operation
in Peuchar, a heavy exchange of fire took place between the two
sides. During the encounter, two militants were killed and five
others arrested. The ISPR said that the militants were on the
run from the valley.
Continuing with operations in Qambar, a stronghold
of the militants situated three kilometers ahead of Mingora, troops
secured the village and Qambar ridge, besides clearing six tunnels.
The area up to Grid Station, Amankot and a junction in Saidu Khuar
were also reportedly secured. Odigram was also controlled where
three militants were arrested in a search and cordon operation.
Reports from Daggar indicated that fighting has
broken out in the Pacha and Pir Baba villages of Buner District
following an advance by the Pakistan Army ground troops. Sources
in the area said the troops after consolidating their positions
were now marching on Pacha and Pir Baba and facing resistance
from well-entrenched Taliban militants who had taken up positions
in roadside houses and in the streets. The troops had earlier
taken control of Jokhela Chowk and advanced on the road to Pir
Baba. They had also seized Sultanwas, which was the Taliban headquarters
in Buner, and Ghazi Khanay village. Sources said militants were
still present in some strength in the Gokand Valley, Salarzai
sub-division, Hissar, Bhagra, Bhatay and Malikpur areas.
The Taliban chief in Swat, Maulana Fazlullah,
has asked his men to stop battling the SFs in Mingora, a stronghold
of the militants. "Maulana Fazlullah has directed all his mujahideen
to stop resistance in Mingora and its surroundings to avoid hardships
to the people and losses to the civilian population," Taliban
spokesman Muslim Khan told. "Most of our mujahideen have already
left Mingora," he said by telephone from an unspecified location.
He accused the military of killing civilians during its operations
in the Lower Dir, Buner and Swat Districts. The Army spokesman
Major General Athar Abbas, however, said the militants "have started
using ploys to escape. They are now remembering the civilians
whom they used to behead and decapitate."
Unidentified gunmen shot dead three Shia labourers
in a drive-by shooting in Dera Ismail Khan. The assailants, riding
a motorcycle, opened fire on a group of workers at a construction
site, local Police chief Muhammad Iqbal said. "Three of the workers
died on the spot and one was injured. The victims were all Shias,"
he told. The slain civilians were identified as Muhammad Nawaz,
Jahangir and Mumtaz Hussain.
Suspected Taliban militants blew up a CD shop
and a Police post in Peshawar, the NWFP capital, but there were
no casualties. A Police official told that explosives planted
in the CD shop went off around 3am and slightly damaged the shop.
Suspected militants also targeted a Police check-post on the Pajjagi
Road. There were, however, no casualties.
The Taliban destroyed a girls' school in Hangu
District. A private TV channel reported that militants had planted
explosives at the Government school in Shahidkhel area in the
early hours of the morning, and the consequent blast destroyed
the entire building. No casualties were reported.
|
May 26 |
SFs have gained control of half of Mingora city
and killed 29 militants in various areas of Swat Valley during
the last 24 hours besides arresting 14 others, the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas
said. "Six soldiers also laid down their lives and 11 others sustained
injuries," he told reporters at a press briefing in Islamabad.
"More than half of Mingora is under the army's control. We have
plugged all escape routes for militants," said Abbas, adding that
pockets of "hardcore militants" remained. The military spokesman
said the operation was progressing well despite stiff resistance
by the militants. He said street fights and house-to-house search
was going on in Mingora city. Athar said 18 militants were killed
in Mingora during an encounter and seven others were arrested
when they were trying to escape towards Buner District. He said
four IEDs were also defused in the area.
The Malakand-Qambar-Mingora road has reportedly
been opened for traffic. In Qambar, SFs defused 12 IEDs and also
recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition. The Kanju-Kabal road
has also been cleared and fierce fighting is reportedly underway
for securing Kabal. In Peuchar, the military spokesman said SFs
continued a cordon and search operation and destroyed Taliban
strongholds at Mano Derai. During the exchange of fire, three
militants were killed while three others were arrested. A remote
controlled IED was also defused at Pir Killay by the troops. Security
forces have also cleared Sakhra Valley, the main route of the
militants' movement from Peuchar towards Kalam and other areas.
About Buner, he said 90 percent area of the District
had been cleared although some terrorists are present at Pir Baba.
During search at check-posts, four militants have been arrested,
he said. He added that in the night of May 25, about 100 to 120
militants attacked the Kalpani post in Dir Lower District from
three directions and the attack was repulsed and militants suffered
heavy casualties. Eight bodies have been recovered in close vicinity
of the check-post. Two SF personnel were also killed in the incident
and three others were wounded.
Several militants and five civilians were killed
and 10 others injured in shelling by the military gunship helicopters
in Shangla District. Sources said the SFs, backed by gunship helicopters,
targeted the militant-infested areas of Jabar, Amnavi and Achar.
The sources added these areas were heavily shelled and SFs on
the ground continued search and cordon operations. There were
reports that several militants and five civilians were killed
in the shelling.
Three Policemen and a suspected militant were
killed and an ASI sustained injuries in a pre-dawn encounter with
local and foreign militants in the Malikyar village of Haripur
District. This was the first major case involving militants in
Haripur District. The suspected militants were believed to have
attacked the Police party in a bid to secure the release of five
women, who had been put under house arrest after the Police arrested
a foreigner, Abdullah, from there last week. Some hand grenades,
Kalashnikovs, computers and CDs having footages of the Taliban,
were also recovered in the raid.
Two Taliban commanders from Buner District were
arrested in Swabi. The sources said the two commanders - identified
as Ihsanullah and Riaz - were carrying a hand grenade, two pistols
and a wireless set when they were arrested. They said that both
were residents of Sawari area in Buner District.
A hand grenade attack on the house of a Shia family
in Dera Ismail Khan killed a man and injured two others. According
to Police, Zafar Abbas was at his house in Awanabad area with
two other men when unidentified militants hurled a hand grenade
at the house, killing Abbas and injuring the other two men. However,
AFP put the number of the injured at three. The blast destroyed
parts of the house, while nearby houses were also damaged. No
one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, Police said.
The Taliban said they wanted to return to the
peace deal with the NWFP Government, similar to the one that collapsed
in April 2009 and triggered the military operation in Swat and
Malakand. The TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad claimed the Taliban
in Swat District were willing to disarm if the Government implemented
Sharia (Islamic law) in the region, his spokesman said.
|
May 27 |
SFs said they would clear Mingora town in Swat
District of the Taliban within two to three days, as 12 more militants
were killed in the ongoing military operation. Mingora Force Commander
Brigadier Tahir Hamid told the media that SFs had secured 70 percent
of Mingora city. He said the army was chasing the Taliban through
the streets. "We tried not to use helicopter gunships in populated
areas to avoid collateral damage," he added. According to an Inter-Services
Public Relations statement, one solider was killed during the
operation in the last 24 hours. It said the SFs had distributed
four truckloads of relief items among the people of Mingora. However,
it added, Taliban were attacking and snatching relief items being
dispatched for stranded people of Bharain, Madyan and Kalam. It
said the areas up to Sultanwas in Buner, and Mohmand Agency, had
been cleared of the Taliban.
SFs continued their advance on Kanju-Kabal, while
securing their positions at Madyan, Bagh Derai, Kala Kot, and
Sakhra Valley. In addition, two soldiers were killed when their
vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Qambar near Mingora.
Troops claimed to have killed 10 militants in
the Maidan area of Lower Dir District. Militants' hideouts in
Zaimdara, Shagai, Dabako, Babagam and other place of upper Maidan
reportedly came under shelling. A local source said that the Taliban
militants were fleeing Maidan and only a few hardcore militants
were offering resistance. He said the militants who had come from
Waziristan were not seen patrolling the area for over a week.
"They have either been killed in the operation or have returned
to Waziristan," he added.
Troops have reportedly cleared the Peshawar-Chitral
road and a swathe from Chakdara to Timergara and set up two check-posts
in Talash. They also distributed pamphlets warning people against
sheltering the Taliban. "Houses, streets and villages from where
security forces are attacked will be considered as Taliban's posts
and would be destroyed," the pamphlet said. Meanwhile, Security
Forces arrested the chief of Al Badar Mujahideen Pakistan, Bakht
Zamin Khan, and his son Hafizullah, but released them five hours
later. However, the circumstances and reasons for the detention
were not reported.
The NWFP Government has received reports that
TTP Swat chief Maulana Fazlullah has been killed in the military
operation in Swat, provincial Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain
said. He told the media in capital Peshawar that several key militant
commanders' deaths had already been confirmed. The NWFP government
has also decided to place head money on the Taliban leadership,
he added.
|
May 28 |
Terrorists attacked Peshawar, capital of the NWFP,
and its environs as eight people were killed and over 68 sustained
injuries. Two separate blasts took place in the Qissa Khwani bazaar
while three Policemen were killed and nine others injured in a
suicide attack on a Police vehicle at the Sra Khawra security
post on the Kohat road. Two suspected militants were killed and
two others arrested in an encounter between the Police and alleged
terrorists who had taken shelter in a building located behind
Qissa Khwani bazaar soon after the two blasts.
The first blast occurred at the congested Kabari
bazaar at the back of Qissa Khwani bazaar at 5:40pm. Two minutes
later, another bomb planted in a motorbike in front of a sweet
shop in Qissa Khwani exploded. At least seven persons, including
a minor girl, were killed, while 63 others wounded in these explosions.
There were reports that three of the deceased were killed in cross-firing
between the suspected militants and Police. Bomb disposal squad
experts said 4 to 5 kilograms of explosives was used in the twin
blasts.
When people were busy in rescue work in Qissa
Khwani, a suicide bomber riding a vehicle hit a Police mobile
vehicle parked near the security post in Sra Khawra area on Kohat
road in the jurisdiction of Matani Police station. Three Policemen
were killed and nine others injured in the attack on the outskirts
of Peshawar. The vehicle was destroyed and the police post was
partially damaged in the suicide bombing.
Reports indicated that after the second blast
at Qissa Khwani, the Police had an encounter with some suspected
militants in the nearby streets. The firing between the militants,
who had reportedly made a child hostage, continued for almost
an hour. Police shot dead two of the suspects and arrested an
equal number from a building, Inspector General Police Malik Naveed
said.
A Policeman and two passers-by were killed and
13 people wounded when a suicide attacker exploded an auto-rickshaw
near a Police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan.
SFs entered Bahrain, while seven more militants
were killed and four others, including an important commander,
were arrested during the last 24 hours in the ongoing operation
in Swat Valley, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Four soldiers were also killed while 12 others sustained injuries
in clashes between SFs and militants in different areas of the
valley.
According to the ISPR media update, a known militant
commander identified as Ghaniur Rehman has been arrested by the
troops during the search and cordon operation. He was allegedly
involved in killing police officials. A local elder said there
were some 40-50 militants in Bahrain but they fled the town on
May 27-evening when they came to know about the arrival of the
SFs. "They (Taliban) are avoiding fighting with the security forces
now and are running," he said and added the militants had shifted
to Kalam. The elder said the group of Taliban militants in Kalam
was commanded by one Khushmir, a resident of Gilgit. He said five
militants were killed in a clash in Bahrain.
The ISPR said an explosive-laden vehicle was destroyed
and two militants were killed at Satal, four kilometers short
of Bahrain town. Though there were conflicting reports about casualties
in the Satal incident, a man from Kalam claimed that a Taliban
commander, identified as Wazifa, had been killed in the clash
along with seven other militants. He claimed a 'deputy commander'
of the militants in the area, Hameedi, confirmed the death of
Wazifa.
Some residents of Kanju, who managed to reach
the provincial capital Peshawar, said Mingora, Kanju and Kabal
towns were almost cleared as the Taliban had vacated these areas.
"They have moved towards mountains," they said.
Two militants, according to the ISPR, were killed
during an exchange of fire between the Taliban and SFs in Malam
Jabba. The SFs also continued action in Peuchar village and carried
out cordon and search operations there. The troops also ambushed
a group of 15-20 militants at Manodherai and killed three of them
while four others were arrested. One soldier sustained injuries
in the incident.
A convoy of eight Army trucks carrying relief
and food destined for Barikot and Mingora was ambushed at Landakay
near Barikot. Four soldiers, the ISPR said, were killed in the
incident but relief goods were transported safely and distributed
among stranded people of Mingora.
An improvised explosive device exploded near Piran
village in Batkhela. However, no loss of life was reported.
The troops were reportedly consolidating their
positions in Mingora, Qambar, Kanju and Kabal areas. They also
conducted cordon and search operations in Nawagai, Nawan Killi,
Gulabad and Landikas.
A report has indicated that the Taliban in Swat
pay mercenaries for killing Police and army troops, a suspected
Afghan terrorist arrested by local Police told the media, adding
that he was paid PKR 20,000 to kill a Policeman. "I beheaded five
policemen in Sitara Chowk," Ghaniur Rehman told reporters after
SFs arrested him from Malukabad area of the city a day earlier.
The suspected Afghan terrorist said he received training at a
Taliban training facility in the Charbagh area.
|
May 29 |
SFs have taken control of Bahrain and cleared
Peochar village in the Swat District, the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) said as SFs killed 28 Taliban militants, including
commander Khush Mir Khan a.k.a. Abu Huzaifa. "The security forces
have successfully secured Bahrain," said the ISPR in a statement,
adding that the army had also arrested seven Taliban militants
from various areas of Swat. The ISPR said five soldiers and two
civilians were also injured in an exchange of fire. Some of the
heaviest recent fighting is reported to have taken place in Bahrain.
In a cordon-and-search operation, the SFs cleared the Taliban
stronghold of Peochar village. "The army destroyed Taliban hideouts,
including a madrassa, and seized 12 UN-registered vehicles," said
the ISPR, adding that four tunnels storing rations stolen from
NGOs were also discovered and a 'huge cache of arms' confiscated.
In Mingora, troops continued their cordon-and-search
operation, cleared Aman Kot and Technical Institute College on
Mingora-Kokarai Road and arrested five militants.
During a search operation in the Kalpani area
of Lower Dir District, the army killed six Taliban commanders,
identified as Qadir, Noor Hameed, Aftab, Yousaf, Iftikhar and
Iftikhar.
The SFs also defused five improvised explosive
devices during a search operation around Daggar in Buner District.
The army is reported to have killed 13 Taliban militants hiding
in a compound during a gun-battle.
1,300 militants and 90 SF personnel have been
killed so far during the ongoing operation. Official sources said
the troops were moving towards Kalam and would soon enter the
area. Troops are also reportedly ensuring that the militants do
not return to the areas cleared of them.
Pakistan hiked a reward for Maulana Fazlullah,
the Taliban chief in Swat valley, wanted dead or alive, to PKR
50 million, 10 times more than an original bounty. "The federal
government has announced 50 million rupees," an Interior Ministry
spokesman told. "The five million rupees head money was announced
by the provincial government in the NWFP," he added. The Interior
Ministry also published a list of "miscreant-terrorists" from
the Taliban leadership in Swat and District capital Mingora, offering
PKR 50 million for Fazlullah and PKR 10 million each for 15 of
his aides.
A man was killed in firing by the SFs and two
others, including a minor, were injured in a roadside bomb blast
separately in the Shangla District. Sources said Gul Mukhtiar
was killed in firing allegedly by SFs. Further, in an improvised
explosive device explosion, two persons were injured.
The SFs summoned a meeting of the elders of Puran
and Chakesar areas, asking them to expel the militants from their
areas or face an operation. It was ascertained that the militants
were still carrying out their activities in Yakh Tangi Top in
Bisham.
|
May 31 |
SFs entered the Kalam Valley and took control
of Mingora city, while 12 militants were killed during the last
24 hours in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast, the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) said. Eight SF personnel were also killed
and six others sustained injuries, it added. Mingora city is now
reportedly in control of the SFs who are manning every square,
street and building and keeping a vigil on every passing vehicle
and people.
The troops advancing on the north of Mingora entered
Kalam Valley at 10:00 am. The ISPR said troops had secured Mankial,
some 14 kilometers from Bahrain, and continued consolidation of
their positions in Bahrain, Kuz Laikot and Kidam. The ISPR stated
that a cordon and search operation was making a progress in Peuchar,
where the SFs recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from
Dob Banda.
The militants set ablaze the Government Girls'
School in Bedara, some 3.5 kilometers north of Matta. The Government
High School in the Kuza Bandai village of the Kabal sub-division
was also blown up with explosives. The military has not started
any major operation in the Kabal sub-division yet, as it was until
now focusing on securing Matta and Khwazakhela sub-divisions and
the twin towns of Mingora and Saidu Sharif. There were reports
that the troops were marching towards Charbagh.
The SFs are reported to have successfully completed
the clearance operation at Najigram village in the Buner District.
One soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device explosion.
SFs killed two militants at the Umerzeb checkpoint
in Dir Lower District during an encounter with the militants.
Troops also continued with cordon and search operations at the
Kumbar bazaar and Kalpani.
The military operation in Swat District will be
completed in two to three days, Secretary of Defence Syed Athar
Ali said. Speaking at a security summit in Singapore and talking
to Reuters later for an interview, Ali said the military operation
in Swat had "met almost complete success", with only 5 percent
to 10 percent of the job remaining. "Hopefully within the next
two to three days these pockets of resistance will be cleared,"
Ali told the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual meeting of defence
ministers, officials and experts. Ali said the army conducting
the anti-Taliban operation in Swat would remain in Swat until
the Police took firm control of the situation.
A soldier was killed and another sustained injuries
when militants opened fire on the SFs check-post in Darra Adamkhel.
Sources said a group of militants attacked the check-post in Tor
Chapper area early in the day killing Sepoy Muhammad Shahid on
the spot and injuring another soldier, Riasat. The SFs launched
a search operation soon after the attack, targeting suspected
hideouts of the militants in different areas of Darra Adamkhel.
However, there were no reports of casualties in the operation.
An alleged top militant commander of Michini,
identified as Noor Muhammad, was killed in an exchange of fire
with Police in the Mathra area.
Taliban attacked the Army Public School in Hangu
District, killed a school employee and abducted three persons,
including two Policemen. Official sources said a large number
of Taliban militants intruded into the school and attempted to
abduct the staff. The militants later shot dead an administrative
officer, Gharib Gul, and abducted Head Constable Shakirullah,
Constable Bilal and a school employee, Sohail.
Security Forces launched an operation in the Yakh
Tanghi Top area Alpuri in Shangla District, killing several Taliban
militants and destroying their hideouts and a base. Artillery
units based in Shangla Top attacked several hideouts of militants
who had sneaked into the area from the Swat and Buner Districts.
Official sources said that a Government rest-house in Yakh Tanghi
built by the former ruler of Swat and being used by militants
as their base was hit by shells, leaving several militants dead.
Videos made by the Taliban in Swat have shown
teenage boys being groomed as suicide bombers. Militants went
from house to house in May demanding a man or boy from each family.
The recruits were encouraged to volunteer for suicide missions.
A Taliban spokesman has said the recent suicide attacks in Lahore
and Peshawar were revenge for the army's assault in the NWFP.
Films obtained by Sunday Telegraph show boys of 14 or 15 recording
farewell messages before climbing into vehicles filled with explosives.
|
June 1 |
SFs claimed to have killed 37 militants in the
Swat Valley and the Buner District during the ongoing military
operation against Taliban. In addition, troops launched an operation
in the Charbagh area of the valley to clear it of the militants,
while curfew was lifted from Kalam town after talks between SFs
and local elders. The Frontier Corps sources said SFs engaged
the militants in their hideouts in Pacha Killay, Tongo Pull, Jawar
and Gul Killay. 19 militants were killed during an exchange of
fire between the SFs and Taliban, the sources claimed.
The ISPR said 18 militants were killed and 12
others were arrested during the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast in
Swat Valley. The ISPR said normalcy was returning to Mingora.
The ISPR also said food items and medicines were being supplied
to the city, while hospital staff and technicians had already
been flown in. Meanwhile, troops launched an operation in Charbagh
to purge it of militants. Heavy clashes reportedly broke out for
the control of the Jangle Jerki village. SFs faced stiff resistance
from the militants during their operation to link Kabal to Sarsenai.
The ISPR said an exchange of fire took place in Fatehpur, in which
one militant was killed. In Qalagai, a Taliban hideout was attacked
and three of the militants were killed, while seven others were
arrested. A check-post at Ronial in the Matta sub-division also
came under attack by the militants, in which three soldiers and
four civilians were injured. The ISPR, however, said five militants
were arrested.
SFs carried out a search and destroy operation
in the Dambar Kandao area of Peuchar and destroyed a training
centre of the militants. A newly-constructed, 50-foot-long tunnel
in the area was destroyed, along with a huge cache of arms and
ammunition. The ISPR claimed that nine militants were killed and
six others sustained injuries in the operation. One soldier sustained
injuries in firing by the Taliban.
Troops are reported to have dislodged militants
from most of the towns in Buner District, but Pacha Killay and
its surrounding areas are still believed to be infested with the
Taliban militants. The militants on May 31 reportedly beheaded
three persons in Pacha Killay for spying for the SFs. The Buner
District Coordination Officer (DCO) Yahya Akhundzada said the
situation in Pacha Killay had improved. He, however, admitted
that there was still a problem beyond Pacha Killay. "Pir Baba,
Gokand and Karakar are still volatile, but action will certainly
be taken to clear these areas of the militants," the DCO said.
About the overall security situation in the District, Akhundzada
said normalcy was returning to Buner. Yahya told that 50 per cent
employees had resumed their duties, while others had conveyed
by phone that they would rejoin on June 2 (today). About some
reports of suspension of Police officials, he said more than 100
Policemen had been suspended for failing to resume their duties.
Two people were killed and 18 others injured in
a bomb blast at a bus station in the Tirah bazaar of Kohat town
in Kohat District. Senior Police official Ehsanullah Khan said
that the explosive device was hidden in a sack and was detonated
by a remote control. A doctor at the main District hospital said
two dead bodies had been brought in after the blast.
Taliban militants abducted a convoy of 30 buses
carrying more than 500 students and staff of the Razmak Cadet
College (of North Waziristan) in Bannu in the NWFP. They were
on their way to Bannu after the college closed for its summer
vacation, town Police chief Iqbal Marwat said. "Only two buses
carrying some 25 students reached Bannu," Marwat said, adding
that about 28 buses carrying around 400 students were missing.
"They have been kidnapped by Taliban militants," Marwat. The college
is an army-run educational institution for civilians. Those kidnapped
include students and civilian staff, he said. Officials told the
convoy reached Kajori check-post on the border of North Waziristan
and Bannu safe, but were abducted from Marwat Kanal area in Baqakhel
Police precincts. "Militants started firing in the air to stop
the vehicles and then they forcibly drove them to unknown place,"
Javed Alam, vice principal of the college, told a private television
channel.
Police arrested seven suspected militants during
search operation in a camp, set up for internally displaced persons
(IDP) at Wari Technical College in the Upper Dir District of NWFP.
Sources said that Police launched a search operation the camp,
established for the people displaced from Swat and Lower Dir.
Seven suspected militants belonging to the Peochar area of Swat
and Maidan area of Lower Dir were arrested during the operation.
The arrested militants were identified as Sherin Zada, Wazir Zada,
Mohammad Sher, Alam Khan and Sherin Mohammad belonging to Peochar
and Shakirullah of Maidan.
|
June 2 |
Battling the Taliban militants for the control
of Charbagh in Swat Valley, Security Forces faced stiff resistance,
killing 21 militants and suffering three casualties during the
last 24 hours, the ISPR said. In addition, 18 militants were arrested
during the Operation Rah-e-Rast in Charbagh and other areas. SFs,
after asking the local population to vacate the area, launched
an operation against the militants in Charbagh and Kabal areas.
The ISPR said that the troops, during the operation in Charbagh,
cleared the area between little-known Jangle Tekri and Sra Chena.
One soldier was killed during the clashes while four others sustained
injuries. However, the troops successfully secured Alamganj, Waliabad
and Gulibagh areas in Charbagh, the ISPR said. During the clashes
in Charbagh and Alamganj areas, it said 14 militants were killed
and 18 others arrested.
The troops launched an operation in Kot and cleared
Khairabad and Sarsenai check-post in Swat, the ISPR added. An
exchange of fire took place between SFs and the militants in the
area in which two militants were killed. Troops also carried out
a search and destroy operation in the Mandi Banda area of Peuchar
and recovered some arms and ammunition.
The ISPR said troops also undertook operations
in the Shangla District. An exchange of fire took place between
the two sides in which two soldiers were killed while two others
sustained injuries. SFs, it said, killed five militants during
the operation. Three children were reportedly wounded when the
militants fired two mortar shells at Ronial and Dang Arkot Qila.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead an agricultural
research officer and his driver in the Kolachi area of Dera Ismail
Khan. Sources said Muhammad Iqbal was on his way to the research
station at Paharpur in Kolachi in his official vehicle when the
gunmen opened fire on him. Consequently, Iqbal and his driver,
Najeebullah, sustained bullet injuries. They were shifted to the
District Headquarters Hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.
Muhammad Iqbal was the elder brother of Qari Khalil Ahmad, a leader
of the outlawed Sunni group SSP.
|
June 3 |
SFs claimed to have killed three militants in
the Bedara area of Matta sub-division in Swat and secured Charbagh,
where troops were now consolidating their position. The ISPR claimed
that the SFs conducted a search operation in a seminary situated
near Allahabad town in Charbagh and recovered a huge cache of
explosives and improvised explosive devices. The troops also cleared
Dakorak area near Gulibagh and established two check-posts in
Satal near Bahrain. They also consolidated their position in Kalam.
In the Bedara area of Matta, the militants attacked a post that
led to an exchange of fire. The ISPR claimed that three militants
and a soldier were killed and two soldiers were wounded in the
incident.
In Lower Dir District, the SFs launched an operation
and successfully secured the area from Gulabad to Shewa, Kithiari
and Asband.
In the Buner District, the SFs started an operation
early in the morning and successfully secured Pir Baba and Bhai
Killay.
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told
reporters on a military-organised tour of Mingora town that it
could take another two months of fighting to overthrow the militants
from all their hideouts in Swat and the surrounding areas. He
added, though, that the two months timetable was "a rough estimate."
Earlier, Major General Ijaz Awan, a senior commander in Mingora,
said the military hoped about 2,500 Police personnel would return
to Mingora by end of June 2009 to take over security, but that
the army would probably have to stay in the Swat region for at
least another year to fully secure it.
220 schools were reportedly blown up by the militants
in Swat, during the ongoing wave of militancy while more than
10 private institutions were also destroyed. More than 60,000
students could not appear in the intermediate exam and all of
them are now living in other cities as displaced persons. This
was revealed in a report released by the Global Peace Council
(GPC). President of the GPC, Ziaullah Yousafzai, while addressing
a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, said the 92-year-old
infrastructure of Swat had been completely destroyed during the
insurgency in the valley. He also said students of the entire
District were vulnerable to the post traumatic effects and most
of them had already developed psychological diseases.
|
June 4 |
SFs said they killed 10 Taliban militants and
arrested six others in various areas of the Swat and Buner Districts,
while a soldier was killed and two others injured in various clashes.
Troops engaged fleeing militants at a check-post at Shangla and
killed six of them and arrested four others, according to the
ISPR.
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq
Parvez Kayani said that the tide in Swat had decisively turned
with the Army's resolve to defeat the terrorists. Expressing the
Army's commitment to aggressively hunt high-value targets, Gen
Kayani announced that the Army would continue carrying out operations
at a limited scale with an objective of clearing the remaining
hideouts and sanctuaries of terrorists. Addressing the 119th Corps
Commanders' Conference held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi,
Kayani said major population centres and roads leading to the
Swat valley had been largely cleared off the organised resistance
by terrorists. The COAS said isolated incidents of violence would
continue and would have to be managed. "The Army will stay in
Swat to provide security to the people," he added.
At least seven SF personnel, including three Police
officers and a Special Services Group (SSG) captain, were killed
when the militants attacked a Buner-bound joint Police and Frontier
Corps convoy at Natian, triggering a full-fledged operation in
the area that continued till late night. Military sources, however,
denied the killing of the military captain. Further, there were
reports of the killing of one militant and injuries to several
others. The exact number of causalities from the militants' side
could not be ascertained. However, 32 people are reported to have
sustained injuries in the clashes.
Suspected Taliban militants blew up a girls' high
school in the Badabher Police precincts of capital Peshawar. A
Police official at the Badabher Police Station told that the suspects
had planted explosives at the school and that the blast had severely
damaged the building. A Bomb Disposal Squad official said militants
had planted five bombs weighing around four to five kilograms
each and also fired a rocket at the building. Sulimankhel Nazim
Akmal Khan told that the local Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam militants
could be behind the attack. He said the suspects had also blown
up CD shops in the union council a few months ago.
|
June 5 |
A suicide bomber killed 49 worshippers, including
12 children, at a mosque in a remote village of the Dir Upper
District. Dozens more were injured as a young man detonated explosives
fastened to his body minutes before the Friday congregation in
the Hayagay Sharqi village. No group has so far claimed responsibility
for the suicide attack. The village, located in the mountains,
is situated approximately 20 kilometers east of Dir town, the
District headquarters. Reports indicated that the Hayagay Sharqi
village has been strongly opposed to the presence of the Taliban
militants in the Doog Darra area of Dir Upper.
SFs said they had killed 10 Taliban militants
and arrested four people, including three activists of the TNSM,
while 14 SF personnel were killed and 14 others injured in clashes
with the Taliban in Malakand Division.
The SFs recovered 35 improvised explosive devices,
three Thuraya sets, two FM transmitters, 500 detonators, three
long-range antennas and a large number of pistols and rifles from
a compound in the Tahirabad area of Mingora. During the exchange
of fire between the two sides, one soldier was also injured.
The federal Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, warned
of strict action against those challenging the Government's writ.
Speaking to the media at the Parliament House in Islamabad, Malik
said media reports regarding the arrest of TNSM Chief Maulana
Sufi Muhammad and the TTP chief Maulana Fazlullah were incorrect.
"Neither Maulana Fazlullah has been killed nor he or Maulana Sufi
Muhammad were arrested. The Swat Operation is going on and the
situation for the return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
would be clear within next few weeks," he said. Malik also stated
that the SFs arrested some militant commanders and their deputies.
He told a questioner that the infrastructure was badly affected
in the Operation Zone and daily use items were not available.
Consequently, Malik noted that no timeframe for the return of
the IDPs can be set.
President Asif Ali Zardari directed the NWFP Government
to immediately fill all vacant posts in the provincial Police
department. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Zardari
had issued the directive after consulting with Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Finance Division. Babar said the president
ordered that 2,500 former-defence personnel should be recruited
in the Police department on a two-year contract by the end of
June 2009. The recruits would be deployed in the troubled regions
of the NWFP, he added. The expenditure incurred would be borne
by the federal government and the adjutant general of the Pakistan
Army would act as the focal person for recruiting the ex-defence
personnel.
SFs claimed to have killed 10 militants and secured
the Chakesar area of Shangla District during military action against
the Taliban militants. The ISPR said SFs carried out action in
the Shangla District, situated to the east of the Swat valley,
killing 10 militants in Chakesar. It claimed that the troops had
cleared the Chakesar area of the militants. In addition, the area
from Chakesar up to Aloch, Bazarkot and Shell Qasar were cleared
and a linkup was established with the Charbagh area of Swat at
Dakorak, the ISPR said.
Four farmers harvesting wheat crop in fields were
reportedly killed when hit by mortar shells in the Tawa area of
Puran sub-division in Shangla District. During their advance towards
Chakesar, SFs shelled the suspected hideouts of militants in the
Yakhtangi area of Shangla District. The farmers, harvesting wheat
crop in Tawa, were hit by shells. Some reports from the Martoba
area suggested that three more civilians were killed and two others
injured when mortar shells struck them. Sources said the SFs reached
Yakhtangi Top and Bazarkot in Shangla. The locals, however, said
militants had already vacated the area before the arrival of troops.
|
June 6 |
Four Taliban militants were killed after hundreds
of tribesmen attacked their houses at Hayagai Sharqi in Upper
Dir District. Residents of the area launched the attack, a private
TV channel reported. It said six houses belonging to the Taliban
had also been destroyed.
60 Taliban militants were arrested by the SFs
from the relief camps established for the internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in various parts of the NWFP and elsewhere, said
Lt. Col. Wasim, representative of the SFs. At a press briefing
on Operation Rah-e-Rast, Wasim told reporters that Pakistan's
SFs were vigilant and keeping a stern check on the activities
of the Taliban militants who were taking refuge in the IDP camps
under civilian garb.
|
June 7 |
Three SF personnel, including an officer, were
killed and seven others sustained injuries, while four militants
were also killed during the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast, the
ISPR said. According to the ISPR media update, two soldiers were
killed while fighting the militants in Kabal area, between Gul
Jabba and Hazara Bridge.
The ISPR said the militants attacked an important
height known as Point 2050, four kilometers west of Ronial, which
was retaliated by the SFs. In the ensuing encounter three SF personnel
sustained injuries.
On a tip off by a local person of the area, SFs
raided the house of a militant, Sardar Ali, in Balakot village,
three kilometers west of Shangla Top. During the fighting, two
militants availing shelter in the house were killed. In another
incident, two militants, riding a motorcycle, were killed, who
earlier had targeted the troops, injuring one soldier. The ISPR
update said a would-be suicide bomber was arrested in the Kohat
Cantonment area.
The SFs are reported to have also consolidated
their positions and established check-posts in the Bara Bandai,
Koza Bandai and Ningolai areas of Swat. Separately, a Junior Commissioned
Officer, Naib Subedar Darwaish, who was in the custody of the
militants for over 40 days, managed to escape from their prison
in Barikot and reached Goratai safely. Further, during a cordon
and search operation in Tahirabad area, SFs recovered an explosive-laden
vehicle, which was prepared for carrying out an explosion. The
troops also recovered 15 locally-made improvised explosive devices
in pressure cookers, which were placed in the vehicle with detonating
cords connected.
The SFs successfully secured the Aloch area in
Puran sub-division of the Shangla District, besides capturing
areas in north and south of Faqirabad.
The Taliban have killed the nephew of the ruling
Awami National Party's Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA), Shamsher
Ali Khan, and a Policeman in Swat, According to a private TV channel,
a number of militants had attacked the MPA's house in Dheri near
Kanju airport and abducted his brothers, Muhammad Ali and Shaukat
Ali, his nephew Asfghar and two servants.
The Taliban blew up a Government school in Darra
Adam Khel. The channel quoted its sources as saying that the Taliban
planted explosives near the school in the Shira area of Darra
Adam Khel. However, no casualties were reported since the school
was closed.
Intensifying the offensive against the Taliban
militants, the armed villagers of Hayagay Sharqi in Dir Upper
District, backed by the people of dozens of other villages, besieged
the militants from all sides, killing six more of them. Locals
and the Lashkar (militia) sources said 12 Taliban militants, including
two commanders, had been killed so far in the siege, while fighting
was continuing till last reports were filed. Capturing several
hamlets, the villagers also torched 21 houses owned by the Taliban
and their supporters. The people of Hayagay Sharqi, located in
mountains some 20 kilometers east of Dir town, the District headquarters,
launched an armed action against the Taliban to avenge the killing
of 49 persons in the suicide attack at a mosque on June 5.
The Taliban militants, led by Afghan commander
Amir Khitab, have been operating in Doog Darra near the bombed
village. They are believed to be behind the suicide attack to
subjugate the people of Hayagay Sharqi. Some 400 villagers banded
together to attack five villages in the nearby Doog Darra area
that were known Taliban strongholds, said District Coordination
Officer Atifur Rehman. He said the citizens' Lashkar has occupied
three of the villages since June 6, and was trying to push the
Taliban out of the other two. District Police Chief Ejaz Ahmad
said around 200 Taliban militants were putting up a tough resistance,
but were surrounded by the villagers.
Hundreds of people of Hayagay Sharqi and Gharbi,
armed with heavy weapons, launched the offensive in the evening
of June 6. Locals said the people of Kilot, Doon, Ganshal, Gurrai,
Narkun, Hayagay Sharqi, Hayagay Gharbi and 20 villages of Doog
Darra banded together to rout the militants. The people of two
villages, Panaghar and Maluk Khwar, who were previously supporting
the Taliban, also abandoned them and joined the Lashkar. "The
Lashkar fighters informed me that so far 12 militants had been
killed," a supporter of the Lashkar told. A man from Sheringal
- a nearby town - said the Taliban had stopped putting up resistance.
He also said that the Lashkar was making regular advances towards
the stronghold of the militants. "They have been encircled from
all sides, including Chitral and we are closing in on them," he
said. He put the number of Taliban casualties at 13.
Mortar shells hit a group of people fleeing the
fighting in Swat Valley in the Gulibagh area of neighbouring Upper
Dir district, killing five civilians, including two women and
a child. Due to the military action in Kabal and other areas of
Swat, the trapped people are reportedly taking the mountainous
path due to the curfew. A group of civilians was going from Swat
to Upper Dir through the mountains when mortar shells hit them
in the Gulibagh area of Karo Darra in Upper Dir District, killing
five of them.
The Taliban attacked a Security Forces' convoy,
killing the TNSM deputy chief Maulana Alam and spokesman Amir
Izaat while they were being transported to Peshawar, the NWFP
capital. The ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas told
reporters in Rawalpindi the Taliban attacked the convoy after
it hit an improvised explosive device. He said one non-commissioned
officer was also killed in the attack, and five others were wounded.
He said the convoy was carrying prisoners needed for a "special
investigation" by intelligence agencies. Responding to questions,
he said the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad was not in custody,
but confirmed that TNSM leader Maulana Wahab was currently being
interrogated by the SFs.
During a separate press conference in Peshawar,
the NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain blamed the Taliban
for killing the two TNSM leaders. "There were differences between
the TNSM and the Taliban. We are 90 percent certain the terrorists
attacked the convoy to kill the two men," he said. "We were told
by the TNSM leaders during negotiations that the Taliban were
threatening them. So, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind
about who carried out (Saturday's) attack," he added.
The ISPR Director General, meanwhile, said SFs
had cleared Barabonde, and had established check-posts at Kuzabonde
and Goraghat. He said 17 Taliban militants had been killed in
the Qambar sub-division during the past 24 hours, adding one soldier
had also died in the process. He said the Taliban had fired rockets
on a check-post of the SFs in Khawazakhela, resulting in two soldiers
being killed and one being injured. He said according to estimates,
three to four percent of the terrorists killed or arrested by
the SFs are foreigners, including Arabs, Central Asians or Afghans.
|
June 8 |
An Upper Dir tribal Lashkar (militia) seeking
retaliation for the suicide attack (June 5) at a mosque has killed
14 Taliban militants, including 'commander' Chamto Afghani, and
burnt the houses of another 13 as they besieged two Taliban strongholds
of Shatkas and Mena villages. Locals said heavy firing continued
on third consecutive day as the militants, whose number was said
to be between 200 and 300, had been holed up. In addition, 21
more Taliban militants were killed in various parts of the Malakand
Division, according a press release by the ISPR. A local security
official in Upper Dir said the Taliban were on the run. "[They]
are surrounded from both eastern and western sides and are now
fleeing the area after leaving their weapons and disguising themselves,"
he said.
In the Swat District, three Taliban militants
were killed in Charbagh after a tip off from the civilian residents
during a cordon and search operation. "Security forces carried
out search operations in Bara Banda, Shahdhand Banda and successfully
established link up at Damber Sar. During exchange of fire, one
terrorist was killed. Security forces also established link up
at Shakardara," the ISPR added.
There were some unconfirmed reports that military
helicopters dropped weapons to the Lashkar in Upper Dir to encourage
them to continue their fight against the Taliban militants. Approximately
1,600 tribesmen have joined a citizens' militia against the Taliban
in Upper Dir district.
A Policeman was killed and two people were wounded
when a roadside bomb blast destroyed a Police van near the Hazarkhwani
village, triggering a crackdown on a religious seminary in the
limits of the Agha Mir Jani Shah Police station in Peshawar. The
explosion also created a six-foot-deep and five-foot-wide crater
in the Hazarkhwani Road near the Akhun Darveza Baba graveyard.
"A party of the Agha Mir Jani Shah police station had set up a
barricade on the Hazarkhwani Road, while the official van with
its driver, Amir Nawaz, was also parked at some distance from
the cordon," said a Police official. Terrorists reportedly detonated
explosives, planted at the roadside just under the vehicle, with
a remote-controlled device when the rest of the Policemen were
busy searching vehicles entering the city limits at 5:10 pm, the
Police official said.
Seven suspects were detained in the ensuing raids
on the religious seminary immediately after the blast. "We conducted
a raid on the seminary in the area and arrested seven suspects,"
said Capital City Police Officer Safwat Ghayyur. Another Police
official said a large number of militants were living in the area
and the nearby Hazarkhwani town, who had not only blown up the
Rehman Baba shrine, but also attacked the Police patrolling vehicles,
a number of NATO terminals, CD shops and schools.
The militants also blew up a CD shop at the adjacent
Garhi Atta Muhammad town. "Many woke up by the huge explosion
at 3 am, who saw six to eight people riding horses before and
after the occurrence," said villager Jamroz.
Explosive devices planted beside a Police post
in the Changal area of Battagram District went off. No casualty
was, however, reported.
|
June 9 |
A massive truck bomb explosion at the five-star
Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar, the NWFP capital, killed
17 people and injured 60 others. The attackers entered the compound
on two vehicles at about 10:30pm, firing at the security guards
at the hotel gate with bullets from one and blowing up the other
in the hotel parking. "It was a suicide attack," Capital City
Police Officer Sefwat Ghayur told AFP. "There are two foreigners
among the dead," NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain
said. Among those who were injured are the ruling Awami National
Party's minister Zarshed Khan, Senator Nabi Bangash, UN officials,
three foreigners and an airline's crew. 40 vehicles parked in
the compound were destroyed and the building was seriously damaged.
A Bomb Disposal Squad official told reporters at least 500 kilograms
of explosives were used in the attack.
Troops killed 27 more Taliban militants in various
parts of Malakand Division, while a soldier was killed and nine
others injured in clashes with the militants. A military statement
said 14 militants were killed and 22 arrested during a search
and destroy operation in Peochar valley. "A tunnel, a cache of
arms and ammunition, and explosives were seized," it said. Troops
also conducted a cordon and search operation to secure Darmai
village in Sakhra valley. A soldier was killed in a Taliban attack
on the Kalpanai check-post, and three others were injured during
a clash in Uchrai Sar.
Tribal militia in the Upper Dir District secured
four villages and killed 13 Taliban militants. Foreign news agencies
said they were backed by army helicopter gunships. A private TV
channel said key TNSM supporter in Shangla District, identified
as Waliullah Bilgarami, has surrendered.
The TNSM Swat unit chief and two other suspects
were arrested from the Hayatabad area of provincial capital. Iqbal
Khan, who belongs to the Matta area of Swat, was the District
chief of the TNSM, while the other two suspects are his relatives.
They were reportedly staying in a rented house in Phase-IV of
the Hayatabad locality.
SFs launched an operation against the Bakakhel
and Janikhel tribesmen in the Frontier Region (FR) of Bannu District
for their failure to hand over the kidnappers of the Razmak Cadet
College students and teachers. There were reports that 20 militants
were killed and several others injured in the operation. However,
these reports could not be confirmed from independent sources.
The District administration clamped a curfew in the area from
6am to 7pm and closed the Bannu-Miranshah road for all kinds of
traffic.
SFs started artillery shelling from the Bannu
military camp towards suspected locations of the militants in
Bakakhel and Janikhel villages. Bannu District Coordination Officer
Kamran Zeb Khan told Associated Press that the military operation
began after a deadline given to tribal leaders in the region to
hand over militant suspects had expired.
Four Policemen and two other people were injured
when a roadside bomb hit a Rescue-15 van in Dera Ismail Khan.
The Policemen were on a patrol and when their van reached Ashyan
Shopping Centre on the North Circular Road the bomb was detonated
by a remote control. The vehicle was completely destroyed.
|
June 10 |
Troops have killed more than 100 Taliban militants
during two days of operation in the Jani Khel and Baka Khel areas
of Frontier Region (FR) Bannu. A private TV channel reported that
Taliban commander Sher Alam is among the dead. SFs are currently
targeting Taliban positions with gunship helicopters and artillery
shells, the channel said. Up to 800 Taliban militants have reportedly
arrived in the semi-tribal area of FR Bannu that borders North
Waziristan to fight the army that has started an operation in
the area. "Reportedly 600 to 800 terrorists reached Jani Khel
from Miranshah and Razmak. They are planning to strike at various
places in the NWFP," the military said in a press release. The
operation was launched after the Jani Khel tribesmen failed to
hand over militants involved in the abduction of hundreds of students
and staff of Razmak Cadet College last week. Troops moved in on
June 8 after talks between two tribes thought to be involved in
the abduction and political administration broke down. "Forces
pounded the militant hideouts for the whole night and in the morning
in Jani Khel tribal area," local Police official Khalil Zaman
told.
In Bannu District, a man was killed and two others
sustained injuries when Taliban militants fired a rocket at a
house.
23 Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed
in clashes in parts of the Swat District. While one militant was
killed during a search operation in Batkhela, six others were
killed when the army retaliated an attack in Banmani Sar. The
army is reported to have secured the Shalkosar Top and Shalkosar
Kandao in Peochar valley. 16 militants were killed in fierce fighting
over Shalkosar. In addition, a soldier was killed in a Taliban
attack on Bariam Bridge near Matta, and another when they fired
a rocket at Kabbal Camp.
A previously unknown Al Qaeda-linked group, the
Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade, claimed responsibility for the
suicide attack o Hotel Pearl Continental. A spokesman of the organisation,
Amir Muawiya, telephoned reporters in the Kohat city, claiming
responsibility for the attack and threatened more such bombings.
He said the bombing was in retaliation to the operations by the
Pakistani armed forces, at the behest of the US, in Swat and rest
of the Malakand region and also in the tribal areas of Darra Adamkhel
and the Orakzai Agency. Amir Muawiya was a Pakistani Taliban commander
operating in the semi-tribal area of Darra Adamkhel, located between
Peshawar and Kohat. According to Amir Muawiya, the central Shura,
or council of the Taliban and also al-Qaeda, had decided that
only the Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade would claim responsibility
in future and others would keep quiet. The spokesman said his
group would be willing to explode a small bomb outside the BBC
office in Islamabad to prove the group's power and capability.
He also said his group had carried out the attack on the Police
Training Academy at Manawan in Lahore, the bombing of the NATO
transport terminals in Peshawar and other attacks.
Two more militants were killed as armed villagers
of a tribal Lashkar (militia) intensified their assault on the
Taliban holed up in Shatkas and Ghazigay villages of Doog Darra
area in the Upper Dir District. Sources said that militants were
putting up stiff resistance and firing on the advancing villagers.
The Lashkar fighters are reported to have attacked Taliban's positions
with heavy weapons and destroyed five of their bunkers. Two militants
were killed in the attack. At least 15 militants have been killed
since the launch of the offensive by the Lashkar. 12 militants
and four militiamen men have been injured.
Foreign missions have suspended their activities
in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, following the June 9-suicide
attack on the five-star Hotel Pearl Continental in which 17 persons
were killed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the American Consulate
in Peshawar and several other diplomatic missions and international
bodies suspended their activities in the city by directing foreign
officials to restrict their movement. The WFP also suspended its
operations, but its activities for the internally displaced persons
(IDPs) of the Malakand Division will continue. Two foreign UN
officials, Serbian national Aleksandar Vorkapic of the UNHCR,
Perseveranda So of the Philippines working for the UNICEF, and
three local officials of the United Nations Population Fund, Muhammad
Miskin, administration relief assistant, Muhammad Tahir and a
driver Muhammad Fawad, were among those killed in the suicide
blast. A UN official said four of the wounded UN workers included
Gordon Brown and Augustine Fredrick of the WFP, Adili Motupotu
of the World Health Organisation and a UNICEF intern, Anna Ciger.
According to the sources, 22 foreigners were inside the hotel
when the blast occurred. The wounded foreigners included a Somali
national, three Nigerians, a US national girl and a German. The
UN confirmed the death of its two officials in the blast, saying
seven of its workers sustained injuries in the incident. The United
Nations has cancelled all its activities in Peshawar for an indefinite
period following the death of two of its staffers in the attack.
|
June 11 |
The SFs killed 66 more militants and arrested
nine others, while four soldiers also died and 12 others sustained
injuries in various areas of Malakand Division and Bannu, the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
In Swat, the SFs are consolidating their positions
at secured areas of Kabal, while operations in the remaining areas
are in progress. During an encounter with the militants, three
soldiers sustained injuries. The SFs launched search and destroy
operations at Ashro Kandao, Arkot Qilla, Shakardarra, Matta triangle,
Sakhra, Matta, Kharerai and Sarai. They also secured Sijban area
on Runial-Chuprial route, while during exchange of fire with the
Taliban three soldiers were injured. In an exchange of fire between
the two sides in Peuchar area, one soldier was injured, while
10 militants were killed and six others were arrested.
In Buner District, an improvised explosive device
planted by the militants exploded on Ambela-Daggar road. Three
vehicles were partially damaged in the blast. The SFs, meanwhile,
secured Gat Khela and Jowar areas and also destroyed a militants'
hideout in Gatkala area.
In Frontier Region (FR) Bannu, according to the
ISPR update, the troops secured Kotka Saifullah and Sara Bangal
areas. During search operations in Sara Bangal, 34 militants were
killed, while three others were arrested. The ISPR said about
400 militants attacked the Siplatoi and Jandola Fort late on June
10-night, killing three soldiers. In retaliatory firing by the
SFs, 22 militants were killed and scores of others sustained injuries.
SFs intensified military operation in the FR Bannu
and targeted the Taliban positions with jet fighters, gunship
choppers and artillery in Janikhel and Zaidi Akbar Khan areas,
killing 50 more militants. Official sources said more than 150
militants had been killed in the three-day military offensive.
The military launched the operation on June 9 after expiry of
the deadline for Janikhel and Bakakhel tribal leaders to hand
over the militants wanted by the Government for kidnapping of
students and teachers of Razmak Cadet College.
The SFs shelled suspected hideouts of the militants
in Janikhel and Zaidi Akbar Khan with artillery from the Bannu
Cantonment while gunship choppers and jet fighters also strafed
the militants' locations in these areas. The gunship helicopters
and jetfighters also bombed the Taliban hideouts in the precincts
of Sra Dargah and Haved Police station while massive shelling
was carried out in Zaidi Akbar Khan area. At least, 50 militants
were killed in the daylong military offensive in the region.
SFs in a convoy on the Bannu-Miranshah road and
Bannu city opened fire on a man for violating curfew, killing
him on the spot. Sources added that a rocket shell fired by the
militants from an unknown location landed in the fields in Abadkhel
area. The shell, however, caused no loss of life or damage to
property. The Bannu Police also recovered another shell from the
fields in Kachkot Asad Khan.
People continued migrating to safer places in
Peshawar, Rawalpindi and other cities from the Janikhel, Bakakhel
and other areas of Bannu.
SFs killed five militants during an encounter
in the Kambar area of Dir Lower district, while two children were
killed in fighting between the armed Lashkar (militia) of villagers
and militants in Dir Upper District. Official sources claimed
that SFs were carrying out a search operation when a group of
militants confronted them. They said the ensuing encounter between
the two sides continued for quite a while that left five of the
attackers dead.
The Pakistan Air Force warplanes fired missiles
on suspected hideouts of militants in the Shatkas area of Doog
Darra in Dir Upper district. In addition, four suspected members
of a banned militant outfit were captured by the Lashkar from
Patrak area early in the morning.
The NWFP Minister for Prisons, Mian Nisar Gul
Kakakhel, was seriously injured in an armed attack near the Friendship
Tunnel in the Darra Adamkhel area, while two of his security guards
and an attacker were killed in the exchange of fire. The minister,
who is a resident of Karak District, was on his way to Peshawar
when his motorcade was attacked in Darra Adamkhel. Three masked
men opened fire at his car near Spina Thana of Akhurwal area,
some 35 kilometers from Peshawar. Consequent to the exchange of
fire, Security Forces launched a search operation in Akhurwal
area and targeted the surrounding mountaintops in Akhurwal and
Sanikhel areas with heavy artillery.
A man was killed and 13 others, including nine
Policemen, sustained injuries in a hand grenade-cum-suicide attack
on a Police party in the Lateefabad area on Ring Road in Peshawar.
Capital City Police Officer Safwat Ghayyur told the media that
a Police party was on a routine duty on Ring Road in the jurisdiction
of Faqirabad Police station when unknown miscreants hurled a hand
grenade at the Policemen, injuring one of them. Even as reinforcements
were being called for, a suicide bomber came near a Police pick-up
and blew himself up. The blast destroyed two Police mobiles, a
rickshaw and a motorcycle. Personnel of the Bomb Disposal Squad
also recovered a pressure cooker and explosive material from the
nearby fields. Talking to a private news channel, the NWFP Information
Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain linked the incident to the military
operation in Waziristan.
In another incident in the provincial capital,
two suspects were killed and six others arrested as Policemen
and troops deployed at the Peshawar Corps Commander's House foiled
a terrorist attack in the high security zone on Peshawar's Khyber
Road. Citing witnesses, a television channel said two suspects
riding a motorbike attempted to enter the Corps Commander's House
and fired at the security officials on being stopped. According
to the channel, two other gunmen, also on motorbikes, followed
the first pair. Two suspects were killed in the ensuing encounter,
the channel said. The Peshawar Police chief confirmed the killings
but declined to comment further. Talking to reporters, he said
the Security Forces had not suffered any casualties, and that
they were clearing the area. A channel said an explosion was also
heard before the gunfight.
An unidentified motorcyclist lobbed a hand grenade
on people in Topawala Bazaar in Dera Ismail Khan injuring 21 persons.
The man attacked civilians near the Jadeed Cloth House around
11:55am, Police said.
Police arrested 29 Taliban militants from various
parts. A top Taliban 'commander', identified as Qari Khursheed,
and his accomplices were arrested from Nowshera District. Khursheed
is reported to have confessed to his involvement in various terrorist
activities. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies arrested a trainer
of suicide bombers from Kohat bypass road and took him to an undisclosed
location for interrogation while 25 trained terrorists were also
arrested in a search operation in the Dera Bandai area of Kohat
District.
The Pakistan Air Force jet fighters started bombing
suspected locations of Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency
in FATA and the adjoining Hangu District in NWFP, killing 33 persons,
including the Sunni Supreme Council chief Maulana Muhammad Amin
and his nephew, and injuring 29 others. The local officials, however,
put the death toll in the two regions at 50, including women and
children. The warplanes targeted militants' positions in Mushti
Bazaar, Mushti Mela, Ferozkhel, Sheikhan, Dabori, Ghiljo, Khadeezai,
Shahuwam and Sultanzai. 26 people were reportedly killed and 13
others injured in the daylong bombing in these villages of Orakzai
Agency.
|
June 11 |
39 militants and 10 soldiers were killed in clashes
between the SFs and Taliban militants in the Swat valley. A news
update issued by the ISPR on the ongoing military operations in
Swat and other adjoining mountainous areas, said 10 soldiers were
killed and 24 others sustained injuries during the operation.
SFs reportedly secured and consolidated their positions at Chuprial
near Matta sub-division. During the process of consolidation,
an encounter took place between the two sides in which eight soldiers
died and 13 others were wounded. In retaliation, the SFs killed
39 militants and their bodies were reportedly lying at the encounter
site. Further, while securing areas around Kabal sub-division,
two soldiers were killed and eight injured in an exchange of fire
between the two sides. Casualties suffered by the Taliban could
not be ascertained. In addition, militants also targeted the SFs
near Charbagh, injuring three soldiers.
18 militants were killed as SFs continued their
operations in the Janikhel and Hindikhel areas of Bannu District
on the fourth consecutive day. Sources said SFs entered the Hindikhel
area after clearing Sra Dargah area of the militants. "At least,
18 militants were killed in the daylong clashes in different areas
of the semi-tribal region," the sources said, adding the troops
faced stiff resistance in Hindikhel. The SFs also targeted militants'
positions with artillery from the Bannu Cantonment. Official sources
claimed that over 200 militants had been killed in the four-day
operation. The military launched the operation on June 9-morning
after the expiry of the deadline given to Janikhel and Bakakhel
tribal leaders to hand over the militants wanted by the Government
for the kidnapping of students and teachers of the Razmak Cadet
College.
SFs allegedly shot dead a mentally challenged
person, identified as Misal Khan of Haveed, when a military convoy
was passing through the area. Further, 40year-old Mumtaz Khan
was critically injured when hit by a stray bullet in the Muslimabad
area of Bannu.
Five worshippers were killed and 105 others sustained
injuries when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden van
into a mosque during the Friday prayers in the Cantonment area
of Nowshera. Sources said the congregation was in the second Rakat
(part) when the bomber in the vehicle, carrying 125 kilograms
of explosives, struck the wall of the mosque near the Army Supply
Depot. Two soldiers were among the four persons killed on the
spot while 105 persons, including 30 civilians, were injured in
the explosion. Most of the wounded were reportedly Army personnel.
One of those wounded succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
While the blast brought down the entire structure of the mosque,
windowpanes and doors of nearby buildings were smashed and walls
cracked, injuring several persons, including women and children.
Four Police personnel were killed and six others
injured by two remote-controlled bomb attacks in the Hangu District.
In the first incident, suspected militants targeted a Police van
in the Tull sub-division with an improvised explosive device,
fitted in a pressure cooker. The blast killed four Policemen.
In a second incident, militants reportedly attempted to attack
another Police van with a remote controlled bomb in the Dawaba
Police station precincts. However, the Police van narrowly escaped
the blast.
A girl was injured when a mine exploded at a mountain
in the Doog Darra area of Dir Upper District, where a local Lashkar
(militia) was struggling to dislodge the militants from their
last hilltop hideout despite heavily-pounding their position.
The girl, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was
hit by the mine when she was roaming in the mountains of Shatkas
area in Doog Darra. A Lashkar member said on June 11 that the
militants, who had been pushed to their last hideout on a mountain
in Kandao area of Ghazigay village, had planted mines to stop
the advances of the Lashkar.
The Taliban militants could not fight the Lashkar
and retreated deep into the mountains along the Chitral District
to escape. However, the armed villagers have reportedly blocked
all escape routes of the militants. The locals said the Lashkar
continued to pound the Taliban hideout in Kandao. Lashkar sources
and locals said the militia was struggling to dislodge the militants
from this hideout because it was situated on a hilltop and the
Taliban had dug up a cave there. The locals and Police sources
said the firing continued, but no casualties were reported from
either side.
SFs claimed to have destroyed the hideouts of
militants and their explosive factories besides arresting 10 suspected
militants during a search operation in Darra Adamkhel. Sources
said the SFs launched a search operation against the militants
in Akhorwal area of the gun manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel.
The paramilitary forces are reported to have initiated action
against the militants after the assassination attempt on NWFP
Minister for Prisons, Mian Nisar Gul Kaka Khel, in the Akhorwal
area. During the search operation, SFs cordoned off the area and
arrested 10 suspected militants from the area. Houses of four
militants identified as Shams, Inayat, Ibrahim and Shahid were
also blown up in Akhorwal. Shams and Inayat were accused of providing
monetary and armed assistance to the militants.
|
June 13 |
SFs killed 41 Taliban militants in military operations
in the Malakand Division and Bannu, the ISPR said. The ISPR also
said a soldier was killed and seven others were injured in the
fighting. SFs continued conducting search operations in Mingora
and seized a cache of arms, night vision goggles and other equipment
abandoned by the Taliban militants. Two terrorists were also arrested
during the search operation. Troops also secured the Karakar pass
linking Buner with Swat. In Bannu, SFs secured Zindi Akbar Khan,
FC Fort Jani Khel and Marwat Canal, the ISPR said, adding that
35 terrorists had been killed in the operation in various areas
of Bannu District. In the past few days, Pakistan launched strikes
on Taliban militants across the NWFP, most notably in Bannu District
at the gateway to Waziristan, where according to the military
more than 130 militants were killed since June 9.
Two persons were killed and six others wounded
when a roadside bomb targeting a Police vehicle exploded at Kohat.
"A policeman and a civilian were killed in an improvised explosive
device blast and six others, five policemen and one civilian,
were injured," Kohat police chief Dilawar Khan Bangash told.
|
June 14 |
35 more militants were killed in fresh action
by the troops in the Bannu District. It said the SFs, continuing
their operations against the Taliban, had bombarded suspected
militant hideouts from Janikhel Fort. The ISPR also said one soldier
was killed and three injured in an exchange of fire with militants
in the Kabal sub-division of Swat District. Further, Taliban militants
in the Kala Kale are injured another soldier. A cordon-and-search
operation is reportedly continuing in the Loe Namal, Kuz Shaur
and Matta areas of Swat, the statement added.
In Darra Adamkhel, helicopter gunships attacked
militants' hideouts in the Shni Kalay area. There were, however,
no reports about casualties. The strike followed a clash between
two groups of militants. The helicopters hit militants' positions
in the Tor Chappar, Bostikhel and Shni Kalay areas considered
to be strongholds of the Darra Adamkhel chapter of TTP headed
by Tariq Afridi. A clash between the Afridi group and followers
of pro-government Momin Khan took place after the latter reportedly
kidnapped two supporters of the former. The Tariq Afridi group
had earlier claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks at
the Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar on June 9 and on a police
check-post on June 12. Earlier this year, the same group had reportedly
abducted and later beheaded a Polish geologist.
A Policeman and a passerby were killed and 20
people were injured when a bomb detonated by remote control hit
a Police bus on the University Road in Kohat.
Nine people were killed and more than 40 others
wounded when a in a bomb blast at a busy market in Dera Ismail
Khan. Sources said the bomb, weighing five kilograms and apparently
planted on a cycle cart, exploded in the busy Tejarat Gunj Bazaar.
The blast also destroyed the windowpanes of the nearby shops and
houses. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
|
June 15 |
14 Taliban militants were reportedly killed in
the Dir Lower and Upper Districts while SFs. Sources said nine
suspected Taliban militants were killed in Dir Lower and five
in Dir Upper, respectively. SFs, the sources said, killed nine
militants during a search operation in Galgut area of Maidan.
They said a soldier was also killed and five others injured in
the encounter. The ISPR said the Lashkar (militia) killed five
militants and injured six others in Dir Upper. Sources in the
area confirmed that three houses owned by Kashar Khan, Nawaz and
Omar were destroyed in Shatkas area when the armed villagers targeted
the locations of the militants. They said about four to five militants
were killed.
In the Jani Khel area of Bannu District, Taliban
fired rockets at a Police station and an airport. "Seven Taliban
were killed in the retaliatory attack," said Zahinuddin, a local
Police official.
Two guards of the nephew of veteran politician
Afzal Khan Lala were killed in the Swat Valley.
The SFs also consolidated their positions and
continued search operations in Godhand Banda and Arkot in Swat,
Matta and Aligrama. They also directed the displaced people of
Kalam to report to Besham for transportation back to their homes.
The SFs had launched an operation on April 26
to defeat the militants in the Maidan area of Dir Lower district.
The troops claim to have killed hundreds of militants and secured
most areas in Maidan. Troops are now reportedly engaged in the
mopping up operation in the area to end resistance.
|
June 16 |
SFs claimed to have killed 15 militants, including
a key foreign commander, in the Bajaur Agency of FATA and Dir
Lower District in the NWFP. Sources told that the SFs heavily
shelled positions of the militants in the Charmang area of Nawagai
sub-division with artillery from Khar, headquarters of the Bajaur
Agency, Loisam and Tank Khatta camps, destroying several hideouts
in the area. An important foreign commander, known as Goraila,
and three local militants were killed in the action. SFs cleared
the area of the militants and took control of the key locations
in Charmang, the stronghold of the militants. Troops also launched
a search operation during which five rocket shells were recovered,
which were defused by a special squad. Two remote-controlled bombs
were also defused during the Security Forces' advance towards
Charmang.
In Dir Lower, the SFs claimed to have killed 11
militants in the Maidan area of the District. Eleven militants
were killed late on June 15-night, when the Taliban hideouts in
Kulaldherai, Galgut, Hayaserai and Kas Laghrai areas were targeted
with artillery, sources said. The sources said four persons were
injured in the artillery shelling by SFs when their house was
hit by a shell.
Due to prolonged curfew hours and violence in
the Malakand region, the social and economic life in the district
has reportedly been paralysed. There is an acute shortage of daily
use commodities and life-saving drugs in the area as supply to
the markets and shops remained disrupted for hours, the sources
added. Most of the people who wanted to travel to and from Timergara
were stranded in the Malakand Agency due to closure of roads.
The SFs captured and destroyed a training facility
of the Taliban at Balasar-Chuprial in Swat District, having 120
feet long tunnels, firing range and training area. A terrorist,
Shah Sultan, who was an expert in suicidal jackets making, was
killed in the Charbagh area. Further, during a search operation
three terrorists were arrested at Salhand near Fizagat. On a tip
off two vehicles prepared for suicide mission were recovered and
destroyed at Dangram. The SFs also destroyed two tunnels at Loi
Numalin, Peuchar Valley and two at Rampatai. A huge cache of arms
and ammunitions was recovered during a search operation in Gokand
Banda, Sersenai, Khairabad and Ghodanbanda.
Two Policemen were killed and three injured when
Taliban militants attacked a Police check-post in Mardan. According
to Police officials, the militants opened fire on the Kharkai
check-post, killing Policemen Sakhi Jan and Nazir on the spot,
while three others were injured.
|
June 17 |
While armed villagers in the Dir Upper District
killed six holed up Taliban militants in the Doog Darra area,
the Army claimed to have killed 22 more militants in the adjacent
Dir Lower and Swat Districts during the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast.
Locals said a cave in the Kandao area of Ghazigay
village, where the armed villagers have surrounded the Taliban,
was heavily shelled from Panakot and Beranjo. SFs have deployed
artillery guns in these areas to target the positions of the militants
to soften targets for the Lashkar (militia), which is reportedly
using heavy weapons. The armed villagers' advance was reported
to have been blocked by mines, allegedly planted by the Taliban
in the area. Locals said six militants were killed in artillery
shelling from Panakot, a distant area located four kilometers
north of Dir town. A resident of Shatkas said six militants had
been killed near the Ghazigay mosque.
In Dir Lower, located in the south of Dir Upper
District, the ISPR claimed that SFs had killed 20 Taliban militants.
The ISPR said troops carried out a search operation in the Galgut
area of Maidan and killed 20 militants during a clash, besides
recovering a cache of arms and ammunition. It said 15 others were
arrested.
In the Swat Valley, SFs killed two militants,
including a 'commander'. The military said they took action on
a tip-off about the presence of Qari Junaid, an important Taliban
'commander' in Madain, and his colleague Naeem. Sources from Mingora
town said two bodies, probably of the militants, were lying at
the Sohrab Chowk. SFs also launched an operation at Shamozai and
Akhun Killay. Separately, the militants fired at a SFs communication
maintenance party near Doshagram (Fatehpur), which caused injuries
to a soldier. Further, in the Matta sub-division, a huge cache
of arms and ammunition was recovered during a clearance operation
in Matta and Nazarabad. Two hideouts of the militants were destroyed
during a search operation in Kasuna area and one militant was
arrested from Bedara area. Doghlar, the ISPR said, was secured.
Police arrested three suspected terrorists, including
two would-be suicide bombers, in Rawalpindi; a suspected Taliban
militant from a mosque in Peshawar's Kissa Khawani Bazaar; and
a terrorist from the LeJ group in Karachi. Police also seized
a suicide jacket, a hand grenade, two pistols, 90 rounds and two
kilograms of explosives. The man arrested in Karachi - identified
as Irfan Islam alias Lamba - was wanted by the Police and his
name was listed in its Red Book for 2009.
The Peshawar International Airport was shut down
after an intelligence report warned of a terrorist attack on aircraft
by a militant group based in the tribal region, officials said.
The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notice to airmen to alert
them of hazards en route or at a specific location in the night
of June 16 and cabled all national and international carriers
to stop their flights to the airport. An unnamed official said
the airport would remain closed till June 18-night, but the notice
implied that the move was for an indefinite period.
|
June 18 |
SFs killed 34 more Taliban militants in the ongoing
operation in the Swat and Dir Upper Districts, while seven others
were arrested, the ISPR said. The SFs continued action against
the Maulana Fazlullah-led militants in Kabal sub-division of Swat
even as the militants are still offering some resistance in the
area. SFs are reported to have secured the area around Bridge-II,
Kabal and Kotlai. During clashes in these areas, the ISPR said
12 militants were killed while five soldiers sustained injuries.
Further, six militants were killed in the Totano Banda area of
Kabal during an operation launched for the consolidation of SFs
positions. In the Shamozai area of Swat valley, the troops commenced
an operation for clearing the area and killed 10 Taliban militants.
According to the ISPR, 28 militants were killed in the Swat Valley.
In Mingora, SFs carried out clearance operation
around the town and recovered 15 rifles and arrested five suspected
militants, including Mohtamim of Madrassa Faiz, during the search
operation at Shahpur. The troops also arrested two suspected militants
from the Shewa area of Dir Lower District and recovered one light
machine gun, 60 rounds, one TT pistol and one binocular. The ISPR
claimed that SFs conducted a search operation in the Nimazgai
area of Dir Upper District and killed six militants during an
exchange of fire.
More than 1,400 militants and 120 soldiers have
been killed during the 54-day operation in Swat and the nearby
Dir Lower and Buner districts.
A private TV channel quoted Defence Minister Ahmad
Mukhtar as saying that the military offensive in Swat is nearly
over and the Government has achieved its targets. Talking to the
channel, Mukhtar said internally displaced persons would be able
to return homes by June 20.
SFs detained 105 suspects, including 12 militants,
during a search operation in different areas of Darra Adamkhel
and Kohat in the NWFP. According to sources, SFs launched an extensive
search operation in different areas of Darra Adamkhel, including
Bostikhel, Akhorwal, Tor Chapper, Sheraki and Sanikhel, following
the militants attack on a security check-post in Sheraki. The
troops used heavy weapons and ammunition in hitting the hideouts
of the militants in the areas. The gunship helicopters also took
part in the operation and two compounds of the militants were
reportedly destroyed. SFs claimed to have arrested 105 suspects,
including 12 militants, in the operation. The arrested suspects
were affiliated with the TTP Tariq and Momin Khan Afridi's outfits,
the sources said.
|
June 19 |
11 Taliban militants were killed in the Doog Darra
area of Dir Upper District by armed villagers and artillery shelling
by the SFs as the militants started fleeing the area after giving
up resistance. Further, the Chitral Police arrested 10 fleeing
militants, including an Afghan national, who was in an injured
condition, when they sneaked into the District to escape the operations.
The armed villagers have reportedly ringed the
Taliban militants, led by Afghan commander Amir Khitab, since
June 6 in the mountains of Doog Darra. They were heavily targeting
the positions of the Taliban militants and killed a number of
them. Helping the Lashkar (militia), SFs deployed artillery guns
in Panakot area near the Dir town and Beranjo in Doog Darra. The
locals said firing with heavy weapons by the Lashkar and artillery
shelling panicked the holed-up militants. Sources in Lashkar and
locals said the militants were attempting to escape the intensified
action. Mutabar Khan, the Lashkar chief, said they believe 80-100
militants had been left in the area, adding that they were just
400 meters away from them. The Lashkar has so far reportedly killed
at least 36 militants.
Security Forces said that they had killed four
more Taliban militants and arrested two in the ongoing operation
in Malakand, while one soldier was injured in the fighting. The
SFs are reported to have secured Akhun Kalle and established a
check-post in the Swat's Chungai area. The troops also launched
an operation to clear areas around Zara Khela, Khawazakhela and
Matta, and seized three rifles. The army conducted a search operation
in Buner's Sar Qila area, and successfully secured Mohmand Gate,
Nawapass, Ghungat, Kuz and Chamarkand in Mohmand Agency.
SFs killed four militants in Buner district and
were consolidating their positions in parts of the Swat Valley.
The ISPR said SFs clashed with militants in Sar Qilla area during
a search operation. Four militants, it claimed, were killed during
an exchange of fire.
10 families, including that of Afzal Khan Lala,
veteran leader of the ruling Awami National Party, are reported
to have returned to Swat.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced a
package of over PKR 24 billion for capacity building and strengthening
of Police and law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the NWFP. Addressing
Members of Provincial Assembly of the ruling alliance at the Governor's
House in Peshawar, Gilani stressed the importance of well-equipped,
trained and highly motivated LEAs to ensure durable peace and
stability in the province after completion of the military operation
under way in the tribal belt and Swat. The package is to be utilised
for recruiting additional Police and LEA personnel and acquiring
sophisticated weapons. The package will be delivered in installments,
each tranche comprising PKR six billion would be handed over to
the NWFP after every six months.
|
June 21 |
SFs claimed to have killed seven more Taliban
militants in various parts of Swat District, even as thousands
of internally displaced families were awaiting the Government's
call for return to their native villages. In a statement, the
ISPR said during an exchange of fire at Langer in Khwazakhela,
a militant was killed and six others arrested, while 15 sub-machine
guns, one sniper rifle, one 8MM rifle, communication gadgets and
grenades were also recovered. SFs, it claimed, successfully secured
the areas around Peuchar, Kharkai, Kharkarai and Biha.
An encounter took place between the two sides
in Biha in which six militants were killed and 10 others arrested.
The troops also recovered 20 machine guns, G-3 rifles, two rocket
launchers with seven rockets, 12x12 bore rifles, two grenades
and 6,000 rounds of SMGs and two other rifles.
The militants attacked a vehicle of the SFs on
the Dakorak-Allahbad Road, causing injuries to five soldiers.
SFs secured the areas around Barko Sar, Roringar,
Nalkot, Wenai, Bartana and Pushtunai and also set up a check-post
at Akhun Killay, Dadhran Road.
The SFs killed six militants and suffered four
casualties, besides injuries to eight others, in parts of the
Swat Valley. The ISPR said militants attacked positions of the
SFs in Shahdand Banda, Dewlai and Totano Banda. "Six terrorists
were killed during the exchange of fire," the ISPR said in its
daily update to the media. It said SFs secured Kotlai, Chungai
and Zarakhela areas in Kabal sub-division and started action in
the Dagai area. One soldier sustained injuries during the exchange
of fire with the militants. "Terrorists ambushed security forces'
vehicle on the Odigram-Akhun Killay Road. As a result, three soldiers
embraced martyrdom and seven others sustained injuries".
SFs have reportedly commenced a clearance operation
from Malakand to Thana in the nearby Malakand Agency. During the
operation, the troops clashed with some militants and in an exchange
of fire a soldier was killed.
The ISPR claimed that three terrorists, including
a brother of militant commander Yousuf, were arrested after an
exchange of fire around Peuchar. Four tunnels were destroyed,
it added. The SFs also cleared Babu and Shakardarra villages.
Three militants were apprehended in the area and three improvised
explosive devices were defused.
Seven suspected militants were killed in a clash
with a Lashkar (the village militia) in Patrak area of Upper Dir
District in NWFP. Local people said the clash took place in Shekhan
Khwar near Patrak. However, some of them said that 10 militants
arrested earlier by Chitral Police had been handed over to the
Lashkar. Two of those killed were identified as Fatehzar and his
son Dilaram. One militant was injured and another reportedly ran
away. After the incident, 20 militants came out in Bar Doog area
and set ablaze 130 logs owned by local people. They also torched
a house and abducted a man identified as Faqir Gul Mulla.
Five Taliban militants were killed and two soldiers
were wounded in the Dir Lower District.
|
June 22
|
The ISPR Director-General Major
General Athar Abbas said at a media briefing in Islamabad that
the SFs are in the final phase of eliminating terrorist hideouts
and camps in Swat. Abbas said: "In the north, Biha Valley
— the last stronghold of terrorists — has been fully secured and
in the west, Shamozai area is being cleared. Search operations
are being carried out in the secured areas to ensure that they
are safe for the return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs)."
The military spokesman said various
search and cordon operations were conducted by security forces
whereby neutralising a number of IEDs and destroying a number
of small and big tunnels, while 22 more terrorists were killed
and five others were arrested in Malakand. He said 14 terrorists
were killed by the SFs during the ‘link up operation’ at the Shamozai
Bridge, while eight large size IEDs planted by terrorists were
also neutralised. The SFs successfully secured Biha Valley and
also cleared Bartana South of Chuprial. He said three small size
tunnels were destroyed at Loi Namal while locals handed over a
terrorist to the troops at Bahrain while four others were arrested
at Wanai Bridge, Shalkosar, Bashkhela and Drushkhela.
Athar Abbas said so far 1,592
terrorists had been killed in the operation while 60 to 70 others
had been arrested, who were being interrogated. He said the arrested
terrorists also included Afghans and Uzbeks.
Three persons, including two women,
were killed and another sustained injuries when a rocket hit a
house in Zardad Killay in the jurisdiction of Hovaid Police Station
of Bannu District. Sources said two rockets were fired by unidentified
miscreants from an undisclosed location at 5:30 pm. While one
rocket fell in the field the other hit the house of Manzoor at
Zardad Killay, killing Fazlur Rehman and the wife of Ahmed Ali
on the spot while Asiba Bibi and Gul Hatima sustained injuries.
Taliban militants are reported
to have blown up a girls’ school in Peshawar, the NWFP capital.
A police official in Peshawar said that four relatively minor
blasts followed one another in quick succession and completely
destroyed the two-room school building.
Two Policemen were killed and
seven people, including three Policemen, sustained injuries when
a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the Thakot
Police check-post in Battagram District, completely destroying
the check-post. "An explosion occurred in a small truck when
it reached the Dandai bridge in Shangla district (of Swat) … it
was a suicide attack," said Gul Wali Khan, the District Police
chief in Shangla, told. The attack was the first-ever suicide
attack in Battagram District.
|
June 23
|
Six militants were killed in the
Shadas village of Maidan area in Lower Dir District when gunship
helicopters targeted the house of a local Taliban commander, identified
as Miftahud Din alias Shabar. Shabar is blamed for attacking
convoys of the SFs in Shadas, Kala Dag and Hayaserai areas. In
addition, heavy artillery and mortar shelling from Timergara,
Islam Dara and Samar Bagh also continued. SFs also targeted militants’
positions in Shadas, Safaray and Tabo villages in Maidan. However,
no casualty was reported in the shelling.
The SFs continued search operations
in different villages of Adenzai sub-division and also imposed
a curfew in Chakdara. So far 25 suspected militants or their relatives
had been arrested in Adenzai, said a security official.
Five army men, including a major,
a captain and three jawans, were killed when a unit of the Baloch
Regiment was ambushed at Charbagh in the Malakand Division. According
to the ISPR, the troops were returning after a search operation
when the incident took place at 7pm.
The News reported that
Maulana Shah Dauran, deputy leader of the Taliban in Swat District,
was injured after a military operation against the militants.
Official sources said he was among several militants hit during
a military attack in the Kabal area of Swat. The Maulana belonged
to Qambar village near Mingora town. He ran a madrassa (seminary)
in his village and led prayers in the mosque before joining Maulana
Fazlullah’s group. Dauran was deputy head of the Swat unit of
the banned TTP. The NWFP Government had earlier announced a PKR
10 million reward for information leading to the capture, dead
or alive, of Shah Dauran.
SFs are reportedly carrying out
search and sweep operations in various parts of the Swat valley
in the final phase of the military operation, the ISPR said. It
said that in the last 24 hours, the SFs had arrested three Taliban
militants during a search operation in Mangai and recovered some
arms and ammunition.
A Taliban commander from South
Waziristan opposed to the TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and part
of an apparent plan to isolate the leader of the Pakistan Taliban
from his tribesmen ahead of a likely military operation in the
area was shot dead. Qari Zainuddin, a 26-year-old Mehsud tribesman,
who led his own group of militants, was shot dead by an unidentified
gunman in his office in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP, from where
he had recently given interviews to Pakistani and international
media denouncing Baitullah Mehsud as an "agent" of America
and India. Qari Zainuddin, leader of the Abdullah Group, was shot
dead by his guard, Gulbuddin Mehsud, Police official Salahuddin
told reporters. "We confirm that Qari Zainuddin is dead,"
he said. "We were asleep after morning prayers when Gulbuddin
opened fire, killing Zainuddin on the spot," Kamal Mehsud,
one of Zainuddin’s guards, said. The assailant escaped in the
ensuing confusion, he added. Officials gave no motive for the
killing, but Zainuddin’s aide Baz Muhammad, who witnessed the
attack, told AFP the gunman was "an agent of Baitullah Mehsud",
acting on the orders of the Al Qaeda-linked warlord. "It
was definitely Baitullah’s man who infiltrated our ranks, and
he has done his job," he told Associated Press, vowing
to avenge the death. Sources said that Misbahuddin Mehsud, Zainuddin’s
younger brother, had been nominated as the new chief of the Abdullah
Group. However, the group made no formal announcement in this
regard.
|
June 24
|
SFs killed seven more Taliban
militants in clashes in parts of the Dir and Swat Districts, while
six soldiers, including two officers, were also killed. Six militants
were killed in a search operation at Kota in Dir, and seven others
were arrested, the ISPR said. Further, the SFs carried out a search
and sweep operation at Charbagh and Mangaltan, where two officers
– Major Attique and Captain Amir – and four soldiers died and
three were injured. In addition, a militant was killed in a clearance
operation on a tip off in Sakhra, and three stolen vehicles and
weapons were seized. Separately, the troops arrested a local Taliban
commander Alamgir and his father in Gwalerai. The SFs have reportedly
consolidated their positions in Kabal, Akhun Kalle, Dadhrah, Khazna
and Gardi.
Three Policemen, including an
officer, were killed when some miscreants fired rockets and mortar
shells at the Arbab Tapu check-post in the jurisdiction of Matani
Police Station of provincial capital Peshawar. The platoon commander,
Sub-Inspector Nooran Shah, along with Constables Faqir Muhammad
and Zardad Khan, were on duty at the Arbab Tapu check-post between
Peshawar and Darra Adamkhel when five mortar shells and rockets
hit the picket around 3:00 am. The rockets killed all the three
policemen and destroyed the small building located on the main
Indus Highway, around 25 kilometers from Peshawar. Even as the
Policemen retaliated the attackers managed to flee.
One member each from the Baitullah
and Abdullah Mehsud groups - rival Taliban factions - were killed
in a clash at Tank bazaar in the Tank District of NWFP. The slain
militants were identified as Yusuf and Zahir Khan. A shopkeeper
was also reportedly injured in the fighting.
|
June 25
|
Militants killed a Policeman after
kidnapping him in the Buner District. Israr Bacha, of the Daggar
Police Station, was abducted by militants while he was on his
way home in Elum. His bullet-riddled body was reportedly found
that same evening in a deserted area nearby.
The SFs arrested three terrorists
and seized arms and ammunitions, as four soldiers were injured
in Malakand and Dir in the last 24 hours, the said. SFs conducted
search and sweep operations in Akhun Kale, Gamon Bridge, Rangeela,
Khazana, Wakilabad, Baiddarra and Garai areas and also arrested
a suspected terrorist from Besham, it added. The troops also conducted
search operations in areas around Zhoaib post and Lal Qila, adding
that two soldiers were injured when one anti-personnel mine exploded,
while another was injured by terrorists’ fire. The ISPR said the
SFs also conducted search operations in Shewa, Utala and Adinzai
areas, arresting two terrorists, including local commander Iqbal.
It said the troops recovered a signal and communication device,
two rifles, ammunition and two machine guns.
|
June 26
|
A militant commander was killed
and two others sustained injuries during a search operation by
the SFs in the Sheendand area of Kohat District. Sources said
SFs launched a search operation in Turk Ismailkhel area of Sheendand
and Jawakai and killed Abid Ramzai, commander of the TTP Darra
Adamkhel unit and injured two others. One of them was identified
as Jawwad. About 42 suspects were also arrested in the operation.
Abid Ramzai along with two accomplices had escaped from Kohat
jail sometime in 2008.
Suspected Taliban militants blew
up a girls’ primary school on the outskirts of provincial capital
Peshawar. There were, however, no casualties. An official from
the Mattani Police Station said that three militants broke into
Government Girls Model Primary School Ghaziabad in the Frontier
Road area, tied up the guard and planted explosives on the premises.
Four devices went off in quick succession, destroying the boundary
wall and five of the six rooms in the building, said the official.
|
June 28
|
SF claimed to have arrested two
local militant commanders and a suicide bomber trainer in the
Swat Valley. The ISPR media update said SFs cleared the area around
Kokarai and established a link up to Jambil. "Local militant
commanders, identified as Akbar and Saleem and a suicide bomber
trainer Abdul Rehman, were also arrested," it said, adding
that an explosive-laden car and a rickshaw were also recovered
from the Kokarai area. The SFs also recovered a huge cache of
arms and ammunition, including IEDs from a graveyard in Garai,
four kilometers northeast of Shamozai.
Troops continued shelling different
parts of the Mingora city and demolished two houses of militants.
Sources said a militant, Shaukat, was injured in the shelling
on hideouts in the Islampura area. Sources said the SFs demolished
houses and a shop of two militants, identified as Fazal Burhan
and Behramand, in the Haji Baba area. However, there were no reports
of casualties.
SFs demolished 12 houses of militants
and arrested eight suspects in the Dir Lower District. Colonel
Arshad, area in-charge of the operation in Dir Lower, said that
SFs cleared the area from Gulabad to Anbar of the militants and
demolished their 12 houses. He said the troops also arrested eight
suspects and recovered a large quantity of weapons from their
possession. In another operation, SFs raided the house of militant
commander Naik Ikhtiar in the Tazagram area of Adinzai sub-division
and recovered hundreds of sacks of wheat and other goods of the
World Food Programme. The house of another militant commander
Junaid was also reportedly destroyed in the same area.
The Police claimed to have arrested
the mastermind of the bombing of shrines in the NWFP, along with
his associate. Sources said the mastermind, identified as Qari
Roohullah, a resident of Tarha village in Battagram, was arrested
from Shabqadar area in Charsadda District, along with his accomplice
Said Badshah. He was the Pesh Imam (chief priest) of a mosque
in the same village and involved in bomb blasts on mausoleums
of saints, sources added. The accused is reportedly affiliated
with the Qari Shakeel Group, a splinter group of militants based
in the Mohmand Agency. District Police Officer Muhammad Riaz (DPO)
said the accused was arrested following investigation from the
already detained militants. The DPO added that so far the District
Police had arrested around 100 dangerous militants.
The Federal Interior Minister
Rehman Malik said that the family of Mullah Fazlullah had been
detained and they were being treated in a respectable manner and
not being manhandled.
|
June 29 |
SFs claimed to have killed eight militants in
the Khwazakhela area of Swat District. An ISPR statement said
the SFs raided a compound in Khwazakhela, killing eight militants.
Weapons and explosive devices were also recovered in the raid,
it added. In addition, sources said SFs commenced search and clearance
operations from Shalkosar to Jukhtai and Balasur to Shah Dherai,
arresting an alleged militant, Muhammad Raheem, near Shangla.
The SFs also demolished houses of two militant commanders in Barama
area in the suburbs of Mingora city. The ISPR statement said that
the main command structure of the militants had been dismantled
and that recruits have either been killed or driven away, ammunition
dumps and their headquarters at Peuchar, Chuprial, Matta, Khwazakhela,
Mingora, Kabal, Banai Baba Ziarat, Sakhra, Saidu Sharif and Biha
had been destroyed. The troops have also secured the area around
Khazana and Zarakhela and were consolidating their positions in
Kabal, Dhadara, Akhun Killay and Rangeela, it added.
Thousands of armed villagers in the mountainous
Doog Darra area of Dir Upper District launched an intensified
offensive against the holed up Taliban and killed two Afghan militants
besides torching 30 houses of the Taliban and their supporters
in Shatkas and Bar Doog villages. The militia suffered injuries
to two of their volunteers as they were advancing towards the
stronghold of the militants. Dozens of Afghan and non-local militants
are believed to have been hiding in the area who were led by Afghan
commander Amir Khitab, who is reportedly still alive. There were
also uncorroborated reports that the militants had received reinforcement
from Swat. The Lashkar captured Shatkas village, one of Taliban's
strongholds in the area, and torched a number of houses owned
by the Taliban or their supporters. Militia sources said that
several bunkers and key positions were also taken back from the
militants, including the strategic Sogaya height near the Chitral
border. They said the militants were present in two houses owned
by Nawaz and Shakoor in Shatkas villages but they were planning
to attack them soon.
SFs claimed killing two militants during a search
operation in the Akhorwal area of Darra Adamkhel. Sources said
the SFs, backed by gunship helicopter, launched a search operation
following an exchange of gunfire with the militants in Akhorwal
area and targeted the hideouts of the militants. Two suspected
militants were killed and three others were wounded. One of the
militants was identified as Roid Khan while the identity of the
other could not be ascertained. The militants were affiliated
to the group of Taliban commander Tariq Afridi belonging to Darra
Adamkhel and affiliated to the banned TTP. Sources said six suspected
persons were arrested during the search operation elsewhere in
Darra Adamkhel.
A bomb blast in the Swari bazaar of Buner town
injured at least 18 persons, including two Policemen. According
to officials, the timed device with five to eight kilograms of
explosives had been placed on the roof of a traffic post at the
College Chowk.
|
June 30 |
SFs stated that Taliban militants in the Biha
Valley of Swat District had slaughtered 18 of their own injured
comrades, as they could not be moved out along with the retreating
militants. "It has been reliably learnt that during the clearance
of Biha Valley, 18 wounded terrorists, who could not be taken
to safety, were slaughtered by their own people on orders of their
commanders," an ISPR statement said.
The SFs killed 16 more militants and arrested
23 others in Swat while three soldiers died and eight others,
including three officers, were injured. SFs also recovered and
successfully defused an explosives-laden vehicle.
A soldier was killed and two others sustained
injuries when militants ambushed a military convoy during a search
operation in the Janikhel area of Bannu District. The convoy of
Security Forces was on a routine patrol in the area when a group
of militants opened firing on it, killing a soldier identified
as Abid Hussain and injuring two others, Mehmoodul Hassan and
Syed Nadeem Shah.
The beheaded body of a soldier was found outside
a destroyed Police station in Pir Baba. He was identified as Qaisar
Ali, of Sapal Bandi in the Swat District.
The Mansehra Police arrested three persons and
recovered explosives and detonators from their vehicle.
|
July 1 |
SFs said that they had killed five Taliban militants
in a clash in the Bannu District. "The Taliban ... raided a checkpost
near Hindi Khel in Bannu ... one soldier was killed and six injured,
while five Taliban were also killed," said the ISPR, adding that
a militia in Dir District had taken control of over half of Shatkas
village. The militia also engaged holed up Taliban militants in
a gun-battle, killing "a number of Taliban". At least 22 tribesmen
were also injured in the clash. The SFs also reportedly cleared
Shah Dheri in the Swat District, the ISPR stated. In an exchange
of fire with the militants, five soldiers were injured in Devolai
village. Troops also conducted a search operation around Matta
sub-division in Swat and arrested three militants.
Two persons were killed and three others sustained
injuries when four rockets fired by the militants hit different
places in the cantonment area of Nowshera in the Nowshera District.
Two rockets landed in the Servant Quarters near Artillery Centre,
one of which struck a house and killing a sweeper, identified
as Ilyas Masih, and another civilian, Yousaf Masih.
A roadside bomb intended to target a local Police
chief's vehicle killed a passer-by. Police chief Bahawal Khan
escaped the bomb blast in Dera Ismail Khan, but his bodyguard
was injured, said Police official Miran Shah. Bhawal Khan, chief
of a Police precinct in Dera Ismail Khan, has played a major role
in arresting suspected Taliban militants in the city, said Shah.
Police claimed to have foiled a sabotage attempt
and defused three explosive devices planted in a car while one
of the militants riding the vehicle blew himself up in provincial
capital Peshawar. Suspected militants were reportedly riding an
explosive-laden car and when signaled by the Police to stop on
the Kohat road, they lobbed two hand-grenades on the Police that
didn't explode. Senior Superintendent of Police Qazi Jamilur Rehman
said the car with around five militants was coming from Darra
Adamkhel and armed with automatic weapons they exchanged fire
with the Police. "As the police encircled one of them near Mashokhel
Mera, he blew himself up," he said. The others, however, managed
to escape. In the car, he said, three types of explosives-manual,
timer and remote-controlled devices had been planted which were
defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad.
A Policeman was killed and nine others injured
in Hangu District when the Taliban militants attacked a Police
contingent in Doaba Police precincts. Deputy Superintendent of
Police Farid Khan said the Taliban attacked Doaba Police Station
early in the morning. Upon receiving the information, Khan said
he rushed towards the station but his contingent was attacked
on the way by the militants. Halwaldar Hamzaullah was reportedly
killed and nine Policemen were injured in the ensuing encounter.
|
July 2 |
SFs said they had killed 23 Taliban militants
in various areas of Swat District over the last 24 hours. "The
security forces consolidated their positions around Shah Dheri,
where 17 Taliban were killed in a clash," said the ISPR in its
latest update.
Five militants were killed during a search operation
in Kanju. Further, one Taliban militant was killed and two arrested
when troops raided hideouts in the area around Miana, Ahingro
and Baba Ziarat. The army also conducted an operation to clear
Meragai area, neutralizing two Taliban hideouts and recovering
eight rifles, 66 rounds, four pistols with 48 rounds and one binocular.
SFs targeted suspected hideouts of militants in
Buner District and some of the shells reportedly landed in civilian
areas. No casualty was, however, reported in the attack. Sources
said the troops targeted the civilian population in Khaista Baba
and Amnwar villages, destroying scores of houses but there were
no reports of casualties. The gunship helicopters also targeted
the houses of militant commanders in Chamla area. In a separate
incident, some unidentified miscreants blew up the house of Adalat
Khan, president of the District Bar Association, in Gokand area.
The Government set up a 100-tent camp for the
IDPs in Sultanwas area and a 400-tent camp was being set up in
the ground of the Government High School in Swarai for the IDPs
of Chagharzai area.
Two persons were killed and six others sustained
injuries when unidentified men lobbed a hand-grenade into a shop
at the Ghass Mandi Chowk in Dera Ismail Khan. Malak Qayyum Qureshi,
the shopkeeper, and another person, Fazalur Rehman, were killed,
and six other people were injured, Police and the area residents
said.
Armed men opened fire on the Khan Flour Mills,
killing its owner Mohammad Tanweer. The deceased reportedly belonged
to an outlawed outfit, sources said.
A man said to be a mastermind of suicide attacks
was killed and his wife was injured when Security Forces attacked
a house near Tank in the Tank District. Two suspects were arrested
while two others escaped. According to officials, the house in
Chadrar village was raided on information that suspected suicide
bombers were hiding there. The Tank Police Station's Station House
Officer Mohammad Hussain said Qari Niaz Wali, who hailed from
Srarogha in South Waziristan, was on the list of suspected planners
of suicide attacks. Sources said that Qari Wali had moved to the
village after a military operation was launched in South Waziristan
recently. He had rented a house in Chadrar and lived there with
his family.
The tribal Lashkar (militia) in Doog Darra area
of Dir Upper District killed two militants, including a key Taliban
commander Maulana Naeemullah, in fierce fighting. Naeemullah was
one of the top three local commanders, who facilitated the foreign
militants to entrench in the area. There were also reports that
several militants suffered injuries in the fierce clashes, triggered
by the armed villagers' attempt to torch the house of an important
Taliban commander Maulana Zakirullah at Chinar area. Thousands
of armed villagers have been trying to drive the Taliban militants
out of the area for the last 25 days but the fighting is reported
to have escalated during the last five days in which 13 persons,
including 10 militants and three militia men, were killed and
several others sustained injuries. The villagers claim to have
killed 45 militants in the conflict so far. Local and Lashkar
sources told that the fierce fighting started in the evening of
July 1 when the militia attempted to torch the house of Maulana
Zakirullah. The militia has torched or destroyed around 60 houses
of the alleged Taliban members and their supporters in the area.
"Some 16 fighters of the Lashkar were trying to set on fire the
house when around 12 militants attacked them," a resident of Miana
said. The clash resulted in the killing of three members of the
Lashkar while two others were wounded.
Two Policemen were killed and an equal number
of people sustained injuries when Taliban targeted a Police vehicle
with a remote-controlled device in Peshawar. A Police official
told that the militants targeted the vehicle with a roadside bomb
in Chushtiabad area at around 5:45am. The Policemen were reportedly
in the area to investigate a robbery attempt by the Taliban.
Police arrested a would-be suicide bomber with
an explosives-laden vehicle in the Tajazai area of Lakki Marwat
District. A private TV channel quoted the Lakki Marwat District
Police Officer (DPO) Imran Zahid as saying that Police had seized
600 kilograms of explosives from the bomber's vehicle in Laki
Marwat. The DPO said the bomber had been identified as Sadaam,
a resident of Miranshah area of North Waziristan.
|
July 4 |
A local trader was shot dead in an apparent target
killing in the Commissionary Bazaar area of Dera Ismail Khan.
The killing came a few hours after the signing of the six-point
peace agreement in a jirga led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief
Fazlur Rehman for the restoration of peace in the District.
|
July 5 |
Ten militants were killed in shelling by the SFs
in the Mangaltan area of Charbagh sub-division in Swat District,
the military said. "Gunship helicopters shelled the militant hideouts
in Mangaltan area of Charbagh town. At least, 10 militants were
killed in the shelling," Major Nasir Khan, a military spokesman
in Mingora, told. Nasir said the air attacks occurred after fresh
reports of the militants' movement in the area. An intelligence
official in Mingora confirmed the strikes and the death toll.
SFs said that three soldiers were killed and six
others wounded while a few terrorists were arrested in the Malakand
Division. According to the Inter-Public Services Relations, SFs
raided the house of a terrorist in Mohalla Nehrabad in Kuza Banda
and recovered one Suzuki pick up, one small machine gun, two magazines,
one pistol and 175 rounds of miscellaneous caliber. During an
exchange of fire with the militants near Bari Kot, three soldiers
were killed and four others injured. During a search and clearance
operation in Rangeela, the troops arrested an unspecified number
of terrorists. The SFs conducted a search and clearance operation
around Magaltan and arrested a few suspects and also recovered
bomb making material.
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told
that the military had killed a commander loyal to the TTP Swat
unit chief Maulana Fazlullah on the outskirts of Mingora. "Ehsan
alias Abu Jandal, was killed two days earlier in Qambar area.
He was a mid-level commander," Athar said.
Reports from Mingora indicated the SFs set ablaze
24 houses of militants in different areas of Swat Valley. Further,
the house of Pakistan Human Rights Chairman Raja Liaquat Ali was
reportedly torched. Sources said 12 houses of the militants were
set ablaze in Sra Cheena area of Charbagh. The houses of the militants,
including Irfan, Ziaur Rahman, Arshad, Abbas and Fazal Rab, were
set ablaze in Amankot area. Houses of four militants were torched
in Malukabad and Qamar areas. The house of Raja Liaquat, Chairman
of Pakistan Human Rights, was torched in Rajabad area.
The militants attacked a check-post near Qambar
in Lower Dir District. An exchange of fire also took place in
Chinarai, Lal Qilla and Maidan. Reports from Dir stated that two
roadside bomb blasts in the Serati area of Dir Upper District,
killed two persons and injured 15 others.
Criminals in Dera Ismail Khan are getting support
from Taliban in kidnappings for ransom, an intelligence report
said. Sources told Aaj Kal that after receiving the reports,
the Punjab Home Department issued a circular to regional, city
and District police officials across the province to initiate
action against these criminals. According to the circular, kidnappings
for ransom, especially in the DG Khan and Rajanpur Districts were
an alarming phenomenon and law enforcement agencies have been
directed to start a major operation against criminals linked to
the Taliban.
|
July 7
|
SFs said that they had killed
four Taliban militants and arrested 34 of them from various areas
of Swat and Bannu Districts. The ISPR said that Taliban commander
Muhammad Rasool was among the dead in Shukdara. Further, a local
Taliban commander, identified Wahab, was killed and 14 other suspected
Taliban militants arrested in a house-to-house search operation
in Bararai near Khawazakhela. The forces also conducted search
operation in Bannu’s Maddi area, killing a militant in a clash
and arresting seven others.
Taliban militants shot dead a
man and injured two others in the Mattani area of provincial capital
Peshawar. Sources told that two militants attacked a car near
Gulmast Pump, injuring a man. Separately, around 12 militants
also fired at a car owned by the Bannu chief administrator, killing
the driver and injuring another man.
At least eight persons, including
five Policemen, sustained injuries in an explosion caused by a
timed device in Bannu. According to the Bannu District Police
Officer, explosives planted along a road in Mumbaibark went off
when a Police vehicle was passing by.
16 militants were arrested during
search operations conducted by the Charsadda and Lakki Marwat
security officials separately.
|
July 8
|
A suicide bomber died on the outskirts
of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, when explosives hidden in a
mango cart went off before he could reach the intended target
– possibly the NWFP Assembly speaker, according to witnesses and
Police. "The bomber is the only person who died," senior
Police officer Ghulam Muhammad told reporters after the incident
in Malkhandher on Nasir Bagh Road. Unconfirmed reports indicated
that five people had been injured. Witnesses said that a teenager,
aged around 16 years, was waiting near a bridge when his explosives
went off. One eye-witness said the explosives had been hidden
under mangoes to dodge the troops. Bomb disposal squad chief Tanveer
said the explosives weighed around 20 kilograms and "pieces
of a suicide jacket" had been found. Police believe the bomber’s
original target was the NWFP Assembly Speaker Karamatullah Chagarmati,
who was using the Nasir Bagh Road en route to a funeral. AFP
reported that the explosion came minutes after the speaker’s
motorcade passed by.
The military operation in Swat
and adjoining Districts is "complete" and various areas
of Malakand Division have been taken back from the Taliban, but
the army will stay on in the valley to conduct search-and-destroy
operations wherever required, said the NWFP Information Minister
Qamar Zaman Kaira and Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.
Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad, Kaira said,
"The Swat operation has been successfully completed, and
the government will announce a schedule for the phased return
of IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] within the next two days."
Abbas said Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani had presided over
a high-level meeting at the General Headquarters to discuss a
host of issues related to the operation.
The army said the Taliban’s command-and-control
structures, logistics and training infrastructure had been either
destroyed or disrupted. They also said that a large number of
Taliban leaders had been killed or arrested. The meeting did not
rule out isolated incidents of terrorism in the area. "The
army will, therefore, stay in Swat," it said.
The military spokesman confirmed
that Swat Taliban unit chief Maulana Fazlullah was seriously injured
and another militant leader, Abu Jandal, had been killed. He said
Taliban leader Shah Dauran was also reported to have been killed.
Replying to a question, Abbas said most of the terrorist commanders
and leaders were in the Swat valley and only a few of them had
moved out. However, there was no possibility of the militants
regrouping and operating in the valley, he added.
|
July 9
|
Two soldiers were killed and five
others injured when an improvised explosive device struck a security
convoy in the Bannu. The Taliban targeted the security convoy
using a remote-controlled bomb in Janikhel area of Bannu.
A Peshawar Electric Supply Company
(PESCO) employee was killed and three injured when Taliban militants
blew up an electricity pylon using a remote-controlled device
in Merra Suraizai Payan village on the outskirts of the provincial
capital Peshawar. A Police official told that explosives weighing
five kilograms planted by the Taliban at the base of the tower
went off at around 2pm, killing a PESCO lineman, Muhammad Rehman,
and injuring three others. A bomb disposal squad official said
the Taliban used four sticks of dynamite – weighing a kilogram
each – to initially damage the pylon, and when PESCO officials
were repairing the damage, a remote controlled device was detonated.
The SFs shot dead an alleged suicide
bomber and his father in the Maroofkhel area of Shangla District.
Sources said that Maulana Said Aban and his son Niamatullah, a
suspected suicide bomber, were shot dead by the troops during
a raid on their house. The SFs also blew up their house with explosives.
The sources said Maulana Said Aban was the Pesh Imam (chief priest)
of a mosque in Maroofkhel area. The militants in Swat had reportedly
trained Niamatullah as a suicide bomber and his name was included
in the list of would-be bombers with the militants. The residents
of area, however, said Maulana Said never supported the militants.
Taliban militants blew up a local
journalist’s house in Buner. The attack was carried out in Poland
village, some 15 kilometers from Pir Baba area of the District.
Rehman Buneri, the victim, told that around 60 masked men entered
the house at around 2am, vacated it at gunpoint and blew it up.
He said the Taliban told his father that "Buneri speaks against
us a lot". He said the Taliban told his father they would
not harm them and offered to accommodate them if they had nowhere
else to go. He said he had been threatened by unidentified individuals
before the incident.
SFs killed several militants and
destroyed a number of their hideouts during an operation in the
Tiligram area of Swat District. In addition, the ISPR said the
body of a Taliban commander for Sakhra, identified as Omar Zada,
who was killed on July 7, was recovered on July 8. According to
the ISPR, the SFs conducted a search and clearance operation in
Tiligram area of the Charbagh sub-division and destroyed a laboratory
used for making explosives. "Thirteen suspected terrorists
were apprehended and a few others were killed during the search
operation while a soldier sustained injuries," it said. Locals
said SFs destroyed four houses of suspected militants in Tiligram.
In a similar operation in Kalagai area near Matta, SFs defused
seven improvised explosives devices and destroyed as many hideouts
of the terrorists. A training centre having tunnels and bunkers
was also destroyed, the ISPR media update said. In the Batkhela
area of Malakand, SFs arrested 12 suspected terrorists.
The SFs arrested 157 suspected
militants and demolished over 35 houses in the limits of Safi
sub-division of Mohmand Agency and Darra Adamkhel in NWFP, in
separate operations. Sources said that SFs along with the political
administration carried out a search operation in Karer, Palosai,
Ghari and Darwazgai areas of Qandaharo in Safi. Over 150 militants
were arrested during the operation while houses of 35 others were
razed to the ground.
Reports from Kohat said seven
suspected persons, including two militants, were arrested during
a search operation in different parts of Darra Adamkhel. Sources
said the SFs conducted search operations in the Sherakai, Bostikhel,
Mallakhel, Akhorwal and Tor Chappar areas. In addition, gunship
helicopters targeted hideouts of the militants in the Tor Chappar
area. However, there were no reports about any casualties.
|
July 10
|
SFs killed three militants and
destroyed seven tunnels and eight hideouts during a search and
clearance operation in parts of the Swat District, the ISPR said.
The tunnels and the hideouts of the militants, according to the
ISPR, were destroyed in Badar and Sar Colony areas of the valley.
A militant was also killed and 26 others were arrested in these
areas. A search and clearance operation was launched in Gujjaro
Killay near Malam Jabba area in which two militants were killed.
SFs also said they have cleared Malam Jabba area of the militants.
Two children were killed and two
others injured when a bomb they were playing with exploded in
a house in the Akhorwal area of Darra Adamkhel. The bomb was reportedly
lying unexploded in the fields in the Akhorwal area after last
month’s fierce clashes between SFs and the Taliban.
A trooper was killed when an army
vehicle hit an improvised explosive device on the Tora Ghundi
road in Hangu District. Officials said the vehicle was transporting
ration for SF personnel deployed at the Doaba check-post when
it was targeted by a remote control explosive device in Tora Ghundi.
Reports from Peshawar stated that
people of Asman Shah village in the Dir Lower District have raised
an armed militia, headed by Sherin Rahman, in a bid to stop the
Swat Taliban from entering their area. The members of the militia
have reportedly taken positions on the mountain tops to oversee
the movement of the Taliban militants. The area borders the militancy-affected
Kabal area of Swat Valley where the SFs have launched a military
operation to neutralize the Taliban.
|
July 11
|
Three security officials were
killed and another six injured in a remote-controlled bombing
in the Kohat District. The bombing targeted an army vehicle passing
through the Pirwala Khel area.
|
July 12
|
SFs claimed to have killed five
foreign militants in the Maidan revenue division of Lower Dir
District. Official sources told that the SFs fired mortar shells
on a vehicle carrying militants, killing five of them. The militants
were reportedly foreigners and local people did not know them.
They said that bodies of the militants were later taken away by
other militants.
The militants killed three workers
of the ruling ANP in the Pir Baba area of Buner District. Sources
said the militants attacked Malik Pur village in Pir Baba and
killed three ANP activists, identified as Shamsher Ali Khan, Gohar
Ali Khan and Usman Ali Khan. The militants have been holding Jamil
Ali Khan, brother of Gohar Ali, as hostage for the last one month
and have demanded PKR 10 million as ransom.
|
July 14
|
In the Swat Valley, SFs killed
nine militants and arrested several others during search and clearance
operations. According to an ISPR update, SFs conducted an operation
at Syed Parinda Ziarat near Rangeela and arrested five suspects,
besides recovering four small machine guns, 11 pistols, two rifles,
three grenades and one Motorola set. The SFs also conducted a
search operation at Kuza Bandai and during the consequent encounter
five militants were killed while four others were killed during
clashes between the two sides at Tahirabad and Billogram.
|
July 15
|
SFs claimed to have killed the
most wanted terrorist leader Abu Laith and 13 other Taliban militants,
including two foreigners, during the ongoing military operation
in Swat valley amid the arrival of displaced people. According
to the ISPR, the SFs conducted a search operation in Peuchar and
killed Abu Laith, a Swat Taliban commander in Peuchar, their former
headquarters. "The security forces carried out search operation
in Akhund Killay near Kabal and killed eight militants, including
two foreigners. One soldier embraced shahadat and three soldiers
including an officer were injured during exchange of fire,"
the ISPR said. During a search operation in Reema, the SFs claimed
to have killed three more militants.
The ISPR said a militant commander,
identified as Ismail, a resident of village Goal Sakhra, voluntarily
surrendered to the SFs. Further, locals of village Sandoka in
Malakand Agency apprehended three militants and later handed them
over to the SFs. The ISPR added that a "wanted terrorist",
Shah Naseer, was arrested from Satala in the Madyan area of the
valley. At Aghal area of Chuprial, the SFs conducted a search
operation and recovered seven machineguns with two magazines,
four rifles and one pistol. The ISPR claimed killing one militant
in this area.
The SFs launched an operation
against militants in the Gokand, Hisar, Bagra and Minyarai areas.
The District Police Officer, Abdul Rashid, told that seven hideouts
of the militants were destroyed and six militants were arrested.
He claimed to have cleared Gokand, a valley bordering Swat valley
that was invaded by Taliban during their incursion on Buner in
early April 2009. The officials, however, conceded that Taliban
were still present in Bishonay area near Pir Baba. However, he
said the life had returned to normalcy and curfew relaxed during
daytime.
The troops have reportedly pushed
back the Taliban militants in the 75-day old military operation
and there has been no active fighting for the last two weeks.
The latest killings of the militants took place at a time when
the people displaced from the Swat valley have been returning
to their homes since the last three days. However, Sajid Mohmand,
the Police chief in Swat, said that "The situation in Swat
has not improved to the extent of preventing violent incidents
in the valley in the near future." "There are reports
that some militants are still hiding in the mountains and these
are the elements which may deteriorate the situation in Swat,"
he said.
Two Policemen were killed and
six others sustained injuries in a roadside explosion in Bannu
District. Sources said a party of the Bakkakhel Police Station
was on its way to Bannu city when an improvised explosive device,
which was planted under a bridge on the Bannu-Miranshah Road,
went off at 8 am, killing two Policemen and injuring six others.
In the provincial capital Peshawar,
at least two children were injured in a rocket attack. A Police
official told that Taliban militants fired three rockets from
an unidentified location into the city at about 12:30pm, and one
of them hit a house in Sethi Town, injuring a 13-year-old girl
and a 15-year-old boy. He said the rockets landed in Chmakani,
Gulbahar and Pahari Pura areas of the city.
Suspected Taliban militants blew
up a Police post in the Takhbhai area of Mardan District. Explosives
planted along the outer wall completely destroyed the Toordher
post. The Mardan District Police Officer told APP that there had
been no casualties, as the Police post was vacated in view of
the dilapidated condition of the building.
SFs arrested 12 people, including
four relatives of Taliban ‘commander’ Shah Duran and eight suspected
terrorists. Sources told that the SFs detained two nephews of
Duran and two of his brothers-in-law. On the same day, SFs arrested
six suspected Taliban militants during a search operation in Bara.
|
July 16
|
SFs killed eight Taliban militants
in the Loi Namal area of Matta sub-division in the Swat District.
The ISPR said that SFs carried out search and clearance operations
in parts of the valley. "SFs conducted a search operation
in area around Loi Namal and Pansarat and killed eight terrorists,
including local commander Bilal," the ISPR claimed. A number
of tunnels and hideouts were unearthed in Matta. The SFs have
also reportedly wrested the headquarters of the Taliban - Peuchar.
During an operation in Loi Namal,
the ISPR said 20 terrorist hideouts were destroyed and eight machine
guns, one rifle and huge quantity of ammunition recovered. During
a search operation in Gwalerai, troops destroyed six hideouts
and recovered 10 rifles, along with ammunition and one double
cabin vehicle. The SFs also claimed to have destroyed two tunnels,
each 20-foot- long, and demolished four bunkers in Kalagai area
of the valley. The ISPR said troops arrested four "suspected
terrorists," recovered one machine gun and two pistols in
Gamkot and Nimogram areas. 45 rifles and 12 pistols were recovered
in the Ningwalai and Bara Bandai areas of Kabal sub-division.
In addition, the SFs neutralized 10 hideouts in Tutan Bandai.
Two people, including an official
of the UNHCR, were killed and another injured when suspected Taliban
militants attempted to abduct UN officials at the Katcha Ghari
Refugee Camp in Nasir Bagh in Peshawar. An official from the Nasir
Bagh Police Station said four armed men in a car tried to kidnap
UNHCR officials as they were leaving the refugee camp on Jamrud
Road. "A guard fired at the kidnappers when they grabbed
a UN official by the collar… the kidnappers also started firing
– killing UNHCR official Zill-e-Usman, chairman of the UNHCR Staff
Council in Peshawar, and injuring another official, Ishfaq Ahmed,
and Afghan Commissionarte guard Aladdin," he said, adding
that the guard later died at hospital.
Peshawar Police said they had
seized an explosive-laden car in the city’s Shahabkhel area. An
official said Policeman had signaled the car to stop during routine
security surveillance at a check-post. The driver did not respond,
prompting Police to pursue the car, the official said, adding
that the driver managed to escape after abandoning the car some
distance away. The Police said they recovered 200 kilograms of
explosives, 1,800 detonators and 1,000 safety fuses from the car.
|
July 17
|
Two soldiers and an equal number
of Taliban militants were killed in the Swat and Dir Districts.
"A security vehicle – en route to Peochar from Shahid Khapa
– was hit by an improvised explosive device near Serai… two soldiers
were killed," said the ISPR. A local militia in Dir destroyed
Taliban bunkers in Shahdas near Lal Qila and killed two militants
and injured two others. The militia also detained two suspects
and seized a machine gun, a pistol and other weapons from Kumbar
Bazaar. Another Taliban militant was arrested from Kuanpur village
near Aspentar. In Swat, troops conducted a search operation in
Titlawala near Charbagh, and destroyed eight tunnels and 12 bunkers
and arrested 15 suspected militants. Troops also cleared the Akhun
Baba Ziarat area near Aloch and conducted search operations in
Chakdara, Aspentar, Kanju and Kabal.
Taliban militants injured four
women and a child in Chappak Kalle near Jandola. They also fired
six rockets at the Jandola Fort, injuring one soldier.
SFs arrested 13 Taliban militants
during a search operation in the Hangu District.
|
July 18
|
The political administration arrested
15 tribesmen, including a tribal elder, under Section 40 of the
Frontier Crimes Regulations under an ongoing crackdown against
Mehsud tribesmen in the Tank area of NWFP. Administration officials
told Daily Times that the Khasadar personnel arrested 15 people,
including Mehsud elder Dilbar Khan. Officials said that earlier
a crackdown was launched against the Shabi Khel, the Mehsud sub-tribe
of TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud.
SFs arrested at least four people
during a search operation in the Achini Bala area of Peshawar
and parts of Khyber Agency. The arrests are said to be part of
a crackdown on the banned LI. Security personnel also demolished
an LI centre in the area and destroyed a bridge used by militants
to re-supply. Those arrested militants were identified as Siraj,
Masood and Okhair. The identity of the fourth man was yet to be
ascertained. A local elder told that nearly 100 LI activists usually
stayed at the centre, located in the Achini village and have several
sympathizers among Afridi tribesmen living in the settled areas
close to the Khyber Agency border.
|
July 19
|
The Police launched a counterattack
on Taliban militants in the Sambat Cham area of Matta sub-division
in Swat District after the beheading of a Matta Police Station
class-1V employee, killing one militant besides demolishing seven
houses. In addition, three more militants were killed in the ongoing
military operation in Swat. The class-IV employee, Muhammad Iqbal,
was beheaded inside his home in Sambat Cham on the night between
July 17 and 18. The incident reportedly prompted the Police to
initiate action in the area, killing one suspected militant, identified
as Bawar Khan, and arresting Noorani Gul. They also had an exchange
of fire with the militants after their raid on the Taliban hideouts.
Seven houses of the militants were reportedly razed to the ground.
SFs continued their search and
clearance operations in parts of the Swat Valley. The Army-run
ISPR claimed that three militants were killed during an encounter
with the militants in Mauja Kandao. It said a suspected militant
was also arrested from this area. SFs also launched search operations
in Goal village in Matta and Kanju in the Kabal sub-division and
destroyed four houses of the militants and recovered eight rifles
and two pistols along with some ammunition. In similar action
in Chaprai Banda, the SFs destroyed two training centres, a 25-metre-long
tunnel and house of a Taliban commander, Ismail, and recovered
material used in preparation of improvised explosive devices.
SFs and Police, in a joint search
operation, arrested 54 suspected militants and recovered arms
and ammunition in different parts of the Hangu District. Arms
and ammunition, including six kilogram of explosives, two Kalashnikovs,
four rifles, six pistols and several cartridges, were recovered
from them.
|
July 20 |
SFs claimed to have killed around 100 Taliban
militants in a massive military operation in a cluster of villages
in the Maidan area of Dir Lower District in the NWFP. Military
sources said the SFs launched action in five villages of Maidan
to dislodge the militants from their hideouts as they were launching
rocket attacks from there on the Scouts Fort in Timergara. "We
have inflicted huge human loss on them. According to the information
we have received, the casualties of the militants must not be
less than 100," a military official stationed in the area said.
He said a large number of foot soldiers backed by tanks, artillery
and mortars stormed the positions of the militants in Sherkhanay,
Shedas, Misrikhanay, Sangolai and Saparay on July 19. The official
said troops continued their operation for around 18 hours to destroy
the Taliban hideouts. "They had built bunkers and other hideouts
in the area from where they used to launch rocket attacks on the
(Scouts) Fort in Timergara," he said. "Security forces wrested
these areas, including the strategic Saparay Top and Point 1260
(a mountaintop)," the official said, adding the militants had
been on the run in the area. He said during the action, some 100
militants had been killed. Some 250-300 Taliban militants were
hiding in these five or six villages, according to the official.
The NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain
said that the Taliban in Maidan were still active. He told media
persons after a cabinet meeting that the provincial Government
has decided to fix a bounty of PKR 500000 each on the heads of
five top Taliban leaders of Maidan. They included 'commander'
Hafizullah, Qari Shahid, Dr Wazir, Muftahuddin and Abdus Salam.
14 militants, including two 'commanders', and
an Army officer were killed in clashes between the SFs and Taliban
in the Swat District. Locals from the valley reported pitched
battles between the two sides in the morning. They said the exchange
of a heavy fire and mortar shell firing were heard from Koza Bandai
village of Kabal area when the two sides clashed. Locals said
the fighting resulted in the killing of 14 militants, including
two 'commanders' identified as Zarqavi and Zulqarnain. Major Zahid
of the Pakistan Army was also reported to have been killed during
the encounter. Official sources in Mingora told that the operation
was carried out in the Shahdherai, Damghar and Dardial areas of
Kabal sub-division. According to the ISPR, the SFs conducted a
search and clearance operation in Kamyrai near Dardial. During
the exchange of fire, Major Zahid was killed, it said. 12 terrorists
were killed in the exchange of fire with the troops, the ISPR
added. It said the SFs launched another military action in Gal
Shah village and killed two militant commanders - Taj alias Zarqavi
and Zulqarnain. Troops also recovered one machine-gun, along with
three magazines. During a search and clearance operation in Talgai
near Madyan, the SFs arrested two wanted militants, Fazle Haq
and Khairul Ghafoor. Two walkie-talkie sets and 17 boxes of ammunition
were recovered in Mano Dherai near Peuchar, while a jeep prepared
for a suicide attack, two IED and a suicide jacket were recovered
in Matta. Search and clearance operations were also conducted
in Mira Banda, Dakku Banda, Kund Banda, Pir Patai Banda, Kamyari
Banda, Pinorai Banda and Chur Banda, during which the house of
militant commander Akbar was completely destroyed while another
militant commander Hamood was arrested in Dardial area.
Suspected militants of the Mangal Bagh group killed
four Policemen in an ambush on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital
of the NWFP. According to official sources, the Police team was
patrolling the Sarband cattle fair on Bara Road at around noon
when was attacked. Sub-Inspector Riaz Khan, constables Laiq Shah
and Khudadad and driver Zahir Shah were killed on the spot. Another
Policeman is reported to have jumped out of the vehicle and escaped
unhurt. A case has been registered against Mangal Bagh, the head
of the proscribed LeI group, and his 'commanders' Gul Amin, Fazal
Amin, Said Noor, Dilawar, Tariq, Saifur and Wahid. Sources said
it could be a revenge attack for the July 18 operation in the
Achini village in which LeI's office was destroyed.
A roadside bomb killed a soldier of the FC in
the Bannu District. The bomb targeted an FC vehicle, killing one
trooper and injuring seven constabulary officers, local hospital
official Mohammad Jawed said.
|
July 21 |
SFs killed 11 Taliban militants in the Swat District,
while suffering three fatalities. Locals said seven militants,
including two local 'commanders' identified as Khalifa and Pehlwan,
were killed in the Damghar and Mamdherai areas of Kabal sub-division.
A media update of the ISPR said "During a search operation at
Damgarh and Mamdherai, security forces spotted five terrorists
clad in Burqa, trying to escape from the area. They were apprehended,
along with short machine guns, while five terrorists were killed."
It said three soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer,
were also killed during an encounter with the militants in the
area. Locals told that three militants were killed in Shahdherai
area of Kabal during an operation by the SFs. They also said four
farmers were killed in the evening of July 20 in the Bara Bandai
area of Kabal. They were identified as Bilal, Abdullah, Shamsher
Ali and Akbar Hussain.
The ISPR said SFs carried out a search operation
at Ganjir near Topsin and killed one militant. In another successful
operation in the Dardial area of Kabal, the SFs rescued Shaukat,
the brother of a member of the NWFP Assembly Dr Shamsher Khan.
Two other persons, Saad and Asghar, kidnapped along with Shamsher's
brother, were also recovered. The three were abducted some two
months back by the militants for ransom.
The troops conducted a search operation in the
area around Peuchar and recovered 216 boxes of ammunition of various
calibres from the Taliban hideouts. SFs also torched 12 houses
owned by alleged militants in the Islampur area near Saidu town
and arrested three persons identified as Bakht Bedar, Aslam and
Sadiq.
Suspected Taliban militants hijacked an oil tanker
in the Makho Khor area of Hangu District. Official sources told
that the driver of the tanker and the conductor - identified as
Amin and Saraj - had also been kidnapped. They said the tanker
- carrying 7,000 litres of petrol - was on its way from provincial
capital Peshawar to Tal when it was hijacked.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that around
500 hardcore militants had been arrested so far from Swat, 90
per cent of whom were Afghan nationals. Talking to a private television
channel, he said Swat had almost been cleared of the militants
and the same approach would be adopted to pursue them in North
and South Waziristan. The armed forces will stay in the militancy-affected
areas until complete restoration of political and social infrastructure,
he said, adding that efforts would be made to achieve these goals
in minimum possible time. To a question, he said a sizable amount
of foreign-made heavy and sophisticated ammunition had also been
captured in the militancy-hit areas, which can be traded between
the states only.
Continuing their operation in the Maidan revenue
division of Lower Dir District, the SFs claimed to have killed
12 militants, including two ringleaders, identified as Qari Hakimullah
and Sher Khan. According to official sources, troops have taken
control of militants' strongholds in Takatak, Undak, Misri Khani,
Safaray and Kala Dag. Army officers told local journalists who
visited the violence-hit areas of Maidan that 80 per cent of the
revenue division had been cleared of militants. More than 100
militants were killed over the past two days. They said militants
had taken positions in Takatak, Undak, Misri Khani, Sangolai,
Safaray and Sher Khani. "We had information that militants were
regrouping in these areas. An operation was conducted and the
areas were cleared," an officer said.
|
July 22 |
28 militants were killed and several houses were
razed during the ongoing military operation Rah-e-Rast
in the Swat, Buner and Dir Lower Districts.
Locals from Swat said SFs took action in parts
of the Kabal sub-division to track down the hiding Taliban militants.
They said six suspected militants in Ningolai and two in Malukabad
were killed during search operations by the troops. It was also
reported that the body of a suspected militant was found at the
Aqba Pull in central Mingora city. The Army-run ISPR also said
the SFs had killed eight militants in the Swat valley during the
last 24 four hours. The ISPR media update said SFs killed two
militants and arrested another during a search operation in Malukabad.
The troops also conducted a search operation in Ningolai in which
six terrorists were killed and four suspects were arrested, the
update said. It added that five machine guns, along with ammunition,
were also recovered during the operation.
Locals reported that the SFs also carried out
an operation in Mamdheri, a former headquarters of the TTP Swat
chapter chief Maulana Fazlullah, and destroyed eight houses. The
house of cleric Fazl Haq was also demolished in the Gulkada area.
Two militants were reported to have been arrested in Malukabad.
The ISPR said SFs carried out a search operation in the Qalagai
Banda area, destroying one house and arresting five terrorists.
In Buner, the SFs launched an operation against
the Taliban remnants on Chagharzai strip to neutralise the threat
of the Taliban in the District. Locals in Buner said troops cleared
the Dewana Baba area and were now advancing further. The SFs claimed
they had killed three militants during an encounter with the Taliban
in Dewana Baba. They conceded injuries to two soldiers in the
clash. A vehicle of the militants loaded with weapons and ammunition
was also destroyed.
The ISPR claimed that the SFs during a search
operation at Saparay Kandao in the Dir Lower District killed 16
militants and also destroyed three Markaz-cum-training centres.
The troops had earlier in the week carried out a massive military
operation in a cluster of villages in this area and had claimed
to have killed over 100 militants. The areas of Sherkhanay, Misrikhanay,
Shedas, Saparay Kandao and Sangolai have now reportedly been cleared
of the militants, who had built hideouts in the area from where
they were firing rockets at the Scouts Fort in Timergara.
|
July 23 |
SFs claimed to have killed eight more militants
and recovered a Prado used by the Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah
during search operations in the Mauja Kandao and Dadrah areas
of Kabal sub-division in Swat District. A spokesman for the Swat
Media Centre told reporters that the SFs launched operations in
Mauja Kandao, killing six militants. He said that a Prado used
by Maulana Fazlullah was also recovered, besides another one.
A media update of the ISPR said the SFs killed two militants and
arrested three others in Dadrah area during a search operation.
In addition, two bodies of militants, identified as Bakht Bedar
and Akhtar Ali, were found in Mingora city. According to the ISPR,
the SFs conducted a search operation in Samai Killay, demolishing
11 houses of terrorists. One machine gun, two rifles and 150 rounds
were also recovered. The troops, it added, also conducted search
operations in Dardial, Maira Banda, Kamyari and Daku Banda areas,
recovering 1,029 rounds of machine gun and two safety fuses.
The TTP denied claims that Maulana Fazlullah,
the Swat unit chief of the TTP, was wounded, and threatened to
unleash a renewed "holy war". Pakistan said on July 8 it had "credible"
information that Fazlullah was hurt during a military operation
in Swat. "Taliban chief Fazlullah is alive, healthy and has never
been wounded," TTP spokesman Muslim Khan told over the telephone
from an undisclosed location. "All of the Taliban leadership in
Swat are alive and are in hiding with a strategy. We will continue
our jihad until the enforcement of Sharia [Islamic law]," he said.
"Army artillery and tanks cannot prevent us from achieving our
objective," he added.
|
July 24 |
16 militants were killed by SFs in the Maidan
area of Dir Lower District while five militants and a soldier
were killed in different areas of the Swat Valley and Malakand
Agency in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast.
16 militants were killed by the SFs in Maidan,
the hometown of the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad in Dir Lower,
the paramilitary Frontier Corps said without giving any other
details.
The ISPR said two militants and an Army soldier
were killed when they clashed in the Allahdhand area of Malakand
Agency. In another incident in the Ziarat Baba area of Swat, the
SFs claimed to have killed two militants affiliated with the Maulana
Fazlullah-led Swat chapter of the TTP. The ISPR media update said
SFs conducted a search operation in Surgulai and Syed Piranda
Baba Ziarat, demolished two houses of militants in Akhun Killay
and Garoh and arrested one militant. The troops also conducted
a search operation in the Sambat area near Khwazakhela, killing
a militant. The ISPR said four suspected militants were arrested
from a house in Kankaro near Gulijabba during the operation.
In addition, SFs killed one militant while foiling
an attempt by a group of eight militants to establish a check-post
in the in the Utror area of Kalam valley. Another militant is
reported to have jumped into the river Swat and his fate was not
known while one was injured and subsequently arrested. The remaining
militants escaped after a brief exchange of fire with the SFs.
Later, the troops reportedly hanged the body of the slain militant
from a pole on Gammon bridge near Kalam town. This practice is
apparently being followed to warn militants of a similar fate.
The NWFP Higher Education Minister Qazi Asad said
schools in the Swat Valley would reopen from August 1.
17 CD shops and two general stores were destroyed
when explosive devices went off in three adjacent markets of the
Bakhshali village in Mardan District. An explosion in the Mir
Afzal Market destroyed 11 CD shops and two general stores. Four
CD shops were destroyed in a blast in another adjacent market
and three shops were destroyed in the nearby Waleed Market. The
markets' watchman, Ameer Khan, told the Choora Police that 26
armed people came to the markets in the midnight and planted explosives
at different places after tying him with rope. Minutes later,
he added, the explosive devices were set off. According to District
Police Officer Waqif Khan, local militants were involved in the
incident. He also said police had arrested some suspects, who
were being interrogated.
|
July 25 |
SFs shot dead at least 14 Taliban militants during
operations across Malakand, Buner and Swat. "During last 24 hours,
search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand
division", the ISPR said. 10 Taliban were killed in Buner, while
four were killed in Swat, and the SFs also arrested 29 militants
from various areas of the two Districts. "SFs conducted a search
operation at Sappari Kandao, Koto Banda and Shadas and killed
nine terrorists at Koto Banda and one at Zohaib post," ISPR added.
The ISPR reports that the SFs also killed two militants and arrested
four during a search operation at Torshe Khan Sar. A militant
training camp and a cave were also destroyed in the area and SFs
recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition. During a search
operation at Utror near Kalam, SFs killed a militant, arrested
another and recovered a number of arms and ammunition, the ISPR
said. During search operations in Bararai area of Khawzakhela,
Malakand and Qambar SFs arrested 21 militants. In neighboring
Dir, fighter jets pounded a suspected Taliban base, killing at
least four persons, local Police chief Ejaz Ahmed said.
Six personnel of the bomb disposal squad and a
civilian were injured while trying to defuse a bomb on the Indus
Highway near Godi Banda. Upon receiving information regarding
the bomb, the officials rushed to the spot to defuse the device.
However, it exploded while being defused. The injured included
Sub-Inspector Muhammad Akbar, Technician Assistant Sub-Inspector
Sadat Habib, Constables Javaid Iqbal, Qaisar Khan, Khalid Mehmood
and driver Ahmed Ali. A tractor driver, Abdul Munaf, was also
injured. A police motorcycle and two vans were also damaged.
|
July 26 |
SFs killed a local Taliban 'commander' in Swat
and six Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency of FATA, after
fighter jets targeted the group's positions in Lower Dir District
of NWFP, killing at least 13 Taliban militants and destroying
their hideouts. "SFs conducted a search operation in the area
around Tal, Kamari Banda and Maira Banda, killing local commander
Maaz of Qambar," said the ISPR, adding that troops also arrested
nine militants from various areas and a prayer leader believed
to be a Taliban sympathiser in Darmai near Fatehpur. Troops seized
14 vehicles prepared for suicide attacks and arrested nine trained
bombers in Swat.
In Bajaur, the SFs targeted Taliban hideouts in
Babra, Manugai, Chinar, Kohi Matak and Karkanai, killing six militants.
Two soldiers were killed in an explosion near Sarkari Qila of
Bajaur. Meanwhile, the Peshawar-Bajaur Road has reportedly been
opened to traffic after a year.
In Lower Dir, the bombardment came late on July
25. "At least 13 Taliban were killed and 15 of their hideouts
destroyed," a security official in the area told.
|
July 27 |
11 militants were killed in a clearance operation
by the SFs and local militia in the Swat and Dir Upper District,
while 25 others were arrested during the ongoing. An ISPR media
update said nine terrorists also surrendered in different parts
of the Malakand Division. It said the local militia (Lashkar)
killed 10 terrorists and arrested six others in the Karodara,
Shakoh and Chopra Kandao areas of Dir Upper District. Seven terrorists
belonging to the Safi group also surrendered before the civil
administration.
In Swat Valley, the ISPR said, SFs conducted a
search operation in Pashmal near Kalam and arrested wanted 'commander'
Kabir of Sattal. Two militants surrendered voluntarily to the
SFs in Fizaghat. According to the ISPR update, the SFs also conducted
a search operation in Dangram near Mingora and recovered different
items looted from the Poly Technical College. In a search operation
in Langar village near Khwazakhela, one terrorist was killed,
and two others were arrested, while seven terrorist hideouts were
also destroyed. In the Chur Banda area, the troops arrested four
suspects and recovered some arms and ammunition from their possession.
Suspected Taliban militants bombed a CD shop in
Mansehra, killing one person and injuring two bystanders. Senior
Police officer Abdul Sattar Khan said a time bomb planted outside
the Al-Khurram CD shop and Internet cafe exploded at about 6am,
killing Fakhar Zeb, and injuring Aurangzeb and another unidentified
man. The blast also damaged two adjacent CD shops.
The Police claimed to have arrested Ayaz, a close
aide of Umar Khalid, the Taliban commander for Mohmand Agency,
in a raid on a house in the Mandani area of Charsadda District.
District Police Officer Riaz Khan told the media that Ayaz used
to provide compensation to the families of suicide bombers, besides
sending bombers to various parts of the country for terrorist
acts.
Reports from Lakki Marwat District said SFs arrested
several suspected persons in the District. Police sources said
SFs launched a search operation in Lakki city, Dallokhel and Ahmedkhel
areas after firing heavy artillery at the hideouts of the militants
in the hilly area of Shah Hassankhel village. The sources said
two persons were injured during the search operation carried out
in Ahmedkhel village. A search operation was also conducted in
Dallokhel village and Lakki city where several suspected persons
were arrested.
Reports from Kohat District indicated that Police
arrested 14 suspects and seized weapons during the ongoing clean-up
operation in different areas of the District.
The NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour said
that 200 children of ages 6 to 13 years had been recovered from
Malakand who were completely brainwashed for conducting suicide
attacks. Talking to a private television channel, he said the
Government would try to educate these children in such a way that
they could live in a civilized manner. Around 20 children of the
same mindset were earlier discovered from training camps of terrorists
and were later trained and educated in the army institutions,
he said. He said that such children were emotionally trained by
terrorists in different ways. They firmly believed that after
committing a suicide attack they would directly enter into paradise,
the provincial minister said. These children are so influenced
by their trainers that they even term their parents as non believers
and would not hesitate to kill them, he said. He also said that
these children were presently in the custody of army.
|
July 28 |
SFs killed two Taliban militants in Swat and arrested
at least 26 suspected militants in various areas of the Swat,
Darra Adam Khel and Lakki Districts. The ISPR said those arrested
in Swat included local Taliban 'commander' Liaqat, who was taken
into custody during a search operation in the Karorai Kandao area
of Gidar Sar Banda. "Troops conducted a search operation in Malukabad
area and killed two Taliban and arrested one," said the ISPR,
adding that the SFs defused four improvised explosive devices
in Dangram.
13 suspected terrorists, including four teenaged
suicide bombers, were arrested while suicide jackets and explosives
were recovered during a raid on a coal shed in Civil Quarters
in Peshawar, the NWFP capital. Apart from the suicide jackets,
a huge quantity of explosives, hand-grenades and rockets were
also recovered from the building.
|
July 29 |
Four terrorists were killed and 23 arrested in
24 hours during search and clearance operations by the SFs in
Swat and Malakand, the ISPR said. The SFs killed four terrorists
and arrested three suspects during search operations at Amankot,
Ahingro Derai, Minar Qambar and Landikas near Mingora. According
to the ISPR, the SFs conducted search operations at Tal near Shah
Dheri, resulting in the arrest of two terrorists and the demolition
of 10 hideouts. Meanwhile, a local jirga (council of elders) handed
over a suspected terrorist to the troops in Bahrain. In addition,
an important terrorist commander, identified as Umar Said alias
Zarqawi of Asi Kot Qandharo, surrendered to the authorities.
An anti-Taliban elder and cousin of a Member of
Provincial Assembly (MPA) was killed and his son was injured when
suspected militants stormed their house in Shangla District. The
militants attacked the house of Haji Khalil, cousin of MPA Fazlullah
and relative of the PML-Q NWFP chapter President Amir Muqam, who
had supported the military operation against the militants. Haji
Khalil died on the spot while his son Adil and two other were
injured. According to local Police, the attacking militants were
resisted by Haji Khalil Khan and his relatives as a result of
which two attackers were also killed. Further, there were also
reports of an attack on the house of former federal minister Amir
Muqam in Choga Makhozai village. The extent of damage to his house
could not be ascertained. Fazlullah is an independent MPA, whose
father and former MPA Pir Mohammad Khan, was killed in a suicide
attack on Amir Muqam's residence in Peshawar.
Unidentified militants opened fire on a Security
Forces convoy near Martong area in Shangla District. However,
there were no casualties.
In a suspected sectarian incident, a Policeman
was killed and four persons, including a Shia lawyer, were injured
when a remote-controlled bomb exploded in the parking lot of a
court in Dera Ismail Khan. DIK Cantonment Police Station official
Arif Khan said the bomb exploded as former District Bar Association
president Mastan Ali Zaidi was parking his car in the District
courts parking area. According to police, Mastan's bodyguard Asad
Abbas, who was a Police constable, was killed while Mastan, his
clerk Iqbal and two pedestrians were injured.
|
July 30 |
Unidentified terrorists stormed the house of a
tehsil (revenue division) official in Swat District and killed
his brother. "Terrorists raided the house of tehsil nazim Muhammad
Ali at Choga near Aloch, killing his brother and injuring his
nephew and a neighbour," the ISPR said.
The SFs conducted a search operation in Kuza Bandai
and arrested 11 suspected terrorists, even as a Taliban commander,
Bakht Jehan, surrendered to the forces at Chaharbagh. The SFs
also launched search operations in Swat's Qadar Kandao and Chate
Kale areas and arrested four Taliban militants and seized some
communication equipment from their possession.
The troops recovered six suicide jackets, two
drums and six bags filled with explosives, 24 time bombs and 24
toy bombs from Godiwala mountains in the Lakki Marwat District.
|
July 31 |
SFs killed six Taliban militants in the on-going
military operation in Swat District, a statement by the ISPR said.
"Security forces conducted a search operation in Charbagh and
Allahabad and killed six terrorists and also recovered a cache
of arms and ammunition along with material for preparation of
IEDs," it said. The SFs also conducted a search operation in Khog
Bacha and arrested Ibn-e-Aqil, younger brother of Ibn-e-Amin,
an important Taliban commander.
Two local Taliban commanders surrendered to the
SFs in Shalpalam and three in Jheel village near BB Ziarat.
The people of Alamganj, Chinkulai, Janu and Bandai
in Khawazakhela have expressed their commitment to support the
forces and resolved not to allow any terrorist in their respective
areas.
|
August 2 |
SFs killed four Taliban militants and arrested
27 others from the Swat District. According to the ISPR, two militants
were killed and seven others arrested during search-and-cordon
operations in Derai and Danda. In addition, two more militants
were killed and two others arrested in Gorai, Kotlai and Daragai.
The SFs also conducted search and clearance operations in Kamargai
near Gulibagh area and apprehended a local Taliban 'commander'
and nine suspects. They also carried out a search operation in
Shah Dheri and arrested eight Taliban militants and seized four
rifles and three pistols. A local Taliban leader, identified as
Khairur Rehman, surrendered to the SFs in Shangla District. The
troops also carried out a search operation in the Biha valley
and discovered two tunnels and a training camp with bunkers and
a generator.
Suspected Taliban militants bombed four shops
selling CDs and cassettes in the Balakot town of Mansehra District.
Police officer Habibur Rahman said a time bomb planted outside
the shops in the main market of Balakot exploded early in the
morning. Two people were also injured in the blast.
The SFs blew up a madrassa (seminary) on
the Begukhel Road in Machenkhel in the Lakki Marwat District.
Official sources said the SFs raided Siddiqia madrassa at 5:30
am and blew it up, destroying five rooms of the building. Head
of the madrassa, Maulana Gul Muhammad, was not present at the
time. There was no casualty as the seminary was empty. Official
sources also said there were authentic reports that the seminary
was being used as a shelter by the local and non-local militants.
In addition, unidentified militants are reported to have fired
at a police check-post near Shah Hassankhel village in the night
of August 1.
Militants shot dead two Policemen in Paharipura
while a Police party escaped a booby trap when a bomb disposal
squad defused explosives placed with the body of a slain prayer
leader in Mashogagar.
A squad of the Paharipura Police Station was ambushed
by unknown gunmen in Islamabad town around 2:30 am while patrolling
the streets. Both the members of the squad, Hidayatullah from
Harichand village in Charsadda, and Imtiaz, resident of Afghan
Colony in Peshawar, were killed in the attack.
In the southern Mashogagar village, terrorists
killed a prayer leader Qari Roohul Amin of Sulemankhel, who had
been abducted on June 29, and placed three kilograms of explosives
with his body to trigger it with a remote control device in the
hope that Policemen would come close to it. Officials of the bomb
disposal squad, however, defused the explosives without any damage.
|
August 3 |
Jets shelled Taliban hideouts and killed at least
five militants near Swat. The aircraft raided Dok Darra town after
intelligence reports said that a large number of militants had
gathered in the area, military spokesman Major Nasir Ali Khan
said. "The bombing destroyed three Taliban bases and killed five
militants," he said. Local administration chief Javed Marwat confirmed
the air strikes and said at least five militants were killed,
but warned that the number of casualties could rise.
According to ISPR, three terrorists surrendered
to the SFs in Shangla District and search and clearance operations
are reportedly continuing in Swat and Malakand. Further, the SFs
arrested nine terrorists in the Panrsat, Ashara, Shakardarra,
Puronai and Kukarai areas of Swat District, demolished three houses
of militants and defused an explosive device. One SMG with three
magazines, two pistols and one computer were seized in Gokdara
area, near Mingora. Further, four terrorists were arrested and
four rifles and 30 rounds recovered in Salampur area. One terrorist
was reportedly apprehended from the Dargai Killay area of Malakand.
|
August 4 |
SFs killed at least six Taliban militants in fighting
in the Kabal and Barikot areas of NWFP, while a soldier was killed
and another sustained injuries, a Police official. Sources said
dead bodies of five of the slain militants were recovered. While
three dead bodies were recovered from Manglor on the outskirts
of Mingora, two other dead bodies were recovered from Landai Kas
and Qazi Abad areas.
The SFs conducted search operations in the Dahrah
and Nagwa areas and demolished three militant's hideouts. They
also recovered 10 rifles, four small machineguns, two pistols,
two grenades and one mine detector from the hideouts. Similarly,
the SFs discovered and destroyed two tunnels in the Rampatai area
of Peochar.
An underground tunnel was destroyed by the SFs
in search operations in the Bahadar Gaam area near Charbagh. Eight
militants were also arrested during the operation.
The SFs arrested 17 terrorists in the on-going
search and clearance operations in different parts of Swat. "Security
forces conducted search and clearance operation at Kalam and Bahrain
and arrested four suspects," ISPR said.
The SFs carried out search operations in Dagai,
Garoh and Kotali areas, arresting three terrorists and recovered
five rifles, one pistol, one IED and a huge cache of ammunition.
Two more suspects were arrested during a search and clearance
operation in the Jambil near Saidu Sharif.
|
August 5 |
SFs said that they, in collaboration with local
militias, had killed eight militants during the ongoing military
operation in Swat and Dir Districts. "The local Lashkar [militia],
during a search operation backed by the Frontier Corps, killed
four terrorists at Dog Darra in Dir, including Taliban commander
Shakoor," the ISPR said in a statement. The Lashkar also destroyed
the houses of nine Taliban militants. The militia killed five
militants, adding that three of the deceased were Afghan nationals,
while the remaining two were residents of Swat. The ISPR said
four more Taliban militants had been killed in two different areas
of Swat. It said the SFs, during a search operation at Goratai,
had killed three extremists, including an explosives expert. In
a separate incident, another member of the Taliban was killed
in Kotah near Barikot and some arms and ammunition recovered.
The SFs conducted a search operation at Kabalgram
in the Shangla District and destroyed 10 Taliban hideouts. During
a separate search operation at Kuz Shaur, near Chuprial, they
arrested eight Taliban militants. Six more militants were arrested
near Mingora, raising the total number of apprehended to 14, while
five Taliban hideouts were demolished near Charbagh. The SFs also
conducted a search operation at Nigulai and Kuza Banda and confiscated
three vehicles belonging to Taliban commander Khurshid.
In the Dir District, SFs raided the house of a
Taliban leader in Munz Banda, recovering 20 kilograms of explosives,
detonators and other material required for the preparation of
improvised explosive devices.
Hangu District Police arrested 17 Taliban militants
during a search operation in various parts of the District. The
Deputy Superintendent of Police Farid Khan said Police had arrested
17 militants and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition from
their possession. He said the arrested men had been promoting
the Taliban's agenda in the District, adding they had been harassing
people and staging bombings.
|
August 6 |
SFs killed seven Taliban militants and arrested
21 others in the ongoing military operation in Swat and Malakand,
the ISPR said. The ISPR said SFs killed four militants during
an encounter at Samsel Bandai near Kabal, while two others were
killed during a search operation in Amankot. A Taliban militant
was also killed in the Rashghatta-Kokarai area near Jambil. The
ISPR said two terrorists were arrested from Perona near Jambil
and four Taliban militants surrendered in Dakorak. Troops also
arrested six suspected terrorists from Jan Patai near Alpurai
and three more from Guljabba.
Unidentified persons shot dead two shopkeepers
in Dera Ismail Khan. Police sources said Ajab Khan and Akhtar
Khan were on way to home after closing their shop in Dahoter area
when unidentified persons opened fire on them, killing them on
the spot. Reports said the two belonged to a banned religious
group.
|
August 7 |
19 persons were killed and more than 18 injured
in a gunfight between pro and anti-Baitullah Mehsud groups in
the Tank District of NWFP. The clashes broke out soon after media
reports saying that the TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud might have
been killed in a missile strike by US drones in South Waziristan
on August 5. A private TV cannel reported that Baitullah's men
attacked two offices of peace committees run by Turkistan Bhitani
in the Imamkhel and Umerada areas of Tank. Around 200 armed militants
reportedly took part in the pre-dawn raid. The gunfight continued
for about two hours, the channel reported. Turkistan Bhitani,
who had won the backing of the Government after challenging Baitullah
Mehsud in Tank and South Waziristan, had set up the camps in Government
school buildings. Turkistan Bhitani joined the anti-Taliban campaign
after 40 of his men had been killed by supporters of Baitullah
in 2008.
A Taliban commander killed six militants before
being shot dead by another militant in the Batara area of Chagharzai
in Buner District. Sources said that the Taliban commander Shah
Zar Khan from Choga area developed differences with his associates
over the July 29 attack on the house of Haji Khalil, an activist
of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Shah Zar is reported to have
opened fire on his colleagues when they were offering Maghrib
prayers, killing six of them on the spot, while he himself was
killed by another militant, deputed to guard them. The militants
later killed the son of Shah Zar who was stated to be a militant
as well. Shah Zar was said to be a close relative of Haji Khalil
and both hailed from the same village. Haji Khalil was killed
after killing two of the Taliban attackers and injuring three
others on July 29.
SFs said they killed two Taliban militants and
arrested five others in the ongoing operation in Swat District.
"Security forces conducted a search operation at Maloch near Kabal
and killed two terrorists and apprehended [a] few suspects," the
ISPR said. The SFs arrested two terrorists from the Nokhara and
Kalakot villages near Fatehpur and two others during a search
operation in Sanela near Aloch. The ISPR also said a terrorist
surrendered at Mangar Kot near Charbagh. In addition, two soldiers
were injured during a search operation at Maloch. Meanwhile, locals
of Kotah village surrendered 89 rifles to the SFs.
Three rockets hit a military airbase and a FC
official's house but no casualties were reported, Police said.
Two rockets hit the Badaber airbase in Peshawar but no damage
was reported. Separately, a rocket was fired at an FC official's
house in Gulberg II, Saddar area of the provincial capital. The
structure was partially destroyed in the attack and a neighbouring
house was also damaged. The official's brother, Malik Ashraf,
told reporters that they had rented the property to a family from
Hangu two days ago and had been living elsewhere themselves.
|
August 8 |
A bomb blast outside a school in Charsadda injured
six persons. Police officer Marjan Khan said the blast hit a parking
area outside the school for boys and girls shortly before classes
ended in Charsadda District, northeast of Peshawar city. Five
of those injured were motorcycle-rickshaw drivers who were waiting
to take children home.
|
August 9 |
Two civilians and a Policeman were killed when
Taliban militants ambushed a Police convoy in the Bannu District.
"Three policemen were on a routine patrol in Meryan village of
Bannu when they were attacked by a group of 10 Taliban," senior
local official Iqbal Marwat told. He said one Policeman and two
farmers in nearby fields were killed in the attack.
The Police arrested two men during raids in the
Totalai area of Buner District, claiming that they were important
militant commanders. Sources said a Police party raided the house
of Mufti Asim in Bagh Khadokhel and arrested him. They also recovered
a Kalashnikov rifle, a pistol and ammunition. 36-year old Mufti
Asim was wanted in connection with different cases. Another militant
commander, identified as Ghazan, a resident of Zaga village, was
arrested from Inayatabad in Totalai. District Police Officer Rashid
Khan said Ghazan was wanted to the police in the murder of a Policeman
on April 23, 2009 and snatching official weapons from the Chengalai
Police besides torching a Police post on April 27, 2009. He added
that a Kalashnikov rifle, three magazines and 60 rounds were recovered
from Ghazan.
A would-be suicide bomber was arrested in the
limits of Totalai Police Station, official sources said. The sources
said 16-year-old Khair Hussain was detained in the Kangalai Chengalai
area. He is reported to be a resident of Shahpur area in Shangla
District and had entered Buner. Khair Hussain, who was presented
to reporters by the Police, said he was trained in Qambar in Swat.
Meanwhile, gunship helicopters targeted various hideouts of the
militants in Chagharzai area bordering Shangla District. However,
there was no report on the human and material losses due to the
bombing.
SFs killed a leader of the banned SSP after an
exchange of fire in the Malanari area of Dera Ismail Khan District.
Official sources said Miftahullah, a SSP leader who was allegedly
involved in sectarian killings in Dera city, was shot dead during
a search operation.
|
August 11 |
The SFs, during an 18-hour-long operation in Akhund
Killay in the Kabal sub-division of Swat District, killed a militant
commander and three others and showed their corpses to the media
in Mingora. Briefing reporters, Lt-Col Akhtar of the IRPS media
cell in Swat, said the operation against the militants in Akhund
Killay continued for 18 hours. He said the militants had taken
positions in bunkers at the hilltops while SF personnel had to
move into the area by boats. He said the SFs succeeded in killing
four militants, including 'commander' Rahim Shah alias
Fauji. Two others killed in the operation were identified as Wajid
and Said Rahim while the name of the third militant could not
be ascertained.
The SFs, the ISPR said, conducted a search operation
at Biha and arrested 15 terrorists. The troops also conducted
a search operation at Madial near Chuprial and arrested two suspects
while in a similar search operation at Darmai, one soldier was
killed during an exchange of fire with the militants. An ISPR
press release said two terrorists surrendered before the SFs at
Khairarai. It also the SFs demolished three tunnels at Rampatai
near Bar Shaur area. The forces are also reported to have arrested
five supporters of terrorists during a raid and during a search
operation in Batkhela they apprehended five more suspects.
Taliban militant set ablaze seven primary schools
in the Buner District where children recently resumed their studies
after the area was declared safe by the army, officials said.
"Three boys' and four girls' primary schools were set on fire
by Taliban on Monday in Buner District," the District Police chief
Abdul Rasheed told. No one was hurt in the arson attacks as the
schools were closed for the night, he said, but the buildings
were burnt to the ground. The Online news agency reported that
five schools were also torched in Shangla District.
|
August 12 |
SFs said that they had arrested 46 suspected Taliban
militants during the ongoing search and clearance operation in
various parts of Swat District. "Security forces conducted search
operations at Siakas, Chirhi Banda and Biha, and arrested 30 Taliban,
including Nisar alias Ghazi Baba. They also seized a large cache
of arms and ammunition," the ISPR said in a statement. The SFs,
in addition, also conducted another search operation at Bar Shalpalam
and Shangwatai near Matta sub-division, and arrested three Taliban
militants, including the most wanted Muhammad Rahim. Further,
a search operation at Chamtlai resulted in the troops defusing
two improvised explosive devices, the ISPR added.
SFs conducted an operation at Waliabad and arrested
one of Masood Azhar's accomplices, while another five suspected
militants were arrested during a search operation at Tal village.
Separately, nearly 600 residents of Tutan Banda conducted a private
search operation and apprehended six terrorists. The SFs also
arrested one of Taliban commander Talemand's associates from Najigram
on a tip-off.
The SFs cordoned off the Haji Baba area of Mingora
city and demolished the houses of four suspects, Riaz, Fazle Karim,
Suleman, Mujeeb and Ishaq.
|
August 13 |
SFs killed one Taliban
militant and arrested 14 others, including a 'commander', at Swat.
"Troops killed a Taliban, identified as Liaqat, in Liluani and arrested
local Taliban commander Rahim Gul from Luluani village," said the
ISPR. SFs conducted a search operation in Ghuzano Sar near Peochar,
and arrested two Taliban militants, while two others surrendered
in Bagh Dheri and Shalpalam. Two Taliban militants were arrested
from Shaggai. Another two were arrested from Tando Dag and Ahingro
Dherai. The ISPR said the SFs arrested five Taliban militants from
Tal. |
August 14 |
Unidentified militants
fired at least two rockets in the Peshawar city. The first rocket
hit a house in Gulberg and the second landed in Bana Manri. The
Bomb Disposal Squad defused another two rockets in Chathro Dag area
of Badbher. A Bana Manri Police Official said the rocket had damaged
a power supply line, but there were no casualties. A Peshawar Electric
Supply Company spokesman said the rocket had damaged an 11KV transmission
line. |
August 15 |
A Taliban suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden
vehicle into a security check post at Waliabad near Charbagh in
the Swat District, killing three soldiers and a civilian. "An
explosives-laden vehicle was rammed into a security check post
in Waliabad near Charbagh, killing three soldiers and a civilian,"
said an ISPR statement. "We believe the bomber was aiming to hit
a target in Mingora, where locals celebrated Independence Day
on a massive scale," said an unnamed security official.
One Taliban militant was killed during a clash
with the Police in the Kat Garh area of Hangu District.
13 people, including TNSM District treasurer Saiful
Malook, surrendered before a joint operation team comprising Colonel
Naseer Janjua, District Commissioner Officer (DCO) Yahya Khan
and District Police Officer (DPO) Abdur Rashed Khan. After his
surrender, Malook told journalists at Circuit House Daggar that
his group was against the violence adopted by the Taliban to enforce
sharia laws in Malakand division. He said the TNSM and its leadership
had been peacefully struggling for enforcement of sharia and denied
any links with the Taliban.
Four Taliban militants who were part of a group
that killed 17 FC personnel in 2008 surrendered to Hangu Police.
Hangu DPO Muhammad Alam Shinwari told reporters the four men had
been wanted for their involvement in the deaths of 17 FC personnel
during a clash with the Taliban at the Daravribandi area of Hangu
District.
|
August 16 |
18 bodies of suspected militants were found dumped
in various parts of the Swat District while SFs killed six militants
and arrested 12 others elsewhere in the valley during a search
operation. Official sources said 11 bodies were found dumped on
the roadside in Kanju Dheri and Dewlai areas in Kabal sub-division.
Eight of the bodies were recovered from the Kanju area. Three
bodies were recovered from Islampur, one in Kota Aboha, another
from Gumband Mera and two more were found in Gorai area. Another
unconfirmed report said three more bodies were found in the valley,
raising the total to 21. In an interview with the BBC Urdu service,
military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the slain men
weren't in the custody of the SFs and the military had no hand
in the killings. He also said people who had suffered at the hands
of the militants might have killed them to take revenge. Since
July 13 when the displaced people started returning to Swat, a
total of 102 bodies have been found dumped on roadsides and on
the banks of Swat River. Almost all of them were reportedly stated
to be of the militants.
The SFs claimed to have killed six more militants
at Ningolai in Kabal. The slain militants were identified as Sher
Alam, Umar Rahim, Rehmat Ali, Muhammad Rafiq, Nawab Ali and Aftab.
The forces also arrested 12 suspected militants from various parts
of the District. Five persons, including Shah Zareen, Muhammad
Ibrahim, Muhammad Iqbal, Liaquat Ali and Aminul Haq, were arrested
in Mingora city. Those detained in Kabal area included Ibrahim,
Bakht, Nek Muhammad and Akbar while Habib Khan, Zareef Khan and
Fawad were arrested in the Aligrama area. In Kanju Dheri area,
the troops torched the houses belonging to militants identified
as Akbar, Yousuf and Umar. Two shops owned by the militants were
also burnt in Mingora. In another incident, the SFs allegedly
shot dead a person identified as Tota, a resident of Rang Mohalla,
for violating curfew.
A soldier was killed and three others sustained
injuries in a suicide attack near a SFs checkpoint in the Swat
District in the night. According to the ISPR, a suicide bomber
was moving towards the Naway Killay check-post when the soldiers
asked him to stop. However, the bomber entered a house near the
check-post and blew him up, injuring four soldiers. One of the
soldiers later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Around 13 suspected militants were arrested from
the Nowshera District. Sources said the SFs launched an operation
in the wake of the missile attack on the Nowshera Cantonment and
Badrashi area on August 15.
|
August 17
|
SFs said that they had killed
13 Taliban militants in Swat District and arrested 28 militants,
including 20 who surrendered in Dir District. "Troops conducted
a search operation in Shaheed Sar near Sar Qala, and destroyed
the Taliban headquarters there... 7 Taliban were also killed,"
said the ISPR, adding that six more militants were killed in a
search operation at Derai. Separately, 20 Taliban militants surrendered
to the SFs in Dir.
A Taliban spokesman from Swat
said that his men would soon step up attacks. "We stopped
our activity for a few days, but will resume during or after Ramzan,"
said Muslim Khan over the telephone. The Taliban also claimed
responsibility for two weekend suicide bombings in the Swat Valley,
saying that the blasts were a message to the visiting US envoy
Richard Holbrooke that the militants remained strong despite the
recent Army gains there. The bombings were "a gift to Holbrooke,"
Muslim Khan The Associated Press from an unidentified location.
He said the weekend bombings in Swat were avenging the alleged
killings of militants in the Army custody.
Seven persons, including three
children and two women, were killed and nine others sustained
injuries in a bomb blast in a passenger vehicle at a petrol station
in the Shabqadr sub-division of Charsadda District in the NWFP.
Driver Zahid Khan was getting fuel in his pick-up at the Attock
Filling Station on Michni Road near Shabqadr town, around 20 kilometers
northeast of provincial capital Peshawar, when the explosion occurred.
The vehicle was carrying passengers from Shabqadr town to Anbar
sub-division of the nearby Mohmand Agency when the blast occurred.
Those killed in the blast included Zahid Khan, two women, and
three children. Officials of the bomb disposal squad said around
eight kilograms of explosives were connected with a timer that
went off inside the petrol pump. A Police official said explosives
were concealed in a pack of medicines which the cleaner of the
car, Mukarram, had placed inside. Leader of the Mohmand Agency-based
Taliban, Qari Shakeel, reportedly claimed responsibility for the
blast, saying they would continue such attacks on locals until
the Government stopped raising armed militias against the militants.
A first information report has been lodged against two militant
commanders, Qari Shakeel and Adnan, for the blast. The attack
is said to be the third of its kind against Anbar tribesmen since
the tribe’s decision to form a Lashkar (militia) against the Taliban.
|
August 18
|
Suspected militants beheaded a
man kidnapped from the Matani area of Peshawar on August 12. Kabir
Hussain, who had come from the US and was on way from Peshawar
airport to his village Dabori in the Kohat District, was kidnapped
by five armed men from Matani along with the taxi driver, Mira
Khan, who was later released.
Unidentified militants set ablaze
a girls school in the Balambat sub-division of Dir Lower District
in the night. Villagers said unidentified people torched the Government
Girls Middle School at Kadh in Balambat. Earlier on August 16,
unidentified men are reported to have set ablaze a basic health
unit in the Mornai village.
|
August 19
|
The body of a suspected Al Qaeda
leader was found in a house in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP.
According to officials, the body with multiple wounds was of Abdullah
Noori, son of Abdul Qadir, an Algerian believed to be Osama bin
Laden’s top aide. They said the man had been suffering from kidney
ailment and was being treated by a private physician in a rented
house in the Tehkal area on the University Road. Ten other people
in the house were also arrested, but seven of them were later
released. The other three are said to be foreigners, one of them
from Algeria. Police said they raided the house on information
that an important militant commander was hiding there.
The bodies of two Hindus were
found in Mingora in the Swat District. Unidentified assailants
are reported to have shot them dead and dumped their bodies on
the roadside. Further, a press release of the ISPR said SFs conducted
search operations in Tanki Top near Shalkosar, Doghlai, and Dagai
near Shaur and arrested 10 suspects. The SFs also carried out
a search operation in Saidu Sharif and Charbagh and arrested three
suspects. In another operation in Manglawar, the SFs arrested
eight suspects. The troops also conducted a search operation in
Pathaney village near Sangota and apprehended four suspects while
two suspects were detained during a search operation in Zarakhela.
The SFs are also reported to have carried out a search operation
in Ghakhi Banda near Tutano Banda and arrested two suspects.
The militants attacked two girls’
schools in the Balambat area of Lower Dir District in the night.
The militants first blew up the building of a community school
and then set ablaze a high school building in the area. According
to Major Ilyas, in-charge of the Dir media centre, the acts of
subversion were being carried out by militants fleeing the region
because of troops’ successes in the operation.
Police claimed to have arrested
two militants, identified as Mukaram Khan and Janat Gul, during
a raid in the Samar Bagh area of Lower Dir District. Officials
said the duo had confessed to their involvement in the murder
of District Police Officer Khurshid Khan and former district official
Alam Zeb Khan.
|
August 20
|
A bomb exploded near the Nowshera
Kalan Police post, damaging the wall of the building. The bomb
was reportedly planted in a water cooler, which was placed at
the boundary wall of the post. The device exploded at 4:00pm (PST),
damaging the wall of the post and an adjacent building. However,
no loss of life or injuries was reported.
Nowshera Police conducted raids
on local mosques and arrested two prayer leaders. The duo was
identified as Maulvi Kamran and Qari Imran, both hailing from
the Mohmand Agency in the FATA. They were accused of having links
with a group of Taliban.
Police in Hangu District arrested
11 persons, including five terrorists, and recovered a cache of
arms from their possession. The Deputy Superintendent of Police
(Operations), Farid Khan Khattak, said Police arrested the suspects
from Qazi Pump, Kotaki and adjoining areas.
Approximately 60 militants, including
two relatives of the Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah, laid
down their arms and surrendered to the Security Forces. The surrendered
militants were presented before the media by Lt-Col Akhtar Abbas
of the Swat Media Cell. The surrendered militants included important
Taliban commander Khurshid Ahmad and two cousins of Maulana Fazlullah
identified as Akbar Zada and Usman.
Four more bodies, believed to
be of militants, were recovered from the Charbagh and Nawagai
areas. Separately, two militants, identified as Ahmad and Abdur
Rehman, were arrested during search operations in the Manglawar,
Punjotand and other areas. The troops also targeted various hideouts
of the militants with heavy artillery in Manglawar.
|
August 21
|
A suicide bomber blew himself
up after he was besieged by the SF personnel in Kohat. Official
sources said the Police were informed that a 15-year-old suicide
bomber would attack a mosque or imambargah anytime in the city.
The SF personnel spotted the bomber in a bazaar with two hand-grenades
in his hand and a firearm on his shoulder, the sources said. Seeing
the Police party, the bomber ran away and forced his entry into
the house of Inayatullah Jan in BB Pakdaman Street and took his
family members hostage. Later, the women and other members of
the family, except one Safdar Hashmi, were allowed to go out of
the house. Eyewitnesses said the only hostage, Safdar Hashmi,
managed to escape from the house and the Police party headed by
the Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdullah Khan fired tear-gas
shells and bullets at the house. The bomber later blew himself
up when he couldn’t escape. The house also suffered damage in
the explosion. Later, Safdar Hashmi, while talking to the media,
said the bomber was 15-year-old and hailed from Punjab. He said
that four other suicide bombers had also entered Kohat District
to carry out blasts, adding that the bomber revealed they had
links with Al Qaeda.
|
August 22
|
Two persons were killed and three
others injured in a suicide blast in Hayatabad area of Peshawar
in NWFP, Police said. The blast occurred in sector N-I Phase IV
of the area near the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC). SSP Coordination
Qazi Jamilur Rehman told that it was a remote-controlled device
and weighed around five to seven kilograms. He said that the bomb
was attached to a vehicle carrying Haji Mubin, a spokesman for
the AI, a Khyber Agency-based banned outfit and another member
of the organisation. Rehman said Mubin and his fellow passenger
were killed along with three passers-by. The AI and the LI have
been fighting each other in Khyber Agency since many months.
A tehsil (revenue division) official
was killed when unidentified men attempted to abduct him and his
colleague, unspecified sources told. They also said that the other
official and one of the attackers were injured in crossfire with
Police. The Police arrested the three abductors and seized their
vehicle.
SFs arrested 27 Taliban militants
and neutralised three of their hideouts in various parts of Swat
and Malakand.
|
August 23
|
Three persons were killed and
15 others sustained injuries in a powerful suicide blast close
to the house of the slain AI spokesman, Mobin Afridi, in the Momin
Town area of Peshawar, the NWFP capital. The blast also destroyed
four houses and damaged eight others in the street. "Three
people, including two women, were killed and 15 others injured
when the suicide bomber blew himself up in a street after he ran
short of ammunition," said SSP Qazi Jamilur Rehman. The bomb
disposal squad estimated around eight kilograms of explosives
were used in the attack. A large number of ball bearings and nails
were also used in the blast to increase its intensity.
The SSP said the attack was probably
linked to the blast in Hayatabad in the evening, which killed
Ansar-ul-Islam spokesman Mobin Afridi and his associate Haji Khan.
The suicide bombers perhaps wanted to attack the house of Mubin,
where people had gathered to offer condolence to his brother Sahibzada,
who had rushed from Saudi Arabia to attend the funeral, and other
members of the family on his death, sources said. The AI cadres
opened fire on the attacker, who returned the fire. "During
an exchange of fire, the attacker got injured and ran short of
rounds, after which he preferred to blow himself up instead of
being caught," said an unnamed Police official. Mobin Afridi
was killed, along with his friend, when his car was blown up in
Phase-IV, Hayatabad. In 2008, his brother and a former spokesman
for the Ansar-ul-Islam, Maulana Mustamim, was also killed.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead
an intelligence agency official and a trooper of the Pakistan
Army. A Police report said Naik Ameer Hamza of the Army Services
Corps (ASC) and Intikhab Alam of an intelligence agency were sitting
on the ASC ground at night when the gunmen opened indiscriminate
fire on them. They are reported to have died at the District Headquarters
Hospital.
40 suspected persons were arrested
in a search operation while 12 militants surrendered to the authorities
in various parts of the Swat valley. Official sources said the
SFs launched a search operation in the Manglore area, arresting
40 suspects. Meanwhile, 12 militants surrendered to the SFs in
Fatepur and Gul Jabba.
|
August 24 |
SFs killed four militants during a search operation
while 11 bullet-riddled bodies of the militants were found in
the Sar Tiligram area in the Swat Valley. Sources said the SFs
continued a search operation in Sar Tiligram area and killed four
militants identified as Sherzada, Yasin, Sabir and Bakht Rawan,
besides recovering 11 bullet-riddled bodies of the militants.
The sources said SFs also demolished six houses of the militants
in the Manja area of Kabal sub-division during a search operation.
The house of commander Jalal was also destroyed in the Kota area
in Barikot Yehsil.
A media update of the ISPR said the troops arrested
38 more terrorists, while six others surrendered during the ongoing
Operation Rah-e-Rast. According to the ISPR, the SFs conducted
a search operation in Shingarai, Sabgar Shah and Tiligram and
arrested 26 suspected militants while six terrorists voluntarily
surrendered in Fatehpur. During another search operation in Ghuzkas
and Lalku near Shalkho Sar and Muslim Baig Sar near Derai, the
SFs apprehended six terrorists.
|
August 25 |
Troops killed three Taliban militants and arrested
seven others, while 11 locals - who were forced to get terrorist
training - surrendered at Swat and Malakand in the NWFP. "Troops
conducted a search operation in Taghan, Bishbanr near Gat and
killed two Taliban, while another was killed and one arrested
during a search operation in Asharbanr near Khawazakhela," said
a statement by the ISPR. The ISPR said 11 locals surrendered to
Security Forces in Bar Shaur near Chuprial. The houses of three
Taliban militants were also demolished in Manja.
|
August 27 |
Seven Taliban militants were killed and four others
arrested in a clash with the Police at Buner, a private TV channel
quoted a local Police official as saying. The Buner District Police
Officer said an exchange of fire occurred between law enforcement
personnel and militants, in which two vehicles were also destroyed.
According to an ISPR statement, SFs arrested 31
militants while 14 others surrendered in the Malakand division.
The SFs personnel also recovered an explosives-laden vehicle.
The statement said around 271,102 cash cards were distributed
amongst internally displaced persons.
Swat District Police re-arrested TNSM chief Sufi
Muhammad's sons, after they were freed from the Peshawar Central
Prison in NWFP earlier in the day. The Peshawar High Court had
said on August 26 the detention of Sufi's sons - Ziaullah, Rizwanullah
and Hayatullah - under Section 3 of the Public Maintenance Order
was illegal and unconstitutional and had ordered their release.
Peshawar Central Prison sources said that officials of the Swat
police spent the night at the central prison and took the three
men into custody after prison authorities set them free.
More than 80 percent of the 2.2 million IDPs from
Swat and Malakand have now returned home, Lieutenant General Nadeem
Ahmed, chairman of the Special Support Group for the displaced,
said. "There are those who are saying to us 'We will take you
to the tunnels, we will take you to the caches, we will take you
to the places where they have been storing ammunition and explosives
and suicide jackets'," the relief official said. He also said,
"Insurgencies don't go away in months, they go away in decades.
We have seen this in our own neighbourhood - in Sri Lanka, India
and Afghanistan - but this is the first time that we are talking
about dealing with it so effectively in months."
|
August 28 |
Six militants and a minor were killed when gunship
helicopters targeted a hideout of militants in the Charbagh area
of Swat District. Acting on a tip-off, gunship helicopters targeted
the base of militants near River Swat in the Charbagh area, killing
six militants and injuring several others. A press release issued
by the Swat Media Cell said the base was being used as a launching
pad for preparing suicide bombers and using them for carrying
out terrorist activities in Kabal, Kanju and Mingora city. Sources
said a minor, identified as Ayaz, son of Fazal Rabbi, was killed
while Ma'ab and Sajjad Ali were injured when helicopters targeted
militant hideouts in Charbagh.
Five militants were killed in a clash with the
SFs in the Thana area of Malakand Agency in the early hours. Official
sources said unidentified militants opened fire on the convoy
of the SFs on Palai Road, west of Thana, at 4 am, and the troops
returned the fire, killing five militants. Some of the slain militants
were reported to be foreigners. However, the identity of the slain
militants could not be established. Five Kalashnikovs, a rocket
launcher, rocket shells, five hand grenades, five wireless sets
and explosive materials were also recovered from the militants.
Two bullet-riddled bodies of militants reported
to be brothers were found dumped in the Balogram area of Swat
District. They were identified as Fazal Wahid alias Shikari,
the militants' 'commander' in Qambar area, and his brother Fazal
Subhan.
During a search operation in the Qambar area,
a militant, identified as Nisar, was arrested by the SFs. Further,
a militant, identified as Inayatullah, stated to be an expert
in fixing the FM radio channel of the militants, was arrested
from the Rahimabad area. Three suspects were arrested from the
Kokarai area while the two militants killed by the SFs two days
earlier were identified as Hayat Muhammad and Azizur Rahman. In
the Dadhar area, the SFs demolished three houses belonging to
militants.
Three bullet-riddled bodies of unidentified militants
were found dumped in the Muhammad Khwaja area of Hangu District.
Official sources said unidentified gunmen killed three militants
and dumped their bodies in a field in Muhammad Khwaja area. Later,
one of them was identified as Malung.
|
August 29 |
SFs killed at least 18 Taliban militants, including
six would-be suicide bombers, during the ongoing offensive against
the Taliban in Swat. Helicopter gunships were called in after
intelligence and locals said a suicide attack mastermind was present
in the Chaharbagh town of Swat. "At least six would-be suicide
bombers were killed in the shelling by helicopter gunships. The
place was being used as launching pad for training suicide attackers,"
an army statement said. A military official in Mingora confirmed
the strikes in the Mangaltan area of the town and the death toll,
adding several Taliban militants were injured as well. The air
raid on the training facility, located on a small island in the
Swat River opposite the town of Chaharbagh, was conducted after
local residents tipped off the SFs of its location, according
to Lt Col Akhtar Abbas, the Army spokesman in Swat.
The bullet-riddled dead bodies of six suspected
Taliban militants were found in a village in Swat, eight kilometers
from Mingora, Police said. "Six badly mutilated bodies were found
from two different places at Odigram," Ghulam Farooq, a senior
Police official said, adding that the bodies had bullet wounds.
It was not clear who had killed them.
The military sources said it continued search
and clearance operations across Malakand and Swat. "Security forces
carried out a search operation at Thana area and killed five terrorists
during an exchange of fire," military sources added. Another Taliban
militant was killed during an operation in Dandial.
|
August 30 |
At least 16 Police recruits were killed and 11
others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber detonated explosives
strapped to his body at the Mingora Police Station. The volunteers
for the new community Police force were conducting drills in the
yard adjacent to the station when the attacker detonated his explosives,
said local Government administrator Atifur Rehman. Authorities
were investigating reports the attacker - possibly in uniform
- might have hidden among the dozens of recruits, he said. "Initial
investigations suggest the attacker climbed the small boundary
wall and blew himself up, but there is also a report the suicide
bomber was already inside," he added.
18 militants were killed and several others were
arrested during the ongoing military operation in the Charbagh
sub-division of Swat District. Brigadier Tahir Hameed said search
and clearance operations against the militants continued in Balash
Banar, Gutt and Mangaltan areas during which 18 militants were
killed and many others were arrested. He also said a large cache
of food stuff and looted money was also recovered from the possession
of the militants. According to the Swat Media Centre (SMC), a
huge quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the militants'
hideouts during search and clearance operations in various areas
of Charbagh. Several bombs were also defused, it added.
Two local leaders of the ruling Awami National
Party (ANP) and a student were killed by unidentified gunmen in
the Dheri area of Kabal sub-division, Police said. The ANP leaders,
Bakht Karam and Irfanuddin Khan, were shot dead by assailants
when they were going for some domestic work to Dheri. In addition,
the body of a student, Rahim Shah, was recovered from the fields.
He was earlier kidnapped by unknown abductors. The victim was
stated to be a relative of a local ANP leader.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), his driver
and two militants were killed in an ambush in the Karak District.
Police said DSP Shafqatullah Khattak, posted in the Anti-Terrorist
Squad in Bannu District, was on his way to Latamber from Bannu
when the militants rammed their vehicle with the Police van and
at the same time opened indiscriminate fire on the Policemen.
The Police retaliated and as a result of the collision and firing,
DSP Shafqatullah, his driver Naeemullah Shah and two terrorists,
Abdullah Noor and another person, whose name could not be ascertained,
were killed. The DSP's gunman, Farman Ali, was seriously injured
and later shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu.
It is believed that one of the terrorists had also been injured,
but was taken away by his accomplices along with them. One of
the slain terrorists is believed to be a foreigner.
|
August 31 |
SFs killed at least 15 Taliban militants in various
clashes in the Swat District. One soldier was also killed in crossfire
between the army and the Taliban. "The security forces conducted
a search operation in Allahabad near Charbagh. In an exchange
of fire with the terrorists, five Taliban and one soldier was
killed," an ISPR statement said. The SFs also killed seven more
Taliban militants and arrested 11 of them during a search operation
in Maira. Further, three more Taliban militants were killed during
an operation in Lundai Sarand. In addition, the SFs conducted
search operations in Gulkanda and Aman Kot and arrested seven
militants. In another search operation in Sangota and Ahingora
Cham near Fatehpur, the army apprehended four militants.
At least 36 bodies, believed to be of militants,
were found dumped in various locations of the Swat valley. Official
sources said 30 bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in the
Manglawar and Banjot areas while the body of another militant,
identified as Bacha Rahman, was recovered from the Nawagai area
in Barikot. Three bodies were found in the Kanju area while two
were recovered from Akhund Killay. Bodies of the Taliban militants
were dumped on roadsides after being killed in mysterious circumstances,
the sources said. So far a total of 230 bodies have been found
dumped on roads and riversides in the Swat District.
The Army-run Swat Media Centre said two militants
were killed in the Kabal area during an encounter and arms were
recovered from their possession. According to the centre's updates,
several areas in Charbagh sub-division, including Banjot, Mangultan
and Bashbanr, were cleared of militants. The media centre also
said that in the last three days, 30 Taliban militants had been
killed during various operations against the militants. In the
exchange of fire, one soldier was also killed, the media centre
added.
|
September 1 |
SFs killed 15 Taliban militants in fresh clashes
in the Swat District. According to the Swat media centre, 15 militants
were killed in clashes in Kokari and Jameel on the outskirts of
Mingora, while two SF personnel were wounded.
Brigadier Salman Akbar, heading the military operation
in Kabal sub-division, told journalists that about 105 Taliban
militants - including a close aide of Maulana Fazlullah and a
dozen trained suicide bombers - surrendered in Kabal. He said
they also handed over 193 Kalashnikovs, one pistol, seven guns,
one rocket launcher and other modern weapons. He added that militants
were contacting SFs to surrender to the army. He said that around
165 militants had surrendered over the last three days.
The SFs conducted search operations in Kokray
and Janbeel, arresting 15 Taliban militants and seizing a cache
of arms and ammunition. Troops also reportedly conducted a search
operation in Kharairai near Matta and Amankot.
|
September 2 |
Two girls were killed in a grenade attack on a
house in the Sokri Hassankhel area of Bannu District. Police said
unidentified persons lobbed a hand grenade at the house of Dil
Faraz in Sokri Hassankhel area, killing his two daughters, 13-year
old Mahala Bibi and eight-year old Sania Bibi, on the spot.
Maulana Rahim Gul, one of the founding leaders
of the outlawed TNSM and a prominent religious scholar, died in
the Security Forces' custody. Rahim Gul had been arrested by the
Security Forces some three weeks ago and was being interrogated
in connection with Taliban activities in the Shangla District.
Official sources said Maulana Rahim Gul had been on a hunger strike
for the last several days and he was shifted to District Headquarters
Hospital, Alpuri, when his condition deteriorated in the night
of September 1. However, he could not survive and died in the
hospital.
Security agencies arrested three more sons of
TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad. A private TV channel reported
that the men were arrested along with their families from Pervaiz
Colony in the provincial capital Peshawar. The channel said security
officials raided a house in the locality to arrest Abdullah, Fazlullah
and Abdul Rehman and moved them to an unidentified location. Sufi
Muhammad has 11 sons, seven of whom are now under arrest.
|
September 3 |
A militia (Qaumi Lashkar) killed three militants
in an exchange of fire in the Kabal sub-division of the Swat District,
while seven militants were arrested in the area during a search
operation by the SFs. Sources said the militiamen traded fire
with the militants in the Galoch area in Kabal, killing three
unidentified militants. Besides, bodies of two militants, identified
as Rozi Khan and Ansar, shot dead by unknown persons, were recovered
in the Panr and Haji Baba areas.
The SFs arrested seven militants in Delai area.
They were identified as Abdur Rashid, Roohul Amin, Akhtar Amir,
Ali Muhammad, Hamza, Amani Room and Zafar Ali. Further, Police
recovered six hand grenades from an empty house in the Amankot
area. Meanwhile, the Army-run Swat Media Centre (SMC) presented
two militants before journalists. They were arrested during a
search operation in Barikot and were identified as Nisar and Abid.
According to them, Taliban 'commander' Shah Dauran had been killed
in the military action in Swat. Shah Dauran was among the top
Taliban leaders in Swat, who used to issue decrees and warnings
on the Taliban-run FM radio.
The SFs are reported to have shot dead one person
and injured two others for violating the curfew in Saidu Sharif.
The chief patron of the outlawed TNSM, Maulana
Safiullah, surrendered along with two supporters in Ber Shoor.
Maulana Safiullah is a close associate of the TNSM chief Maulana
Sufi Mohammad.
|
September 4 |
Suspected militants shot dead two FC troopers
in Nasir Bagh suburbs of Peshawar, the NWFP capital, early in
the morning. An official of the Nasir Bagh Police Station said
that the FC personnel were on routine patrol when around 3am unidentified
people armed with sophisticated weapons attacked them. He said
the troops also returned the fire. In the encounter, FC soldiers,
Mula Jan and Arbab, residents of Bara in Khyber Agency, were injured.
They later died at the Khyber Teaching Hospital. Cantonment Circle
Superintendent of Police Nisar Khan Marwat said the incident appeared
to be target killing.
SFs killed one terrorist in the Swat District.
"Security forces conducted search operation at Peochar and killed
one terrorist," the ISPR said in its daily update. It said six
terrorists surrendered to the SFs at Salhand, while two others
surrendered at Shah Dehri. Further, the SFs also arrested seven
suspects during search operations in Derai and Damghar, near Kanju.
Two more suspects were arrested from Mingora, the ISPR added.
|
September 6 |
The SFs killed three Taliban militants and arrested
12 others from various parts of Swat. "On a tip off, security
forces conducted a search and cordon operation in Liluani near
Alpurai. In an exchange of fire, three Taliban were killed and
two were apprehended," an ISPR statement said.
The dead bodies of two Taliban militants, identified
as Anwar Shah and Zahir Shah, were recovered from Nawagai.
Five Taliban militants surrendered at Gat near
Peochar and Bar Shaur, and two others surrendered before the SFs
at Bilogram and Odigram, the ISPR stated. A 10-year-old boy, under
Taliban training, surrendered before the SFs at Nagwa. Separately,
two Taliban militants surrendered before the SFs at Hazara and
Guljaba.
The Police claimed to have arrested 14 suspects
during a search operation in Kohat District. According to Police,
the suspects were arrested during an operation in the Dhoda, Ublan,
Sheikhan, Muhammad Zai and Ghamkole villages of Kohat. Two Kalashnikovs,
five handguns, four rifles, 10 pistols, 454 cartridges, 16 chargers
and 1,200 grams of cannabis were seized from their possession.
Intelligence agencies claimed to have arrested
two persons for planning to attack the Pakistan Air Force base
at Tarbela. According to a private TV channel, they were carrying
suicide jackets, a handgun and three hand grenades. They were
identified as Hafiz Abdul Razzaq and Abdul Majid. They were residents
of Karak area. They disclosed during their interrogation that
21-year-old Abdul Majid was to carry out a suicide attack, while
28-year-old Abdul Razzaq would provide cover fire. They said they
had travelled from Bannu to Tarbela Ghazi on a motorcycle, where
they were stopped at the Jharyan check post.
|
September 7 |
Unidentified militants killed a leader of the
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid party, Tahir Khan, at Kanju area
of Swat District.
|
September 8 |
Masked gunmen abducted a Greek national, Athanasee
Laironaise, from the Bamboret valley of Chitral District, killing
one of his Police guards and injuring another. A Chitral Police
official said that the incident took place some 22 kilometres
southeast of Chitral, when over 25 masked men broke into a compound
and abducted the Greek national. The slain Police guard was identified
as Zafar. The official said Athanasee was supervising the construction
of Kalash House, which is being built by a Greek NGO for Kalash
tribesmen.
Two oil tankers, carrying fuel for NATO forces
in Afghanistan, were attacked by suspected Taliban militants in
Peshawar, injuring their drivers and a helper on the Ring Road.
|
September 9 |
Troops killed 15 Taliban militants during operations
in the Swat area. "Fifteen Taliban were killed in Banjut, Jambil
and surrounding areas during a search-and-cordon operation," said
the military in a statement, adding that a huge cache of arms,
ammunition and explosives was also seized during raids. The ISPR
said a soldier was killed in fighting.
|
September 10 |
21 Taliban militants, including six foreign nationals,
were killed and 14 others arrested by the troops in Swat. Security
sources said the Taliban militants were killed during a search
operation in Banjot. According to the sources, six of those killed
are said to be Uzbeks holed up in a house. The Swat Media Centre
confirmed 15 deaths in the area. The sources said there had been
reports about the presence of senior Taliban 'commanders' in Banjot
on the outskirts of Mingora.
An ISPR statement said that troops conducted a
search operation in the Takhtaband and Batkhela areas, killing
one Taliban militant and arresting seven. The statement also said
nine militants surrendered before the SFs in the Barashaur and
Kanju Fort. 12 Taliban militants surrendered to the SFs in Dir
District, while two others were arrested from the Kalapani area.
The statement further said that the people of Swat were providing
all-out support to the SFs in efforts to eliminate the Taliban
from the area. The ISPR said that an 80-year-old citizen - not
identified for security reasons - tipped off troops about the
presence of Taliban in the Dureshah area. Troops seized a huge
cache of arms and ammunition in the ensuing operation.
Troops arrested at least 14 Taliban militants
and shifted them to an undisclosed location, while two other Taliban
militants surrendered before the SFs in the Kanju area of Kabal.
|
September 11 |
Troops killed two Taliban militants in Swat and
arrested 34 others from various areas of Swat and Dir Districts.
Two of the highest-ranking Taliban leaders, Muslim
Khan and Mehmood Khan, were arrested in a military operation,
ISPR spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. They were arrested
along with three other Taliban commanders, he added. Both Muslim
Khan and Mehmood Khan carried head money of PKR 10 million each,
with Muslim Khan being second on the most-wanted list behind Fazlullah,
and Mehmood at number four. The other three captured leaders were
Fazle Ghaffar, Abdul Rehman and Sartaj, a military statement said.
The report adds that the arrest confirmation followed a media
report claiming the military had detained the Taliban leaders
after "inviting" them to talks. "This is not correct ... we have
not held talks with them," Abbas said.
The NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain
denied reports that the Taliban militants in custody were forcing
their fellow prisoners to grow beards.
A local Lashkar (militia) of armed volunteers,
with the support of the FC and District Police, destroyed over
40 Taliban hideouts and bunkers in the Dogdarra area and set ablaze
60 houses in Upper Dir District. The Lashkar, FC and Police conducted
a joint search operation in the Shot Kas, Ghazigay, Sugia and
Paparoo Awar areas and set ablaze 60 houses belonging to the Taliban,
including those of senior 'commanders' such as Maulvi Zakirullah,
Amanul Haq, Gul Rehman and Maulvi Noor Islam. The joint operation
is likely to continue for another three to four days, District
Police Officer Ijaz Ahmed said, adding the majority of these areas
had been cleared of the Taliban.
|
September 12 |
The SFs shot dead eight Taliban militants, including
three Afghans, and injured nine others during operations in Swat
and Malakand areas. A security officer was also killed and another
injured in the clashes, the ISPR said. Sources said that the SFs
arrested nine militants, while 12 others surrendered to them.
Five militants and a trooper were killed when
the troops carried out a search operation at Samter near Banjot.
One soldier was injured, while nine militants were arrested in
the incident.
The SFs conducted a search operation at Bandai
near Khawazakhela and arrested two militants, while two others
surrendered at Barshaur and Uzbak Banda.
Two Policemen were injured in a suicide blast
near Doaba Police Station in the Hangu District. An eyewitness
told that the suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into the main
gate of the Police Station five minutes before evening prayers
during the Ramadan season. They said the militant failed to enter
the Police Station and blew himself up at the gate, injuring two
policemen.
|
September 13 |
Two Taliban militants and a soldier were killed
at Kuz Bamakhela in Swat, when troops conducting a search operation
were attacked by the Taliban.
Four suspected militants were arrested from Amluk
near Sakhra and two others from Jamalabad near Sangota, while
five Taliban militants surrendered before troops in Bar Shaur.
"A local jirga [also] handed over a Taliban, identified as Fazl-e-Rehman,
to security forces in Gat," said the ISPR.
Troops foiled a suicide attack on the Thana checkpost
near Malakand by seizing five improvised explosive devices and
a suicide jacket in Qambar near Mingora.
|
September 14 |
27 Taliban militants were killed in clashes with
the SFs in the Malakand area. The sources said that about 15 Taliban
militants were killed in clashes in Charbagh. The dead bodies
of four Taliban militants were also found from Charbagh, said
officials. The sources said that Taliban fleeing Batkhela clashed
with troops in Derai Jolgraham. At least eight Taliban militants
were reportedly killed in that clash. A trooper was also killed
in the fighting.
A Taliban militant was killed by the SFs during
another search operation in Dir area.
Military officials said that about 152 Taliban
militants surrendered before the SFs in the Swat District.
14 Policemen were injured in a remote-controlled
bomb blast near the central jail in Mansehra city. The Mansehra
District Police Officer, Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, said the
bomb, which was planted on the road, exploded when a Police van
carrying prisoners to Abbottabad area for hearings passed by.
|
September 15 |
Three Taliban militants were killed and 18 others
arrested in the ongoing military offensive at Swat and Malakand.
According to the Swat Media Centre, SFs conducted a search operation
in Mangaltan, killing three Taliban militants.
Troops arrested 12 Taliban militants from Kalagai
near Matta, Dambara near Choga and Banda Ghal, while six other
suspects were arrested in Salhand near Shah Dheri.
A Taliban 'commander' in Charbagh, identified
as Saeed, his sons, Liaqat and Khursheed, and several accomplices
surrendered before the SFs.
Taliban militants blew up a basic health unit
in Toorwari area of Hangu District. The facility in Tull tehsil
(revenue unit), adjacent to Kurram Agency in FATA, was completely
destroyed in the bomb blast.
Taliban militants attacked a Frontier Corps fort
in Hangu. Troops repulsed the attack, and retaliated by targeting
Taliban hideouts.
SFs destroyed houses of six Taliban militanst
in the Chapari Naryab area of Hangu District.
|
September 16 |
A top Taliban 'commander', identified as Sher
Muhammad Qasab, was arrested and three of his sons killed by troops
at Chaharbagh in the Swat District. "Wanted terrorist commander
Sher Muhammad Qasab, whose duty was to behead security personnel
and anti-Taliban civilians and carried a head money of Rs 10 million,
was arrested during an operation. Qasab was captured injured,"
the military said in a statement. Qasab's arrest followed the
earlier detention of Muslim Khan and Mehmood Khan, two of his
associates and close aides of the Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah.
An Army official said Qasab "was running a slaughter centre at
Chaharbagh where he himself used to slaughter opponents and security
personnel."
|
September 17 |
Troops killed 10 Taliban militants, including
a local Taliban 'commander', in a pre-dawn exchange of fire near
a river in Swat. The Taliban militants were trying to cross a
river at night and infiltrate Mingora when Police and troops intercepted
them, said the military in a statement from Swat. "Police and
army acted jointly, and as a result of an exchange of fire, 10
Taliban were killed," said the military. Residents who identified
the slain militants said they included an important local Taliban
'commander' identified as Amjad Ali.
Four children were injured in a bomb blast triggered
by unidentified militants at Doshagram near Fatehpur.
The troops arrested at least 39 suspected Taliban
militants in Swat. "Troops conducted a search operation in Mam
Berai, and arrested 15 suspects," said the ISPR, adding that 10
Taliban militants surrendered before the SFs in Chuprial and Amluk
near Sakhra, four in Bar Shaur, six in Shahdand Banda and another
four in Bishbanr and Shah Dheri.
SFs discovered three tunnels near Tatarai and
Sardari during a search operation. Four tunnels were also demolished
near Mangaltan.
|
September 18 |
30 people were killed and more than 50 injured
in a suicide attack in Kohat District. At least 13 shops were
also destroyed, and shockwaves were felt as far as a kilometre
away, witnesses said. "Some 30 people have so far been killed
... it is suspected the attack was carried out using an explosives-laden
car," said senior Police officials. Reuters reported that
the bomb was believed to have contained about 150 kilogrammes
of explosives. Locals put the death toll at around 40. The blast
took place in Kacha Pakka area, 17 kilometres from Kohat city.
Shopkeepers said most of the victims were Shias and coalminers
waiting for buses. "It appears the attack was carried out to target
Shias," they said. The LeJ claimed responsibility for the bombing,
saying it was carried out to avenge the killing of one of their
leaders. "We carried out the attack to avenge the killing of Muhammad
Amin," Usman Haider, claiming to be a spokesman for the outfit,
told BBC over telephone.
Unidentified militants opened fire at the funeral
procession in Kohat, killing four people. The men reportedly opened
fire during the funeral of a man killed in suicide bombing in
the Kacha Pakka area.
Hangu District Nazim (Mayor) Haji Khan Afzal was
killed and three others injured in a bomb attack at a mosque in
the Wajh area of Hangu District. Afzal was reportedly entering
the mosque when a remote-controlled IED exploded.
Police recovered a stolen government-owned truck
and found 10 empty missile casings in it at Charsadda District.
Officials said a Police patrol party noticed the truck, which
stood abandoned at a conspicuous location. A search of the vehicle
yielded 10 empty surface-to-air missile casings. Officials said
initial investigation revealed that the truck had been stolen
near Hasan Abdal while it was en route to Lahore. The Charsadda
Police said there was no one in the truck when they found it.
"We are investigating whether the missile casings were being taken
to Mohmand or Bajaur agency, where terrorists could have filled
them with explosives," officials said.
The NWFP Government announced the launch of an
anti-Taliban mass mobilisation drive in Buner District to sensitise
people against the anti-State agenda of the Taliban and restore
their confidence in the Government after neutralization of Taliban
militants in the District. "Taliban have been physically eliminated
in Buner, but their fear still remains in the minds of the people.
To remove their fear and restore confidence, the government will
start mass mobilisation drive in the district after five days
of Eidul Fitr," said the NWFP Education Minister Sardar Hussain
Babak while addressing a press conference. The Minister said the
Taliban leadership in Malakand Division had been almost eliminated.
"There will be a few Taliban leaders in Malakand division. They
are no hiding in caves. They had another agenda and that is why,
today they are hiding in caves," he added.
|
September 19 |
Five passengers were killed when Taliban militants
opened fire on a vehicle in Swat. "Five passengers were killed
near Jerona village in Malakand due to the Taliban's unprovoked
firing on a pick-up van," according to an ISPR statement.
Two people were killed in a bomb blast at a Security
checkpoint in Darra Adam Khel. Local official Aslam Khan said
Police were investigating whether the bombing was a suicide attack.
However, there was no report of any casualty.
|
September 20 |
Troops killed eight Taliban militants and arrested
48 others in Swat. Among those arrested was also a first cousin
of former Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, who is already in Police
custody.
A Taliban leader, Sher Muhammad Qasab, died in
captivity from injuries sustained during an earlier gun battle,
said the ISPR. Qasab had reportedly a PKR 10 million bounty on
his head. The ISPR said Qasab was an active member of the Tehreek
Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) and had joined the Swat Taliban
chief Maulana Fazlullah.
Four people were killed and four others injured
when unidentified militants opened fire at Pat Bazaar in the Hangu
District, where people were assessing damages to the shops blown
up by a bomb blast.
|
September 21 |
Police officers foiled a plan to assassinate the
NWFP Education Minister Sardar Hussain Babak in Tatalai District,
when they confronted four militants in a gun battle that ended
with a teenage suicide bomber blowing himself up.
|
September 22 |
Suspected Islamist militants blew up a girl's
school on the outskirts of Peshawar, Police officer Hamdullah
Khan said. Since the school was empty at the time of the IED blast,
no one was injured.
Troops arrested three Afghan nationals and discovered
tunnels and bunkers in raids against pro-Taliban militants in
Malakand District. The Afghans were among seven suspected terrorists
detained in the region. A local militant 'commander' was among
those detained, the Army said. Soldiers found "four-interconnecting
tunnels along with shell-proof bunkers" in the Biakand area.
A Taliban 'commander' Mohammad Nasim Shah alias
Abu Faraj was arrested by troops from Swat. He was reportedly
involved in suicide bombings across the region. Army officials
said he is a close aide of Swat's Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah.
He was expert in making suicide jackets and in preparing improvised-explosive
device attacks, said Colonel Akhtar Abbas.
The Police recovered arms, ammunition and explosives
near Kohat town, Police Chief Dilawar Bangash said.
SFs conducted search operations in Shin Khad and
arrested five Taliban militants including local terrorist commander
Muhammad Zaman. "They also found four inter-connected tunnels
along with shell proof bunkers at Plakan near Biakand. Each tunnel
is eight meters in length," ISPR said.
|
September 23 |
Five militants were killed and four SF personnel
wounded during a clash at Malakand Division.
Militants killed two members of an anti-Taliban
citizen's group tasked with protecting their community at Swat.
Mayor Mohammad Ibrar Khan said the assailants struck as members
of the peace committee slept in the Sertelegram area. SFs engaged
the militants in a gun battle and Khan said several attackers
were killed, though no bodies were found. Khan said local people
formed the group last week to protect their area from Taliban
fighters who controlled the valley until July 2009 when a major
offensive by the Pakistani Army scattered them. The formation
of such citizen groups is supported by the Government and has
angered the Taliban leading to attacks.
Troops arrested a would-be suicide bomber, and
nine suspected Taliban militants and recovered ammunition from
them in NWFP. According to an ISPR statement, 14 Taliban militants
also surrendered during search operations in last 24 hours in
Swat and Malakand. The ISPR stated that SFs conducted a search
operation in Kanatai and Gamsar during which two Taliban militants,
including Muhammad Amin Qari, a terrorist who played a major role
in the murder of Pir Samiul Haq, were arrested. "An amount of
Rs 44,000 were also recovered from the suspects," the statement
said. SFs also conducted a search operation in Rema, 1.5 kilometres
north of Barshaur, and discovered a 15-foot-long tunnel inside
a house. 14 Taliban militants surrendered before SFs at Bar Shaur,
handing in their two submachine guns and two double-barrel shotguns.
"Seven terrorists surrendered to the security forces at Devolai,
Salhand and Shah Dheri," the ISPR said. SFs also conducted a search
operation in Kanju and arrested a would-be suicide bomber, Ehsan.
SFs conducted a search operation in Garai Kalle
village and arrested one terrorist. "The security forces conducted
a search operation in Kuz Bamakhela and apprehended two terrorists,"
ISPR said.
The Kohat District Police arrested 12 suspects
on the eve of Eidul Fitr festival and recovered large quantities
of explosives in the Kohat Development Authority area.
|
September 24 |
Suspected Taliban militants killed seven members
of a pro-Government tribal Lashkar (militia) in the Janikhel area
of Bannu District. The victims of the Taliban ambush included
tribal chief Malik Sultan, who was raising a militia against the
Taliban in the region. "All seven were killed on the spot," Bannu
District Police Officer Iqbal Marwat said. In retaliation, militiamen
killed nine Taliban militants. Two Khasadar (a local Security
Force) personnel were also killed in the skirmishes.
Taliban militants killed seven tribal chiefs.
Their bodies were found from various parts of Bannu.
Troops killed eight Taliban militants while two
volunteers of a local Lashkar (militia) were killed during operations
in the Swat and Malakand areas, the ISPR said. "Eight terrorists
were killed by security forces in the Palai area near Dargai on
Thursday. Two security forces personnel were also injured in the
firing," the ISPR said. It said the Taliban attacked the SF personnel
in Sar Colony and killed two Lashkar members.
23 militants surrendered before the SFs and eight
others were arrested during search operations. Three Taliban militants
voluntarily surrendered before the SFs at Kuh, northwest of Malam
Jabba, and at Bar Shaur, nine surrendered at Chuprial, two at
Matta and six children along with their parents surrendered before
SFs at Runial. During search operations at Shingrai, SFs arrested
six suspects. The SFs also arrested two suspected Afghan nationals
along with fake Pakistani national identity cards during search
operations at Kabulgram.
The SFs recovered a large quantity of furniture
of the Bar Shaur Government High School from a person who claimed
he had purchased it from the Taliban for PKR 40,000. The ISPR
said the furniture would be returned to the school.
SFs arrested three Taliban militants during a
search operation at Hangu.
|
September 25 |
Troops arrested 13 Taliban militants and 57 others
surrendered before them at Swat. According to the ISPR, SFs conducted
a search-and-clearance operation in Rema near Bar Shaur and arrested
nine Taliban militants, while another four were arrested from
Imam Dheri. "Forty-four terrorists surrendered themselves at Kanju,"
the ISPR said. It said six Taliban militants surrendered at Sangota,
three at Devolai and another four surrendered at Chuprial. Also,
while acting on information provided by arrested terrorist Abu
Faraj, the SFs launched a search operation in Mahak area near
Shadand Banda and recovered four IEDs and a water boiler packed
with explosives. "Faraj also disclosed that he was regularly receiving
Rs 150,000 as salary from Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah,"
the ISPR said.
|
September 26 |
Two suicide attackers separately rammed their
explosives-laden vehicles into a Police station in Bannu and a
military-owned commercial bank in Peshawar cantonment area, killing
at least 23 people and injuring around another 200. At least 10
people were killed in the attack in Peshawar, while seven, including
two Policemen, were killed in the assault on the Bannu Police
station. But a Police official in Bannu said 13 people had been
killed. Around 94 people were injured in Peshawar and 64, including
31 Policemen, in Bannu. "It was a car suicide blast and according
to our calculations 100 kilogram's of explosives were used," Shafqat
Malik, bomb disposal squad chief, said at the incident site of
the Peshawar attack. "The suicide bomber sitting inside the car
hurled a grenade and then he detonated himself and the car," Malik
said, describing the target as a branch of a bank run by an Army
welfare trust. Eyewitnesses said Police arrested two suspicious
persons from the site of Peshawar blast, which occurred some 300
metres away from the headquarters of the 11 Corps and the US Consulate
in the high-security zone. The TTP claimed responsibility for
the Bannu attack and threatened to unleash bigger attacks on the
Government to avenge the killing of their leader Baitullah Mehsud
in a US drone attack in August 2009.
|
September 27 |
The death toll from September 26 suicide attacks
increased to 27 with the recovery of more dead bodies from the
debris of the Bannu Police Station and the death of some of those
critically injured in the attack. Two suicide attackers reportedly
rammed their explosives-laden vehicles into a Police station in
Bannu and a military-owned commercial bank in Peshawar cantonment
area separately.
A prominent political leader Habibullah Wazir
and two of his friends were seriously injured in a remote-controlled
bomb blast triggered by unidentified militants at Hangu.
152 Taliban militants surrendered even as SFs
arrested 16 others - including two 'commanders' - in the ongoing
operation at Swat. In the Gut Piyochar area of Matta tehsil
(revenue unit), 48 militants, including six young suicide bombers,
laid down arms, while 104 Taliban militants surrendered before
the SFs in Kabal tehsil. The two arrested 'commanders'
were identified as Maaz and Janat Gul.
|
September 28 |
Local peace volunteers killed 10 Taliban militants,
including 'commander' Momin alias Malang, in the Barikot
tehsil (revenue unit) of Swat, even as troops arrested 10
Taliban militants and 10 others surrendered. A volunteer was also
killed in the clash.
Troops handed over security arrangements in Mingora
and other parts of Swat to the Police, and decided to wind up
unnecessary check posts.
At least four persons, including a prominent anti-Taliban
cleric, were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden
vehicle into a car at Bannu. "The attacker rammed his explosives-laden
car into a vehicle carrying pro-government local leader Abdul
Hakeem," said Police Official Iqbal Marwat. Witnesses said Hakeem
was on his way to office when the bomber struck.
|
September 29 |
Troops arrested 28 Taliban militants, including
one of the masterminds of bombings in the region, while 16 others
surrendered voluntarily in Swat and other parts of Malakand. Raza
Khan, an important Taliban 'commander', was arrested from Buner's
Jorr Bazaar and shifted to an undisclosed location.
15 Taliban militants were arrested during a search
operation in Palai, while five others - including local 'commander'
Umer Nawaz - were arrested in Charbagh and its surrounding areas.
According to an update on Operation Rah-e-Raast
issued by the ISPR, seven Taliban militants voluntarily surrendered
before the SFs at Bar Shaur, while four others gave up their weapons
at Runial. SFs conducted a search operation in Alam Ganj, arresting
three Taliban militants and also arrested four others from Pinidar
Banda.
Five terrorists surrendered themselves before
the SFs at Dagai and Sirsanai areas.
|
September 30 |
A resident of Swat who sheltered a Chinese engineer
was found dead at Changalai area of Khawazakhela, said witnesses,
and blamed Taliban for the brutal killing. The slain person was
identified as Jamauddin. The Chinese engineer was reportedly abducted
by the Taliban militants at Dir in early part of 2009, but he
managed to escape and got shelter from Jamauddin.
Troops arrested at least four more Taliban militants
and 12 others surrendered in Swat. "Twelve Taliban surrendered
to security forces in Bar Shaur, Runial Chuprial and Mingora,"
said the ISPR, adding that three Taliban militants were arrested
from Fatehpur, Madyan and Gulibagh, and another from Mingora.
|
October 2 |
Three militants were killed in a search operation
at Zulamkot-Serai in the Swat District. An ISPR statement said
the SFs also conducted search operations in Shah Dheri and arrested
local commander Rehmat, besides arresting five militants at Shahid
Khapa near Peochar and Sarsani.
Seven militants surrendered themselves before
the SFs at Barshaur, while troops defused six IEDs at Derai near
Kanju.
Unidentified militants shot dead two Policemen
in Ghari Kapoora Police precincts at Mardan District. The two
slain Police personnel were identified as Nasir Ali and Subhan
Ali.
|
October 3 |
Suspected Taliban militants fired three rockets
at Peshawar, damaging a school building and a vehicle. A Pishtakhara
Police Official said that the three rockets were fired from an
unknown location at 2:30 am. One hit the Nodeyah Payan High School,
damaging the boundary wall of the building and a van parked inside,
while the other two landed in fields nearby.
|
October 4 |
The army killed nine Taliban militants - including
three key commanders -in the ongoing military operation in Swat.
According to the Swat Media Centre, six militants - including
three commanders identified as Kota Younas, Noor Amin and Fazal
Rabi - were killed in a clash with troops in Banjar village. The
troops also killed three Taliban militants in the Bazdara area
of Malakand. A Lashkar (militia) member was also killed in Bazdara.
SFs arrested 24 Taliban militants and 26 others
surrendered to the troops. "Security forces ... conducted a search
operation in Mora area near Najigram ... and arrested 16 Taliban,"
said the ISPR. Troops also conducted a search operation in Chuprial
and arrested four suspects. They also found a tunnel in the house
of a Taliban identified only as Saeed. Further, four suspected
Taliban militants were arrested from the Shobrang area in Buner
District.
13 Taliban militants surrendered before the SFs
in Drushkhela, seven in Bar Shaur and Nazarabad and six in Gwaleri
and Chuprial.
|
October 5 |
The SFs killed eight Taliban militants and arrested
13 others in Malakand. Talking to reporters, an official spokesman
said an operation in Palai had been completed, adding that the
area had been cleared of the Taliban. The spokesman said markets
and schools in Palai were now open and that the SFs had provided
relief items to the residents.
During the ongoing search-and-clear operations
in Swat, the SFs arrested 10 Taliban militants from Baqi Banda
and Dhand.
Five militants surrendered before the SFs at Darmai,
Bar Shaur and Alamganj. In addition, ten suspected militants,
including a close lieutenant of the outlawed TNSM chief Maulana
Sufi Muhammad, surrendered before the administration in the Dir
District.
|
October 6 |
Terrorists continued attacking Peshawar, capital
of the NWFP, as three more rockets landed in parts of the city
from an unknown location, injuring three persons and damaging
two houses. A woman, a minor girl and a boy sustained injuries
when a rocket hit a house in Miskeenabad under the jurisdiction
of Bhanamari Police Station at around 2 am. The house was partially
damaged in the attack. Another projectile landed inside the house
of a banker, Riaz, in Landi Arbab village, damaging the building
partially. The third projectile is reported to have landed in
the nearby open fields.
Troops arrested 10 suspected Taliban militants
in Swat District. The ISPR said troops conducted a search operation
in Taghan and Maira, and arrested 10 suspected Taliban militants.
Meanwhile, eight Taliban militants are reported to have voluntarily
surrendered to the SFs in Barshaur, Biha and Chuprial. The ISPR
also said that troops recovered 21 communication sets during a
search operation in Banjir Banda. Separately, a TNSM 'commander',
identified as Badshah Zeb alias Gorkai Mullah, surrendered to
the SFs in the Ushari Darra area of Dir District. In addition,
the ISPR said the Taliban fired three mortar rounds and four rockets
at the Kabutar check-post, injuring two soldiers.
|
October 7 |
SFs claimed to have killed six militants, including
commander Nisar, in the Swat Valley. The ISPR said: "Important
terrorist commander Nisar alias Ghazi Baba from Matta Tehsil has
been killed this morning in Biha Valley." Nisar was carrying head
money of PKR 10 million, the ISPR said, adding that he was involved
in terrorist activities in Peuchar and Matta. Nisar was a member
of the Taliban central shura and a close aide of Maulana Fazlullah.
The ISPR said Nisar was involved in the killing of SF personnel
and local elders. It said his son, whose name was not disclosed,
had been arrested.
12 militants surrendered before the SFs while
six others were arrested from different areas of the valley.
Afghan Taliban militants killed six militant leaders
of the Hakeemullah Mehsud group for refusing to release two men
they had kidnapped. The incident occurred in the Hangu city in
the NWFP. According to sources, the two men, Shahid and Shah Nawaz,
had been kidnapped three days ago. An Afghan Taliban shura (executive
council) meeting held in the Orakzai Agency of FATA asked the
militants to release the men and 'sentenced them to death' when
they refused to do so. The shura was also reportedly attended
by members from Waziristan. The sources said bodies of Hafiz Kamal,
Hafiz Mujahid, Ghulam Mohammad, Basit and Manzoor were lying at
a place on the Orakzai-Parachinar border with bombs tied to them.
|
October 8 |
The SFs claimed to have killed 17 militants in
Swat as General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Ashfaq
Nadeem, asserted that peace had been restored to 95 per cent areas
of the District. The SFs conducted search operations in Tiligram,
Benjot, Ser and Mangultan and killed 12 terrorists, the ISPR claimed.
In another operation in Kasona, it added that troops killed five
militants. Ashfaq Nadeem, while briefing the media at Circuit
House in Mingora, said peace had been restored to 95 percent of
Swat. He said majority of the militants had either been killed
or arrested during the Army offensive and some had surrendered.
He said curfew had already been lifted from most areas.
The bullet-riddled bodies of 15 suspected Taliban
militants were found in Swat. "I can confirm that 15 bodies were
found today, and our information is that they are Taliban… They
might have been the victims of infighting among militant groups
or killed by local people," Army spokesman Major Mushtaq Khan
told AFP.
Unidentified militants fired three rockets from
an undisclosed location, hitting different areas of the provincial
capital Peshawar and injuring one person. A Police official said
a rocket hit a house in Shaheen Colony and injured one person.
Another rocket hit the Communication and Works Department office
in Khyber Colony in the Town Police precincts. However, no casualties
were reported. In addition, another rocket hit an agriculture
farm in the Peshtakhara Police precincts.
The former Malakand Commissioner, Syed Muhammad
Javed, detained since May 2009 for allegedly facilitating Swat
Taliban chief Fazlullah, was released, said the NWFP Information
Minister Iftikhar Hussain. The former commissioner was arrested
after three arrested army commandos were beheaded by the Taliban.
Iftikhar said the Grade 20 civil bureaucrat had been freed, but
a departmental inquiry was still pending against him. The former
commissioner's release follows a petition filed by his brother,
Syed Muhammad Hamid, with the Peshawar High Court.
|
October 9 |
49 persons, including a woman and seven children,
were killed and 90 others were injured when a suicide attacker
detonated his explosives-laden car at the crowded Soekarno Chowk
in Khyber Bazaar in Peshawar, capital of NWFP. A Police official
said that people were busy in routine activities when a suicide
bomber detonated the explosives laden in his car. Many of those
killed and injured were passengers of a mini-bus that was passing
through the area at the time of the blast. Seven children, many
of them schoolboys, and a woman, were among those killed. The
blast destroyed around 30 vehicles and partially damaged over
60 shops in the nearby markets. Windowpanes of hundreds of shops
and offices were also reportedly destroyed. Among those killed
or injured were patients and their attendants going or coming
out of the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, the biggest public sector
hospital in the NWFP. An official of the bomb disposal unit (BDU)
estimated that around 50 kg of high-intensity explosives had been
loaded in the car, being driven by the suicide bomber, while another
official said the explosives were around 100 kg. "As the explosives
were loaded in the doors and side cavities, it caused more damage
to the nearby buildings rather than creating a huge crater in
the ground," a BDU official said. The IGP Malik Naveed termed
the attack a reaction to the ongoing military operations in Swat
and parts of the FATA. There was no immediate claim of responsibility
for the bombing.
SFs claimed to have killed nine militants and
arrested six besides destroying a training camp and four other
hideouts in the Tora Cheena, Sherakai, Akhurwal and Bostikhel
areas of the gun manufacturing Darra Adamkhel town. Official sources
said four soldiers were injured in the shootout. The SFs, backed
by gunship helicopters, targeted a militant camp in Tora Cheena
area and killed nine militants, including an important 'commander'
identified as Zubair alias Anas. Six militants were also arrested
in an injured condition during the military operation. Also in
Tora Cheena area, the SFs arrested a would-be suicide bomber,
who was said to be a handicapped man. The troops targeted four
more militant hideouts in Sherakai, Akhurwal and Bostikhel area.
However, no casualties were reported.
The SFs said they killed at least six terrorists
in Swat. "Security forces conducted search operation at Banjot
and Kasona near Malamjaba and killed six terrorists," the ISPR
said.
|
October 10 |
Nine Taliban militants were killed and five injured
in a clash between the SFs and Taliban militants in Dara Adam
Khel.
The SFs recovered a huge cache of weapons, including
suicide jackets, during a search operation in Koza Bandai area
of Kabal sub-division.
|
October 12
|
At least 41 persons - including
six soldiers - were killed and 45 others were injured in a suicide
attack on a military convoy in the Alpuri area of Shangla District
(which borders Swat District), NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar
Hussain and a military official said. The bomber – believed to
be 14 years old and on foot – targeted the convoy while it was
passing through the busy Alpuri bazaar. The AP news agency,
however, reported that the bomber detonated a car packed with
explosives near the convoy. A military spokesman said that 12
shops and seven vehicles were destroyed when the young bomber
detonated explosives. "Some vehicles loaded with ammunition
were also part of the convoy... they caught fire after the explosion,"
said the spokesman.
|
October 13
|
The death toll from a suicide
bombing in the Shangla District increased to 45 from 41 even as
the TTP claimed responsibility for the attack. "Two people
died overnight and two more died this morning," a doctor
told.
Security Forces said that they
had killed five more Taliban militants and arrested five others
in Swat. In addition, at least 33 more Taliban militants are reported
to have surrendered to the SFs.
|
October 15
|
11 persons, including three Policemen,
were killed and 22 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber
rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the building of the Saddar
Police Station located in the military area of Kohat. The DIG
(Kohat region), Abdullah Khan, told reporters that a 22-year-old
suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden double cabin vehicle
just outside the main gate of Saddar Police Station, killing 11
people, including three Policemen Fayazul Hasnain, Muhammad Noor
and Khurshid, and injuring 22 persons, including four Policemen.
Among those wounded were two women and some schoolchildren passing
by the spot. The blast destroyed the northern part of the Police
Station building, eight vehicles, including a Police van, and
the wall of the Pakistan Air Force’s Officers Mess, said the DIG,
adding 100 kilograms of explosive material was used in the bombing.
The Police Station is adjacent to the official residence of the
District Police Officer and is situated about 30 meters from the
main Army checkpoint leading to the Kohat garrison. Office of
the District Coordination Officer and several other high ranking
Government officers, a private college and the Virtual University
are located in the area. The TTP claimed responsibility for the
attack. The claim was made by TTP central spokesman Azam Tariq
who contacted reporters to confirm that the attack was made by
the Taliban militants operating in Darra Adamkhel.
An eight-year-old boy, identified
as Hamza, was killed and 12 persons, including two Policemen,
were wounded when a powerful bomb exploded in a three-storey building
in the officers’ colony of provincial capital Peshawar. Capital
City Police Officer Liaquat Ali Khan told reporters that the bomb
planted in a car was detonated by a remote control. The building
is reported to have collapsed and several apartments in adjacent
buildings were damaged. Some vehicles parked in the area were
also damaged. The Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations),
Karim Khan, told journalists that approximately 60 kilograms of
explosives were used in the blast.
|
October 16
|
15 persons, including three policemen,
were killed and 19 others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber
rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the CIA’s Special Investigation
Unit in Peshawar. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) Chief Shafqat
Malik told that 60-70 kilograms of explosives had been used in
the attack, adding that Police had recovered a leg of the attacker.
|
October 18
|
SFs arrested nine Taliban militants
from different areas of Swat District during an operation. Sources
said two militants were arrested in the Palai area of Malakand
while violating curfew orders. The troops also arrested the remaining
seven from the Charbagh, Fizaghat and Saidu Sharif areas.
|
October 19
|
Following the closure of public-sector
and military educational institutions in the province, the Private
Education Institution Management Association NWFP, has also decided
to close all private educational institutions in the provincial
capital Peshawar for three days to avoid Taliban attacks on schools
and colleges. Association president Khawaja Yawar Naseer told
parents had demanded that schools and colleges be closed for three
days – from October 20 to 22. He said the association had not
received any direct threats from the Taliban or any directives
from the NWFP Government to close the schools, but it took the
step as a precautionary measure.
|
October 20
|
An explosive device planted near
a CD shop blew up six shops in the Barkund area of Mansehra city
in the Mansehra District. Three persons, including the owner of
a barbershop, were injured in the incident. The CD shop was completely
destroyed while five adjacent general stores, barber shops and
a book store were damaged extensively. Sajjad Ahmad, the owner
of CD shop, said that some four months ago he along with other
CD shop owners had shut their business after receiving threats.
However, on the eve of Eidul Fitr they reopened the businesses.
|
October 21
|
The SFs claimed killing a would-be
bomber at a time when he was preparing for the suicide mission
at Tiligram in the Swat District. A press release of the ISPR
said the SFs acted on an intercept about a suicide mission and
raided a house in Tiligram area, killing the potential bomber
before he could leave for the mission.
The ISPR claimed troops had arrested
11 militants in the Shalpin and Dabsar areas. Two others surrendered
to the SFs in Tiligram and Totano Banda.
32 suspected persons, including
five close associates of Maulana Fazlullah, Swat unit chief of
the TTP, were arrested during search operations in the Kohat District.
Sources said the militants, who are also reportedly the Shura
(executive council) members of the Swat Taliban, were staying
in a house in Behzadi Chikerkot area. However, their names were
not disclosed to the media. Police sources said 27 suspects were
arrested from the outskirts of Kohat city and 250 kilograms of
explosives, safety fuses, two Kalashnikov rifles, two repeaters,
three rifles and five pistols were recovered from them.
The bomb disposal squad defused
a 107mm rocket overhead from a busy shopping complex in Tirah
bazaar. In a separate action, the SFs arrested 18 tribesmen in
Darra Adamkhel for their alleged links with the militants. They
were arrested during search operations in the Sheraki, Bostikhel,
Akharwal and Mullakhel areas.
|
October 22
|
SFs claimed to have killed an
important Taliban ‘commander’ in the Banpur Sar area while three
bodies, believed to be of militants, were found dumped in Barikot
in Swat valley. Villagers said unknown persons had killed three
suspected militants and dumped their bodies in the Ghazi Kandao
area of Barikot. Two slain men were identified as Abdul Hameed
and Bakht Zada while the identity of the third one could not be
ascertained. In addition, a press release of the ISPR claimed
that the SFs killed an important Taliban ‘commander’, identified
as Iqbal alias Islam, during a search and clearance operation
in Banpur Sar. It also said a large quantity of grenades, ammunition
and equipment were recovered.
The SFs, according to the ISPR,
arrested nine suspects from the seminary known as Madrassa Mazhar-ul-Uloom
in Mingora’s Green Chowk and from Manglawar, Kokarai, Dahro, Rangeela
and Godhand during their search and clearance operations. The
Mingora Police have also reportedly launched a campaign against
Afghan prayer leaders. The Police arrested 12 such clerics and
charged them under 14 Foreign Act.
Two militants surrendered before
the SFs at Fizza Gat near Mingora and Nagga areas. In addition,
a number of 60mm mortar bombs were recovered by the SFs from an
area located east of Kabal.
|
October 23
|
Three militants were killed, fifteen
arrested and seven surrendered to the SFs in different areas of
Swat District. According to the Swat Media Centre, the SFs, during
a search and clearance operation in the Talang area of Nejegram,
killed three militants after an exchange of heavy gunfire. The
SFs also arrested 15 suspected militants in the Mangaltan, Miandam,
and Chak Dawlat areas of Swat during a search operation. The military
stated that seven militants laid down arms and surrendered to
the SFs in the outskirts of Mingora.
15 people were injured in a bombing
outside a restaurant in the Hayatabad area of provincial capital
Peshawar. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Muhammad Karim
Khan, said nine of the injured were being treated at the Hayatabad
Medical Complex, while six had already been discharged. Two people
were in critical condition, he added. He said the bomb had been
planted in a car, adding it had contained around 60 kilograms
of explosives. One suspect has been arrested in this connection.
|
October 24
|
Two key Taliban commanders were
killed and ten other terrorists arrested in clashes with SFs at
Sahra area under Matta tehsil (revenue unit) of Swat District.
The sources said the two commanders, Saidul Bashar and Karim alias
Commando, were close aides of TTP Swat unit chief Mullah Fazlullah.
Meanwhile, 10 militants were arrested during search operations
and three Taliban militants surrendered before the SFs.
|
October 25
|
Security Forces launched a large-scale
operation in the Charbagh and Khawazakhela sub-divisions of Swat
District, arresting 11 Taliban militants – including a would-be
suicide bomber, said officials. At least seven houses owned by
Taliban were also demolished, said an Inter-Services Public Relations
statement.
Six Taliban militants are reported
to have surrendered to the SFs in Khawazakhela, while troops arrested
three Afghan nationals from Mingora.
|
October 26
|
16 militants were killed and 23
others wounded during a joint operation by the Army and Frontier
Constabulary in the Tora Warai area of Hangu District on October
25-night and October 26. 54 militants, including some Afghans,
were arrested during the operation. According to officials, security
officer Abdul Jaffar was killed and seven other SF personnel sustained
injuries in the operation which was launched after an attack by
militants on a military check-post in Tora Warai late on October
25. Hundreds of militants of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan from
Orakzai Agency and Hangu reportedly took part in the attack. Troops
repulsed the attack after a gun-battle which continued for about
two hours. Officials told that militants had taken away the bodies
of their colleagues and the injured. Six hideouts of the militants
were destroyed in Tora Warai and a large quantity of arms and
ammunition, including two rocket-launchers, five rockets, two
grenades, three shotguns, two rifles, four pistols and automatic
weapons, was seized.
District Police Officer Gul Wali
Khan said that Police had arrested 22 suspects, including seven
illegal Afghan nationals, during a search operation in Hangu and
Thall. Two Kalashnikovs, three rifles, five shotguns, seven pistols
and cartridges were seized. Police also foiled an attempt to smuggle
a large quantity of food items to Afghanistan and arrested six
people. Three trucks carrying 1,050 bags of flour, 10 bags of
wheat, 400 bags of sugar and 60 tins of ghee were impounded.
Eight bodies of suspected militants
were recovered in the Swat District. Four bodies were reportedly
found dumped in the Khwazakhela area, official sources said.
SFs arrested 13 militants, including
a close aide of the TTP Swat unit chief Maulana Fazlullah. A press
release of the ISPR said 12 militants, including seven Afghan
nationals, were arrested during search operations in Kalam, Bahrain,
Naway Killay and Manglawar. It added that three militants, identified
as Habib Noor, Barkat and Abdul Khaliq, surrendered to the SFs
in Kabal sub-division and another in Matta. In another incident,
the troops arrested a close aide of Fazlullah, identified as Ali
Shah Khan, during a raid in Charbagh. The sources said 960 grams
of gold and some important documents were recovered from his possession.
They said Ali Shah Khan was in-charge of the militants’ finances
in Swat. There were reports that Maulana Fazlullah used to stay
at his residence whenever he visited Charbagh.
|
October 28
|
A remote-controlled car bomb killed
at least 105 people – including women and children – and injured
around 200 others at the Meena Bazaar in Peshawar. Bomb disposal
squad chief Shafqat Malik told reporters that 150 kilograms of
explosives were used in the remote-controlled blast. He said that
some people were still trapped under the rubble. The explosion
brought down buildings. A three-storey building and a mosque,
Masjid Umme Habiba, situated in the narrow bazaar, caved in while
six other structures were engulfed by a huge fire caused by the
explosion, The News reported. Around 12 houses and over
60 shops were gutted while almost 300 other shops and houses were
severely damaged due to the powerful explosion at around 12:40
pm. The Meena Bazaar is famous for women’s dresses, cosmetics
and children’s garments. Minister Iftikhar Hussain told journalists
that the blast was linked with the ongoing military operation
in South Waziristan against the Taliban, saying, "foreign terrorists
– including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks – stationed in Waziristan
are carrying out attacks in Pashtun areas". However, no group
claimed responsibility for the bombing. Meanwhile, the Taliban
and Al Qaeda have denied involvement in the bomb blast and claimed
they do not explode bombs in bazaars and mosques. According to
an Al Qaeda statement, they are not involved in the killing of
innocent people. Al Qaeda sources said elements who want to defame
Jihad and refugees are behind the Peshawar bomb blast. The banned
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in an email sent to the media also condemned
the blast and denied its involvement in the incident.
The Inspector General of the NWFP
Police has said that the Police have arrested the mastermind of
the group involved in the Hayatabad and Soekarno Chowk bomb blasts.
Talking to reporters, he said 16,500 new police officials would
be recruited for maintaining law and order in the province. He
added that red alert security was in place in the province and
hundreds of terrorists and their commanders have been arrested.
He said the Police also recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives.
A group was involved in bomb blasts in Hayatabad and Soekarno
Chowk and its leader has been arrested and is being interrogated,
Malik Naveed added.
|
October 29
|
The death toll in the car bombing
at Meena Bazaar in Peshawar on October 28 rose to 117 and rescue
workers believed that some bodies were still in the debris of
the collapsed buildings. A spokesman for the Edhi Foundation said
that he himself had counted 117 bodies. He said that 14 madrassa
(seminary) students were still trapped in a mosque destroyed by
the blast and only one of the bodies had been retrieved so far.
However, the Senior Superintendent of Police (coordination), Mohammad
Alam Shinwari, said that 105 bodies had been counted and now parts
of the bodies were being recovered. Some parts of the vehicle
used in the blast had been found, he added.
|
October 30
|
Interior Minister Rehman Malik
said that the Taliban torched 409 educational institutions in
the Malakand Division of the NWFP and 64 in FATA. Calling the
Taliban "professional killers and liars", the minister said they
were enemies of Islam and Pakistan and had nefarious designs to
destabilise the country. Malik reiterated the Government’s firm
stance of uprooting the menace of extremism and terrorism from
the country.
|
October 31
|
Seven shops were destroyed in
a bomb blast in the market near the old sabzi Mandi in the Hangu
area. Police reported no deaths in the attack, but confirmed that
seven shops had been destroyed.
|
November 3 |
A would-be suicide bomber was killed before reaching
his target in the Lachi sub-division of Kohat District. The Deputy
Inspector General of Police, Abdullah Khan said that a would-be
suicide bomber, riding a motorcycle, was heading to his alleged
target when he was blown up near the Iftikhar Well area in Lachi
at 9:15 pm (PST).
A militant was killed and two others sustained
injuries during a search operation carried out by the SFs at Manago
area in the Shangla District. Official sources said the SFs and
Police conducted a joint search operation in Manago area, killing
one militant and injuring two others, whose identity could not
be ascertained. They belonged to Charbagh area in Swat District.
|
November 4 |
SFs have killed at least four suspected Taliban
militants in the Hangu District. A private TV channel reported
that SF personnel were attacked by the Taliban at the Spin Thall
check-post, near the District's border with Kurram Agency in the
FATA. The SFs killed four militants in retaliation.
Two alleged suicide bombers accidentally blew
themselves up on their way to the PAF Range road, 25 kilometres
from Kohat city in the Kohat District. According to Police, the
suicide bombers were riding a motorcycle. After apparently slipping
on the road, one of the bomber's jacket accidentally exploded.
Police teams have recovered the arms, legs and head of one of
the bombers.
SF personnel have arrested the TTP Swat unit chief
Maulana Fazlullah's 'finance secretary' and 24 other militants,
official sources said. Military sources said that the SFs raided
a house at Koza Bandai in Kabal sub-division during search operations
and arrested Bakht Zaman, the TTP Swat finance secretary, and
Saifullah, a key Taliban commander. They also said troops recovered
PKR 81.5 million from the TTP 'finance secretary'. The SFs also
arrested 23 other TTP militants from various parts of Swat District
and also discovered two militant hideouts in Miadam.
Senior NWFP Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour has disclosed
that Maulana Fazlullah was critically injured and has been surrounded
by the SFs. Talking to a private TV channel, Bashir Bilour said
the top leadership of the TTP Swat unit has either been arrested
or killed and situation in 80 per cent area of the valley is under
control. He said the TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan and 'commander'
Mehmud are also in the custody of SFs.
|
November 6 |
Eight militants were killed and four were arrested
during search operations in the Swat District. According to the
Swat Media Centre, SFs conducted search operations in the Dakorak
area of Charbagh sub-division early in the morning. During an
exchange of fire with troops, local Taliban leader Fida Hussain
and his four aides, Latif, Arsal Khan, Mohammad Anwar and Roshan,
were killed. Troops also seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition.
A military spokesman said that the Fida Hussain group was wanted
in cases of looting a bank's van, killing of a security guard
and attacks on the SFs in Charbagh, Khwazakhela and Alam Gunj.
In another encounter, militant leader Fazal Maabud was killed
and his unnamed associate was injured. In the Kabal sub-division,
troops killed suspected militants Abdul Wali and Bakht Sher in
a clash.
Malak Nasir, a nephew of former Member of Provincial
Assembly Malak Dedar, was arrested in Bahrain for his links with
militants. Further, during search operations in Shakar Dara and
Bazkheal, three men and a veil-clad woman were arrested.
Two unidentified militants surrendered to the
SFs in Mingora.
An official of the FC was killed and four persons,
including a woman and boy, were injured in a militant attack on
the Tora Warai Fort in Thall sub-division of Hangu District. Official
sources said a group of militants attacked the FC Fort at Tora
Warai with heavy arms in the afternoon, killing one FC trooper
and injuring four persons.
|
November 7 |
Five Taliban militants and three SF personnel
were killed in a clash at Tura Warai area of Hangu. District administration
sources said that the Taliban attacked the Hangu Frontier Corps
fort with mortars and other heavy weapons, killing three personnel.
SFs retaliated, killing five Taliban militants. The sources said
two women were also injured in the three-hour fighting between
the SFs and the Taliban militants. Meanwhile, the SFs arrested
two Afghan nationals and recovered weapons from their possession.
|
November 8 |
At least 18 people, including a local councillor
heading an anti-Taliban Lashkar (militia), were killed and 44
others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a cattle
market at Adezai village, 25 kilometres south of the capital city
of Peshawar. Peshawar Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations)
Muhammad Karim Khan said that that around eight-to-10 kilograms
of explosives were used in the blast. The Taliban claimed responsibility
for the attack.
At least 18 Taliban militants were arrested and
three others surrendered before the SFs at Swat.
|
November 9 |
Three persons, including a Policeman, were killed
and five others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber riding
an auto-rickshaw blew himself up at a Police barricade on the
Ring Road in the Latifabad area of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP.
An eyewitness, Attaullah, told reporters that Policemen deployed
at a barricade near a canal signaled an auto-rickshaw to stop
around 10:00 am (PST). "A man in his early 20s, having a trimmed
beard and wearing brown clothes, came out of the three-wheeler
and detonated explosives strapped around his vest," he recalled.
Another eyewitness, Sher Afzal, said he saw two people going towards
the barricade in a rickshaw a few moments before the blast. Investigators
said five to six kilograms of explosives were used in the incident.
This was the second suicide bombing in Peshawar during the last
24 hours.
|
November 10 |
34 persons were killed and nearly 100 others sustained
injuries in a powerful car bomb blast at a crowded intersection
in the Charsadda bazaar of Charsadda District in the NWFP. Scores
of women and children are reported to have died and dozens of
shops and vehicles were damaged in the suspected suicide attack.
District Police chief Riaz Khan said the explosives were packed
in a car parked near the Farooq-i-Azam chowk. He said Police suspected
that it was a suicide attack because limbs and shoes of the suspected
bomber had been found. Shopkeepers and vendors were preparing
to put down the shutters and a large number of people were waiting
at a taxi stand when the explosion took place. Seven children
and three women were among the dead, Police said.
|
November 11 |
A bomb blast at a music shop in the Dir town of
Upper Dir District destroyed five shops completely and partially
damaged 10 others. The explosives planted by unidentified persons
at a music shop in Saleem Market of Dir Bazaar also caused minor
injuries to a student.
SFs arrested a senior Taliban 'commander' in the
Kabal sub-division and also defused bombs in the Khwazakhela sub-division
of Swat District. Sources told said that the SFs arrested Ismail
and his accomplices from the Bara Bandai area of Kabal and shifted
them to an undisclosed location. Sources also said another Taliban
'commander' Fazl Mabood surrendered to the SFs in Kabal. The troops
are also reported to have defused bombs near Gamon Bridge.
SFs arrested 25 suspected militants, including
two important Taliban leaders, during a search operation in the
Kohat region. The operation started in the early hours and was
conducted jointly by Security Forces and Police in Bilitang, Kot
and Kharmatu areas of Kohat. Eighteen militants belonging to Orakzai
Agency were arrested along with some arms and ammunition. Two
important members of the Taliban were among the arrested militants,
who had recently entered Kohat. Similarly, Police arrested seven
suspects during search operation in various parts of the Hangu
District after midnight on November 10. The seizure included four
Kalashnikovs, five rifles, nine pistols and more than hundred
cartridges. Police, in addition, also foiled a terrorism bid by
destroying a 20-kilogram multi-system bomb planted near a police
check-post on the busy Hangu highway.
The operational commander of Swat, Major General
Asfaque Nadeem, said that 100 per cent area of Swat was under
the control of SFs and all entry and exit points had been closed
so that militants could not escape from the valley. Talking to
a group of senior journalists in Mingora, he said the SFs were
conducting search operations in some areas of Swat District on
information about the presence of unwanted elements. Gen Asfaque
also said that work on development projects had already been started
and the SFs were repairing and constructing mosques.
|
November 12 |
Two persons were killed and six others were wounded
in separate bomb and hand grenade explosions at Gul Bagh and Wuch
Bazaar in the Hangu town of Hangu District in the early hours.
"Unidentified miscreants had planted explosive devices outside
a house in Gul Bagh, which exploded early in the day," a Police
official said. He said Waseem died instantly while his father
Naseer, mother, two brothers and a sister sustained serious injuries
in the explosion. Meanwhile, some miscreants attacked the house
of Salamat with hand grenades in Wuch Bazaar. However, members
of the family remained unhurt in the attack. Sources said the
SFs chased the attackers and killed one of them after an exchange
of fire. Later, the SFs arrested another attacker in an injured
condition. However, their names could not be ascertained. In a
separate incident, unidentified people blew up five empty houses
with explosive material in the Shahukhel area. Most of the residents
in the area had reportedly vacated their houses due to possible
militant attacks.
Syed Abul Hassan Jaffry, media manager of the
Iranian consulate in Peshawar, the NWFP capital, was shot dead
near his home in Gulbarg. Jaffry was going to his office when
he was shot at point-blank range as he turned his car towards
the Swati Phatak. Cantonment Circle Superintendent of Police Nisar
Khan Marwat said that it appeared to be a sectarian attack. He
said there was no eyewitness, but it was possible that more than
one assailant had fired at the car from two directions with 30-bore
pistols. Jaffry's brother-in-law Shah Agha said "It was a target
killing, but it is not clear if he was killed by Americans or
it was a sectarian attack. He had no enmity with anyone."
|
November 13 |
13 people - 10 military personnel and three civilians
- were killed and 60 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself
up in front of the regional headquarters of the ISI in Peshawar.
An ISPR statement said the bomber rammed his explosives-laden
vehicle into a military check-post on Artillery Road at 6:45am
(PST), killing 10 military personnel and three civilians, and
injuring 60. The NWFP Inspector General of Police, Malik Naveed,
said the vehicle was loaded with around 200 kilograms of explosives.
NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain told the media that
nine ISI officials were killed, while three were missing. Hussain
also said that surrounding walls and an entire block of the agency
headquarters were completely destroyed, while six blocks had been
partially damaged.
Ten persons, including nine security officials,
were killed and 22 injured in a suicide attack at a Police Station
in the Bannu town of Bannu District. A Police official said that
a suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the
Bakkakhel Police Station on Miranshah Road - killing seven Security
Force personnel, two Frontier Corps troops and a pedestrian. He
also said that 22 people, including 19 Policemen, were also injured
in the suicide attack. The station is close to the border with
North Waziristan. The bomber reportedly struck 25 minutes after
the suicide attack on the ISI building in provincial capital Peshawar.
The SFs in a fresh offensive in the Elum Ghar
area of Buner District killed two local militant 'commanders'
among four persons. The wife and three children of another 'commander'
were arrested after he escaped in an injured condition. Sources
said militant 'commanders' Asmatullah and Habibur Rehman of the
Pir Baba area were killed in an encounter with the SFs in Elum
Ghar. Habibur Rehman's wife and a child were also killed in the
clash. Another 'commander', identified as Aziz, who was injured,
escaped from the area, while his wife and three children were
arrested. The Elum Ghar operation had been launched on November
11. An army official was also killed while three others sustained
injuries during clashes with the militants.
The SFs arrested a 'commander' of the Swat Taliban,
Tahir alias Hazrat Ali, from the Jamia Masjid in Swari.
The Police arrested a would-be suicide bomber
during an operation in Saidu Sharif early. "Waheedullah (17) was
arrested from a mosque in Saidu Sharif and prima chord and fuses
were also recovered from his possession," a Police official said.
|
November 14 |
Troops killed 13 Taliban militants in two separate
clashes in Swat, the ISPR said in a statement. Five terrorists
were killed after a group of Taliban militants ambushed a military
convoy near Totakan village, while, another eight Taliban militants
were killed during a search operation in a forest near Mangaltan
village. Meanwhile, a local military spokesman said that the soldiers
also seized a large number of arms and ammunition. The death toll
could not be verified independently.
At least 12 persons, including a Policeman and
a three-year-old child, were killed and another 35 injured when
a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle at a Police
checkpost in Peshawar.
|
November 15 |
12 more militants were killed in clashes with
the SFs in Karakar and Shamozai Gharai while 14 bodies were found
dumped in Charbagh's Gulibagh area in the Swat Valley. It was
the second consecutive day that clashes between the SFs and militants
were reported from Swat District. Eight casualties of militants
were reported from Charbagh on November 14 when the SFs claimed
killing them in a clash during a search operation in the Ashar
Banr and Nala areas. The troops killed 12 more militants in two
different areas of the valley. Four militants were killed in a
gunfight in the Shamozai Gharai area. In addition, eight bodies
were recovered from Karakar, a mountain connecting the Swat and
Buner Districts, while 14 bodies were found in the Gulibagh area.
The bodies dumped in Karakar and Gulibagh areas were stated to
be of militants. The ISPR said 12 militants were killed in Karakar
Banda, Ilam Saand, Ashar Banr and Gari Shamozai. It said the militants
were killed during a search operation. The ISPR said two suspected
militants were arrested from Shalpin and seven others surrendered
to the SFs in Charbagh, Roria and Zarakhela. There was no mention
in the ISPR press release about the bodies recovered from the
Gulibagh area.
Unknown men displayed anti-Taliban banners at
the roadside and other locations in several areas of Kabal sub-division.
The banners contained some slogans against the Taliban and Maulana
Fazlullah.
Volunteers of the Lashkar (militia) shot dead
three veil-clad men near the residence of an anti-Taliban Nazim
in Bazidkhel village of Peshawar District in the NWFP. Nazim of
the Bazidkhel Union Council, Faheemur Rahman had raised a voluntary
Lashkar comprising several hundred villagers to protect his area
from the militants. He has survived a number of bombings and attacks
on his life after a feud with Mangal Bagh, the chief of the Khyber
Agency-based militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Islam. "The three Burqa-clad
terrorists were on their way to my village Hujra, five kilometres
south of Peshawar on the Kohat Road, when someone informed the
Qaumi Lashkar volunteers and the villagers managed to kill them,"
Faheemur Rahman said. He said apparently he was the target as
several attempts had been made in the past to kill him. Rehman
claimed that the attackers were from the Bara subdivision of Khyber
Agency and were associated with the Lashkar-e-Islam, which had
attacked his house and Hujra (guesthouse) thrice in recent months.
No group has claimed responsibility for the failed attack on the
Nazim nor has anyone owned the three men so far.
The death toll from a suicide car bombing at a
Police checkpoint in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, increased
to 15, Police and administrative officials said. The bomber detonated
his cache of explosives on November 14 as Police tried to stop
and search his vehicle at a check-post in the city. "The death
toll has risen to 15. Twenty-one injured people are still being
treated in hospitals," a senior Police official, Karim Khan, said.
The TTP has claimed responsibility for the November
13-suicide attack on the regional headquarters of the ISI in Peshawar.
Qari Hussain, a top TTP 'commander', telephoned reporters to claim
responsibility for the suicide bombing that targeted the ISI regional
headquarters off the busy Khyber Road in the Cantonment area.
Qari Hussain, cousin of the TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud and known
as the trainer of suicide bombers, threatened further attacks
against the Security Forces and law-enforcement agencies.
|
November 16 |
The SFs claimed to have killed four militants
near Gulibagh in the Swat District while the body of a militant
'commander' was found dumped in the Sambat area of Matta sub-division.
The ISPR said the troops conducted a search operation in Roria
near the Gulibagh area of Charbagh. It said the SFs confronted
the militants during the action and killed four of them. Four
militants, according to the ISPR, were arrested from Tiligram
in Swat and Dargai in the Malakand Agency. Sources said the bullet-riddled
body of Ahmad Jan alias Tor Lala was found dumped on a roadside
in Sambat after unidentified men killed him. Ahmad Jan was among
the 'commanders' of the Swat militants wanted by the SFs in numerous
acts of terror in the area, the sources said. Further, official
sources said that during a search in the Sir Tiligram area SFs
recovered a huge quantity of explosives and other material used
in making bombs. They said the seized explosives included 23 homemade
bombs.
Three persons were killed and more than 30 others
sustained injuries in a suicide car bombing which targeted the
Badaber Police Station on the Kohat Road near Peshawar, the NWFP
capital. The powerful blast razed to the ground a mosque, a large
portion of the Police Station and three nearby buildings. It also
injured some horses in the nearby horse stand and damaged several
vehicles in the vicinity. Eyewitnesses said Constable Umer Rahman
of the Frontier Constabulary opened fire as he became suspicious
about a fast-approaching vehicle near the Badaber Police Station
around 7:40am. "When the brave constable opened fire, the explosives
stuffed in the vehicle exploded. The soldier also suffered injuries
but he is safe and sound," Frontier Constabulary Commandant Zafarullah
Khan said. Those killed in the blast were identified as Dilshad
from Badaber village, Abdul Mannan from Mohmand Agency and Sher
Rahman belonging to the Kurram Agency. Officials of the bomb disposal
squad estimated that around 250 kilograms of explosives had been
stuffed in the vehicle. This was the fifth incident of its kind
in and outside Peshawar during the last eight days.
|
November 17 |
Ten militants, including a would-be suicide bomber,
were arrested while one militant surrendered to the SFs during
a search operation in the Swat District. The SFs arrested a 17-year-old
would-be suicide bomber, identified as Jawad, during an operation
in Nawi Kally. The troops, in addition, also arrested five suspected
persons in Koza Banda, three in Bara Banda and one in Charbagh.
Further, one militant laid down arms and surrendered to the SFs
in Bara Banda.
|
November 18 |
Two women, three children and two men were killed
when military planes accidentally bombed some houses in the Hangu
District. In the course of an attack on a seminary, the planes
are reported to have accidentally dropped some bombs on adjacent
shops and some houses in the Shahu Khel area of Hangu. Besides
the women and children, two labourers were also killed in the
attack.
Six more bodies of suspected militants were found
dumped in various areas of Swat Valley. Those whose bodies were
found also included a close aide to the slain deputy leader of
the Swat Taliban Maulana Shah Dauran. The corpse of Ihsanullah
was found dumped in the fields in Kokarai locality of Mingora.
The body of another militant, identified as Shamakhel, was recovered
from a roadside in Charbagh. Local sources said four bodies of
suspected militants were found in the Gorra area situated on the
border with Dir District.
13 militants were arrested from the Charbagh,
Mingora, Koza Bandai and Odigram areas.
|
November 19 |
At least 20 people - including three Policemen
- were killed and 50 others injured when a suicide bomber blew
himself up at the main gate of the Judicial Complex on Khyber
Road in Peshawar. This was the sixth suicide attack in 11 days
in the provincial capital. The bomber struck at around 10:20am
at the main gate of the complex, which houses district lower courts
and is close to the Peshawar High Court, Civil Secretariat, the
NWFP Assembly Flag Staff House and other Government offices and
installations. Peshawar District Coordination Officer Sahibzada
Muhammad Anis told reporters that it was a suicide attack, and
the bomber had tried to enter the court premises. "He was on foot
and detonated his explosives when security personnel tried to
stop him," said Anis, adding that three Policemen were among the
dead. The Cantonment Superintendent of Police, Nisar Marwat, said
that around eight-to-10 kilograms of explosives were used in the
attack.
Two Policemen were killed and five persons sustained
injuries in a bomb blast that targeted a Police vehicle on the
outskirts of Peshawar. "It was a remote-controlled bomb packed
with steel pellets, which was planted on the roadside," a senior
Police official said.
Two militants were killed in an encounter with
the Police in the Bezoo Kot area of Hangu District. Police Constable
Khurshid Alam was also injured in the shootout following a raid
on a house in the area. The bodies of slain militants, identified
as Amjid and Yar Khan, were taken to a local hospital.
The Kohat Police arrested four militants and 21
criminals during a search operation. They also seized four Kalashnikovs,
three repeaters, five shotguns, four rifles and seven pistols.
|
November 20 |
Five militants, including a foreigner, were killed
when the SFs targeted the militant hideouts in Speen Thall area
of Thall sub-division in the Hangu District. An Afghan militant
was among the dead. In addition, the Police claimed to have arrested
eight militants in a search operation in the area. One of them
was identified as Muzaffar hailing from the Khapyanga area of
Kurram Agency in the FATA.
The death toll in the bomb attack on a Police
party in the Yakatoot area of provincial capital Peshawar increased
to three after a Sub-Inspector and another Policeman succumbed
to injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital. According to the bomb
disposal unit, around 10 kilograms of high-intensity explosives
were used in the attack. The officials added that the explosives
were planted on the roadside and triggered through a remote-control
device when the patrolling car was passing through the area.
|
November 22 |
Two rockets fired from an unknown location slightly
damaged a house in Railway Colony in the Cantonment area of Peshawar,
capital of the NWFP. One of the projectiles landed at the house
of a civilian, Shakil, in Railway Colony and caused damage to
the building, while the other landed in the fields without causing
any casualty or damage.
Police arrested a would-be suicide bomber from
the Qambar area near Mingora and presented him before the media.
16-year old Khair Hussain said he was studying in a Madrassa (seminary)
in Rang Mohalla when the militants kidnapped him. He said the
militants asked him to become a suicide bomber and when he refused
to do so, he was tortured.
|
November 24
|
Helicopter gunships targeted the
hideouts of militants in the Shahukhel and Tora Warai areas of
Hangu District, killing 11 militants and destroying three of their
hideouts. Sources said the action was taken after a group of militants
fired rockets at the SFs in Shahukhel and Tora Warai areas, injuring
a soldier. Soon after the incident, the SFs launched an offensive
against the militants, hitting their hideouts.
Three militants were killed and
an equal number of them were arrested in two separate incidents
in the Swat District. Official sources said the SFs clashed with
a group of militants in the Kokarai area on the outskirts of Mingora
city, killing three militants. In another incident, the SFs arrested
three unidentified militants during a search operation at Gumbar
Mera in the suburb of the city.
|
November 25
|
The SFs killed three militants
in Swat. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations statement,
"Security forces carried out a search operation at Bar Kandao
and killed three terrorists." The SFs, on a tip-off, carried out
a search operation in Gumbat Maira near Kokarai and arrested four
terrorists, while five others surrendered in Roringar.
During a clearance operation in
Bangi Wala, the SFs defused 10 IED and also seized a heavy cache
of weapons. They also defused 12 IEDs along the Tanai-Jandola
Road. The SFs are also reported to have completed a search operation
of area around Khasadar Ridge near Barwand.
The cleaner of an oil tanker,
meant for NATO forces in Afghanistan, was killed and its driver
injured when unidentified gunmen attacked the vehicle on the Ring
Road near Tor Baba in Peshawar.
The Police claimed to have arrested
14 militants and recovered explosives from their possession in
various parts of the Nowshera District.
|
November 26
|
A remote-controlled bomb blast
injured three people, including two Policemen, and destroyed an
electricity pylon in Bashirabad area of Peshawar. The Senior Superintendent
of Police (Coordination) of Peshawar, Muhammad Alam Shinwari,
said that the device had been planted to target Gulbahar SHO Riazul
Islam. He said at least two kilograms of explosives were used
in the attack.
Troops conducted a search operation
in Gashkor village and Kalam in Swat District and arrested two
Taliban militants, while eight others surrendered at Shangwatai,
Qambar and Kabal.
|
November 27
|
Two Taliban militants surrendered
before the Security Forces at Miandam in Swat. Troops also conducted
a search operation in the Qamber area and arrested three suspects.
|
November 30
|
Two Police
officials were injured when unidentified armed men attacked their
vehicle on the Indus Highway, Police said. A Police official said
that Mattani Station House Officer Riaz Khan and Constable Shamshad
were seriously injured when the attackers ambushed their patrol
vehicle. The official said the police party was on a routine patrol
when they were attacked, adding the armed men seemed to have attempted
to abduct the Policemen.
The ISPR said
in a statement that one militant was arrested in Tank, while 10
suspected terrorists were arrested during Operation Rah-e-Rast
in the Swat and Malakand areas in the last 24 hours. It also said
the SFs carried out a search operation in Chakral area and found
a 15-foot-long tunnel in Swat. "During a search operation
in Shagai near Piochar, a 10-foot-long tunnel was found,"
the ISPR said.
|
December 1
|
Dr. Shamsher
Ali Khan, the Awami National Party legislator in the NWFP Assembly
from Swat, was killed and 13 persons were injured in a suicide
attack in his house in the Dherai area of Kabal sub-division.
A man with explosives strapped to his body walked unchallenged
into the grounds of Khan’s house and blew himself up, killing
the legislator, sources said. According to witnesses, the suicide
bomber entered Khan’s hujra (guest house) with other people to
greet the legislator and as he got closer to the target he blew
himself up.
"The MPA
[Member of Provincial Assembly] was killed in a suicide attack,"
the Kabal Deputy Superintendent of Police, Hussain Badshah, said,
adding that the MPA had been given two Policemen for security
while eight personal security guards were protecting him. The
Security Forces are reported to have imposed a curfew in the area
and started a search operation. His injured brothers, Shaukat
Ali Khan and Wakeel Khan, were earlier kidnapped by the militants
when the military Operation Rah-e-Rast was launched in the District.
However, they were released later but the militants killed his
nephew.
Unidentified
gunmen killed the chief of a local peace committee in the Swabi
District, official sources said. Sources said that pro-Taliban
militants killed Ambar Pakhpokha, head of a local peace committee.
The Taliban have subsequently claimed responsibility for the killing.
|
December 2
|
In the Hangu
District, 10 militants were killed in a clash and 128 wanted criminals
were arrested during a joint operation by the Police and the Frontier
Constabulary. The operation was carried out in areas adjacent
to Hangu and Orakzai Agency - Thall, Doaba, Shahu Khel, Kahi,
Naryab and Kotki. The District Police chief Abdur Rasheed said
three bombs with remote control devices, a rocket launcher, two
grenades, 19 Kalashnikovs, 18 rifles, 17 shotguns, 24 pistols,
10kgs of hashish and thousands of cartridges had been seized.
He said Police had also seized 1,950 bags of sugar and 868 of
flour which were being smuggled to Afghanistan.
Five militants
were killed in an exchange of fire with the SFs in the Palai area
of Malakand Agency in the NWFP. Official sources said the militants
attacked a convoy of the SFs in the Palai area, located near the
border between Malakand Agency and Mardan District. The SFs, however,
repulsed the attack and five militants were killed. Palai, situated
in the foothills, has reportedly been the scene of encounters
between the military and militants in recent months. Militants
from Buner, Swat and Malakand Agency have been operating in the
area.
In the Shangotai
area of Matta sub-division in the Swat District, the bodies of
two persons, Shah Ji and his son Yaqub, were found. They were
reported to have had links with the Taliban and were wanted in
several militancy-related cases.
Six militants
were arrested in Peer Pati and Qambar. The SFs also arrested 20
suspects from Mingora while eight militants surrendered in the
Bar Sor, Charbagh and Garga areas of Matta.
|
December 3
|
SFs killed
13 militants during raids at two locations in the Swat while two
bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped elsewhere in the District.
Official sources said the SFs had arrested a militant ‘commander’,
identified as Naseem alias Abu Faraj, recently. On his information,
the sources said SFs raided a militant hideout in Saigram near
Koza Bandai and in an exchange of fire 10 militants were killed.
Naseem, who was guiding the SFs to the hideout of his accomplices,
was also killed and a soldier sustained injuries in the incident.
A Police official
was injured in an explosion at a Police check-post in the Regi
area of capital Peshawar. A Police official said the blast created
a three feet deep and eight feet wide crater at the site. Bomb
Disposal Squad chief Shafqat Malik told reporters that around
seven kilograms of explosives were used in the attack. The Senior
Superintendent of Police (Coordination), Muhammad Alam Shinwari,
said the remote- controlled device was planted at some distance
from the check-post.
|
December 6
|
Five militants,
including local ‘commander’ Gul Maula, were killed in an encounter
with SFs in the Dangram area in the suburbs of Mingora city of
Swat in NWFP. Sources said ‘commander’ Gul Maula and his four
accomplices, identified as Tariq, Khadim Shah, Muhammad Ali and
Ejaz, were killed during an encounter with SFs.
The SFs arrested
seven militants from Toda Cheena and Qalandher areas in Makeen
and recovered a huge cache of weapons, including anti-aircraft
guns, anti-tank mines and other arms.
SFs also arrested
six suspected militants in the Damghar area in Kabal tehsil (revenue
unit). The sources said the arrested men were shifted to an undisclosed
location for interrogation. The names of those held were not disclosed
to the media. The Army-run Swat Media Centre (SMC) said seven
militants surrendered before SFs in the Charbagh area.
At the Tanai
check-point, the sources said, SFs arrested six militants, including
two important ‘commanders’.
The fighter
jets attacked suspected hideouts of Taliban militants in Kharkay
Gotki and Saparay areas in Mamond tehsil (revenue unit) and the
Banda area of Salarzai sub-division. However, there was no word
on loss of life or damage to property.
Swabi District
Police foiled a terrorist plot, seizing a large quantity of explosives
from a coffin. According to a private television channel, Police
stopped a vehicle near Shevah checkpoint. Upon searching it, they
found 511 dynamites, 90 detonators and 250-meters of fuse cable
from a coffin in the car. The Police arrested two persons for
further investigation.
|
December 7
|
A suicide bomber
blew himself up outside a court in Peshawar, the provincial capital
of NWFP, killing 12 people, including two Policemen, and injuring
50 others. It was the second suicide attack on a court in the
city in three weeks. The earlier target was the Judicial Complex
on the Khyber Road and the bombing claimed 22 lives. The two Policemen
who died were identified as head Constable Naseer Ahmed and Assistant
Sub-Inspector Ruhullah. The blast damaged the court building and
damaged windows of the nearby MPA hostel, petrol station and some
other buildings. About half a dozen vehicles and motorcycles were
destroyed. Peshawar District Coordination Officer Sahibzada Mohammad
Anees said the bomber had come in an auto-rickshaw. He tried to
enter the session’s court building, but when the Policeman on
duty stopped him for a search, the man blew himself up. Dr Hameed
Afridi of the Lady Reading Hospital said that 54 victims had been
brought to the hospital. Six of them were brought dead and three
others died in the hospital. The condition of six of the inured
was critical, he said. Mohammad Tanveer told Dawn that the bomber
had used six to seven kilograms of explosives. Parts of his suicide
vest, ball bearings and his head and legs have been found.
|
December 8
|
The death toll
of in Peshawar Sessions Courts suicide bombing on December 7 rose
to 13 as two more people succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
The sources said public prosecutor in Mardan, Arifullah, a resident
of Badaber and Bakhtawar Shah, a rickshaw driver, died at the
Lady Reading Hospital.
Peshawar Police
foiled bomb blast bid in Bakhshupul area of the Peshawar, the
capital of NWFP, when they defused four bombs weighing 40 kilogrammes
each. Inspector General Shafqat Malik said the bombs could have
destroyed everything within a 100 meters radius had they not been
defused.
The Police
recovered 10 mortar shells from the suburbs of Mingora city.
The SFs arrested
47 suspects from across Swat during search and clearance operations
and issued a list of 10 most wanted Taliban militants, directing
them to surrender. The SFs arrested 30 suspects from Koza Bandai,
10 from Galouch area of Kabal tehsil (revenue unit), two from
Tahirabad, four from Sarsenai and one from Mingora. However, some
of them were released after initial investigation.
Five Taliban
militants surrendered before the SFs at Sakhra and Asharai near
Matta during Operation Rah-e-Rast in Malakand. The SFs arrested
nine suspects at Kabal, Bakhro near Madyan, Qambar and Tahirabad
near Mingora.
|
December 9
|
The Police
arrested 13 suspected militants in a raid conducted in Kharmato
areas of Kohat city in NWFP in the evening. Sources said the raids
were conducted after unidentified persons beheaded an employee
of PESCO in the area. Arms including 12 Kalashnikov rifles, five
guns, four pistols, five hand-grenades and 2,000 rounds were recovered
from the possession of the arrested militants.
The SFs arrested
10 suspected militants at Saidu Sharif, Fizaghat, Bishbanr, Mingora
and Jijal Kandao near Fatehpur.
Two Taliban
militants surrendered before the SFs at Salhand and Chamtalai
posts in Swat.
|
December 10
|
The SFs arrested
10 suspected Taliban militants and demolished three houses belonging
to the Taliban in Mattani area of Swat in NWFP.
|
December 11
|
SFs killed
four Taliban militants and arrested two others in the ongoing
military operations in Swat of NWFP.
At least five
people were injured when a petrol filling station was blown up
through a remote-controlled device in the main town of Lakki Marwat
District. The bomb was fitted to a bicycle. The injured included
the owner of the station, Naseer Khan, who is a former parliamentarian
from PML-N. Others injured were identified as Nazir Muhammad,
Qasim Khan, Jan Dad and Sher Muhammad. Lakki Marwat District Police
Officer Ayub Khan said the bomb weighed between eight to 10 kilogrammes.
|
December 12
|
Bonair Khan,
a close aide of Sufi Muhammad, was killed along with three other
associates as they tried to escape from the Army’s Red Fort in
Maidan area of Lower Dir in the NWFP. It has been reported that
Bonair Khan had masterminded several suicide bombings, target
killings and attacks on Security Forces and facilitated the Taliban
in various attacks.
|
December 13
|
An intelligence
agency captured the Swat Taliban ‘leader’ Fazlullah’s driver,
Rahim Dad, from Shergarh area in Mardan of NWFP. Sources said
the personnel of an intelligence agency’s raided a house in Shergarh
area on a tip-off and arrested Rahim Dad, recovering a Kalashnikov
rifle and hand grenades from his possession. Rahim is a resident
of Gulshanabad in Batkhela Tehsil (revenue division) of Malakand
Agency.
|
December 14
|
The SFs killed
four Taliban militants during a search operation at Najigram in
Swat of NWFP.
|
December 16
|
Unidentified
militants fired several rockets in Peshawar city, the capital
of NWFP. The rockets landed in an uninhabited area and caused
no loss of life or property. Chamkani Station Police officials
said that the explosion occurred in Afridi Garhi on Chamkani Road
at around 7:30 AM (PST). The Bomb Disposal Squad said the rockets
were of the MP-12 type.
|
December 17
|
A teenage suicide
bomber blew himself up at a gathering in Bannu of NWFP, but guests
at the ceremony escaped unhurt. Senior Police Official Muhammad
Ayub said that it was a "miracle" that no one was killed
or injured in the bombing in Essakhel village. "A young boy,
aged 13 or 14, blew himself up in the middle of guests who were
visiting the house of a local political leader to congratulate
him on his return from Haj," Ayub said. The boy was killed
by his suicide vest, but Police said it was possible that not
all the explosives detonated, while a hand grenade the bomber
was carrying was also defused at the scene.
|
December 18
|
12 persons,
mostly worshippers, were killed and 32 others sustained injuries
when a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden van near a
mosque in the Police Lines in Dir Lower District of NWFP. "The
worshipers were coming out after offering the Friday prayers from
the Civil Colony mosque in the Police Lines when the suicide bomber
rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the wall," an eyewitness
said. "Eleven persons were killed and 32 others injured in
the explosion, which occurred at 1:30 PM (PST)," a Police
official said. It was the first incident of its kind in Dir Lower,
where SFs in the summer crushed a Taliban-led insurgency concentrated
in Maidan and Adinzai tehsil (revenue division) of the Dir Lower
District.
SFs arrested
30 suspected militants during search operations in Bala Sur near
Chuprial, as well as Hamwarai, Roria, Kontangat, Kotkai, Kamargai
area of Swat. A Taliban militant surrendered at Kharary near Matta.
|
December 19
|
A Police patrol
party convoy narrowly escaped a roadside bomb blast at a suburban
Afridi Garhi locality along the Ring Road-Chughalpura Road in
Peshawar of NWFP. Police said the blast occurred when DSP Iftikhar
Khan and some constables were passing through the area. The DSP
said he was on official duty, adding the bomb went off seconds
before the Police patrol party would have reached the spot. Speaking
with journalists, Peshawar Senior Superintendent (coordination)
Muhammad Alam Shinwari said the explosive device had been planted
along the road and was detonated using a remote control, adding
it seemed the actual target of the suspected militants was the
Police convoy.
SFs arrested
40 suspected Taliban militants during a search operation in Kabal
tehsil (revenue division) of Swat.
The SFs also
imposed curfew in Bara Bandai area of Kabal and conducted a search
operation in which they arrested several suspects.
|
December 20
|
SFs killed
four Taliban militants in Kalangi area of Malakand in NWFP. Security
officials said the Taliban were trying to enter Malakand through
Bajaur Agency of FATA, and fired at the SFs when they were intercepted
near the Kalangi checkpost. The subsequent gun battle led to the
killing of four Taliban militants. The SFs recovered a rocket
launcher, four machine guns, sixteen magazines and six grenades
from the possession of the slain militants.
The SFs recovered
bodies of four Taliban militants and a sub-inspector of Police
in Buner District, officials said. The sources said the beheaded
body of sub-inspector Umar Ghani was recovered from Manyari Gokad
area of Buner. Ghani was the in-charge of Gagra Police Station
and had been abducted in June while he was on his way home. The
bodies of the Taliban militants, identified as Imtiaz, Israr,
Saadat and Ismail, were found in the Nawagai Police Station area.
A private school
building was damaged in a blast in Mathra Police Station area
of Peshawar. A Mathra Police Station official said that the blast
occurred at around 2 AM (PST) in the Muslim Public School, damaging
two rooms, a gate and part of the boundary wall. However, no casualty
in the blast was reported.
The SFs recovered
IEDs, explosive material and weapons during search operation in
Dhoda area of the Lakki Marwat District. At least 20 persons were
arrested for further investigation "The militants had buried
the IEDs, explosive material, arms and ammunition in the underground
caves," the District Police Officer Muhammad Ayub said. The
recovered explosive devices and arms included eight IEDs, three
buckets each filled with 25 kilograms of explosive, detonators,
two bags full of explosive powder, eight Kalashnikov rifles, a
long machine gun, two shotguns, explosive wire (prime cord) and
2,605 rounds.
The SFs arrested
60 suspected Taliban militants during search operations in various
parts of Swat.
|
December 21
|
SFs killed
four Taliban militants in the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in
the Totakna area of Swat District in the NWFP.
Unidentified
militants blew up the Khattako Bridge checkpost on the Shamshato
Road in the Urmur Police Station area of Peshawar. The checkpost
was manned by four Policemen, but none of them was present when
the blast occurred. The Senior Superintendent of Police (Coordination)
Muhammad Alam Shinwari said the remote-controlled bomb weighed
around one and half kilogrammes.
|
December 22
|
Three people,
including a woman, were killed and another 24 persons injured
when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of the
Peshawar Press Club in Peshawar of NWFP. The building is situated
on the Sher Shah Suri Road close to the Cantonment Railway Station.
Lady Reading Hospital officials confirmed the toll in the first
ever suicide attack in the country aimed specifically at journalists.
They said two of the bodies were identified as police constable
Riazuddin and a passer-by, Rubina. Rubina, who died of a cardiac
arrest, was traveling in a rickshaw close to the press club when
the blast occurred. Peshawar Press Club accountant Mian Iqbal
Shah succumbed to his injury at the hospital later. Several passers-by,
including those travelling in a minibus, were injured in the blast
besides Peshawar Press Club employees Yasir, Ayub and Kamran.
A photojournalist, Khurram Pervez, also sustained injuries in
the blast. Peshawar City Police chief Liaqat Ali Khan told reporters
that the suicide attacker had tried to enter the premises. The
Police guard at the gate frisked the man and tried to overpower
him when he discovered that the person was wearing a suicide vest,
however, the bomber detonated his vest during the scuffle. The
press club employee Yasir Jamil, who was also injured in the blast
said that the suicide bomber was trying to enter the press club
when the Police guard stopped him. He said the attacker had an
argument with the guard, and blew himself up moments later. He
said the bomber had a dark complexion and short height and seemed
around 18 to 19 years of age.
SFs killed
four militants in Karakar area of the Swat District. According
to the Swat Media Centre, a group of militants were attempting
to enter Buner from Swat when Security personnel intercepted them,
resulting in an encounter. Two soldiers were also injured in the
exchange of fire. The SFs recovered two IEDs, two Klashnikovs,
wireless sets and a sub-machine gun from the possession of the
slain militants.
|
December 24
|
Four persons
were killed and 24 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself
up near a security post in Peshawar. Peshawar Senior Superintendent
of Police (Coordination) Muhammad Alam Shinwari said that four
persons, including one Policeman and three civilians, were killed
and 24 injured in the attack, which was carried out using a suicide
jacket packed with eight kilogrammes of explosives. The bomber
struck at the junction of Mall Road and Arbab Road in front of
an insurance company’s office, where a Security Force post had
been set up to inspect vehicles. A policeman said the bomber was
on foot and detonated explosives strapped to his body when Policemen
stopped him at the post.
|
December 25
|
Two Policemen
were killed in a militant attack in Peshawar, the capital of the
NWFP, in the early hours. An official source said that unidentified
militants shot dead two Policemen at a check post in Taj Abad
locality of Peshawar. The official said the two Policemen were
identified as Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Javed, both from Swabi
District. According to the officials, the militants managed to
escape after killing the Policemen.
The unidentified
militants blew up three schools in separate attacks in Landikotal
and Peshawar. Buildings of two Government high schools about 1.5
kilometres apart were blown up in Landikotal. No casualties were
reported, as both schools were empty at the time. In the second
incident, the militants tried to blow up a Government boys’ high
school in Spin Wari village in Peshawar. According to the Police,
the blast only damaged the school’s boundary wall.
The Police
recovered 500 kilogrammes of explosives from Mardan and 2,000
kilogrammes from Bannu. A private television channel quoted NWFP
Police Inspector General (IG) Malik Naveed saying that the NWFP
Government had thwarted six potential suicide attacks in recent
weeks. Speaking with the media in Peshawar after the suicide blast
at the Mall Road, the IG said Police were conducting raids in
the suburban areas of the city. Regarding security arrangements
for Muharram, he said as many as 700 ex-servicemen of the Frontier
Corps had been recalled to protect citizens.
|
December 27
|
SF arrested
50 suspected militants, including two foreigners, during a search
operation in Mingora of NWFP. SF had earlier enforced a curfew
in parts of Mingora after they learned that several militants
were hiding out in the area. SF recovered a cache arms during
the search operations.
|
December 28
|
The Taliban
blew up five-room Government primary girls school in the Shabqadar
town of NWFP. Senior Police Official Mohammad Riaz Khan said that
the school was destroyed when two bombs planted by Taliban militants
exploded. A nearby house was also damaged but there were no casualties,
Khan added.
The SFs carried
out search and clearance operation in Atror near Kalam, Chuprial
and Nilgram areas of Swat and recovered several weapons.
Three unidentified
militants surrendered to SFs at Roringar and Devolai. SFs also
carried out search and clearance operation in Mingora city and
Tal, Kandao near Shah Dheri and Taghma areas of Swat and recovered
arms and ammunition.
|
December 29
|
Two unidentified
militants fired at a petrol station, injuring Police officer Malik
Jan and his son Shoaib, in Munda area of Lower Dir in NWFP. It
was reported that Police killed both the attackers in retaliatory
firing.
The troopers
killed an alleged Taliban ‘commander’, Abu Zar, during a search
operation in Swat. "SFs conducted a search operation near
Charbagh tehsil (revenue unit) and killed Abu Zar, a wanted terrorist
commander," a military statement said, calling him an explosives
expert who planned attacks against SFs. "Two other militants
were also arrested with a cache of arms and ammunition,"
the statement added. A Senior Security Official said Muhammad
Siddque alias Abu Zar, a close aide of Maulana Fazlullah, was
a "great symbol of terror" in Swat, and had killed a
number of Policemen and Army personnel. The arrested Taliban were
identified as Sher Bahadar and Muhammad Ali.
|
December 31
|
The SFs killed
four Taliban militants during a search-and-clearance operation
in Bangai Banda near Barikot of Swat in NWFP. SFs also arrested
26 suspects, while four others surrendered to SFs.
|
|