North West Frontier Province Timeline- 2008

Month/Date

Incidents

January 1

Unidentified militants blew up a CD centre at the old bus stand in Kohat city of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

An explosion damaged a portion of the house of a villager in the Bachkan Ahmadzai area of Lakki Marwat district.

Local Taliban commanders Naeem and Toti Khan were arrested in a raid in the Koza Bama Khela area, the Media Information Centre said. A huge quantity of arms, ammunition and communication equipment were recovered from Taliban hideouts during the operation, it added.

A bomb disposal squad defused a 40-kilogramme locally-made remote-controlled bomb planted on Kalam-Mingora Road, near Charbagh in Swat district.

A curfew has been imposed in Swat and Chakdara for an indefinite period, as security forces said they detained 27 suspects, four of them Maulana Fazlullah’s close aides, during an operation.

January 2

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has given another two days to the government to end the military operation in the Swat district and pull out all security force personnel from the area, and warned that it will expand its actions from Waziristan to Kohistan and settled districts if their demand is not met. Maulana Omar, a spokesman for the TTP, said that an earlier deadline for withdrawal of troops had lapsed on December 15, but they did not resume their activities because the entire nation was in mourning following the tragic death of Benazir Bhutto. "Now we extend the deadline for two days and ask the government to withdraw troops and halt the operation in Swat. Otherwise, we will attack the government everywhere and it will be an all-out war," he warned.

January 3

Security forces (SFs) launched a search operation against militants in the Swat district and arrested more than 70 suspected militants, including local Taliban Commander Ikramuddin. SFs in an operation at Shakardara in the Matta sub-division arrested 63 persons and confiscated heavy weapons from them. The troops also blew up two houses of suspected militants in the area. The military, however, confirmed the arrests of 44 suspected militants only. Ikramuddin, a close aide of the TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah, was allegedly involved in the beheading of police officials in the Swat valley.

January 6

A man was killed and six shops, including two video centres and two barber shops, destroyed in two successive bomb blasts in the Shiekh Mohammadi village of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. Unidentified terrorists had planted explosives to blow up two CD centres and an equal number of barber shops near Tangu Adda in Shiekh Mohammadi village, located 10 kilometres south of the provincial metropolis.

Troops targeted militant positions in the Totano Bandai and Manja areas, but no Taliban casualties were reported.

TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah, through his FM radio, asks his followers to launch attacks against security forces.

January 7

A suicide bomber blew himself up in an explosive-laden vehicle near a military base camp at Kabal in the Swat district, injuring 10 people, including eight soldiers. The suicide bomber was driving a single-cabin pick-up, which exploded at 11.15am in front of the gate of the Frontier Golf Club, a military base camp. The blast destroyed the building of a technical institute and partially damaged the buildings of the Iqra Academy. Security forces resorted to indiscriminate aerial fire in all directions after the incident, resulting in the killing of a college student named Imran Khan, residents said. However, Colonel Nadeem, the head of the Media Information Centre, rejected the eyewitness accounts as baseless.

SFs engaged miscreants in a gun battle in areas close to Peochar. There were unconfirmed reports of heavy militant casualties and demolition of their hideouts.

Militants blew up 18 shops in the Jorre area of Buner district. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

January 8

Unidentified terrorists fired 11 rockets on the Army Officers Colony on Warsak Road in Peshawar, slightly damaging a few buildings. However, no casualty was reported.

The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate said that militants had fired on a military convoy while it was moving from Kanju to Kabal near the Ali Grama area. However, no loss of life was reported. Following the attack, security forces arrested the 18 suspects.

In Buner district, two shops were destroyed when a bomb planted at a shop in a women’s shopping market in the Shalbandi Sharif village exploded. However, no casualty was reported as no one was around at the time of the explosion, officials said. This was the 13^th bomb blast in the Buner district and the first one targeting a women’s shopping market.

Suspected militants abducted seven SF personnel from a hotel in Darra Adamkhel. Two army men and five paramilitary personnel were going to Peshawar from Kohat when they were abducted at gunpoint by a group of 20 to 25 militants.

The security forces shelled suspected militant hideouts in the Peuchar and Namal areas of Matta subdivision in Swat district, destroying several targets. However, there were no reports on the fatalities.

January 9

Security forces pounded with artillery positions occupied by militants in the upper reaches of the Swat valley and claimed to have arrested 18 suspected militants. Artillery fire was directed at areas in Gut Peuchar and Shawar localities. Some shells struck four houses in Manja village but no casualty was reported. Sources said that one of the houses belonged to ‘commander’ Khalid, an associate of TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah, who had already left the place.

Owners of various video centres in the provincial capital Peshawar received threatening letters, asking them to close their businesses. The owner of a video centre in the Sufaid Dheri area said that militants identifying themselves as local Taliban had asked him to stop dealing in CDs and video cassettes business. They threatened to blow up shops selling CDs in case the instructions were not followed. The letters, he said, stated that dealing in CDs and cassettes meant spreading obscenity.

January 11

Police and security forces arrested a hospitalised key militant ‘commander’ and five other suspects in a joint raid at a private hospital in the Saidu Sharif area of Swat. The arrested were identified as militant ‘Commander’ Dr Khan, Alamgir, Mian Shahnshah, Mian Qamar Ali Shah and Taza Gul, all residents of Chuparyal Matta. According to police sources, Khan is an important commander of the militants and is considered among the top aides of cleric Maulana Fazlullah.

Muhammad Iqbal, district nazim (official) of the banned Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e Shariat Muhammadi, who was arrested recently from Fateh Pur area, had been shifted to an unknown destination for interrogation while his six colleagues were released after initial investigations. Police seized a large cache of arms from Iqbal’s residence.

January 13

Unidentified gunmen killed the brother of TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman Sirajuddin at Imam Dheri in the Swat district. Residents said Bakht Bedar Khan was a leader of the Awami National Party and supported the government’s peace initiative and distanced himself from Sirajuddin’s activities.

  A bomb blast occurred near the house of one Babrak in the Bachkan Ahmadzai village of Lakki Marwat district. However, there was no loss of life or damage to property. This was the second explosion in the village in a fortnight.

January 14

Three children were injured in security forces’ artillery fire on suspected Taliban hideouts in the Dewlai and Totano Bandai areas in Swat.

A low intensity bomb exploded at a billiard club in the jurisdiction of Gulbahar police station in the provincial capital Peshawar. However no causality was reported. The Bomb Disposal Squad defused another explosive device planted in another billiard club in the same area.

Elders of six major tribes of the Frontier Region of Kohat and local militants in Darra Adam Khel reached an agreement to ensure safety of the Indus Highway. In a related development, the Taliban replaced a senior commander in Darra apparently to reduce violence on the Indus Highway and stop extortion and beheading of passengers. Militant commander Tariq Afridi was replaced with Momin Khan Afridi at a meeting. It was also decided that the militants would not cover their faces, and would stop extorting money from and killing innocent people.

January 16

Four persons, including three children, were killed in a bomb blast near the Chashma Right Bank Canal in Dera Ismail Khan.

Security forces foiled an attempt by the militants to blow up one of their caravans at Nangolai in the Swat district. Col. Mohammad Nadeem stated that the caravan was heading towards Matta when the militants blew up a remote control device planted at the roadside. The security forces later cordoned off the area and arrested 19 suspected militants in the search operation.

The DGMO Major General Ahmad Shuja Pasha said that the army had achieved a primary target of the Rah-e-Haq Operation in Swat by clearing the valley of miscreants and establishing the writ of the government there. "The miscreants have been pushed to the Peochar area and to the snow-capped mountains, and peace has returned to the valley," Pasha briefed journalists in Rawalpindi. He said the Rah-e-Haq Operation started on November 13, 2007 and was jointly executed by the 23rd Division of 10 Corps and 17th Division of 11 Corps. "The army cleared the valley by December 24," he said. Pasha said 36 soldiers had died and 72 were injured in the operation, while nine civilians had died and another 45 injured. Gen. Pasha informed that 10 senior aides of the militant leader had been arrested and Maulana Fazlullah himself narrowly escaped arrest on quite a few occasions. He said a total of 617 suspects had been arrested but most of them were released after interrogation.

January 17

At least 12 persons were killed and 25 others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in an imambargah (congregation hall for Shia rituals) in Peshawar. Police said that the teenage bomber blew himself at the crowded Mirza Qasim Baig Imambargah in the Mohalla Janghi area at around 6.55pm (PST). "It was a suicide attack," interior ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema confirmed, adding that "The bomber was 15 or 16 years old and he blew himself up after entering the gate leading to the prayer hall." The NWFP Inspector General of Police, Sharif Virk, told Geo TV that 10 kilograms of explosives and three kilograms of ball bearings were used in the blast.

January 18

A bomb exploded outside a CD shop in Peshawar, but no casualties were reported. An official said that the explosives were placed outside the Gulab CD and Music Centre located within the Pandu Police Station jurisdiction.

January 19

Security forces have taken control of the Namal, Shor and Sardan Top areas in the Matta tehsil (administrative division) of Swat district. Militants have vacated the areas of Manja, Totanoo Bandai, Shah Dheri in Kabal tehsil and Puchar, Namal, Sardan Top and Shor in Matta, which were strongholds of Fazlullah. They said militants’ bunkers in these areas were empty, and they took their weapons with them as they moved to unknown locations. The troops imposed a curfew during their forward march in the areas from 7pm on January 18-night and no one was allowed to come out of their houses. The security forces, during the operation, destroyed the houses of local militant commanders Sayed Karim, Lajbar Khan, Sahib and Bin Yamin, a close aide of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah. During the search operation, the troops also arrested several militants and shifted them to an undisclosed location for interrogation. Sources said that the security forces had also recovered a police van belonging to the Matta Police Station.

A bomb blast damaged a bridge on the Kohat-Hangu road without causing any casualties. The explosives packed in a pressure cooker had been planted under the Parachao Bridge close to the residence of district official Gohar Saifullah Khan.

Security forces arrested 10 militants and found 2.5 tonnes of explosives hidden in a mosque in Swat.

January 20

Nisar Ahmad Khan, Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau in NWFP, was shot dead by unidentified men outside his house in the Charsadda district’s Shabqadar area. Police said Khan was going home after dawn prayers when the men fired at him from inside a car.

A rocket fired from unknown location exploded near Shalman Park in the Hayatabad area of provincial capital Peshawar. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

January 22

A bomb exploded near the Tajazai area in Lakki Marwat, close to an army base camp set up in the District Headquarters Hospital. However, there was no loss of life or damage to property.

Security forces conducted a search operation in the Shakardara area of Swat district and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition. The seizure included rifles, pistols, rockets of RPG-7, explosive and rounds of different bores.

January 23

Three persons, including two female students, sustained injuries when a landmine, planted in front of a house in Bahadur Khel village in Karak, exploded.

Six militants were arrested and a large cache of arms and ammunition was seized as security forces resumed a search and cordon operation in some areas of the Swat district of NWFP. Troops reportedly targeted militants’ hideouts in Biakand and Mian Kalay of the Nellagram area and arrested the six militants. During a search operation in the Nimgolay area of Kabal sub-division, they found a large cache of arms and ammunition, uniform of security forces and searchlights etc, concealed in a nearby field. The seizure included 32 hand-grenades, six gas shells, 18 mortars, several RPG -7, about 298 rounds of 12.7 gun, 32 warheads and a large number of Kalashnikovs and MMS riffles.

The caretaker NWFP Health Minister Syed Kamal Shah survived a firing incident while driving on the Mardan-Bakhshali road. The Taliban militants operating in the area are suspected of involvement in the attack on the life of the minister.

January 24

Suspected militants in the Swat district shot dead the Matta sub-division naib (deputy) nazim (elected government official) Shakir Khan, his brother and an aide in an ambush near Kalakot. Two people were injured in the attack. They were going to the Asharhi area in a car to attend a meeting of the Awami National Party.

Unidentified militants fled with four weapon-laden army trucks in Dara Adam Khel. Taliban spokesman Maulana Umar claimed responsibility while talking to BBC Urdu from an undisclosed location. He said the trucks and the crew had been moved to "a safe location". The Darra Adam Khel political administration arrested 32 tribesmen after the incident and seized nine vehicles.

Militants abducted an army man and a vehicle of the Inter Signal Services Unit which was going from Samana Fort in the Oarkzai Agency to Thall Garrison in Hangu district.

Security forces have reportedly regained control of most areas in Swat and pushed the militants to the remote, snow-covered mountains of upper Swat. Scores of militants loyal to TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah have either been arrested or killed during the military operation.

Police in Peshawar defused a roadside time bomb minutes before the PML-N chief and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was due to pass the spot, said Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Imtiaz Shah.

January 25

Around 34 militants and two soldiers were killed during a military operation in Darra Adam Khel. Gunship helicopters were used to target militant bunkers in the formerly stable region.

January 26

Around 20 militants were killed by the troops during clashes in the Darra Adam Khel and Kohat areas. Gunship helicopters pounded suspected Taliban positions in the mountains near Darra Adam Khel and Kohat district. Security officials said the militants had taken position at hilltops overlooking Darra and Kohat and were using long-range rockets to target civilians in Kohat city.

Abdullah Halafi, a self-proclaimed spokesman for a Taliban group, threatened the militants would launch attacks on government forces in the Khyber Agency if attacks on their comrades in Darra did not stop.

Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said that the Kohat Tunnel was in the control of militants. Abbas said security forces were progressing and operation for the control of the tunnel would be launched any time soon.

A convoy of army vehicles escaped casualties when a remote-controlled bomb exploded in the Badabher area near Peshawar. Soldiers opened fire seconds after the blast and blocked the highway for a few hours.

January 27

Security forces took positions on hilltops around the town of Darra Adam Khel and the Friendship Tunnel as 24 militants and five soldiers were killed in clashes. Sources said firing continued near the tunnel on January 26-night and several blasts were heard in the city. The ISPR said SFs had cleared the area and regained control of the Kohat tunnel and adjoining areas after fierce fighting. The tunnel connects the southern parts of the NWFP with capital Peshawar through the Indus Highway.

The troops used four helicopter gunships and heavy machine-guns to pound the hideouts of militants who had taken control of the tunnel on January 25-morning and occupied the Kohat hills on January 26. After reportedly suffering huge casualties and surrendering control of the tunnel, the militants fired five rockets on the Kohat cantonment on January 27-night. One of the rockets exploded near a military police checkpoint, another in a house in the Happy Valley, two in houses of army officers and one in the Malangabad graveyard. However, no casualties were reported.

Militants in the Swat district beheaded a local resident of Minglawar, Qayyum Shah, accusing him of spying on militants for the Pakistan Army and the US. His beheaded body was found on the main Mingra-Kalam road near Minglawar. Maulana Omar, a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the abduction and subsequently beheading.

There were two successive bomb blasts in a CD market near Wakho Pul on the Kohat Road in Peshawar. However, no casualty was reported.

50 militants, including a local commander, were arrested during a military operation in the Sambat, Bodigram and Matta areas of Upper Swat. A Taliban ‘commander’, identified as Sher Mohammad Khan, and about 30 of the detained people were hardcore militants loyal to cleric Maulana Fazlullah. The Media Information Centre in Mingora said a large quantity of arms and ammunition, including detonators, Kalashnikovs, rifles, pistols, shotguns and live rounds had been seized.

Police in Mansehra arrested four activists of the Lashkar-i-Ababeel, an hitherto unknown extremist outfit, suspecting them of being involved in the bomb attack at the warehouse of an international relief organisation. Police arrested Qari Ehsanul Haq, Mohammad Ashraf, Badiuzaman and Ghulam Yahya a few days ago for their alleged involvement in the blast at the warehouse of Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

January 28

Five civilians, including two women, were killed during military shelling in the Aka Khel area of Darra Adam Khel.

One civilian was killed and two wounded when a chopper opened fire on them near the Kohat Tunnel. Later in the evening, a higher secondary school was targeted by the Army as they suspected that Taliban militants might be hiding in the location. However, no report of loss of life or injuries was reported although the school building was heavily damaged.

Suspected militants in the Swat valley beheaded another policeman, the second incident of its kind in the last two days. Suspected militants, numbering 100, intruded into the house of the policeman, Habibullah, in the Sakhra Fazl Garhi area of Matta sub-division.

The militants set ablaze two vehicles of a forest officer, Zamir Khan, of Aghal village in Matta.

Kidnappers freed more than 250 students and teachers unharmed after being given safe passage by the authorities from a school in the Bannu district where they were holding the hostages. Though the government insisted that the kidnappers were a gang of criminals, reports indicated that some of them were suspected militants. One of the kidnappers, Gul Jamil, who was killed in the shoot-out with police, was stated to be a militant belonging to the Karak district. Groups of militants have reportedly been active in recent months in both the Karak and Bannu districts. They have been blamed for some of the kidnappings in the two districts.

SFs regained control of the Durshkhela fort in Matta’s Bagh Dheri area which had fallen to militants loyal to TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah three months ago.

Six militant outfits appear to be operating in Darra Adam Khel, with two having extended their sway to within 20 kilometres of Peshawar, officials and residents fleeing the area said. The HuM, LeT, JeM, LeJ, the Muslim United Army International and the local Taliban have been "active in the area since mid-2005," said a former Darra resident, who used to live near a militant stronghold in Mazeedkhel.

January 29

A hand grenade was lobbed at the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the Dera Ismail Khan-Bannu road. Rehman remained unharmed. Rehman’s servant Muhammad stated that the explosion caused no damage as the grenade exploded outside the residence’s boundary wall. The JUI-F chief was at home at the time of the explosion, having just arrived from Saudi Arabia.

Unidentified people fired two rockets from an undisclosed location which landed on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. However, no casualty was reported. According to the police, one rocket landed in the fields near Peshtakhara on Canal Road while another exploded near Akunabad.

Security forces shelled suspected militants hideouts at Sakhra town of Matta sub-division in Swat district, while 24 more militants surrendered before the troops at Koza Bandai - once a stronghold of TNSM chief Maulana Fazlullah. Military authorities said they received reports that militants were hiding at Sakhra town, and their positions were targeted through artillery shelling. However, there were no details about losses suffered by the militants.

January 30

An explosion in a house in the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, killed three men who police said were making bombs when the explosives detonated prematurely. The blast occurred in the guestroom of a house located in the Badshah Dak area of Tauheed Colony in Phandu police precincts. "Initial evidence suggests that they were suicide attackers," police officer Farid Shah told AP. Gulbahar Deputy Superintendent of Police Ijaz Khan said the men were likely involved in an earlier attack on music shops in the Afridiabad area. He said police had detained one Ismail, originally from Lakary of Mohmand Agency, who had rented the house. The dead men included Ismail’s brother-in-law Saadullah and a cousin identified as Ali Rehman. The third body could not be identified. An AFP report said the men were 20 to 30 years old. Police seized a hand grenade, 10 kilograms of explosives, a pistol, three mobile phones, a dairy and religious literature from the house.

Two music shops were damaged in a bomb blast in the Afridiabad area of Peshawar. No casualties were reported. Police officials said that the shops were no longer selling music CDs. They said the owner of one of the shops had begun selling kebabs in his shop following violence against video and music stores.

Unidentified miscreants fired rockets at a police mobile team in the cantonment area of Bannu. Officials said that three rockets were fired at the mobile team from undisclosed locations that landed in different places and caused no damage.

Police raided a storehouse and recovered arms and ammunition from the Guli Bagh area of Swat district, a Media Information Centre (MIC) statement and police officials said. The storehouse was owned by an alleged militant commander, Qari Mushtaq, the police officials said, adding that the seizure included three AK-47s and over 200 rounds.

January 31

A roadside bomb blast damaged a PAF truck at Akora Khattak in NWFP, but there were no casualties. "It was a remote controlled bomb planted between two roads. When the vehicle came close, unknown miscreants detonated the bomb," senior police official Mubarik Zeb said.

Security forces fired artillery shells at suspected militant hideouts in Piyochar, Manja and Tota Bandi when they were informed about militants’ presence there. While five houses were partially damaged in the shelling there were no casualties reported.

Security forces and political administration recovered three truckloads of ammunition that militants had seized from troops in Darra Adam Khel last week. Political authorities told Daily Times that three of the four trucks hijacked by militants were seized in a raid in Kot Chaper. The troops also raided several militant hideouts, they said. A military statement said ammunition, batteries and other supplies were recovered from Tortsakpar, about one kilometer north of the Kohat Tunnel.

Four prominent militant commanders and close aides of TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah surrendered to the government in Swat and promised to give up militancy in future. They were identified as Khalil, Fazal, Kabir and Mumtaz. Meanwhile, the security forces arrested a close aide of Maulana Fazlullah at the Kanju checkpoint. Identified as Sultanat Khan, he was later shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

February 1

Security forces arrested three close aides of local Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah during a search operation at Kanju check post in the Swat district of NWFP. Tazamin alias Abu Mursad, Sher Nawaz alias Abu Sufian and Matiullah alias Abu Zar were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation, they added.

February 2

At least six persons, including two civilians, were killed in a gun battle in Mardan after police raided a suspected militant hideout at 5am (PST). Mardan police official said that the gun battle ensued when police raided the house of one Afsar Ali, wanted by police for attacks on music shops, in the Palodehri area. Two policemen and two militants, including Adnan, whose brother Kamran was an aide of Baitullah Mehsud in the district, were killed in the gun battle. Sources said while a woman passing by was killed in the crossfire, a civilian Azam Khan was also killed as militants entered his house. Police seized three Kalashnikovs, eight hand grenades and two suicide vests from the house. Sources also said that the police had raided the area a week ago but the militants, 25 to 40 in number, managed to escape.

February 3

Two bomb explosions damaged the house of Hidayat Ali Khan, a union council nazim (member), in the Kooza Bandai area of Kabal tehsil (administrative unit) of Swat district. However, no casualties were reported. The bombs were detonated with a remote control device, sources said.

Two workers of the ICRC were reported missing in the Khyber tribal region, according to officials. The Islamabad-based communication officer of the ICRC, Sitara Jabeen, said that the workers who were going to the Torkham checkpoint, near the Afghan border, had disappeared in the Khyber region on February 2.

Police on February 2 arrested a 16-year-old boy, from Dera Ismail Khan, who had confessed to plotting a suicide attack to kill Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, security officials told Reuters. "The boy was caught ... with a vest and explosives," said an unnamed intelligence official. He said the would-be attacker had admitted that Fazl was his target.

February 5

At least 20 persons, including three policemen, were injured after cadres of the Tarai-Madhesh Democratic Party and United Madhesi Front clashed with the police at Jaleshwor in the Mahottari district. The clash ensued after the protesters staged demonstration outside Jaleshwor Stadium where Nepali Congress senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba was addressing workers’ meeting.

JTMM-J cadres detonated six bombs on the premises of the District Education Office, at Zero Mile and Sahujipatti area in the Mahottari district.

Activists of Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoists clashed in the Latinath Village Development Committee area of Darchula district after the Maoists tried to disrupt the election campaign of the Nepali Congress. Two Maoists were injured in the incident after police used force to foil any untoward incidents.

Police arrested two JTMM-J cadres, identified as Jibat Kumar Mahato and Ram Chadra Mahato, from Lahan area in the Siraha district and recovered two hand-made guns and 3 rounds of SLR bullets from them.

February 6

Several bombs were detonated at Malangawa, the district headquarters of Sarlahi, where a mass meeting of the Nepali Congress was in progress. The bombs were detonated some 100 metres away from the venue of the meeting. However, no casualties were reported.

Police raided the central office of the YCL at Balaju in Kathmandu, reportedly, for concealed weapons inside the office.

February 7

Two JTMM-J cadres were killed by police in the Saptari district. According to the police, Chandreshwar Kamat alias Sher Singh and Raj Kumar Mandal alias Ranjit of the JTMM-J were shot dead when they clashed with police at Belichapena VDC.

Cadres of the JTMM-G shot dead an elderly person, Keshab Bahadur Gurung, in the Rupandehi district. Gurung, a canteen owner at Sukha Bandargaha in Bagaha VDC, was reportedly killed on charge of spying against the JTMM-G.

February 10

YCL cadres set ablaze a post set up by the Rautahat District Development Committee to collect revenue near Dhansarpur of East-West Highway.

February 11

Around 100 YCL cadres disrupted a programme organised by the Nepali Congress in the Rupakot VDC area of the Tanahu district. They also assaulted the former minister and Nepali Congress leader, Govinda Raj Joshi, and vandalised the podium erected there.

February 12

15 militants hailing from different areas of the Kabal sub-division in the Swat district surrendered to the security forces along with some arms and ammunition.

February 13

A roadside bomb blast hit an election campaign convoy in Swat, killing two people and injuring three others. Mufti Hussain Ahmed, an independent candidate contesting for the NA-30 and PF-86 seats, was among the wounded. "Ahmed was travelling in a convoy of 8-10 vehicles on a campaign when the blast occurred, killing two people," said senior police official Waqif Khan. The government has reportedly blamed several recent blasts on Baitullah Mehsud, but Mehsud’s spokesman Maulana Omar said that the local Taliban would not interfere in the elections and would not be involved in any attack before or on election-day.

February 14

SFs moved tanks and launched a massive search operation in Darra Adam Khel after rockets were fired on telecommunication installations. Subsequent to the militants’ attack on the main telecommunication centre installed on a hill near the Friendship Tunnel, the SFs backed by five tanks entered the Darra Adam Khel town and started looking for assailants in Shini Kali and Zarghun Khel areas, considered to be a militant stronghold. An unnamed official said that a vehicle used in the attack had been seized and its driver detained. He said that missiles and rockets were also found in the vehicle.

The SFs arrested seven suspected militants, including four foreigners, from Darra Adam Khel and seized a heavy cache of weapons from them. Troops raided the Toor Chappar area and arrested the militants. They also seized a missile barrel launcher gun, an anti-aircraft gun and dozens of shells, pistols and bullets.

At least 20 militants, including four commanders, surrendered to the SFs in the Kabal sub-division of Swat valley. The SFs released the militants after they offered sureties.

February 15

A junior commissioned officer of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) was killed and a soldier sustained injuries when suspected militants attacked a security post close to Matani, southwest of Peshawar, with mortar shells. "Over 30 armed men first attacked the FC fort on the Kishan Garh Road with mortar shells and then opened fire on the post, killing Subedar Abdul Samad of Bara, Khyber Agency, on the spot," said a police official.

February 16

At least three people were killed and 18 others injured when a powerful bomb blast rocked the Media Centre in the Mingora area of Swat district.

February 17

A militant was killed when security forces engaged some militants who were planting explosives at a polling station set up in a primary school in the vicinity of the Kanju police station in the Swat district.

In the Matta area of Swat, Deputy Superintendent of Police Haroon Babar escaped unhurt when his car was attacked with a series of remote controlled devices near Bara Bandai in the Kabal sub-division where he had gone to inspect polling stations. No casualty was reported.

SFs arrested seven hardcore militants, including two commanders, during a search operation in the Kabal area of Swat district. The militants were reportedly hiding in a house when the security forces launched the operation in the Kabal sub-division and arrested them after a brief exchange of fire. The two commanders were identified as Fazle Rehman and Akbar Hussain. Residents said that the SFs also dynamited the house of Fazle Rehman and the shops and a clinical laboratory of Akbar Hussain in the area.

February 18

Elections remained peaceful throughout the NWFP amid fears of suicide attacks, bomb blasts and violence from militants. NWFP Special Home Secretary Khalid Khan Umarzai said that the elections all over the province were held with a peaceful atmosphere, except for an incident in Karak district in which one person was killed and another wounded when supporters of the Awami National Party and an independent candidate clashed in the PF-40 constituency’s Ghara Khel polling station. Minor violent incidents were reported from the province. Militants blew up Middle School Shakardara polling station in the Matta area of Swat district and set ablaze the election material. Gunship helicopters later shelled the Shakardara area but no casualties were reported. Militants also targeted a security forces convoy with remote-controlled bombs in the Shakar Dehri and Charbagh areas, while a bomb exploded in the Dheri area of PF-83 constituency. No casualty was reported in these incidents.

February 12

15 militants hailing from different areas of the Kabal sub-division in the Swat district surrendered to the security forces along with some arms and ammunition.

February 13

A roadside bomb blast hit an election campaign convoy in Swat, killing two people and injuring three others. Mufti Hussain Ahmed, an independent candidate contesting for the NA-30 and PF-86 seats, was among the wounded. "Ahmed was travelling in a convoy of 8-10 vehicles on a campaign when the blast occurred, killing two people," said senior police official Waqif Khan. The government has reportedly blamed several recent blasts on Baitullah Mehsud, but Mehsud’s spokesman Maulana Omar said that the local Taliban would not interfere in the elections and would not be involved in any attack before or on election-day.

February 14

SFs moved tanks and launched a massive search operation in Darra Adam Khel after rockets were fired on telecommunication installations. Subsequent to the militants’ attack on the main telecommunication centre installed on a hill near the Friendship Tunnel, the SFs backed by five tanks entered the Darra Adam Khel town and started looking for assailants in Shini Kali and Zarghun Khel areas, considered to be a militant stronghold. An unnamed official said that a vehicle used in the attack had been seized and its driver detained. He said that missiles and rockets were also found in the vehicle.

The SFs arrested seven suspected militants, including four foreigners, from Darra Adam Khel and seized a heavy cache of weapons from them. Troops raided the Toor Chappar area and arrested the militants. They also seized a missile barrel launcher gun, an anti-aircraft gun and dozens of shells, pistols and bullets.

At least 20 militants, including four commanders, surrendered to the SFs in the Kabal sub-division of Swat valley. The SFs released the militants after they offered sureties.

February 15

A junior commissioned officer of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) was killed and a soldier sustained injuries when suspected militants attacked a security post close to Matani, southwest of Peshawar, with mortar shells. "Over 30 armed men first attacked the FC fort on the Kishan Garh Road with mortar shells and then opened fire on the post, killing Subedar Abdul Samad of Bara, Khyber Agency, on the spot," said a police official.

February 16

At least three people were killed and 18 others injured when a powerful bomb blast rocked the Media Centre in the Mingora area of Swat district.

February 17

A militant was killed when security forces engaged some militants who were planting explosives at a polling station set up in a primary school in the vicinity of the Kanju police station in the Swat district.

In the Matta area of Swat, Deputy Superintendent of Police Haroon Babar escaped unhurt when his car was attacked with a series of remote controlled devices near Bara Bandai in the Kabal sub-division where he had gone to inspect polling stations. No casualty was reported.

SFs arrested seven hardcore militants, including two commanders, during a search operation in the Kabal area of Swat district. The militants were reportedly hiding in a house when the security forces launched the operation in the Kabal sub-division and arrested them after a brief exchange of fire. The two commanders were identified as Fazle Rehman and Akbar Hussain. Residents said that the SFs also dynamited the house of Fazle Rehman and the shops and a clinical laboratory of Akbar Hussain in the area.

February 18

Elections remained peaceful throughout the NWFP amid fears of suicide attacks, bomb blasts and violence from militants. NWFP Special Home Secretary Khalid Khan Umarzai said that the elections all over the province were held with a peaceful atmosphere, except for an incident in Karak district in which one person was killed and another wounded when supporters of the Awami National Party and an independent candidate clashed in the PF-40 constituency’s Ghara Khel polling station. Minor violent incidents were reported from the province. Militants blew up Middle School Shakardara polling station in the Matta area of Swat district and set ablaze the election material. Gunship helicopters later shelled the Shakardara area but no casualties were reported. Militants also targeted a security forces convoy with remote-controlled bombs in the Shakar Dehri and Charbagh areas, while a bomb exploded in the Dheri area of PF-83 constituency. No casualty was reported in these incidents.

February 19

A suspected militant was killed and two others were arrested when the SFs opened fire at alleged hideouts of militants after an IED explosion near an army convoy in the Darra Adam Khel town. Sources said that a SF convoy was passing through Gidaro area when an IED planted on the road exploded, leading to injuries to one soldier. After the explosion, the SF personnel opened indiscriminate fire, which resulted in the killing of one suspected militant.

SF personnel arrested 20 militants from Bannu district and recovered a huge quantity of rocket launchers and sub-machine guns from their possession. The militants revealed during investigation that they were affiliated to the local Taliban leader Hamid Shah of Bannu, who is reported to have lost the February 18 elections from a constituency in NWFP. The arrested militants confessed that they were tasked to target Adnan Khan Wazir who won the polls against Hamid Shah.

Police in the provincial capital Peshawar arrested an Afghan national, identified as Abdur Rahim, and also recovered four kilograms of explosives from his possession.

In the NWFP, the ANP won 31 seats out of 85, while the PML-Q and the PML-N have won six and five seats, respectively. The PPP won 17 seats in the NWFP.

February 20

Three SF personnel were injured in a hand grenade attack at a military check-post in the Kohat cantonment.

Two people were wounded when SFs opened fire at them in the Mingora city. The victims were identified as Akhtar Ali, resident of Dakorak and Khalid of Buner district. The duo was wounded when soldiers in a convoy allegedly opened fire on pedestrians near Makanbagh in Mingora city.

The SFs arrested 75 suspected militants in the Charbagh sub-division of Swat district during house-to-house searches.

February 22

A remote-controlled bomb exploded at a wedding party procession, killing 14 people and wounding 13 others, mostly children, in the Matta administrative division of Swat district. The bomb, which was detonated in the Ronial Takh Maira area of the region, exploded around 4pm (PST) when the wedding party was travelling from Kandogai village to Pir Dar Baba village. The bride, four children aged between five and 12 years, and four bystanders died instantly. Following the blast, the security forces restarted the military operation in Matta and shelled suspected positions of militants from Kanju.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Malakand Region), Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, said that all police stations and check posts in the militancy-hit Swat district had been restored.

February 23

Three SF personnel were killed and six others sustained injuries when armed militants men attacked a check-post on the outskirts of Peshawar. A police official claimed that a militant was also killed and several others were injured in an exchange of fire. The assailants reportedly took away the body and their injured colleagues to the tribal area.

One trooper and a suspected militant were killed in a shootout in the Kabal area of Swat district. The shoot out occurred when the SFs raided a house. The owner of the house, Javed, was also killed when the SF personnel returned fire, officials said. Two people were arrested from the house.

Police on a tip off raided a workshop and recovered an explosive-laden vehicle and three bombs, to be used in suicide bombings, from the Mingora area and arrested five people. The police said the five were ‘involved’ in planting explosives in vehicles which would have later been used in suicide attacks on the SFs.

February 25

Five workers of a NGO were killed while ten others sustained injuries in an attack by a group of ten militants in Mansehra. The dead included two women workers of the British non-government organisation, Plan International. The British-run NGO was actively distributing relief goods, including food items, blankets and utensils, among the earthquake victims.

Three missiles landed in Peshawar, including one in the cantonment area which struck the wall of a motor workshop opposite a hotel and destroyed at least three cars. One of the missiles landed near a farm near Supaid Dheri in the Pishtakhara area but failed to detonate. A police official said another missile, found near the Ring Road, was defused. He said the location of the third missile could not be immediately ascertained.

February 26

Two suspected militants were killed in an encounter with the police at Dildar Ghari check-post in the Charsadda district. The encounter ensued in the jurisdiction of Batgram police station when a group of militants started indiscriminate firing at the police party after the latter asked them to lay down arms and surrender.

In a suspected sectarian incident, a Shia leader was shot dead in Peshawar. Police officials said that Haji Ghulab Hussain was going to his shop at around 9:15am (PST) when unidentified assailants opened fire and injured him seriously in the jurisdiction of Khan Raziq Shaheed police station. He later succumbed to injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital. He was a resident of Parachinar in the FATA and was dwelling in Mohallah Marviha in the old city area of Peshawar.

Three close associates of TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah were arrested from Mingora in the Swat district. Police said that one of the suspects, Sayed Rehman, was arrested from Koza Banda and two others, Mohammad Ishaque and Zahid Khan, from the Kadyser Manglawar area. A motorcycle, a Kalashnikov and a repeater were seized from their possession.

Several national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have suspended their work in earthquake-hit areas following a terrorist attack on the office of an international NGO in the Mansehra district on February 25. The offices of most NGOs remained closed and their field activities were stopped on February 26.

Over 100 suspected militants attacked a police post in Badhaber area on the outskirts of Peshawar, set the two-room building on fire and forced the six police personnel there out of the post. However, Superintendent of Police for Peshawar’s rural area Nasirul Mulk Bangash told reporters that the attack had been carried out by criminals and not militants.

February 27

An improvised device exploded near an under-construction service station in Kohat. However, no casualties were reported.

In the provincial capital Peshawar, the police foiled an attempted act of terrorism and recovered a remote control bomb that was planted at the Ring Road in the limits of Peshtakhara police station.

At least five police personnel were injured when a bomb exploded on the Sawal Dher road in the Mardan district.

Security forces destroyed four houses of suspected militant commanders in the Mazeedkhel area of the Darra Adam Khel town. However, the commanders, Khalid, Adnan, Zareen and Wazir Gul, had already vacated the places.

Police arrested five suspected militants during a search operation in the Fizzagut area of Swat district. Police raided the hideouts of militants in Fizzagut and arrested Abdul Khaliq, Zafar Ali, Saifur Rehman and Anwar Ali while another was arrested from the Khwazakhela area.

Three suspected militants surrendered to the security forces in the Kabal sub-division of Swat district.

February 29

Forty people were killed and more than 75 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral prayers of the slain Deputy Superintendent of Police (Lakki Marwat), Javed Iqbal Khan, in the Mingora city of Swat district. District Police Officer Waqif Khan said the bomber was among the people taking part in the funeral. The blast occurred when the funeral concluded and the people had started to disperse. Deputy Superintendent of Police Javed Iqbal, who died in a bomb blast along with three other policemen in the troubled southern Lakki Marwat district on February 29-morning, belonged to Makan Bagh in Mingora city.

A military convoy escaped a bomb blast while two shops were destroyed in another attack in Peshawar. In the first incident, high powered explosives went off in the limits of Matni police station which blew up a general store and a computer shop. The second explosive went off near the Sepan police check post at PAF Road. According to an official, it was a remote controlled bomb that exploded after a military convoy passed through the area.

SFs arrested five more suspected militants from different localities of the Charsadda district while they also released 20 suspects due to lack of evidence. According to police sources, seven militants laid their arms and surrendered before the district authorities in the Kabal sub-division.

Police in the Charsadda district arrested an accused involved in several terrorist activities, including launching an attack on former minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao. District Police Officer Feroz Shah Khan said that the accused Dawood, hailing from Afghanistan, was arrested when he was found lying unconscious in some sugarcane field.

The district government of Bannu has dismissed 35 Frontier Constabulary personnel from service for laying down their weapons and refusing to fight the Taliban, The Post reported.

Unidentified persons fired rockets at the cantonment area of Bannu. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.

Three suspected militants were arrested in the Swat district. Two militants were arrested from the Fizagut area near Mingora and another from Wenayi Bridge during a search operation.

March 3

At least 10 people were killed and six others injured when dozens of armed men belonging to the Khyber Agency-based Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) attacked Shiekhan village on the outskirts of Peshawar with rocket launchers and other sophisticated weapons before bulldozing a shrine and four houses. "Dozens of armed men of Mangal Bagh-led militant organisation attacked Shiekhan village at around 11.30 am. The villagers, mostly unarmed and unprepared, resisted the assault that resulted into a fierce clash between the rival groups," said a police official.

SFs arrested a key militant, Mirajuddin, at the Fiza Ghat check-post outside Mingora city in the Swat district. They also arrested 10 suspected militants, including six key commanders of TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah, in the Bamakhela area of Matta sub-division. Mirajuddin was allegedly responsible for preparing both cars and suicide bombers for use in suicide attacks.

March 4

Four militants and a villager were killed in a gun-battle which erupted in the Khankhel area of Lakki Marwat district after the abduction of a union council official and his two associates. Two of the militants were Uzbek nationals while the rest were tribal Wazirs, District Police Officer Romail Akram said, adding that an Uzbek militant had been arrested.

March 5

Police in the Lakki Marwat district arrested four militants and recovered some arms and ammunition after an exchange of fire in the Baistkhel area. The militants had come to the area for sabotage as a day earlier four of their accomplices were killed in an encounter with the troops and villagers near Khankhel.

Police defused two bombs near a petrol pump in the Chiryal area of Matta sub-division in the Swat district.

Gunship helicopters bombed the hideouts of suspected militants in Ghut Piyochar. However, there were no reports of any casualties.

In the Namal area of Matta, an unspecified number of militants surrendered themselves to the security forces.

A peace jirga (council) held in Swat blamed the intelligence agencies for the prevailing terrorist threat in the region, alleging that TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah was a mere tool that must surrender to the authorities. "The government [should] hold talks with the intelligence agencies instead of the local Taliban, as the agencies and Maulana Fazlullah are one and the same in the Swat conflict, while the government is their opponent," the peace jirga alleged.

March 6

The security forces arrested six suspected militants in the Matta sub-division of Swat district and recovered mortars, rocket launchers and hand grenades. The security forces are also reported to have attacked hideouts of militants in the Peochar area on late March 5-night. However, no casualties were reported. Sources said the troops recovered a 15-kg bomb from Peochar after suspected militants escaped from the incident site following an exchange of fire for several hours.

March 7

Militants attacked a police van with a remote-controlled bomb in the Kabal sub-division of Swat district, injuring a policeman and damaging the van. Police retaliated and later also raided the Kabal area and arrested three suspected militants and seized rocket launchers and other weapons from their possession.

The police arrested two suspected militants, identified as Muhammad Humayun and Misbahuddin, during separate raids in the Matta sub-division of Swat district.

March 9

Militants blew up an oil tanker in Landi Kotal with dynamite, but the political administration said the tanker was safe. The tanker, which was to carry fuel to Afghanistan, was parked near the Michini check-post.

Caretaker Interior Minister Lt Gen (r) Hamid Nawaz Khan has claimed that around 200 militants have so far surrendered to the authorities in the Swat district. He told the PTV that 422 people had been arrested in Swat for their involvement in terrorist activities. "Six tonnes of explosive material has also been recovered from the area," he added. "Security agencies have averted 20 to 30 possible incidents of terrorism in the Punjab and Sindh during Muharram and the elections," the minister said.

March 10

Lal Din, alias Baray Mian, a senior militant commander escaped a helicopter gunship strike, while his daughter and another girl were injured in the attack on a house in Matta’s Piochar area. The strike was executed on intelligence reports suggesting the presence of Lal Din in the house.

The troops conducted a search operation in the Dherai area to arrest commander Idrees, one of the top 10 aides of militant leader Maulana Fazlullah. However, the operation ended without any arrest, officials said.

The Pakistan army said that it has arrested six suspected militants in Tank and Swat.

March 12

Policemen Mustafa and Suleman were killed and two others were wounded when the roadside bomb they were defusing exploded in the Charbagh area in the Swat district.

Two people, suspected to be Taliban facilitators, were killed when the bomb they were making exploded in the Kabal sub-division.

Security forces had arrested five suspected militants and seized a cache of weapons and ammunition in Swat.

March 13

SFs arrested seven militants during a search operation in the Char Bagh area of Swat district. SFs also reportedly launched a search operation in the Shakar Darra area of Matta sub-division in Swat. However, there were no reports of arrests made or weapons recovered.

Militants set ablaze three general stores in the Kuza Banda area of Kabal sub-division in Swat.

March 14

A 12-year-old boy, identified as Anees, was killed in a blast while retrieving a ball from a stream along a cricket ground in the Samay area of the Kabal sub-division in the Swat district.

A car was blown with a remote-controlled device planted at the roadside in the Teghak area of Matta sub-division, injuring a man and his son.

Abdullah Khan, while driving his car, was also targeted by a remote-controlled bomb, planted at the roadside near Rahat Kot. He, however, remained unhurt in the blast which completely destroyed his vehicle.

Six police personnel sustained injuries when unidentified people hurled a hand grenade at a police check-post on the Shakar Darra road in Kohat.

The SFs, backed by gunship helicopters, conducted search operations in the Salanda, Jehanabad, Syedabad, Ser, Telegram and Badar areas of the Charbagh sub-division and arrested 42 militant suspects, including three wanted militants, and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition. The SFs also arrested a suspect, identified as Fazl Said Siddiqi, at the Fiza Gat check-post during routine checking.

March 16

One policeman was killed and eight others sustained injuries after a police van hit an explosive device in the Dobai Ada area of Mardan district in the NWFP. The vehicle of the Choora police station was on routine patrol when it hit the bomb activated by a remote control.

In another incident, troops shot dead a woman after opening fire on a vehicle when it failed to stop at a check-post in a curfew-hit Matta sub-division of the Swat district. The army has reportedly expressed "deep regret" over the incident.

Unidentified militants targeted security posts and government infrastructure in Darra Adam Khel, Kohat and Khar but no causality was reported. In the first incident, militants blew up a security post along the Indus Highway in Darra Adam Khel. Militants also blew up unmanned sales meter station of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Dhodha road. Separately, a remote control bomb, planted by unidentified militants on a road near Sadiqabad in Khar, exploded but no casualty was reported.

Militants blew up the building of a girls’ high school in the Akhurwal area of Darra Adam Khel. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported. Local people said the school administration had earlier received letters warning them to close the institution. Handbills purportedly distributed by local militants two days ago again warned women to stop going to schools and join seminaries.

Security forces arrested approximately 73 suspected militants during a search operation in different areas of Swat, including Namal, Matta, Balasur, Ser and Teligram.

March 17

Two policemen, Toor Gul and Aanayatur Rehman, were killed and five others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself in the police barracks in Mingora in the Swat district. District Police Officer Waqif Khan said that a young man posing as a recruit and holding a police uniform entered the barracks at Mingora Police Line and subsequently approached the wireless room and blew himself up.

March 20

The security forces arrested five suspected militants in the Swat district. The three suspects arrested at the Fiza Ghat checkpoint were identified as Sharif Khan, Bawar Khan, residents of Tuha Charbagh, and Akbar Ali, a resident of Khwazakhela.

The illegal radio station of militant commander Maulana Fazlullah has resumed broadcasts in the Swat district. BBC Urdu reported that official sources had confirmed that Fazlullah’s radio, after a closure of almost three months, was back on air with his fiery speeches. "The FM radio station has been broadcasting Fazlullah’s speeches for the last three days, but it has not yet been fully active," a government official told BBC.

March 21

A curfew was imposed in the Hangu district after clashes erupted between Shia and Sunni Muslims during a Nauroz (Persian New Year festival) procession, leaving four dead and 28 others injured. The violence erupted after members of the Shia community of the region came under fire as they hoisted a flag on a mosque to mark Nauroz. Locals said the Nauroz celebrations were going on peacefully at a madrassa (Seminary) when they were fired upon with rockets and mortar shells.

March 22

Militants blew up two government girls’ schools and the main transmission line in Darra Adam Khel. Local people said that the buildings of two middle schools for girls in Ferozkhel and Bazikhel localities were damaged by the blasts. A high transmission line damaged in the said area, plunged the Darra town and parts of Kohat district into darkness.

March 23

Militants blew up a post of Khasaddar Force in the Sheraki area.

Nine teenagers in the Swat district are feared to have been kidnapped by suspected militants "to be trained as suicide bombers".

March 25

Unidentified gunmen killed three people, including a woman, in the Matta sub-division of Swat district. Police stated that locals had found two unidentified bodies on a road in Chauta Kalam. In another incident, unidentified assailants killed Habibullah and his wife and injured his second wife when they were standing outside their house.

Security forces in Swat arrested four suspected militants, including Muhammad Yusuf, a militant commander closely linked to the TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah.

March 26

Traffic between Matta and Khawaz Khela was disrupted after unidentified men blew up a bridge that linked the two towns of Swat district. The blast damaged a portion of Gaman Bridge, situated near a security check-post.

March 27

Security forces arrested two suspected militants in the Spina Thana area of Kohat district and also seized their vehicle. The suspects are said to be members of a gang supplying arms and ammunition to Taliban in Khyber Agency and the Kohat frontier region.

The Kohat Police claimed to have foiled an attempt to smuggle a huge quantity of arms to southern areas of the country and arrested two people on the Indus Highway. The Saddar police checked a van on the Kohat-Bannu road and seized five pistols, one 12-bore gun, one Kalashinkov and 820 cartridges of different bores. The arrested men were identified as Mohammad Sultan of Tank and Sher Mohammad of Lakki Marwat district.

At least 50 police personnel in the Swat district have been relieved of their duties for showing a "lack of courage" during the last year’s operation against pro-Taliban militants, District Police Officer (DPO) Waqif Khan said. "Prolonged absence from duty is another reason for their dismissal," the DPO said. Khan also said that around 200 policemen were on ‘French leave’ or unauthorised absence, 151 were absent from Sindh (River) Police Lines, Mingora, and 31 were absent from the Mingora Police Station. An official source said that policemen in Swat were taking leave to avoid any possible militant attack on them. "The relieved policemen were served several notices but they did not show up. Consequently, they were terminated," the source said.

March 28

The DPO in Buner, Abdul Ghafoor Khan Afridi, narrowly escaped while two boys sustained injuries in a roadside explosion. Police said that as soon as the DPO arrived to inspect the site of Abubakar Sadeeq Mosque in Pir Baba bazaar, a remote-controlled bomb exploded. The shrapnel of the bomb hit a nearby car, causing injuries to two youths, Said Nawab and his nephew Kamran.

March 29

SFs arrested a top militant, Mian Syed, during a raid at a house in Saidu Sharif in the Swat district

Police defused a bomb planted on a main road in the Gashkor area of Khawazakhela administrative division.

March 30

Suspected militants blew up two girl schools in Shiraki and Zargonkhel and one Khasadar check-post in Darra Adam Khel. However, no loss of life has been reported.

Militants detonated a remote-controlled bomb near the Saidu Sharif police post, damaging the building partially. However, no casualty was reported in the incidents.

Militants also blew up a mobile phone shop in Lakki Marwat with explosives. However, no casualty was reported in the incidents.

Police defused a bomb that was planted under a bridge at Pashore-Karachi highway.

The SFs pounded hideouts of militants in the Matta sub-division of Swat. Sources said that the SFs targeted the hideouts of militants in Peuchar area with artillery, although no casualty was reported. Peuchar is considered to be one of the biggest hideouts of militants in the Swat valley. However, no major operation had so far been launched in the area.

March 31

Three policemen and a civilian were injured in a roadside bomb blast in the Swat district. The policemen were returning to the Kanjoo police post after defusing a bomb in Ningolai when the van they were traveling in hit a roadside bomb in Dherai. Police said they had arrested a militant commander after the blast.

Security forces arrested a suspected suicide bomber, identified as Saqib of Baffa area, from a place near the Shawal Najif Army Camp in the Mansehra district. They also claimed to have seized explosives.

An official source said two would-be suicide bombers – Azeem Khan (31), and Akbar Ali, who is about 16-years-old – had entered Mingora.

April 1

At least two people were killed and 10 others sustained serious injuries in the Swat district. The Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Matta sub-division, Haroon Babar, said that militants ambushed a convoy of about 35 elders at the Malikabad area when they were on their way to the Venai checkpoint. The elders, following a peace deal between the elders and the forces on March 31, were supposed to hand over two official vehicles to the force at the checkpoint, which were earlier captured by the militants during fighting. Military spokesperson Major Shahid told reporters that two persons died on the spot.

A bridge on the Indus Highway in Darra Adam Khel was damaged by two explosions. The explosions also damaged some nearby houses and shops. Ten people sustained minor injuries in these blasts.

Authorities should only use force as a last resort against militants near the Afghan border, newly elected NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haid