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‘Most Wanted’ Taliban commander killed in US drone attack

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Peshawar, Sep.17 (ANI): The United States has confirmed the death of top Taliban commander Ilyas Kaashmiri in a drone attack conducted earlier this month.

According to US intelligence sources, Kaashmiri was killed in a missile attack carried out by unmanned aircrafts in South Waziristan on September 7.

Kaashmiri was the founder leader of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) based extremist group Harkatul Islam.

He was once arrested and sent to jail for plotting an attack on former President General Pervez Musharraf, but was subsequently released as the authorities failed to substantiate the case against him.

After the elimination of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, Kaashmiri became the top most wanted terrorist in the region followed by Hakeemullah Mehsud and Qari Hussain Mehsud, The News reports. (ANI)

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Fazlullah hurt, may surrender soon

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Sep.13 (ANI): The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat chapter chief Mullah Fazlullah has reportedly been seriously wounded and may surrender soon, a private television channel said.

Sources said security forces have received information that Fazlullah is hiding in a cave somewhere in the Swat and Malakand Division and is hurt.

Troops have cordoned off the place of his reported hiding, the channel said.

Meanwhile, police has released Fazlullah’s one son, Saidullah, and two daughters, Marsia and Maryam who were arrested last month.

Family members of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad have also been set free.

Muhammad’s wife Shahida, his daughter-in-law Tahira, his daughter Tayyeba and two of his sons, Rahmat and Barkatullah have been released, The Daily Times reported.

Muhammad’s other three sons, Fazlullah, Abdullah and Abdur Rehman, however, have been taken on remand and sent to Haripur Central Jail. (ANI)

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Three more sons of TNSM chief Sufi Mohammad arrested in Peshawar

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Sep.3 (ANI): Pakistan security agencies have arrested three more sons of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad.

According to The Daily Times, the three men were detained along with their families from Peshawar’s Pervaiz Colony.

Security forces nabbed Abdullah, Fazlullah and Abdul Rehman in a raid and took them to an unidentified location, sources said.

Sufi Mohammad has 11 sons, three of whom are already in prison.

The three men Ziaullah, Rizwanullah and Hayatullah were arrested along with their father, from their residence in Peshawar on July 22.

They were later sent to prison under the provision of the Maintenance of Public Order law, which allows people to be detained without charges being filed against them.

Sufi’s sons were released last month after they challenged their detention in the Peshawar High Court, but were arrested again later by security officials, saying they were wanted in various other cases also. (ANI)

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TNSM chief Sufi Mohammad’s detention extended till September

August 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Peshawar, Aug.30 (ANI): The Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad’s detention has been extended by a month by the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) government.

According to sources, the Peshawar district coordination officer has extended Mohammad’s detention till September 27 under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

Sufi was arrested along with his three sons Ziaullah, Rizwanullah and Hayatullah, from their residence in Peshawar on July 22.

They were later sent to prison under the provision of the Maintenance of Public Order law, which allows people to be detained without charges being filed against them, The Daily Times reports.

Sufi’s sons were released earlier this week after they challenged their detention in the Peshawar High Court, but were arrested again later by security officials, saying they were wanted in various other cases also. (ANI)

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Torkham attack our ‘first revenge’: TTP

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Peshawar, Aug.29 (ANI): The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s suicide attack in which 22 security personnel were killed and 20 others were injured in Torkham area of Khyber Agency, saying it was their ‘first revenge’ for the death of their leader Baitullah Mehsud.

“We claim responsibility for the blast. This is our first response since the death of our chief Baitullah Mehsud. We will continue similar attacks in the future also,” TTP spokesman Azam Tariq told a foreign news agency over phone from an undisclosed location.

Tariq said all those who were killed in the attack were supporters of US policies, The Dawn reports.

On Thursday, a group called ‘Dr Abdullah Azzam Brigade’ had claimed the responsibility for the strike.

Meanwhile, all 22 Khasadar Force personnel, who were killed in the attack, were cremated in Brag and Karamna villages of Bazaar-Zakakhel late on Friday. (ANI)

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Eight killed in US drone strike in South Waziristan

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.27 (ANI): At least eight people were killed and several others injured in a US drone strike South Waziristan’s Kani Goram area on Thursday.

According to sources, three missiles were fired from unmanned Predator aircrafts targeting a house in the region killing eight people on the spot besides injuring many others.

Kani Goram is considered to be a picnic spot and is situated near Ladha, where the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud is said to have been killed in a similar strike earlier this month.

More than 35 missile strikes have killed over 350 people since August 2008, fanning hostility against the United States and the government in Pakistan, where more than 1,700 people have died in extremist bombings in two years. (ANI)

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US training more drone operators than fighter, bomber pilots

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Aug 24 (ANI): The US Air Force has said it is now training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots as part of an expanding programme battlefield automation, and signalled that the end of the era of the fighter pilot is in sight.

In a controversial shift in military thinking – one encouraged by the now-confirmed death of Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in a drone-strike on August 5, the US air force is looking to hugely expand its fleet of unmanned aircraft by 2047, The Guardian reported.

Just three years ago, the service was able to fly just 12 drones at a time; now it can fly more than 50.

At a trade conference outside Washington last week, military contractors presented a future vision in which pilotless drones serve as fighters, bombers and transports, even automatic mini-drones programmed to attack in swarms.

Contractors also made presentations for “nano-size” drones the size of moths that can flit into buildings to gather intelligence; drone helicopters; large aircraft that could be used as strategic bombers and new mid-sized drones could act as jet fighters.

Some 5,000 robotic vehicles and drones are now deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. By 2015, the Pentagon’s 230 billion dollars arms procurement programme, Future Combat Systems, expects to robotise around 15 percent of US armed forces.

In a recently published study, the Unmanned Aircraft System Flight Plan 2020-2047, air force generals predicted a boom in drone funding to 55 billion dollars by 2020, the Daily Times quoted the Guardian report, as saying.

Last month, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates had underscored the change in strategic thinking when he capped the production of the F-22 Raptor, the US Air Force’s most advanced interceptor, at just 187 planes.

In June, Army General Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, said he couldn’t envision a day when he had enough surveillance assets.

“The capability provided by the unmanned aircraft is game-changing. We can have eyes 24/7 on our adversaries,” said General Norton Schwartz, the US Air Force Chief. (ANI)

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Taliban commander says Baitullah alive, wants new TTP chief

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Wana, Aug 24 (ANI): Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud wants the Taliban council to choose their new head within THE next five days, according to commander Waliur Rehman.

Talking to a foreign news agency, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) South Waziristan Amir Waliur Rehman said, “We have thousands of suicide attackers, who can destroy their targets anywhere.”

Waliur Rehman added that Baitullah Mehsud is alive; but is seriously ailing.

“Baitullah Mehsud had deputed the organization’s affairs to me two months back,” he said, adding US President Obama and his allies are Taliban’s foremost enemies.

The security forces’ operation in Swat had no effects on Taliban, as they are still present there who moved aside to save the people from any possible damage, The News quoted Waliur Rehman, as saying.

Ruling out any reports regarding the conflicts in Taliban movement, he said: “Our movement is active and effective with no rifts or difference within.”

Waliur Rehman said Taliban has mujahids on all the fronts in South Waziristan for any possible operation there. (ANI)

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US pushing Pak to continue operation against Taliban

August 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Aug.19 (ANI): The United States is pushing Pakistan to continue operation against Taliban in the wake of reported death of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud.

However, senior American administration officials believe that Islamabad is still caught between a ‘clear’ and ‘hold’ situation when it comes to Swat and Waziristan.

According to them the Pakistan Army sees the operation against the Taliban in Swat and Waziristan as a ‘surgical strike’ following which they can again shift focus towards its arch rival India.

“The perception in the Pakistani military is that this is a surgical strike. They go and clear out Swat and Waziristan and then they can go back to fighting the Indians,” officials said.

They said US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, during his meeting with the Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha on Tuesday, asked Islamabad to ‘push on’ against the extremists based inside the country.

“The purpose of my meeting today was to express our support and appreciation of Pakistan-U.S. military cooperation. Second, in particular I wanted to say how impressed we are with the speed with which refugees have been able to return to their homes in Swat. And third, I wanted to encourage greater cooperation going forward,” Holbrooke said on Tuesday.

According to the New York Times, the leader of American and NATO combat operations in Afghanistan, General Stanley A. McChrystal, who arrived in Pakistan on Monday also asked General Kayani to continue action against the Taliban and other extremist groups.

US officials said General David Petraeus, commander of American forces in the Middle East,is also expected to arrive in Islamabad on Wednesday (today) for a meeting with General Kayani.

It is believed that General Petraeus too will deliver the same message to Pakistan, officials said. (ANI)

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70 extremists killed in Taliban infighting in South Waziristan

August 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.13 (ANI): At least 70 extremists have reportedly been killed in violent clashes between supporters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud and his rival Turkistan Bhittani.

According to sources, Mehusud’s loyalists attacked Bhittanni’s men in the Soor Gher area of Jandola in South Waziristan and torched 33 houses and nabbed 15 militants, besides killing seven others.

Intelligence officials said extremists used sophisticated weapons like mortars and anti-aircraft guns to target each other.

However, the casualties could not be verified independently as the attack took place in remote hills of the region.

“The local administration has no writ in the area and we have no information about the number of casualties,” The Dawn quoted a senior official, as saying.

Bhittani, who enjoys government’s support, has emerged as one of the main rivals of Mehsud in the region. (ANI)

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Fazlullah injured, top Taliban commanders killed in Swat: Malik

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 14 (ANI): Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that several top commanders of the Taliban have been killed and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Fazlullah was among those injured during the military operation in Swat and Malakand Division.

“Our security forces have successfully contained the situation and targeted the extremist commanders. Most of the top commanders were killed and Fazalullah was injured,” he told reporters here.

Discussing the situation in Swat, he said the enemies of Pakistan have been evicted from the area. However, he added, there were still some pockets of dissidents in the NWFP.

“The cancer of terrorism has negatively affected both our economy and the law and order situation. Islamabad police have managed to arrest 31 people, including suicide bombers, handlers and planners, and averted six suicide attacks during the last six months. These bombers are in police custody,” Malik added.

Malik said the terrorists arrested by the police belonged to South Waziristan, adding some were from Buner and Rawalpindi.

Replying to questions, he said the Pakistan Army is working for Pakistan and there is strong coordination between the military establishment and the civilian government.

The Daily Times quoted him as saying that the government was maintaining a close watch over the remnants of the Taliban in Swat to ensure no untoward incident occurs in the country.

All four provincial governments are doing their best to foil terrorist activities, he said. Malik said conspiracies against Pakistan would not succeed due to the bravery and valour of the nation’s armed forces and law enforcement agencies. (ANI)

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Pak Army’s tactics of relying on airstrikes against Mehsud may be ineffective: Report

July 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, July 12 (ANI): The Pakistan Army might have been planning an all out offensive against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud in his stronghold, South Waziristan, but according to a report in an US daily, this planned operation won’t yield the desired results and is unlikely to be effective in eliminating the Taliban leadership.

Failure to gain substantial ground against the Taliban and nab the warlord would certainly disappoint the country’s western allies, a report in the US-based McClatchy newspaper said.

The report said the Pakistan military would rely largely on airstrikes in the operation against Mehsud than the on-ground combat, The Daily Times reports.

But this approach is likely to be ineffective, the report quoted some Pakistani officials and analysts, as saying.

“The nature of the operation is totally different from what we did in Swat,” a top Pakistan Army official said on conditions of anonymity.

“It is just blocking the entrance. Nothing goes in, nothing comes out. We’ll keep punishing the enemy with long arms, air power, Cobra helicopters. The tactics have been reversed. Initially they (the Taliban) used to wear us out, now the army is planning to wear them out,” he added.

The tactics of using air power would not quell militancy completely, and in that case it would certainly raise questions over Islamabad’s ability and commitment against the insurgents, the report said. (ANI)

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Pak Taliban eyes new allies in wake of renewed US offensive

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 10 (ANI): Increased pressure from the US and the Pakistani Army on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and al Qaeda may force them to join hands with the militant Sunni radical group Jundallah, a group that staged attacks on Iran and strained Iranian-Pakistani relations.

Ashraf Ali, a Peshawar-based military specialist on the Taliban, said that given Jundallah’s historical connections with al Qaeda and the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan might seek refuge in Balochistan or join the ranks of Jundallah.

“This would give a totally new dimension to the dynamics of Taliban/al Qaeda militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region and may shift some of the problem to the Pakistan-Iran border region,” The Washington Times quoted Ali, as saying.

“This is very much possible, as apparently there seems to be no Pakistani troops deployment on the south of the conflict zone towards Balochistan,” he added.

Last week, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a hotel in Balochistan’s Kalat district, killing four people and injuring 11. The attack appeared aimed at disrupting supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan, since drivers of NATO supply vehicles were eating at the hotel, the Daily Times reported.

Analysts say the incident was a sign of rising Taliban/al Qaeda activities in Balochistan, as well as a possible indication of growing contacts between Waziristan-based militant groups and Jundallah.

Malik Siraj Akbar, a journalist in Quetta, said that Jundullah leader Abdul Malik Rigi studied at madrassas in Karachi where Taliban leaders also got their schooling.

The possibility of a new alliance among the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Jundallah could provide common ground among the United States, Pakistan and Iran against the terror threat. (ANI)

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Don’t link terrorism with Islam: Imran Khan

July 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, July 5 (ANI): Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said that terrorism should not be linked with Islam.

Talking to media persons after visiting Jamia Naeemia to express grief over the assassination of country’s top religious scholar Sarfaraz Naeemi here, Khan termed the suicide bombings as a ‘political issue.’

“No religion can allow suicide bombing. There is no solution to this problem in Islam. The suicide bombing is an entirely political issue,” The Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying.

He criticized the PPP-led government for towing the lines of the United States, and said that the extremism in Pakistan could not be rooted out until the US continues its operation in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan is heading towards disaster as the ruling political leadership is in pursuit of dollars for their personal gains.The growing extremism in Pakistan cannot be curbed as long as US stays in Afghanistan,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief said.

Khan said he is sure that mid-term polls will be held in the country, but added that even the polls would not be able to pull Pakistan out from the current turbulent situation. (ANI)

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Taliban’s ‘disabled’ teenage suicide bombers may target Chinese nationals in Pak

July 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, July 4 (ANI): Pakistan intelligence agencies have warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud may target Chinese nationals in the country, as he has dispatched disabled teenage suicide bombers for the purpose.

The Interior Ministry has issued a circular warning to all the concerned authorities about the threat.

The circular said that disabled suicide bombers in the guise of beggars could target the Chinese.

The ministry has asked the security agencies to tighten security in and around all Chinese facilities in the country, and keep a tight vigil on the activities of beggars, The Daily Times reports.

It has also asked the agencies to ensure the safety and security of around 5000 Chinese working in Pakistan currently. (ANI)

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Pak “may be biting off too much” in launching Waziristan offensive without sealing Swat

July 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, July 3 (ANI): The Pakistan Army may have been planning an all out assault against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud in his stronghold of South Waziristan, but experts believe that the operation could result in further disappointment for the United States.

South Asia specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations, Daniel Markey, warned that Pakistan “may be biting off too much” by initiating an offensive against the Taliban chieftain in his stronghold without establishing total command in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

The Obama Administration wants to establish comprehensive control in Waziristan to counter Islamic extremis, but the objective is unlikely to be achieved.

“If Mehsud can be captured or killed, he would likely be replaced by Taliban leaders even more eager to fight US forces in Afghanistan,” said Markey.

The military offensive in the NWFP’s Swat Valley has forced the Taliban to retreat, but the government has not been able to establish its control in the region completely.

Moreover, questions are being raised over the chances of success of the military operation against Mehsud in Waziristan, as it had failed to suppress the Taliban on two earlier occasions.

The Army had initiated operations against the banned outfit in 2004 and again in 2007, but failed on both the occasions. (ANI)

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Pak Army faces massive militant force in Waziristan if Mehsud aligns with tribes: Report

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 1 (ANI): The Pakistan Army is planning an offensive against the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud in his stronghold South Waziristan, but it seems that it is unaware of the massive threat that the region has in store.

The military will have to face a formidable army of extremists if Mehsud join hands with the militant commanders of North Waziristan, The Christian Science Monitor reported an analysis in the Long War Journal, as saying.

The fears of the Taliban teaming up with the tribal leaders of North Waziristan has increased manifold, particularly after reports of the peace accord in the region being severed surfaced.

The Army must tackle these tribal commanders, the Bahadar, the Haqqanis, and Nazir, if it wants to succeed against Mehsud, as they have a combined force of 50,000 fighters, the analysis said.

These tribals leaders also run a number of terror training camps, and have been providing safe havens to Al-Qaeda and other extremist organizations.

So, the Pakistan Army must prepare itself to tackle an estimated force of 30,000 fighters under Mehsud’s command, backed by thousands of insurgents in the unfavorable rough terrains of Waziristan, the analysis concluded. (ANI)

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‘Karachi police killing religious activists in name of extremists to earn rewards, promotions’

July 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Karachi, July 1 (ANI): The Karachi police recently claimed that it had killed five close associates of the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) chief Baitullaah Mehsud in an encounter, but the incident is being seen part of a “fake encounter” trend by security officials to please their higher authorities in search of rewards.

Terming the encounter as ‘fake’, a report in The Nation claimed that security forces have been killing religious activists in the name of extremists.

It blamed police officials for killing innocent people for earning rewards and promotions.

While five extremists were killed in the encounter in Karachi, none of the security officials sustained even a minor injury during the operation, even though the ‘trained’ militants had many sophisticated and advanced weapons.

Moreover, the two-room small apartment where the shootout took place, and which was declared a militant’s hideout, is actually used by four watchmen.

It is believed that all the five alleged terrorists were brought to Sohrab Goth from somewhere else and then killed.

There were neither any empty bullet cartridges found on the spot nor any bullet marks on the walls of the apartment, which certainly puts a question mark over the Karachi police; claims, the paper caimed.

Muhammad Ali, an activist of an outlawed organization, also raised questions over the claims of the police.

“A militant means a trained fighter and how the police tackled them without receiving even a single injury,” said Ali. (ANI)

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Pak Army executing ‘campaign plan’ to beat Taliban with minimum losses : Kayani

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rawalpindi, June 26 (ANI): The Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani has said that the security forces would certainly be able to establish control over the region captured by the Taliban and other militants, as the army is “executing a campaign plan” to achieve its target without much collateral damage.

Addressing security personnel in South Waziristan where the army has launched an extensive operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, General Kayani stressed that the insurgents would be eliminated, and the government’s writ would be re-established in the region soon.

“The Pakistan Army is executing a deliberate campaign plan to achieve the desired end state of re-establishing the writ of the state while ensuring minimum loss of life and damage to property,” The Daily Times quoted General Kayani, as saying.

General Kayani was on a day long visit to South Waziristan to gain on-field information about the operation, and boost the morale of the troops deployed in the area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. (ANI)

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Pak Army readying fresh ‘operational plans’ against Mehsud following rival’s assassination

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, June 25 (ANI): The Pakistan military is preparing new ‘operational plans’ against the Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

Sources privy to the military said that the plan against the Taliban chief had to be ‘readjusted’ after the death of Mehsud’s rival commander Qari Zainuddin.

Military officials rejected the notion that Zainuddin’s death, just before an all out operation against the Taliban warlord, had given a ‘setback’ to the government’s aim, and said such actions are not planned ‘around single individuals’.

“The killing of the anti-Mehsud commander had ‘come at the wrong time’ but was not a major cause of concern,” The Daily Times quoted a military official, who refused to be identified, as saying.

However, experts believe that by failing to protect Zainuddin’s life, the state stood humiliated.

“The government delayed the investment in Zainuddin and the result is that today the state stands humiliated as it could not protect its man against likely threats from Mehsud,” they opined. (ANI)

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