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FATA Timeline - 2014
January 6
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At least nine persons, including
three suspected militants and three children, were killed and
several others were wounded in a bomb blast targeting the house
of tribal elder Hakeem Khan Akakhel in Tirah Valley of Khyber
Agency.
A passerby, identified as Hussain
Turi, was injured in roadside bomb explosion in Pewar area of
Kurram Agency in FATA. No group claimed responsibility for the
attack.
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January 7 |
At least seven people were injured
in an explosion in Sadda Bazaar of lower Kurram Agency.
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January 8 |
At least 10 militants and three
SFs were killed when militants attacked Green Ridge check post
in Ladha subdivision South Waziristan Agency. The military claimed
"inflicting heavy casualties to the militants."
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January 15 |
At least two volunteers of Amn
committee lost their lives in a bomb blast in Zakhakhel Bazaar
of Landi Kotal tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. Sources said the
volunteers, whose identity could not be ascertained, were killed
when a planted explosive device went off in the area. The explosion
also damaged nearby shops.
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January 16 |
A Khasadar Force personnel killed
while two others injured in a bomb blast near the vehicle of Khasadar
Force in Zakhakhel area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.
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January 18 |
A bomb planted by unidentified
militants at an unpaved road to target FC troopers supplying rations
at check posts went off in the Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency.
No loss of life was reported.
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January 19 |
Two FC officials were injured
when an IED went off at a roadside in the Ghari Gal area of Mamond
tehsil in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Political administration
official from Mamond, Abdul Haseeb Khan, said he was informed
by a tribesman around 12:30pm about a canister spotted on the
roadside in Ghari Gal area of Mamond. Consequently, FC officials
rushed to the site along with a BDS unit and defused the five-kilogramme
explosive device. The official added that while the bomb was being
defused, another IED planted nearby was detonated by militants
through a remote control, injuring two FC officials while destroying
their vehicle completely.
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January 20 |
Army helicopters pounded several
militant hideouts in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan Agency in
FATA killing at least 24 persons and injuring 15 others. Fear
and panic gripped the area after the overnight blitz after which
locals began to migrate out of the volatile area to safer places.
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January 21 |
At least 12 suspected militants
were killed when fighter jets bombed their hideouts in the Inzar
Kor area of Kukikhel in Khyber Agency of FATA. A security official
claimed that four militant hideouts were flattened in the blitz.
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January 22 |
SFs claimed to have killed about
32 militants in Tora Waila, Darota area of Kukikhel in Tirah Valley
of Khyber Agency in FATA. Unconfirmed reports said that the 'chief'
of the TTP Orakzai Chapter, Hafiz Saeed, was among those killed
in the strikes.
Security officials on January
22 confirmed that the leader of the TTP's Supreme Shura, Asmat
Shaheen Bittani, and 'master trainer' of suicide bombers, Wali
Mohammad, as well as dozens of foreign fighters were amongst those
killed in air strikes in NWA on the night of January 20, 2014.
A senior security official said that that most of those killed
in the offensive were foreign fighters, including 33 Uzbeks and
3 Germans.
Soon after the military operation
Maulana Sami-ul-Haq who has close ties to the Taliban said that
he would no longer act as a government-backed peace broker with
the militants after airstrikes killed 40 people in a tribal District.
"The Government does not seem serious and concerned. I had requested
them to avoid a military operation and use of force but yesterday
it started bombing in North Waziristan and tribal areas," Haq,
who is also chief of his own faction of the religious JUI-S party,
said in a statement. "Both sides (Taliban and government) are
in a state of war. Innocent citizens and soldiers are dying,"
he said in the statement.
A cleric, identified as Maulana
Qazi Azizullah Athar, was shot dead in front of Committee Bagh
near DHQ Hospital in FR Tank.
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January 26 |
Thousands of people have fled
their homes in North Waziristan Agency of FATA fearing a military
offensive against Taliban insurgents is imminent, residents and
officials said. Residents said some 1,500 families or about 13,000
people left their villages around the towns of Mir Ali and Miranshah,
to migrate to relatively safe areas outside the tribal areas in
Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar. The exodus began last week
when Pakistan Air Force fighter jets bombarded the area following
a series of militant attacks on Security Forces and civilians
which killed more than 100 people in a week. "Around 1,500 families
and up to 13,000 people have left several villages in North Waziristan,"
Rafiullah, 25, a resident of Mosaki village in Mir Ali told by
phone. "People are unable to find houses to go in Bannu, so many
women, children and old men are lying out in the open. Many others
have gone to Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan Districts to find some
shelter," he said.
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January 28 |
A woman was killed and her two
daughters were injured when two landmine explosions occurred in
the Sarsarang area of Upper Kurram Agency of FATA.
Thousands of villagers have fled
their homes in North Waziristan Agency, fearing a major military
operation by armed forces after they said dozens of people had
been killed in air strikes targeting Taliban militants on January
21, 2014. Fearing another offensive by armed forces, a wave of
refugees left the region to take shelter in schools, private homes
and veterinary clinics in areas FR Bannu and FR Dera Ismail Khan
on the edge of the tribal belt. A senior official in Bannu said
23,000 refugees had fled to the town.
PM Nawaz Sharif during a meeting
with COAS General Raheel Sharif said that no decision on launching
an offensive in NWA FATA would be taken without consensus of all
stakeholders and any such decision would be taken in the best
national interest. Sources said the Prime Minister exchanged views
with the COAS on matters of national security, future course of
action over dialogue with the Taliban, Karachi operation, missing
persons and other issues.
JUI-S chief Maulana Sami-ul-Haq
opposed a military operation against the Taliban and said the
government "does not seem serious for dialogue with the Taliban".
A military operation never resolves problems but it multiplies
them, he said. He said that dialogue with the Taliban was the
only way to restore peace in the country, adding that Nawaz Sharif
has apparently been stopped from holding talks with the TTP.
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January 30 |
Two children were killed when
a toy bomb they were playing with accidently exploded in the Zakhakhel
Bazaar area of Landikotal tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.
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January 31 |
Two children were killed when
a mortar shell went off in Tabay area of Zakhakhel Bazaar in Landikotal
tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA.
The political administration during
a search operation recovered four abducted persons, identified
as Haji Sabz Ali, Syed Zaman, Rogh Muhammad and Qari Shad and
arrested two alleged abductors in Prang Ghar area in Mohmand Agency.
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February 2 |
A soldier of the FC, identified
as Shana Gul, was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in Ghundi
area in the Jamrud tehsil of the Khyber Agency in FATA in the
night. The sources said that Shana Gul was going home after buying
grocery from a local shop when unidentified motorcyclists opened
fire on him, leaving him dead.
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February 3 |
Three soldiers were injured in
a roadside blast at Kharsar area in Ladha subdivision in South
Waziristan Agency. The sources said that a convoy of the SFs was
on its way to Asman Manza when an explosive device planted by
unidentified militants on the roadside at Kharsar went off and
caused injuries to three soldiers.
No loss of life was reported in
two roadside bomb attacks on the SFs' convoys in different parts
of North Waziristan Agency. The sources said that unidentified
miscreants had planted explosives along the roadside in Khar Qamar
area in Dattakhel tehsil and another on the Miranshah-Dattakhel
road. The explosives went off when the convoys of the SFs were
passing through these areas.
The SFs also defused a roadside
bomb in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency.
The political administration of
Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency placed a ban on display of weapons
in Jamrud Bazaar and directed tribesmen to form a committee to
curb law and order. Addressing Kokikhel, Mullagori and Jhandakhel
tribesmen at Jamrud Jirga Hall, Khyber Agency Political Agent
Shahab Ali Shah said the ban is unprecedented in the tribal areas,
but was a necessity as Government officials were relentlessly
being targeted in the sub-division despite tribes' assurances
of ensuring peace in their areas.
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February 4 |
Two persons, identified as Syed
Wajid Hussain and Syed Iftikhar Hussain, sustained injuries in
a bomb blast in Ali Shari area of Kurram Agency in FATA.
A 12-year-old boy, identified
as Syed Razi Shah, was injured in an explosion in Ali Shari area
of Kurram Agency.
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February 5 |
A local Taliban 'commander', Shafiq,
and three of his bodyguards were killed when unidentified assailants
opened fire on their vehicle on Miranshah-Mir Ali road in the
Pir Kallay area of NWA in FATA. Further details regarding the
incident were not available as the access of media in the region
is restricted due to security worries and Government restrictions.
Four tribesmen were killed by
unidentified militants in the Norak area of Mir Ali tehsil in
NWA. An official of the political administration said the incident
occurred around 6:30pm when four tribesmen, whose identity could
not be ascertained, were sitting at a roadside near their houses
in Norak.
A JeM militant, identified as
Mast Gul, who escaped after Charari Sharief gunfight near Srinagar
in Jammu and Kashmir in 1995, was seen with TTP militant at a
press conference in North Waziristan Agency of FATA. Not long
after JeM 'chief' Maulana Masood Azhar addressed a rally in Muzaffarabad
(Pakistan occupied Kashmir) by telephone, Mast Gul, surfaced at
the press conference.
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February 10 |
Six soldiers and one officer were
injured in two acts of terrorism in the Dattakhel area of NWA
in FATA. Sources said that an improvised explosive device exploded
near a military truck in Dattakhel near Afghan border, injuring
six soldiers. The truck, part of a convoy, was destroyed in the
blast.
Three personnel of Khasadar Force
escorting polio workers were injured when an improvised explosive
device planted by suspected militants along a road went off in
the Khugakhel area of Landi Kotal tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber
Agency. The Khasadar team later defused an explosive device in
the same area.
Militants opened fire at a security
picket in the Khar Kamar area of Dattakhel subdivision. One officer
was injured.
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February 15 |
Five persons were killed when
unidentified militants opened fire at a van near Dattakhel town
in North Waziristan Agency in the night. According to reports,
the five persons whose identity could not be ascertained were
going to Shawal from Dattakhel when gunmen opened fire on their
van near Dattakhel bazaar.
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February 16 |
The TTP claimed to have killed
23 FC personnel kidnapped in June 14, 2010 from Shoonkri Post
of Mohmand Agency in FATA. According to reports, the TTP Mohmand
Agency 'spokesman', Omar Khurasani said that the kidnapped FC
personnel were killed as revenge because the Government was continuously
killing their men in different parts of the country, including
Karachi, Peshawar and Swabi. He said if the Government does not
stop killing the TTP supporters, they would also continue to kill
Security Forces' personnel.
After the TTP claim, it was decided
that the Government committee and TTP negotiators will not be
meeting on February 17. Senior journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai,
who is one of the members of the Government committee, said it
was necessary to discuss the killings with the Government before
the state committee meets TTP negotiators. TTP also confirmed
that the meeting, which was scheduled to take place at 11am today,
will not be held.
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February 17 |
A soldier, Mehrab, was killed
in an attack by unidentified militants on a SFs checkpost in Ladha
area of South Waziristan Agency in the night around 11:00pm.
Six members of an anti-polio team
were abducted by unidentified militants in the Pang area of the
FR Tank in FATA. Assistant Political Agent, FR Tank, Khalid Mehmood
Marwat, said the team, including Dr Khandad, in-charge of the
Union Council Siddiqullah, driver Kalim, three Levies personnel,
Lance Naik Daulat Khan, Sepoy Amanullah and Sepoy Minhas. He said
the team members were kidnapped at 3 pm when they were on their
way back after finishing the task.
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February 18 |
An Army Major, Jahanzaib, and
three militants were killed in an exchange of fire in FR Peshawar
of FATA. "(The) exchange of fire continues," the ISPR said in
a statement.
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February 20 |
At least 35 militants were killed
as fighter jets targeted suspected insurgent hideouts in Dattakhel,
Shawal and Mir Ali tehsils (revenue unit) of the North Waziristan
Agency of FATA. The bombardment comes a day after TTP said a ceasefire
can be negotiated upon if the Army stopped targeting its members.
Other military sources said that the militants involved in the
Peshawar cinema blast (February 10) and killing of an Army officer
(February 18) in frontier region Peshawar two days ago were targeted
in their hideouts situated in Khyber Agency. In the second attack,
around seven militants were killed. IED making factories and prepared
explosives were also destroyed in the strikes.
After being convinced by the top
Army leadership, PM Nawaz Sharif gave a go ahead for the airstrikes.
High level civil military consultations continued for three days
which culminated on these strikes. Army Chief, General Raheel
Sharif and intelligence heads briefed the PM over rapid developments
in the tribal areas and also shared images of militant hideouts
procured through their own spy drones. Authorisation of the PM
was sought for more strikes at other locations, which according
to the sources has been granted.
Federal Minister for Information
and Broadcasting, Pervaiz Rasheed, on February 20 said the TTP
in unequivocal terms commented "If you talk with us, we will respond
with greater enthusiasm. But, if you would strike once, we would
strike twice". Pervaiz Rasheed said in a statement, soon after
the Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhary Nisar announced that
PM Nawaz Sharif in consultation with the military leadership has
linked the peace talks to a halt to the bloodshed.
Referring to the talks with the
TTP, Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhary Nisar said, "Dialogue
and violence cannot take place side by side. The military has
been asked to retaliate in self-defence, which is their right.
This [self-defence] is the right of the armed forces, which cannot
be taken away from them," he said. Members of the government's
peace committee were also consulted in this regard, the interior
minister added. "We have burnt the midnight oil," he said, explaining
how the Government had worked overtime on how to resolve the issue.
JeI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief and
member of the TTP talks committee Mohammad Ibrahim on February
20 condemned the shelling in North Waziristan Agency and Khyber
Agency and described it as an action against innocent citizens.
In a statement issued by the JeI, he said that the air strikes
would further complicate the situation, adding that the ultimate
sufferers would be the innocent people because random firing and
shelling could never prove useful for restoration of peace.
Earlier on February 19, TTP granted
the authority to JUI-S Chief Maulana Samiul Haq decide on ceasefire
between the Government and the TTP. Haq is heading the TTP intermediary
committee. The JUI-S central information secretary said that if
there was a consensus between the Government peace talks committee
and Haq, then a ceasefire can be announced between the two sides.
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February 23 |
At least 38 militants, including
key commanders, were killed in early morning air strikes the Ghaibi
Nika area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency of FATA. Six hideouts
were also destroyed. Security sources said that fighter jets bombed
the hideouts as well as landmine-making factories in the Ghaibi
Nika area where mostly militants from LI group are based. Factories
and several stockpiles of explosives were also destroyed in the
blitz.
A Government official, Sadif Hussain
Tori, a technician at a Government veterinary hospital, was abducted
by unidentified militants from Alizai tehsil of Kurram Agency.
Sadif Hussain Tori was on his way home when militants intercepted
his vehicle and abducted him.
The residents near the Pak-Afghan
border have started migrating to safer places in fear of a possible
military operation in NWA. People from Seegi, Ghulam Khan, Mandi
and Datta Khel tehsil are leaving their homes. People belonging
to Mir Ali are also shifting to Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak and
Peshawar of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to persisting fears of a widespread
bloodshed between militants and Pakistan Army.
Amidst growing chatter of a military
operation in NWA, security sources on February said the task of
purging the area of all violent groups could be over in a "matter
of weeks." "It would take the military four to six weeks to clear
the agency of fighters," security sources said, insisting that
it was not difficult for Pakistan Army to re-establish the writ
of the Government in NWA. The officials also quashed the impression
that the operation had only 40% chance of success, as claimed
by some politicians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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February 24 |
Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani, a
senior 'commander' of TTP and supporter of peace talks with the
Government, was killed along with his three colleagues in Darga
Mandi village near Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency. TTP sources
said Asmatullah Shaheen was coming to Miranshah in a car along
with three other militants when another vehicle coming from the
border area with Afghanistan overtook them and armed men sitting
in it opened fire from AK-47 (Kalashnikov) assault rifles at them.
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February 25 |
Pakistani fighter jets and gunship
helicopters bombarded hideouts of TTP militants in the North and
South Waziristan Agencies FATA killing at least 30 militants.
"The death toll from the air strikes has risen to 30," a security
official told, updating the earlier death toll of 27. "Fifteen
were killed in the South Waziristan side of the border, while
15 were killed in North Waziristan." The attacks were the fourth
in a series of air strikes by the PAF since February 20.
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February 26 |
The former administrator of Tehsil
Headquarters Hospital, Mir Ali was abducted from North Waziristan
Agency of FATA while he was heading home in Hisokhel from work
in the evening.
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February 27 |
At least three militants were
killed and three others were injured in an exchange of fire between
security officials and militants in Shalobar area of Khyber Agency
of FATA.
Several suspected militants were
feared dead on morning when helicopter gunships attacked their
hideouts in the mountainous area of Zarkani Luni and adjoining
areas in FR Dera Ismail Khan bordering South Waziristan Agency.
However, there was no formal confirmation of the shelling from
the administration.
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February 28 |
Promising minimum possible collateral
damage, the Government said that surgical airstrikes against hideouts
of militants will continue in FATA. No military operation was
going on in FATA and only targeted action was being carried out.
About 20,000 people, mostly women
and children, have been displaced during the Army operation against
the TTP in North Waziristan Agency of FATA and the United Nations
is ready to help them. UN Secretary General's Spokesman Martin
Nesriky told reporters at a briefing.
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March 1 |
12 Security Force personals (Khyber
Khasadar Force), who were providing security to a polio team,
were killed in two separate blasts in the Lashora area of Jamrud
tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. A child was also killed in the
firing by the militants after the blasts.
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March 2 |
In response to the militant attack
on a polio team in the Lashora area of Jamrud tehsil in FATA which
left at least 13 persons dead on March 1, Security Forces launched
an assault on March 2-morning on militant hideouts in Kalanga
and surrounding areas of Bara tehsil and killed five militants.
Security sources confirmed that gunship helicopters struck the
Ayubi Markaz of Mullah Tamanchey involved in the attack on polio
workers.
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March 3 |
Two SF personnel were killed and
seven others were injured when a remote-controlled IED targeted
a SFs' vehicle at Sadukhel area of Landi Kotal tehsil in Khyber
Agency of FATA. According to sources, a convoy of FC personnel
was travelling from Landi Kotal tehsil to Jamrud.
The members of eight tribes from
Orakzai Agency held a Grand Jirga to welcome the announcement
of a ceasefire from the TTP. They demanded the TTP should also
include tribal elders in its negotiation committee. The jirga
was led by tribal elder Malik Hafiz Habib Noor, Malik Jan and
Malik Muhammad Rahman.
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March 4 |
Two persons were killed when unidentified
gunmen attacked four vehicles carrying NATO supplies for Afghanistan
in the Jamrud area of Khyber Agency in FATA. "The four containers
were on their way to Afghanistan when four gunmen riding two motorbikes
opened fire at them in Jamrud, killing two helpers and wounding
one driver and one helper," a senior local administration official,
Jehangir Azam Wazir, said.
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March 5 |
Two bullet riddle dead bodies
in gunny sacks were recovered from the Shah Kas area in Jamrud
tehsil.
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March 6 |
Al Qaeda continues to operate
from FATA, Commander of the USCentral Command General Lloyd J.
Austin said on March 6 in his testimony before House Armed Services
Committee while adding that the long-lasting tensions between
India and Pakistan over Kashmir are a threat to regional stability.
"Long-standing tensions between Pakistan and India also threaten
regional stability as both states have substantial military forces
arrayed along their borders and the disputed Kashmir LoC," General
Austin said.
He said that the US faced a host
of challenges in Pakistan that have long hindered the efforts
of the Pakistan Government to fight terrorism and America's ability
to provide needed assistance. "Central to Pakistan's struggles
is its poor economy and burgeoning 'youth bulge'. Given these
conditions, radicalism is on the rise in settled areas and threatens
increased militant activity and insurgency in parts of Pakistan
where the sway of the state traditionally has been the strongest,"
he said, adding, "At the same time, terrorist attacks and ethno-sectarian
violence threaten the Government's tenuous control over some areas.
Further compounding these internal challenges are Pakistan's strained
relationships with its neighbours".
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March 10 |
A three-day anti-polio drive started
across the FATA except in North and South Waziristan Agencies
and parts of adjoining FR Bannu due to a TTP ban. The drive targets
about 713,051 children below five years of age. Meanwhile, in
Mohmand Agency, the campaign will begin on March 11, while it
was deferred till March 17 in Khyber Agency due to an ongoing
Army action against militants there. Secretary social sector FATA
Captain (retired) Sardar Mohammad Abbas inaugurated the campaign
by administering oral polio vaccine to children at the FATA Secretariat.
According to a press release,
the vaccinators will not visit the areas where militants had banned
drops due to threats. A total of 2,324 mobile, 245 fixed and 72
transit teams comprising volunteers and vaccinators would administer
drops to targeted children in the tribal areas under strict security
arrangements, said the press release. FATA recorded 24 polio cases
of the nationwide 27 cases in 2014. Of them, 21 are from North
Waziristan and one from South Waziristan while three children
are from whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2013, FATA accounted
for 67 polio cases of the total 93 recorded in Pakistan. North
Waziristan again recorded the highest number of 36 cases followed
by Khyber with 20 and South Waziristan one, as children couldn't
be vaccinated due to a ban slapped by TTP in June 2012.
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March 12 |
Unidentified assailants shot dead
four people, including three militants, in Miranshah Bazaar of
North Waziristan Agency in FATA. "Several gunmen opened fire on
a vehicle in Miranshah Bazaar, killing four people," a senior
security official said. He said the gunmen also fired rockets
at the vehicle, adding "those killed in the attack included three
militants and a passerby".
|
March 13 |
Five people, including four children
and a woman, were wounded in a bomb blast outside their house
at Ghandi village near Jamrud town in Khyber Agency of FATA.
|
March 18 |
Bajaur Levies Force defused an
IED planted along a road in Kharyan area of Nawagai tehsil in
Bajaur Agency. The officials said that the personnel of the BDS
rushed to the site after receiving information from the locals,
and the bomb was safely defused.
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March 19 |
At least six persons were killed
in the morning when a mortar shell exploded in a house in the
Shawal tehsil of the North Waziristan Agency in FATA. The dead
in the incident included four women, a man and a child.
A NATO container was destroyed
in rocket attack by unidentified militants in Shagai area of the
Khyber Agency in FATA. No casualties were reported in the incident.
|
March 24 |
At least three persons were injured
in a blast in the Landi Kotal Bazaar of the Khyber Agency in FATA.
According to Khasadar officials, the injured in the attack were
the members of a religious group named as Tawheed ul Islam.
|
March 26 |
Direct peace talks were held between
the Government and the TTP in Orakzai Agency of FATA. The talks
were mainly focused on an extension in the ceasefire and release
of non-combatant detainees. The face-to-face meeting lasting seven
hours was held in the Bilandkhel area in Spin Thall in the Orakzai
Agency near the boundary with North Waziristan and the Kurram
Agencies.
|
March 30 |
A convoy of SFs escaped two explosions
caused by remote-controlled devices on the Miranshah-Dattakhel
Road in NWA of FATA. However, the blasts caused no human or property
losses as the convoy of the SFs had passed the targeted area shortly
before the explosions.
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March 31 |
A driver, Syed Ajmal Hussain,
was critically injured in a roadside blast in Parachinar, headquarters
of Kurram Agency, in FATA. Sources said that Syed Ajmal Hussain
was going to his village in a vehicle when a roadside explosive
device planted by suspected militants near a checkpoint went off.
|
April 1 |
The Government has claimed a modest
increase in the boys' and girls' literacy rate in the FATA. "Literacy
rate for girls stands at a modest 10.5 per cent compared to 36.66
per cent for boys despite considerable expenditure incurred by
the FATA Secretariat to improve education statistics in the area,"
said a handout while quoting an official document. Earlier, the
girls' and boys' literacy rate was three per cent and 29.51 per
cent respectively.
According to the handout, Kurram
Agency tops other tribal agencies in the girls' enrolment as 21.3
per cent girls have been enrolled there followed by Khyber Agency
with 16.13 per cent such enrolment. Giving agency-wise breakup
of the girls' enrolment, the handout said the FATA Education Atlas
2011-12 reported that the proportion of girls enrolled in educational
institutions stood at 7.5 per cent in South Waziristan, 4.26 per
cent in North Waziristan Agency, 21.03 per cent in Kurram Agency,
4.7 per cent in Bajaur Agency, 5.72 per cent in Mohmand Agency,
5.15 per cent in Orakzai Agency and 16.13 per cent in Khyber Agency.
The proportion stands at 5.88
per cent in FR Dera Ismail Khan, 1.81 per cent in FR Lakki Marwat,
2.28 per cent in FR Tank, 1.07 per cent in FR Bannu, 24.09 per
cent in FR Kohat and 16.66 per cent in FR Peshawar. According
to the handout, around 124,424 girls are enrolled in 1,551 primary
schools, 19,614 girls in 158 middle schools, 13,837 girls in 42
high schools and 1,134 girls in five higher secondary schools
in FATA. It said the recent militant activities and poor law and
order situation in tribal areas had badly hampered the girls'
education in the region but the government was taking steps to
provide education across FATA.
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April 3 |
At least 23 mortar shells fired
from Afghanistan fell into North Waziristan Agency of FATA. The
mortar shells landed into Ghulam Khan and Bagi Dar areas of North
Waziristan. No casualties or loss of life was reported due to
the targeted areas being uninhabited.
Non-vaccination of children in
the FATA could spoil the anti-polio initiative in KP. The immunisation
of children through Sehat Ka Insaf programme can't protect children
against poliovirus for long as far as children in FATA would stay
without oral polio vaccine. Two new cases, one each from North
Waziristan Agency and Bannu, were recorded on April 2, bringing
the total number of nationwide cases to 41. This also worried
the authorities in KP, who are carrying out immunisation campaigns.
According to the National Institute
of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan had recorded only six polio cases
till this date in 2013 against 41 this year, which reflects an
increase of 900 per cent. Children in KP will remain at risk of
polio despite immunisation till the Government makes arrangements
to administer OPV to children in North Waziristan and Khyber Agency.
The rapid increase in polio cases in 2014 poses a serious challenge
to the health authorities and the UN agencies engaged in immunisation
campaigns. Of the country's total tally so far this year (2014),
FATA has 33 polio cases, KP six and Sindh one.
|
April 6 |
The authorities started repatriating
people of Ali Sherzai tribe to their native area in the Kurram
Agency of FATA. Kurram Agency political agent Riaz Mahsud said
that 55,000 tribal people had been displaced in June 2010 following
a military operation to cleanse the area of militants. He said,
"So far 7,500 people have been sent to their area and the rest
would be repatriated over the next couple of weeks...We intend
to complete the process by April 24". He added the returnees were
being provided free transportation and food for six months, although
the area had been cleared of militants. It was because of hectic
efforts made by the FATA administration that PKR five million
had been arranged for the purpose.
|
April 7 |
At least four TTP militants, including
a local 'commander' of the Hakimullah Mehsud group, identified
as Kashed Khan Mehsud were killed and another was injured in Shaktoi
area of South Waziristan Agency in FATA. According to local sources
the fatalities were a result of a clash occurred between Khan
Said alias Sajna and Wali-ur-Rehman groups of the TTP. However,
Taliban sources have yet not confirmed the deaths.
The official sources stated that
unidentified militants attacked a car in the Shaktoi area, killing
four people and injuring another.
|
April 8 |
At least 14 TTP militants were
killed in clashes between two factions of the militant outfit
in South Waziristan Agency of FATA. According to Police and militant
sources, a total of 34 people have been killed since fighting
broke out April 6, 2014 in South Waziristan Agency between supporters
of Khan Said Sajna and followers of the slain leader Hakimullah
Mehsud.
According to militant sources,
the differences emerged after Khan Said Sajna, a senior 'commander',
was rejected for leadership of the TTP umbrella group, after its
former leader Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike
on November 1, 2013.
"At least 12 people have been
killed in a firefight between militant groups in the Shaktai area
of South Waziristan. The fighting still goes on," added a security
official in Miranshah town of North Waziristan Agency. Sources
from both militant groups confirmed the clashes and death toll.
An unnamed senior TTP 'commander'
said that efforts were being made to resolve differences between
the Sajna and Hakimullah Mehsud groups but the former refused
to reach any agreement. "There are always differences among the
people. There are fights also, some people fight for money, some
for other interests", he added.
|
April 9 |
Nine more Persons were killed
in a fourth day of fighting between two feuding factions of the
TTP in South Waziristan Agency of FATA. A total of 43 people have
now died in clashes which erupted on April 6 between supporters
of Khan Said Sajna and followers of the late Hakimullah Mehsud
group. Both factions are part of the TTP umbrella group, which
has been waging a bloody seven-year insurgency against the State.
|
April 10 |
Unidentified militants killed
the driver of a NATO container near Jamrud Bypass in Jamrud town
of Khyber Agency in FATA while it was carrying supplies for NATO
troops stationed in Afghanistan. Ali Sher, a local administration
official, confirmed the incident. A convoy of seven oil tankers
was on its way to Afghanistan, according to security officials.
|
April 11 |
At least 10 militants were killed
in the ongoing infighting in the TTP in Shawal tehsil of Miranshah
in North Waziristan Agency of FATA. A local security official
said that fighting erupted in the night of April 11 when militants
belonging to Wali-ur-Rahman Group ambushed a vehicle carrying
members of the Hakimullah Group close to the border of North and
South Waziristan. All those inside were killed, while the attackers
fled the scene. The official confirmed that the dead militants
belonged to the Hakimullah Group, which is led by Shehryar Mehsud.
Several militants (unspecified
numbers) were killed in infighting between two factions of TTP
in South Waziristan Agency. The cause of clash is said to be over
interference in matters inside one another's domains. The fighters
from both sides have been launching attacks in the areas of Shawal,
Shaktoi, Makin and Tank with heavy ammunition and artillery in
an attempt to destroy one another's sanctuaries. Moreover, the
internal strife between the two groups is now spilling onto other
areas of the region. The clash has led to over 30 deaths since
its first day on April 6, 2014. The clashes erupted between supporters
of Khan Said Sajna and followers of the late Hakimullah Mehsud
group.
According to independent sources,
at least 43 militants from both factions have been killed in clashes
which erupted on April 6, 2014 in South Waziristan Agency and
later escalated to neighbouring North Waziristan Agency and Tank
District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Three Haqqani Network militants
were killed and two wounded when a vehicle hit a roadside bomb
in the Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency. A local security
official said that the dead belonged to the Haqqani Network and
were en route to Dattakhel in a four-wheeler when an IED exploded.
A source identified one of the dead victims as Sher Amanullah,
a 'commander' of the Haqqani Network based in North Waziristan
Agency.
|
April 13 |
Nearly 108 tribesmen from Khyber,
Kurram and Orakzai agencies, who were kidnapped on April 12 from
Haider Kandao Drugs Fair in Khyber Agency of FATA by unidentified
militants, were set free. 15 tribesmen belonging to the Qamber
Khel tribe from Tirah Valley, who have been associated with AI
in the past, have yet to be released.
|
April 14 |
At least two people were injured
when unidentified militants attacked a NATO supply convoy on the
Pakistan-Afghanistan Highway in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency
in FATA. According to official sources, militants fired two rockets
on the trucks and used heavy machine guns and rifles to target
the supply convoy. Security Forces and militants also exchanged
gunfire for half an hour following which the militants managed
to flee.
The split faction of TTP in Orakzai
Agency, known as TTI alias Orakzai Freedom Movement, and led by
Hafiz Saeed, on April 14 claimed to have abducted tribesmen from
Tirah Valley for their involvement in illegal and un-Islamic activities
on April 12, 2014. The outfit said that they have released all
the abductees from the Orakzai Khyber Agency border but ten of
them are still held captive by them.
A pamphlet attributed to the
Afghan Taliban and distributed in parts of North Waziristan Agency
on April 14 confirmed serious differences among the TTP factions
and the infighting which has left a number of militants killed
on both sides. The Pashto language Pamphlet, with letter head
of Afghan Taliban's 'chief' Mullah Umar, has not only mentioned
the conflict among the Mehsud Taliban groups which forms major
part of TTP but also appealed to the local tribesmen to pray and
resolve the conflict.
The pamphlet also appealed to
the Taliban groups to play their role in defusing the tension
and stopping the infighting between Hakimullah Mehsud group led
by Shehryar Mehsud and Khan Said Sajna group, affiliated earlier
to Wali-ur-Rehman Mehsud group. The authenticity of the letter,
however, could not be verified from the Afghan Taliban.
|
April 15 |
A SF official was injured when
an IED exploded on Ghulam Khan Road near Saidgee checkpost near
Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency of FATA.
Security personnel cordoned off the area and started looking for
the suspects. The search continued for about 30 minutes during
helicopter gunships attacked suspected militant hideouts.
No group claimed responsibility
for the blast which took place at a time when the Shura of the
TTP was meeting to decide the future of peace talks. A Taliban
leader said it appeared that some unscrupulous elements were trying
to create a misunderstanding between the SFs and the Taliban to
derail the peace process.
Gunship helicopters of the Pakistan
Army pounded the hideouts of militants in the mountain ranges
of Shankrabi in FR Peshawar. "These are highly wooded mountains
where there is no human habitation and militants have hideouts
in these ranges," said an official of the political administration.
"We can see them bombing their targets in these hills but can't
say anything about the militant casualties," said a local elder,
adding that in some areas large contingents of the Army had taken
positions on mountain tops but there was no attack by foot soldiers.
There is no official word from the ISPR about the operation.
A leader of the TTP Karachi Chapter,
Haji Dawood, said that a delegation of senior Taliban 'commanders'
would soon visit Afghanistan to meet TTP chief Maulana Fazlullah
to seek his directive about the infighting between the Mehsud
Taliban groups. He said the Shura took the decision after three
days of deliberations. He said the infighting between the groups
of Sheryar Mehsud and Khan Said alias Sajna was an urgent issue
for the Shura which decided to refer the matter to Maulana Fazlullah.
He said the delegation would put forward opinions of both groups
and the decision of the TTP 'chief' would be acceptable to them.
|
April 17 |
Unidentified militants opened
fire at a polio team in Ghareza area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber
Agency of FATA. However, no casualty was reported. Later, the
political administration imposed a ban on motorcycle riding across
the tehsil and residents were warned of strict action in case
of non-compliance.
Militants launched a major attack
on a SFs' fort in the Landikotal area of the Khyber Agency. The
attack came one day after TTP revoked its 40-day-long ceasefire.
Official sources said that the militants had fired bullet rounds
and mortars from the adjoining mountains at a weapons depot situated
inside the fort that is controlled by the SFs. The residents heard
several explosions caused by the exchange of fire between the
militants and the SFs. Some of the locals added that they had
seen flames rising high from the fort.
According to sources, some unspecified
numbers of suicide bombers were reported to be among the attackers.
The SFs also returned the fire and targeted the militants' positions
with mortars and artillery rounds. The extent of material damage
and the number of casualties could not be ascertained due to a
lack of access to the area. No official version of the incident
has been issued so far.
|
April 24 |
Thirty-seven militants
were killed and more than a dozen injured in air strikes by the
PAF fighter aircraft in Bara and Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency
of FATA. The sources said fighter aircraft bombarded the suspected
positions of TTP in Wache Wanay, Sra Vela, Dwatoi and Tordarra
in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. The jets also targeted some
hideouts of the TTP in Spera Dam area of Bara tehsil (revenue
unit). 10 hideouts of militants were destroyed in the bombardment.
The official sources said the dead militants belonged to Orakzai
Agency and Darra Adamkhel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
|
April 27 |
At least three soldiers
were killed and three others sustained injuries in an IED explosion
in the Bobar area of South Waziristan Agency in FATA. "At least
three security forces personnel, including an officer embraced
shahadat (martyrdom) and three others sustained critical injuries
after an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists along
the road went off," the military said in a statement.
One TuI peace committee
member was killed and three others were injured in a bomb blast
in Zakhakhel area of Landi Kotal tehsil in Khyber Agency. Official
sources say that the vehicle of TuI peace committee activists
was targeted in Zakhakhel area destroying the vehicle completely.
The peace committee holds LI militant group responsible for the
attack.
After threats from
the LI, scores of Afghan and Zakhakhel tribesmen from Bara area
of Khyber Agency started shifting to safer places. Tribal and
the official sources confirmed that the Mangal Bagh-led LI had
warned Afghan refugees and the Zakhakhel Shinwari tribes, a sub-tribe
of the Afridi's, living in the area to announce allegiance to
the Lashkar or leave Bara where the banned group is still known
to have stronghold. Most of these people were settled in Akakhel,
Sipah, Malikdinkhel and Shalobar areas in Khyber region who were
given the deadline of April 27, 4 pm to take either of the options
as their decision.
The Federal Government
directed the PTA to curtail the operations of Afghan cellular
phones in FATA and parts of KP because of security issues. Informed
sources said that more than 40,000 SIMs of Afghan mobile telephone
companies were operating inside Pakistani territory and using
international roaming services. Apart from this, the SIMs also
works on their local Afghan networks in certain regions of FATA
which are close to the Afghan border. It was revealed that the
Afghan SIMs have been used in many kidnapping-for-ransom cases
in Pakistan.
"PTA has been directed
to curtail these operations," said Federal Minister for Interior
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, adding, "During December 2013, around
17,000 Afghan SIMs were recovered by FIA after a raid on an illegal
VoIP set-up in Peshawar". He confirmed that Afghan cellular SIMs
were being used inside Pakistani territory and were suspected
of being used in serious crimes such as extortion threats, illegal
VoIP activity and by terrorist networks for communication.
|
April 28 |
Six persons were injured when
a NATO container was attacked by unidentified militants on the
Pak-Afghan Highway in the Khyber Agency. The two nearby vehicles
were also damaged as a result of the incident.
KP Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad
Khan during his first visit after assuming his office to Sadda
in Kurram Agency of FATA said that repatriation of all internally
displaced tribal families will be his top priority for normalisation
of the region. "Whether it is a single family or in hundreds,
it is a humanitarian problem and we are fully conscious of the
difficulties with which they are faced," he said.
The Governor said the day was
not far away when they all would be able to live normal life in
their homes. "It will also be my utmost effort to ensure equal
treatment to all the affected people of Kurram Agency as far as
provision of compensation is concerned," he said, adding, "It
is the earnest desire of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif too to witness
the people of FATA living normal life. I am here to evaluate the
situation on ground".
|
April 29 |
Three militants were killed and
two FC officials injured in an encounter in Khujal Khel area of
Landikotal tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. A SFs official said
that after receiving intelligence reports, an operation was carried
out around midnight in Khujal Khel when SFs came under fire. A
cache of explosives was also recovered from the militants' hideout.
According to the official, the slain militants were wanted for
the attack in April, 2014 on the Landikotal cantonment.
Army helicopters and artillery
attacked militants' hideouts in the Bobar area of South Waziristan
Agency. According to sources, three helicopters carried out the
attack on the hideouts from 3 pm to 4 pm. However, SFs did not
confirm the attack till late April 28-midnight. Sources said SFs
also used artillery to shell the area from Mir Ali and Sara Rogha
camps at 6 pm. No casualty was reported from the remote area where
the media has no access. Tribal people said several hideouts had
been destroyed by the shelling.
|
April 30 |
Six persons abducted during a
vaccination drive on February 17, 2014, from Peeng area of FR
Tank in FATA were set free. An official of FR Tank's political
administration said that Khan Dad Dawar, a polio circle officer,
and his colleague Sadiq Khan were kidnapped during a vaccination
drive along with their driver and three levies personnel providing
security. The official said their release materialised after a
jirga comprising local tribal elders succeeded in negotiations
with the captors. Queries as to whether a ransom was paid for
their release were not answered by the official.
TTP claims that SFs have launched
an operation in South Waziristan Agency and fighting has been
ongoing for the last two days. "The security forces are using
helicopter gunships and heavy artillery to target TTP positions
in the Bobar area," TTP Political Shura member Azam Tariq Mehsud
told journalists by the phone from an undisclosed location. He
claimed that the SFs have suffered heavy casualties in the fighting.
The claim, however, could not be verified independently because
the area is inaccessible to journalists.
|
May 1 |
An influential pro-Government
tribal elder, Malik Qader Khan, and his two guards were killed
in an attack near Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency of FATA.
Officials said one of the attackers was also killed in retaliatory
fire by Qader Khan's gunmen. Officials said Qader Khan was travelling
from Miranshah to Bannu when assailants in a non-customs paid
car opened fire on his vehicle at the Chashma Bridge on the main
Miranshah-Bannu road. Qader Khan was going to his village when
he came under attack. Malik Qader Khan was known as chief of Waziristan
and he had served as a peace committee's member. He was one of
the signatories to a peace agreement between the Government and
local TTP in 2007.
Two schools, one girls primary
school while the other one was for boys, were blown up in the
Drwazgai area of Mohmand Agency. However, no loss of life was
reported in the assault. The school building was damaged as a
result of the blast.
|
May 3 |
A local TTP 'commander', Irfan
Mehsud, and six other militants were killed in a fighting with
SFs in the Babor Mountains of Ladha sub-division in South Waziristan
Agency of FATA. Irfan Mehsud is said to be the son of Azam Tariq
Mehsud, a key member of the Political Shura of the TTP. He is
also said to be the 'spokesperson' of TTP's South Waziristan chapter.
Two tribesmen were injured when
an IED was blown up using a remote control in Sadda area of Kurram
Agency. An official of the political administration said the IED,
planted on a roadside, exploded near Sadda Bazaar, injuring two
tribesmen who were on their way to the market.
|
May 4 |
Firing from Afghanistan side of
border killed one Pakistani security person at the Pak-Afghan
border area near Bajaur Agency, statement issued by the ISPR said.
It was not clear whether the cross-border firing was conducted
by Afghan security personnel or militants. "We don't have more
information yet. We can only confirm that a security official
was killed because of firing across the border in Bajaur region,"
said a senior military official when contacted for details.
Firing from Afghanistan side of
border killed one Pakistani security person at the Pak-Afghan
border area near Bajaur Agency, statement issued by the ISPR said.
It was not clear whether the cross-border firing was conducted
by Afghan security personnel or militants. "We don't have more
information yet. We can only confirm that a security official
was killed because of firing across the border in Bajaur region,"
said a senior military official when contacted for details.
SFs recovered 40 suicide vests
at the Torkham border which were being smuggled into Pakistan
from Afghanistan. Official sources said the suicide jackets did
not contain any explosives, but were being transported to Pakistan
with the intention of being used for suicide missions. The sources
said that this was going to be done with the aid of local operators
who were to fill the jackets with explosives.
|
May 5 |
Two people, including the driver,
identified as Tariq, and the cleaner Rehman Ali, of a NATO truck
carrying goods for the NATO forces in Afghanistan were killed
and two others were injured when unidentified armed assailants
opened fire on the vehicles near Wazir Dhand area in Jamrud tehsil
of Khyber Agency in FATA. There were reports that two truckers
were also missing after the attack and were feared to have been
kidnapped by the militants.
FDMA Director General Arshad Khan
said that they would start rehabilitation process of 7,706 IDPs
of Bagh Maidan area of Tirah valley from May 7, 2014. He said
that some 3, 42,000 people belonging to the Khyber Agency were
displaced and of them 1, 65, 000 IDPs were rehabilitated and the
remaining would also return home gradually.
He said the people would be provided
ration for six months and on their return they would get non-food
items and shelter kits. The IDPs, he said, were supposed to return
earlier but rains and dilapidated roads were main hurdle in their
return. The government would also pay PKR 25,000 to each family
in addition to house subsidy after disaster assessment, he said.
He added the remaining IDPs would also return homes till July
2014 as the situation improved.
|
May 6 |
At least 13 militants were killed
as infighting between rival TTP groups restarted in Shawal tehsil
of North Waziristan Agency of FATA. Official and tribal sources
confirmed that clashes started between Shehryar Mehsud and Khan
Said alias Sajna. According to official sources, the infighting
between the two groups has claimed more than 50 lives during the
last few weeks. Sources said that the death toll is likely to
rise.
According to details, the rival
factions have accused each other of grabbing power in order to
control South Waziristan's Mehsud tribal area. Sajna had been
considered the right hand man of Waliur Rehman, whereas Shehryar
was a confidant of Hakimullah Mehsud. Their slain leaders were
reportedly at loggerheads after the death of TTP founder Baitullah
Mehsud.
Two people belonging to TI group
were killed, while three others sustained injuries when a remote
controlled device exploded in the Zakhakhel Bazaar of Landikotal
in Khyber Agency.
Two militants belonging to TTP
Punjab chapter were killed and one person was injured when a bomb
exploded in Miranshah bazaar of North Waziristan Agency. Intelligence
sources confirmed the identity of the victims.
|
May 7 |
Five militants were killed and
three injured as clashes between two factions of TTP continued
in Shawal area of NWA in FATA. As reported earlier, 13 militants
were killed in the fighting that erupted between the groups led
by Shehryar Khan and Khan Said alias Sajna in Shawal, a mountainous
area near Afghan border on May 6. The militants killed on May
6 were from the Shehryar group. Rockets and mortars were used
in the fighting.
A militant was killed when a bomb
he was attempting to plant at Shalobar peace committee's compound
in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency exploded prematurely.
A FC official was shot dead and
another injured when unidentified motorcycle borne assailants
opened fire on then at Ashna Market in Ghundai area of Jamrud
tehsil in Khyber Agency.
The main gate of the residence
of Saeed Torkhel was destroyed in an explosion around 3am in Ghreza
area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency. The explosion also damaged
the boundary wall.
|
May 12 |
One soldier was killed when a
water fetching party of the SFs reached near Whol Top area along
the Pak-Afghan border in Mohmand Agency of FATA where it struck
a landmine.
An Afghan National Army official
was arrested near the Pak-Afghan Torkham border in Khyber Agency
after he crossed into Pakistan without any valid documentation.
SFs shifted him to jail for further investigation.
In a bid to reconcile the two
warring factions of TTP, the group's central leadership appointed
Khalid Sheikh Haqqani as the new 'interim chief' of the SWA. A
source within TTP said the move aims at ending the ongoing conflict
between TTP Hakimullah group led by Shehryar Mehsud and Waliur
Rahman group led by Khan Syed alias Sajna. According to the source,
the TTP 'central chief' Fazlullah has send Khalid Sheikh Haqqani
as the new interim chief and directed both Sajna and Shehryar
to come to the negotiating table to resolve the issue. The source
further said Haqqani had taken over and the main shura of the
TTP would now decide about the new chief for South Waziristan.
He said a new chief, to be appointed within two months, will be
accepted by both the groups. "Fazlullah has warned members of
both the groups that if any member acted against the other group,
he would have to face severe consequences," he added. However,
Sajna's spokesperson Azam Tariq refuted the report and said no
one was appointed as chief of SWA.
|
May 13 |
At least five militants were killed
and three others were injured as rival TTP militants, belonging
to Shehryar Mehsud and Khan "Sajna" Said factions, clashed in
Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA.
A senior leader of the group revealed
that Khan Said alias Sajna refused to accept his dismissal as
head of the militant group's South Waziristan Chapter. "Sajna
was removed last week through a special order by the respected
Ameer," a Taliban leader said on the condition of anonymity, adding,
"The Taliban leadership council had also endorsed the decision,"
he added.
Safi peace committee leader Subidar
Safi's nephew Jahangir Khan was killed and his driver was injured
in an IED blast in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency. TTP Mohmand
Agency Chapter spokesperson Omar Khurasani claimed responsibility
for the attack. Later, a search operation was launched and 20
suspects were arrested.
|
May 18 |
One Khasadar Force personnel was
killed and five others were injured in two landmine blasts at
Safi Tehsil of Mohmand Agency in FATA.
Seven persons were injured in
a roadside explosion in Rashakai area of Khar Tehsil of Bajaur
Agency.
|
May 20 |
The KP Governor Sardar Mehtab
Ahmad Khan set up another FATA FRC to frame strategic objectives
for the volatile tribal areas for the next 25 years. The five-member
commission comprising retired civil and military officers, a former
provincial minister and a serving civil officer has been asked
to produce a comprehensive report within 10 months. The successive
Governors had formed several commissions and task forces for the
purpose but administrative and legal reforms are missing in FATA.
Former Chief Secretary Ejaz Qureshi has been appointed Chairman
of the FRC, whose other members are Lieutenant-General (retired)
Syed Sabahat Hussain, former bureaucrat Mir Laiq Shah, former
Provincial Minister Mossarat Qadeem, who runs an NGO, and Additional
Secretary to the Governor Muddassir Riaz Malik.
The commission may corporate another
member with the approval of the Governor, said a notification.
The body will submit short and long term reforms initiatives to
the governor for his approval. Mandate of the FRC is to formulate
and propose strategic objectives, strategic policies and action
plans which will be submitted to the Governor for approval. The
FRC will overview the implementation of the reform initiatives
and propose "mid-course corrections" as and when required. The
commission has been given 18 Terms of Reference (ToRs) and will
develop strategic and detailed action plans for realizing strategic
objectives of reforms agenda in different sectors including economic
in FATA.
|
May 21 |
At least 60 militants including
foreign fighters were killed when Air Force warplanes bombarded
militant hideouts in Mir Ali and other areas of North Waziristan
Agency in FATA in the early hours.
At least 15 persons including,
11 militants and SF personnel were killed during a clash in Mir
Ali area.
Following massive airstrikes,
TTP militants met at an undisclosed location to reconsider a non-aggression
treaty with the Government. Ahmadullah Ahmadi , a 'spokesman'
of Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of TTP condemned the airstrikes and
said the group "cannot remain silent over bombardment on people,"
calling it a clear atrocity on the civilians. He said that the
Shura has convened this important meeting to assess the situation
and hinted that the peace accord with the Government might get
revoked. The spokesman warned that the Government would be responsible
for any destruction in case it did not stop the military offensive.
|
May 22 |
Several hideouts of militants
in Machis Camp, Kharwani and Mir Ali areas of NWA in FATA were neutralized
as troops, backed by artillery and helicopter gunships, resumed
their retaliatory action against TTP militants for the second consecutive
day. The latest action came a day after air strikes and ground fighting
killed at least 71 suspected militants and four security officials
in the same area. Thousands of people have started fleeing towards
Bannu in the wake of the attack, local residents and officials said.
However, it was not clear how many people were killed in May 22's
assaults. |
May 23 |
Four suspected militants were
killed and several others were injured when SFs intensified military
action in the Machis Camp area of North Waziristan Agency. The
SFs neutralized militant bases in the area while artillery and
jet fighters struck another insurgent base in Sokhel Wazir. Later,
the SFs arrested five militants from the Machis Camp area. The
death toll rose to 79 since the operation began on May 21, 2014.
At least 75 militants and four SFs have been killed so far.
|
May 24 |
At least eight militants, including
a 'commander' and two SF personnel were killed in the evening,
in a clash in Landi Kotal tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA, after
a security vehicle was ambushed by the militants. "Two soldiers
embraced shahadat (martyrdom) and three others injured this evening
in an exchange of fire with terrorists in Landikotal, Khyber,"
said an Pakistan Army's ISPR, statement issued to media. "Eight
terrorists including one of their commanders were killed in exchange
of fire," it added. Pakistani military sources said that the FC
vehicle was targeted near Hamza Baba Chowk by militants, killing
two personnel and injuring the third. The SFs repulsed the attack
killing eight attackers including a commander. A militant was
arrested in wounded condition.
At least six SF personnel were
killed and three injured in an IED blast in Mohmand Agency. The
blast took place in the Shati Kandao area of Pandyali tehsil of
the agency. Confirming the explosion, political administration
official and security forces sources said that an IED, planted
on the roadside, exploded when a vehicle of the SFs was passing
by.
|
May 25 |
Five militants were killed in
a clash with SFs in the Manro Jangal area near the Pak-Afghan
border in Bajaur Agency of FATA. The sources said the militants
operating from Afghanistan fired at a check-post of security forces
in Manro Jangal and caused injuries to five security personnel.
The sources said the soldiers manning the checkpost returned the
fire and killed five militants, including three 'commanders'.
|
May 26 |
Five dead bodies were discovered
in Uthmanzai area in the Pandyali tehsil of the Mohmand Agency
in FATA. The bodies were discovered in the Uthmanzai area where
a recent surprise attack on the SFs left six soldiers dead on
May 24. All of the deceased appeared to have been shot dead, however,
this could not be independently verified, official sources added.
The area is under curfew and the bodies could not be identified
as a result.
Panicked by the ongoing military
action in North Waziristan Agency, the tribal people have preferred
to take refuge in neighbouring Afghanistan instead of shifting
to settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to reports,
many families have migrated to Khost and Paktika provinces of
Afghanistan from different areas of the volatile tribal region.
Eid Mohammad Khan, a local tribesman, said that many foreigners
also moved to Afghanistan from Waziristan before the launch of
military action.
|
May 27 |
At least six militants were killed
and seven others sustained injuries in a fierce clash between
rival factions of TTP at Taunda Darra in Shawal tehsil of NWA
in FATA. The Hakimullah faction is led by Shehryar Mehsud while
the Wali-ur-Rahman Group is under Khan Said alias Sajna.
|
May 29 |
Four persons including Levies
Force official were killed in a sectarian attack as militants
attacked a convoy of Sipah Tribe, a predominant Shia clan returning
from a funeral in Lal Pura area of Orakzai Agency in FATA. Tehsildar
Lower Orakzai Agency, Sher Bahadar Khan said that a terrorist
has also been gunned down while at least five others managed to
escape the site.
Three security officials were
killed while two others were injured in an IED explosion in Seen
Tanga Towda Chena area of Frontier Region Bannu in the morning.
The security officials were patrolling in the area when an IED
device planted by unknown militants went off at around 10:30am.
The deceased security officials were identified as Nasir Ali,
Jaffar and Frontier Crops official Muzafar while the injured include
Captain Obaid and Sepoy Safarash.
Three soldiers were killed and
another two wounded in a roadside IED blast near Miranshah in
North Waziristan Agency. The incident took place when a patrolling
team was inspecting the Bannu-Miranshah road to build a military
check post when they stepped on an IED.
|
May 30 |
The TTP North Waziristan chapter
led by Hafiz Gul Bahadar formally revoked the peace accord with
the Government, a pamphlet distributed by the group in the area
said. The faction, as the pamphlet sent to media by Bahadur's
'spokesman' Ahmadullah Ahmadi said, is now preparing to fight
against what it said was the Security Forces' planned operation,
giving locals time until June 10, 2014 to leave the area and move
to safety.
|
May 31 |
At least 16 militants were killed
as SFs backed by gunship helicopters thwarted a cross border militant
attack on a checkpost situated on Nao Top in Bajaur Agency. During
the gun battle and airstrikes, one soldier was killed and two
were critically injured.
The attack came a day after the
Shura Mujahideen Waziristan group, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, in
North Waziristan Agency asked local residents to move to safe
locations close to the Afghan border to avoid being caught in
crossfire in the event of a military operation in the area. A
pamphlet issued by the group alleged that the Government had practically
revoked an agreement with them without making any announcement
to the effect, by attacking 'innocent people' and destroying property.
|
June 2 |
Two soldiers were injured in a
roadside blast in Dawezai area in Pandyali tehsil of Mohmand Agency
in FATA. The sources said the SFs were carrying out a search operation
in Shish Mahal Mamazi in Dawezai when landmines planted on the
roadside went off. As a result, two soldiers Shoaib Khan and Mustafa
sustained injuries.
|
June 3 |
Eight persons were killed and
seven others, including a woman and two children sustained injuries,
in a roadside bomb explosion in Khumasa area in Kurram Agency
of FATA. Assistant Political Agent Maqsoodul Hassan said that
a van carrying passengers was heading to Parachinar from central
parts of Kurram Agency when it hit an IED in Khumasa area. The
dead included Janan, Taj Muhammad, Sanaullah, Said Imran, Abid
Rehman, Abdul Qayyum, Said Anwar and Ibrahim.
|
June 4 |
Four soldiers were killed and
four others sustained injuries when Afghanistan-based militants
carried out suicide attack targeting SFs' check posts on Manro
Zangal and Makha Top in the Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency in
FATA. The sources said the militants attacked the check posts
in Manro Zangal and Makha Top with heavy weaponry at 4am. "Two
soldiers were killed and three others sustained injuries in the
attack in Manro Zangal while two soldiers were killed and another
sustained injuries in an attack on a checkpost in Makha Top,"
an official said. Official sources claimed several militants were
killed in the retaliatory fire by the soldiers manning the check
posts. The TTP has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.
|
June 5 |
A senior 'commander' of TTP, Ashiqullah
Mehsud along with two other militants, was killed in the armed
clash of two groups of TTP in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan
Agency in FATA. The sources said that Ashiqullah was sitting with
some members of the TTP when he was assaulted by the unidentified
assailants who escaped in a car after firing. Mehsud was considered
the master trainer of suicide bombing after Qari Hussain Mehsud
who was the top expert and the inventor of suicide blasts.
|
June 6 |
Fresh clashes between the TTP
and a breakaway faction killed at least seven militants in the
Wacha Mela area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA. "The fresh
clashes left seven militants dead, five of them belonging to Hakimullah
group," a local intelligence official said.
A landmine explosion in the Nawagai
area of Bajaur Agency left one security official dead and two
others injured on the morning. The explosion occurred near the
vehicle of the security officials, which was reportedly the target
of the attack.
|
June 7 |
Two soldiers were killed in separate
bomb blasts in Bara Kamangara area and also near a Pakistani post
on Pak-Afghan border respectively in Bajaur Agency of FATA.
|
June 8 |
A pro-government peace committee
member, Malik Inayat Khan was killed in a roadside blast in Ambar
tehsil of Mohmand Agency in FATA. Sources said Malik Inayat Khan,
was on way to the bazaar in Ambar tehsil when his bike was targeted
with an IED. While he was killed, another person sustained injuries
in the explosion. The TTP, Mohmand chapter, claimed responsibility
for the blast.
|
June 9 |
At least three Paramilitary soldiers
and a child were killed and many others injured in a suicide attack
near Boya checkpost on Datta Khel road in NWA. ISPR confirmed
that at least four people including three soldiers and a child
were killed in the vehicle bound suicide attack on the security
checkpost. A statement issued to the media further said that at
least 12 people including two women have also been injured in
the blast.
Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of TTP
in NWA extended cease-fire till June 20, 2014. Following massive
airstrikes by Pakistani jet fighters that killed at least 60 militants
in NWA in May, TTP commanders met to reconsider a non-aggression
treaty with the Government. The TTP group later warned the tribesmen
to flee the area by June 10 and also warned to take up arms against
the Pakistani SFs. The statement came days after tribal elders
from NWA were asked by Governor of KP, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan
Abbasi and Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Khalid
Rabbani to oust foreign militants from their area.
Earlier, NWA tribal elders on
June 6 agreed to help the Government evict foreign fighters from
their agency within 15 days. The agreement is being hailed as
a triumph for KP authorities, with officials expressing their
determination to crush terrorism with the local tribes' help.
"We will stand by the tribes to restore the writ of the state
and rehabilitate ... the agency as we did in Swat and the rest
of FATA," Lieutenant General Khalid Rabbani said at the June
6 meeting. A 59-member tribal delegation, led by Atmanzai Wazir,
assured KP Governor of the tribal elders' commitment to restore
peace in the agency.
|
June 10 |
25 militants were killed and another
15 wounded in air strikes by fighter aircraft in Tirah Valley
of Khyber Agency in FATA.
The Governor of KP Sardar Mehtab
Ahmed Khan Abbasi announced a PKR 3.5 billion uplift package for
the Tirah Valley, which had remained out of the administrative
writ of the Government since the establishment of Pakistan. The
Governor visited the valley which had been a safe haven for militant
outfits. The Governor said it is time for action, adding that
no one should be allowed to challenge the writ of the Government
and vowed to end terrorism with the support of tribesmen.
TTP Shura asked foreign militants
and supporters of the TTP to either live peacefully or leave North
Waziristan Agency. The Shura, headed by 'commander' Hafiz Gul
Bahadur, which met at an unspecified location, gave the ultimatum
in view of a 15-day deadline recently given by the Government
to elders of Uthmanzai tribe to flush miscreants, including foreigners,
out of the area or face action. The Shura had held a meeting with
a tribal jirga led by Haji Sher Mohammad on June 9.
|
June 11 |
Six suspected militants were killed
in the US drone attack in the area considered a stronghold for
the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in Dargah Mandi village in
NWA. “Four of them were Uzbeks and two were Punjabi Taliban,”
said an intelligence official in Miranshah. Officials said militants
had parked their pick-up truck against the outer wall of the compound.
“Both compound and truck were completely destroyed. Local informers
told us that both are still on fire,” he added.
A pro-Government tribal elder
and chief of peace committee, Malak Juma Gul and his son were
killed and two others wounded when suspected militants opened
fire on them when they were offering prayers in a mosque in Kitkoot
area of Mamond tehsil in the Bajaur Agency in the evening. Political
administration officials confirmed the incident and said that
Gul and his son were killed on the spot while two other worshipers
Shakirullah and Samiullah were injured.
A little known al Qaeda Taliban
Tanzeem claimed killing 25 NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. Talking
to reporters by phone from an undisclosed location, Yousaf Raza
Mujahid, 'chief' of the al Qaeda-Taliban Tanzeem, Mohmand and
Bajaur chapter, said that his group had killed 25 NATO soldiers
to avenge the killing of 11 militants in a prison in Afghanistan.
They were killed in the border area in Afghanistan adjacent to
Bajaur Agency. He warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to stop actions against the Taliban
or else revenge attacks would launched against them.
The Khyber Agency-based, LI, asked
owners and principals of private schools in Bara to make Quran
recitation compulsory for students and adopt uniform education
system. On the call of LI 'commander' Qandahar Zakhakhel, around
300 teachers, principals and owners of the private schools gathered
in Mandi Kas area of Bara, the sources added. Addressing the gathering,
Zakhakhel said the LI had received complaints of overcharging
by private schools. He also asked the management of private schools
to adopt uniform system of education and reduce their fees. He
said reciting the holy Quran should be atop the schools’ curricula.
|
June 12 |
A US drone fired eight missiles
in Dandy Darpakhel area of NWA that killed at least 10 militants
while four others were wounded. According to locals, at least
four different compounds and a pick-up truck were targeted in
the second drone attack.
Over 6,000 people from Ahmedzai
Wazir and other clans have taken refuge in Khost province of Afghanistan’s
in the aftermath of the recent targeted military action, suggesting
the NWA tribesmen consider the neighbouring country safer than
their own. “Keeping in view the long stay and plight of thousands
of IDPs of FATA in and off relief camps, I have made my mind to
take my family to Afghanistan instead of keeping them in grimy
tents in the adjacent Bannu District,” said a tribal elder from
Miranshah. Several families have already crossed over to Afghanistan
due to uncertainty. Afghan official says 6,642 reach Khost from
NWA, ready to welcome more IDPs from other tribal agencies, including
South Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber, have been living
in awful conditions in and off camps for seven years. Over 160,000
displaced families from FATA have been registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The TTP North Waziristan chapter
chief Hafiz Gul Bahadur has already asked the local residents
to move to areas close to Afghan border instead of proceeding
to relief camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. When contacted, an official
of the Afghan Government confirmed the arrival of 6,642 people,
including 1,492 children from North Waziristan Agency in Khost
province, where, he said, basic facilities have been provided
to them.
The chief of JeI-F, Maulana Fazlur
Rehman, said that the decision to launch a full-fledged operation
in NWA had been taken and feared that action would start soon.
He expressed dismay that all his efforts for bringing peace in
the country had gone down the drain. He said that he had been
extremely disappointed with the situation in the country.
Two top Government officials told
Reuters that the two drone strikes on June 11-12 in North Waziristan
Agency of FATA were carried out as a coordinated “joint Pakistan-US
operation”. A Reuters report said: “Two top government officials
said Pakistan had given the Americans ‘express approval’ for the
latest strikes — the first time Pakistan has admitted to such
cooperation.” “Baseless” was the one word comment when a correspondent
for The News contacted the Foreign Office after Reuters released
this report. “The attacks were launched with the express approval
of the Pakistan Government and Army,” said a top Government official,
requesting not to be named as he was not authorised to discuss
the issue with the media.
The FO spokesperson Tasnim Aslam
did not confirm the pre-dawn strikes in North Waziristan as drone
attacks, but said that Pakistan’s position on drones is clear.
During a briefing of the Foreign Office, she said that the facts
surrounding the attack are being determined. “The nature of the
attacks is being ascertained,” she said, without clarifying whether
the strike was carried out by a US drone or Pakistani military
machinery. “Pakistan’s position on drone attacks is clear.”
|
June 13 |
At least one Policeman was killed
and two FC men were injured when an explosion occurred in Salarzai
area of Bajaur Agency in FATA. The explosive material was planted
along a roadside which blew up resulting in casualties.
One peace committee member, identified
as Rafiq Khan Orakzai was killed in an explosion apparently due
to a remote controlled blast in Bara Qamberabad area of Khyber
Agency.
SFs and militants clashed in Bakarabad
area of the Khyber Agency during a search operation. No further
report was available.
Curfew has been imposed on main
Pak-Afghan Highway from Jamrud to Torkham apparently due to a
cleanup operation launched by SFs. The military sources said that
SFs were carrying out sanitization of the area along Jamrud -
Torkham Road in Khyber Agency that was why curfew has been imposed
and it would remain closed until 5 pm.
The Washington has launched renewed
efforts to pressurize Pakistan for a military operation in NWA
and now much depends on the Pakistani civilian and military top
leadership to respond to the demand, which would have an extremely
seriously fallout for Pakistan. The recent move by US Congress
to link military assistance to Pakistan in the next fiscal year
with military operations in North Waziristan is seen as a frustrated
effort by Washington to do what Pakistan has been successfully
resisting for the last several years. Although, neither the Government
nor the military has as yet shown any reaction on this move from
the US, the PTI chief Imran Khan has strongly condemned this and
called it a US effort to bribe Pakistan to launch military operation
in NWA.
Reiterating his party’s stance
on peace talks with militants, PTI Chief Imran Khan said that
an offensive in North Waziristan would unite militant forces against
the Pakistani state. "Conducting such a military operation
when most of the groups in NWA want talks is suicidal," Imran
said in a statement, adding that most groups in North Waziristan
desire peace talks with the Government.
The elders of the Uthmanzai Wazir
tribe and a militants’ council plan to meet at Miranshah in NWA
on June 14 to discuss a 15-day deadline given by the Government
to local tribes for flushing out militants from the area. According
to sources, a jirga led by Haji Sher Mohammad and TTP NWA chapter
'chief' Hafiz Gul Bahadur will meet at an undisclosed place to
discuss the situation amidst an exodus of non-combatants from
the area during the past couple of days. The Government had given
the 15-day deadline to a jirga which visited Peshawar on June
6 and met the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor and Peshawar Corps Commander.
Foreign militants are quietly
slipping away from NWA ahead of military operation. The exodus
began in late May after Pakistani air strikes, AFP reported locals
as saying, but it has been hastened by the recent Karachi airport
attack. As pressure builds for a fuller response to the airport
assault, residents and officials in NWA's main town of Miranshah
said the majority of foreign and local fighters had already left.
"Most of them have gone deep into the mountains toward the
Afghan border," a senior security official told AFP.
|
June 14 |
Three mortar shells were fired
from Afghanistan which fell in Lowai Shalman area of the Landikotal
tehsil of the Khyber Agency near the Pak-Afghan border. No casualty
has been reported in the incident.
|
June 15 |
At least 105 militants were killed
in NWA of FATA as Pakistan Army lunched aerial as well as ground
offensive during the operation Zarb-e-Azb (sharp and cutting).
The Pakistan Army on June 15 launched
a comprehensive operation against foreign and local terrorists
who were hiding in sanctuaries in NWA. “The operation had been
named Zarb-e-Azb,” said an ISPR) statement. “Using North Waziristan
as a base, these terrorists had waged a war against the state
of Pakistan and had been disrupting our national life in all its
dimensions, stunting our economic growth and causing enormous
loss of life and property… They had also paralysed life within
the agency and had perpetually terrorized the entire peace loving
and patriotic local population,” the ISPR statement quoted DG
ISPR Major General Asim Bajwa as saying.
The commencement of the military
operation was welcomed by most major political parties and PM
Nawaz Sharif is expected to take Parliament into confidence over
the operation on June 16. According to sources in the PM Office,
Sharif will be attending Monday’s session at the National Assembly,
where he is expected to make a policy statement over Operation
Zarb-e-Azb.
The TTP said they will give a
tough reply to the operation. In a statement, the TTP ‘spokesman’
Shahidullah Shahid said they were keeping an account of the ‘dozens
of innocent people’ killed in Sunday’s (June 15) military strikes.
Shahid said they had not closed the doors of dialogue with the
Government and were still ready for meaningful talks. However,
he insisted that the Government should adopt a serious approach
to revive the process.
Fresh clashes between rival factions
of TTP left seven dead in the Shawal tehsil of NWA in FATA. Two
persons were also injured in the militant infighting. Officials
and tribals confirmed that the clashes erupted between Shehryar
Mehsud and Khan Said alias Sajna. Over the last two months, the
infighting within TTP factions has left over 100 dead and many
injured.
The brother of a militant ‘commander’,
who was kidnapped a few days ago, was found dead near a petrol
pump in the Akakhel area of Khyber Agency. The sources said that
Khyal Mohammad, who was the brother of ‘commander’ of TI, had
been reportedly kidnapped by another militant group a few days
back. His throat-slit body was found with a note, saying those
who didn’t back Kandahar, a local ‘commander’ of the LI, would
meet the same fate.
The volunteers of Lashkar and
Security Forces launched a search operation in Nakhtar, Lagharai,
Katkot, Ghakhi, Khorchai, Tarkho, Gawati and other border villages
in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency.
At least 140 militants were killed
in NWA of FATA as Pakistan Army lunched aerial as well as ground
offensive during the Operation Zarb-e-Azb (sharp and cutting).
|
June 16 |
27 militants were killed in fresh
bombings by jet fighters that targeted militant hideouts in Shawal
area of NWA in FATA. At least six militant hideouts were destroyed
in the attack.
Six soldiers were killed while
3 others were injured due to IED explosion between Afghan border
and Ghulam khan in NWA.
Seven militants were killed in
exchange of fire when trying to flee from cordoned off area in
NWA. Two soldiers were also killed.
Three militants were killed by
SFs while the militants were laying IEDs in the area close to
Miranshah. One soldier was also sustained injuries.
PM Nawaz Sharif, during a speech
delivered in the National Assembly justified Government's decision
to initiate a full-scale operation in NWA and said that Operation
Zarb-e-Azb would continue until terrorism is eliminated
from the country.
The COAS, General Raheel Sharif
reiterated that all terrorists along with their sanctuaries will
be eliminated without any discrimination. "The operation is not
targeted against our valiant tribes of NWA but against those terrorists
who are holed up in the agency and have picked up arms against
the state of Pakistan," the Army Chief said during his visit to
the Corps Headquarters in Peshawar of KP.
Opposition legislators in the
Upper House of Parliament on June 16 extended full support to
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the military operation in NWA.
But they asked for special arrangements for the IDPs of the areas
concerned. "The opposition supports the military operation launched
in NWA and stands fully behind the government," opposition leader
Aitzaz Ahsan told the House after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's
address to the Senate over the start of a full-fledged military
operation in NWA. The entire House supported the military operation.
|
June 17 |
At least 25 foreign and local
terrorists were killed in aerial strikes in Hasokhel area of NWA
in FATA. Six militants' hideouts including a training camp and
an IED factory were destroyed. An ISPR statement said the operation
is progressing as per plan. The cordon around all terrorists'
hideouts including in the town of Mir Ali and Miranshah has been
further tightened and reinforced.
|
June 18 |
15 militants were killed in Zartatangi
mountain heights in the east of Miranshah by Army gunship. It
was one of the main communication centers of terrorists.
Eight Uzbek militants were killed
around Miranshah while planting IEDs on the road Miranshah-Mir
Ali.
Cordoned off in areas housing
terrorists in NWA continues. Continuous terrorists attempt to
flee from area have been foiled.
Six militants were killed in a
US drone strike in the early hours in Dargah Mandi village of
Miranshah tehsil in NWA. Intelligence sources said six missiles
fired by a drone hit a compound and a vehicle in Dargah Mandi
village. The identities of those killed in the strikes have not
yet been ascertained.
The SFs took control of border
areas of Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency hoisting Pakistani flag
in the areas after almost a decade. Official sources said that
the SFs have set up posts in the border areas while locals have
also expressed their support for the Army.
The KP CM Pervez Khattak said
the province had received 70,000 people displaced by the military
operation in North Waziristan Agency. He said his Government had
released PKR 350 million, the Federal Government PKR 500 million
and the FATA Disaster Management Authority PKR 100 million for
handling the crisis of displacement. Khattak also said the Government
had pitched 1,000 tents in FR Bannu and provided electricity,
water and other facilities. He said intelligence agencies warned
that keeping IDPs in schools would not be safe that led the Government
to set up tent camps, but he hastened to say that his administration
was ready to open schools for displaced people if the need was
felt.
The Balochistan Government deployed
more Frontier Corps troops in the area connecting the province
with South Waziristan to check the influx of people fleeing North
Waziristan where the military has launched an operation against
militants. A meeting held at Quetta, provincial capital of Balochistan
and presided over by CM Malik Baloch discussed the possibility
of terrorist attacks in the province and measures to cope with
the threat. It revised a security plan for the provincial capital
and other towns in the province.
|
June 19 |
At least 12 militants, including
foreigners, were killed when the Army's Cobra gunship helicopters
pounded three militant hideouts in Qutub Khel area on the outskirts
of Miranshah, administrative headquarters NWA. It was an integrated
action by cobra gunships, artillery and snipers. While the Operation
Zarb-e-Azb progresses as per plan, militants inside cordoned area
are making desperate attempts to flee from area. 6 attempts were
foiled last night. Three locals who did not have any identity
proof were apprehended while trying to flee from the cordon.
Around 164,000 IDPs who fled from
the conflict zone of NWA reached Bannu in KP. While a top Government
official confirmed the arrival of 164,000 refugees in Bannu, political
sources in FATA said that several thousand residents of NWA have
opted to leave for Afghanistan's province of Khost in search of
shelter. According to eye witnesses, refugees arriving in Bannu
are greeted by a plethora of problems ranging from lack of transport
to shortage of food and medicine and rude attitude of law enforcing
agencies. "Several thousand vehicles carrying displaced people
could be seen crawling from Mir Ali to Bannu. The journey which
normally takes one and half hour is taking 12 to 15 hours today
owing to crowded roads and increased number of check-posts," said
Liaqat Ali, a local resident of Bannu.
|
June 20 |
232 militants and eight SFs personnel
were killed since the start of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. SFs have
destroyed 20 militant hideouts, including two major terrorist
communication centres and a bomb-making factory. The number of
civilians fleeing an expected ground offensive passed 200,000.
Nearly 150,000 people have left NWA on the Afghan border this
week after the military launched a long-awaited assault against
militant's hideouts.
|
June 21 |
At least 20 militants were killed
in targeted strikes by jet aircrafts in Hassu Khel in NWA. Three
militant hideouts were destroyed in the attacks.
10 militants were killed and six
others injured in air strikes in Malikdinkhel area of Bara tehsil
in Khyber Agency in the early morning. Official sources said that
the militants had occupied a Government school in Malikdinkhel
area which was targeted by the gunship helicopters in an attempt
to destroy it.
|
June 22 |
10 militants and two soldiers
were killed during an exchange of fire while militants were trying
to flee cordoned off area in Spinwam of NWA in the night.
Over 100 ulema from various schools
of thought declared Operation Arab-e-Azb, the ongoing military
operation against terrorists and militants in NWA, as Jihad. The
meeting of ulema, which was organised by the Sunni Ulema Board,
in its decree referring to the verse No 33 of Surah-e-Almaidah
of the holy Quran, which says: "Crushing of the attempts to disrupt
peaceful atmosphere in a Muslim state is jihad." The decree said
the nation was bound to support the ongoing operation in North
Waziristan Agency and the people opposing the operation were rebels
as per Islamic Shariah. It added that the state had the right
to deal rebels with iron hands as the militants had murdered hundreds
of innocent people and targeted various schools, shrines, hospitals,
and innocent people. Islam, it said, did not allow individual
jihad.
A total of 31,264 families, or
394,319 individuals, have been registered at the Registration
Point of PDMA at Saidgai checkpost in Bannu District of KP. The
IDPs have also brought along with them a large number of livestock.
According to chief secretary of the Control Room at the PDMA the
number of displaced persons of North Waziristan Agency has reached
31,264 families or 394,319 individuals. Furthermore, in Bannu
District, a relief camp has been established which would work
under the PDMA and will support the district administration in
the relief activities. The Provincial Government has released
PKR 349 million to PDMA for establishment of camps in Bannu city,
however, in the wake of the ongoing military operation, a decision
was taken by the Federal Government to establish camps inside
frontier regions which fall within the jurisdiction of FATA administration.
The PTI chairman Imran Khan said
the military should temporarily halt bombardments in areas of
North Waziristan Agency where the civilian population has not
been evacuated. "The operation should not be conducted in villagers
where women and children are present as they are currently stranded,"
Imran said. He also said that according to information available
with the party, militancy will spread to areas bordering Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa in the wake of the operation and that the police and
security should be beefed up. He urged the Federal Government
to meet with the Provincial Government and chalk out a plan to
facilitate the influx of IDPs as well as growing security concerns.
|
June 23 |
At least 15 militants were killed
in the air strikes on eight hideouts in Mir Ali area of NWA in
FATA in the early hours. The ISPR statement said tunnels were
spotted in the area that came under attack by the aircraft. However,
it didn't mention the name of the village or the area in Mir Ali.
The Government so far registered
435,429 IDPs affected due to the ongoing operation in NWA with
the help of the NADRA. According to the latest official data available
on June 23, the Government registered 35,381 families including
114,596 males, 137,301 females and 183,532 children. Consistent
to the earlier instructions, Government assigned the task to the
SAFRON to make necessary rehabilitation arrangement of IDPs. However,
this time the government decided to engage the NDMA too in the
process which is in line with the mandate of the organisation.
Upon instructions the NDMA now engaged with the Ministry of SAFRON,
Federally Administrative Tribal Areas Disaster Management Authority,
Provincial Disaster Management Authority of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Pakistan Army, Civil Administration and other partners to coordinate
and implement the plan for efficient management of all IDPs' issues.
|
June 24 |
At least 47 militants were killed
and about 23 hideouts were destroyed in the ongoing operation
by SFs in Khyber Agency and NWA of FATA. Military sources said
the hideouts of TTP militants were targeted in the aerial strikes
in NWA as part of Zarb-e-Azb operation, whereas the hideouts of
LI militants were separately targeted in Khyber Agency. The terrorists'
death toll in the ongoing military action so far is said to have
crossed 300.
Three persons, including two soldiers
and one civilian were killed in a suicide bombing in NWA.
On June 24, the Government sent
a letter requesting the humanitarian community to extend humanitarian
assistance to the newly displaced IDPs from NWA, in addition to
the already displaced 930,000 people. According to the OCHA update,
the Federal Government has announced USD five million, the KP
Government USD 3.5 million and the Punjab Government USD five
million for IDPs support. The donors have committed USD 14.5 million
in support of the over 455,000 people displaced from NWA as of
June 25.
|
June 25 |
The fighter aircraft PAF continued
pounding hideouts of alleged militants in the Mir Ali subdivision
of NWA in FATA, killing 13 militants. The aircraft had struck
five sanctuaries of militants in Mir Ali, where the militants
were still hiding, despite the fact that local residents had already
vacated their houses and villages.
12 militants surrendered to the
SFs in NWA. The identities of the surrendered militants are yet
to be disclosed by SFs.
|
June 26 |
At least five militants were killed
and six hideouts were destroyed as the Pakistan Army continued
its assault in the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA of FATA.
Four militants and three khasadar
officials were killed in a clash between SFs and militants in
the Sur Qamar area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency.
President Mamnoon Hussain said
the Government and Armed Forces are fully determined for the complete
elimination of terrorism from the country and the whole nation
stands united to support the action against terrorist elements.
"Despite enormity of challenges, the nation and Armed forces have
stood together and made invaluable sacrifices for the country,"
the President said.
Terming the Operation Zarb-e-Azb
as war for the survival of Pakistan, the Pakistan Army on June
26 pledged to tackle all terrorists, including the Haqqani Network.
DG of ISPR Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said 327 hardcore terrorists
had been killed while 45 hideouts of terrorists were destroyed
in the North Waziristan Agency during the ongoing operation launched
on June 15. He said 19 terrorists surrendered before the security
personnel. He also said 10 soldiers laid down their lives while
seven were injured in the line of duty.
The UNHCR Bo Schack said that
thousands of displaced Pakistanis arrived in Afghanistan from
NWA needing urgent humanitarian assistance. The military operation
has forced about 65,000 individuals from 9,200 families to seek
refuge in Khost Province, living there with their relatives and
friends, while a number of others are inhabiting makeshift camps
in Gurboz District, Bo Schack said, adding that more than 2,000
families travelled to Paktika Province.
|
June 27 |
11 militants were killed when
PAF Jet aircrafts targeted six confirmed militants' hideouts on
the outskirts of Mir Ali in NWA of FATA in the evening.
TTP 'commander' of Miranshah,
Commander Umer was killed by Security Forces on the outskirts
of Miranshah in the night.
One prominent al Qaeda 'commander'
has been arrested while trying to flee from surrounded area in
NWA. Initial interrogation shows him as an explosive, IED, suicide
belt expert.
Three militants were arrested
by SFs while they were trying to escape from war hit zone of FATA
to Punjab by crossing Indus River near Mianwali. All crossing
places along the River are currently manned to seal any escape
for the militants.
Pledging full support to the IDPs
from NWA, PM Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that new houses would
be constructed on the return of the IDPs. Addressing the IDPs
in the Bakkakhel area in Frontier Region Bannu, he said, "If required,
billions would be spent for the rehabilitation of the NWA's displaced
persons."
|
June 28 |
Seven militants were killed when
militant's concentrations were targeted by integrated fire of
Artillery, Tanks and Heavy weapons outside Miranshah in North
Waziristan Agency in the early morning.
A Government Primary School for
girls was blown up in Ekka Ghund Tehsil of Mohmand Agency. However,
no causality was reported.
|
June 29 |
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad
Asif said that the operation in North Waziristan will be continued
till complete elimination of terrorists.
|
June 30
|
The ISPR statement said that 15
militants were killed in exchange of fire with the troops during
house-to-house search operation in Miranshah, the headquarters
of NWA, of FATA. The Army's infantry troops and SSG conducted
door-to-door searches in Miranshah town to ensure that the civilian
population had evacuated the area. Troops have recovered underground
tunnels and IEDs making factories inside the so far cleared area.
Three soldiers got injured in exchange of fire.
Artillery, tanks and other heavy
weapons were used in the action against militants. Since start
of Operation Zarb-e-Azb on 15 June, 376 militants have been killed
while 19 have surrendered to the SFs. 61 militant Hideouts have
been destroyed in the operation during last 15 days. 17 Soldiers
have died in the ongoing Operation.
|
July 1
|
Two security officers were killed
and another injured when unidentified militants ambushed a security
convoy near Ippi village in Mir Ali tehsil of NWA in FATA. The
security convoy was travelling from a Khajuri check-post to Miranshah.
The attackers managed to escape.
Army unearthed landmines manufacturing
factory in Miranshah during ground operation. At least 225 cylinders
filled with explosive material weighing from 80 to 100 kilogram
have also been seized from the factory. One hundred and fifty
incomplete cylinders meant for manufacturing landmines, 10 anti-tank
landmines, 700 pipes filled with explosive material, and equipment
for physical training and welding were also seized.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif
said that several TTP ‘commanders’ were entrapped in the NWA.
“They are locked in the security forces trap and they don’t know
where to go,” the Minister said, adding that the security commanders
were regularly updating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Operation
Zarb-e-Azb’s progress. “There would be a remarkable improvement
in the security environment once the terrorists are wiped out
from the NWA. They (TTP) have to pay for what they have done to
the people of Pakistan.”
The monthly security report of
the Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) said that militants’ activities
have drastically decreased after the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb,
not only in FATA/KP but also in Balochistan. According to the
CMC statistics, SFs conducted 127 actions across Pakistan (including
those conducted under the NWA operation) in which 517 suspected
militants were killed, 25 others injured and 1,167 suspects arrested.
Severity of the security forces’ actions can be gauged from the
fact that the number of deaths has witnessed an almost 189pc increase
as compared to the previous month. Over 251 pc increase in the
number of arrests clearly suggests that security forces have also
tightened the noose around the neck of the militants in various
parts of the country and arrested many of their operatives as
well as supporters while making an effective use of intelligence.
Assigning political ownership
to the ongoing military Operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ in the NWA to weed
out terrorists from the soil of Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif stated that Pakistan will enforce its writ in the tribal
areas. He stated afterwards that the decision pertaining to the
Operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ was taken after careful deliberations and
weighing all options. He further said that all the foreign fighters
and local terrorists would be wiped out without any exception
and no sanctuary would be spared by the Armed Forces.
Prime Minister Nawaz is personally
committed to the operation. He vowed that “as the full-fledged
offensive has now started, victory and ultimate success is the
only option now.” “We have planned for the extensive development
of tribal areas after the successful operation,” assured the Prime
Minister.
|
July 2
|
10 militants were killed when
military helicopters pounded militant’s compounds as part of the
Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the Khar Warsak area, 12 kilometers north
of Miranshah, the main town in NWA of FATA. Nearly 500,000 people
have fled the offensive in NWA, which is aimed at wiping out longstanding
militant strongholds in the area, which borders Afghanistan.
Army claims that three more IED
making factories with large quantity of explosives, anti-tank
mines, a suicide bomber training center, a media facility and
a rocket cache were recovered from the cleared area in NWA during
the military offensive. A spokesman for the ISPR said that Operation
was progressing successfully as planned as six IEDs attached with
four computers in a ready position were also recovered from a
private hotel in the area. “Forces are making swift progress in
NWA as forces are hitting and shelling militant hubs and hide
outs,” he said. Sources said sniffer dogs are also being used
in the cleared areas to find hidden explosives.
Former DG ISPR Major General (retired)
Athar Abbas demanded that the military should give access to the
media to such areas which have been ‘cleared’ by the troops, reports
Dawn.
Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad
Asif said that terrorists will be chased and eliminated in all
parts of the country. Khawaja Asif said civilian and military
leaders were on the same page regarding the ongoing operation
in the NWA. “The operation will continue till the elimination
of last terrorist. The Parliament, Government and the military
are on the same page,” said the Minister.
Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry
Nisar Ali Khan said that the military operation in NWA should
not be made controversial. The Minister said the Army was fighting
the war against terrorism to secure the future of Pakistan and
unnecessary comments on the decision of the military leadership
could create confusion and make the situation tense.
|
July 3
|
Six bullet-riddled dead bodies
were recovered from the Hurmaz village in Mir Ali area of NWA
in FATA. Official sources said unidentified assailants had shot
dead six persons and placed their bodies on a road in the Hurmaz
village.
Unidentified militants fired six
rockets at the camp of the Security Forces in Mir Ali on the night.
The rockets were reportedly fired from somewhere in Spalga but
didn’t cause any loss.
|
July 4
|
About 40 percent area of Miranshah,
the main town of the NWA in FATA, has been cleared from terrorists
during the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb. A military official told
that 40 percent area had been cleared in Miranshah. However, he
did not give any deadline for the completion of the ground operation
in the area. The Army is facing some firing incidents, rocket
attacks and explosives, but so far it has not faced any major
resistance during the operation.
|
July 5
|
At least five suspected militants
were killed and five militant hideouts were destroyed as jet fighters
pounded parts of the NWA in FATA. Most of the militants killed
in the strikes were reportedly Uzbeks.
|
July 6
|
Hundreds of TTP militants rushed
to disguise themselves, cut hair and beards to escape operation
in NWA of FATA. Azam Khan was one of the top barbers in Miranshah
town said his business boomed in the month leading up to the Army
assault as the militants sought to shed their distinctive long-haired,
bearded look. “I have trimmed the hair and beards of more than
700 local and Uzbek militants ahead of the security forces’ operation,”
he said while.
Even Uzbeks and Tajiks with little
knowledge of the local language came to him asking him to shave
their beards to nothing so they could go to Islamabad. “Knowing
little Pashto, they used to utter four words: ‘mulgari (friend),
machine, zero, Islamabad’,” added Azam Khan.
|
July 7 |
During the three weeks of Operation
'Zarb-e-Azb' by SFs in the NWA, 400 terrorists were killed, while
20 soldiers of Pakistan Army were also killed, Defence Minister
Khwaja Asif. In an interview to The Wall Street Journal, Defence
Minister Khwaja Asif said that he could not give a time-frame
for ending the operation. He added that they would not rest till
the elimination of every terrorist from the country. Khwaja Asif
added that they would try to complete the operation as soon as
possible. He made it clear that the operation in the NWA would
continue till the elimination of terrorism, militancy and insurgency.
He further said that the government would take central political
organisations into confidence for eradication of terrorism and
timely rehabilitation and return of the IDPs. He stressed the
media to play a key role in this regard.
Khwaja Asif said that "We will
eliminate all sorts of terrorists from our area without any exception.
If there are exceptions made, then the purpose of this operation
will be defeated. It has to be without making any differentiation
between our Taliban and their Taliban, or good Taliban and bad
Taliban." About the past Afghan and US allegations, Khawaja Asif
insisted that Pakistan had changed its policy. "They are all bad
Taliban. There are no more good Taliban. "If we have to get rid
of these people, we have to get rid of them in totality, because
this is something plaguing this area for three decades. Both sides
of the Durand line, Pakistan and Afghanistan, we are in dire trouble,"
Asif added.
Army Chief General Raheel Sharif
said terrorists will be chased till their total elimination. He
told the troops in North Waziristan to "eliminate all local and
foreign terrorists and their sanctuaries" in the tribal region.
Sharif visited the troops on the frontlines for the first time
since the launch of a major offensive against the terrorist groups
in North Waziristan. Talking to the troops in the middle of the
operation in Miranshah, the headquarters of NWA, General Raheel
lauded them for their courage, dedication and high state of morale
and expressed his satisfaction over the progress achieved so far
since the start of the operation. "He (General Raheel) commended
the entire chain of command for their determined efforts in planning,
preparation, mobilisation and execution of the operation," an
Army statement said. "Alluding to the end objective, the chief
of the army staff affirmed that terrorists will be chased and
hunted down across the country till their final elimination."
|
July 8 |
At least 13 militants were killed
when the Air Force fighter jets pounded seven suspected hideouts
of militants in the Degan village of North Waziristan Agency in
FATA. The ISPR issued a brief statement to the media about the
latest air strikes in the Degan village, which had been attacked
earlier as well. The press release didn't provide further details
about the air strikes and the identity of the slain militants.
Degan is located in the Dattakhel tehsil, near the Afghan border,
and is considered a stronghold of the North Waziristan based Hafiz
Gul Bahadur group.
The Government has so far registered
around 751,986 IDPs moved out from North Waziristan Agency due
to the ongoing operation against terrorists. Final figures would
be available after the verification from NADRA to cut any duplication
depriving the deserving IDPs of their plight. Besides Bannu District,
Internally Displaced Persons from NWA have moved to Dera Ismail
Khan District, Lakki Marwat District, Karak District, Hangu District
while seven percent moved to areas all over the country.
NADRA had established four registration
points including Sports Complex Bannu, Government College Mamash
Khel, Teacher training Institute Ghoria Wala and Durrani college.
Four mobile vans are also providing registration facilities to
IDPs. Two distribution points have also been established at Dera
Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat. Around 82 families consisting of
575 individuals entered Kurram Agency via Khost Afghanistan from
North Waziristan Agency. Around 736 families consisting of 9,440
individual IDPs of NWA have passed District Kohat and migrate
to other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. Around 2791
IDPs individuals have arrived in Karak District and accommodated.
Around 772 families have reached District Hangu via Kurram Bridge
Thall out of which 402 families have migrated to other Districts
while 370 families have been accommodated in Hangu District.
|
July 9 |
At least 11 militants were killed
when Air Force jets pounded militant hideouts in the Zoi Darasaidgi
and Shawal tehsil areas of NWA in FATA. Three militant hideouts
were also destroyed in the aerial bombardment.
More than 800,000 people have
fled in the Operation Zarb-e-Azb against the TTP in NWA of FATA,
FDMA officials said. Tens of thousands of families have left the
North Waziristan tribal area for the nearby town of Bannu. Hundreds
more have moved further afield to the towns of Lakki Marwat, Karak
and Dera Ismail Khan since the attacks began in mid-June. Officials
from the FDMA said they were checking registrations for duplicates,
meaning the figure may come down. The military is using troops,
tanks and jets in NWA and has vowed to wipe out strongholds which
insurgents have used to mount countless deadly attacks in recent
years. "Some 833,274 people or 66,726 migrating families from
North Waziristan were registered in cities of Bannu and Peshawar
until Tuesday evening," Arshad Khan, FDMA Director General said.
Khan said 361,459 of the displaced were children and 248,633 women.
While Pakistan has not made a
fresh request to the UN and the rest of the international community
for the provision of assistance to the IDPs of NWA, it has requested
the world body to extend its ongoing operations in the north-west
to facilitate the IDPs. In this regard, the SAFRON has written
a letter to the OCHA, requesting the UN humanitarian agency to
extend its humanitarian assistance already being provided to the
930,000 IDPs of the previous emergencies to the NWA IDPs, it has
been learnt. Responding to the request, the UN has extended its
humanitarian operations for the NWA IDPs, with three UN agencies
WFP, WHO and UNHCR mainly engaged in the provision of humanitarian
assistance to the IDPs in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat and other
parts.
|
July 10 |
Six unidentified militants were
killed in a US drone missile strike in Doga Madakhel village of
Dattakhel tehsil in North Waziristan Agency of FATA. "The drone
fired four missiles and hit a mud-built house in the Doga Madakhel
village of Dattakhel tehsil. Six people, all believed to be militants,
were killed in the drone attack," a security official said.
The Director General of ISPR Major
General Asim Bajwa said that the tribesmen of North Waziristan
Agency will never allow the terrorists to return to the area.
On his Twitter account, he said the state too will never allow
the terrorists to return to North Waziristan.
|
July 11 |
Unidentified militants set ablaze
three vehicles of the Frontier Works Organisation in the Shagaye
area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency. Official sources said
the vehicles set alight were meant for a road construction project
in the agency. Sources added that two vehicles were completely
destroyed while one was partially damaged.
Army captured a top TTP ‘commander’,
Adnan Rashid, in the Wana area of South Waziristan Agency. Adnan
Rashid was living with his family in the mountainous region bordering
Afghanistan, the officials said. He was injured in a shootout
during his arrest.
|
July 12 |
Militants attacked a security
checkpost along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Mamond area of
Bajaur Agency in FATA in the early hours, killing three Security
Force personnel including a captain. Official sources say that militants
from across the border in Kunar province of Afghanistan attacked
the security check-post. The attack also injured two other persons. |
July 13 |
At least 13 militants were killed
when Army jets and artillery pounded alleged militant hideouts
in Mosaki area, 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Miranshah, the
main town of NWA in FATA. Six terrorist hideouts and a huge ammunition
cache were destroyed and at least 13 militants, most of them Uzbeks,
were killed, a security official said.
The Government is assisting IDPs
under a comprehensive plan to ensure their better look after at
the camps and their rehabilitation in NWA when Operation Zarb-e-Azb
is over. According to the official data, the Federal Government
has so far released around PKR 8 billion for the IDPs while PKR
358.236 million has already been distributed among 29,853 families.
So far, 929,859 IDPs belonging to 80,302 families have been registered.
The Federal Government also announced the donation of one-day
salary of its employees to the IDPs amounting to 200 million rupees.
An agreement has been signed between a cellular company and the
Fata Disaster Management Authority for further distribution of
cash among the IDPs in a transparent and efficient manner.
Militants distributed a pamphlet
in parts of Khyber Agency warning the Khasadar Force, security
personnel and Government officials to give up their jobs or else
they would be targeted. According to locals, the pamphlet was
distributed by Jaish-i-Khorasan outfit.
|
July 14 |
Fighter jets struck militant hideouts
around the Mir Ali tehsil of NWA in FATA in the earlier hours
of killing five militants. Official sources said that a number
of terrorist sanctuaries were destroyed in the raids and also
stated that a huge quantity of arms and ammunition has been destroyed
in the strikes. They added that at least five bases have been
destroyed.
Punjab CM Mian Shahbaz Sharif
said that fight against terrorists will continue till elimination
of the last militant in the country. Addressing a tribal jirga
of North Waziristan Agency at Bannu, he said that disaster in
North Waziristan would be turned into an opportunity that would
lay foundation for economic revolution in the tribal areas.
Shahbaz Sharif said that after
Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the IDPs from NWA should not consider themselves
abandoned as the Government would utilise all available resources
to help them. He added that the Government could start health
and education programmes and create job opportunities after defeating
the terrorists across the country.
The Director General FDMA Arshad
Khan said that the authority has been actively supporting the
IDPs from the very outset. Talking to a private news channel,
he said that free transport was provided to those who were unable
to travel on foot. He said that they distributed about 400 million
rupees among some 30,000 displaced families.
Political and military authorities
have decided to launch a targeted operation in Mamond tehsil of
Bajaur Agency in FATA. The decision has been taken in view of
intelligence reports that militants are present in the area, according
to the Assistant Political Agent of Nawagai subdivision, Shah
Naseem Khan. Another official, however, said that the decision
to launch a targeted operation was prompted by July 11 killing
of three security personnel in a cross border attack claimed by
the TTP.
|
July 15 |
11 militants and five soldiers
were killed and eight others were injured in two separate encounters
with the militants in the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA.
In an exchange of fire with terrorists in and around the Mir Ali
area, two soldiers, including an officer Captain Akash Rabbani,
were killed and two others sustained injuries. Four terrorists
were also killed in the exchange of fire.
The military have already announced
that they had taken control of two major towns, Mir Ali and Miranshah,
and expelled the militants from these areas without facing any
major resistance.
A woman was killed and four other
persons injured in a hand grenade attack on a house in the Sheikh
Baba area of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency.
The DG of FDMA Arshad Khan has
been removed from his position for failing to provide adequate
facilities to IDPs. The DG has been removed from his post in light
of numerous complaints from IDPs regarding inadequate facilities
and poor living conditions in the camps set up for them.
|
July 16 |
SF killed 35 militants who were
trying to escape from the remote mountainous Shawal Valley in
NWA of FATA. Security official said those killed in air strikes
by the Pakistan Air Force jet fighters included members from the
TTP, Uzbeks, Chechens and Arabs.
At least 20 suspected militants
were killed when US drone fired missiles on a compound in Saidgai
area of Dattakhel in NWA.
The CoAS General Raheel Sharif
briefed PM Nawaz Sharif on the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Speaking
on the occasion, PM said the Government would provide all resources
for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the IDPs, according
to a statement issued by the PM House.
|
July 18 |
At least eight paramilitary soldiers
were killed and three others were injured as militants mounted
an assault on a FC check-post at Ghundi area of Jamrud tehsil
in Khyber Agency of FATA. The sources said that four militants
were also killed when the forces returned fire while three others
were arrested.
|
July 19 |
A US drone strike targeting a
TTP compound killed 11 militants in Mada Khel suburb of Dattakhel
town in NWA of FATA. "The drone fired eight missiles on the
compound around 2:00am (2100 GMT) on Saturday killing eleven members
of the Punjabi faction of the TTP," a senior security official
said. The official said the dead included two "important"
‘commanders’ of the TTP, but he refused to reveal their identities.
|
July 20 |
28 local and foreign militants
were killed in air strikes when fighter aircraft hit hideouts
in the Shawal Valley of NWA in FATA. The fighter aircraft pounded
six separate hideouts of the militants in the forest-covered Shawal
Valley, a mountainous area that divides NWA and South Waziristan.
Unidentified assailants shot dead
two Khasadar personnel in Shahkas area in Jamrud tehsil of the
Khyber Agency. The sources said Havaldar Wahab and Khasadar Gul
Rahman were on their way in a car in Charmari Road in Shahkas
area when unidentified assailants opened fire on them, leaving
both dead on the spot.
A total of 92,702 families displaced
from NWA have been registered as the FDMA closed the registration
process on July 15, an official said. Addressing a press conference,
FDMA’s Director General Abid Majeed said the NADRA had verified
49,857 families and an amount of PKR 759 million had been distributed
among the IDPs so far while PKR 1226 million were transferred
to Askari Bank Limited for the electronic payment through Zong
SIMs.
|
July 21 |
The al Qaeda has confirmed that
the US drone strikes had killed six of its leaders in the Doga
Madakhel area of Dattakhel tehsil of NWA in FATA. Those killed
included Mustafa Abu Yazid, chief 'operational commander' of al
Qaeda and a close aide of Osama bin Laden, who had claimed responsibility
for the 2007 murder of Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan assured the United States
that Islamabad was addressing the threat of terrorism through
Operation Zarb-e-Azb which will ensure that there is no discrimination
or distinction between the several terrorist groups in NWA. Voices
have been raised in Washington that the army here is giving a
safe passage to the Haqqani Network.
On the other hand, Pakistan sought
the US intervention to stop the infiltration of militants into
its territory from the Afghanistan. The US intervention was sought
during a meeting between James Dobbins and Adviser to the Prime
Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz
at the Foreign Office.
|
July 23 |
At least 20 militants were killed
and their hideouts were destroyed when fighter jets pounded sanctuaries
in the mountainous Shawal Valley of NWA in FATA. According to
military officials, local and foreign militants had established
sanctuaries in the Shawal Valley.
A soldier was killed and two others
were injured in an IED blast in Baizai tehsil of Mohmand Agency.
Two brothers identified as Fareed
Khan and Waheed Khan, were injured in a blast in Manzari Cheena
area in Baizai tehsil.
SFs arrested five suspected militants
and seized weapons from them in a search operation in the Bara
tehsil area of Khyber Agency.
SFs seized an ammunition factory,
stockpile of arms, IEDs and foreign currency during a search operation
at the Mir Ali bazaar as part of the on-going Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
So far, troops have found six IED factories in Miranshah, ISPR
said.
|
July 24 |
A senior 'commander' of the TTP,
Amir Salam, was among five militants killed in the night in a
blast at a compound in Out Mela area of Orakzai Agency in FATA.
Two soldiers were killed after
an IED blew up near their vehicle close to the Pak-Afghan border
in the Ghulam Khan area of NWA.
The senior members of TTP rejected
media reports about the capture of bomb-maker and suicide bombers'
trainer Adnan Rasheed by the SFs. A section of the media had earlier
reported that he was the first high-profile militant commander
captured during the ongoing military offensive in North Waziristan
on June 15.
|
July 25 |
The Federal Minister for SAFRON
Lieutenant General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch revealed that the
military operation in NWA, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, will be concluded
within two weeks while the action in tribal areas will be completed
within a month since the troops engaged in yet another small adjoining
area of FATA.
|
July 27 |
Eight militants were killed during
ground Army operation in NWA of FATA. According to reports, five
hideouts of the militants were also destroyed in various areas
of Mir Ali sub-division. The troops have now started advancing
towards Khushali and Hasokhel area of Mir Ali to flush out terrorists.
A passenger coach driver, identified
as Aziz Khan Ghaljay was killed in an IED explosion at a roadside
in the Mirokas area of Kurram Agency. The passengers onboard,
however, remained unhurt.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said
that the Operation Zarb-e-Azb will continue till the achievement
of its objectives. He said the operation has been launched for
the elimination of terrorists and the armed forces of the country
will clear NWA in FATA of the terrorists. He further said that
the success of armed forces in the Mir Ali town is the reflection
of their strong will and determination.
A Spokesman for ISPR claimed that
70 percent of Mir Ali town in NWA and its neighbouring villages
have been cleared by the SFs. The spokesman said "Operation Zarb-i-Azb
continues to achieve its objectives and is progressing well in
North Waziristan." The spokesman further claimed that a total
of 570 terrorists have been killed since the start of Zarb-i-Azb
operation, 98 terrorist hideouts and 30 an IED factories, three
ammunition making factories and a number of suicide bomber training
centres were destroyed during the operation.
|
July 28 |
Suspected militants beheaded a
trooper, Attaullah, who was on leave, in Shingari area of Jamrud
tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. The sources said local tribesmen
recovered the beheaded body of Attaullah, in the seasonal stream
in Shingari area.
|
July 31 |
One Saifullah Malikdinkhel was
shot dead when unidentified assailants opened fire on him at Nullah
Yousaf Talab in Khyber Agency of FATA. He suffered severe injuries
and was shifted to a local hospital where he succumbed to his
injuries.
The beheaded body of one of the
two persons, who had been kidnapped a few days ago, was found
in Orakzai Agency. Two persons had been kidnapped by unknown people
from Kacha Pakka area for ransom some time back. They added that
the kidnappers had slaughtered Rahib Ali for not paying ransom
and dumped his body at Tanbi area of Orakzai.
|
August 1 |
Two militants were killed and
another sustained injuries in a clash between two groups in Akakhel
area of Bara subdivision in Khyber Agency of FATA. The sources
said the militants affiliated with Abdul Wali and Ghulchakai-led
groups exchanged gunfire. A militant belonging to Abdul Wali Group
was killed on the spot while two militants from each group were
wounded. One of the injured militants succumbed to his injuries
later.
One security official was killed
when militants attacked a Security Forces' check post in border
area of Ghakhai pass in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency. According
to ISPR, a group of militants entered Pakistani territory from
Afghanistan's Kunar province and attacked the border post in Ghakhai
pass area. The assault was carried out using heavy weaponry, killing
one FC official.
|
August 2 |
Three suspected militants were
killed during the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation in the Mir Ali
tehsil of NWA in FATA. According to official sources, a huge quantity
of arms was also recovered from the killed militants.
|
August 4 |
Seven Uzbek militants and two
soldiers were killed during the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in
Data Khel area of NWA of FATA. The soldiers were identified as
Subedar Mashkoor and Lans Naik Zaheer.
During search operation an IED-making
factory has been destroyed in Mir Ali and nearby places as well
as 75 rockets and suicide vests were recovered. Operation Zarb-e-Azb
in NWA is being continued successfully as Mir Ali, Miranshah,
Boya, Degan and Baka Khel have been cleared of militants, ISPR
reported.
The majority of Government schools
and colleges formally reopened in Bajaur Agency after a gap of
one and a half months. However, several educational institutions
continue to be closed with their teachers absenting themselves
from duty. All government and private schools and colleges in
the agency were closed in June for security reasons.
|
August 5 |
At least 30 militants were killed
in airstrikes carried out by fighter jets in Dattakhel, Marsikhel
and Kamsham areas of NWA in FATA. ISPR stated that six terrorist
hideouts were destroyed in the airstrike.
|
August 6 |
At least six suspected militants
were killed and two others were injured when a drone fired two
missiles in a house in a village in Dattakhel area of NWA in FATA.
The intelligence sources add that the militants killed were foreigners.
Three militants, including two
LI militants and one TI militant were killed as the two rival
militant outfits clashed in Zakhakhel area of Tirah Valley in
Khyber Agency. Three LI militants were captured by TI militants.
The two LI militants were identified as Aqeel and Baghi.
|
August 8 |
At least 22 mortars fired from
Paktia Province in Afghanistan landed in different parts of Dattakhel
tehsil of NWA in FATA. However, no loss of life was reported.
The residents of Ediak in NWA
refused to evacuate over the imminent military offensive against
militants in the area. The refusal comes two days after the administration
served notices on hundreds of the residents of Razmak, Spinwam,
Shewa, Shawal, Eidek and adjoining areas of the tribal agency
to shift to Bannu without delay. They were even offered free transport
for Bannu. The elders of tribesmen called a jirga to decide about
the future course of action. The participants unanimously decided
not to vacate their homes but said they would continue to be in
contact with the administration on the matter.
|
August 13 |
A tribal elder, Malik Abdul Hakeem,
survived a roadside bombing in Gulu Shah area of Khar tehsil in
Bajaur Agency of FATA. Malik Abdul Hakeem was driving in the Gulu
Shah area when an IED detonated near his vehicle. However, he
remains unhurt in the incident.
|
August 15 |
At least four suspected militants
were killed when SFs opened fire on an explosives-laden vehicle
in the Fort Slope area of Bara tehsil in the Khyber Agency of
FATA. SFs signalled a suspicious vehicle which was approaching
their base, directing it to stop but opened fire on it after the
vehicle failed to accord with the directive. The vehicle was completely
destroyed in the incident. Suspects killed in the attack were
reported to be affiliated with the Gangriz Group of the TTP.
Maulvi Halim Khan has replaced
militant 'commander' Hafiz Gul Bahadar as the chief of Shura Mujahideen
NWA. According to the sources, the decision, taken in a meeting
of the group's Shura, has been supported by both the TTP and the
Afghan Taliban, though none of them has issued a formal statement
to declare support for Maulvi Halim Khan.
|
August 17 |
Over a dozen teenagers who were
being trained by militants in NWA of FATA returned to their native
village of Sheikhan on the outskirts of the provincial capital
Peshawar, on instruction from their 'trainers'. While their families
are delighted to see them, a fear lingers that the mindset of
these boys may have been changed forever. Elders told The Express
Tribune that around 25 boys, aged between 14 and 18, were taken
from the village over the last five months, leaving their families
in a state of despair. Half returned after the start of the military
operation in NWA.
|
August 19 |
At least 48 suspected militants
were killed, seven hideouts, nine vehicles and several motorcycles
were destroyed in fresh air strikes carried out by fighter jets
and Cobra gunship helicopters in the Khyber and North Waziristan
Agencies of FATA. The ISPR press release said that the airstrikes
were carried out in the Kukikhel area of Tirah Valley in Khyber
Agency in which 18 suspected militants and seven suspected hideouts
were destroyed. Later, 30 more suspected militants were killed,
nine vehicles and several motorcycles belonging to suspected militants
were destroyed in fresh strikes carried out by Cobra gunship helicopters
in NWA.
Six persons were killed when a
remote-controlled explosive device went off in the Tangi area
of Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur Agency. The deceased include three
female teachers, two children and a driver. The explosive material
was planted along a roadside in the Tangi area which exploded
when the school van was passing through it.
|
August 21 |
Two drivers, identified as Juma
Khan and Mohammad Ayaz, were killed and two cleaners, identified
as Zabit Khan and Moin Khan, were injured when Jaish-e-Khorasan
(JeK) militants attacked the oil tankers at Sur Kamar area in
Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA. JeK 'spokesman' told the
reporters over phone that its `fighters' had carried out the attack.
The FATA Tribunal directed the
Political Agent of Khyber Agency to produce record of Shakil Afridi's
trial and conviction for links with LI. Shakil has moved the tribunal
against the upholding of his conviction by an appellate forum
of the FCR Commissioner. The Tribunal fixed the next hearing into
the petition for September 18, 2014, after directing the political
agent to produce the record of the case.
|
August 22 |
LI militants killed a tribesman,
identified as Nek Mohammad, for spying on the outfit in Speen
Drand locality of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency. According to
details, the man was shot dead and then his body was displayed
in an open area for several hours before being handed over to
his family.
The khasadar force recovered the
dead body of a man, identified as Salim Khan, dumped in a house
in Pump House locality near Ghundi in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber
Agency. The officials said that the man belonged to Sikanderkhel
sub-tribe of Kukikhel.
Later in the same Agency, the
administration sealed at least 90 shops of Turkhel tribesmen over
failure to check militant attacks on NATO vehicles in Sur Kamar
area of Jamrud tehsil.
The elders of NWA in FATA warned
that they will march on Islamabad and observe a protest sit-in
outside Parliament if they are forced to vacate school buildings
before August 30 according to the Government's decision. NWA Peace
Committee Chief Haji Sher Mohammad told a press conference at
Peshawar Press Club that about one million people had been displaced
due to military operation in the tribal agency, but the Federal
Government had failed to provide them adequate shelter in KP.
Malik Noor Rehman said that almost
25,000 displaced families had been accommodated in various Government
schools in, but now they had received a notice to vacate the schools
before August 30. He said that it was a great injustice with IDPs
and they could not tolerate it. He said that FDMA had set up a
helpline to solve the problems being faced by IDPs, but there
was no one to respond to the callers.
Female health workers won't take
part in the three-day anti-polio drive starting across Bajaur
Agency of FATA from August 25 due to security reasons. This was
informed by field supervisor medical officer Dr Inayatur Rehman
while talking to reporters on August 22. He informed that 694
teams had been formed to vaccinate 223,286 children in the agency
during the anti-polio drive.
Determined to fight terrorism
and violence, a jirga of the Salarzai tribe from Bajaur Agency
vowed to continue denying shelter to militants. The jirga reiterated
its stance against militancy to Political Agent Syed Abdul Jabbar
Shah and Commandant of Bajaur Scouts Colonel Amir Ali.
|
August 23 |
Five militants were killed and
three others were injured in a clash with a tribal militia in
Dana Khola area of Lower Orakzai Agency in FATA. The Officials
said that the local peace militia and militants exchanged fire
because militants attacked villagers residing in the area. According
to sources, the militants belonged to Momin Khan Group of Darra
Adamkhel Chapter of TTP.
A former spokesman of the Lashkar-e-Islam
(LI), Zar Khan, was killed in Sipah area of Bara tehsil of Khyber
Agency in FATA.
|
August 24 |
The political administration of
Bajaur Agency thwarted a terrorist bid and arrested two suspected
militants. Assistant Political Agent Sohail Ahmad said levies
officials stopped a car near the Pak-Afghan border at Zalam check
post and recovered explosives from the vehicle. He added that
200-metre cables used in remote-controlled bombs, 800 fuses and
200 kilogrammes of explosive were recovered from the militants.
Ahmad said the vehicle was impounded and the two men in the car
were shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation.
|
August 25 |
A truck driver and a cleaner were
killed as unidentified assailants attacked a tanker near Wazir
Dhand area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. The tanker
was transporting goods for NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan.
A 'commander' of the TTP was killed
and two others were injured in a remote-controlled IED blast in
the Mehrban Kalley area of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency. Official
sources said that the TTP 'commander' who was popularly known
as Khabare was the target of the blast.
Two levies personnel were injured
in a hand grenade attack on a check post in Parsh area of Khar
tehsil in Bajaur Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The political administration launched a search operation after
the incident but no arrests were made.
Khyber Agency MNA Alhaj Shahji
Gul Afridi claimed that a pamphlet supposedly issued by the TTP
Darra Adam Khel chapter, warning Kukikhel tribesmen not to meet
him was fake as it bore no signature or stamp. The pamphlet, circulated
in Jamrud, warned of attacks against Afridi and told tribesmen
to stop meeting him.
|
August 26 |
The political administration of
the Khyber Agency made public a list of 70 wanted militants who
the authorities say were involved in terrorist activities in the
Agency. The administration officials confirmed that the list of
wanted militants was prepared and that it had been made public
at the political authorities' offices in Jamrud tehsil of the
Agency.
The sources further said that
the move was intended at motivating the locals to help arrest
these elements who may be involved in militancy and other criminal
activities. The tribal elders have also been warned to hand over
the suspected militants nominated in the list to the administration
and failing to do so would attract strict action against their
tribes under collective responsibility laws.
The tribal elders of North Waziristan
Agency demanded the Government to give a time frame for return
of IDPs to their ancestral areas. "Whether we are going to go
home after two days or two years, we are ready to sacrifice for
our country but we should be given a date so we know when we are
going home," said Nisar Khan, a tribal elder who is also President
of North Waziristan Mutasireen (affected) Committee.
The Vice-Chancellor of Islamia
College University Peshawar Professor Ajmal Khan, who was abducted
on September 8, 2010, from Peshawar in KP was recovered by SFs
during the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation in NWA. He is the cousin
of ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan. TTP had claimed responsibility
for the abduction and had demanded PKR 500 million as ransom in
addition to release of dozens of militants held in various jails
of KP.
Key 'commanders' belonging to
the outlawed TTP announced the formation of a new group by the
name of TTP-Jama'at-ul-Ahrar, with Maulana Qasim Khurasani as
the new Ameer and also comprising of other 'commanders'. Former
TTP 'spokesperson' Ehsanullah Ehsan, who has been nominated as
the 'spokesman' for the splinter group, mostly comprising the
Mohmand Agency TTP Chapter said from an undisclosed location that
the new group was not willing to take sides in the current political
tussle in Islamabad as they only wanted the Shariah system to
prevail in the country.
|
August 28 |
Two security personnel were injured
when their vehicle was targeted in a remote-controlled IED blast
near Elbow Kandaow area of Mohmand Agency in FATA.
|
August 30 |
At least 32 militants were killed
when SFs targeted the suspected hideouts of militants as a part
of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA of FATA. The ISPR spokesman said
that the Army aviation gunship helicopters targeted the suspected
hideouts of miscreants in different areas of the tribal areas.
|
August 31 |
An official of the Khassadar Force,
identified as Hamidullah was killed and five others sustained
injuries when a group of unidentified militants opened indiscriminate
fire on a Khassadar check post in the Jamrud subdivision of Khyber
Agency.
|
September 1 |
The Defence Secretary Lieutenant
General (retired) Alam Khattak said that Security Forces were
conducting Operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA of FATA to cleanse terrorism.
"It is an across the board operation which is targeting all terror
groups," he said. He said that Pakistan had an important place
in the region and its Armed Forces were playing a key role in
stopping the spillover of war in Afghanistan. "We are the affectees
of terrorism, yet not only fighting it, but protecting the region,"
he added.
The FDMA has asked the Federal
Government to give it PKR 1.5 billion to cater for IDPs of NWA.
According to the relevant officials, the authority requires funds
to distribute cash to IDPs and fulfil their basic needs during
the current month. The Federal Government had announced payment
of PKR 12,000 monthly assistance to every IDP family of NWA. Only
the families, whose cases are okayed by the National Database
and Registration Authority are getting cash assistance. Until
now, the NADRA has verified 55,183 families. The FDMA had initially
registered a total of 95,830 displaced families.
|
September 3 |
A press release by the ISPR said
that 910 militants had been killed in the operation Zarb-e-Azb
that was launched in NWA of FATA on June 15. ISPR stated that
since the start of operation 82 soldiers had embraced martyrdom
in the entire country in the fight against terrorism and another
269 were injured. The 82 martyred soldiers include 42 in NWA,
23 in rest of FATA other than NWA and 17 in the remaining parts
of the country, including Balochistan and Karachi.
The ISPR said 88 kilometers long
road, Khajuri-Mir Ali-Miranshah-Dattakhel, and the Gharyom-Jhallar
road had been cleared. It stated that the SFs had cleared five
town including Miranshah, Mir Ali, Dattakhel, Boya and Degan,
which were considered the strongholds of terrorists. As many as
27 factories making IEDs and rocket and ammunition factories had
also been destroyed, it stated. It said a huge cache of arms and
ammunition, communication equipment and other logistics facilities
used by terrorists had been destroyed, uprooting their ability
to attack as a coherent force. It said that 2,274 Intelligence-led
coordinated counter terrorism operations had been carried out
throughout the country to forestall any blowback of the operation.
With regard to the relief work
for the IDPs, the press release said that about 19,376 tons ration
had been distributed among 97,570 IDP families at six relief distribution
points in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank. The ISPR said about
113,209 patients including 32,979 females had been treated at
field medical hospitals established by the Army Medical Corps
at Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital in Bannu. It stated that about 32,226
cattle had been treated whereas 73,338 cattle and 12,9141 poultry
had been vaccinated.
The Jamaat al-Ahrar, the new faction
of the TTP, has claimed that only 30 fighters were killed so far
in the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb by the Pakistan Army in NWA.
In a statement sent to the media, the Jamaat al-Ahrar 'spokesman'
Ehsanullah Ehsan said the SFs' claim of killing 910 militants
was baseless and unfounded. He said the media had been presenting
one-sided reports to the people without confirming these from
independent sources. He claimed that some five dozens civilians
had been killed during the shelling on the populated areas in
NWA.
|
September 7 |
Two militants were killed and
five others sustained injuries in a clash with the members of
pro-Government peace committee in Milward area of Akkakhel in
Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA. The sources said on receiving
information that a group of militants were hiding at a place in
Milward area, the armed members of the peace body besieged it,
triggering an exchange of fire. The sources said two militants
identified as 'commander' Siddique and Parrak were killed in the
exchange of fire while Saeed, Noor Gulab, Luqman, Kimya Gul and
Kimya Khan were wounded.
The IDPs from NWA threatened to
march on Islamabad if they were not repatriated within a week.
Speaking at a press conference at Bannu, the tribal elders including
Sherpao Mahsud of Tehrik-e-Mahsud Qabaail, Tribal Students Society,
Bannu University, president Asmatullah Wazir, Malik Khalid Khan,
Muhamamd Raza Dawar, Malik Noora Jan Mahsud, Tehseen Dawar and
Rahimullah said that the tribal people had always stood by the
Government and the Pakistan Army through thick and thin.
|
September 8 |
Army killed 10 militants, destroyed
an explosives cache and five vehicles in fresh air strikes as
part of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in Boya Degan area of NWA in FATA.
"The Army Aviation gunship helicopters struck in the area ahead
of Boya Degan in North Waziristan.
A Government-run school for girls
was blown up in Kamangara area of Nawagai tehsil in Bajaur Agency.
Federal Government, which had
promised unconditional support to people displaced by the ongoing
military operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA, has not released a single
penny to enable provision of medical relief to people who have
been dislodged from their homes and hearths in the wake of the
military operation.
European Union has agreed to provide
five million Euros for the welfare of IDPs of NWA. The Radio Pakistan
quoted the FATA Disaster Management Authority officials that the
EU will undertake a number of welfare projects for the IDPs in
collaboration with the World Food Programme, World Health Organisation,
International Committee of the Red Cross and Pakistan Red Crescent
Society. The main focus will be on providing shelter, food, drinking
water and healthcare to the IDPs.
|
September 9 |
Six militants, a civilian and
a soldier were killed in the ongoing operation Zarb-e-Azb in Datta
Khel area of NWA of FATA. According to the ISPR, clearance operation
would continue in the village and end soon once all militants
would be flushed out.
Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar approved
release of PKR 1.059 billion for the IDPs who had to flee their
homes as a result of operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA. "Rehabilitation
of the displaced people is the top priority of our Government
and we have a firm commitment to restore the normal life of the
people who have been supporting the government in its struggle
against terrorism," Ishaq Dar said. "Our government has so far
released a total of PKR 2.8 billion to FATA Disaster Management
Authority in four tranches," he said.
|
September 10 |
Sixty-five terrorists were killed
and five terrorist hideouts destroyed in air strikes by the PAF
jets in the NW) of FATA. ISPR said that the military first carried
out air strikes early on September 10 in the Dattakhel area of
NWA, killing 35 terrorists and later targeted a village in the
Shawal Valley, killing another 30. The PAF jets carried out precision
strikes after getting credible intelligence about the presence
of militants there.
The COAS General Raheel Sharif
said that the Operation Zarb-e-Azb would continue till the elimination
of last terrorist. He emphasised that terrorists would be pursued
even in the remotest areas and all their sanctuaries would be
taken out during the Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
Unidentified militants killed
a member of the Levies Force, identified as Nawab escorting an
anti-polio team in Damadola area in Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency.
The sources said the attack took place on the last day of a three-day
anti-polio campaign in Bajaur Agency. The immunisation drive continued
after the attack under stringent security.
|
September 12 |
Three cadres of Amr Bil Maroof
Wa Nahi Anil Munkar sustained injuries in a roadside blast in
Bar Qambarkhel in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA. The sources
said that the cadres, identified as Reshad, Haroon and Mumtaz,
were on their way to a village in a car when an explosive device
planted on roadside went off in Bar Qambarkhel.
Three watchmen of a market sustained
injuries when unidentified assailants lobbed a hand-grenade into
a room in Anjani Bazaar area of Orakzai Agency. Sources said Suleman,
Gul Khan and Nadir Khan were sitting in a room in Anjani Bazaar
when unidentified assailants persons hurled a hand- grenade into
the room around 5am early in the morning. As a result, the sources
said, all the three watchmen sustained critical wounds in the
attack.
A grid station was attacked with
an IED in Kalaya in Orakzai Agency. Source said a shopping bag
containing four kilogram of explosives had been placed near the
main entrance to the grid station.
Security Forces raided a house
near Landikotal College in Landikotal town of Khyber Agency and
arrested four terrorists. According to security officials, during
the raid, they also seized a suicide jacket.
|
September 13 |
Unidentified militants killed
a Khasadar force personnel along with his wife in Shalobar Qamberabad
of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. Official sources said the Khasadar
personnel was going out of his house in Shalobar Qamberabad when
the assault left him and his wife dead on the spot.
|
September 14 |
At least three militants and a
civilian were killed and another sustained injuries in cross-fire
erupted after attack on the convoy of the SFs in Dogra area in
Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency in FATA.
Three FC personnel were killed
and two others were injured in a rocket attack at Spinwam area
of NWA. Sources said that militants fired 20 rockets at an FC
fort due to which three FC personnel were killed and two others
were injured.
|
September 15 |
Military air strikes killed at
least 15 suspected militants in the NWA of FATA. A statement released
by the ISPR said that Army Aviation combat helicopters in precise
attack strikes in Tabai area of NWA also destroyed 10 explosive-laden
vehicles. Five terrorist hideouts were also destroyed in the action.
|
September 16 |
At least 20 militants and four
SF personnel of the Tochi Scouts Wing of the paramilitary FC were
killed and another sustained injuries when Afghanistan-based militants
attacked the Dandi Kach checkpost in Spinwam tehsil in NWA of
FATA. Sources said that some 700 Afghanistan-based militants stormed
the Dandi Kach checkpost near the Afghan border at around 6:20am
and killed four soldiers manning the picket. The slain soldiers
were identified as Lance Naik Hamid Akbar from Kohat, Lance Naik
Abid Jan from Charsadda, Lance Naik Sajid from Kohat and Abdul
Rahman.
SFs claimed to have killed 23
militants in air strikes by the PAF jet fighters in the Tirah
Valley of Khyber Agency. The ISPR press release said that the
jet fighters pounded the positions of militants in Dwa Toi, Tor
Darra and Wacha Wano areas in Tirah Valley. It said about 23 militants
were killed and five others injured in the bombardment. Three
hideouts and two ammunition dumps were also destroyed in Tor Darra
and Kukikhel areas during the bombardment. Official sources said
the dead and injured militants were affiliated with the Hafiz
Gul Bahadur group.
About 12 unidentified militants
attacked a pro-government tribal leader, Malik Khaista Gul's house
at midnight in Babi Khel area of Ghallanai tehsil in Mohmand Agency.
Militants lobbed a hand grenade and also fired rocket shells at
his house, a political administrator said. The tribal leader's
guards put up resistance and an exchange of fire ensued. Khaista
Gul's 12-year-old grandson was injured and the house partially
damaged. Another grandson of Khaista Gul had been killed by an
unidentified militant in 2013.
In Safi tehsil, marble mine owner
and tribal leader Malik Bakhtpoor was attacked in a similar manner.
A hand grenade was lobbed inside his house at night but no casualties
or damage to property was reported.
PM Nawaz Sharif said the Government
was trying its best to ensure the early repatriation of the IDPs
of NWA so that they could start afresh in an atmosphere of peace
and stability. The PM held a meeting with a large Jirga delegation
from the NWA, led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, at the PM House. Nawaz
said the brave people of the tribal areas, especially those belonging
to NWA, had given great sacrifices for long-term peace in Pakistan
for which the entire Pakistani nation was proud of them. He said
NWA would soon be cleared and expressed confidence that permanent
peace would be restored in the area.
|
September 17 |
PAF airstrikes destroyed five
militant hideouts and killed at least 40 suspected militants as
part of the on-going Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the Kiza Madakhel,
Datta Khel and Ezark areas of Datta Khel tehsil in NAW of FATA.
|
September 18 |
At least 23 militants were killed
in fresh airstrikes on militant hideouts in Ismail Khel and Zerom
areas of NWA in FATA. A statement issued by ISPR said that Pakistan
Army in an aerial action targeted militant hideouts in Zerom and
Ismail Khel area, killing at least 23 militants. These claims,
however, could not be independently verified as journalists have
limited access to the restive tribal agency.
The IDPs of NWA alleged that Police
and customs officials had been impounding their vehicles on refusal
to pay bribes at different checkpoints. "Police in different Districts
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have impounded our 21 vehicles in the name
of checking," said tribal elder Malik Zafarullah Wazir. He further
claimed that the Security Forces had already provided them the
NOC for use of NCP vehicles till their stay in the camps, but
the Police and customs officials were teasing them for obvious
reason to pay them money.
|
September 19 |
At least three LI militants were
killed in a remote-controlled blast in the Sipah area of Bara
tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. The militants were travelling
in their vehicle when they passed the area where they were hit
by an IED planted along a roadside. The vehicle was of LI 'commander'
Shams who was not present in it at the time of the explosion.
KP Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad
Khan said that phased return of 6,000 internally displaced families
of Bar Qambar Khel area of Khyber Agency in FATA to their homes
would start from September 23.
|
September 21 |
The TTP said that one of its senior
commanders Mohammad Hasan was killed in a recent clash with Army
during Operation Zarb-i-Azb in NWA of FATA. In a statement issued
by TTP 'spokesman' Shahidullah Shahid said Hasan, who hailed from
Kabul, was killed in clashes in Boya area of NWA. The statement
added that Hasan had recently been released from an Afghan prison
and had "reunited with his comrades" in Pakistan.
|
September 22 |
At least 23 militants were killed
in shelling by jet fighters and gunship helicopters in the Bangidar
area in North Waziristan Agency. Ten explosive stores and several
terrorist hideouts were also destroyed in the action.
Two SFs were killed and another
injured when an IED planted along the roadside exploded in the
FR Bannu.
Two bullet-riddled dead bodies
were found in a deserted place in Ashrafabad area of Baizai sub-division
of Mohmand Agency.
The CoAS, General Raheel Sharif
called on PM Nawaz Sharif and exchanged views on Operation Zarb-e-Azb
in North Waziristan Agency. He said the SFs have cleared some
90 per cent of areas of the militants in major towns in the region,
including its headquarters Miranshah and Mir Ali.
|
September 23 |
At least 19 militants were killed
in aerial strikes on militant hideouts in the Dandi Kachkol, Ghulam
Khan, Gurbaz, Mana, Pasht Ziarat areas of North Waziristan Agency.
A bomb planted near the house
of one Naimatullah by unidentified militants was defused by the
bomb disposal unit in Wazir Dhand area of Khyber Agency.
At least 27 persons, including
six wanted militants, were arrested in a targeted search operation
in the Lashora and Wanu Mela areas of Jamrud tehsil in
Khyber Agency.
|
September 24 |
At least 13 militants were killed
in air strikes by the PAF jets in the Surkas, Dwatoi and Gharbay
Kandao areas of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency. Local sources said
an Uzbek 'commander' was among those killed in the air strikes.
The targeted areas were inhabited by the Kukikhel tribe.
10 Uzbek militants were killed
when a US drone hit a vehicle in the Lowra Mandai area of Dattakhel
tehsil in North Waziristan Agency. Government condemned
the drone strike. "The government of Pakistan condemns the incident
of US drone strike that took place in Dattakhel, North Waziristan
on Wednesday, 24 September 2014," a statement from Foreign Office
said.
SFs recovered arms and explosives
from the Ashkhel mountain Range in Landikotal tehsil of
Khyber Agency.
Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant
General Khalid Rabbani called for action against terrorist groups
in southern Punjab and Balochistan, saying the 'successful' Zarb-e-Azb
operation was not enough to end the terrorist threat in the country.
"Terrorism cannot be eliminated without intelligence-based operations
throughout the country - particularly in Southern Punjab and Sindh,"
he said. He called for greater focus of these operations in Southern
Punjab and Balochistan and a stronger political backing for these
actions.
|
September 25 |
SF took into custody four persons
from a house during a search operation in the Landi Kotal area
of Khyber Agency. During the raid, a huge cache of arms and ammunition
was also recovered from the possession of the suspects.
|
September 26 |
Two activists of an anti-Taliban
peace committee were killed and another seriously injured in an
IED blast in the Dawezai area of Pandyali tehsil of Mohmand
Agency. JuA claimed responsibility for the attack. The 'spokesman'
of JuA Ehsanullah Ehsan said that they have targeted the peace
committee members for fighting and spying against Taliban. He
said that such attacks on 'pro-government paid people' would continue
as they were enemies of Taliban.
The four suspected militants killed
in the Fort Slope area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency
on August 14, 2014, were identified as TTP and LI militants. While
three of them were identified as TTP 'commanders', Jamil alias
Jangrez, Shahid and Balage, another one was identified as LI 'commander',
Raid Khan.
|
September 27 |
SFs thwarted militants attack
on a check-post in Jamrud Bazaar in Khyber Agency of the FATA
and killed at least six militants in retaliatory fire. The SFs
have launched search operation in the area.
|
September 28 |
At least 15 terrorists were killed
in air strikes by SFs in the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation in Shawal
area of North Waziristan Agency.
US drone strike killed four suspected
militants, including two Arab militants, in a compound in Wana
area of South Waziristan Agency.
TTP militants shot dead the leader
of Qaumi Lashkar, Gul Akbar, and injured his driver, Noudiyar,
in Dara area of Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur Agency. TTP 'spokesperson'
Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
|
September 29 |
Five militants were killed and
four others were injured in a blast that occurred at the Lashkar-e-Islam
base in Kandao area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency of FATA.
Two SFs were injured in a roadside
remote-controlled IED blast in Spinwam area of North Waziristan
Agency.
|
October 2 |
At least 15 militants were killed
in jet strikes in the Jamrud and Bara areas in Khyber Agency of
FATA.
|
October 5 |
At least five militants were killed
in a US drone strike in Shawal area of South Waziristan Agency
in FATA.
|
October 6 |
At least eight militants were
killed and four others were injured in a US drone strike in Bari
Mail area of Shawal Valley in North Waziristan Agency of FATA.
It was the fourth drone strike in last two weeks in the tribal
belt.
Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel
Sharif announced that 14,000 youths will be inducted into the
Army from tribal region of Waziristan over the next five years.
|
October 7 |
At least three militants were
killed and five others were injured in a US drone strike in Madakhel
Kunar Sar area of Dattakhel tehsil in NWA of FATA.
|
October 9 |
At least four suspected militants
were killed and three others were injured in a US drone strike
in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA.
At least three persons, including
a polio worker, were killed in a blast in Alemgar area of Safi
tehsil in Mohmand Agency of FATA. Official sources said that suspected
militants had planted the IED in front of the house of a local
named Taj Gul, killing one of his sons Sakhi Gul and his nephew
Maskeen on the spot while his other son Muhammad Agul, who is
a Union Council polio worker, was left injured. The administration
officials said the injured polio worker was shifted to Camp Hospital
in Muhammad Gat where he succumbed to his wounds.
Six persons, including a pro-government
tribal chief, were injured in Ghakhi area of Salarzai tehsil in
Bajaur Agency when a vehicle was attacked by militants via a remote-controlled
bomb. No group or individual has claimed responsibility the attack.
|
October 10 |
Three suspected militants and
a security official were killed in an exchange of fire between
SFs and militants during a search operation in Prang Dara area
of Haleemzai tehsil in Mohmand Agency of FATA.
One person, identified as Baa
Khan, was killed and another, identified as Mashal Khan, was injured
in an IED blast in Landi Noor Village of Wana Town in South Waziristan
Agency.
|
October 11 |
At least four suspected militants,
including a local Taliban ‘commander’, were killed in yet another
US drone strike in the Shawal tehsil of NWA in FATA, raising the
toll from a series of attacks this week to 29. Intelligence sources
said that a US drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in Maraga
area of Shawal tehsil in which the four suspected militants, including
the Taliban ‘commander’, identified as Mustafa, belonging to the
Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of TTP, have died in the strike.
An unidentified person was killed
and another injured when a roadside IED went off on Dolat Moosa
road in the Sipah area of Orakzai Agency in FATA. Sources said
that a car was also damaged in the explosion.
|
October 12 |
According to ISPR, 11 militants
were killed in the airstrikes and two hideouts were also destroyed
in the Bangidar area of NWA in FATA.
At least 10 militants were killed
in the Kukikhel area of Khyber Agency. Three hideouts were also
destroyed.
|
October 15 |
Seven people were killed and 17
others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up
at a Jirga of the Zakhakhel Amn Lashkar in the Pir Mela area of
Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency of FATA. The sources said the Jirga
of the Zakhakhel Amn Lashkar was taking place in the main bazaar
when a suicide bomber arrived there and detonated the explosives
strapped to his body.
A volunteer of a peace committee
was killed and another sustained injuries as militants attacked
a post in Qandaharo area of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency.
Four soldiers were injured in
a bomb blast in Warsak area of North Waziristan Agency. The blast
occurred when a forces vehicle was passing through Warsak.
|
October 16 |
Twenty-one militants were killed
and several others sustained injuries when jet fighters pounded
their hideouts in the Tirah Valley and Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency
in FATA. The ISPR said the jet fighters pounded the militant's
hideouts in Akakhel, Sipah, Kamarkhel and Akakhel Zawa areas of
the Khyber Agency, destroying five hideouts.
SFs recovered arms, ammunition,
and body of a suspected militant who was killed last week during
a clash with the forces in Sahib Cheena area of Halimzai tehsil
in Mohmand Agency.
A soldier sustained injuries while
defusing a roadside bomb in Safi tehsil. The sources said militants
had planted explosives at the roadside near the Said Khan Kor
where the SFs were conducting a search operation.
|
October 17 |
Eight militants and a soldier
were killed as SFs launched the "Operation Khyber-1" in the Akakhel
area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. The sources said
three hideouts of the militants were also destroyed in the operation.
|
October 18 |
Two Dir Scouts officials were
killed and two others injured when their vehicle struck an IED
in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur Agency.
|
October 19 |
At least 37 militants were killed
and 50 others, including important 'commanders', were surrendered
to the SFs in operation Khyber-I, which successfully continued
for the third consecutive day in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency
in FATA. SFs have launched military operation Khyber-I in the
Agency to eliminate militants amid Zarb-e-Azb operation in North
Waziristan.
|
October 20 |
Four bullet-riddled bodies were
recovered from Akakhel area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency
of FATA.
Unidentified militants abducted
a FC soldier from Akakhel area of Bara in Khyber Agency. The official
had come home on leave from Karachi.
A group of 80 militants renounced
insurgency and laid down their weapons. The group, led by 'commander'
Haji Faqeer, was associated with LI and was active in the Shalobar
area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency.
|
October 21 |
The PAF fighter jets blitzed suspected
terrorist hideouts in Madakhel, Dattakhel and Shawal Valley of
North Waziristan Agency in the FATA and reportedly killed 30 militants,
including a TTP 'commander' Daud Wazir, and injured dozen others.
Sources said that 'commander' Daud was a resident of Doga Madakhel
and was an important commander of Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of
TTP.
A man was killed when a mortar
shell fired from Afghanistan hit a house in Charmang Babra area
of Nawagai tehsil in Bajaur Agency. The sources said that
two mortar shells were fired from Kunar province of Afghanistan
and one of the shells hit a house in Charmang Babra and killed
one local, identified as Sher Ali.
Three security forces personnel
were injured in Ghakhi area in Bajaur Agency when unidentified
militants opened fire from across the border in Afghanistan.
A tribal elder Malik Muhammad
Jamal was on his way home from the mosque when an explosive device
planted by militants went off in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur Agency.
He sustained critical injuries.
Militants had threatened to target
polio teams participating in the ongoing polio drive. Pamphlets
were distributed in different areas of Bajaur Agency warning the
tribesmen of dire consequences for continuing the anti-polio campaign.
|
October 22 |
Two security personnel were killed
and three others injured in a rocket attack by the militants on
a fort in Dattakhel area of NWA in FATA. Official sources said
that the militants fired five rockets on the SFs camp and the
SF responded to the attack with fire.
Two children died as a mortar
shell hit a house in the Sipah area of Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.
Three persons were injured when
a remote-controlled blast targeted a polio team in Dabara area
of Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency. The injured included two Levies
personnel on security duty and a driver.
|
October 23 |
Six militants, two civilians and
a soldier were killed in fresh clashes during Operation Khyber-1
in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA. The militants killed
in clashes were reported to be affiliated with LI. The sources
said unidentified militants opened fire on a soldier with sniper
gun in the Aziz Market in Akakhel area, leaving him dead on the
spot. Two soldiers sustained injuries in a roadside blast in the
Seyal Khan Killay in Akakhel, the sources added.
Two persons were killed and another
was injured when SFs fired at them in Seyal Khan Killay. It was
learnt that the soldiers mistook them for militants.
Two persons were wounded when
a mortar shell hit a vehicle carrying the displaced persons in
the Alamgudar area. The injured Sawab Khan and Alam belonged to
the Qambarkhel tribe.
According to reports, more than
50 terrorists have been killed in Bara and Tirah Valley during
the seven days of Operation Khyber-1. Moreover, a total of 6,000
families have moved to safer places.
|
October 24 |
Authorities seized an explosive-laden
vehicle meant for a terror attack at Landi Kotal Bazaar of Khyber
Agency in FATA. The vehicle contained 250 kilogrammes of explosives
and the bomb would have been devastating if detonated, security
officials said.
|
October 27 |
At least 33 militants
were killed when jets and helicopter gunships attacked suspected
militant hideouts in Dattakhel and Gharlamai Districts of North
Waziristan Agency in FATA. “In two different aerial engagements
in North Waziristan today, nine terrorist hideouts were destroyed
killing a total of 33 terrorists,” a military statement said.
Local security officials said the militants killed in the Dattakhel
area were mostly Uzbeks and others belonged to the Haqqani Network.
At least nine FC
soldiers were injured when militants targeted a Security Forces
vehicle with an IED in Charmang tehsil of Bajaur Agency.
Unidentified militants
blew up Government Primary School, Sultan Khel, in Akakhel area
of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. However, no casualties were reported.
|
October 29 |
At least 21 terrorists
and eight soldiers were killed during a ‘clearance operation’
codenamed Khyber-I in the Spin Qamar area of Khyber Agency in
FATA. “Twenty-one terrorists were killed and several others injured
during a major clearance operation in Khyber Agency by Security
Forces on Wednesday,” the ISPR said in a statement.
|
October 30 |
At least 20 militants
were killed and five militant hideouts were destroyed during targeted
aerial strikes by fighter jets in Akakhel, Tirah and other areas
of the Khyber Agency in FATA. The ISPR, in a statement said that
the fighter aircraft struck militant hideouts as part of ongoing
Khyber Operation-1. The details, however, could not be verified
as access for journalists is restricted in the area.
A US drone strike
killed at least seven militants, including the important ‘commander’
of the Haqqani network, Abdullah Haqqani, in Nargas village of
Birmal area in SWA. “At least seven militants were killed in the
drone strike,” an intelligence official based in Wana said, adding
that the dead included four foreigners and Abdullah Haqqani. “Abdullah
Haqqani (the commander) was responsible for sending suicide bombers
to Afghanistan”.
Foreign office spokesperson
Tasnim Aslam said that out of the total 67,120 people who migrated
to Afghanistan since the launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb in NWA,
38,000 have returned. Aslam told journalists that 3 million Afghan
refugees are currently in the country and Pakistan would like
to see them return to their country willingly and in a respectful
manner adding that the understanding with UNHCR on the matter
is expiring in 2015.
|
November 1 |
At least 20 militants
and six personnel of SFs were killed and three others were injured
in an attack against a check post in Lower Orakzai Agency of FATA.
The militants attacked the Zwan security checkpost, killing six
SFs.
A soldier of Bajaur
Levies forces was killed and another was injured in an IED explosion
while they were on routine patrolling in Qamar Sar area of Mamond
tehsil in Bajaur Agency.
Eight persons kidnapped
in Orakzai Agency four months ago were safely released by their
captors on October 30in Orakzai Agency. The Political Agent of
the Agency Zubair Khan said that these people were abducted when
they were travelling through the Marai area of the region. Those
set free were identified as Muhamamd Raouf, Qadam Khan, Mehmood,
Muhamamd Usman, Faizullah, Naveed Ali, Sabir Ali, and Kiramat
Ali.
|
November 2 |
Five LI militants
and a soldier were killed in a clash during the Operation Khyber-1
in the Akakhel area of Khyber Agency in FATA.
Five militants were
killed when SFs pounded their hideouts in the Shireen Darra mountains
of Orakzai Agency with heavy weapons. Sources said the militants
fired 10 rockets from the mountain peaks in Shireen Darra and
one of the shells landed close to the Levies Force check post
adjacent to the Headquarters Chowk. A civilian identified as Din
Gul died and four Levies soldiers sustained injuries in the attack.
SFs killed five militants in retaliatory fire.
Three civilians,
including two women, were killed and five others sustained injuries
when mortar shells fired from unknown location hit houses in the
Daroadda area in Akakhel of Khyber Agency.
One person was killed
in another firing incident in Alamgudar area of Akakhel. Sources
said Muhammad Ali along his friend was on his way home from Alamgudar
when unidentified people fired at them, killing Muhammad Ali on
the spot while his friend sustained injuries.
Two persons, including
personnel of Khasadar Force, were killed and three others, including
a child, also sustained injuries when two mortars landed in Kalaya
town of Orakzai Agency.
|
November 4 |
At least five suspected
militants were killed and eight others were injured as SFs targeted
militant hideouts in the Drewand, Aarinam Wanra, and Zor kaley
areas of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency of FATA. According to sources,
the SFs destroyed four militant hideouts that belonged to the
LI.
Two SFs and two TI
peace committee volunteers were killed in two consecutive bomb
blasts in Paindi Cheena area of Zakhakhel in Landikotal tehsil
of Khyber Agency.
|
November 5 |
At least 10 LI militants
were killed when SFs pounded their hideout in Tirah Valley of
Khyber Agency in FATA.
Two mourners, identified
as Mir Ahmed Khan and Ghulam Akbar, were killed and 28 others
were injured when militants fired rockets at Ashura (10th day
of Muharram) procession that was taken out from an Imambargah
(Shia place of commemoration) in Merazai area of Lower Orakzai
Agency.
10 suspected militants
have been arrested during a search operation by security forces
in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency.
30 militants, including
LI 'commanders' surrendered to the authorities in Bara tehsil
of Khyber Agency. They said that 'commander' Kandahar, the chief
of his own militant group of Zakhakhel tribe, had surrendered
along with dozens of his companions in the Agency. The sources
said that commander Kandahar and his companions laid down arms
and vowed not to challenge the writ of the state.
|
November 7 |
Seven peace volunteers
were killed and two injured in twin bomb attacks on peace militia
volunteers in the Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency in FATA. The first
IED planted by the roadside was detonated when two volunteers
of a peace committee drove past on a motorcycle in the Chinari
area. The volunteers, identified as Mussawar and Nazeer were critically
wounded. When the injured were being shifted to a nearby coach,
a second IED went off, killing Mussawar, Nazeer and five others,
including coach driver Akhtar Gul, Muswair Vilayat Khan and Ali
Saeed. Mussawar, Nazeer are said to be relatives of peace committee
leader Darya Khan. The Jamaatul Ahrar fraction of TTP claimed
responsibility for the attack.
Six suspected militants
were killed and 10 others injured when jet fighters pounded Akakhel
and Sepah areas of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency. The sources
said the jet fighters targeted hideouts of the militants affiliated
with the Mangal Bagh-led LI and the TTP in which two of their
hideouts were also destroyed.
A passenger van hit
an explosive device in which four persons including the driver,
Ali Muhammad, Akhtar Gul, Qahar and Wilayat were killed on the
spot at Ghallanai area of Mohmand Agency. Two other persons Nawaz
and Aqeel Said were wounded in the blast.
|
November 8 |
Dead bodies of 17
militants were recovered from the Spin Qabar area of Tirah valley
in Khyber Agency of FATA. However, these claims could not be independently
verified as journalists have limited access to the restive tribal
agency.
One militant was
killed and four others arrested during a search operation conducted
by SFs in the Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency. The SFs also seized
large cache arms and ammunition during the search operation.
|
November 9 |
At least 27 militants
were killed while two soldiers also died as SFs carried out aerial
strikes in Akakhel and Tirah areas of Khyber Agency in FATA. Ten
militants’ hideouts and an ammunition depot were also destroyed,
an ISPR statement said, adding that those killed included a key
militant commander and two suicide bombers.
With SFs targeting
hideouts of LI in Khyber Agency, TTP ‘chief’ Maulvi Fazalullah
announced his group will cooperate with the LI. “Some of the TTP
fighters have already been dispatched to Khyber Agency and others
should wait for further instructions. They should arm themselves
and start physical and spiritual preparations,” said Fazalullah.
With the Operation
Khyber-1 against the LI in Khyber Agency completing its three
weeks, the number of displaced families from both Tirah and Bara
has reached 34,054. According to the FDMA data released on Friday,
245,482 people, including 136,713 children and 55,229 women, moved
out of Akkakhel, Sipah, Akkakhel and Kamarkhel areas of Tirah
and Bara during the last three weeks. The FDMA had established
four registration points for the dislocated Bara and Tirah families
soon after the start of the Khyber One operation.
The CoAS General
Raheel Sharif opened a key road in the South Waziristan Agency
that will facilitate trade with neighbouring Afghanistan. The
Central Trade Corridor (CTC) is a strategic road link to facilitate
trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and will directly and indirectly
help revive the local economy in the country’s tribal regions
and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Amy said. An international standard,
705-km-long road network through the southern parts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, the CTC is being built by army engineers
and funded by friendly countries, an Army statement said.
|
November 10 |
At least four militants and two
soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire during clearance operation
near the Afghan border in Gharlamai area of North Waziristan Agency
in FATA.
Two persons were killed and two
others were injured in two separate IED blasts that took place
in the Narai Baba area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency. According
to official sources, the first blast occurred near a peace committee
post and left one person dead, who was said to be a peace volunteer
of Tauheedul Islam. Two other TI activists also sustained injuries
in the explosion. In the second explosion, another peace committee
volunteer was killed.
Three key ‘commanders’ of LI surrendered
to authorities after laying down their arms. Official sources
say that the newly appointed ‘spokesman’ of the LI Saifullah Saif,
Commander Ilyas and Commander Wajid announced that they were leaving
the LI and have surrendered. Saifullah Saif belongs to the Qambar
Khel tribe, Ilyas to Sipah area, while Commander Wajid is from
the Malik Din Khel tribe.
Khyber Agency Political Agent
Shahab Ali Shah said that the security of militants who surrendered
during Operation Khyber-I is the Government’s responsibility.
While addressing a news conference at Khyber House, Shah said
the Government would provide security to militants and members
of banned outfits who surrendered.
The JuA fraction of TTP confirmed
the death of one of its key ‘commanders’ in latest air strikes
in Khyber Agency. JuA ‘spokesperson’ Ehsanullah Ehsan said their
commander Abu Jandal was killed in the bombing on November 9.
“Abu Jandal belonged to Mohmand Agency and had been operating
from Khyber agency,” said Ehsan. “Yesterday on 9/11/14, enemy
indiscriminately bombed the area and as a result Commander Abu
Jandal of TTP Jamaatul Ahrar embraced shahadat,” Ehsan said in
a statement.
|
November 11 |
At least 15 militants and six
security personnel injured during a clash between militants and
SF personnel in the Shirin Dara area of Orakzai Agency in FATA.
SF personnel in precise aerial
strikes in Daras area of Khyber Agency killed 13 militants including
some foreigners. “Strikes were carried out on credible intelligence
about presence of terrorists involved in Wagah border suicide
attack,” said a statement issued by the ISPR. During the strikes,
fighter jets destroyed three militant hideouts including an ammunition
depot. Intelligence sources believe that the mastermind and handlers
of Wagah border incident might be among the dead. The information,
however, could not be verified independently due to restricted
access for journalists in the area.
Nine militants were killed and
12 others injured in a clash between SF personnel and militants
in the Akakhel area of Bara tehsil. According to sources, four
key militant commanders have also surrendered to the authorities
following the clash.
The SF personnel are successfully
moving forward with their military offensive operation ‘Khyber-1’
which is aimed at flushing out militants from Khyber Agency. According
to ISPR, approximately 135 militants have been killed whereas
250 have been arrested, including some key commanders, since the
start of the operation.
Six militants were killed in a
US drone strike in Doa Toi area of Dattakhel tehsil in NWA. Intelligence
sources said that US drone fired two missiles on a compound and
a vehicle in Doa Toi area killing six suspected militants and
destroyed the compound.
Three Levies officials were killed
while two other officials injured when an IED planted by the roadside
blew up in Chargo area of Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur Agency while
escorting polio teams. A political administration officer, Sahibzada
was also hurt in the blast.
|
November 12 |
At least 19 militants were killed
during air strikes in Sandapal and Akakhel areas of Khyber Agency
in FATA. According to the ISPR, an important militant 'commander'
was also killed. Furthermore, the air strikes destroyed at least
five militant hideouts and an ammunition depot in the area.
COAS General Raheel Sharif during
the 176th Corps Commanders Conference decided to further scale
up the two major military operations simultaneously underway in
North Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency, in order to derive
maximum results before the advent of tough weather. According
to an intelligence official privy to the meeting’s details, the
COAS gave a go-ahead to scale up the military operations in the
two tribal agencies in order to secure control of the major part
of the respective areas before snowfall in FATA.
|
November 13 |
Five militants were killed, including
a key LI 'commander' Spinbat, in a clash with peace committee
members of TI in Narai Baba area of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency
of FATA. Official sources said that the militants attacked the
peace committee volunteers which led to a gun battle between the
two groups. Seven TI peace volunteers were injured in the clash.
Chairman of the NDMA Major General
Mohammad Saeed Aleem said that the reconstruction of installations
damaged during the ongoing operation against militants in North
Waziristan Agency would take two years and in separate phases
to complete and would cost PKR 75 billion. He said, "In the
first phase, the urban areas would be made hospitable, which includes
construction of houses and markets and the repair of roads, schools
and hospitals. Large-scale reconstruction of the region would
take place in the second phase."
|
November 14 |
At least 30 suspected militants
were killed and a number of militant hideouts were destroyed in
Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA. According to
the ISPR, foreign militants were among the 30 who were killed
when jet fighters carried out airstrikes in the area.
Militants beheaded a tribesman
in public after accusing him of spying for SFs in Mehraban Kalay
area of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency. According to sources, the
militants ordered local people not to remove the body till evening.
Volunteers of the pro-government
TI abducted two sympathisers of LI, identified as Niaz and Mehrab
Gul, and took them to an unspecified location.
SFs and local political administration
extended the deadline to November 15, 2014, for Sipah and Malikdinkhel
tribes to vacate their homes. The deadline was extended after
tribal elders sought more time to shift families to safe places.
SFs in Kamar Khel area ordered
residents to stay indoors at night and warned that anyone violating
the order would be shot.
At least 39 LI militants, including
their two leaders Akbar and Javed, surrendered to SFs in Khyber
Agency.
The FDMA said that 53,819 families
comprising 364,960 people have so far moved out of Bara and Tirah
valley. There are 213,195 children and 77,319 women among them.
The authority said that each family had been provided with one
meal, free transportation and emergency health care. Children
under the age of five have been vaccinated against polio.
A statement issued in Peshawar
(provincial capital of KP), the FATA Secretariat said that the
Pakistan Government is set to launch FM radio stations in all
seven Tribal Agencies with a plan of disseminating information
to counter militant propaganda in the area bordering Afghanistan.
It also said that a central production house will also be set
up at the Secretariat. Additional Chief Secretary FATA, Azam Khan
directed the authorities to make arrangements for setting up the
radio stations in all tribal agencies of FATA.
|
November 16 |
At least 34 terrorists were killed
during the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in Dattakhel area of NWA
in FATA. According to ISPR, some important militant 'commanders'
and foreign terrorists were among those killed.
Seven militants were killed in
an encounter with SFs during a search operation in Datta Khel
area.
Four soldiers were killed and
at least eight were missing after militants using rockets and
grenades stormed Spara Gher checkpoint in Dattakhel area. Three
unnamed military sources said a major was among those killed in
the attack. 11 others soldiers were injured in the attack.
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November 17 |
At least 27 terrorists, including
key 'commander' and foreigners, were killed in an air raid carried
out by SFs in Dattakhel area. Three soldiers, including an Army
officer were also killed in the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
The Army said that 10 militants
surrendered to SFs along with their weapons and ammunition in
Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency in FATA. In a short statement to
media, the ISPR said 350 militants have so far surrendered to
SFs since the start of Operation Khyber-1 last month. The total
number includes more than 20 key militant commanders, said the
statement. On November 14, 39 militants belonging to LI surrendered
to SFs – the largest group of militants to give up arms since
the launching of the intelligence-based operation. The military
launched the offensive on October 16 with air strikes against
LI hideouts in the areas of Tirah and Bara controlled by militant
‘commander’ Mangal Bagh. The Tariq Afridi group of TTP also controls
several parts of Tirah valley, but the outfit joined hands with
LI chief Mangal Bagh after he invited all militant groups to come
to Bara and fight against SFs following the launch of the military
operation.
According to ISPR sources, at
least 135 militants have been killed and at least 250 arrested
since the start of the operation. The FDMA says 53,819 families
comprising 364,960 people have so far moved out of Bara and Tirah
valley. There are 213,195 children and 77,319 women among them.
ISPR said that the Haqqani Network
in the tribal areas is a thing of the past. Talking to Voice of
America, ISPR Director General Major General Asim Bajwa said SFs
are now engaged in clearing peripheral areas of the agency. Ruling
out any discrimination in the operation he said sanctuary of Afghanistan’s
Haqqani Network in Pakistan’s tribal areas is a thing of the past.
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November 18 |
At least six militants, including
an alleged ‘key commander’, were killed in military air strikes
in Malikdin Khel area of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency of FATA.
Military jets targeted suspected militant hideouts in various
areas of the region killing six militants and wounding several
others. The identity of the commander killed in the strikes was
being ascertained.
Two persons, including a student,
were killed and another injured in a roadside blast in Nastikot
area near Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency. The sources
said that a school van was carrying children to school when it
hit a landmine planted at the roadside in Nastikot area. Official
sources said that a student identified as Mehdi Hussan and driver
Qaiser Hussain were killed on the spot while another student Rahila,
who is also daughter of the driver, sustained critical injuries.
A man identified as Javed Hussain
was injured in another blast in Pewar area in Kurram Agency. Javed,
who returned home from abroad, stepped on a mine and sustained
injuries in the subsequent explosion.
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November 19 |
About 9,300 more families have
been displaced during the ongoing military operation ‘Khyber-I’
launched in Bara and Tirah valley of Khyber Agency in FATA. Director
General FDMA Anila Durrani said a summary for according uniform
status to all IDPs had already been put up to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Governor for approval.
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November 20 |
Six militants were killed and
three others sustained injuries in a US drone attack on a house
in the Madakhel village of NWA in FATA. Official sources said
the drone fired two missiles at a house where local and foreign
militants were reported to have been hiding.
The spokesman of AQIS, Osama Mahmood
confirmed that his organization’s No. 2 key leaders Major (retd)
Adil Abdul Quddus, Dr Sarbuland alias Abu Khalid and his two sons
were killed in a US drone strike in Pak-Afghan border area on
November 9. According to details, Major (retd) Adil was brother
in law of Dr Sarbuland alias Abu Khalid. It is relevant to mention
here that mastermind of 9/11 attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, had
been arrested from the residence of Major (retd) Adil’s brother
from Rawalpindi in March 2003. Major (retd) Adil had also been
nabbed after the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and later sentenced
in Pakistani prison for six years. Major (retd) Adil was court-martialed
and released in 2008 after completing his term in prison. The
release further stated that Dr. Sarbuland was a competent surgeon,
as well as a finest instructor of battlefield. He fought both
against the Russia and the US,” said the group’s spokesperson.
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November 21 |
At least 22 militants were killed
as targeted aerial strikes struck militant hideouts in various
parts of Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in FATA. The ISPR confirmed
that the jets strikes destroyed many of the militant hideouts.
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November 22 |
At least three LI militants were
killed and two others were injured in a clash between LI militants
and a local peace committee member of TI in Naraye Baba area of
Tirah valley in Khyber Agency of FATA. Sources added that the
death toll from the skirmish is likely to rise.
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November 24 |
A key commander of LI, Noor Zadin,
was beheaded by unidentified assailants in Tirah Valley of Bara
tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. Sources said that Noor
Zadin was beheaded and his body dumped in a hilly area in Akakhel.
However, the reasons behind the killing could not be known. No
group has claimed responsibility for the beheading so far.
The SFs and the pro-Government
peace committee based in Bara launched a search operation against
the militants in Akakhel area and arrested 100 suspects. According
to the sources, the security forces and the peace body led by
Haji Faqir, a former commander of the LI, jointly launched search
operation against the militants belonging to various tribes, including
Shalobar, Malikdinkhel and Akakhel. The search operation has been
going on for the last five days.
Polio vaccination began in South
Waziristan on November 24 after a break of two-and-a-half years.
WHO has termed it a positive development for the eradication of
polio virus from the country. TTP had imposed a ban on polio vaccination
in June 2012 after it was revealed that a physician, Dr Shakeel
Afridi, had helped CIA run a fake hepatitis vaccine programme
in Abbottabad, to confirm Osama bin Laden's presence in the city
by obtaining DNA samples.
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November 25 |
At least 20 militants were killed
and eight others were injured in air strikes in the Dattakhel
area of North Waziristan Agency in FATA. According to ISPR, the
airstrikes were carried out in the Dattakhel area where Operation
Zarb-i-Azb is under way.
Two personnel of the FWO went
missing near the Pak-Afghan Torkham border area in the Khyber
Agency. Sources in the political administration confirmed that
the two personnel had gone missing. They also suspect that the
missing personnel may have crossed the border into Afghanistan.
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November 26 |
Seven militants were killed when
US drone fired two missiles at a house in the Shawal area of NWA
in FATA. "According to intercepts of the internal conversations
of militants, seven militants died in the drone strike," one official
said on condition of anonymity. There was no further information
about the identity of the militants due to a lack of communication
in the area.
Two bullet-riddled bodies were
found from Kalanga area in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency. The dead
bodies were identified as Musawir Khan and Fazal Rahman.
The ISIS distributed pamphlets
in Wana area of the SWA, demanding cooperation of the people.
According to details, the pamphlets issued warning to the authorities
who are against extremist activities. Pamphlets by the ISIS also
made an appeal to the residents of the area to cooperate with
ISIS. According to the pamphlets, ISIS would counter its opposition
in every district and village. Furthermore, pamphlets also state
that they have got permission of the chief of the ISIS to conduct
counter attacks.
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November 28 |
Eleven militants were killed and
five of their hideouts destroyed in air strikes in Kukikhel area
of in Tirah valley of FATA. Official sources said that eight militants
belonging to the Tariq Afridi faction of TTP were killed when
military planes bombed their hideouts in Tor Darra, Sur Kas, Sra
Vela and Wacho Wany areas. Three LI militants were killed in similar
attacks in Naakai area of Malikdin Khel and Gaary area of Qambar
Khel. Five hideouts were destroyed.
SFs put on fire some houses of
militants affiliated with the LI. An unspecified number of civilians,
including three teenagers, were released by SFs after questioning.
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November 30 |
Two key TTP 'commanders', Abubakar
and Wajid, were killed in a clash with the SFs in Lashora area
of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA.
Several militant hideouts were
destroyed in Hassan Khel area of FR Peshawar during a SFs operation.
The operation was launched after midnight of November 29 when
a large contingent of the Pakistan Army, armed with mortar batteries,
stealthily entered the area and surrounded the hilly terrain.
Army targeted militant hideouts deep within the mountain ranges
by early morning. The militants offered some resistance before
disappearing into the heavily-forested hills.
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December 5 |
Pakistan's military killed Adnan
el Shukrijumah (39), a Saudi national and senior al Qaeda commander
along with his associate and a local facilitator in Wana, the
headquarters of South Waziristan tribal region of FATA in a predawn
ground raid on a militant hideout close to the border with Afghanistan.
One soldier was also killed and another wounded during the raid.
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December 7 |
The ISPR said that up to 30 militants
were killed when militants' hideouts were pounded in Mra Panga
and Masdaq villages of the Dattakhel area in NWA of FATA on strong
intelligence reports about the presence of Hafiz Gul Bahadur and
his deputy Maulvi Sadiq Noor there.
Four soldiers and 12 militants
were killed while four troops sustained injuries when militants
attacked a bunker of SFs in the Akakhel area of Tirah Valley in
Khyber Agency. Sources said that dozens of LI and the TTP militants
stormed the bunker from two directions with heavy weapons in the
Akakhel area.
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December 9 |
At least 11 militants were killed
and 12 others injured as jet fighters struck militant hideouts
in Kukikhel, Malikdin Khel, and Akakhel areas of Tirah Valley
in Khyber Agency of FATA. A statement issued by the ISPR said
that jet fighters targeted and destroyed three militant bases
in the fresh airstrike.
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December 10 |
Two LI militants were killed in
clashes with pro-government peace committee TI in Bara tehsil
of Khyber Agency in FATA. Also, the sources said the peace body
volunteers captured the bunker of the militants.
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December 14 |
Five suspected militants were
killed and 10 others sustained injuries in a clash with SFs in
the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in FATA. The sources said the
militants belonging to the LI and TTP equipped with heavy weapons
attacked a bunker of SFs in the Tirah Valley in the night of December
13. The soldiers at the checkpost repulsed the attack, killing
five militants and injuring 10 others.
Unidentified militants kidnapped
and killed a retired Levies Hawaldar, Jamal Hussain, belonging
to Tori tribe, in Tangey area of Kurram Agency.
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December 17 |
The DG ISPR, Major General Asim
Bajwa said Pakistan Army launched 20 air strikes including "dynamic
targeting" killing 57 terrorists in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency
in FATA. The attacks were carried out in Garhi, Dars, Dwa Thoe
and Thor Darra areas of Tirah Valley.
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December 18 |
Twenty militants, including an
important Uzbek commander, Islamuddin, were killed when the PAF
jet fighters blitzed their hideouts in the Akakhel, Sepah and
Kukikhel areas of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency of FATA. The sources
said the jet fighters targeted the hideouts of LI-led by Mangal
Bagh and TTP-Tariq group, in different areas of Tirah valley.
10 militants were killed and two
were seriously injured in a ground action at Malak Shaga Nullah
near Warwandu Mella and Hossai Nullah in Bajaur Agency. Six-eight
militants managed to escape. Two security personnel were wounded
and others were chasing the fleeing militants.
Earlier in the day, three personnel
of FC were killed in a remote controlled bomb blast in the Damadola
area in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency. Sources said that militants
had planted an IED on roadside in the Damadola area and targeted
the personnel of FC when they were returning after performing
duty at a checkpoint. Three personnel identified as Hanif, Awal
Khan and Gul Said were killed on the spot. The TTP claimed responsibility
for the attack.
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December 19 |
Five militants, including the
brother of one of the masterminds of the APS attack in Peshawar,
were killed in the night in an encounter with Security Forces
in Koi Hassan Khel area of FR Peshawar. An official of the political
administration said that the SFs handed over to them the dead
bodies of the militants killed in an exchange of fire in a cricket
ground in Koi Hassan Khel. "One of them has been identified as
Mustafa alias Manan, a resident of Adezai and brother of Orangzeb
alias Umar alias Naray, the current Amir 'chief' of TTP-Darra
Adam Khel Chapter, who is said to be one of the many masterminds
of the APS attack," the official said.
"Another has been identified as
Hidayat alias Saleem, while three bodies are yet to be identified,"
he added. Further, the official said that the militants were on
the run following the recent military operations and the group's
head was hiding somewhere in Afghanistan. "These people used the
cover of the night for their movement and security forces had
information about it so they intercepted then," the official said.
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December 20 |
At least 21 militants, belonging
to TTP and LI, were killed and six others were injured when PAF
fighter jets bombed the militants' hideouts in Tirah Valley of
Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Also, seven
hideouts were completely destroyed in the aerial strikes.
US drone strike fired two missiles
and killed at least six suspected terrorists in Mada Khail neighborhood
of Datta Khail in North Waziristan Agency. "The death toll is
expected to rise," said an unnamed senior security official. The
incident was confirmed by local intelligence sources.
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December 21 |
At least 25 militants were killed
and three soldiers sustained injuries in a clash at Baghzai check
post in the Shawal area of South Waziristan Agency in FATA. The
sources said about 200 militants, equipped with light and heavy
weapons, in the small hours of Sunday attacked the Baghzai check
post manned by the Pakistan Army 30-Baloch Regiment in the Shawal
area.
Unidentified assailants shot dead
a tribal elder, Malik Faqir Jan, in Mundan area of Kurram Agency.
The sources said that Malik Faqir Jan was on way to Sadda bazaar
from central Kurram Agency when unidentified assailants opened
fire on his vehicle in Mundan area. Malik Faqir was killed on
the spot while his driver sustained critical injuries.
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December 23 |
Six militants were killed in a clash during a
search operation in Halki Gandhab area of Mohmand Agency in FATA.
Sources said that personnel of the Swat Scouts were conducting
a search operation in Halki Gandhab when militants attacked the
search party. The soldiers repulsed the attack and killed six
militants in the retaliatory fire.
Security personnel recovered six bullet-riddled
bodies from the Yakagund area of Mohmand Agency. Official sources
said the victims had been shot dead and their bodies were dumped
in Yakagund.
A body bearing torture marks was found in Naye
Abade area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency.
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December 25 |
One tribal elder, Malik Badshah Khan Sikandar
Khel, was shot dead in Malak Shaga locality of Ghundi when he
was going to Jamrud bazaar in Khyber Agency of FATA. SFs reached
the area swiftly and shot dead a suspected militant and arrested
five of his accomplices. SFs combed the Ghundi area after the
incident and picked up at least 45 suspects.
One Zai Khan Kattakhel was killed by unidentified
assailants on a motorcycle in Shah Kas area of Jamrud.
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December 26 |
At least 23 militants were killed during airstrikes
conducted by military fighter jets targeting militant hideouts
in Madakhel, Lataka and Basikel areas of Dattakhel in NWA of FATA.
At least six hideouts were destroyed. The airstrikes targeted
the hideouts of Uzbek militants and there are reports that a key
'commander' is among the dead.
At least seven terrorists were killed and five
others sustained injuries in two US drone attacks targeting two
compounds of TTP-Punjab Chapter militants (also known as Punjabi
Taliban) in the Shawal area of NWA. According to sources, the
first drone fired two missiles and struck a compound at Kand Ghar
area in Shawal Valley. "Four militants were killed and three others
sustained critical injuries in the first attack," said an unnamed
official. In the second attack, the sources said, the drone fired
two missiles and hit a house in the Mangroti area in the Shawal
Valley where Punjabi Taliban militants were hiding. According
to official sources, three militants were killed and two others
were injured in the missile strikes. Some reports suggested that
three Uzbek militants were also killed in the two drone strikes
carried out by the US drone.
SFs seized a huge quantity of arms and explosives,
including 22 mortar shells, 66 landmines and 35 kilograms of explosives,
from a house during a search operation in Lakaro area of Safi
tehsil in Mohmand Agency. Sources added that the SFs have also
recovered rockets from the house.
Unnamed official sources said that the SFs have
formally cleared most of Bara tehsil of militants setting the
stage for the repatriation of around 100,000 displaced families
next week. The sources said that last week, the Civil Secretariat
(FATA) withdrew the notification, which was issued some years
ago to declare most parts of Khyber Agency's Bara tehsil conflict
zone, after the SFs restored peace there by eliminating militants.
They said the FDMA had sought PKR 3.5 billion
from the Federal Government for the repatriation of IDPs to Khyber
Agency. An official said the FDMA had asked the finance division
to release the required amount of money immediately to start repatriation
of IDPs from January 15, 2015.
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December 27 |
At least 12 militants were killed and five SFs
were injured when SFs repulsed attacks on two check posts in Shindara
and Khazana Kandao area of Orakzai Agency in FATA.
|
December 29 |
Three SF personnel were injured in an IED explosion
near a vehicle of the SFs carrying oil on Khapakh Road of Safi
tehsil in Mohammad Agency of FATA on the afternoon. The vehicle
was also partially damaged. After the explosion, the political
administration demolished the house of a suspect identified as
Arif, while six tribesmen were arrested under the collective responsibility
clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations.
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December 30 |
One SFs personnel was killed while two others
were severely injured in two separate IED blasts in Qandharo area
of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency of FATA.
Unidentified militants set fire to two primary
schools at Manndan and Kanddali Baba areas of Kurram Agency. Amjad
Ali Khan, the Agency's top administrative official, said that
the attackers had doused furniture with petrol before setting
it ablaze. All the wooden benches and desks along with school
records were destroyed and buildings were damaged, Khan said.
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December 31 |
At least 23 militants were killed when PAF fighter
jets pounded suspected militant positions in the Shawal area of
North Waziristan Agency in FATA. The ISPR in a statement said
four terrorists' hideouts were destroyed through what it termed
"effective and precise aerial strikes" in the Shawal area.
A militant was killed in a clash with the SFs
in Ghundi area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency. Sources said
that a group of militants attacked a checkpost in Ghundi area.
The SFs repulsed the attack and killed a militant identified as
Fazlur Rehman in the ensuing clash. The sources said that another
militant, who sustained injuries in the clash, managed to escape
from the scene.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad
Khan has said that the FIWA will be formed to improve infrastructure
facilities in tribal areas, especially the transportation, power
generation and public services. He said this during a presentation
on concept clearance paper on the establishment of FIWA at the
provincial Governor's house. FATA Additional Chief Secretary Muhammad
Azam Khan briefed the Governor on the concept paper. The Governor
said that FATA region needed to be developed, adding that FIWA
should be established. He also stressed certain priority aspects
to ensure sustainability and maintenance of the infrastructure
in FATA.
The Government's infrastructures worth one billion
rupees have been turned into rubble in the conflict-stricken NWA
of FATA, a damage need assessment report said. The Line Departments
of Civil Secretariat, FATA have carried out damage need assessment
survey of the Government owned properties in Mir Ali and Miranshah
sub-divisions of NWA. Survey of the damaged infrastructure was
conducted after security forces cleared these areas of militants.
The report said that 115 facilities including education and health
and 102 kilometres roads had been either completely or partially
damaged in the affected areas. Officials said that assessment
was carried out in August 2014.
Militancy and disproportionate use of force have
caused massive collateral damage to the properties in other tribal
agencies too. Earlier, damage need assessment survey carried out
under the supervision of FDMA revealed that over 60,000 houses
had been damaged in Orakzai, Khyber, South Waziristan and Kurram
agencies.
The report said that reconstruction of the damaged
facilities required Rs1.79 billion. Sector-wise breakup is that
total 31 educational institutions (six 100 per cent, nine 50 per
cent and 16 20 per cent), eight health facilities, two buildings
of the works and services department, 13 facilities of livestock,
seven agriculture, eight public health engineering, 35 municipal
committee including 21 shops, two sport facilities and 19 irrigation
department have been damaged.
According to the report, 102 kilometres road have
been damaged in different areas and repair cost is PKR 229 million.
The report said that estimated cost of the reconstruction of educational
institutions was PKR 67.135 million, facilities of irrigation
department PKR 181 million, buildings of works and services PKR
200 million and health facilities PKR 288 million.
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Source:Compiled from news reports
and are provisional.
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