Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

India-Pakistan

Security forces kill seven terrorists trying to infiltrate Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan

2024-04-18

[GEO.TV] Security forces have killed seven Death Eaters trying to infiltrate the Pakistain-Afghanistan border
...also known as Pashtunistan, home of ignorance, poverty, and automatic weapons...
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s North Wazoo district, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the security forces on April 16 (Tuesday) detected a movement of a group of seven ~~Death Eaters~~ near the Pakistain-Afghanistan border in Spinkai area of Ghulam Khan in the tribal district.

"The infiltrators were surrounded, effectively engaged and after an intense fire exchange, all seven territories were sent to hell," it added.

A large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered from the killed terrorists, the statement added.

The statement highlighted that Pakistain has consistently been asking the Taliban
Taliban

...mindless ferocity in a turban...
-led interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border.

The military urged the interim rulers to fulfill their obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Death Eaters for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistain.

"Security forces of Pakistain are determined and remain committed to securing its borders and eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country," read the ISPR’s statement.

Pakistain has time and again urged the Afghan authorities to take meaningful action against Death Eaters using the neighbouring country’s soil to launch attacks inside Pakistain.

Last month, Pakistain carried out an intelligence-based anti-terrorist operation inside Afghanistan on, whose prime target was the Death Eaters belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur'>Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
Group along with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP).

Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group had earlier grabbed credit for the terrorist attack.

"This group is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistain, resulting in death of hundreds of civilians and law-enforcement officials. The latest attack took place on 16 March 2024 at a security post in Mir Ali in North Waziristan and claimed the lives of seven Pak soldiers," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 18 after over 13 hours after the operation.

A day earlier, Pakistain Army’s top commanders were briefed on how terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan pose a threat to regional and global security, besides acting as proxies against Pakistain and its economic interests, especially the China-Pakistain Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Link

India-Pakistan

Islamabad not seeking armed conflict with Kabul, says defence minister

2024-03-22

Of course. They’d much rather the Taliban simply surrender to their manifestly superior force, not to mention Allah’s clear will in this matter.

[GEO.TV] Days after Pakistain hit outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
Pakistain (TTP) targets inside Afghanistan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Islamabad does not want any "armed conflict" with Kabul.

"Force is the last resort. We do not want to have an armed conflict with Afghanistan," Asif said while speaking to the Voice of America.

The defence minister's remarks come as the neighbouring countries have experienced a spike in their already tense bilateral relations over increasing terrorist attacks by the TTP and other banned outfits, which are based in Afghanistan, inside Pak territory.

On Monday, Pakistain carried out intelligence-based operations (IBOs) targeting TTP's Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
Group which is responsible for the March 16 attack in Mir Ali, North Wazoo and multiple other terrorist attacks in the country.

Islamabad's action came following a deadly attack on Pak forces which resulted in the martyrdom of seven soldiers including a lieutenant colonel and captain.

Pakistain has repeatedly called on the Afghan interim government to prevent its soil from being used against Pakistain by TTP and other holy warrior organizations — a claim vehemently denied by Kabul.

'NOT LET TTP START A WAR'
Terming Pakistain's military action inside Afghanistan as a necessary message against increasing cross-border terrorism, the minister called on the Afghan interim regime to "control" the TTP and "not let them start a war" with Pakistain while living in Afghanistan.

"We cannot continue like this," he said, adding that Islamabad will be forced to retaliate if the TTP continues its attacks.

Elaborating on the prospects of bilateral trade and prospects of providing an economic corridor to Kabul, owing to the country being landlocked, Asif questioned why Islamabad should entertain such a possibility if the neighbouring country treats it "like an enemy".

As reported by the VOA, around 5,000 to 6,000 TTP fighters reside in Afghanistan after being driven out of Pak territory owing to the military's wide-scale anti-terror operation in erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the border with Afghanistan.

Furthermore, United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
' assessments also confirm TTP's presence in Afghanistan, the publication added.

Expressing his views on TTP's presence inside Afghanistan, the defence minister said that the holy warrior group was "being allowed" to operate as part of the interim Afghan government's bid to prevent its fighters from joining IS-Khorasan Province (ISKP) — a rival group which has been engaged in armed conflict with the Afghan regime.

Link

Afghanistan

Pakistan hits TTP hideouts in border regions inside Afghanistan amid spike in terror attacks

2024-03-19

[GEO.TV] Pak forces this morning carried out intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the border regions inside Afghanistan against snuffies launching attacks in Pakistain from Afghan soil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Monday.

The target of today’s operation was the snuffies belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
Group, which along with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
Pakistain (TTP), is responsible for the March 16 attack in Mir Ali, North Wazoo and multiple other terrorist attacks in the country, resulting in deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials.

On Saturday, at least seven Pakistain Army soldiers — including a lieutenant colonel and captain — embraced martyrdom after gallantly fighting with snuffies as they attacked a security forces' post in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The Foreign Office (FO) issued a detailed statement on the matter, saying that Pakistain, for the past two years, has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns to the interim Afghan Government over the presence of terror outfits including TTP inside Afghanistan.

It said that these snuffies pose a grave threat to Pakistain’s security and have consistently used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pak territory.

Pakistain accords prime importance to the illusory sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. It has, therefore, always prioritised dialogue and cooperation to confront the terrorist threat.

"We have repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete and effective action to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used as a staging ground for terrorism against Pakistain. We have also called on them to deny safe havens to TTP and to hand over its leadership to Pakistain," the FO said.

The statement added that Pakistain has great respect for the people of Afghanistan; however, certain elements among those in power in Afghanistan are actively patronising TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistain.

"Such an approach against a brotherly country, which stood with the people of Afghanistan through thick and thin, manifests shortsightedness. It ignores the support extended by Pakistain to the people of Afghanistan over the last several decades.

"We urge these elements in power to rethink the policy of siding with Khwarij snuffies shedding the blood of innocent Paks and to make a clear choice to stand with the people of Pakistain," it added.

The FO further stated that terrorist groups like TTP are a collective threat to regional peace and security.

"We fully realise the challenge Afghan authorities face in combating the threat posed by the TTP. Pakistain would therefore continue to work towards finding joint solutions in countering terrorism and to prevent any terrorist organization from sabotaging bilateral relations with Afghanistan," the statement concluded.

However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
the Afghan Taliban claimed that two air strikes carried out inside Afghanistan by Pak forces had killed right people in the war-torn country.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a front man of the Taliban administration, in a Rooters report.

He added that the strikes took place in the eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika
...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo...

Link

India-Pakistan

Pakistan blames Afghan national for suicide bombing that killed two civilians

2023-11-28

[AMU.TV] A suicide kaboom in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu District, affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
Group, killed at least two civilians and left 10 others injured, including three Pak soldiers, as reported by the military’s media wing on Monday.

According to Pakistain’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the jacket wallah responsible for the attack was identified as an Afghan national.

The tragic incident occurred in the Bakka Khel area on Sunday, where a cycle of violence-borne suicide bomber detonated explosives.

Out of the maimed, seven were civilians, while three were soldiers, the ISPR stated. A sanitization operation is underway in the area to eliminate any remaining terrorists.

"The security forces of Pakistain are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism, and such sacrifices of our brave civilians and soldiers further strengthen our resolve," affirmed the ISPR.

The group responsible for the bombing is a faction of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
Pakistain (TTP). Pakistain has witnessed a surge in terrorism in recent months, with the TTP and other murderous Moslem outfits intensifying actions against security forces. In response, the state has launched operations to curb terrorism.

A report released by Pakistain’s Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in October highlighted that security forces lost at least 386 personnel in the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
were identified as the primary centers of violence, contributing to nearly 94% of all fatalities and 89% of recorded attacks, encompassing incidents of terrorism and security forces operations during this period.

Link

India-Pakistan

Key commander among seven ‘militants’ arrested in N.Wazoo

2023-05-02

[Dawn] Seven bully boys, including a key commander, were arrested in an intelligence-based operation in North Wazoo

Wazoo, the military’s media wing has claimed.

According to a statement by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security forces, on Monday, launched the operation in Miranshah
... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas...
following intelligence information about the presence of alleged bully boys.

The arrested bully boys, including a commander Mehtab alias Lala, were affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
group, ISPR said.

The Death Eaters were allegedly involved in several terror activities, including the killings of security personnel and innocent citizens, ISPR said, adding that they were wanted by the security agencies.The locals appreciated the operation and assured their support in eliminating the menace of terrorism, the statement claimed.

Link

Afghanistan

Daily Evacuation Brief March 13, 2023

2023-03-13

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS

ISIS CLAIMS MAZAR-I-SHARIF JOURNALIST ATTACK — ISIS announced via Telegram that it was responsible for yesterday’s heinous attack at a gathering of journalists in Mazar-i-Sharif. Casualty counts remain disputed. It is most commonly reported that 1 bodyguard was killed, 5 journalists were injured, and 3 children were injured. However, the Afghanistan Independent Journalist’s Association reports that 14 journalists were injured. A few unverified reports indicate that Taliban officials have prevented some of the injured journalists from returning home from the hospital despite being in good condition.

TRADE BETWEEN KABUL AND ASTANA HITS NEW HIGH — Following a meeting between the Taliban acting Foreign Minister and Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, it was announced that trade between Kabul and Astana had reached $900 million (up from $300 million the year prior and $620.7 million in 2020) reflecting the Taliban’s expanding relationship with Kazakhstan.

DIASPORA AROUND GLOBE LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO GET TALIBAN BANNED FROM TWITTER — Afghan diaspora activists in Stockholm, London, and San Francisco launched a global protest movement calling for Elon Musk to ban the Taliban from Twitter. They claim that keeping the Taliban platformed enables them to promote terrorism. Supportive posts have exploded across social media under the hashtag #BanTaliban.

PAKISTANI TALIBAN FACTION ANNOUNCE BEGINNING OF SPRING FIGHTING SEASON — Hafiz Gul Bahadur, leader of a Pakistani Taliban faction based in North Waziristan, announced the beginning of the spring fighting season for his group. As temperatures increase around the region, the traditional fighting season will grow increasingly intense.

NEXT 24 HOURS
CENTRAL BANK TO AUCTION $16 MILLION USD — DAB plans to auction an additional $16 million USD to bolster the Afghani. Central Bank supreme council member Shah Mohammad Mehrabi recently boasted that the Taliban had been able to stabilize the Afghani due to successful monetary policy efforts such as this.

Link

India-Pakistan

3 terrorists killed, 4 apprehended in North Waziristan operations: ISPR

2022-07-24

[Dawn] Says all Death Eaters were affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
group.

Security forces killed three and apprehended four Death Eaters during two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in North Wazoo

Wazoo district on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing.

The Inter-Services Public Relations statement said a high-value terrorist commander, along with three other Death Eaters, was captured in an injured condition in the first operation. It added that three bad boyz were potted in a second operation.

"Weapons, ammunition and IEDs (improvised bombs) were also recovered. All the Death Eaters (killed and apprehended) were affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.

"These Death Eaters remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces, extortion for ransom and killing of innocent citizens," the ISPR said.

On July 13, the ISPR said security forces killed six Death Eaters during an IBO in North Waziristan’s Dattakhel area. A soldier was also martyred.

Clashes between security forces and suspected Death Eaters in North Waziristan tribal district have become quite frequent in recent months.

Late last month, two soldiers were martyred and seven Death Eaters killed during an exchange of fire in North Waziristan’s Ghulam Khan Kalle area.

Link

India-Pakistan

Security Forces Gun Down 3 Terrorists in an Encounter in North Waziristan: ISPR

2021-02-18

[DailyTimes.pk] During an intelligence based operation (IBO), security forces killed 3 Lions of Islam from the Aleem Khan Khushali group. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) the encounter took place in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s North Wazoo

Wazoo district on Tuesday.

"These Lions of Islam were involved in murder, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, fire raid on security forces and improvised bomb (IED) explosions," ISPR added. "Sanitisation of the area was carried out."

As told by military’s media wing the operation was carried out after the security forces noticed the presence of Lions of Islam in a compound in North Waziristan’s area Mir Ali.

The ISPR said that 42-year-old resident of Chitral Naib Subedar Aminullah and a 24-year-old resident of Landi Kotal Sepoy Sher Zamin embraced martyrdom and four other security personnel received injuries during the operation.

Previously two bad boyz were potted on 18th January during an IBO in Nargosa area of South Waziristan The military’s media wing further added to the previous operation that "During an intense fire, two Lions of Islam Usman Ali and Waheed Lashtai were killed and one was injured and apprehended".

Related from January 6:

Waziristan Militant Leader Aleem Khan Ustad Joins Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

[Defence.pk] On December 15, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), appeared in a video released by Umar Media, the official media arm of TTP (Umar Media, December 15). This video demonstrated a continuation of the series of mergers of Pakistani jihadist groups into TTP, which started in July 2020.

The video contains footage of the bay’ah (oath of allegiance) ceremonies of two jihadist organizations from Waziristan, Pakistan, including Mulawi Aleem Khan Ustad, and Commander Umar Azzam groups. Khan is a powerful jihadist commander who joined TTP with nine commanders and dozens of fighters (Tribal News, November 28).

TTP announced the mergers of both groups into its ranks on November 27 (Umar Media, November 27). The video shows that the merger ceremony apparently took place outside Afghanistan, most probably in Waziristan’s remote areas bordering the country. The footages include video clips of both commanders’ oath-taking, holding Mahsud’s hands and announcing their pledges of allegiance to him.

WHO IS MULAWI ALEEM KHAN USTAD?
Aleem Khan is from the tribal North Waziristan district, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which served as the base of al-Qaeda for more than a decade after 9/11, from 2004 to 2015 (Asia Times, November 5). Khan was deputy to Hafiz Gul Bahadur—the al-Qaeda host and shadow governor of Waziristan (Gandhara, March 16, 2015). The Gul Bahadur group became the largest local group in Waziristan between 2008 and 2014 and even hosted TTP in North Waziristan after the organization lost its strongholds in neighboring South Waziristan.

Gul Bahadur’s decline started after the 2014 military operation in North Waziristan, when the jihadists escaping that military operation sought shelter in Afghanistan. [1] Khan disassociated from Bahadur that same year and since then has operated independently (The News, August 20, 2014).

During this period, serious differences emerged that would divide Khan and Bahadur, resulting in the latter ultimately seeking leadership of the group (The News, August 20, 2014). Bahadur alleged that Khan was in league with the Pakistani government, and in return was receiving protection for his areas and tribesmen from military operations. As a reaction to this accusation, Khan announced that he was now emir of the group, removing Bahadur, who had moved to the Afghanistan side of the border to escape military operations.

A few months later, Aleem Khan somewhat confirmed what Bahadur had accused him of when he surprisingly announced an end to the war against the Pakistani Army, and offered his group’s assistance in returning the internally displaced people (IDPs) of North Waziristan back to their homes. Like thousands of others from North Waziristan, these IDPs had left their homes due to the military operations that took place in 2014. His group had taken responsibility for restoring peace in North Waziristan and threatened military operations against all those aiming to engage in an insurgency against the state (Daily Pakistan, March 16 2015).

Thus, the merger of the Aleem Khan group into TTP is important from two perspectives. First, it is a major blow to the Pakistani Army’s efforts to coopt the anti-state militants in Waziristan for peace and the restoration of government authority in the area (Gandahara, July 24 2018). Second, Khan’s bay’ah to TTP is the first time that a jihadist group from North Waziristan is joining the organization. It is particularly signicant that Khan’s group is a strong splinter of the Gul Bahadur organization.

The TTP and the Gul Bahadur group share a history of rivalry rooted in the tribal politics of the region. The senior leadership of al-Qaeda, particularly its Afghanistan-Pakistan chief, Mustafa Abu Yazid, tried to unify the TTP and Bahadur group, but the latter did not accept it for long [2]. Gul Bahadur’s rejection has roots in the historical tribal feuds between Mehsuds and Wazir tribes of Waziristan. The Wazirs considers themselves superior to Mehsuds [3]. Thus, Gul Bahadur, being the strongest leader of the Wazir tribes, never agreed to merge into TTP, which was led by the Mehsuds.

Link

India-Pakistan

Hafiz Gul Bahadur group targeted in N Waziristan drone strike

2015-01-05

[DAWN] A drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region's Shawal valley area killed eight people and wounded two others on Sunday. This is the first drone attack of the new year in Pakistan.

Sources says that the drone targeted a compound belonging to an Uzbek commander of the Taliban's Hafiz Gul Bahadur group. The area which was hit is the Wacha Basti village near Alwara Mandi in Datakhel.

Sources added that a high-value target may have been killed in the strike but his identity could not be ascertained yet.

Fear and panic gripped the area as drones were seen flying above in the skies after the attack.

Shawal valley lies on the border of Pakistan's North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areaa.

North Waziristan is among Pakistan?s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among others.

Drone attacks are widely unpopular across Pakistan and according to survey conducted in June 2013, 66 per cent of the country's citizens oppose these strikes.

Link

India-Pakistan

U.S. Drone Strike Targeting Warlord Kills 6 in NW Pakistan

2015-01-05

[AnNahar] A U.S. drone strike targeting a Taliban-linked warlord killed at least six Lions of Islam in Pakistain's restive tribal region near the Afghan border Sunday morning, Pak security officials said.

The strike was aimed the stronghold of prominent warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
, as well as the nearby base of an Uzbek commander in North

Wazoo, one of seven semi-autonomous tribal districts that border Afghanistan.

"A U.S. drone fired two missiles which hit a compound and a vehicle in Alwara Mandi of North Waziristan... killing six terrorists," a security bigshot told Agence La Belle France Presse, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
.

The area has been a hub for al-Qaeda and Talibs since the early 2000s.

Another security official confirmed the strike and casualties.

The area is generally off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to independently verify the number and identity of the dead.

The Pak military launched a major offensive in the area in June and says it has killed more than 1,700 Lions of Islam so far, with 126 soldiers having bit the dust.

Bahadur, once seen as "pro-Pak," is unhappy with the military offensive in North Waziristan. He is aligned with the feared Haqqani network, which is frequently accused of sending fighters and jacket wallahs against U.S. and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

The latest strikes came after Pakistain ramped up its anti-terror strategy in the wake of a December 16 attack on an army-run school in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
which killed 150 people, 134 of them children.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
has announced the establishment of military courts for terror-related cases in order to accelerate trials, and the premier has also lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty, reinstating it for terrorism-related cases.

Link

India-Pakistan

US drone strike in Pakistan kills 5 militants

2014-12-21

[Ynet] A US drone fired two missiles at myrmidon hideout in northwestern Pakistain on Saturday, killing at least five Taliban fighters, two security officials said.

In a separate operation, the military said Pak security forces killed five "terrorists" on the outskirts of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
, where the Pak Taliban carried out a school massacre earlier this week, killing 148 people, mainly children.

The drone strike took place in the town of Datta Khel in North

Wazoo, where Pak troops have been carrying out a major operation against local and foreign Lions of Islam since June, the officials said.

The officials said the men killed in the drone strike fought under local Pak Taliban capo Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
. It was not immediately clear if the drone strike was connected to the school massacre.

Link

India-Pakistan

Al Qaeda leader among six killed in drone strike

2014-12-08

[Dawn] A US drone fired two missiles at a compound in Dattakhel area
... which is owned and operated by Hafiz Gul Behadur...
of North

Wazoo near the Afghan border on Sunday, killing six suspected Lions of Islam and wounding two others.

Sources said missiles were fired in Kher Tangi area. A vehicle was also destroyed in the attack that occurred at around 6am.

Names and nationalities of the dead and the maimed could not be ascertained.

Agencies add: Some officials claimed that a senior member of Al Qaeda was among the dead. They identified him as Omar Farooq and said he operated in Afghanistan and Pakistain.

The Taliban sources said that Farooq, 38, belonged to Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
where he worked as a religious teacher before joining Al Qaeda after the 2001 attack on New York.

Farooq was close to Al Qaeda leaders the late Osama bin Laden
... who is now sometimes referred to as Mister Bones...
and Ayman al

Zawahiri
... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
and was a key figure in running the group's operations and finances in Pakistain and Afghanistan, where he also helped direct attacks against NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
troops, they said.

One Pak official, requesting anonymity, said Farooq, also called Ustad Farooq, was in charge of Al Qaeda's regional media department.

"He is the first Pak to be appointed to a senior-level position in Al Qaeda," a military official said.

He said the compound belonged to loyalists of krazed killer `commander' Hafiz Gul Bahadur
...a member of the Madda Khel clan of the Uthmanzai Waziris. Educated in a Deobandi madrassa located in Multan, he is affiliated with the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December 2007, he was announced as the group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Wazoo, but has largely distanced himself from the TTP due to rivalries with the Mehsuds and disagreements about the TTP's attacks against the Pak state..
, who leads his own faction in the area.

"There is [suspicion] that an important `commander' was within the compound when missiles struck but this is yet to be verified," one intelligence official said on condition of anonymity.

The drone attack came a day after Pak troops killed a major Al Qaeda leader, Adnan el Shukrijumah.

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