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India-Pakistan

Quetta police arrest LJ-Alami member accused of killing Hazaras, security officials

2018-05-10

[DAWN] The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of 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... Police on Wednesday claimed to have placed in durance vile Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! a suspected terrorist associated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... al Alami (LJ-A) ... an even more violent offshoot of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, if you can imagine such a thing. during an operation in Quetta's Hazar Ganji area, DawnNewsTV reported. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) CTD Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya said Qari Ismail, the arrested suspect, was allegedly involved in 15 incidents of assassinations that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people including police and Frontier Corps ...a provincial paramilitary force. Total manpower is about 80,000. They are tasked to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order, and to carry out border patrol and a..the Antwerp-based Salafist organization that had campaigned to introduce Sharia law to Belgium before single-handedly making Belgium the highest per capita supplier of jihadis to Syria in Europe. There was a big trial in Antwerp in 2015, but most of those convicted were in absentia...nti-smuggling operations.... personnel as well as members of the Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... community. Goraya said that six other suspects linked to LJ-A were killed in an earlier encounter with police, while the search was on for three others who had managed to escape. Police released the suspects' photos and appealed the public for "help", he added. The DIG claimed that the members of the banned outfit ‐ which also included students ‐ had received training in Afghanistan. He alleged that the group was also involved in extortion and bank robberies.

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Afghanistan

Taliban local leader among 4 killed in Logar airstrike

2017-09-12

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A local leader of the Taliban ...Arabic for students... group was killed along with his three fighters in an Arclight airstrike conducted in central Pashtun-infested Logar province of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan informed regarding the deaths of the Taliban leader and his fighters today morning. A statement by the ministry of interior said the Taliban leader killed in the Arclight airstrike has been identified as Qari Ismail who was also famous as Mir Mohammadi. The statement further added that the three other Taliban group members killed in the Arclight airstrike have been identified as Qari Sirajuddin, Ahmad Gul and Mohammad Tahir. The Arclight airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Ab Josh area of Charkh district, the ministry of interior said, adding that several weapons along with a vehicle of the Taliban were also destroyed. According to MoI, the group was involved in several terrorist related activities including coordinated attacks, and roadside kaboomings before they were killed in the Arclight airstrike.

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Afghanistan

Taliban’s shadow governor for Baghlan and 4 senior commanders killed

2017-04-20

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The shadow governor of the Taliban group for northern Baghlan province was killed along with four other senior commanders of the group during a night operation conducted by the Afghan army commandos. The acting head of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) media department, Najib Danish, said the operation was conducted around 11 pm local time in the vicinity of Joi Naw and other areas of Dand-e-Ghori. He said the snuffies killed during the operation have been identified as Mawlavi Lal and four Taliban capos identified as Haji Sher Alam, Qari Janbaz, Qari Shahabuddin, and Qari Ismail. According to the group, the five senior Taliban leaders were playing a key role in leading the insurgency of the group in Baghlan province. He also added that a number of other snuffies were also killed during the operation but did not disclose the exact number. This comes as the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said Tuesday that the military commission of the group for Baghlan was incarcerated Please don't kill me! during a special operation. MoI further added that the detained Taliban leader was identified as Mawlavi Abdul Hai Haqyar.

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India-Pakistan

Taliban madrassah agreed to reforms in return for Rs300m: Imran Khan

2016-06-25

[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... on Friday said Darul Uloom Haqqania ...an Islamic seminary located in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The seminary propagates the Deobandi trend of Sunni Islam and is headed by Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the Godfather of the Taliban. It has been dubbed The University of Jihad due to the methods and content of instruction along with the future occupations of its alumni.... agreed to implement reforms in return for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... (KP) government's budget allocation of Rs300 million for the religious seminary. The seminary is located in Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and currently run by Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... -Sami chief Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... . It has faced several controversies in the past as its students Abdullah alias Saddam Nadir alias Qari Ismail, Rasheed alias Turabi and Faiz Muhammad have been accused of involvement in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... . The seminary is also said to be the alma mater of many prominent Afghan Taliban leaders. "Musharraf received billions from the west for madressah reform and even Maulana Samiul Haq was approached but he rejected the grant, now they are ready for reforms as they trust PTI's government," Imran Khan told journalists during a presser in Islamabad. Imran added that progressive reforms are being implemented to better integrate seminary students in to the mainstream, and said those opposing such moves know "little of Pak society." "Are millions of students studying in these seminaries terrorists?" The PTI chief further added he has asked the KP government to conduct a presser to better explain the grant. Related: Imran defends KP govt's Rs300m grant for Darul Uloom Haqqania When asked if he will visit PM when he returns to Pakistain, as the PM visited him when he fell from the container, the PTI chief stated he has sent flowers to the PM and would have visited him "if he were treated in a Pak hospital."

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Afghanistan

No casualties in Jalalabad explosion

2016-01-06

A comparatively heavy explosion rocked Jalalabad city on Tuesday morning. According to initial reports, it was a planted bomb that went off in the third sector of the city. The explosion site is close to the consulates of India, Pakistan and Iran. “The blast took place due to a bomb placed in a garbage can close to Baet Nika mosque in Arzaq alley located in third sector of Jalalabad city at 11:20 am today,” states a post on the official facebook page of Nangarhar Media Center states. “It did not have casualties,” the press release adds. Possible target the explosion is yet unknown but it comes few weeks after Afghanistan’s national intelligence agency foiled a terrorist plot to target vehicles of Indian consulate in Jalalabd city with a 30-KG bomb. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) arrested terrorists Ata-ur-Rahman alias Hanzala and Abdullah alias Qari Ismail in the first half of December who were planning to plant the landmine on a road frequently used by the Indian consulate.

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Afghanistan

Afghan security forces foil attack on Indian consulate

2015-12-15

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) – Afghanistan’s intelligence agency has foiled a terrorist plot to attack vehicles of the Indian consulate in Jalalabad city, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province. NDS personnel have arrested two terrorists belonging to Daesh group who had planned to carry out the attack. A statement released by NDS on Monday states that Ata-ur-Rahman alias Hanzala and Abdullah alias Qari Ismail were arrested with a 30-KG bomb before reaching to their target. In a footage sent to media together with the statement by NDS, one of the suspects identifying himself as Ata-ur-Rahman says they were told to plant the landmine on the side of the road that leads to White House, a nicely decorated compound in Jalalabad city resembling part of the American White House, to target vehicles of the Indian consulate. Indian consulate is located close to the area from where the suspects were rounded up.

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India-Pakistan

TTP Jamaat-ul-Ahrar announces administrative shuffle

2015-03-26

[DAWN] The Jamat-ul-Ahrar faction of banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) announced a change in leadership after Ameer Maulana Qasim Khurasani and Deputy Ameer Omer Khalid Khurasani ...intel chief of the Jamaatul Ahrar TTP splinter group, or whatever it's calling itself these days... tendered their resignations with political shura. In a statement issued to media on Wednesday, TTP Jamat-ul-Ahrar asserted that the outfit's political shura accepted the resignations and has appointed commander Asad Afridi as Jamat-ul-Ahrar's acting Ameer. Jamat-ul-Ahrar's spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan ...formerly the front man for the Pak Taliban, now the lips and tongue of the Jamaatul Ahrar splinter group in Mohmand Agency... confirmed the development, saying it was a routine matter. "According to rules and regulations, changes may be made after six months," he said. The faction, which parted ways with TTP in August last year, had grabbed credit for the Wagah blast in Lahore on November 2, 2014, killing at least 60 people and injuring more than 100. Jamat-ul-Ahrar had also grabbed credit for an attack on a Rawalpindi Imambargah ...since Pakistain is very religiously correct, Shia Moslems can't call their houses of worship 'mosques,' which are reserved for Sunnis. It's not clear if imambargahs are used for explosives storage like mosques are... in January this year, killing at least nine people and injuring 16. The TTP splinter group mostly comprises Taliban gunnies operating in and around Mohmand Agency ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... . At the time of the group's formation, its front man, Ehsanullah Ehsan, had confirmed that in addition to Maulana Qasim Khurasani as its chief, the group's political shura includes Omer Khalid Khurasani from Mohmand Agency, Qari Shakil Haqqani from Charsadda, Maulana Yasin from Swat, Qari Ismail from Khyber Agency, Maulana Adbullah from Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth... , Mufti Misbah from 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. , Maulana Haider and Mansoor Nazim Shura from Orakzai Agency ... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers... .

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India-Pakistan

TTP commanders form new splinter group 'Jamatul Ahrar'

2014-08-27

[DAWN] Key commanders belonging to the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) have announced the formation of a new group by the name of TTP Jamatul Ahrar, with Maulana Qasim Khurasani as the new Ameer and also comprising other commanders. Former TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan, who has been nominated as the front man for the splinter group, mostly comprising the Mohmand Agency ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... Taliban, told Dawn from some holy man's guesthouse 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. According to them, Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... and Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri ...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him... were no different from the current political rulers, and that both of them were inclined towards the Western style of democracy. He added that along with Khurasani, the TTP Jamaatul Ihrar Shura also comprises Umer Khalid Khurasani from Mohmand Agency, Qari Shakil Haqqani from Charsadda, Maulana Yasin from Swat, Qari Ismail from Khyber Agency, Maulana Adbullah from Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth... , Mufti Misbah from 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. , Maulana Haider and Mansoor Nazim Shura from Orakzai Agency ... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers... . The Pakistain Army launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... in June against foreign and local Death Eaters who were hiding in sanctuaries in North Wazoo. The comprehensive operation was launched a week after Lions of Islam made a brazen myrmidon attack on the country's busiest airport in 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... . Following the assault in Karachi, the US carried out two drone strikes in North Waziristan. Prior to the operation being conducted, pressure had been mounting on the government to launch a ground offensive in the Taliban-infested North Waziristan tribal district. North Waziristan Agency has been isolated by troops along its border with neighbouring agencies and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) to block any movement of Death Eaters in and out of the Agency.

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India-Pakistan

Benazir killed for backing Lal Masjid operation

2012-02-13

ISLAMABAD — Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed because she supported the Lal Masjid operation, an anti-terrorism court was told in Rawalpindi on Saturday. Magistrate Taufiq Ahmed, who had recorded confessional statements of accused Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul and Aitzaz Shah on February 13, 2008, said they told him that they wanted to kill only Benazir and because of the deaths of 23 other people in the attack, which they regretted, they would accept any punishment awarded to them. During the hearing of the Benazir assassination case in Adiala Jail, the magistrate read out the confessional statements before ATC Judge Shahid Rafique. According to the statements, the accused received Rs360,000 from Baitullah Mehsood while his associates, Abdullah alias Saddam and Qari Ismail, provided them two suicide bombers Saeed alias Bilal and Ikramullah. They purchased a pistol to be used by the suicide attacker because the plan was to kill Benazir near the stage during her rally in Liaqat Bagh on December 27, 2007. The accused, along with the suicide bomber, visited the venue on the night before the rally and took him to their residence in Quaid-i-Azam Colony in Rawalpindi. The accused brought the bomber to the venue early in the morning only to learn that because of tight security arrangements, it was difficult to get inside and near the stage. Then they deployed the bomber in front of the gate of Liaqat Bagh and another attacker Ikramullah at another exit point. After carrying out the crime, the accused reassembled near Fawara Chowk, Raja Bazar, and later went to their residence.

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India-Pakistan

Islamabad sees rise in court marriages

2011-08-09

[Dawn] Three main nikkah registrars in Islamabad district courts -- Qari Imdad, Qari Ismail, and Qari Noor Ilahi Chishti -- helped solemnise about 250 court marriages in 2010. But during the first eight months of 2011, they have already solemnised 240 court marriages, a number expected to cross 300 by coming December. For Mr Imdad, inflation and increasing poverty are the main reasons behind court marriages. He said parents were not paying attention towards marriages of their children, especially daughters. "Young people are left with no option but to go for court marriage, which is very economical." According to him, a court marriage only costs Rs5,000. "Parents of bride and groom also accept this inexpensive marriage at a later stage." Apart from poverty, social media networking is also contributing to court marriages. Akhtar Mehmood advocate, an Islamabad-based family court lawyer, said most of the couples approaching him for court marriage were users of Facebook, Twitter, HI5 or other social networking websites. "In some cases of court marriages, girls from rural areas have chosen rich married men as their life partners." But he was quick to point out that love marriages are not "sustainable", saying their success rate is lower than the arranged marriages. "Parent pressure, domestic issues and festivities force the couple to approach the court for divorce within six months." Linking increase in love marriages with social networking websites, Wahaj Siraj, convener Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistain (ISP), said during the last one year, the number of internet users has increased by 10 per cent in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. "Currently total number of internet users in Islamabad and Rawlpindi is 500,000 and it is gradually increasing." According to him, the young people spend most of their time on social networking websites where they not only make new friends but also find partners. Barrister Afzal Hussain, another family court lawyer, supports the notion that due to social media networking, love marriages are on the rise but added that the couples face threats, registration of abduction cases and lengthy litigation. "In most of the cases, angry relatives of bride lodge case of her abduction against the groom and the couple faces lengthy litigation." Barrister Hussain said sometime the wife is forced to record statement against the husband, putting the "innocent man behind the bar". Recently the chief justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) has quashed an FIR registered against Saima Shaheen and her husband, Muhammad Ikram. They pleaded before the court that they are lawfully married couple, rejecting the FIR registered with Shahzad Town police claiming that they are involved in an illicit relationship. The case was registered against the couple by Saima`s uncle, Tahir Mehmood. She said after the marriage in February this year her brothers with the help of police were harassing them. In another case, Ayesha Aziz and her husband Shaharyar Ali also approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) for quashing the FIR registered against them. Relatives of Ayesha got registered the FIR against her husband under section 365-B in New Town cop shoppe of Rawalpindi. The court`s Rawalpindi bench had directed the police to quash the FIR. Barrister Hussain suggests some amendments in the existing law to protect the couples. He also proposed penalty for registration of fake FIRs. "To discourage this trend, litigation expenses should be recovered from those who lodge fake FIRs."

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India-Pakistan

Afghan, Nato troops pursue Haqqani fighters

2010-08-15

[Dawn] More than 20 bad boys including Arab, Chechen and Pakistaini fighters have been killed by Nato and Afghan forces who are ramping up operations in the east against a Taliban faction linked to Al-Qaeda, the international coalition said Saturday. Separately, three more Nato troops -- an American, a Briton and an Australian -- were killed in separate bad boy attacks in the volatile south, officials of the three countries said Saturday. The joint force operation began Wednesday against dozens of bad boys holed up in a mountainous area of Zadran district of Paktia province. The operation focused on disrupting the Haqqani network's movement in an area used to stage attacks in the capital, Kabul, and along a highway that links Khost province and Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia, Nato said. More than 20 bad boys have been killed, the coalition said. Combined security forces also discovered and destroyed multiple explosive devices and bomb-making equipment, including trip wire and blasting caps, weapons and ammunition. A coalition airstrike destroyed an enemy ammunitions bunker, Nato said. The US considers the Haqqani group, led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin, as one of the most dangerous Taliban networks because of its links to Al-Qaeda. The group is suspected of playing a major role in the Dec. 30 bombing of a CIA base in Khost as well as a series of attacks in Kabul. It is based in the western border area of Pakistain, where US forces cannot operate on the ground. ''The Haqqani network continually seeks to establish strongholds in the Khost-Gardez pass, disrupting the local government and facilitating the movement of foreign fighters, explosives and weapons into Afghanistan,'' said US Army Col. Rafael Torres, a Nato front man. Two other operations in June resulted in the deaths of more than 50 Haqqani fighters. Afghan and coalition forces killed 17 fighters including a commander, Fazil Subhan, during a fierce firefight in Khost province June 9, Nato said. A week later, in the Jani Khel district of Paktia province, Afghan and coalition forces killed at least 35 bad boys including several key leaders for both the Haqqani and Taliban networks. The security force killed Hamiddullah, a Haqqani commander for Sabari district in Khost province who had direct ties to Haqqani senior leadership based in Pakistain and was reportedly responsible for an ambush of an Afghan National Army unit in March, which killed three Afghan soldiers. In the two-day offensive on the largest foreign fighter camp in the area, assault forces also killed Qari Ismail, a Taliban leader for Jani Khel district, and Maulvi Sadiq, who worked to bring foreign fighters into Afghanistan, Nato said. Nato officials had no further details about the death of the American service member Saturday. But the Australian military said a member of the country's elite Special Air Service Regiment was shot early Saturday while assisting in a ''disruption operation'' in the northern part of Kandahar province. The British Ministry of Defense said Saturday that a British soldier serving with a mine-clearing unit died in a firefight the day before in the Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand province. Also in the south, three Afghan civilians were killed and another was wounded by bad boys in three separate incidents in Kandahar province on Friday. Two of the civilians were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit their vehicle in Arghandab district. Another was fatally stabbed by bad boys near the governor's compound in Kandahar city. In the north, Nato and coalition troops killed two bad boys Saturday after a patrol came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire in Kunduz province, Nato said.

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India-Pakistan

TTP leadership's names missing from FIA 'red book'

2010-03-04

[Dawn] A list of wanted persons prepared by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) names 119 individuals including those involved in attacks on former premier Benazir Bhutto, Pervez Musharraf and on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. However, the list does not include names of prominent Taliban leaders, a BBCUrdu report said. Although the list formulated with the assistance of intelligence officials working with provincial police departments is not complete, it includes sufficient information on suspected militants. The list received by BBCUrdu was prepared in October 2009. The published list, also known as the 'red book,' includes details on the most dangerous individuals and has been put together with the assistance of provincial police departments and Islamabad police. The list also includes names of 11 wanted individuals with respect to the Mumbai attacks but there are no details on the bounty in case of their arrests. Similarly, the list does not include names of prominent militant leaders from Swat and Fata. The list mostly includes individuals working for or with banned outfit Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. The interesting bit is the absence of names of militant leaders from Fata from the FIA's Special Investigation Group's list. Wanted persons from the four provinces and Islamabad have been mentioned but there is no mention of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan's leadership. The list includes the names of 25 wanted individuals from Punjab, 24 from Sindh and 18 from Balochistan. Surprisingly, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has the least number of wanted individuals (16). This is despite the fact that the province has been the hardest hit by militancy. An important name in the list is that of Attock's Abdur Rahman, the report said. Abdur Rahman is also said to be associated with the group formed by Darul Uloom Haqqania's Qari Ismail. According to the 'red book,' Abdur Rahman was involved in the attack on Benazir Bhutto on the instructions of former Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud. Abdur Rahman also used to operate a militant training camp in Khyber agency's Bara tehsil. Similarly, the 'red book' says Rana Ashfaq Ahmed, wanted in the attack on Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, was associated with Qari Saifullah's group in Waziristan. Ahmed is also said to be associated with militant organisation Hizb-i-jihad and was allegedly receiving monthly income from the organisation since 1997. Ahmed has been accused of sheltering the suicide bomber involved in the attack on Marriott Hotel. He has also previously worked as a driver to Maulana Alam Tariq, the brother of former Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) chief Maulana Azam Tariq. The book also details identification information on the wanted indiviuals and there are cases in which photographs are also available. Other details are also available. However, journalists and analysts are of the view that the information available in the book is insufficient and that they have better information on the listed individuals.

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