Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

India-Pakistan

2 terrorists, including ‘high-value target’, killed in Tank operation: ISPR

2024-01-06

[Dawn] Two terrorists, including a “high-value target”, were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces conducted an operation late last night on the “reported presence of terrorists”.

“After an intense fire exchange, two terrorists, including HVT Gul Yousaf Toor, were sent to hell,” it said.

The ISPR stated that Toor had “remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces, including high-profile terrorist attacks in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts as well as extortion and target killing of innocent civilians”.

“He was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies and [the] government had fixed head money of Rs2.5 million on him,” the ISPR added.

The military said residents of the area appreciated the security forces’ efforts in “maintaining peace and stability in the area”.

“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country,” the statement concluded.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

In the deadliest attack on security forces in the outgoing year, at least 23 Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred and more than 30 troops wounded on Dec 12 after militants belonging to the Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan stormed a compound used by the military in Dera Ismail Khan’s Daraban area.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.

KP and Balochistan provinces were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.

Notice: Trying to get property 'id' of non-object in /var/www/html/rantburg/ajax/refsorg.php on line 44

Notice: Trying to get property 'id' of non-object in /var/www/html/rantburg/ajax/refsorg.php on line 44

Link

India-Pakistan

Kalash youth extend helping hand to security forces

2023-09-12

[Dawn]: The people of Chitral have hailed the youth of the Shiekhandeh area of Bumburate valley for swiftly carrying ammunition and other paraphernalia of the security forces to the Astoi post located on the border with Afghanistan on the morning of Sept 6 when the militants of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan launched an attack on the security posts here.

Khalilur Rahman, chairman of Bumburate village council, told Dawn that when he came to know about the clash on the morning of that fateful day, he rushed to the Shiekhandeh post of security forces in his village and offered his services. “I was told that replenishment of ammunition and ration to the border post was to be made on an emergency basis.”

Good lad.

“Within a few minutes, about 60 young men assembled in front of the Shiekhandeh post and started carrying boxes of ammunition and sacks of other articles from there to the Astoi post,” he said, adding it took the youth three hours to reach the border post as there is no road up to that post.

He said none of the youth had taken his breakfast when they were asked to reach the Shiekhandeh post. He said the youth set on their journey on a constantly inclined terrain, but their passion and zest defied all the troubles and difficulties. Mr Rahman said the youth was so charged that they made two to three round trips to the post in Astoi without having food, replenishing the personnel with ammunition and other necessary items. “Even firing from the militants didn’t stop them from completing their noble mission.”

The Bumburate village chairman said on the second and third day of the incident, the Kalash people also joined the youth, and about 300 persons took part in carrying the articles up to the post.

Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali Khan extolled the voluntary services of the residents of Bumburate Valley, especially the youth of Shiekhandeh. He said a special ceremony would be held to recognise the exemplary services rendered by the people of Bumburate.

Meanwhile, tourists have started visiting the Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir, and Rumbur as conditions have come to normalcy in the valleys after the skirmishes between the security forces and the TTP militants on the border near Bumburate on Sept 6.

Link

Terror Networks

Link between the Afghan Taliban and proscribed militant outfits Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains “strong and symbiotic”

2023-06-12

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The link between the Afghan #Taliban and proscribed militant outfits Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (#TTP) remains “strong and symbiotic”, a report published by the United Nations (UN) said.https://t.co/jBMcSDJdp9
— Alghadeer English (@alghadeertv_eng) June 11, 2023

Link

India-Pakistan

Two policemen martyred in attacks on census teams in KP

2023-03-14

[Dawn] Two policemen embraced martyrdom and four others sustained injuries in holy warrior attacks on census teams in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s southern districts of Tank and Lakki Marwat while a holy warrior was rubbed out in a security forces operation in Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
district on Monday.

A police van came under attack in the Kot-Azam area of Tank district while it was returning from a village, according to a spokesperson for district police. "Militants opened fire on the police van when it was returning from Manjhi village [after duty hours]. As a result, one policeman embraced martyrdom and four others sustained injuries," said police spokesman Syed Yaqoob Bukhari, adding that the attackers fled after shooting.

The injured personnel were rushed to Tank district headquarters hospital from where they were referred to Dera Ismail Khan due to unavailability of required facilities, he said, adding that law enforcement agencies’ personnel reached the site and launched a search operation against the holy warriors.

The martyred policeman was identified as Khan Nawab, a recruit of Kohat police training centre, belonging to district Swat. Funeral prayer for the martyred policeman was later offered at the District Police Office which was attended by officers of law enforcement agencies, police and others.

Same day in another holy warrior attack on a census team, a Frontier Reserve Police (FRP) police constable was martyred in Pirwala area of the Lakki Marwat district.

Escorting the government staff on census duty in the rural area, FRP constable Diljan was seriously maimed when two armed miscreants opened fire on him and escaped, the police said.

Shortly after the shooting, a police contingent, headed by DPO Mohammad Ishfaq Khan, reached the scene and launched a search operation in the area. A rescue 1122 team also rushed to the site and shifted the body to Government City Hospital. The martyred cop’s funeral was held at the District Headquarters Complex in Tajazai.

TTP SUSPECT KILLED
A member of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
Pakistain (TTP) wanted to security agencies in more than a dozen cases of murder and holy warrior activities was shot full of holes in a joint operation in Dera Ismail Khan, police said.

The D.I. Khan police said Abdul Rasheed alias Rashidi was killed in a joint intelligence-based operation carried out by police and security forces in Rohri area of Tehsil Kulachi on Monday.

However,
some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves...
according to a statement issued by the ISPR, snuffies opened fire on a police party employed on census security duty in general area of Raghzai in Tank district. "Resultantly, one policeman, having fought gallantly, embraced shahadat. On receipt of the information, security forces immediately cordoned the area, blocking all possible escape routes. Fleeing snuffies were intercepted in general area Gara Guldad, Tehsil Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan District. After intense exchange of fire, terrorist commander Abdul Rasheed alias Rasheedi, was killed," the ISPR said.

The killed terrorist was wanted by police for his involvement in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians. Locals of the area appreciated the operation and security forces’ commitment to eliminate the menace of terrorism, it added.

Khaama Press adds the following with regard to the census team and Frontier Reserve Police attacks:

The banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Link

India-Pakistan

Pakistan Taliban Suicide bombs Sunni Mosque in Peshawar 59+ dead UPDATE: 100 dead, 53 still in hospital

2023-01-31

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP); A suicide bomber struck a crowded mosque inside a police compound in Pakistan on Monday, causing the roof to collapse and killing at least 59 people and wounding more than 150 others, officials said.

Most of the casualties were police officers. It was not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound, which houses the police headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar and is itself located in a high-security zone with other government buildings.

Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Twitter.

But hours later, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani distanced the group from the bombing, saying it was not its policy to target mosques, seminaries and religious places, adding that those taking part in such acts could face punitive action under TTP’s policy.

From the NY Post:

A suicide kaboom at a crowded mosque in Pakistain’s Beautiful Downtown Peshawar

...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 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 Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
killed at least 32 people on Monday, the latest attack targeting police in this northwestern city where Islamist snuffies remain active.

Hospital officials said at least 147 people were maimed, with many of them at death's door.

Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif called the blast a suicide kaboom. There were at least 260 people in the mosque, police official Sikandar Khan added.

No one has grabbed credit for the bombing, which destroyed the mosque during noon prayers, causing a wall to collapse on top of worshippers.

"We’re getting that the terrorist was standing in the first row," Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo TV.

Dawn has brief video of the interior afterward, adding:

While the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) denied responsibility for the attack, sources earlier indicated that it might have been the handiwork of some local faction of the outlawed group.

TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani while disowning the attack in a tweet said, “TTP guidelines strictly prohibit attacks on mosques and public places”.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the TTP’s Mohmand chapter had claimed responsibility for the attack and termed it revenge for the killing of Khalid Omar Khorasani in Afghanistan last year.

Update from Dawn at 10:15 a.m. ET:

Death toll from suicide attack on mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines rises to 100

The death toll from the suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines area a day earlier rose to 100 on Tuesday after more bodies were recovered from the attack site.

Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Mohammad Asim said that 100 dead bodies had been brought to the medical facility. In a statement, he said 53 injured citizens were currently being treated seven of whom had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

He said that most of the injured were out of danger, adding that all the injured were being provided medical facilities free-of-cost.

On Monday, 59 people, mostly police officials, were martyred and over 150 were injured after an explosion ripped through a mosque in Peshawar’s Red Zone area. The powerful blast blew away the wall of the prayer hall and an inner roof.

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. It later distanced itself from it but sources earlier indicated that it might have been the handiwork of some local faction of the outlawed group.

Peshawar Division Commissioner Riaz Mehsud said that the rescue and search operation at the blast site has been completed, after almost 24 hours.

Link

India-Pakistan

4 terrorists killed during intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Hoshab: ISPR

2023-01-18

[Dawn] Security forces shot full of holes at least four Lions of Islam during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in 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...
’s Hoshab, the military’s public affairs wing said on Wednesday.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an IBO was initiated "to clear a hideout linked with firing incidents on security forces along M-8, in general area Talsar, Hoshab" on a tip-off about the presence of terrorists.

"As a result of continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) of the area, a location of Lions of Islam was identified and security forces were heli inserted [to nab the terrorists]."

The statement said that while the forces were establishing positions to cut off escape routes, four Lions of Islam opened fire on the troops.

Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a nexus with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

During the heavy exchange of fire, all four bad boyz were potted, while a cache of arms and ammunition including improvised bombs (IEDs) was also recovered from their possession, the ISPR added.

A day earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir visited Balochistan’s Khuzdar and Basima areas where he was briefed on the prevailing security situation and the formation’s operational preparedness, along with measures being taken to ensure a "peaceful and secure environment".

In a statement, the military’s media wing quoted the COAS as saying that the Pakistain Army was aware of the "nefarious designs of external enemies of Pakistain" to disturb the peace in Balochistan.

Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.

Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful activities and formalised a nexus with the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
Pakistain (TTP).

The year 2022 ended with December as the deadliest month for Pakistain as the country suffered as many as 376 terror attacks in the year that resulted in an increased number of casualties in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Link

India-Pakistan

Blame-shifting: Govt pins TTP’s rise on PTI chairman

2022-12-26

Today’s Five Minutes of Hate:

[Dawn] Amid an increase in the number of attacks by militants in parts of the country, federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday blamed former prime minister Imran Khan for the resurgence of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

While referring to rise in terror attacks and the dialogue with the banned outfit initiated by the PTI government last year, the PML-N leader said the nation had seen the result of Imran Khan’s strategy of opening talks with the Taliban.

“Imran Khan (while in power) did not curb terrorism. Rather he allowed negotiations with those who had martyred children at the Army Public School (in Peshawar). And now a new wave of terrorism has begun because of those negotiations.”

The former speaker also urged former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa to reveal his “role” in the 2018 general election in “ensuring” the victory of the PTI. He said the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) representatives said they were under pressure in 2018 to join the PTI.

He said the support extended by Mr Bajwa to Imran Khan when he was prime minister had never been given to any other premier in the past. But, the PTI chairman is “ungrateful to his benefactors” as he was now maligning the ex-COAS. He said Mr Khan did the same thing to Aleem Khan and Jahangir Khan Tareen.

He advised Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi to remain “vigilant” while doing favours to Imran Khan since his “characteristics cannot change as I know him since the 1960s”.

Mr Sadiq lambasted the PTI chairman for using the religious card in politics, abusing and victimising rivals, as well as preferring his personal interest over national interest.

“The one who had been talking of the state of Madina committed corruption by taking away gifts from Toshakhana worth Rs6 billion, declaring one of them (in his tax statement) and devouring the rest. The claimants of the Madina state would neither steal nor conceal (one’s wealth).”

He lamented that Imran Khan always foul-mouthed PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who always addressed the PTI chairman decently. He alleged that Mr Khan got spying cameras installed even in the bathrooms of the jail where Maryam Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned.

The PML-N leader said those who brought Imran Khan to power were responsible for the financial damage caused to the country during the around four-year rule of PTI as the national debt doubled in the PTI regime, which took $44 billion in loans.

In reply to a question, he said while listening to the conversation between Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi one “gets the impression that the PML-Q got just 20 seats” in return for a promise to dissolve the Punjab Assembly at the directives of Imran Khan.

He, however, cautioned the ‘Q’ leadership that the crutches available during the 2018 polls would be missing in the next general elections and they as well as the PTI would have to stand on their own legs.

Referring to U-turns often taken by the PTI chairman, he said on one hand Imran said that he would fight his political fight on his own, and on the other, he was requesting the establishment to intervene and save him from likely accountability.

In response to a question, the minister said if the PTI chairman intended to dissolve the Punjab and KP assemblies he would have done so at once after the announcement during a Pindi rally in November.

Answering a question, he said if the coalition in Punjab had the backing of the required number of MPAs to remain on his post then why was Mr Elahi trying to delay the trust vote.

He said that local government elections would be held in the month of April, while the general election would be held after Aug 15, 2023, when the assemblies would complete their five-year constitutional terms.

Link

India-Pakistan

8 personnel martyred in Tank, South Waziristan clashes

2022-03-31

[Dawn] Eight security personnel, including an army captain, were martyred and seven terrorists were killed in clashes between security forces and members of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district and adjacent South Waziristan tribal district on Wednesday.

The ISPR said the terrorists launched a pre-dawn attack on a military compound in Tank, but security forces foiled their attempt to enter the complex. “During an intense exchange of fire, six soldiers, having fought gallantly, embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” it said..

In a statement, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani claimed responsibility for the attack on the FC fort in Tank.

Tank’s District Police Officer Waqar Ahmed told the media in Dera Ismail Khan that the militants attacked Frontier Constabulary (FC) Qila Tank. He said 22 FC and army personnel were also injured in the gunfight. The injured were shifted to the Tank district hospital. Those in critical condition were later referred to Combined Military Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan.

The exchange of fire continued for several hours. Police officials said the terrorists attacked the compound, where FC and army troops were stationed, at around 3am on Wednesday.

According to reports, terrorists attempted to sneak into the compound from behind a wall where concertina wire was not installed and the area was surrounded by bushes and hedges. Officials said the terrorists used ladders to climb the wall.

CLASHES IN MAKIN
Clashes also took place between security forces and terrorists in the Makin area of South Waziristan. During an intense exchange of fire, Captain Saad Bin Amir, 25, of Rawalpindi, and Lance Naik Mohammad Irfan, 37, of Tank were martyred, the ISPR said.

However, troops responded in a befitting manner, killing four terrorists. Security forces later combed the area for other terrorists.

Link

India-Pakistan

News of Ehsanullah Ehsan's escape is 'true', state is aware, says Interior Minister Ijaz Shah

2020-02-18

[DAWN] The news that former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan

...formerly the front man for the Pak Taliban, then the lips and tongue of the Jamaatul Ahrar splinter group in Mohmand Agency...
has escaped from the custody of Pakistan security agencies is true, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah confirmed on Monday.
The scene: A palatial residence outside Abbottabad. The characters: Evil mastermind Ehsanullah Ehsan, under palatial house arrest, and his guard, Mahmoud.
Responding to a question during an informal conversation with reporters at the parliament in Islamabad, the minister said he had read reports of the former TTP leader having fled.
Ehsanullah: "Hey, Mahmoud! Call me a cab!"
Mahmoud: "I can't do that. Yer under house arrest!"
When asked whether there was any truth to the reports, he replied: "The news is true, it's true."
Ehsanullah: "No, I'm not."
Mahmoud: "You ain't?"
The minister added that the "state is aware" of his escape. He did not provide any details.
Ehsanullah: "Nah. They're lettin' me out."
Mahmoud: "Fer really?"
Asked by a reporter whether the state was doing anything about the matter, Shah said: "A lot is being done. You will hear good news."
Ehsanullah: "Would I lie to you?"
Mahmoud: "Well... Youse got a honest face."
The confirmation comes following around 10 days of official silence over reports of the former TTP spokesman's escape, which had been announced by him in an audio message released on social media.
Ehsanullah: "Ain't I?"
Mahmoud: "Hello? Is dis Choudry's Cab Company? I got a fare for youse..."

Link

Afghanistan

Blast kills another TTP leader in Afghanistan

2020-02-14

[DAWN] A senior Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...mindless ferocity in a turban...
Pakistain (TTP) commander was killed by a bomb in eastern Afghanistan, turban and intelligence sources told AFP on Thursday, the latest such incident to target the group in recent days.

Not actually targetted as such, if he was kaboomed by one of his own bombs, but a clear sign from Allah that his activities were definitely not approved by the most high.

Sheharyar Mehsud, chief of a turban faction which is part of the umbrella TTP, was the target of the remote controlled blast in Kunar province
... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country.....
, a TTP commander in Pakistain told AFP.

A Pak intelligence official who confirmed the incident said Mehsud had fled to Afghanistan in 2016.

The blast comes nearly two weeks after two other key TTP leaders ‐ Khalid Haqqani and Qari Saifullah Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 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 Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
i ‐ were killed in a clash with security forces.

Link

India-Pakistan

Blast during a Taliban meeting in Pakistan kills 30 including ISI members

2020-01-11

[KhaamaPress] A powerful explosion destroyed a religious school during a Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
meeting on Friday evening in Quetta, Pakistain claiming at least 30 dead including key Taliban and ISI members, a security source confirmed.

A reliable Afghan security source from the who did not want to be named in the report told Khaama Press that according to intelligence reports, the earth-shattering kaboom took place when several key Taliban members including Sheikh Abdul Karim (Taliban’s supreme judge), Sheikh Abdul Karim’s brother, 3 Pakistain’s ISI members and some drug smugglers were sitting together on Friday evening in a religious school,

...an interestingly varied group, to be sure...

besides a prayer mosque in Ishaqabad area, in Quetta of Pakistain.

"The explosion has occurred during an important meeting between the Talibs, ISI members, and drug smugglers", the source said.

Planning something, perhaps? How sad for them that no one will ever know.

Going over expense/revenue reports to get their taxes done early....
According to this Afghan security source, at least 30 people have been killed in this explosion including 3 ISI members, Sheikh Abdul Karim’s brother, Haji Mohammad Halim, Mawlavi Haji Ahmad Khan, Gul Agha Akhund, Mawlavi Amanullah and Haji Ahmad Khan, who were key Taliban members.

Ok, guys— you can check those names off your To Do list — they’re too done.(Oh hush, dear Reader — I know exactly what I did, and I’m not sorry.)

The security source believes that the motive behind this explosion is due to the recent internal conflicts between the Taliban members.

But, according to Pakistain news agencies, the incident has taken place in a mosque during an evening prayer time, killing a police brass hat, 13 civilians and injuring 20 other worshippers.

Prime Minister Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer...
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...
’s chief minister, Jam Kamal Khan, condemned the attack. In a statement, Pakistain’s military said soldiers were at the scene of the attack to assist civil authorities.

No individual or group have immediately grabbed credit for the bombing.

Explosion inside #Quetta mosque was carried out by a suicide bomber: police official https://t.co/p9W6N7bInT
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 10, 2020

A blast inside a mosque in Quetta's Satellite Town area during Friday evening prayers claimed 15 lives and left 19 people injured, Balochistan Home Minister Zia Langove confirmed.

The mosque is located in a densely populated Pashtun-majority neighbourhood.

Fida Mohammad, who was attending the Maghrib prayers, said about 60 people were present at the time of the attack on the mosque, located in Ghousabad neighbourhood. The explosion ripped through the front row of worshippers seconds after the prayer began, he told AFP.

The incident comes three days after a motorcycle parked close to a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle blew up in Quetta, leaving two people dead and another 14 injured. That blast, claimed by Hizbul Ahrar — an offshoot of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had come after a respite of some weeks in what has traditionally been a violence-prone area.

Mullah Abdul Hakim bites dust in big blast in Quetta mosque

An interesting Twitter thread worth scrolling through to watch the story develop, with photos.

Balochistan-based source tells me that Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Hakim is likely among those killed in the blast in Quetta. Again, important to note that Taliban officially denied that any of its member was present or harmed in the blast. #Pakistan
— 🏴‍☠️ FJ 🏴‍☠️ (@Natsecjeff) January 10, 2020

Link

India-Pakistan

Pakistan Army major, sepoy martyred in IED explosion near Afghan border: ISPR

2019-09-21

[DAWN] A major and a sepoy of the Pakistain Army were martyred in an improvised bomb (IED) explosion near the Pakistain-Afghanistan border
...also known as Pashtunistan, home of ignorance, poverty, and automatic weapons...
in Mohmand tribal district, the military's media wing said on Friday.

Maj Adeel Shahid and Sepoy Faraz Hussain "fell victim to an IED planted by Death Eaters from across the border", the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) tweeted.

The squad under the martyred officer was supervising fencing work in an area "which carried [a] critical infiltration route", the ISPR added.

Maj Adeel 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...
while Sepoy Faraz hailed from Kotli district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
The incident comes less than a week after four soldiers of the Army were martyred and one other was injured in two separate incidents of firing by snuffies near the Afghan border.

The first of those incidents had occurred in North Wazoo tribal district, where miscreants had opened fire on a routine patrolling party of security forces near the Abba Khel area of Spinwam tehsil, claiming the life of Sepoy Akhtar Hussain, 23. Two miscreants were also killed in the subsequent exchange of fire.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
Pakistain (TTP) had grabbed credit for the ambush.

In the second incident in Dir, suspected Death Eaters had opened fire from across the Pak-Afghan border on Pak troops who were busy in border fencing. Three soldiers were martyred.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More