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India-Pakistan
Tirah clash leaves 3 Taliban dead
2011-12-02
[Dawn] At least three forces of Evil including an important commander were killed and four others received injuries in a clash between rival armed outfits in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on Wednesday.

Sources said that members of banned beturbanned goon organization Lashkar-i-Islam and volunteers of Kukikhel tribal lashkar attacked the Maylo base of Tariq Afridi-led Taliban when the latter kidnapped two activists of the former.

They said that both sides used heavy weapons against each other during the festivities, which continued till Wednesday evening.

Local sources said that besides killing three Taliban including one of their important commanders Abu Atif, the Lashkar-i-Islam and Kukikhel volunteers destroyed a hideout of forces of Evil in the area.

Lashkar-i-Islam sources in Bara claimed to have captured at least five Taliban during the clash. They said that their four activists were maimed in the fighting.

The Tariq Afridi group had forcibly evicted some of the Kukikhel families from their houses in Tirah valley few months ago to establish its bases in the area. Since then, Kukikhel tribe had been at loggerheads with Tariq Afridi group of Taliban. A number of people had been killed from both sides during sporadic festivities between the two sides.

Tariq Afridi group had also grabbed credit for the suicide kaboom on a Friday congregation in Jamrud on August 19 this year that killed at least 54 rustics, mostly Kukikhels.

Taliban said that the attack was a reaction to the formation of a Kukikhel lashkar in Tirah and killing of their two members by the lashkar men.

The Lashkar-i-Islam, having a strong presence in neighbouring Sipah area, was also not happy with the growing influence of Taliban in Tirah valley. The two groups had traded gunfire on a number of occasions besides targeting each other sympathisers with kabooms.

Also, the head of a local peace committee was killed when a time bomb planted at his car went off in Hangu city on Wednesday.

Officials said that Haji Hashim Khan, the head of the peace body, had come to Hangu city from his hometown Darband to appear before a court. A bomb planted at his Land Cruiser went kaboom! near the office of the district coordination officer, killing him on the spot, they added.

They said that his driver Shah Habib and gunman Shah Nawaz were seriously injured in the blast. They were taken to Hangu civil hospital for treatment.

The bomb disposal squad said that about one kilogram explosives were used in the blast. "It was a magnetic devise, fixed with a timer," they added.

Haji Hashim Khan was buried in his ancestral graveyard in Darband area of Hangu in the presence of thousands of people.

The Hangu city police started the paperwork but haven't done much else against unidentified hard boyz and launched investigations.

In is pertinent to mention here that forces of Evil had killed several anti-Taliban politicians in Hangu as they were trying to broker a peace deal between Shia and Sunni sects and restore peace in the area. They include former provincial minister Ghaniur Rehman, district chief of Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
Fida Sadi and former district nazim
...small time big shot, the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council...
Khan Afzal.
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India-Pakistan
Suicide Blast Kills 30 in Pakistan
2009-09-20
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- At least 35 people were killed Friday in a suicide car bomb attack in a Shiite village in northwest Pakistan, a top provincial official said. The village is in Kohat District, the site of past sectarian killings.

The explosion was followed within hours by the shooting of three people at a funeral for one of the people who died in the bomb blast and the killing of an influential district mayor in nearby Hangu, a center of sectarian strife, according to the provincial official, Mian Iftkhar Hussain.

The initial blast, a powerful explosion that shook the village of Ustarzai near the garrison town of Kohat, flattened a two-story hotel and a number of shops at a nearby bazaar. Rescue teams worked through the afternoon to pull victims from the rubble. The bomb contained more than 300 pounds of explosives, said Ali Hassan Khan, the police station house officer in Ustarzai.

A crowd of Shiite residents in the town, angry about the failure of the police to provide security in their vulnerable neighborhoods, attacked a police car with rocks when it arrived at the scene of the blast on Friday.

Kohat District is predominantly Sunni Muslim, and its outlying areas have long served as a haven for Taliban fighters. But there are a number of Shiite communities in the district as well, and sectarian violence there has been chronic and deadly. Recent operations by the police and government security forces against Taliban militants have further heightened tensions.

The district, in the North-West Frontier Province, is on the edge of the Orakzai tribal area, where the Taliban and other Sunni militant groups more committed to sectarian violence are entrenched. Militants have attacked Shiites in Hangu and Kohat.

Agence France-Presse reported that a spokesman for a banned Sunni militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, said the group had been behind the bombing, but it was impossible to immediately confirm that claim. The group is allied with Al Qaeda and is responsible for many sectarian and other terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Mr. Hussain, who spoke on a private television station, said that sometime after the blast in Kohat, gunmen approached a funeral for one of the people killed and opened fire. It was unclear who the gunmen were.

The mayor of the nearby district of Hangu, also in North-West Frontier Province, was killed in a bomb blast at a mosque next to his house and was thought to be the target. It was unclear who was behind the attack on the mayor, Hajji Khan Afzal.

The News International, an English-language newspaper in Pakistan, reported the arrests on Monday of 22 people suspected of being Taliban insurgents and the seizure of dozens of weapons and 11 pounds of hashish. The paper said eight other people were arrested Thursday.
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India-Pakistan
District Nazim Hangu killed in bomb explosion at Mosque
2009-09-19
[Dawn] The District Nazim Hangu Khan Afzal has been killed in bomb explosion at Mosque. Police officials said that Afzal was killed near his residence in Wajh area.
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India-Pakistan
100 families leave Hangu for safer places
2008-12-25
Around 100 families on Wednesday left Shaho area of Hangu district for safer places in order to flee attacks by the Taliban. Talking to reporters, elders among the displaced families said the Taliban had enforced their own rules in Shaho and no one was safe there any more, adding the abduction and killing of innocent people had become a routine. The elders said even the security forces were helpless against the Taliban activities in the area. Hangu Nazim Haji Khan Afzal and District Co-ordination Officer Mujeebur Rehman said the government had deployed paramilitaries and police for the security of the people, adding the government would not assist the families, as they had left the area without informing the local administration.
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India-Pakistan
Nine people abducted in Hangu
2008-07-27
Unidentified armed men kidnapped Tehseenullah, the brother of Hangu District Nazim Khan Afzal, and his three colleagues on Saturday, family sources told Daily Times.

They said that Tehseenullah was on his way to Hangu from Kohat when he was kidnapped along with three other men. The police said that they had registered a first information report and started investigations into the incident. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. In another incident, the Taliban kidnapped five people, including a local councillor, on Saturday evening, locals said.

Armed men kidnapped councillor Yaqoot Khan and his four colleagues Muslim, Hamd, Ahmad and Akbar from Tor Worai union council at gunpoint, nazim of the union council Saeed Jan told Daily Times. Tor Worai union council is located around 50 kilometres northwest of Hangu city. The area is situated on the border with Kurram Agency.

Meanwhile, in Hangu town, a jirga comprising elders from 10 tribes assured the district administration that they would not allow display of arms and establishment of militant centres in their respective areas.The participants decided that safety and security of the main road would be the joint responsibility of the tribes and the district administration. They resolved that armed patrols by militants or any other group would not be allowed.

Addressing the meeting, Hangu District Coordination Officer (DCO) Shahab Ali Shah said that those challenging the writ of the government would be sternly dealt with.

A handout released on Saturday said that the Hangu DCO, under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, prohibited gatherings of more than five people, processions and road blockades in the limits of Hangu district with immediate effect.
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India-Pakistan
Taliban release 8 Govt officials of 29 hostages in Hangu
2008-07-26
(APP): Local Taliban Friday released eight government officials out of 29 hostages after a day-long successful negotiations held at adjacent Aurakzai Agency between Taliban and peace jirga, said District Nazim Hangu Khan Afzal.

Those set free by the Taliban included Wapda Superintendent Khan Mir Shah, Engineer Works and Services Muhammad Asad, SDO PTCL Qamaruddin, Wapda official Aslam Pervez, FC personnel Mir Jang, Cashier National Saving Center Zahir Shah and a police official.

The district administration, he said is hopeful for the release of remaining abductees, he said and added, peace negotiations would now resume again on coming Monday.

Meanwhile the administration relaxed curfew in Doaaba area of Hangu on Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. first time in last 13 days after the operation was launched in the area.
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India-Pakistan
Hangu jirga calls for ceasefire, release of Taliban prisoners
2008-07-16
A 15-member grand peace jirga in Hangu asked the Hangu district administration on Tuesday to ceasefire and release Taliban prisoners to pave the way for an agreement with the militants. The jirga met Taliban leaders and discussed various options for reaching an agreement with the government. Jirga member Mufti Kifayatullah told journalists that the Taliban would abide by the jirga's decision. Local officials said Member of National Assembly (MNA) Pir Haidar Ali Shah, Member of NWFP Assembly (MPA) Mufti Syed Janan and Hangu Nazim Haji Khan Afzal Aurakzai had left for Peshawar to meet NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to discuss conditions for a peace accord with the Taliban. Meanwhile, sources said hundreds of people staged a rally in support of peace in the Mohammad Khwaja area. The sources said protesters asked the government not to conduct a military operation and ensure safety of people's life and property.
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India-Pakistan
Taliban blow up Frontier Constabulary fort in Hangu
2008-07-15
Local Taliban blew up a Frontier Constabulary (FC) fort in the Zargari area of Hangu on Monday, as security forces opened sporadic fire on suspected militant hideouts.

Hangu District Naib Nazim Gul Karim told Daily Times that hundreds of Taliban bombed the FC fort.
Taliban had allowed safe passage to the 40 FC personnel posted at the fort. ARY One World reported that the Taliban occupied the fort and snatched weapons from the FC personnel.
He said the Taliban had allowed safe passage to the 40 FC personnel posted at the fort. However, Geo News said only five FC men were at the fort. ARY One World reported that the Taliban occupied the fort and snatched weapons from the FC personnel.

Doaba curfew: The town of Doaba remained under curfew for the fifth consecutive day, paralysing the daily activities of local residents. However, the Hangu-Tall-Parachinar Road was opened to traffic.

Meanwhile, a 15-member jirga left Hangu to initiate dialogue with local Taliban for the restoration of peace. Similarly, MNA Pir Haider Ali Shah and District Nazim Haji Khan Afzal met area elders at the district co-ordination officer's office and initiated contact with the provincial government.

According to a Dawn News report, army troops have already occupied strategic positions in Hangu.

Tribal lashkar: Geo News, meanwhile, reported that hundreds of armed men of the Shinwari and Naryab tribes have announced the formation of a tribal laskhar to fight the Taliban in Hangu. It quoted tribal leaders as saying that the laskhar of 200 armed men was formed after the Taliban killed 17 paramilitary soldiers. According to Geo, the Taliban presence in the area has visibly reduced following the formation of the lashkar.
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India-Pakistan
Suicide bomber strikes Shia gathering in DIK
2008-07-14
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia gathering in Dera Ismail Khan injuring at least three people, police officials said on Sunday.

The bomber had leapt in front of a car carrying people back from the gathering, in which top Shia leader Allama Sajid Naqvi was also present, said police official Muhammad Qasim Khan.

It appeared that the bomber's explosives had not fully detonated as his body had not been damaged completely, he said.
"Eeeeewww! Gross! Intestines!"
"[Gasp! Groan!]... Excuse me! Would you mind shooing the flies out of my body cavity until I've totally passed on?... [Wince! Whimper!]... As you can see, I no longer have any arms of my own... Really, it won't be long now... I hope... That's a good fellow!"
The attack comes as the latest in a series of violent incidents in Pakistan. The country was rocked by suicide attacks in Islamabad and Karachi last week that had claimed more than 20 lives. On Saturday, a group of militants had attacked a Frontier Constabulary (FC) convoy in the Zargari area of Hangu district, north of Dera Ismail Khan. District Mayor Haji Khan Afzal had said that at least 13 paramilitary forces had died along with at least three militants, making the skirmish one of the deadliest for Pakistan's security forces in recent months. Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik on ruled out a full-fledged military operation in the area in response.
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India-Pakistan
Hostages to be slain if insurgents not released: Taliban
2008-07-12
From the Dawn blogwire ...
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 11 (AP) Militants will start killing a group of hostages if several militant prisoners are not released by Saturday afternoon, Pakistani Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar Friday said. Umar claimed the Taliban kidnapped 29 people, most of them security forces. However, Hangu district official Haji Khan Afzal said 16 or 17 people were being held. The hostages were taken during a militant siege of a police station Wednesday. A man named Rafiuddin suspected of being a deputy to top Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud is believed to be among those prisoners. Umar said the government must release the prisoners by Saturday afternoon or the hostages will be killed.
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India-Pakistan
Taliban militants threaten to kill Pakistani hostages
2008-07-12
Militants will start killing a group of hostages if the government does not release several insurgent prisoners within a day, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman threatened Friday. A suspected militant leader is among those the Taliban want freed.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his country does not negotiate with terrorists and will not capitulate to threats. "We will take action when it's required," he said after a speech at a think tank in Washington.
The action they'll take will look remarkably like capitualion, but don't go calling it that. Call it a spade or something.
Maulvi Umar, the Taliban spokesman, claimed the Taliban had kidnapped 29 people, most of them security forces. However, Hangu district official Haji Khan Afzal said only 16 or 17 people were being held.
Oh, well. That's different then.
Both sides have been negotiating over the captives, who Afzal said were taken in the wake of a militant siege of a local police station earlier this week in the country's volatile northwest. Officials said more than 100 militants surrounded the Doaba station to demand their associates be freed, and the siege ended after army troops showed up. But the militants have not dropped their demands. Umar insisted the government release seven militant prisoners, including a suspected top insurgent known as Rafiuddin, by 2 p.m. Saturday or the hostages would be slain. "It's our final warning," Umar said.

On Thursday, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced the arrest of Rafiuddin, an alleged deputy to top Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan.
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India-Pakistan
Security forces find 58 bodies in Kohat
2008-03-31
Security forces have found fifty-eight bodies of people who died during six days of sectarian violence in Kohat district, as a temporary ceasefire between the Mishti and Kachai tribes was being observed, Online reported. Seven women and six children were among the dead. Hangu District Nazim Khan Afzal, who belongs to the Mishi tribe, told the BBC on Sunday that security forces, along with both the rival tribes, had started searching for dead bodies in trenches and fields two days ago.

The security forces found 28 bodies that belonged to the Mishi tribe, he said, adding that
15 out of 28 people had been killed during an attack on a jirga.
15 out of 28 people had been killed during an attack on a jirga. The nazim said that the Mishti tribe had handed Lotang trench over to security forces. This trench had belonged to the Kachai tribe. Around 17 people from the Kachai tribe had lost their lives in this trench.

Union Council Nazim Astarzai Syed Mehtab Khan told BBC that the security forces found the bodies of 30 people belonging to the Kachai tribe in damaged houses and trenches.

School attacked: Meanwhile, militants blew up the gate of a girls’ primary school in the semi-tribal Darra Adam Khel area late on Saturday, a Daily Times staff report quoted local sources as saying. They said that the explosives were planted at the school’s gate and exploded at around 11pm on Saturday, damaging it. However, the school building remained safe and no causalities were reported.
Brave, brave Lions of Islam™ ...
Militants also blew up a checkpost near Tandi Kalai late on Saturday. The checkpost was unoccupied at the time. Security forces also defused two bombs in the Sherakai area, which appeared intended to blow up a bridge.
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