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Recent Appearances...

Afghanistan

Daily Evacuation Brief June 12, 2023

2023-06-12

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS

PAKISTAN’S PATIENCE IS REPORTEDLY WEARING THIN AFTER LATEST CLASH ALONG THE BORDER WITH TTP – A fight between Pakistani Army troops and suspected members of the TTP took place in the Miran Shah region of North Waziristan on Saturday. In the battle, 3 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 3 militants were said to have lost their lives. 4 additional militants were said to have been wounded. Army troops recovered a modest weapons cache from the site of the fighting. Sources in Pakistan say the weapons recovered from the battle had come from Afghanistan and at least two of the suspected TTP had documents and currency from Afghanistan on their bodies.

AFGHANISTAN’S AMBASSADOR TO TAJIKISTAN’S HOME BURNED IN ROKHA DISTRICT, PANJSHIR – The ancestral home of General Zaher Aghbar, the Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan and a former military officer under the previous regime, was reportedly burned by unknown arsons on Sunday evening. The home was situated in the town of Piyawesht. Prior to the fire, the house was said to be occupied by Taliban security personnel.

TAJIKISTAN ARRESTS SEVERAL DOZEN AFGHAN CITIZENS IN THE KHATLON REGION – Government officials confirmed the arrests were made on 8 June and involved former Afghan military personnel who were reportedly armed. The Afghans were reportedly transported to a detention facility in Dushanbe sometime between the 8th and 10th of June. Some speculation in local press outlets says the Afghans were part of various Resistance groups or, had recently broken with said groups, and were making plans to return to Afghanistan.

TALIBAN FIRES BACK AT THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL OVER ‘BASELESS’ REPORT – Several of the senior leaders within the Taliban chose to criticize a report compiled by the United Nations Security Council which makes the following claims:

The Taliban, in its current form, is overwhelmingly dominated by the Pashtun ethnic group and other ethnic groups lack representation.

Dissent exists between the leadership but the Supreme Leader is consolidating his power. The existing dissent was not likely to cause a factional division for the next 1-2 years.

The Supreme Leader has weathered international/regional/Islamic pressure to adopt modern policies and those who offer different views for the country are not strong enough to challenge him.

Terrorists have greater freedom of maneuver since the Taliban’s return to power and are likely ignoring threats posed to neighbors by these groups.

The Taliban’s official spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, categorically rejected each of the claims in a statement. Mujahid resorted to the same denials, deflections, and counter-accusations that now typify the regime’s response to any criticism.

NEXT 24 HOURS
CYCLONE BIPARJOY STRENGTHENS, PAKISTAN’S COASTAL REGIONS BRACE FOR IMPACT – The cyclone picked up significant strength as it moved toward land and is now called ‘an extremely severe cyclonic storm’. The storm is expected to lose some strength before intensifying again and moving toward the Northwest. Emergency managers in Sindh Province have urged residents to stay indoors and have ordered billboards to be taken down in urban areas. The main threats for Pakistan are heavy rains that will cause flooding, storm surges that could cause waves to peak at 30 feet or more, and dangerous winds. At-risk Afghans staying in the affected areas are urged to remain indoors and should cover any glass windows in their residences. If no material is available to cover windows, people should avoid standing, laying, or sitting near them as the winds are expected to be strong enough to blow the glass inwards. Meteorologists expect the system to begin losing strength on Tuesday morning however, the risk of flooding is expected to persist throughout the coming week. Power, cellular, and internet outages will likely occur in some areas and it may take several days to reestablish communications.

Link

Afghanistan

Pakistan Secretly ‘Offers Facilities and ID Cards’ to Afghans Near Durand Line

2021-01-28

If they don’t secure the affection of the natives, they won’t be able to retreat there when they lose the big war against India.

[KhaamaPress] The head of Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
Provincial Council says Pakistain is planning to issue ID cards to Afghan tribal leaders living in districts near the disputed Durand Line.

According to Ahmad Ali Hazrat, head of Nangarhar Provincial Council, the Pak government had repeatedly made such offers to Afghans living near the Durand Line in the past.

He posted on his Facebook, that he has documents and evidence to substantiate his claim, but could not share it due to insecurity, he claimed hundreds of Afghans near the border were given Pak ID cards.

The Pak government had promised Afghans living close to the border, that they would be provided with scholarships and good facilities inside Pakistain, Hazrat indicated.

He also claimed that Pakistain by cutting the barbwires and underground construction of tunnels across the Afghan-Pak border is directly facilitating terrorist groups to easily enter Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Wajia Ul Rehman Shinwari, Nangarhar tribal chief said the Pak government has offered its promises of facilitating life and bringing electricity to the Afghans near the border, but were rejected by the people.

Pakistain so far have not commented in this matter.

Link

India-Pakistan

PTM Marches across Miran Shah in Protest ‘against State Brutalities with Pashtuns’

2020-11-16

[KhaamaPress] The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) held a “massive gathering” in Miran Shah, North Waziristan on Sunday, according to sources, “expressing opposition to a new war being imposed on both sides of Durand Line.”

“Pashtuns in a massive PTM gathering in Waziristan are expressing opposition to new war being imposed on both sides of Durand Line,” tweeted Afrasiab Khattak, a former member of the Senate of Pakistan.

“PTM is trail blazer in resistance to war state repression,” he added. “Glad that other pol [Political] parties have mustered the courage to point out the real usurpers.”

Meanwhile, Human Rights activist and supporter of PTM Khor Bibi cheers the gathering, saying they have stood up “against state brutalities with Pashtuns”.

“Bravo PTM! 4 holding such a massive demonstration & show of power against gross human rights violations committed by Pak Army on innocent Pashtuns,” she wrote in a tweet.

“We’ll never forget & forgive #KharQamar & Wana massacres; killing of Arman Loni, Arif Wazir&Tahir Dawar,” she added.

The PTM is a rights group that has called for the de-mining of the former tribal areas and greater freedom of movement within tribal areas. It has called for an end to “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions,” according to reports.

Link

India-Pakistan

More polio in Wazoo

2013-09-03

Health authorities in North Waziristan tribal areas recently confirmed five new polio cases there and suspect there are many more.

It's usually 20-30 cases of infection for every case of paralysis...

It's one of a series of outbreaks this year in parts of the country where security threats have kept out vaccination teams.

Officials worry these outbreaks -- inflamed by militant threats and attacks on vaccination teams -- could worsen and spread to other parts of Pakistan, especially since the country is entering the high season for virus transmission.

This doesn't happen in more civilized countries...

My Mom used to be afraid to let us go swimming in August, the "dog days," when polio transmission was at its highest levels for the year. That was only sixty years ago. The sugar cube I eventually got didn't make me sterile. I don't think I could memorize the Koran, though, so maybe there's something to it.

"It's not like a pot of boiling water where you see bubbles coming from everywhere, but there is steam coming out from specific areas," said Dr Elias Durry, emergency coordinator for polio eradication in Pakistan for the World Health Organisation. "Our fear is that the virus from these areas can go out and seriously jeopardise the success in fighting polio that has been achieved in the past couple of years."

Pakistan -- one of only three countries left where polio is endemic -- had 198 confirmed cases in 2011, the highest number of any nation in the world. Pakistan was able to bring that number down to 58 in 2012 through a vaccination program that is supported by the United Nations.

But the militant threats could reverse that progress. There have been 27 confirmed polio cases in Pakistan so far this year -- the third highest total in the world after Somalia and Nigeria. Seventeen of them have occurred in the country's semiautonomous tribal region, the main sanctuary for Taleban and Al Qaeda militants, Durry said. Two powerful Pakistani Taleban militants have banned vaccinators from North and South Waziristan over roughly the past year because of their opposition to US drone strikes. Gunmen have also killed over a dozen vaccination workers and police guards in different areas of the country. Many suspect the Taleban of carrying out the murders, although the group has denied the allegation.

Militants have claimed the vaccine is meant to sterilise Muslim children and accused health workers of being US spies. The allegation gained traction after the CIA used a Pakistani doctor to try to confirm the presence of Osama bin Laden in 2011 under the guise of an immunisation program.

Some families couldn't afford to make the six-hour journey to get the vaccine from Peshawar even if they wanted to take the risk. Health workers have stationed themselves at two checkpoints protected by the army in North Waziristan, where they are vaccinating children riding by in vehicles. But many people are afraid the militants will find out if they vaccinate their children at the checkpoints.

Durry, the WHO official, said authorities have confirmed five polio cases in North Waziristan and three others in the nearby district of Bannu this year. The five cases in North Waziristan were confirmed since the beginning of August, two of them on Wednesday, said a local health official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. Officials are still investigating 20 suspected cases, he said.

There have been a total of 12 confirmed cases since the militant ban, the official said. Tribal elders sent to ask the militants to change their minds haven't been successful, said Jahan Mir, a senior government health official in Miran Shah.

There also have been confirmed polio cases this year in the Khyber tribal area and the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab, Durry said. Health officials had planned to immunise 34 million children across the country, but 1.5 million have not received the vaccine because of security threats, he said.

Threats by Al Qaida-linked militants also have hampered vaccination efforts this year in Somalia, which has suffered the worst polio outbreak in the world. The country has confirmed 108 cases so far, more than all other countries combined, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative website. There have been at least 192 confirmed cases worldwide in 2013.

Somalia isn't even one of the three countries where polio is considered endemic. Those are Pakistan, its neighbor Afghanistan and Nigeria, where militants killed polio vaccinators in the northern city of Kano in February.

Irfan Khan, a father of two young children in North Waziristan's Mir Ali town, said he hoped authorities succeed in appealing to the militants to protect the local population.

"The government and the militants should both compromise to allow children to get the vaccine," he said.

Link

India-Pakistan

Suspected US Drone Strike Kills 19 in Pakistan

2012-07-07

Pakistani officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed at least 19 suspected militants in the country's northwest. Friday's strike took place near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region -- a known hub of Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants.

Officials said foreigners were among those killed when missiles hit a compound in the area. It was one of deadliest suspected U.S. strikes and the first such attack since Pakistan re-opened NATO supply lines into Afghanistan following a seven-month shutdown.

Those foreigners wouldn't happen to speak Arabic, would they?

Link

India-Pakistan

Leader of Taliban's al Mukhtar group held in Karachi

2011-12-17

[Pak Daily Times] For the second time, the city police's specialised unit Friday claimed to have locked away six suspects, including the leader of the Taliban associated group known as Al-Mukhtar, and recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives from their possession.

The locked away suspects included ringleader Asghar alias Omar, while five of his accomplices were identified as Zahid alias Osama, Abid, Usman alias Hamza, Shakir and Ali Akbar.

According to Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), the suspects were involved in at least eight cases of terror activities in the city, including the attack on the rummy club in which 22 people bit the dust, while another 50 were maimed when a powerful kaboom occurred on April, this year. The AEC also claimed to have recovered 50 kilogrammes of kaboom, three hand grenades, 10 mini rocket grenades, three time/remote control bombs, five kilogrammes of ball bearings and nut bolts, 20 feet detonating wire, four remote control detonating switches, five kilogrammes locally made bomb, a time remote control switch, 30 litre hydrogen peroxide, five kalashnikovs, a TT pistol and over one hundred ammunitions.

Speaking at a presser, SSP Chaudhry Aslam said that the group was active in the city against wine shops, gambling dens and cinemas, and it had attacked several wine shops and gambling dens in different parts of the city. He said that the locked away men belonged to Al-Mukhtar group, linked to Al-Badar Mansoor group. He said that AEC team locked away them when they were planning to carry out more terror activities in the metropolis.

Earlier, CID (Operations) locked away the group's alleged member Mustafa Rahman Orakzai alias Yaqoob Commando after an encounter on Super Highway.

According to SSP Aslam, group leader Asghar is the expert of making bombs and had got training of bomb making in Miran Shah, Wazoo. He said all the bombs used in the terror activities in Bloody Karachi were made by him.

The SSP said the accused were planning to carry out attack on the exhibition being held in Korangi and had also planned to target the owner of the rummy club over refusal of the extortion money while they also made a plan to attack all the wine shops, gambling dens and cinemas in Bloody Karachi.

Link

India-Pakistan

Suspected U.S. Missiles Kill 7 Militants in Pakistan

2011-11-15

A suspected U.S. drone fired missiles at a house in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border early Tuesday morning, killing seven alleged militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The strike occurred in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, a key hub for Taliban and al-Qaida militants, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Elsewhere in the northwest, Pakistani forces pounded militant hideouts, killing 16 suspected insurgents, said government officials.

Link

Afghanistan

US drone strike in Pakistan kills three Egyptians

2011-10-16

A US drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region has killed three Egyptians linked to the Haqqani network, including one who played a key role in handling the militant group's finances, Pakistani intelligence officials said on Sunday.
"Ummm... Al-Masri?"
"What? And don't call me al-Masri, Nadine! Call me Abu Shahadat!"
"Whatever. What's that sound?"
"That? It's the wheel bearing. I've got an appointment at the tire place to have it fixed."
"No. That other sound."
"That one? It always makes that noise. That's the differential."
"No, the other one."
"What other one?"
[KABOOM!]
"Aaaiiieee! That one! [GASP!... twitch... twitch... rattle]
The three men were killed on Friday when a drone fired missiles at a car near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media. A fourth person was also killed but has not been identified.
"Run a DNA test on that piece over there, wouldja, Sam?"
"Sure, Dr. Quincy! Hey, Al! Bring me a putty knife and a sponge!"
US intelligence believes the Haqqanis are the top threat to security in Afghanistan and that they enjoy the support of the Pakistani army.
The alternatives are Hekmatyar's network, Mullah Omar's Taliban, and al-Qaeda. Hekmatyar's too busy plotting and planning against everybody else to actually be effective. For enough cash and weaponry he'd sell himself out.
It wants the army to sever its ties and attack the group, something that Islamabad refuses to do.
"What? Give up our strategic depth? Certainly not! Besides, they'd kick the spit out of us!"
The issue is a main cause of tension between the two countries, and Pakistan's reluctance to co-operate has prompted the U.S. to step up missile strikes against the Haqqani network in the group's safe haven in North Waziristan.
If I've counted correctly, this one makes a half dozen in a week.
The US does not acknowledge the CIA-run drone program in Pakistan,
"Eh? CIA? Drones? In Pakistain? You can't mean us!"
"Check with the Ruritanians. They've been active lately."
but officials have said privately that the attacks have killed senior militant commanders from the Haqqani network, the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
"No! Reeeeally?"
They also doubled as senior commanders in the ISI...
One of the Egyptians killed Friday was a 28-year-old man named Abdullah who helped handle the Haqqani network's finances in Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the intelligence officials. He was known locally as Nadeem.
When he put on his burka disguise on date nights he was known locally as Nadine.

Link

India-Pakistan

Gunmen kill senior Pakistani Taliban commander

2011-06-28

[Dawn]

Gunmen riding in a car with tinted windows near the Afghan border on Monday shot and killed a senior Pak Taliban capo who helped train and deploy the group's jacket wallahs, Pak intelligence officials said.

Shakirullah Shakir was riding on a cycle of violence near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Wazoo tribal area, when he was shot, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Shakir was a senior commander and front man for the Fidayeen-e-Islam wing of the Pak Taliban. He once claimed to a local newspaper that his group had trained more than 1,000 suicide bombers at camps in North Waziristan.

No group has grabbed credit for his killing.

Link

India-Pakistan

US missile strikes kill seven in Pakistan

2011-03-14

[Arab News] Pak intelligence officials say two suspected US missiles have zapped seven bully boyz in the country's tribal region.

The two officials say the Sunday evening strikes also maimed five bully boyz in Spalgah village near Miran Shah in North Wazoo.

The officials say two missiles first hit a vehicle and four more struck a compound, a Pak Taliban hide-out. The tribal region is home to several bad turban groups focused on attacking US and its allied NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan.

The Pak Taliban have also taken refuge there after an army offensive in their neighboring headquarters of South Waziristan.

Gunmen ambushed a van and killed nine civilians Sunday in a stretch of northwestern Pakistain covered by a new peace deal among rival tribes. Security forces responding to the attack killed three alleged gunnies, police said.

The clash does not bode well for the future of the peace deal in the Kurram tribal region, which stopped a four-year conflict that had cost hundreds of lives. There have been reports that Talibs planned to take advantage of the deal to gain more territory along the Afghan border.

Police official Mir Chaman Khan said the attack occurred in Hangu district along the main road from Kurram to the city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar.

The road had recently reopened after the Toori and Bangash tribes inked the deal with the Mangal and other tribes. The van was coming from Parachinar, a town in Kurram. Khan declined to speculate on who was behind the attack.

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India-Pakistan

Missile attack kills 5 terrorists in Waziristan

2010-12-06

[Pak Daily Times] At least five cut-throats were killed in missile attacks in northern area of the Wazoo agency, a private TV channel reported on Sunday. According to sources, two missiles were fired from someplace or other on a vehicle in tehsil Dutta Khel, 25 kilometres from Miran Shah. The vehicle was destroyed completely and five alleged cut-throats on board died in the attacks, the channel reported.

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India-Pakistan

2 North Wazoo dronezaps whack 14

2010-11-07

In the first strike, one American missile slammed into a house and another hit a vehicle in the town of Ghulam Khan just north of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, the two officials said. Nine insurgents were killed.

An hour later, another pair of missiles struck a vehicle in the nearby town of Datta Khel, killing five suspected militants, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media. They said all five killed were foreigners.

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