| India-Pakistan |
| IDP camp infested with scorpions |
| 2014-07-25 |
 [DAWN] They had left their homes to secure their life but are still unsafe. The lone camp set up by the government for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is infested with deadly black scorpions, an official said on Thursday.Tariq Hayat, bigwig of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron), conceded before the Senate's standing committee on cabinet division that the camp had been set up at a wrong place. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Rocket Attack on Pakistan Governor Meeting, Six Wounded |
| 2011-10-12 |
 [An Nahar] At least six people were maimed but none were killed when rockets struck a meeting of tribal elders convened by a provincial governor in northwest Pakistain Tuesday, bigwigs said.Senior administration official Sahabzada Anis corrected his earlier statement that one person had been killed when forces of Evil apparently perched on nearby mountains fired rockets on the gathering in Kalaya town of tribal Orakzai district. He said that six people were maimed, one critically. Anis added that one rocket hit the gathering before the arrival of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... (KPK) governor Masood Kausar, A second rocket landed near a helipad and a third fell in surrounding fields, he told Agence La Belle France Presse. The tribal belt on the Afghan border comprises seven federally administered semi-autonomous districts. Tariq Hayat, secretary for the security of the districts, said seven people were maimed at the venue. He added that he had no immediate report of fatalities. A security official said that five rockets had been fired, with most landing far from the gathering, but one falling close by, causing the injuries. "Militants fired five rockets at the location of the jirga which the governor of KPK was about to address," a security official said. "There have been no deaths so far and the governor is safe," he said. |
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| India-Pakistan | |
| Pakistan wants tribal militias in militant hub | |
| 2011-06-15 | |
[Dawn]  Pakistain is trying to persuade rustics in a key bad turban sanctuary near the Afghan border to take up arms against al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in their midst, a top political official said Tuesday.The US has repeatedly demanded that Pakistain launch a military offensive in North Wazoo to try and sap the strength of faceless myrmidons who regularly attack foreign forces in Afghanistan, jeopardizing Washington's hopes of drawing down troops. The latest effort to bring rustics on board appeared to be a new attempt to replicate the successes of the US military in Iraq to turn the tribes there against al-Qaeda. So far, it has been less promising in Afghanistan and Pakistain, and at least two prominent North Waziristan locals said it would never work in their area. It is also unclear whether the government and the US have the same faceless myrmidons in mind for targeting.
Tariq Hayat, the top political official for Pakistain's entire semiautonomous tribal region, said talks with the North Waziristan rustics began in recent days and the government has promised "moral and material support," but not weapons. "If they feel now that they are strong enough and they are getting signals from the authorities about all our support, yes they would love to throw the Death Eaters out from their homes," said Hayat. Kamran Khan, a politician from North Waziristan, said he was not aware of the recent negotiations, but said people are too angry over US "As long as the American drones are hitting us every day, no such idea can get public support," said Khan. The Pak government is also extremely unpopular in North Waziristan, a poor region that is effectively controlled by faceless myrmidons despite the presence of thousands of Pak troops. A leading member of one of the two main tribes in North Waziristan ruled out local militias, known locally as lashkars, because of the danger of retaliation by the bad turbans. "Only an insane person would think about an anti-Taliban lashkar here," he told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... for fear of being targeted by either the faceless myrmidons or the army. It's unclear whether Pakistain's attempt to establish tribal militias is a precursor to an operation in North Waziristan or an attempt to deflect US pressure, which has increased following the American raid last month that killed the late Osama bin Laden ... who was potted in Pakistain... in an army town not far from Islamabad. Also unknown is whether the government has been pushing the rustics to target the same faceless myrmidons the US wants taken out. Washington is most focused on the Haqqani network, which it considers the most dangerous bad turban group fighting in Afghanistan. But many analysts believe Pakistain is reluctant to target the group because of historical ties and the belief that it could be a useful ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw. Instead, the more likely target could be groups like al-Qaeda and the Pak Taliban, which have declared war on the government and have carried out scores of bombings throughout the country. Hayat, the political official, said the government wanted the rustics to target foreign faceless myrmidons and members of the Taliban, but did not indicate whether that group includes the Haqqani network and other Afghan fighters battling foreign forces. The Mighty Pak Army did not respond to requests for comment on the recent talks or on whether a North Waziristan operation was imminent. Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... recently called on the people of North Waziristan "to evict all foreigners from their soil." | |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Taliban 'reappear' in Bajaur Agency |
| 2010-06-16 |
 After a two-year long successful military operation and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Taliban have reappeared in Bajaur Agency, warning Levies Force officials through letters to stop the offensive or be ready to face the consequences. Sources told Daily Times that the threats written on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) letterheads were distributed in various areas of the agency's Mamoond and Khar tehsils on Monday, saying the TTP would continue its fight in Bajaur against the US and its allies.The TTP has asked the Levies Force to stop actions against the organisation. Residents said they feared for their safety again after the distribution of the threatening letters. On April 19, FATA Law and Order Secretariat Secretary Tariq Hayat told a press briefing, "Security forces had claimed security clearance in most of Bajaur after military operations." "We have de-notified the status of conflict zones in 34 villages in tehsil Wara Mamund and 19 villages of tehsil Nawagai, Charmang areas," he had said. He, however, feared that the Taliban could recapture the cleared areas of the agency if IDPs were not repatriated to these areas. The battle for Bajaur or Operation Sherdil was launched by the Pakistan Army in August 2008 to clear the area of the Taliban, in control of the agency since early 2007. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Tariq sees foreign patronage behind SWA terrorists |
| 2009-10-22 |
 [Geo News] Secretary Law and Order Fata Tariq Hayat Wednesday said the terrorists present in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) are flourishing on foreign aid and patronage.Talking to Geo News here, he ruled out carrying out of large-scale terror activities, as are presently being witnessed in the country, by organizations running on public donations. Tariq Hayat pointed to the presence of such foreigners in the organized militant outfits in SWA who are seditious even to their own homeland and they are funded with foreign aid. "Donation-run militant group cannot launch actions of such great propotions," he ruled out. According to experts, the explosives used in Peshawar blasts were brought from abroad. According to Secretary Law and Order Fata, the extremists present in SWA pose real threat to the stability of Pakistan; the government is bearding down upon them with a full-fledged crackdown. The security forces sealed all of the major paths and passages leading out of SWA, he added. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| More than 700 Khasadar sacked after threats |
| 2009-09-15 |
| [Dawn] Pakistani authorities sacked more than 700 police who failed to show up for work after they were threatened by a militant leader in the famed Khyber tribal region, an official said Monday. 'A total of 715 Khasadar (tribal policemen) refused to report to duty after a threat by a militant leader. I have terminated their service,' Tariq Hayat, the top administrative official in the tribal district, told AFP. Until last week, there were about 2,500 tribal police in Khyber. Hundreds of them in the lawless district that borders Afghanistan were given 24 hours' notice to report but 715 failed to do so, the senior official said. Authorities sacked 358 tribal policemen on Sunday and another 357 on Monday, Hayat said. 'All these refused to come to the office for duty,' Hayat said, adding that he would advertise for new recruits. Militant commander Mangal Bagh, who has ties to the Taliban, used a radio broadcast to threaten that lawmakers, army soldiers and paramilitary troops who did not resign would see their homes demolished and face other harsh penalties. Hours after his speech Thursday, militants blew up three houses belonging to Khasadars, residents said. A suicide bomber killed 22 tribal policemen last month and on September 1, Pakistan launched a military offensive against Mangal's militant group Lashkar-e-Islam in Khyber, location of the fabled Khyber Pass into Afghanistan. Khasadars are specially recruited tribesmen who bring local expertise to the job of tracking down militant centres and hideouts. Militants from Pakistan's feared Tehreek-i-Taliban have adopted similar intimidation tactics in the northwest Swat valley. Hundreds of police deserted during a violent uprising launched two years ago. The military says it has killed around 170 militants in Khyber but such tolls are impossible to confirm independently. Khyber is on the main land and supply route through Pakistan into Afghanistan, where international forces are battling a Taliban insurgency. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Authorities sack 350 tribal police after militant threats |
| 2009-09-13 |
 [Dawn] Authorities in northwest Pakistan Saturday sacked more than 350 tribal police when they failed to report for duty after a militant leader threatened reprisals against those who did not resign, an official said.Around 500 tribal policemen in the lawless border district of Khyber were Friday given 24 hours notice to report but only 142 turned up on Saturday, the senior official said. Militant commander Mangal Bagh, who has ties to the Taliban, in an FM radio broadcast threatened that lawmakers, army and paramilitary troops in the region who did not resign would see their homes demolished and other harsh penalties. Hours after his speech on Thursday, militants blew up three houses belonging to khasadars, or tribal police, residents said. There are about 2,500 people in the tribal police in Khyber district but 500 did not report for duty Friday after the militant's threat and only 142 turned up on Saturday. 'I have terminated the services of 358 tribal policemen, we will make new appointments soon,' Khyber region's administration chief Tariq Hayat told AFP by telephone. Pakistan launched a military offensive last week in the area, home to the fabled Khyber Pass into neighbouring Afghanistan and where a suicide bomber killed 22 tribal policemen late last month. The offensive is targeting fighters from Lashkar-e-Islam (Army of Islam), a militant group battling the government in Khyber, part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt. 'These khasadars were getting salaries from Pakistan but were obeying someone else,' Hayat added. Khasadars are locally recruited tribesmen who know their area well and are considered helpful in tracking down militant centres and hideouts. Militants from Pakistan's feared Tehreek-i-Taliban adopted similar tactics in the northwest Swat valley, where hundreds of police deserted during a violent uprising that demanded the imposition of Islamic law. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| 500 khasadars absent from duty after Mangal's threat |
| 2009-09-12 |
 Following a warning from Taliban-linked militant group Lashkar-e-Islam, around 500 officials of the Khasadar force failed to report for duty in Khyber Agency on Friday, a senior official said.LI chief Mangal Bagh, who reportedly has ties to the Taliban, in an FM radio broadcast threatened lawmakers, army and paramilitary troops in the region that whoever did not resign would see their houses demolished and suffer other harsh penalties. Hours after the speech on Thursday, Taliban blew up three houses belonging to khasadars to terrorise its members, residents said. "Some 500 khasadars abdicated their duties today," Khyber Agency political Agent Tariq Hayat said. "We have given them 24 hours notice, and if they fail to report by Saturday afternoon their services will be terminated," he added. Taliban spokesman Zar Khan confirmed that Mangal Bagh issued the warning and charged that the military operation targeted "innocent residents". |
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| India-Pakistan |
| Anti-terror action afoot until Khyber is cleared |
| 2009-09-11 |
| [Geo News] The crackdown on Laskhra-e-Islam is still in full swing on the 10th day of crackdown against the extremists in Khyber Agency in Tehsil Bara; also, the exodus of local people from the area is in progress on Thursday. Political Administration announced to continue the crackdown until the area is cleared. Talking to Geo News, PA Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat said 107 extremists have been killed in the action on the 10th day of the crackdown; also, 127 houses and 26 centers of the extremists have been razed down. Also, 107 people have been arrested in the action. PA Khyber said the action is afoot in Bara Tehsil areas of Malak Deenkhel, Akakhel, Sapah, Shalobar and Qambarkhel and these areas are being searched. He added Bara Market has been cleared; however, it will take time to clear the entire area. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| 10 more killed in Khyber Agency operation |
| 2009-09-08 |
 At least 15 people were killed in security forces' operations and a drone strike in Khyber and North Waziristan tribal agencies on Monday.Security forces killed 10 militants in the remote Tirah valley on the seventh day of Operation Bia Daraghlam, security sources said. Security officials said that 12 houses being used by militants had been destroyed in the Akakhel, Shalobar, Malikdin Khel and Sipah areas of Bara, while a militant stronghold and five hideouts were destroyed in Tirah valley. Separately, a missile fired by a US drone hit a house and a madrassa, killing at least five people and wounding six others, security officials said. "The strike targetted a madrassa and an adjoining house in Machikhel village in North Waziristan," a security official told AFP. "At least four people were killed and six others injured," the official said. Two other security officials in the area also confirmed that the missile was fired from a US drone. The victims could not be immediately identified. A local administration official said that local tribesmen had cordoned off the destroyed house and madrassa and were searching for bodies. Fleeing: Meanwhile, a large number of civilians have fled fresh military bombardment against militants in the agency. "Thousands have fled the military operation in Khyber. Around 30,000 people have arrived in Peshawar since yesterday," said Sahibzada Mohammad Anis, administrative chief in Peshawar. Khyber local administration chief Tariq Hayat also told AFP that as many as 30,000 civilians had left when a curfew was relaxed on Sunday. |
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| India-Pakistan |
| 16 more militants killed in Bara |
| 2009-09-04 |
| [The News (Pak) Top Stories] Sixteen more militants were killed and 35 others arrested on the second day of the Operation Bia Daraglam in different parts of Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency on Wednesday, the Frontier Constabulary (FC) sources said. Two explosive-laden vehicles, houses of six commanders, including those of Abid Murad, Tayyab and Sabeel and six hideouts of militants were destroyed in the operation. As many as 59 miscreants have been killed and 78 others apprehended during the Daraglam operation so far. Political Agent Khyber Tariq Hayat Khan told reporters that the operation would continue till the elimination of all terrorists. He said relaxation of curfew would be announced after the approval of the competent authorities. Nasrullah Afridi & Daud Khattak add from Bara: Security forces killed three more suspected militants, demolished houses of several commanders and razed a centre of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in different areas on the second day of the Operation Bia Daraghlam (Here I come again) in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency on Wednesday. Another 35 people, believed to be militants, were arrested and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition was seized during raids on suspected locations, security officials said. The detainees and arms seized during the swoop were presented before the media at the Frontier Constabulary's (FC) Shahkas Fort in Bara. The arrested people also included a prominent elder, Malik Durran Gul, who was presented blindfolded before media persons. However, the elder was freed later, saying he was taken into custody for violating the curfew. Malik Durran Gul was kidnapped by the Bara-based banned LI some time back and remained in their custody for several months on charges of his alleged links with the government. Locals said the elder was freed after payment of Rs 3,000,000 as fine to the banned outfit. Talking to journalists, several of the arrested people said they had nothing to do with the LI or any other militant outfit. "I was sitting outside my house when arrested by security forces," said one man seemed to be in his 20s. He added that all the LI people had already vacated their centres and taken refuge in the mountainous areas. Officials said the house of a key LI commander, Haleem Shah, was demolished in the Kamarkhel area of Bara. Shah was leading the LI before its present chief Mangal Bagh. The house of another commander, Misrithe Gul, an erstwhile spokesman for the banned outfit, was also destroyed in the Shalobar area. In the Sipah area, the house of commander Ghuncha Gul Zakhakhel was demolished, while another two houses owned by commander Sabeel and commander Saifoor were razed in Malik Dinkhel and Sipah areas of Bara, respectively. The houses of the commanders were captured by security forces on Tuesday. Besides the residential constructions, a centre of the banned LI was also destroyed in the Shalobar area while a market consisting of 18 shops dealing in small arms and ammunition was also flattened in Bara bazaar. Security officials at the Shahkas Fort told journalists that two vehicles, prepared for suicide attacks, were also destroyed during a raid on an LI centre by the troops. Locals said none of the three people killed in Wednesday's action belonged to the LI while bodies of three of the nine people killed on Tuesday were still lying in Dogra hospital as people could not come out of their houses to identify and take the bodies because of the curfew in the Bara sub-division. In the Sipah area, security forces arrested the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Khyber Agency, Shah Faisal, during a raid on his house. Faisal's uncle, six other members of his family and four guests were also taken into custody, the locals said. |
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| India-Pakistan | |
| Troops take on militants in Bara | |
| 2009-09-03 | |
| [The News (Pak) Top Stories] At least nine suspected militants were confirmed dead as security forces launched a massive operation in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency on Tuesday. The security forces and political administration, however, claimed killing 40 militants during the swoop, codenamed Bia Daraghlam (here I come again) launched in the aftermath of a spate of beheading in the lawless region. The operation conducted in the area in June last year was codenamed as Daraghlam (here I come). Locals said nearly 35 beheaded bodies were recovered from different areas of Bara over the past one month. The beheading had spread a wave of terror among residents, prompting the security officials to take action against the perpetrators. Briefing journalists about the operation, sector commander of security forces Brigadier Faiz and Political Agent of the Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat Khan said
The arrested militants were produced before the media along with the arms seized during search. The two officials said four hideouts of the militants had been destroyed during the operation. They said the ground forces were supported by military helicopters that targeted the hideouts of militants. The officials said the operation was not against a particular group or individual, but to purge the area of the miscreants. Asked about a similar operation in late June last year and its conclusion without any gains, the two officials said the current operation would continue till the restoration of peace and security in Bara. They said security forces were engaged in Swat last year, but enough force was available with the government to take the operation to its logical end this time. Locals said the banned Lashkar-e-Islam activists did not offer any resistance as the operation was launched this morning. They had already vacated their areas to take refuge in the nearby mountains. Sources said the Frontier Corps (FC) and Army troops were taking part in the operation. Troops started movement around 1am on Tuesday. They captured all important places of militants around 3am. The operation was launched at 6am by imposing curfew all over the Bara sub-division. Initially, the troops continued the search operation in Shalobar, Kamarkhel and Malak Dinkhel areas till the afternoon. However, tanks and troops were called to the Sipah area after an attack on security forces convoy in the afternoon and burning of a military vehicle by the miscreants. Independent sources confirmed the killing of nine suspected militants during the operation. Five among them were identified as Habibur Rahman, Arif, Wali Khan, Abdur Rahman and retired subedar Murad. Residents said security forces had captured the houses of key militant commanders in different areas. However, they retreated from the places after some time. Sources said the houses would be demolished with the help of earth moving machinery today (Wednesday). Nearly 35 people, mostly opponents of the outlawed LI, were killed in the area and their bullet-riddled and beheaded bodies were dumped on roadsides or uninhabited areas. No one would be allowed to remove the bodies till a time limit mentioned in the notes pinned to the bodies. A similar operation, codenamed Daraghlam (here I come) was launched in Bara on June 28 last year during which some houses of militants were demolished. However, the operation was halted without achieving any conspicuous results. Connecting Afghanistan and Pakistan at the busiest Torkham border crossing, Khyber Agency is rapidly becoming a lawless zone because of the increasing cases of kidnapping on the Peshawar-Torkham route. A suicide attack on a Khassadar (tribal police) checkpost on August 27 killed 21 Khassadars, who were preparing to open their daylong fast. Two days before the attack, an Afghan journalist Janullah Hashimzada was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the broad daylight in the Sur Kamar area of Jamrud sub-division. Kidnapping from Peshawar city has almost become a routine with its roots traced back to Bara and Jamrud areas of Khyber Agency. | |
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