The Pakistanis are dangling a settlement for the Afghan war to the US. The bait is the Haqqanis, according to The New York Times. That’s right, the same Haqqanis who are the closest to al Qaeda: What the Pakistanis can offer is their influence over the Taliban network of Jalaluddin and Siraj Haqqani, whose forces […]
A new rumor of Hakeemullah Mehsud’s death has appeared in the Pakistani press. The military destroyed 20 Taliban bunkers and detained six fighters in Bajaur, and captured a Lashkar-i-Islam leader in Khyber. The interior minister said “foreign elements” may be involved in the violence in Karachi.
The latest report, which contradicts the previous rumor, states that Hakeemullah Mehsud died in Multan on Feb. 9 from wounds suffered in a US Predator strike in mid-January. The top Taliban spokesman maintains that Hakeemullah is alive.
Pakistani Taliban confirms Hakimullah Mehsud’s death
The Army, backed by tribal militias, is advancing on Taliban strongholds in the Mamond region.
Security forces continued operations in the Mamond region in Bajaur. Police arrested six Taliban fighters thought to be plotting to kill Americans in Lahore. The Taliban attempted to assassinate a brigadier general in Islamabad, bombed a girls’ school and a health clinic in Mohmand, and attacked a military camp in Khyber.
The military claimed it took control of Damadola in Bajaur; seven Taliban fighters were killed during the fighting. Police arrested a Taliban commander and four fighters in Nowshera. The government will not negotiate with the Taliban, the chief minister of the NWFP said.
Pakistan: 119 high-profile militants at large
Pakistan – 119 high-profile militants at large
Blasts probe yet to gather pace as toll rises to 33
The military claimed that the Mamond region in Bajaur has been cleared and the government now controls 90 percent of the tribal agency. The Taliban bombed a girls’ school in Bannu. The Pakistani Taliban spends $45 million year, according to the governor of the NWFP.
With Taliban leader reported dead, new Pakistani figure emerges
Dir: A Pakistani militant hotbed
Pakistan – Swati women want army to stay
Twenty-five Pakistanis were killed in two bombings at a Shia procession in Karachi; police also defused a bomb placed at a hospital in the city. The Taliban killed a teacher and attacked an electrical grid station in Khyber.
Even where Pakistani law exists, Taliban find a porous border
Fifteen Taliban were killed in airstrikes in Bajaur. Security forces detained 35 suspects in yesterday’s suicide attack in Dir. The Taliban said Hakeemullah Mehsud is in hiding; US intelligence officials believe he is dead.
Pakistani Taliban leader alive, in hiding, spokesman says
Who™s who of terror meet in PoK, vow jihad
The planning and execution of the suicide car bomb attack in Dir was “too perfect,” according to US military and intelligence officials.
Pakistani Taliban has its work cut out
Three US soldiers were among nine people killed in an IED attack in Dir; the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani intelligence officials said Hakeemullah Mehsud and Qari Hussain Mehsud likely survived a US Predator strike. Two security personnel were wounded an IED attack in Khyber.
The US soldiers were killed while traveling to attend the opening of a girls’ school in Dir. The soldiers served as trainers to the Frontier Corps.
US aircraft killed 17 terrorists in a massive attack in North Waziristan. Security forces killed 18 Taliban fighters in Bajaur, while tribesmen killed and hanged two Taliban fighters. The military also killed three Taliban fighters in Swabi. The Taliban killed two members of a peace committee in Mohmand.
A Taliban leader said Hakeemullah Mehsud will release a tape in the next couple of days to prove he is alive. Security forces killed 20 Taliban fighters in Bajaur and detained 12 Taliban fighters in Swat and South Waziristan. The Taliban torched a NATO fuel tanker in Khyber.
Taliban-Pak army links deepening?
Daily Times has the best description of the North Waziristan Taliban’s warning to the Pakistani government not to launch a military operation in the tribal area: A shura of Taliban in North Waziristan Agency on Sunday said it can withstand government action but would not tolerate a military operation in the agency. In a pamphlet […]
The Taliban denied Hakeemullah Mehsud was killed in a US airstrike earlier this year. The military killed 17 Taliban in airstrikes in Bajaur and detained five more in Nowshera. The Taliban killed two soldiers in Mohmand and bombed a girls’ school in Bannu. The Taliban also warned the government not to carry out operations in […]
Secrecy of US drone strikes in Pakistan criticised
A Pakistani television channel claimed today that Hakeemullah Mehsud died days after a Jan. 14 strike and was buried recently in Arakzai. The Pakistani military and US intelligence will not confirm the report.