AF/PAK SWEEP 10.29
PAKISTAN
1) A passport of one of the members of the Hamburg Cell, involved in plotting the 9/11 TwinTower attacks on the US, has been discovered during the ongoing military operation in South Waziristan, DawnNews reported.Said Bahaji, a German national is on the CIA’s most wanted list for providing logistics and finances to the 9/11 hijackers. Said Bahaji, whose passport was discovered during search operations, arrived in Karachi on September 4, 2001, just a few days before the 9/11 attack took place (DawnNews)
2) The local administration imposed a curfew for an indefinite period in Sadda, the tehsil headquarters of Lower Kurram tribal region, on Wednesday.An official said main roads linking the town with Central Kurram and other areas had been sealed. Apparently the action had been taken because of reports that militants fleeing South Waziristan were moving towards Lower and Central Kurram and in some areas they had enforced their own brand of Sharia (DAWN)
3) The CID police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested five members of a banned militant outfit and seized about 150 kilos of explosives of Indian origin, automatic rifles and suicide vests from them.A senior CID police official said that the five suspected militants, all residents of Karachi, were arrested in different parts of OrangiTown and they were planning terror attacks on key installations in the city (DAWN)
4)Security forces have secured key area of Sherongai during ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat against foreign militants in Shakai and Ladha areas. General Officer Commanding Major General Khalid Rabbani in a media briefing said eight-two militants have been killed whereas six security men have been martyred and 43 wounded during the action. He said security forces have secured the Sherongai area from Uzbek militants. Large number of Chechen, Uzbek and Turkmenistan militants is still present in Shakai Ladha area. He expressed hope that Kanigaram area will be cleared soon (Geo TV)
5) India withdraws 15,000 troops from IHK NEW DELHI: India is withdrawing about15,000 soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir, a military official said on Thursday, in a move aimed at boosting prospects of peace talks with the disputed region's freedom fighters.India has been under international pressure in recent months to reduce tensions along its Pakistan border particularly Kashmir so that Islamabad could focus on fighting the Taliban on its western border with Afghanistan (Geo TV)
6) Eleven more terrorists have been killed in South Waziristan during last 24 hours, ISPR release said here on Thursday. According to the report, due to mortar fire on the security forces, one soldier embraced Shahadat while two others sustained injuries. On Jandola-Sararogha Axis , the security forces are consolidating their positions while the important town of Inzar Kalay has been fully sanitized and cleared of mines, IEDs and bobby traps. Clearance of Zariwam is in progress where during securing of heights north of Ganra Kas, 5 terrorists fleeing from the area were killed. Due to terrorists mortar fire one soldier embraced Shahadat and two injured (aaj.tv)
7) In a bold move security forces achieved surprise by securing important features around Kaniguram, the major stronghold of terrorists and important base of Uzbeks, Director General ISPR Major General Athar Abass said on Wednesday.Giving briefing to media-persons on operation in South Waziristan, ISPR DG said in last 24 hours, 25 terrorists have been killed while huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered.However, five soldiers were wounded during the gun battle with terrorists, he said.Strongly condemning the bomb blast in Peshawar where a number of innocent lives including children and women have been lost, Major Gen Athar Abbass said the leadership of terrorists is on the run owing to strong offensive by Pakistan Army (Pakistan Times)
8) The security forces, during the continuing search operation in Swat, captured a terrorist leader and 5 other militants from Mingora. The detained commander is said to be a key member of Ghulshan Char Bagh. Meanwhile, security men recovered dozens of CDs with Jihadi content and arrested 5 suspects from Khawaza Khela and Balogram areas (Thenews.pk)
9) The District Administration of Lahore has ordered that 17 government schools in different areas of Lahore and the PunjabUniversity be shut down for security reasons, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday. According to the channel, the district administration authorities ordered to close down Government Muslim Model High School Urdu Bazaar, Govt Victoria High School, Govt Saleem Model High School, Govt Girls' Higher Secondary School Ravi Road, Govt Chishtia Girls' High School, Cathedral High School Anarkali, Anthony High School Lawrence Road, Govt Central Model School Lower Mall, Saint Francis High School Anarkali and Sacred Heart Girls' High School Temple Road, among others (Daily times)
10)The United Nations commission probing Benazir’s murder case has said that it is having problems getting to former president Pervez Musharraf for questioning, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday. According to the channel, the UN body had also demanded that the government help them contact Musharraf. The commission could visit Pakistan next month, the channel reported (Daily times)
11)U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's said on Thursday it was "hard to believe" that no one in Pakistan's government knew where al Qaeda leaders were hiding, striking a new tone on a trip where Washington's credibility has come under attack. Scores of al Qaeda leaders and their operatives, including Osama bin Laden, are believed to be in hiding in the rugged border territory that divides Pakistan and Afghanistan, but both countries routinely accuse the other of being the main sanctuary "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to," she told a group of newspaper editors during a meeting in Lahore. "Maybe they are not 'get-at-able'. I don't know," she said (Reuters)
12) The death toll from a car bomb in Pakistan's Peshawar has reached 105, a day after the blast struck a market in the country's most populous northwestern city.On Wednesday afternoon, an explosive laden car ripped through the crowded market in Peshawar, a gateway to the country's lawless tribal areas (Press TV.IR)
13) Pakistani troops fighting the Taliban in South Waziristan have surrounded a key stronghold of Uzbek fighters, military officials say. They say that the town of Kaniguram - one of the largest towns in the area - is also the "operational centre" of the Pakistani Taliban.The army says its offensive against the militants is "making good progress". But a US-based rights group warned of "catastrophe" if aid is not allowed in to help civilians trapped in the area.In a statement released on Thursday Human Rights Watch said that Pakistani authorities should ensure that civilians who cannot escape the fighting should have sufficient access to basic necessities (BBC NEWS)
14)Even as the Pakistani government plays down the American role in its military operations in Taliban-controlled areas along the border with Afghanistan, the United States has quietly rushed hundreds of millions of dollars in arms, equipment and sophisticated sensors to Pakistani forces in recent months, said senior American and Pakistani officials. During preparations this spring for the Pakistani campaigns in Swat and South Waziristan, President Obama personally intervened at the request of Pakistan’s top army general to speed the delivery of 10 Mi-17 troop transport helicopters. Senior Pentagon officials have also hurried spare parts for Cobra helicopter gunships, night vision goggles, body armor and eavesdropping equipment to the fight. (NY Times)
AFGHANISTAN
15) On 23 October, forum participant "Murasil al-Imarah" posted to the Islamic Al-Fallujah Forums website a statement issued by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban, in which the group claims responsibility for a harvest of attacks against coalition and Afghan forces in various parts of Afghanistan on 21 and 22 October 2009. A harvest of operations is a type of statement that compiles attacks carried out by a terrorist or insurgent group, usually covering all the attacks by that group within a specific period. Some of the operations listed in the harvest may have been previously posted as individual statements. The statement is attributed to Qari Muhammad Yusuf (Ahmadi) and Dhabihallah (Mujahid), the official spokespersons for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban, and to the Media Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban. The statement was originally posted on the Sawt al-Jihad webpage on 20 October.("Media Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban: Source: The Sawt al-Jihad webpage on 20 October 2009)
16) On 23 October, forum participant "Al-Murasil" posted to the Hanin Net website a statement issued by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban, in which the group claims responsibility for a harvest of attacks on coalition and Afghan forces in various parts of Afghanistan on 22 and 23 October. A harvest of operations is a type of statement that compiles attacks carried out by a terrorist or insurgent group, usually covering all the attacks by that group within a specific period. Some of the operations listed in the harvest may have been previously posted as individual statements. The statement is attributed to Qari Muhammad Yusuf (Ahmadi) and Dhabihallah (Mujahid), the official spokespersons for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban, and to the Media Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban. The statement was originally posted on the Sawt al-Jihad webpage on 20 October ("Media Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan-Taliban "Source: The Sawt al-Jihad webpage on 20 October 2009)
17)Afghanistan's Taliban militia vowed Thursday to intensify its attacks in the build-up to next week's run-off presidential election after an attack on a guesthouse for foreigners in Kabul. "We'll intensify our attacks in the coming days. We'll disrupt the elections," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. "We have new plans and tactics for attacks to disrupt the elections," the spokesman emphasized (AFP)
18) An Afghan and international security force detained a few suspected militants today in Lashkar Gah district, Helmand province, during a compound search operation.The compound is known to be used by a senior Taliban commander with numerous connections to other Taliban commanders and leaders of the Taliban shadow government in the region.The security force searched the compound near the village of Barang after intelligence indicated militant activity. The joint force searched the compound without incident and detained the suspected militants. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.Afghan and international security forces consistently combine their experience, skills and resources to eliminate the Taliban threat and to ensure the safety and well-being of all Afghan people (ISAF).
19) Coalition and Afghan forces have killed five Taleban in a joint operation in [southern] HelmandProvince. The [Afghan] Interior Ministry says in a statement that these men were killed in Sangin District of Helmand Province yesterday. The statement also adds that a foreigner was detained in NimrozProvince [in western Afghanistan]. An investigation has been started against the detained person, the statement adds (Tolo TV, Kabul)
20) Six Taleban fighters have been killed in a clash between police and the Taleban in GhazniProvince. The GhazniProvince police commander has said that the clash took place at a time when a group of Taleban attacked the building of the district [administration]. A police soldier was wounded in the fighting, he added (Tolo TV, Kabul)
1) Passport of 9/11 conspirator found in Waziristan
A passport of one of the members of the Hamburg Cell, involved in plotting the 9/11 TwinTower attacks on the US, has been discovered during the ongoing military operation in South Waziristan, DawnNews reported.Said Bahaji, a German national is on the CIA’s most wanted list for providing logistics and finances to the 9/11 hijackers. Said Bahaji, whose passport was discovered during search operations, arrived in Karachi on September 4, 2001, just a few days before the 9/11 attack took place.
2) Sadda placed under indefinite curfew
The local administration imposed a curfew for an indefinite period in Sadda, the tehsil headquarters of Lower Kurram tribal region, on Wednesday.An official said main roads linking the town with Central Kurram and other areas had been sealed. Apparently the action had been taken because of reports that militants fleeing South Waziristan were moving towards Lower and Central Kurram and in some areas they had enforced their own brand of Sharia.Paramilitary forces and Levies Force have set up at least eight checkpoints around Sadda bazaar. Local people said that security forces rushed from Parachinar and besieged the area early in the morning.Announcements were made on loudspeakers asking people to leave the town.
Sources said that militants wounded in clashes in South Waziristan were being brought to private clinics in Kurram. They were using unfrequented routes because the main Thall-Parachinar Road had remained closed for about two years.It is learnt that paramilitary forces deployed in Sadda and suburbs on Tuesday faced resistance from militants.Meanwhile, tribal elders in Parachinar have announced a ban on display of arms and vowed to support the action taken by the government to restore peace in the area.
3) Five ‘militants’ held in Karachi with explosives
The CID police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested five members of a banned militant outfit and seized about 150 kilos of explosives of Indian origin, automatic rifles and suicide vests from them.A senior CID police official said that the five suspected militants, all residents of Karachi, were arrested in different parts of OrangiTown and they were planning terror attacks on key installations in the city.
‘Initial investigations suggest that they all are militants and associated with the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. They have a history of police arrests on different charges,’ said CID SP Fayyaz Khan.‘We have seized two suicide jackets, two sacks containing 150 kilos of explosives made by an Indian company and five Kalashnikov rifles with bullets and magazines.’
The SP was speaking to reporters at the DJ College Ground on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road where the seized explosives and suicide jackets were being defused by the officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad.However, he did not offer an explanation when asked why he chose a playground, and that too in the high-security zone of the city, for a site to defuse the seized explosives.
When asked whether the arrested suspects had any links with India, the official said that investigations were in an early stage and the CID did not reach any conclusion about the suspects’ connections with the neighbouring country.
The arrested suspects, aged between 25 and 26 years, are identified as Nasir alias Saifullah, Shakeel Barmi, Atif alias Chooha, Wasim alias Baroodi and Afzal alias Rickshaw Wala.
The official was reluctant to share details of the police action which led to the arrest of the suspected militants.However, he said the CID police were looking for four of their accomplices – Rasheed Swati, Arif alias Chota, Danish and Naseer – who were still at large.
The CID police claimed that the arrested suspects were planning to target government buildings and prominent individuals. ‘Their main targets were government buildings and hotels,’ said SP Khan.‘The initial investigations revealed that the suspects were also planning to target prominent personalities including politicians and government members.’
The seized explosives were put on display at the DJ College Ground. The inscription on the two white plastic bags containing about 100 kilos of potassium chlorate, read: ‘Manufactured by Vaigai Industries, Karaikal, India’.
The remaining 50 kilos of explosive material was packed in two small aluminium boxes.The fresh arrest of the alleged militants came as a fifth such action of the CID in the city, as only a couple of weeks ago they had arrested the alleged Amir of the Karachi chapter of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and his accomplices.
4) Security forces secured Sherongai
Security forces have secured key area of Sherongai during ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat against foreign militants in Shakai and Ladha areas. General Officer Commanding Major General Khalid Rabbani in a media briefing said eight-two militants have been killed whereas six security men have been martyred and 43 wounded during the action. He said security forces have secured the Sherongai area from Uzbek militants. Large number of Chechen, Uzbek and Turkmenistan militants is still present in Shakai Ladha area. He expressed hope that Kanigaram area will be cleared soon.
5) India withdraws 15,000 troops from IHK