Bali Bombing Suspect Allegedly Captured in Pakistan
30 March 2011
"One of Indonesia's top terror suspects, wanted in connection with the 2002 Bali bombing, has been captured in Pakistan, reports say. Umar Patek, a suspected member of the militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), was detained earlier this year, local and foreign intelligence sources say. Jakarta is sending a team of police officers to confirm his identity. The 2002 attacks on nightclubs in the Indonesian tourist hub left 202 people dead,...
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Suicide Bomber Kills 10 near Peshawar
30 March 2011
"A suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up near a police checkpoint in Pakistan on Wednesday, killing ten people and wounding more than 20, police and hospital officials said. Police chief Abdullah Jan said the checkpoint was close to a camp set up by a religious political party for a public meeting in the northwestern town of Swabi, about 10 kilometres (60 miles) east of Peshawar. 'Seven people died on the spot and three more succumbed to...
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Haqqani Network Influence in Kurram and Its Implications for Afghanistan: Report
30 March 2011
"The Haqqani Network is one of Afghanistan's most capable insurgent groups. Based in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency, the Haqqani network's senior leadrship directs the insurgency in Afghanistan's southeastern provinces of Khost, Paktika, and Paktia. The network is important not only because of its tactical and operational proficiency, but because it links foreign terrorists, such as al-Qa'ida, to operations inside Afghanistan. In the last...
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Reforming Pakistan's Electoral System: Report
30 March 2011
"Electoral rigging has hampered Pakistan’s democratic development, eroded political stability and contributed to the breakdown of the rule of law. Facing domestic pressure for democracy, successive military governments rigged national, provincial and local polls to ensure regime survival. These elections yielded unrepresentative parliaments that have rubber-stamped extensive constitutional and political reforms to centralise power with the military...
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The Risks of Supporting Tribal Militias in Pakistan: Report
30 March 2011
"For the past 10 years, Taliban and al-Qa'ida militants have been highly active in Pakistan's northwest region. As these fighters expanded their presence in Pakistan after 2001, civilians increasingly became victims to Taliban violence. Beginning in 2007, tribal leaders in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KP) resumed organizing militias, known as lashkars, to counter the Taliban and their al-Qa'ida...
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