CIA Director Visits Pakistan, Discusses US Operations, Links Between Militants and Security
13 June 2011
Leon E. Panetta, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, confronted Pakistani intelligence officials face to face with what the United States believes is evidence of collusion between Pakistani security officials and militants staging attacks in Afghanistan, an American counterterrorism official said Saturday. During an unannounced trip to Pakistan’s capital on Friday, Mr. Panetta met with the leader of the Pakistani intelligence service,...
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Military Plans to Enlist Tribal Elders in Newest North Waziristan Operation
13 June 2011
The military is planning to enlist pro-government tribal elders in a fresh campaign it has devised to flush out al Qaeda members and its affiliates from North Waziristan, officials said on Sunday. The move is aimed at deflecting growing US pressure for a full-scale offensive against the Haqqani Network – the deadliest of all Afghan Taliban factions – allegedly based there. Under the plan, local tribesmen have been urged to form laskhars,...
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Recent Security Incidents: Bombings in Peshawar, Islamabad Kill at Least 40
13 June 2011
Taliban on Sunday denied responsibility for twin bomb blasts that ripped through a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 39 people and injuring dozens. The attack, one of the deadliest in a series to hit Pakistan since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in May, devastated the Khyber Super Market district which includes a hotel, shops and student accommodation. The Taliban, who have vowed to carry out attacks to avenge the...
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Six Rangers Arrested in Extrajudicial Killing Case
13 June 2011
The Sindh High Court granted police a two-day physical remand of six Rangers and a policeman involved in the killing of Sarfaraz Shah. The six Rangers are Shahid Zafar, Muhammad Afzal, Liaquat, Muhammad Tariq, Bahar and Minthar Ali. Afsar Khan is the policeman who first handed over the youth to the Rangers and later filed a fake FIR against him. All the suspects were presented in the court today....
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US Foreign Aid to Pakistan: Report
13 June 2011
The 112th Congress is focused on cost cutting measures to reduce the budget deficit. How it deals with the second ranking U.S. aid recipient, Pakistan—which is important to U.S. national security interests but that some say lacks accountability—will be key. Pakistan has been among the leading recipients of U.S. foreign assistance both historically and in FY2010, and most experts list the country among the most strategically important...
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