Another 13 militants killed in NWA airstrikes

 

MIRANSHAH: Military authorities on Saturday claimed another 13 militants have been killed and seven of their hideouts destroyed in airstrikes in the Mir Ali subdivision of North Waziristan Agency.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said fighter jets pounded the hideouts of militants after they fired rockets on the posts of the security forces in Mir Ali on Saturday morning.

It said the jets pounded seven hideouts of the militants and killed 13 terrorists. The statement said most of those killed were foreigners.

According to ISPR, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was also destroyed in the airstrikes. It also said consolidation of the cleared area in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, and on the Miranshah-Dattakhel road is in progress.

According to the military officials, six motorcycle-borne improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and two vehicle-borne IEDs, both ready to be used in terrorist attacks, two 12.7 mm guns, one 14.5 mm gun, three vehicles, 11 suicide jackets and a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered during the last 24 hours in Khar Warsak and Zartangi.

They said three terrorists, including an Uzbek national, have been apprehended from the Boya area. They added that two explosives-laden vehicles were destroyed through aviation strike at Degan village. They claimed two suicide bombers were identified and chased and eventually they exploded and took their lives when encircled close to Boya.

ISPR said relief operations for the IDPs were continuing at full pace in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Peshawar.

“So far 96,533 ration packs each weighing 110 kilograms have been distributed among the IDPs,” it added.

According to the ISPR statement, 1,012 tonnes of ration has been collected so far at 59 relief collection points established by the Pakistan Army throughout the country. It said most of the ration has been transported to Bannu.

“The army doctors, specially moved to reinforce the local medical effort at Bannu, are busy in providing relief to the patients. So far 12,587 patients have been treated at the Field Medical Hospital established at Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital in Bannu by army doctors,” it added.

Jets pound militants in NWA, kill 13

 

MIRANSHAH: After a few days of lull, the Pakistan Air Force fighter jets on Tuesday again pounded seven suspected hideouts of militants in North Waziristan and reportedly killed 13 terrorists.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a brief statement to the media about the latest air strikes in the Degan village, which had been attacked earlier as well.The press release didn’t provide further details about the air strikes and the identity of the slain militants.

Degan is located in the Dattakhel Tehsil, near the Afghan border, and is considered a stronghold of the North Waziristan-based Taliban headed by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group isn’t part of the mainstream Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), led by the Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban commander Mullah Fazlullah.

It was the second time that jet fighters carried out bombing in Dattakhel after the launch of the military operation in North Waziristan on June 15. Hafiz Gul Bahadur has until now remained neutral and has announced a ceasefire due to Ramazan till the 10th day of Eidul Fitr and directed his fighters not to attack the security forces.

Taliban sources said some of Gul Bahadur’s fighters had attacked a security checkpoint called Tipo in the Spinwam Tehsil a few days ago, killing two soldiers and causing injuries to a few others. The military authorities, however, didn’t confirm this report and said the soldiers died in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Also, despite repeated warnings by the military authorities and local political administration, the majority of the residents are said to be still residing in Dattakhel and its adjoining villages.

Miranshah and Mir Ali, which are the two major residential and commercial towns in North Waziristan, were largely in control of the militants from the TTP, Uzbeks, Arabs, Chechens and Punjabi Taliban while Gul Bahadur and his fighters dominated Dattakhel when the military launched the operation on June 15.

The militants and residents have vacated both Miranshah and Mir Ali and the adjoining villages but Dattakhel is still said to be in control of Gul Bahadur and his men. Also, residents haven’t vacated Razmak, Dossali and Garyoom tehsils as well as Shawa and Spinwam under arrangements with the army and the administration in return for guarantees that they won’t allow the militants to hide in their areas.

13 terrorists killed in NWA bombing 12 surrender

MIRANSHAH: The fighter aircraft of PAF continued pounding suspected positions of militants in the Mir Ali subdivision of North Waziristan on Wednesday, killing 13 terrorists.

Military authorities said the aircraft had struck five sanctuaries of militants in Mir Ali, where the militants were still hiding, despite the fact that local residents had already vacated their houses and villages.

Also, the Inter-Services (ISPR) said in a statement that 12 terrorists surrendered to the security forces in North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday.It didn’t disclose identity of the militants surrendered to the security forces. Also, it was not clear whether those surrendered belonged to the North Waziristan Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur group or the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Meanwhile, North Waziristan remained under curfew for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. Though majority of the residents had fled the tribal region, there was no traffic on roads and all shops and markets remained closed due to curfew in North Waziristan.Official sources said security had been tightened on checkpoints and observation posts set up on hilltops in the tribal region.

China says 13 attackers killed in Xinjiang assault

BEIJING: Chinese police shot dead 13 people in Xinjiang after they drove into a police building and set off an explosion Saturday, regional authorities said, in the latest attack to hit the restive region.

The vast area in China´s far west, home to the mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority, has faced a series of violent attacks in recent years.

Beijing has vowed a year-long crackdown on terrorism in recent weeks following several high-profile attacks blamed on Xinjiang militants, which since late last year struck outside the region and targeted ordinary citizens rather than government or security personnel.

"Today thugs crashed a car into the public security building of Kargilik county in Xinjiang´s Kashgar prefecture and set off an explosion. Police took decisive action and shot dead 13 thugs," the official Xinjiang government website Tianshan reported.

Three police suffered injuries but there were no other casualties, the report said, without providing further details. It was unclear if the attackers used one or more explosive devices.

The state news agency Xinhua described the vehicle as a truck and said the attack happened in the morning, adding that authorities were investigating and "local social order is normal".

China´s most powerful body, the Politburo Standing Committee, said in May that "cracking down on violent terrorist activities must be the focal point of the current struggle", Xinhua reported at the time.

Authorities have announced hundreds of detentions or criminal punishments, including the sentencing of 55 people in late May for offences such as terrorism at a ceremony in a stadium attended by 7,000 people.

This week China executed 13 people for "terrorist attacks" in Xinjiang and ordered the death penalty for three others for a car crash last October in Beijing´s Tiananmen Square, the symbolic heart of the Chinese state.

In that incident, the first major event blamed on Xinjiang residents to take place outside the region, three family members drove onto the popular tourist area, killing two people and wounding 40 before the car burst into flames and they themselves died.

Chinese police shot dead 13 'thugs' in restive Xinjiang: govt.

BEIJING: Chinese police Saturday shot dead 13 "thugs" in restive Xinjiang after they drove into a police building and set off an explosion, a regional government website said.

"Today thugs crashed a car into the public security building of Kargilik county in Xinjiang´s Kashgar prefecture and set off an explosion. Police took decisive action and shot dead 13 thugs," the official Tianshan web portal reported.

Three police suffered injuries but no other casualties occurred, the report said, without providing further details. It was unclear if the attackers used one or more explosive devices.

Xinjiang, a vast and resource-rich region in China´s far west which is home to the mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority, has faced a series of violent attacks in recent years.

Authorities have vowed to crackdown in recent weeks and announced a number of arrests and sentences following several high-profile attacks.

13 killed in Miranshah bombing, rocket attacks

MIRANSHAH: At least 13 persons were killed in remote control bomb and rocket attacks on two vehicles on Friday morning, Geo news reported.

Sources said that the first incident occurred in Tehsil Dattakhel of Miranshah, when a remote control bomb planted by the roadside targeted a vehicle that killed three persons and two sustained injuries.

Meanwhile in another incident, a rocket fired on a vehicle at Shawal killed 10 persons. Those killed could not be identified yet.

Govt to release 13 Taliban prisoners: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that those who were opposing talks should see how much lives have been saved since the process began.

Talking to media on Saturday, he said talk process would bring peace in Pakistan. He, however, added that there was a need to show patience to steer the country out of difficulties.

He said that the government wanted to establish peace in the country through talks within the parameters of the Constitution and the law.

Nisar said that the government had decided to release 13 Taliban prisoners as confidence building measure. He said that process of release of non-combatant prisoners was being initiated from both sides.

The minister said that the Taliban should also release non-combatant and innocent prisoners. He said that the government had also raised the issue of release of Prof Ajmal and sons of Yousuf Raza Gilani and late Salman Tasir.

He said that the government had released Taliban prisoners as a good will gesture.

 

Govt to release 13 more Taliban prisoners

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Saturday that the government has decided to release 13 more Taliban prisoners for confidence-building with the hope that the Taliban will show the same spirit and release non-combatants.
The minister said some of the 13 prisoners were included in the list provided by the Taliban to the government.

Chaudhry Nisar made this announcement while talking to media persons here at the Punjab House after a meeting of the government and the Taliban negotiations committees. He said the only demand of the government was permanent peace in the country. He said the negotiations process was passing though a sensitive phase as the unnecessary expression of views could harm the talks process. “We need commitment and positive thinking at this stage,” Chaudhry Nisar said.

“A few people are criticising the negotiations process but a majority of people are supporting the talks as every citizen wants peace in the county,” he said, adding, “What we achieved through negotiations is visible as no serious incident has occurred since the last few weeks.”

He said a military operation was not the solution to the issue, adding that it was very easy to conduct military operations or to adopt the option of hostility and aggression but the government needed a permanent solution to the issue, which was peace through negotiations.

The minister also objected to the role of the media in covering the peace talks. “Peace talks are no news for the media whereas sixes and fours are glorified,” he said, adding that the media highlights bomb blasts but undermines the peace talks.

“We will present our clear points before the Taliban during the second phase of talks, which are starting next week and the same is expected from the other side,” he said.

He said the second phase was very important and sensitive. “The government is pursuing a single point agenda — establishing peace in the country while remaining within the ambit of the Constitution.”

Chaudhry Nisar said all violent activities must stop. “As a goodwill gesture the government has decided to release at least 12 to 13 Taliban, and a few among them have also figured in the list provided by the Taliban to the government,” he said. He added that the government has already released 19 Taliban prisoners in the month of March. “This is a continuation of the programme to release non-combatant Taliban prisoners,” the minister said.

He said the government expected a similar gesture from the Taliban for the release of non-combatantant abductees, including Professor Ajmal, the sons of Yusuf Raza Gilani and Salman Taseer and many other government employees and foreigners who have nothing to do with the war.

Chaudhry Nisar said it was being misreported that the Taliban wanted a free zone in Fata while the fact was that they wanted a passage where they and the government committee could freely come and go during the peace talks.

He said that during the second phase, the government may release more than 30 Taliban prisoners. “The release of detainees would lead to peace,” Chaudhry Nisar said, but added that it needed to be done from both sides. He maintained that the government would take all decisions within the ambit of prevailing laws and in the greater national interest.

Chaudhry Nisar said a number of issues came up for discussion during the course of talks and it wouldn’t be proper to divulge the details of the same. He assured that the government would take parliament into confidence once the parties reach some settlement. “The federal cabinet will also be brought on board at an appropriate time,” he said.

The minister termed the impression as ridiculous that the armed forces were not on board in the process of talks.

To a question about the comments offered by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that talks are just like asking the way from the blind, Chaudhry Nisar said he wouldn’t like to comment on the views of a child but the views have actually come from Asif Ali Zardari through his son. “They are the ones who have ruined this country and kept sleeping over the unabated destruction,” he said.

Maulana Samiul Haq, chief of the Taliban committee, who also addressed the media, said the process of actual dialogue has yet to commence but the ambience needed for the result-oriented talks has been created.

He said the atmosphere for talks has improved as a result of the government and TTP’s efforts.

To a query, the Maulana said the question of release of war prisoners would come at the end of the talks. He expressed the hope that the ceasefire would be extended further as the talks proceed in a positive manner.

Meanwhile, sources said government committee member Fawad Hasan Fawad and Chaudhry Nisar have submitted a preliminary report of the talks at the Punjab House to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Rahimullah Yusufzai also voluntarily provided assistance to the committees in the talks.

Karachi Rangers operation, 13 accused arrested

KARACHI: Rangers in continuation of their targeted operation in the city arrested banned outfit accused with their weapons at Mujahid Colony, North Nazimabad on Sunday here, Geo News reported.

Rangers on a tip-off went into action surrounding Mujahid Colony in North Nazimabad started house-to-house search and arrested 13 accused belonging to the banned outfit along with 60 different types of light and heavy weapons during the process. The arrested accused persons have been shifted to an unknown place for grilling.

A strong contingent of 300 Rangers took part in the search operation by blocking all the exit/entry roads into the colony and conduction house-to-house search.

On the other hand, several persons were arrested from Musa Colony area in a separate targeted operation.