Miranshah: A US drone fired three missiles on a suspected hideout of militants in Nitasi village of tehsil Mirali, North Waziristan Agency, here on Thursday (today) morning killing at least four militants, FRC Field Reporter learnt. The area lies some seven kilometers in the south of tehsil Mirali, the second largest city of NWA. As a result of this attack the suspected militants’ hideout was completely demolished. A security forces official with the condition of anonymity revealed that four militants were killed while two others were injured in this attack. This is the sixth US drone attack in Pakistani territory during the current month.
In another incident in the area, a bullet-hit unidentified body was found on Miranshah-DataKhel road here in the wee hours of Thursday. It is pertinent to mention here that nine bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in a deserted locality in Peer Kali of North Waziristan area on thirty first of December last year. FRC, Dawn, The News, Daily Times, The Frontier Post.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday directed the additional chief secretary and secretary (law and order) of Fata Secretariat to set up their camp office at Miramshah in North Waziristan Agency and stay there until the safe recovery of the eight kidnapped employees of Gomal Zam Dam project. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Khalid Mahmood directed the two officials to go to North Waziristan and supervise the entire efforts made for the recovery of the kidnapped persons. It also expressed displeasure over the lack of interest shown by the political agent of North Waziristan Agency on the matter and directed him to coordinate with the political agent of South Waziristan Agency and evolve a joint strategy for recovering the kidnapped persons.
The relatives of the kidnapped employees had sent an application to the chief justice a few weeks ago which was converted into a writ petition. Dawn.
KOHAT: At least seven militants were killed when security forces pounded the hills of Darra Admakhel with artillery shelling on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, official sources claimed. They said that several other militants were injured in the shelling. They said that security forces targeted the hills of Darra Adamkhel after receiving information that militants, hiding there, could attack Kohat. However, the claim of officials about killing of militants in the shelling couldn’t be confirmed through independent sources. Sources said that the artillery fire mostly hit Bosti Khel, Buland Khel and Amay Kamay mountains for about half an hour, creating fear among the local people. Dawn.
PARACHINAR: The slain president of Pakistan People’s Party in Kurram Agency, Dr Riaz Hussain, was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Parachinar on Thursday. A large of people gathered in Parachinar city when the body of Dr Riaz was brought from Peshawar. He was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists outside his clinic in Dagrai Garden area in Peshawar when he was on his way home on Wednesday. Hundreds of people attended his funeral prayers, offered at the central imambargah in Parachinar. Meanwhile, leaders and activities of various political and religious parties staged a sit-in here on Thursday to protest the killing of Dr Riaz. The Turi Bangash tribe announced three-day mourning over the killing of the slain physician and PPP leader. The workers and local leaders of PPP, Awami National Party, Mutahidda Qaumi Movement and Tehrik-i-Hussain held protest rally and staged a sit-in outside Parachinar Press Club against the killing of Dr Riaz. Dawn, The News.
The CIA has opened the year with a flurry of drone strikes in Pakistan, pounding Taliban targets along the country’s tribal belt at a time when the Obama administration is preparing to disclose its plans for pulling most US forces out of neighbouring Afghanistan. Current and former US intelligence officials attributed the increased tempo to a sense of urgency surrounding expectations that President Obama will soon order a drawdown that could leave Afghanistan with fewer than 6,000 US troops after 2014. The strikes are seen as a way to weaken adversaries of the Afghan government before the withdrawal and serve notice that the United States will still be able to launch attacks, Washington Post reported on Friday. The rapid series of CIA strikes “may be a signal to groups that include not just al-Qaeda that the US will still present a threat” after most American forces have gone, said Seth Jones, a counterterrorism expert at the Rand Corp. “With the drawdown in US forces, the drone may be, over time, the most important weapon against militant groups.” The Nation.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHARY
