LADHA: The bullet-riddled body of an Afghan national having close links with the Pakistani Taliban was found on Wednesday near Rustom Bazaar in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal region. A note in Urdu found on the body of Asmatullah Kharoti accused him of collaborating on US drone strikes that killed prominent warlord Mullah Nazir earlier this month. The note said: “The accused was wanted by South Waziristan Taliban Shura on the charge of spying against Taliban commanders Mullah Nazir, his deputy Raffa Khan, Khan Mohammad, Shamsullah (brother of Mullah Nazir) and Qari Ashfaq, who were recently killed in US drone attacks.” It said Kharoti was `arrested’ and killed after the charge against him was proved. Another note ordered the body to be left on the roadside until 10am “so that everyone could see the fate of spies”. Dawn, The News, Daily Times, The Nation.
CHARSADDA: Twin blasts in Charsadda on the occasion of the death anniversaries of Khudai Khidmatgar Khan Abdul Ghaffar and ANP leader Khan Abdul Wali Khan created panic here on Wednesday. The first blast took place at 4pm near the Motorway Interchange, 10 minutes after the motorcade of leaders of ANP led by its provincial chief Senator Afrasiab Khattak crossed the area. Police said a remote-controlled bomb planted by unidentified men along the road between a CNG station and the Motorway Interchange exploded, but it caused no casualties or damage to property. The second blast took place at 11am when an explosive device planted in a shopping bag and placed in the garbage dump in front of Zakat office on Mardan road went off just before the arrival of the bomb disposal squad to defuse it. SCHOOL BLOWN UP: Meanwhile, a government-run primary school was blown up by unidentified men in Batgram area of Shabqadar on Wednesday morning. Dawn, The News, The Nation.
KALAYA: Five suspected militants were killed and three others injured on Wednesday in a huge explosion in a house in the Taliban stronghold of Mamozai, a sub-district of Orakzai tribal region. Local people said the blast destroyed the four-room house located at Jandri Kally in Mamozai area close to Khyber Agency’s border. Five suspected militants were killed and three others with injuries were pulled out of the rubble, they said. Militants cordoned off the area after the incident and didn’t allow anyone to help in rescue work. The injured were taken to a private clinic in Mir Kalamkhel. Sher Baz and Malak Zafran, who live in the same area, told this correspondent that the house was in use of militants since they took over the control of Mamozai last year. Sources in political administration and security forces said militants had stored a huge quantity of explosives in the house, indicating that it might have gone off accidentally. Dawn, The News, The Nation.
PESHAWAR: Four tribesmen were gunned down in the hujra of a local person at Gul Bagh village on the suburbs of the provincial metropolis on Wednesday. Said Rehman told Badhber police that the tribesmen were asleep inside a room in his hujra when unidentified assailants killed them. “I heard firing shots at midnight but could not understand as to what had happened,” he told the police. The complainant said that he opened the hujra on Wednesday morning and saw that all the four persons were killed. He said that none of them had enmity. A source said that the deceased belonged to Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency but they had shifted recently to Badhber area of Peshawar owing to lawlessness in the tribal region. They were identified as Khan Bahadur, Zaryab Gul, Jangrez and Abad. Dawn, The News, Daily Times, The Nation.
LANDIKOTAL: Koki Khel IDPs on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration at Bab-e-Khyber Jamrud against the “government’s failure to mitigate their sufferings”. “The Koki Khel tribesmen have been displaced in a large number but the authorities concerned have failed to facilitate or mitigate their sufferings since long,” said Akramullah Jan, a representative of Koki Khel IDPs. The protest rally, attended by locals and IDPs, began from Jamrud Press Club and ended at Bab-e-Khyber. Jan regretted that officials of FATA and Khyber Agency have “totally ignored the internally displaced persons of the Koki Khel tribe who were pushed out from Tirrah Valley”. Daily Times.
PESHAWAR: The federal government would provide standard training and equipment to Levies and Khasadar forces to enable them to counter terrorist attacks in tribal areas, said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar. He was addressing a ceremony held in connection with distribution of compensation cheques among the families of the killed Levies personnel at Governor’s House here on Wednesday. On the occasion, cheques of Rs3 million each were distributed among the families of 21 killed Levies personnel. Two injured Levies men got cheques worth Rs150,000 each. The Levies men had been kidnapped and subsequently killed by militants in December last year when their checkposts were attacked at Hassankehl and Jani Kor areas of Frontier Region of Peshawar. Dawn, The News.
PESHAWAR: Six mortar shells Wednesday landed in different parts of the provincial capital, causing no loss of life or property, sources said. The sources said the mortar shells had been fired from Shalobar area in Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. Five mortar shells landed in Hayatabad and the sixth one hit the Sheikhan graveyard in Badaber, they said. The sources said three mortar shells landed at the residential complex of Frontier Corps. The News, Daily Times.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday withdrew restriction on export of cattle and poultry and dairy products to Afghanistan from the province by withdrawing its stay order issued six months ago. The development after Cattle Exporters Association and Khyber Poultry Association assured the court in writing that the vacation of the stay order would not lead to shortage and exorbitant prices of their respective products in the province and that if that happens, they would be to blame. However, the court didn’t vacate the stay order issued against export of poultry products by Pakistan Poultry Association to Afghanistan via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the latter declined to give the same written undertakings. Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Irshad Qaiser, who heard the case, directed the office-bearers of the two associations to inform it in case any official of the tribal administration, police, customs or other department asked them to pay bribe. Dawn.
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police busted 12 networks of terrorists and rounded up 459 militants and killed 52 others during 2012, a communiqué said on Wednesday. It said that during the last 12 months 21 cases of suicide bombings were registered in different parts of the province. At least 21 policemen were killed and 45 others sustained injuries in these attacks. Similarly, the statement said 386 cases of explosive recovery, missile attacks and blasts at CD and barber shops were registered in which 54 policemen lost lives and 147 were injured, the communiqué said. “One suicide bomber was held, five suicide jackets, 33,036 hand-grenades/dynamites, 6,576 kilogram explosives, 31,416 metre prima chord, 497 rocket shells and 988 metre safety fuses were recovered,” it added. During 2012, a total of 171 police encounters took place in which 11 cops were killed and 14 more injured, the communiqué said, adding, some 48 dacoits were killed and 21 injured in these clashes. The News.
GHALLANAI: The security forces on Wednesday demolished the house of a suspected person involved in damaging the tower of a private cellular company in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency, official sources said. The sources said that security forces set sniffer dogs to confirm the involvement of Sulaiman in the explosion to blow up the cellular tower at night in Dojange village.The dogs entered the house of Sulaiman, the sources said, adding that after confirming his involvement the security forces demolished his house. The News.
HANGU: Unidentified gunmen shot dead two Afghan nationals, including a prayer leader, at the Afghan refugee camp in the limits of City Police Station on Wednesday, police sources said.The sources said that unidentified gunmen entered the mosque at an Afghan refugee camp in Katakani area and opened fire on worshippers. The prayer leader, Maulvi Qari Muhammad Yousaf and Maulvi Qari Zahir were killed on the spot, the sources said. The slain persons had links with the outlawed TTP. However, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The News.
FRC REPORT
BAJAUR AGENCY: A seventeen days long Agency Cricket Tournament arranged by the security forces concluded in the militancy hit valley Charmang of Bajaur Agency on Wednesday, FRC Field Reporter learnt. The final ceremony of the tournament held at Valley Charmang of Nawagi sub division which was attended by a large number of spectators from different tires of life including tribal elders, and members of local peace committees. Senior officials of the administration and the security forces including Assistant Political Agent Bajaur, Commander 34 Frontier Force regiment, Colonel Ahmad Ali were also present on the occasion. Twenty best teams of the agency participated and the winning team was Sharif Khana Cricket Club after a close contest with Lovi Johar Cricket Association. Addressing the closing ceremony, Commander 34 Frontier Force Regiment battalion, Col Ahmad Ali, who was the chief guest of the ceremony, stressed the importance of providing healthy recreational facilities to the youth of the agency to keep them positively engaged and to counter the trend of militancy in the areas youth.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHARY
