FATA: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2014

A passerby, identified as Hussain Turi, was injured in roadside bomb explosion in Pewar area of Kurram Agency on January 6, reports The Express Tribune. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...

At least nine persons, including three children and three suspected militants, were killed and several others were wounded in a bomb blast targeting the house of a tribal elder Hakeem Khan Akakhel in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 6, reports Dawn. Read less...

At least seven people were injured in an explosion in Sadda Bazaar of lower Kurram Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 7, reported The Express Tribune Read less...

At least 10 militants and three Security Forces (SFs) were killed when militants attacked Green Ridge check post in Ladha subdivision South Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 8, reported The Express Tribune. Militants attacked the check post in around 8:00 pm “which was repulsed” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement. The military claimed “inflicting heavy casualties to the militants.” Read less...

A Khasadar Force personnel killed while two others injured in a bomb blast near the vehicle of Khasadar Force in Zakhakhel area of Bara tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 16, reports Daily Times. Read less...

A bomb planted by unidentified militants at an unpaved road to target Frontier Corps (FC) troopers supplying rations at check posts went off in the Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency on January 18. No loss of life was reported. Read less...

Two Frontier Corps (FC) officials were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off at a roadside in the Ghari Gal area of Mamond tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 19, reports The Express Tribune. Political administration official from Mamond, Abdul Haseeb Khan, said he was informed by a tribesman around 12:30pm about a canister spotted on the roadside in Ghari Gal area of Mamond. Consequently, FC officials rushed to the site along with a bomb disposal squad (BDS) unit and defused the five-kilogramme explosive device. The official added that while the bomb was being defused, another IED planted nearby was detonated by militants through a remote control, injuring two FC officials while destroying their vehicle completely. Read less...

Army helicopters on January 20 pounded several militant hideouts in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) killing at least 24 persons and injuring 15 others, reports Dawn. Fear and panic gripped the area after the overnight blitz after which locals began to migrate out of the volatile area to safer places. Read less...

At least 12 suspected militants were killed when fighter jets bombed their hideouts in the Inzar Kor area of Kukikhel in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 21, reports The Express Tribune. A security official claimed that four militant hideouts were flattened in the blitz. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) claimed to have killed about 32 militants in Tora Waila, Darota area of Kokikhel in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 22, reports Dawn. Unconfirmed reports said that the ‘chief’ of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Orakzai Chapter, Hafiz Saeed, was among those killed in the strikes. Read less...

Security officials on January 22 confirmed that the leader of the TTP’s Supreme Shura (council), Asmat Shaheen Bittani, and ‘master trainer’ of suicide bombers, Wali Mohammad, as well as dozens of foreign fighters were amongst those killed in air strikes in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on the night of January 20, 2014, reports The Express Tribune. A senior security official said that that most of those killed in the offensive were foreign fighters, including 33 Uzbeks and 3 Germans. Read less...

A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and attended by Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and other senior officials on January 23 discussed and decided that the Government is all set to launch a ground offensive in North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reported The Express Tribune. Both Government and security officials confirmed that the civil and military leaderships have finally concluded that a targeted military operation is now ‘unavoidable’. One official, who asked to remain anonymous, disclosed that there was a ‘greater realisation’ among all stakeholders that certain groups will never enter into dialogue and will have to be dealt with the use of force. Sources said the decision to initiate a ground offensive in March is believed to be taken on account of the challenge posed by the harsh winter in North Waziristan to security personnel operating in the Agency. However, surgical strikes may soon be carried out against Taliban hideouts ahead of the targeted operation in the tribal region. “We [the army] have the capacity and the will to eliminate all such groups which are not willing to reconcile,” said the official. One retired officer, who is still closely connected with the security establishment, said the Haqqanis by now probably understand that the operation in North Waziristan is inevitable. “The Haqqanis have strongholds in Afghanistan’s three provinces and they will definitely move out of North Waziristan before the start of any operation,” the retired Army Officer said. However, he said a military operation should have been carried out much earlier and a lot of time had already been wasted in the name of peace talks. Read less...

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) chief Tahir Orakzai said on January 23 that at least six thousand families have moved out of North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) after the Government forces began retaliating to the recent militant attacks on national security installations, reports Daily Times. “5,000 to 6,000 families have left their homes in North Waziristan due to escalating tension on the ground,” he said. These families have taken shelter with relatives in Bannu and other districts, the PDMA chief added. Read less...

Thousands of people have fled their homes in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) fearing a military offensive against Taliban insurgents is imminent, residents and officials said on January 26, reports The News. Residents said some 1,500 families or about 13,000 people left their villages around the towns of Mir Ali and Miranshah, to migrate to relatively safe areas outside the tribal areas in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar. The exodus began last week when Pakistan Air Force fighter jets bombarded the area following a series of militant attacks on Security Forces and civilians which killed more than 100 people in a week. “Around 1,500 families and up to 13,000 people have left several villages in North Waziristan,” Rafiullah, 25, a resident of Mosaki village in Mir Ali told by phone. “People are unable to find houses to go in Bannu, so many women, children and old men are lying out in the open. Many others have gone to Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan Districts to find some shelter,” he said. Read less...

A woman was killed and her two daughters were injured when two landmine explosions occurred in the Sarsarang area of Upper Kurram Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 28, reported Dawn. Read less...

Dawn on January 29 (today) reported that thousands of villagers have fled their homes in North Waziristan Agency, fearing a major military operation by armed forces after they said dozens of people had been killed in air strikes targeting Taliban militants on January 21, 2014. Fearing another offensive by armed forces, a wave of refugees left the region to take shelter in schools, private homes and veterinary clinics in areas of Frontier Region (FR) Bannu and Frontier Region (FR) Dera Ismail Khan on the edge of the tribal belt. A senior official in Bannu said 23,000 refugees had fled to the town. “They are moving their families in anticipation of an army operation,” said a government relief official on condition of anonymity. “There is no operation going on and we as a Government body have not been informed about it either, but the people seem to be afraid. They want to flee before there is a state of emergency,” he said. Read less...

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on January 28 said that no decision on launching an offensive in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) would be taken without consensus of all stakeholders and any such decision would be taken in the best national interest, reports Daily Times. Sources said the Prime Minister exchanged views with the COAS on matters of national security, future course of action over dialogue with the Taliban, Karachi operation, missing persons and other issues. Nawaz Sharif said, “Cancer of terrorism needs to be treated before it eats up our country”. He said that no concession would be given to those who challenge the writ of the state and are creating lawlessness in the country. Read less...

Two children were killed on January 29 when a toy bomb they were playing with accidently exploded in the Zakakhel Bazaar area of Landikotal tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 30, reports Dawn. Read less...

The political administration during a search operation recovered four abducted persons, identified as Haji Sabz Ali, Syed Zaman, Rogh Muhammad and Qari Shad and arrested two alleged abductors in Prang Ghar area in Mohmand Agency on January 31, reports The News. Read less...

Two children were killed when a mortar shell went off in Tabay area of Zakhakhel Bazaar in Landikotal tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 31, reports The News. Read less...