Friday, May 29, 2009

Troops not to be thinned out from eastern borders in view of Indian threat: Addl secretary defence

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/images/logo_03.jpg

Troops not to be thinned out from eastern borders in view of Indian threat: Addl secretary defence

ISLAMABAD:


National Assembly (NA) standing committee on SAFRON has recommended to ministry of defence for deployment of an army corps on Thal-Para Chinnar road adding troops deployed on Indo-Pak borders be curtailed and shifted to western borders if need be.

Additional Defence secretary Maj Gen Mir Haider said army could not be removed from Indo-Pak borders and deployed in Kurram agency adding "we can not even think of thinning out troops from our eastern border when India has enhanced its defence budget by 35 percent and its troops on the common borders. We can not shut our ears on the threat from Indian side looming over eastern borders.

Committee met here Friday under its chairman Sajid Hussain Toori and reviewed the law and order situation in Karram agency and the problems facing the people uprooted from Malakand division.

Giving briefing to committee additional chief secretary FATA told normalcy was returning in Karram agency after peace accord was brokered between Shia and Sunni sects in the area. Exchange of dead bodies and kidnapped persons had taken place between them. Writ of government was weak in Karram agency still. It was essential that people from both the sects be settled in their respective areas for the sake of restoration of lasting peace in the area, he told.

Commended recommended that air service from Peshawar to Karram agency be launched forthwith.

Additional defence secretary told no airline including PIA was ready to launch air service at the start from Peshawar to Karram agency. Talks were underway between government and Army welfare trust in this respect. After the talks small aircrafts of Civil Aviation would be assigned to this air service, he told.


SOURCE:  http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=146011

 

Visit

www.parachinar616.blogspot.com

 

or join



500 kg explosives used in Lahore blast

 500 kg explosives used in Lahore blast
Friday, May 29, 2009
By Arshad Dogar
LAHORE: The joint investigation team has assessed that the explosive used in attack on Rescue 15 and the ISI's provincial headquarters Wednesday weighed more than 500 kg, besides finding that an arrested Taliban militant played the main role in the strike.

Sources privy to the probe told The News that the investigation team comprising Addl IG (Investigation) Punjab, CID DIG, DIG (Investigation) Lahore, SP (Investigation) Civil Lines and officials of ISI, MI and IB, held separate meetings Thursday to review the modus operandi of the assailants, assess the make and weight of explosive and measures to be taken in the wake of the attack.

Moreover, body parts and other recovered items including metals were sent to forensic laboratory for DNA tests.

Meanwhile, the ISI security personnel retaliated whereupon an attacker sitting on the driver's seat exploded the van. The officer said the operation was completed within one minute at maximum. He ruled out the use of motorcycles in the attack and said only three terrorists executed the operation.

The investigators after revisiting the blast site Thursday reassessed the impact of the explosion, which created a 10-ft deep and 20-ft wide crater.

The investigation team viewed that 1,000 kg high explosive loaded in a truck was used in Marriot attack while in the ISI building attack a Hiace, which could contain 500 kg explosive, was used.

About the arrest of suspects Lahore police officials said three suspects arrested on the day of attack had been cleared after initial interrogation. They were local residents with no link to the attack.

However, a senior police officer confirmed that a main suspect had been arrested who had a link to Taliban adding the investigators team would achieve some breakthrough within a day or two.

Meanwhile, the Cantt Division SP claimed to have arrested seven suspects. Three of them belonged to Afghanistan, two to Bajaur and the remaining two to Kurram Agency, the SP claimed. Their connection to the attack could not be ascertained.

It has been learnt that out of 26 dead, as many as 14 were policemen, five including a colonel and a deputy director level officer were ISI men while the remaining were civilians.
 


SOURCE:  http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=180176


Visit

www.parachinar616.blogspot.com

 

or join



Hundreds leave as troops deployed in Kurram Agency

 
Hundreds leave as troops deployed in Kurram Agency
Friday, May 29, 2009
Bureau report

PESHAWAR: The government for the first time has deployed troops in remote mountainous places of Kurram Agency, scene of bloody sectarian clashes in the past, for a possible military operation against militants.

Also, hundreds of families were seen Thursday fleeing their homes in the troubled remote villages after deployment of the security forces.

Military spokesman and Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Athar Abbas has ruled out any operation in the agency but said the deployment might be part of reinforcement of the forces.

Tribal sources told The News from Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram Agency, that the security forces entered the mountainous villages for the first time and took positions in Warmagai, Brekat and Dagai of Central Kurram.

The troops reportedly entered Kurram from Tora Warai area in the adjoining Hangu district.

There were reports that militants have shifted in large numbers to the mountainous areas of Kurram Agency from the neighbouring Orakzai Agency where the army helicopters and jet fighters recently pounded their positions and inflicted losses on Taliban.

Frightened villagers left their homes in Warmagai, Brekat and Dagai villages and were seen travelling towards Sadda subdivision and other places in Lower Kurram.

In the past two years, Kurram Agency has seen violent clashes between the followers of the two sects in which hundreds of people lost their lives.

Visit

www.parachinar616.blogspot.com

 

or join



Military operation may be launched in Kurram Agency

 

 Military operation may be launched in Kurram Agency

Friday, May 29, 2009
Troops deployed in remote areas

By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: The government for the first time has deployed troops in remote mountainous places of Kurram Agency, scene of bloody sectarian clashes in the past, for a possible military operation against the militants.

Also, hundreds of families were seen Thursday fleeing their homes in the troubled remote villages after the deployment of security forces.

Military spokesman and Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Athar Abbas has ruled out any operation in the agency but said the deployment might be part of reinforcement of the forces.

Tribal sources told The News from Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, that security forces entered the mountainous villages for the first time and took positions in Warmagai, Brekat and Dagai of Central Kurram.

The troops reportedly entered Kurram from Tora Warai area in the adjoining Hangu district.

There were reports that militants had shifted in large numbers to the mountainous areas of Kurram Agency from the neighbouring Orakzai Agency where the helicopters and jet fighters recently pounded their positions and inflicted losses on the Taliban.

Frightened villagers left their homes in Warmagai, Brekat and Dagai villages and were seen travelling towards Sadda subdivision and other places in Lower Kurram.

In the past two years, Kurram Agency has seen violent clashes between the followers of the two sects in which hundreds of people lost their lives.

Visit

www.parachinar616.blogspot.com

 

or join