Pakistan/Terrorism: Eight soldiers, 38 terrorists die in clashes

Pakistani security forces announced that at least eight soldiers and 38 terrorists have been killed on Wednesday in clashes in Pakistan's north-western tribal area near the Afghan border.

According to the source, troops swung into action in Ghaundu and Samsai villages about 14 kilometers southwest of Khar, the main town in Bajaur agency.

Reportedly, security forces destroyed two Taleban hideouts and arrested 23 terrorists during the clashes. Officials said Taleban had issued pamphlets warning their comrades not to surrender or accept government job offers.

Pakistan/Terrorism: 25 Taleban-captured soldiers are recovered

Pakistani Intelligence Officials said on Thursday that Security Forces were searching for dozens of missing troops, the majority of whom are believed to be in Afghan Taleban custody.

According to officials, Security Forces lost contact on Monday with 65 soldiers guarding the Shonkari post in the Mohmand district on the Afghan border.

Intelligence Officials stated that at least seven soldiers were killed in the raid. 25 of captured soldiers have been recovered and 40 are still missing.14 soldiers were handed over Wednesday and Thursday to Pakistan's Consulate in the border town of Jalalabad. Eleven soldiers were released on Tuesday and returned to their base.

In a separate incident, a police constable was killed and three police personnel were wounded on Thursday when an armed men opened a fire on police in Golra Sharif on the outskirts of Islamabad.

Pakistan/Terrorism: Troops killed six terrorists in Bajaur

At least six suspected terrorists have been killed when Pakistani helicopters and artillery attacked terrorist hideouts near the Afghan border, on Wednesday, officials said.

According to officials, troops swung into action in Ghaundu and Samsai villages about 14 kilometres southwest of Khar, the main town in Bajaur agency.

Tahir Khan, a local administration official said helicopter gunships and long range artillery opened fire following intelligence reports that some Taleban fighters had infiltrated from neighbouring Mohmand district.

Separately, security forces killed five terrorists in Charbagh area of Swat. Further details of the incident are not available so far.

Pakistan/Security: Police arrested American allegedly hunting Bin Laden

Pakistani police announced on Tuesday that they have detained an American armed with a dagger, a pistol and night vision goggles for allegedly trying to infiltrate into Afghanistan to hunt and kill Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

Chitral police Chief Jaffer Khan said Gary Faulkner, 40, was caught in the Brumboret Valley near the border of Afghanistan's Nuristan province and was being questioned.

According to police, Faulkner was hunting Bin Laden because he suffered personal losses in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Reportedly, Faulkner arrived in Chitral on June 3 and was staying in a local hotel.

Meanwhile, US embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire stated that the Peshawar consulate had been informed of the arrest of an American national and added the embassy was seeking to contact the detained American.

Pakistan/United States/Terrorism: US missiles killed 15 in North Waziristan

At least 15 suspected terrorists have been killed and dozen others wounded when a US drone fired six missiles targeting terrorist hideouts in a tribal area in northwest Pakistan on Friday, security officials said.

According to the source, the misses hit a house in a village in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan.

On Thursday, a US drone aircraft targeted a compound of suspected terrorists in Mir Ali in North Waziristan killing at least three people.

Last month, Al-Qaeda's reputed No. 3 leader, Mustafa al-Yazid, was killed in a similar strike in the North Waziristan region.

United States/Security: Former Pakistani-American student gets 15 years for aiding Al-Qaeda terrorists

U.S. Federal Officials stated that a Pakistani-born US citizen Syed Fahad Hashmi was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Manhattan Federal Judge on Wednesday for helping a friend sending material support to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network in Pakistan.

Hashmi admitted that between January 2004 and May 2006, he helped Mohammed Junaid Babar, his friend from New York to transport the equipment to terrorists in Pakistan for being used while fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Hashmi, also known as "Fahad" was arrested on June 6, 2006 at Heathrow Airport in London, shortly before boarding a flight to Pakistan. He was transferred to the United States in May 2007.

Pakistan/Terrorism: One killed and three injured in Karachi bomb blast

Media reported that at least one person was killed and three others injured when a roadside bomb exploded outside a Pakistan Navy Office in the southern port city of Karachi on Thursday.

According to Pakistani Police official Iqbal Mahmood, the bomb was hidden in a motorcycle that was in a parking area for two-wheelers outside the office at the Naval Colony in Baldia town area.

The identity of the dead and injured is not yet ascertained. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Pakistan/Afghanistan/Terrorism: Gunmen killed seven in attack on NATO convoy 

Suspected Taleban fighters attacked trucks ferrying supplies to forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Afghanistan late Tuesday night, killing at least seven people and torching nearly 50 of the vehicles, police officials said.

The attack took place at a depot on the outskirts of Islamabad on the road to the north-western city of Peshawar. According to officials, at least 10 gunmen arrived at the scene on motorbikes and small trucks and opened fire on drivers and workers.

Kalim Iman, inspector general of Islamabad police, said that police were searching for the perpetrators who managed to escape. Four other people also injured in the attack.

Separately, six security officers were killed by terrorists in an attack in the north-western Orakzai tribal region. The army killed 30 terrorists in a counter offensive.

Pakistan/terrorism: Taleban stage public execution in Miranshah

Intelligence Officials said that Pakistani Taleban staged a public execution on Tuesday after finding the man guilty of killing his two brothers in Miranshah, a town North Waziristan (NW) two weeks ago.

According to the officials the man has been convicted to murder and sentenced to death by Pakistani Taleban Court.

Witnesses reported that after the ruling Taleban led the man onto a soccer field in Miranshah where the brother of the slain men shot the convicted murderer six times in the presence of Talebans.

Pakistan/Organised crime:  Eight killed in clashes between criminal gangs in Lyari

An internal conflict between members of the Rehman Dakait group left at least 8 people killed in Lyari on Wednesday, media reported on Thursday.

The conflict broke out due to a feud between two of the group’s top leaders, namely Ghaffar Zikri and Shahid Rehman aka Shahid.

The conflict erupted on Sunday when the decomposed body of a man named Allah Bux, one of the group members of Ghaffar Zikri, was found at Eidu Lane. Zikri alleged that  Shahid  was responsible for the murder and attacked Shahid's office with his associates, killing two of his group members namely Saqib Pathan and Shahjahan Karim Bux.

Following this attack, firing broke out in different areas of Lyari including Eidu Lane, Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road, Angara Masjid Road, Ternary Road and Kalri, killing six people and wounding several others. No major arrests were made so far, though a large-scale operation was carried out in the area following the killings.

Somalia/Egypt/Pakistan/Piracy: Somali pirates seize Panama-flagged vessel

The European Union naval force EU NAVFOR announced that Somali pirates hijacked a Panama-flagged cargo ship and its 24-strong crew in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.

According to EU naval force, one of the navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden sent an aircraft to investigate and it confirmed the ship had been hijacked. It said the crew were from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ghana.

The owner of the QSM Dubai confirmed that his vessel was hijacked early Wednesday. Reportedly, the 15,220 deadweight tonne vessel was seized inside the internationally recommended transit corridor and had come from Brazil.

Pakistan/Terrorism: 30 Taleban killed in military action in Orakzai

At least 30 suspected terrorists and a government soldier was killed when Pakistani forces, backed by helicopter gunships attacked terrorists hide-outs in in the volatile Orakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday.

According to officials, ten Taleban fighters were killed and six more injured when gunship helicopters targeted terrorists positions at Kasha, Tari and Toti Mela areas in Orakzai Agency.

The officials said another 20 terrorists were killed in ground offensives in other parts of the region. Security forces also destroyed four hideouts in the offensive. A soldier was also killed in the fighting. Earlier on Tuesday, the Pakistan army announced victory against the Taleban in the terrorist's stronghold of Orakzai.

Pakistan/Terrorism: gunmen killed 12 in Lahore hospital in attempt to rescue mosques bomber

At least 12 people have been killed and several others wounded when suspected terrorists attacked Jinnah Hospital in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Tuesday, security officials said.

Punjab police chief Tariq Saleem Doga stated that four armed terrorists in police uniform attempted to rescue Amir Muaz,  a wounded member of Friday's attacks on two mosques who was being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit.  The gunmen seized hostages at the hospital, before escaping.

According to hospital officials, about 800 to 900 patients were present in the hospital when the attack took place. The terrorists also took some doctors hostage before making their way to the roof of the hospital and escaping. However, the gunmen failed to free Muaz.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. On Friday, more than 95 people were killed and over 100 injured when two the terrorists attacked two Ahmedi mosques.

Pakistan/United States/Terrorism: senior Al-Qaeda leader killed in US drone attack

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the third-ranking leader in the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, the former financial chief for al-Qaeda, has been killed by a US missile attack in Pakistan, US intelligence officials said on Tuesday.

According to intelligence officials, Yazid, also known as Sheik Said al-Masri, was killed along with his wife and three children by an unmanned US Predator drone while hiding out in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

US based SITE group which monitors Islamist websites reported that Al-Qaeda has announced the death of Yazid.

Pakistan/Terrorism: 42 terrorists killed in a jet fighters raid

At least 42 suspected terrorists have been killed and more than 18 others wounded when Pakistani jet fighters struck terrorists hideouts in the Orakzai region on Monday, security officials said.

Hafiz Saeed, a Taleban spokesman, confirmed the attacks but denied any casualties. According to the spokesman, the jet fighters only bombed abandoned houses.

Separately, British Foreign Office on Sunday announced that Muhammad Bilal, a 58-year-old British business man, was killed during Friday’s terrorist attacks on two mosques of Ahmadi group in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, which left more than 93 people dead.

Bilal, of Southfields in southwest London, was in Lahore as part of a business trip and was visiting the mosque with colleagues, when the attack occurred.

Police said seven suspected terrorists allegedly involved in the attack have been arrested in different areas of Punjab on Sunday. According to police officials, the terrorists were trained in the North Waziristan tribal region. However, police declined to specify which terrorist groups the arrested men belongs to.

Gunmen attacked two mosques in Lahore

Pakistani media reported that a group of suspected Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists armed with grenades and assault rifles had attacked two mosques in the Garhi Shahu and Model Town areas of Lahore city on Friday.  According to the reports, at least two policemen were already killed in the ongoing battle with the assailants in the Garhi Shahu.

The attacks targeted mosques of Ahmadi group, a religious minority group that has often been targeted by radical Sunni groups in the past.

Pakistan/Terrorism: gunmen killed four policemen in Quetta

Unidentified gunmen on motorcycle shot dead four police officers in Satellite Town, a neighbourhood of Quetta in southwest Pakistan on Friday, security officials said.

According to police, a police station house officer, two constables and the driver were killed on the spot. The attackers fled on their motorcycle.

Senior police official Naveed Ahmed said one of the killed officers had played a major role in arresting terrorists from the banned Sunni extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.The motive behind the attack remains unknown and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Pakistan/Terrorism:  80 killed in attacks on Pakistani mosques

At least 80 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when terrorists attacked two mosques packed with over 1,500 worshippers in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Friday, officials said. The attacks targeted mosques of Ahmadi group, a religious minority that has often been attacked by radical Sunni groups in the past.

Reportedly, armed terrorists, some of them wearing explosives, stormed mosques in Model Town and Gardhi Shahu areas, lobbing hand grenades and firing at worshippers gathered for Friday prayers.

Sajjad Bhutta, deputy commissioner of Lahore, said 80 people have been killed and more than140 injured. He added that a suicide vest laden with explosives was recovered from the Model Town mosque.

Official sources confirmed that thepolice killed one attacker and captured another two in the  Model Town, while the remaining attackers escaped.

Soon after the incident, Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attacks in a message sent to media. 

Separately, media reported that Pakistani warplanes bombed terrorists positions in the Kasha, Dabori, Mamuzai and Ghalju areas of Orakzai region near the Afghan border in the northwest on Friday, killing 40 and injuring 30 suspected terrorists on Thursday.

Pakistan/Terrorism: Pakistani troops killed 40 terrorists in Orakzai region

Pakistani warplanes bombed terrorist hideouts in northwest Pakistan's volatile Orakzai tribal region on Thursday, killing at least 40 Taleban fighters and injuring 15 others, officials said.

According to security sources, 15 terrorists were killed and another 15 injured when helicopters fired at their hideouts in Dabori and Ghiljo areas. Five terrorist positions were destroyed in the bombardment.

Pakistani troops also used artillery to target terrorist's positions in Kasha area, a stronghold of the Taleban near the border with Afghanistan. At least 25 Taleban fighters were killed in this area.

In a separate incident, terrorists in north-western Pakistan shot and killed a pro-government tribal elder Toor Khan on Thursday. Reportedly, terrorists stormed Khan's house in the Bajur tribal area near the Afghan border, killing him and his family. Khan played an active role in setting up a militia force to fight the Taleban in Bajur in early 2009.

Afghanistan/Pakistan/Terrorism: top Pakistani Taleban commander killed in Swat

Maulvi Fazlullah, the head of Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan's (TTP) in Pakistan's Swat Valley, was reportedly killed along with six of his comrades in a clash with Afghan forces in the Barg Matal district of Afghanistan's Nuristan province, officials and media reported on Thursday.

Mohammad Zaman Mamozai, chief of the Afghan border force stated that Maulvi Fazlullah was killed in direct clash with Afghan border police on Wednesday night. However, he did not give any details about the incident.

Meanwhile, TTP denied Fazlullah's death and said that reports regarding him being involved in fighting against the Afghan and international forces in Afghanistan were not true.