Friday, March 5, 2010

Violence in Pakistan 1988-2010

March 1: Seven people were killed and 44 others injured in sectarian violence in Dera Ismail Khan area of NWFP. The violence erupted in Paharpur on February 27 as hundreds rallied to celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi, which marks the Prophet Mohammad's birthday. Gunmen started firing at a rally of the Barelvi sect, killing one person and prompting the angry crowd to attack a seminary of the Deobandi sect. "Seven people were killed and 38 others injured ... all the dead are Sunnis, there are some Shias among the injured," District Police Chief Gul Afzal Afridi said.

SFs recovered the dead bodies of a senior Taliban 'commander' and five of his accomplices from the Madyan area of Swat. Sources said that dead bodies of former Taliban 'commander' in Buner, Muhammad Alam, Matta tehsil 'commander' Shamsul Haq, and their accomplices Abdullah, Muhammad Musafir and Sher Zaman were found at a roadside in Madyan area. Alam was carrying a head money of PNR 10 million. The ISPR said the Taliban militants were killed at around 4am (PST) in a clash with the SFs. Jihadi literature, two pistols and three hand grenades were recovered from them.

February 28: SFs killed 25 militants in frontier region of Peshawar in NWFP in the first four days of Operation Spring Cleaning, according to officials. The officials said that operation was jointly launched on February 24, 2010 and would continue until the elimination of militants form the area. They said one Frontier Crop trooper had been killed in fighting and five others were injured.

February 27: A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Police Station in Karak District, killing four persons including two Policemen and wounding 23 others. DPO of Karak District said there were two suicide bombers. One blew him up at the gate of Police Station, killing a Policeman there. Then, another suicide bomber brought his vehicle with explosives into the building and blew him up, killing a child and a coach driver.

February 26: At least 17 Taliban militants were killed in an operation in the Pastawana area of Kohat in NWFP. "Today [February 26], 17 terrorists have been killed and one trooper injured in the Pastawana area of Kohat," the FC sources said. "A huge cache of arms, explosives and eight suicide jackets have also been recovered," sources added.

February 25: Four militants were killed during an encounter between SFs and militants in the Charsadda District of NWFP. Sources said when SFs raided a house in Nishanabad area of Umerzai near Charsadda, militants opened fire on them. Four militants were killed in retaliatory firing. Four SF personnel and a women sustained injuries. SFs recovered materials used in making of a suicide jacket and explosives from the encounter site.

February 24: A Taliban 'commander', Mohammed Qari Zafar, wanted in connection with the 2006 bombing of the US consulate in Karachi, was among 13 persons killed in a suspected missile strike in the Dargah Mandi area of North Waziristan of FATA near the border with Afghanistan. Two intelligence officials said Mohammed Qari Zafar was among the 13 people killed in the missile attack in the Dargah Mandi area.

Nine Taliban militants were killed when a US drone fired missiles into a Taliban compound in the Dandey Darpa Khel area of North Waziristan in the FATA. "The US drones fired three missiles, nine terrorists were killed and six others wounded. A vehicle was also destroyed," said a Security Official in Peshawar, adding, "It hit a compound, the death toll may rise."

February 24: The Taliban militants beheaded three men, including two Afghans, in North Waziristan, accusing them of spying for the US. The headless bodies were found dumped by the roadside in Mir Ali, local Police Officer Muneer Zaman said. "Their throats were cut last night and the bodies were dumped early on Wednesday," he said. A note placed near the bodies said the men were beheaded because "they were US spies - anybody found engaged in espionage will meet the same fate".

February 24: Three passengers were killed and three others sustained injuries when unidentified militants opened fired at a railway coach in the Tor Ghar area of Thall Tehsil in Hangu District of NWFP. The sources said that a Kurram Agency-bound coach came under attack when it reached near Tor Ghar. Three slain persons were identified as identified as Rajab Ali, a PhD student, Nazeer Ghulam and Hussain Jan.

February 23: Five Taliban militants were killed and four others were injured when the explosives that they were planting around their hideout detonated accidentally in Ali Sherzai Dar village of Kurram Agency in FATA.

February 22: 13 persons, including three Security personnel and four women, were killed and 41 others injured when a suicide bomber hit a SFs convoy at the Nishat Chowk in Mingora city of NWFP. A British woman, who had converted to Islam a month ago, also died in the attack while her husband was injured. Malakand Deputy Inspector General Idress Khan told reporters that evidence recovered from the crime scene suggested it could be a suicide bombing. Meanwhile, a suicide car bomber hit the military convoy and killed nine people, including children, in Mingora. Police said they had recovered parts of the Suzuki car used by the bomber.

February 21: Eight unidentified militants were killed and two troopers sustained injuries in a clash during a search operation in Darra Adamkhel of NWFP. The sources said SFs carried out a search operation in Turk Ismailkhel, Jawakai and Shindhand areas where the militants opened fire on SFs. In retaliation, SFs killed eight militants whose identity could not be established while two soldiers reportedly sustained injuries.

February 20: SFs killed at least 36 Taliban militants during operations in the various regions of FATA. The SFs killed at least 30 Taliban militants during operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to salvation) in various areas of Shawal mountains in South Waziristan Agency. The air strike took place in the region where the Army launched an air and ground offensive since October to flush out the Taliban militants. "Reportedly 30 Taliban have been killed by the SFs in aerial strikes this morning in the Shawal Mountains, South Waziristan Agency," according to a statement by the ISPR.

February 20: Six Taliban militants, including a 'commander', were killed in clashes with the SFs at Chapri Ferozkhel, the border area between Khyber and Orakzai Agencies.

February 20: Four Taliban militants were killed in a clash with the Security Forces in Ogda Takhta Band area in the outskirts of Mingora in Swat.

February 19: Five Taliban militants were killed in Banda and Ghundo areas of Nawagai tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur Agency of FATA when fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombarded Taliban hideouts. The SFs recovered a cache of arms and ammunition during search operations in various areas of Nawagai tehsil, where five Taliban militants also laid down their arms and surrendered to the troops. Separately, the political administration announced the reopening of all educational institutions in Khar tehsil, and directed all teachers to report to duty.

February 18: At least 30 persons, including a LI 'commander', were killed and 110 others injured in a suicide attack near a mosque in Akakhel area of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency of FATA. Eyewitness sources said that a suicide bomber, after parking his explosives-laden double cabin pickup in the middle of a ground, blew himself up while meeting the LI's 'deputy chief' for the area. But another source said the bomber only detonated explosives strapped to his body as LI members and locals prepared for midday prayers at Darss Mosque, controlled by the LI. AFP quoted a regional official as saying that attack was carried out with around 80 people gathering around "the mosque, a cattle market and bazaar". The source said that around 40 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the attack. Sources in Tirah valley confirmed that the LI 'deputy chief' for the area, identified as Azam Khan, was among the dead. An intelligence official said, "We have confirmed reports that militant commander Azam Khan was also killed in the blast."

AFP quoted an intelligence official as saying, "There is a possibility that the rival outfit, AI, attacked the LI base." But a spokesman for the AI, Naeem, denied his outfit's involvement in the attack.

February 18: Four Taliban militants, including a Taliban 'commander' Jalaluddin Haqqani's son Muhammad Haqqani, were killed when US drones fired two missiles in Danday Darpakhel village near Jalaluddin Haqqani's madrassa (seminary), four kilometres north of Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan in FATA. Without quoting any official, a private television channel reports that the son of the most wanted Afghanistan Taliban 'commander' was reportedly among those killed in the latest US drone strike. Two other Taliban were also injured in the attack. According to AFP, the attack was the fourth US bombing since February 14 in North Waziristan, and struck a stronghold of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network.

February 17: Unidentified assailants killed six militants allegedly to be associates of Taliban 'commander' Noor Jamal alias Maulana Toofan by ambushing their vehicle in central Kurram Agency of FATA. SFs sources confirmed the ambush and fatality. The militants were travelling to Alisherzai area of Kurram Agency. Out of the six, two belonged to Waziristan and one was from the Orakzai Agency.

February 17: A US drone strike killed at least three suspected Taliban militants at a compound close to the Afghanistan border in North Waziristan. Political administration sources said that the unmanned aircrafts fired two missiles on the house of a local resident Sikandar in Tabbi Tolkhel, five kilometres east of Miranshah - headquarters of North Waziristan - killing at least three Taliban. The house was being used as a guesthouse for visiting Taliban operating across the border in Afghanistan, another security official said.

February 16: SFs backed by jet fighters and gunship helicopters pounded Taliban hideouts and killed 10 Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Jet fighters and gunship helicopters bombed hideouts in Bandarey, Sipri and Ghutki areas of the Mamoond tehsil, while the SFs used long-range artillery from Khar to hit targets, officials said. The SFs also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition during a search operation in Badan and Damadola areas, officials added.

February 15: A US drone attack killed at least three Taliban militants in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA, security officials said. "The US drone fired one missile, which hit a vehicle. According to our reports, three Taliban were killed," an unnamed security official said. However, local officials put the death toll at four, saying the drone targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban militants just as they were leaving Tabi Ghundi Kala village. "It was a drone attack. Two missiles were fired into the vehicle. Four Taliban were killed," said a local security official. Meanwhile, intelligence officials provided conflicting accounts of the nature of the blast and the identities of those killed. Two officials confirmed the drone strike and said it killed three Taliban militants. Two others said the vehicle had hit a landmine and could not confirm the identities of the three killed.

February 14: A US drone killed seven Taliban militants at a training compound in the Mir Ali town of North Waziristan Agency in the FATA. "Seven terrorists were killed and four wounded in the drone attack," said a Security Official. Another security official confirmed the casualties and said the dead included "four foreigners, possibly Uzbeks."

The SFs killed three Taliban militants in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agencyt. Sources said that SFs, backed by helicopter gunships pounded the militant's hideouts with heavy artillery in the Hilalkhel, Hashim, Babra and Charmang areas of Nawagai tehsil of Bajaur, which killed three Taliban and destroyed several hideouts.

A would-be suicide bomber and three of his accomplices were killed in the Manizoo area of Khar tehsil, while SFs also arrested five suspected Taliban militants from the same area during a search operation. Consolidating territorial gains in Mamoond tehsil, the forces also defused two roadside remote-controlled bombs in Hazarnao area.

Three persons were killed and 16 others injured in bomb blast on the Cinema Chowk in the main town of Dadu District. The explosion damaged several buildings in the area, including a sweet shop that bore the brunt, said eyewitness Ghulam Nabi Panwar.

February 12: Four militants were killed and several others sustained injuries during a clash with SFs at Charmang in Nawagai tehsil of Bajaur Agency in FATA. Sources said the SFs backed by gunship helicopters targeted the militant hideouts in Charmang, Chinar, and Mattak areas in Nawagai tehsil. Four militants were killed and several were injured. The SFs set ablaze the house of Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, 'deputy chief' of the TTP.

February 10: A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a khasadar patrol vehicle, killing 17 persons, including 11 khasadar personnel in Wazir Dhand area of Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency of FATA. Official sources said Pakistan Ranger's Captain Saleem and six civilians were among the dead in Wazir Dhand area of Jamrud, while 10 others were injured in the blast. A reporter for Peshawar-based English daily, Amjad Afridi, was also injured in the blast. The officials said the khasadar patrol vehicle was on a routine patrol when the suicide bomber attacked them in a car. Eyewitnesses said that an 18-year-old bearded youth hit a white car into the khasadar van coming from the opposite direction.

Four Taliban militants and two women were killed in bombings in various areas of Mamoond tehsil in Bajaur Agency. Aircraft bombed hideouts of the Taliban in Supri, Gutki and Mina, killing four Taliban, while a mortar shell hit a house killing two women and wounding three other persons.

February 8: At least 12 troopers were killed and two others were injured in a clash with militants during the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to salvation) in Ahmed Wam area of South Waziristan Agency in FATA. Six militants were also killed in the exchange of firing with the SFs. The ISPR sources said that the SFs successfully secured important feature point 5376, three kilometres north of Ahmed Wam, while clearance operation in Khawasai area was underway.

February 6: SFs killed seven Taliban militants and injured five others in Mamond tehsil (revenue unit) of Bajaur Agency in the FATA. SFs took over the Taliban stronghold of Damadola after nine years, local sources said. Sources said that SFs pounded Taliban hideouts in Sewai, Damadola and Badalai areas and killed five Taliban while five others were injured in the attack. The SFs also bombed four Taliban hideouts during the operation. In addition, two Taliban militants were killed in a clash with the SFs in Badan area, while one solider was also injured.

February 5: At least 25 persons were killed and over 100 others, including women and children, wounded in twin blasts in Karachi as the city marked Hazrat Imam Hussain's chehlum (40th Day after death) ceremony. The sources said that the first explosion occurred at around 3:03pm (PST) in the Shahrah-e-Faisal area of Karachi targeting a bus taking 30-40 mourners to the city's main chehlum procession at Nishtar Park, killing at least 13 people and injuring another 50. City Police chief Waseem Ahmad told the media while a motorbike fitted with an IED was used to carry out the attack, it was unclear if a bomber was riding the bike or it was parked and detonated when the bus passed by. The second explosion, which killed around 12 persons and wounded dozens of others, took place at around 4:55pm at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where those injured or killed in the first explosion were being taken amid a crowd of victims' relatives and the media. The blast at the medical centre targeted the building's parking lot in front of the emergency ward. Several vehicles, including ambulances, were also damaged in the attack. CID SSP Operations Fayyaz Khan said the latest attacks did not appear to have any link with another blast on December 28, 2009, which targeted Karachi's main Muharram procession, as they were carried out using devices connected to cell phones and placed inside boxes positioned on bikes. BDS official Muneer Sheikh described the attacks as "suicide bombings", and said a dead body found from the site of the first blast could be of the bomber. He said at least 15-20 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the first attack, while around 10 kilogrammes were used in the second. He said nuts, bolts and ball bearings were also found from the sites of the attack, and the "bombings appear similar to the Ashura attack". The Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has described the attacks as incidents of "sectarian violence".

February 5: SFs bombed Taliban hideouts in various areas of Mamoond Tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency of FATA, killing five Taliban militants. The SFs used heavy artillery in Damadola, Cheenagai, Shinkot and other adjacent areas, destroying nine militant hideouts. Also, an indefinite curfew continued for the sixth consecutive day in Khar and its adjoining areas.

February 4: SFs killed 12 Taliban militants, including four foreigners, while 16 militants were arrested from different areas of Bajaur Agency in the FATA. A FC statement said that the SFs were advancing and consolidating territorial gains in Sewai, Damadola and Pasht areas of Bajaur Agency. The SFs also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunitions from the area.

February 3: 12 Taliban militants were killed in various areas of Mamoond tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur Agency of FATA when fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombed Taliban hideouts. Sources said that SFs had gained full control on Damadola as SFs neutralised Taliban hideouts in Sevoi, Azarnow, Supri, Khazah and Damadola. Two SF personnel were also injured in the attacks.

February 3: Three US troopers and four female students were among nine persons killed when a blast targeted a military-led convoy in Lower Dir of NWFP. The US troopers were travelling in a convoy with local troops, journalists and officials to the opening of a girls' school. At least 115 persons, including 95 schoolgirls, were also injured in the attack. While the ISPR said an IED was used in the attack, the Associated Press said there were conflicting reports about the source of the blast. Some officials said it was a roadside bomb detonated by a remote control, while others claimed it was a suicide car bomb. A statement by the US embassy in Islamabad said that the US troopers killed in the attack were training FC troops on a request by the Pakistani Government. "Three Americans were killed and two injured in an explosion," according to the statement. A statement by the Pakistan Army said the dead included a FC soldier. However, it said three "foreigners" were among the injured. Lower Dir District Police Chief Mumtaz Zarin said that nine persons, including four schoolgirls and "three foreigners", were killed in the remote-controlled blast.

February 2: The SFs killed 20 Taliban militants while two soldiers were killed and another injured in various clashes in Bajaur Agency of FATA. A Frontier Corps statement said that helicopter gunships and fighter jets pounded Taliban hideouts in Damadola, Chinagai, Shinkot and adjacent areas of Mamoond tehsil (revenue unit) of Bajaur Agency and destroyed several militant hideouts. Two Taliban militants were also reportedly injured in the attacks. SFs consolidated territorial gains by regaining control of Damdola area. SFs also arrested 14 Taliban militants and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition in various parts of the Bajaur Agency.

February 2: At least 16 Taliban militants were killed after US drones fired 18 missiles at Datta Khel village in North Waziristan of FATA. Local administration and intelligence officials confirmed the deaths after the missiles reportedly struck Taliban hideouts and a training centre at three places in the village. "Up to eight US drones fired some 18 missiles at multiple Taliban targets in Datta Khel village," a senior security official said. "At least 16 militants were killed in the missile strikes," the official added.

February 2: Three militants were killed and eight persons injured in a clash with SFs in Malikabad, a mountainous area in Gadoon Amazai, of Swabi District in NWFP. Local residents and officials said that four militants surrendered before SFs after the clash. The sources said SFs launched a search operation in the area after receiving information about the presence of militants there. The militants, the sources said, opened fire on the SFs near a mosque and in the exchange of fire three militants, including a Pesh Imam (prayer leader) of the mosque, were killed. Eight persons, including four SFs personnel, were injured in the clash. The slain militants were identified as Shafi Akbar, Roohul Amin and Khalid. The four surrendered militants were Imran, Said Kamil Shah, Salman Akbar and Salman Shah.

February 1: The SFs killed at least 20 Taliban militants in different clashes during operation Sherdil (Lion heart) in Bajaur Agency of FATA where a solider was also killed and 11 others injured. The SFs backed by fighter jets, helicopters and armored personnel carrier, killed 14 Taliban militants in Damadola and Jani Shah and successfully infiltrated Mamond tehsil (revenue unit). Political administration officials said that the SFs also apprehended 27 Taliban militants from Damadola area of Mamond tehsil.

February 1: Six Taliban militants were killed during clashes with SFs in Chinagai, Shinkot and Kharki areas of Bajaur Agency.

January 31: Nine Taliban militants were killed when fighter jets bombed Taliban hideouts in Swoi and Damadola areas of Mamoond tehsil in Bajaur Agency of FATA.

January 30: A suicide bomber killed 16 people, including 14 civilians and two Police officers, and wounded 20 others at a police check point in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The attacker, on foot, struck a market area in the region's main town, Khar.

Suspected US missiles killed nine alleged militants, officials said. Overnight, three suspected US missiles hit a compound and a bunker in the Mohammad Khel area of North Waziristan Agency, part of a surge of the drone-fired strikes, said intelligence officials. Two missiles attack hit the compound being used by the militants, killing seven of them, the intelligence officials added. The third killed two more insurgents in the bunker, they said.

January 29: The fighting erupted when militants attacked a check post manned by the Frontier Corps and members of an anti-Taliban militia in the Chinar town in Bajaur Agency in FATA. Troops retaliated and killed 14 militants. A paramilitary soldier was also killed and three others were wounded in the clash.

Fighter jets bombarded a Taliban hideout in the town of Sewai in the Mamoond tehsil killing 10 terrorists and injuring 15 others.

Five suspected militants were killed and four others sustained injuries in a drone attack in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan.

Unidentified assailants opened fire on pilgrims, killing three Shias and injuring seven others, in a sectarian attack in Quetta in Balochistan.

January 28: SFs killed nine militants and injured five others in a clash in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur Agency in FATA. Three SFs were injured in the attack.

SFs killed four Taliban militants in Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) in South Waziristan Agency.

January 27: 12 Taliban militants were killed and three others injured in clashes between Salarzai laskhar (pro government Tribal militia) and militants in Chinnar village of Bajaur Agency in FATA. The volunteers from the Salarzai lashkar, backed by SFs were on their way to Mula Said and Chinnar areas when a group of armed militants attacked them. The SFs and members of the lashkar repulsed the attack killing 12 militants and injuring three. One trooper was killed in the attack.

Three children were killed in a bomb explosion in Nanger Khani village of Dir District in NWFP. "It was a timed device. Three children were killed on the spot. Apparently it is an act of terrorism. The terrorists want to create fear and terrify the residents," District Police Chief Rauf Khan was quoted saying.

January 26: Three militants were killed and several others sustained injuries when gunship helicopters fired at suspected hideouts of insurgents in Mamond and Salarzai tehsils (revenue units) in Bajaur Agency in FATA.

January 25: At least 15 suspected militants were killed when SFs, backed by helicopter gunship and artillery, pounded their positions in Kurram Agency in FATA. Official sources said that four hideouts of the Taliban were destroyed. Six SFs were also reportedly injured in the clash.

Air strikes by the jet fighters continued for more than two hours in Khar in Bajaur Agency in FATA. 10 terrorists have been killed and several hideouts were destroyed.

January 24: Taliban militants killed seven persons on suspicion of spying for the US in North Waziristan Agency of FATA.

January 23: Three SFs and nine Taliban militants were killed when Taliban attacked the SFs in Chapri Ferozkhel area of Lower Orakzai Agency in FATA.

Five Taliban militants were killed and 20 others arrested after a clash with the SFs in Khoedakhel area of Upper Orakzai Agency in FATA.

Four persons including a SF were killed in a suicide car bombing near a Police Station at Gomal, about 25 kilometres south of Tank District in NWFP. "The bomber struck outside the Police Station, killing one Policeman and three passers-by, including two children," District Police Chief Ejaz Abid said. He said 11 persons, including five Policemen, three passers-by and three prisoners in the Police lock-up, were also injured.

January 22: SFs attacked the stronghold of local and foreign Taliban militants killing 15 of them and arresting 25 others in Machis camp near Miranshah in North Waziristan in FATA.

Two militants and a soldier were killed in a clash at Bilandkhel area in Orakzai Agency in FATA. The SFs also claimed to have arrested 49 suspected persons during the search operation.

January 21: Clashes between the SFs and terrorists left at least nine terrorists dead in Mohmand Agency in the FATA. The SFs engaged terrorists at several hideouts with helicopter gunships in the Matta, Bahadar Killi in Suran Valley, Mathai Chaqorai Markaz, Methai Markaz, Jarobai Dara, Gulmain, Shamshah and Shandara areas of the region. A terrorist was killed while planting an IED on the Narai-Zara Road. He was identified as Malikhel.

A roadside bomb killed two tribal elders and a woman travelling on a bus in Salarzai District of Bajaur Agency in FATA. 20 other passengers were injured in the explosion. The two men were members of a tribal militia formed to fight the Taliban militants.

Five militants, including a ‘commander’, were killed in a clash with SFs in Madyan area of Swat District in NWFP. Two of the militants were identified as Nadir Khan and ‘commander’ Sultan Akbar.

January 20: Five Taliban militants, including Ghulam alias Adil, a key ‘commander’, were killed and two others injured in a raid conducted by members of the peace committee at Khewzai area of Mohmand Agency in FATA. The lashkars (tribal militia) also ‘arrested’ 17 suspected militants and seized two rifles during search operations in Gawakai and Warasta villages.

January 19: Six Taliban militants were killed when a US drone fired two missiles at a compound in Degan village of North Waziristan's Dattakhel tehsil in the FATA. The strike took place at around 6:30pm (PST).

SFs during a search operation exchanged fire with the Taliban near Kunar Sar area in Admi Kot area of South Waziristan in FATA. 10 Taliban militants were killed and five others arrested during the operation. In Jandola Sector, two soldiers were killed in a bomb blast near Janata, where the SFs defused three roadside bombs.

Five Taliban militants, including ‘local commander’ Hamad, were killed when militants opened fire at members of a peace committee in Baizai tehsil in the Mohmand Agency in FATA. Two committee members were also killed and two others injured in the clash.

January 18: SFs killed 10 Taliban militants and arrested five others in a clash in North Waziristan in FATA. The clash occurred when the militants opened fire on a checkpoint in the border town of Lwara Mandi, a bastion of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. Troops retaliated and killed 10 militants.

Taliban militants attacked lashkar (pro-Government tribal militia) personnel in Mohmand Agency in FATA, resulting in the death of one tribesman and three militants. The attack took place as the militia men manned a security post in the Bazai section of Mohmand, 70 kilometres away from Agency headquarters. The militants attacked the checkpost in the Daag area and killed a volunteer, Hazratullah Khan. The volunteers retaliated and killed three militants and injured two others. The fleeing militants took away the bodies and their injured men along with them. Also two tribesmen sustained injuries when an explosive device went off in Lagharai area of the sub-division.

Three militants were killed as a bomb exploded near central Kurram Agency in FATA .They were trying to plant the bomb near the basic health unit in Dogar in central Kurram, but the bomb went off prematurely killing all three of them.

January 17: A US drone strike killed at least 20 Taliban militants, including foreign terrorists (Uzbeks), in a South Waziristan Agency area in the FATA. The attack took place in Shaktoee - 40 kilometres southeast of Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency. This bombing was the 10th US drone strike to hit the tribal belt in the month of January.

January 16: Five militants were killed in clashes with SFs, while two troopers were injured in a remote-controlled bomb attack in Spin Qabar area of Bara of Khyber Agency in FATA. Sources said that terrorists attacked a SF convoy with a remote-controlled device in the Spin Qabar area at around 3pm (PST), injuring two Army troopers. A militant was killed in clashes with SFs during search operations following the attack. Also, four other militants were killed after a shell landed on a militant hideout.

Four non-Baloch persons were killed in different parts of Balochistan on in an apparent backlash of January 15 killings of two Baloch nationalists,. Three of the killings have been confirmed as target killings. Sources said that two Punjabi settlers were killed in Ghosiabad Police Station area in the Satellite Town area of Quetta, the provincial capital. The victims were standing on a road when unidentified armed motorcyclists opened fire at them. As a result, Malik Ifthakar died on the spot, while Malik Tahir succumbed to his injury in Hospital.One Punjabi settler was shot dead in Khuzdar District. Mohammad Iqbal, originally of Sailkot, was shot dead by unidentified militants at Umar Farooq Chowk. Meerak Baloch, a spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) called the offices of various newspapers and accepted responsibility for killing the three Punjabi settlers.

January 15: Two US drone strikes killed at least 11 Taliban militants in North Waziristan Agency of FATA. The first attack took place in Zanini village near Mir Ali, about 30 kilometres east of Miranshah, capital of North Waziristan Agency. "US drones fired four missiles at a Taliban compound and at least five Taliban were killed," a senior security official said. The officials said five US drones flew over at low altitude above the area, and two of the drones descended further and fired four missiles at the compound, destroying it completely. The second attack killed at least six Taliban militants in Bichi village. "At least six Taliban were killed," said the security official.

The bullet-riddled dead bodies of seven Taliban militants were recovered while an anti-Taliban leader was also killed in different areas of NWFP. "The dead bodies of five militants were dumped in two different areas of Darra Adam Khel," said Major Fazalur Rehman, spokesman for the Frontier Corps (FC).

January 14: A US drone targeted Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in South Waziristan Agency in FATA. Hakeemullah recently claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) base in Khost province of Afghanistan. "What is confirmed is that Hakeemullah was targeted ... but the strike took place in a remote area where communication lines are very poor ... we don''t have confirmation yet if he is dead," the official sources said. However, the Associated Press (AP) quoted intelligence officials as saying that Hakeemullah was not among the victims. But Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted a senior security official as saying, "We are receiving reports about his death, but we are not 100 percent sure." "Local people are saying he was there at the time [of the strike]," Reuters quoted another senior security official as saying. Sources close to the political administration said the drone fired four missiles at a house in Shaktoee - a village in South Waziristan close to the border with North Waziristan. AP put the death toll at 12, while AFP said 15 Taliban militants had been killed. "Shaktoee has been a stronghold of the Taliban, and TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud is believed to have been staying in the region after the military retook lost ground from the group during Operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to salvation)," tribal sources said.However, the TTP has denied media reports that the group's chief, Hakeemullah Mehsud, has been killed in a US drone strike. "These media reports are just lies, and I have spoken to Hakeemullah ... he is safe," said TTP spokesman Azam Tariq - who phoned Daily Times from an unknown location. Azam also called the AFP news agency over the telephone, and said, "Hakeemullah Mehsud was present at the same place in Shaktoee where the drone struck ... but he had left the area already when the drone attack took place. He is alive and completely safe." However, he did not say when Hakeemullah left the area.

January 13: At least three Taliban militants were killed while nine others were arrested by SFs during the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast (Path to Truth) in Swat of NWFP. An ISPR statement said that two more militants surrendered before the SFs in Maniari area. SFs conducted a search-and-clearance operation in Qambar near Mingora and village Gada Kot and arrested nine suspected militants. During another search-and-clearance operation in Mora Sar and Udigram, SFs recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

January 12: Four Taliban militants and a soldier were killed in a gun battle when dozens of Taliban militants attacked a check post in Mohmand Agency of FATA, local sources said. They said more than 30 Taliban militants attacked the Ghanam Shah Checkpost in Bezai tehsil (revenue unit) of Mohmand Agency. The slain soldier was identified as Gul Shireen. Six troopers were also injured in the attack. "They came from three sides and attacked the post with automatic weapons and rocket launchers," said a local administration official, Zabit Khan. He put the number of injured troops at three. A military official confirmed the casualties and said four Taliban militants had been killed in the Security Forces’ retaliation.

January 11: Eight Taliban militants and one trooper were killed during a clash between Taliban militants and SFs in the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) in South Waziristan Agency of FATA. The Inter-Services Public Relations sources said that eight Taliban militants were killed during a clearance operation in the area around Katori Sar and Jangwam.

January 9: A US drone strike killed at least four terrorists in North Waziristan of FATA, security and intelligence officials said. "A US drone fired two missiles, which hit a compound used as a training centre by militants," a senior security official said. He said that the identity of the militants was not immediately known, adding it was also not clear whether any high-value target was present in the area at the time of the strike.

Six persons, including one civilian killed in an explosion in a house near Babri mosque in Baldia town locality of Karachi in the morning. An initial investigation stated that six militants had come to the house at about 3 am (PST) on three motorcycles. They were guests of Ayaz, younger brother of Riaz who was living in the house with his mother, wife and three children. All the militants were in their late teens or early twenties. Five of the dead militants were identified as Riazul Hasan, Mohammad Husain, Shahbaz Lahori, Asif and Zahid. Ayaz was also killed in the blast, while his brother Ibrar was injured. A portion of a house was destroyed in what was described as an accidental blast. "We heard a loud bang at about 7:45am and saw two bodies lying in the debris. A Kalashnikov rifle was beside the bodies," an eyewitness said. Police found a cache of arms and ammunition and suicide vests strapped to the two bodies in the house. The suicide vests were fitted with grenades, they added. The suicide vest of the third militant accidentally triggered the explosion, causing a grenade to explode, investigators said. Police recovered several cartons of tinned food, jihadi literature, books and CDs, stickers of LeJ and SSP pasted inside a trunk containing certifications of graduation from a seminary, cell phones and several SIMs from the debris of the house. Three AK-47 rifles with several dozen rounds, over 25 hand grenades, anti-personnel mines and a pistol were also recovered, Baldia town Superintendent of Police Zahid Husain said. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the militants were from Swat.

Six militants were killed and three others injured in air strikes on suspected militant hideouts in upper Orakzai Agency of FATA. Official and independent sources said that three hideouts were targeted by helicopter gunships in the Kunj area of Sheikhan. All the buildings attacked were destroyed and at least six militants were killed.

Eight persons were killed and 11 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gate of the headquarters of the militant outfit Ansar-ul-Islam in Tirah area of Khyber Agency in FATA. Sources said that a meeting of the AI shura was in progress when the suicide bomber struck. An AI spokesman said the suicide bomber blew himself up when he was stopped from entering the gate. He said the attacker’s target was the AI shura but he failed, as he was not allowed to enter. He said AI ‘chief’ Qazi Mehboobul Haq was also at the madrassa (seminary) when the attack occurred. He said the head of the bomber was recovered by the AI volunteers, and was identified as a member of the Qambarkhel tribe who lived in Bara. He said the bomber was a member of rival militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam.

Four Taliban militants were killed and two injured when drones fired two missiles, one at a car and the other at a house, in Palali village in North Waziristan Agency. The village is in Tappi area, 20 kilometres east of Miranshah, the North Waziristan Agency headquarters. "The US drone fired two missiles on a house. The house was completely destroyed," a Senior Security Official said. "A vehicle parked in the house was also destroyed," he added.

January 7: At least 10 Taliban militants were killed and several were injured as gunship helicopters bombed militant’s hideouts in Orakzai Agency of FATA. The militants were killed in Mamonzai, Ghaljo and Dabori areas of Orakzai Agency. Three vehicles were also destroyed in the operation.

Five militants were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in, exploded in the Darr village of Kurram Agency in the night.

Four Taliban militants were killed and four others arrested by SFs from different parts of Swat and Malakand in NWFP during Operation Rah-e-Rast (path to truth). An ISPR press release stated that SFs conducted search operations in Pul Bela near Bahrain, Kuz Bama Khela, Mera Mai, Muz Durshkhela, Langar, Mashkomai and Chiakolai and killed four militants in the gunbattle. Three militants were arrested and a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from their possession. The SFs also conducted search operations at Panr, Allahabad, Titawali, Dakorak, and Chbaghand Fazagat and arrested a militant.

January 6: 13 persons were killed when three US drones targeted a house in Sumzalai, 50 kilometers west of Miranshah, in the Dattakhel tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan in FATA. Two of the three missiles fired hit the house in Sumzalai at around 4pm (PST), killing seven persons, while the third missile struck the same house at around 4:50pm (PST), killing six people. Mahmood Shah, a former Security chief for the Tribal Areas, said he believed the drone strikes over the past week in North Waziristan were retaliation for a suicide attack against the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.

SFs killed seven militants in separate encounters in Kabal of Swat District of NWFP. The sources said SFs claimed to have killed three militants in an exchange of fire in the Kokaray area. The slain militants were identified as Mehboob Khan, Khaista Bacha and Salman. Four militants were killed in Bahrain area in another encounter with SFs, the sources added. They were identified as Naseeb Gul, Muhammad Azeem, Ismail and Ayaz. SFs demolished the houses of two militants in Samai area in Kabal tehsil (revenue unit).

January 5: The SFs killed three Taliban militants in the continuing Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) when they tried to attack SFs at the Pungai checkpost in South Waziristan of FATA.

The SFs killed three Taliban militants in the continuing Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) at Mora Kandao in Swat District of NWFP. ISPR said that one trooper was also injured in the clash.

January 4: SFs neutralised two militant hideouts on January 4, killing seven Taliban militants and arresting two others in Operation Sherdil (Lion Heart) in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The sources said that the SFs targeted hideouts of Taliban in the Jani Shah area of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division), killing four militants. Another three terrorists were killed in Laywai area as the bomb they were busy manufacturing exploded in their hands. The SFs also arrested two militants in Khar and Laghrai area.

January 3: The SFs killed seven Taliban militants during operation in South Waziristan Agency of FATA.

The missiles fired by a suspected US drone killed five militants in Mosakki village, about 25 kilometres east of Miranshah. It was the third suspected US missile attack in the tribal District in less than a week.

SFs killed three militants during an encounter carried out in Shuza Algad near Sararogha. Four terrorists were also injured in the incident, while a cache of arms and ammunitions were recovered from them.

January 2: Eight Taliban militants were killed when fighter jets destroyed four of their hideouts in the Orakzai Agency of FATA. Sources said the fighter jets bombed Sturikhel, Sultanzai and Anjatari areas of Lower Orakzai, killing eight militants and destroying four of their hideouts.

At least five Taliban militants were killed in an encounter with the SFs in Kullachi tehsil (revenue unit) of Dera Ismail Khan District in NWFP. A private television channel said the militants opened fire on a SF’s convoy in Maddi area. The convoy was heading towards Taufi area after troops received reports about the presence of a militant ‘commander’, Anwar Gandapur, in the area. During the encounter, the troops killed five militants including their ‘leader’ Ahsaanullah, Maulvi Irfan and Farhan.

Four Taliban militants were killed in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to salvation) in South Waziristan, the ISPR.

Three volunteers of a local Lashkar (tribal militia) were also killed in a clash with militants in Sturikhel area of the Orakzai Agency.

January 1: At least 90 persons were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden pickup truck in the middle of a volleyball game in the Shah Hasan Khel village of Lakki Marwat District in the Bannu Division of the North West Frontier Province NWFP. Police said more than 60 persons are being treated at local hospitals. Local Police chief Ayub Khan told Reuters the bomber blew himself up in an SUV in the middle of the field and there was believed to be a second vehicle, which fled the scene. Khan said the bomber drove a vehicle loaded with around 250 kilogrammes of high-intensity explosives into the field, which lies in a congested neighbourhood. Some nearby houses collapsed and "we fear that some 10 or so people might have been trapped in the rubble." Khan said that more than 20 houses, on both sides of the open ground where the match was being played, had collapsed. In addition, a group of local tribal elders was holding a meeting at a nearby mosque. The mosque was damaged and some people inside were killed, he added further. "Four paramilitary soldiers are also among the dead," he informed. Another Police official said that some 300 people were on the field when the incident took place. A large number of them are said to have been elderly residents and children. Meanwhile, the NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the death toll might rise further, adding, "The locality has been a hub of militants. Locals set up a Lashkar (tribal militia) and expelled the militants from this area. This attack seems to be a reaction to their expulsion." Security Forces have cordoned off the village.

Six persons, including an anti-Taliban tribal elder, were killed when a remote-controlled bomb exploded in the Mandal area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Sources said Malik Gul Shali was on his way to the Agency headquarters along with five other men when unidentified militants detonated the bomb. All six died instantly. Security Forces have cordoned off the area and started a search operation. No group has claimed responsibility so far.

Five Taliban militants were killed and another seven injured in different parts of Orakzai Agency. The sources said helicopter gunships pounded Sultan Zai, Anjani, Tarkhosam, and Ghoz Ghar areas of the Agency, killing the five Taliban militants.

Three US drones fired two missiles at a car in North Waziristan Agency, killing three Taliban militants and injuring another three persons. The attacks occurred at 7:45pm (PST) in Mubarik Shahi village, 20 kilometres east of the Miranshah.

2009

December 31: The SFs killed four foreign Taliban militants and a woman during a raid on a private hospital in Wana, the capital of South Waziristan Agency, of FATA in the morning. The SFs laid siege to the private clinic in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, at 2 AM (PST), leading an encounter until around 7 AM, said local Administration and Intelligence Officials. A Security Official said the raid followed a tip off that wounded Taliban were brought to the hospital from Sherwangi. "Commandos and Security Forces raided the hospital. Taliban fired at the troops and in the gunfight, which lasted more than four hours, four Taliban and a woman were killed, while 22 others were arrested," said the official. "One soldier was also injured. The three dead terrorists appear to be Arabs and one of Sudanese origin," added the official. The identity of the woman was not initially clear, said the official. An Intelligence Official said 27 suspects were also arrested in the raid.

A US drone strike killed at least four persons in North Waziristan, Security and Intelligence Officials said. The missile struck a compound in Machikhel village, 25 kilometres east of Miranshah. "A US drone fired two missiles, which hit a compound of a local tribesman, Karim Khan, killing four people and injuring two others," a Senior Security Official said. The identity of those killed was not immediately known, adding it was also not clear whether any high-value target was present in the area at the time of the strike, the Security Official added further.

The SFs killed four Taliban militants during a search-and-clearance operation in Bangai Banda near Barikot of Swat in NWFP. SFs also arrested 26 suspects, while four others surrendered to SFs.

December 30: 12 Taliban militants were killed in a clash between SFs and militants in Bajaur and Mohmand Agency of FATA. 10 Taliban militants, including ‘commander’ Shahabuddin, were killed and 18 injured in clashes between SFs and Taliban militants in Chamar Kand of Safi tehsil (revenue unit) in Mohmand Agency. The SFs also neutralised a militant hideout. Two Taliban militants were killed and another injured during an encounter between SFs and Taliban militants at Mamoond tehsil in Bajaur Agency. Political administration said that Taliban militants attacked a SFs checkpost at Mamoond tehsil. Retaliating, the SFs shot dead two militants and injured another.

A would-be suicide bomber and his three accomplices were killed before reaching the intended target after their explosive-laden vehicle exploded due to mishandling of the explosive material in Orakzai Agency.

December 29: Five civilians, including four children and a woman, and two SF personnel were killed in an exchange of fire and shelling in Mohmand Agency of FATA during last 24 hours. Local people said the children were killed when a mortar shell hit a playground in Sagai Bala area of Safi tehsil (revenue unit). Another shell hit the house of Qazi in Chamarkand area, killing a woman.

December 28: A suicide bomber targeted Pakistan's largest procession of Shiite Muslims on their holiest day of Ashura, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 63 persons. The blast sparked riots in Karachi, the financial capital, where angry mourners went on the rampage, throwing stones at ambulances, torching cars and shops and firing bullets into the air. Tens of thousands of Police and paramilitary forces, fearing militant attacks on Ashura processions were deployed. "The blast was so huge that I felt my hearing had gone, but then I started hearing cries of injured people and saw pieces of human flesh and blood on the road," said Abbas Ali, 35, one of the mourners thrown to the ground. Interior Minister Rehman Malik blamed TTP, against which the Army has been waging a major operation in near the Afghan border, and LeJ, another of most feared Islamist networks. "At least 30 people have been killed so far in the suicide attack and 63 others have been injured," Provincial Health Minister Saghir Ahmed said. "We have declared emergency at all hospitals in Karachi and doctors are making every effort to save the injured. The situation is very grim," he added. Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road, where the attack happened, was ablaze with burning cars and motorcycles, and covered in debris from buildings attacked by rioters, said an AFP correspondent. This attack was the deadliest in Karachi since a suicide bomber targeted the homecoming of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto -- who was assassinated two months later -- killing at least 139 people in October 2007. It was the third attack on Ashura commemorations in Pakistan in 2009. However, The News put the death toll to 40.

At least 15 militants were killed in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Salvation) in South Waziristan Agency of FATA, a press released issued by the ISPR said. The militants raided Boya Narai Post in South Waziristan Agency. SFs retaliated and as a result 15 militants were killed including militant ‘commander’ Zainual. Two Security personnel, Lance Havaldar Sikandar and Havaldar Aftab were killed while three others were injured during the gun battle. Soon after successful retaliation the SFs conducted search and clearance operation in Marobi Raghzai and Zhawar Killi in Razmak sector and a compound in Landi Wah near Lakki in Shakai sector and recovered a cache a large cache of arms and ammunition.

The clash, which was started between Taliban and a tribal militia in Orakzai Agency on December 27, killed 15 persons more. The clashes broke out when Taliban fighters attacked homes and trenches dug by the anti-Taliban militia in the Sturikhel area of Orakzai Agency. Eight Taliban militants were killed and 14 injured on December 27. Security officials said the Taliban destroyed several houses and killed nine men from a rival militia, which was set up to challenge the Taliban who hold sway in parts of Orakzai. "They also killed local tribal elder Malik Sharif and took over his house," one official said. "We have reports that nine militia men and six militants have been killed. The fighting is still going on," a Security official based in the neighbouring garrison city of Kohat said by telephone.

December 27: A US missile attack that demolished a suspected Taliban compound in North Waziristan killed 13 militants. A US drone slammed two missiles into the building in Danday Saidgi village, seven kilometres north of Miranshah, official sources said. "The Taliban have recovered more dead bodies from the debris today (December 27). We have reports that a total of 13 terrorists were killed and three injured," an intelligence official in Miranshah said. "One of the local ‘commander’, Abdur Rehman, was also killed," he added. "The compound was used by local Taliban attached to the Haqqani network, which has attacked US troops in Afghanistan," said another Senior Security Official.

Eight Taliban militants were killed and 14 injured in attacks on militant hideouts and in a clash between militants and tribesmen in Orakzai Agency. Sources said that air strikes pounded militant hideouts in Sturikhel area of Orakzai Agency, killing five militants and injuring eight others. The sources said three militant hideouts were also neutralised in the strikes.

Three militants were killed and six injured in a clash between militants and members of the Sturikhel tribe. Sources said the militants had been threatening members of the Sturikhel tribe in a bid to stop them from enrolling in the Frontier Corps. They said the situation had escalated to such an extent that a clash erupted between the militants and members of the tribe firing at each other. Resultantly, three militants were killed and six others injured.

Suspected Taliban militants blew up the home of an official in Kurram, killing him and five children as they slept, officials said. "Unknown assailants planted dynamite near the boundary wall of the house and exploded it between 2-3 AM (PST), completely destroying the house," Abab Ali, an Administration Official, told AFP by telephone. A junior local official, Sarfraz Khan, one of his sons and four other relatives died. Three other relatives were wounded," he said. "Besides the official, those killed were aged five to 11. We don’t know who was responsible," he added.

December 26: 10 Taliban militants were killed in Orakzai and Mohmand Agencies of the FATA as SFs continued operations against the Taliban militants. Six militants were killed and 11 injured when helicopter gunships bombed militant hideouts in the Orakzai Agency, officials said. Political Administration officials said that SFs attacked militant hideouts in areas close to the border with Hangu, killing six militants and injuring 11, adding that two militant hideouts were also neutralised in the attacks. A clash between SFs and militants left at least four militants dead and seven injured in Mohmand Agency. According to security officials, the clash occurred in the Chamarkand area in the night of December 24. SF personnel have started search operations in various areas of the Mohmand Agency.

Three Taliban militants were killed and two injured when a US drone fired two missiles at a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan. The sources said that the missiles hit the house of a local, Asmatullah, in Danday Saidgy village, 20 kilometres north of Miranshah, at around 7pm (PST). Another Security official confirmed the drone strike to AFP, adding that Asmatullah had links with the Taliban.

Five militants were killed and two others injured in a clash between two banned militants groups, Ansar-ul-Islam and Lashkar-e-Islam, in the Tirrah Valley of Khyber Agency. Political administration officials said that armed militants of the two groups were using heavy weaponry to target rival hideouts in the valley. The SFs fired at hideouts of Lashkar-e-Islam, neutralizing two of them.

December 25: The SFs shot dead nine suspected Taliban militants in Orakzai Agency of FATA. A Government official Muhammed Yasin said the Pakistan Army had killed at least nine suspected Taliban militants in the country’s northwest tribal region near the Afghanistan border. The Army had used helicopter gunships to destroy three Taliban hideouts in Orakzai Agency, he added further.

December 24: Four persons were killed and 24 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a security post in Peshawar. Peshawar Senior Superintendent of Police (Coordination) Muhammad Alam Shinwari said that four persons, including one Policeman and three civilians, were killed and 24 injured in the attack, which was carried out using a suicide jacket packed with eight kilogrammes of explosives. The bomber struck at the junction of Mall Road and Arbab Road in front of an insurance company’s office, where a Security Force post had been set up to inspect vehicles. A policeman said the bomber was on foot and detonated explosives strapped to his body when Policemen stopped him at the post.

December 23: SFs killed 10 Taliban militants in Bajaur Agency of FATA after they came under attack in Charmang area of Nawagai tehsil (revenue unit). Taliban militants attacked two check posts in Charmang area, upon which the SFs killed 10 of the militants in retaliatory fire. However, The News put the militant fatalities to 12.

December 22: Three people, including a woman, were killed and another 24 persons injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of the Peshawar Press Club in Peshawar of NWFP. The building is situated on the Sher Shah Suri Road close to the Cantonment Railway Station. Lady Reading Hospital officials confirmed the toll in the first ever suicide attack in the country aimed specifically at journalists. They said two of the bodies were identified as police constable Riazuddin and a passer-by, Rubina. Rubina, who died of a cardiac arrest, was traveling in a rickshaw close to the press club when the blast occurred. Peshawar Press Club accountant Mian Iqbal Shah succumbed to his injury at the hospital later. Several passers-by, including those travelling in a minibus, were injured in the blast besides Peshawar Press Club employees Yasir, Ayub and Kamran. A photojournalist, Khurram Pervez, also sustained injuries in the blast. Peshawar City Police chief Liaqat Ali Khan told reporters that the suicide attacker had tried to enter the premises. The Police guard at the gate frisked the man and tried to overpower him when he discovered that the person was wearing a suicide vest, however, the bomber detonated his vest during the scuffle. The press club employee Yasir Jamil, who was also injured in the blast said that the suicide bomber was trying to enter the press club when the Police guard stopped him. He said the attacker had an argument with the guard, and blew himself up moments later. He said the bomber had a dark complexion and short height and seemed around 18 to 19 years of age.

SFs killed four militants in Karakar area of the Swat District. According to the Swat Media Centre, a group of militants were attempting to enter Buner from Swat when Security personnel intercepted them, resulting in an encounter. Two soldiers were also injured in the exchange of fire. The SFs recovered two IEDs, two Klashnikovs, wireless sets and a sub-machine gun from the possession of the slain militants.

At least 17 Taliban militants were killed and another eight injured as the SFs, backed by helicopter gunships, continued their offensive against terrorists in Orakzai Agency of FATA. A private news channel said helicopter gunships pounded militant’s hideouts in the region, killing seven militants and injuring another eight. Six more militants were killed in Ferozekhel during a encounter with the SFs. Ihsanullah, an important Taliban ‘commander’, was also among the dead. However, another TV channel claimed that Ihsanullah’s killing was a result of clash between two militant groups.

December 20: SFs killed four Taliban militants in Kalangi area of Malakand in NWFP. Security officials said the Taliban were trying to enter Malakand through Bajaur Agency of FATA, and fired at the SFs when they were intercepted near the Kalangi checkpost. The subsequent gun battle led to the killing of four Taliban militants. The SFs recovered a rocket launcher, four machine guns, sixteen magazines and six grenades from the possession of the slain militants. The SFs recovered bodies of four Taliban militants and a sub-inspector of Police in Buner District, officials said. The sources said the beheaded body of sub-inspector Umar Ghani was recovered from Manyari Gokad area of Buner. Ghani was the in-charge of Gagra Police Station and had been abducted in June while he was on his way home. The bodies of the Taliban militants, identified as Imtiaz, Israr, Saadat and Ismail, were found in the Nawagai Police Station area.

December 19: SFs killed 20 militants in operations across the FATA. The SFs killed six militants in Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency and arrested another four militants during a search operation in the area. The six militants were killed when they tried to attack the Janki Post in Bara, while the militants were arrested from the Shalobar area. The SFs also blew up the house of LI ‘commander’ Arif.

December 18: 12 persons, mostly worshippers, were killed and 32 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden van near a mosque in the Police Lines in Dir Lower District of NWFP. "The worshipers were coming out after offering the Friday prayers from the Civil Colony mosque in the Police Lines when the suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the wall," an eyewitness said. "Eleven persons were killed and 32 others injured in the explosion, which occurred at 1:30 PM (PST)," a Police official said. It was the first incident of its kind in Dir Lower, where SFs in the summer crushed a Taliban-led insurgency concentrated in Maidan and Adinzai tehsil (revenue division) of the Dir Lower District.

SFs backed by fighter jets killed 16 Taliban militants and injured another 22 when they targeted militant hideouts in various areas of Orakzai Agency in the FATA. Sources said the jets destroyed four hideouts in Dabori, Ghalju, Mamuzai and Malpati areas of Upper Orakzai.

December 17: A key al Qaeda operative, Zohaib Al-Zahidi, and seven other foreigners were among 17 persons killed in two separate drone strikes in North Waziristan Agency of FATA. Zohaib Al-Zahidi was an important al Qaeda cadre involved in planning and executing several militant attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the first attack, five US drones fired at least 10 missiles at two houses in the Ambarshaga area killing at least 15 people. Another US drone killed two Taliban militants as it fired two missiles at their vehicle around 4 AM (PST) in Godi Wala village in Datta Khel tehsil (revenue division), 40 kilometres west of Miranshah. Official sources said the first missile missed the target due to which several militants escaped, while two of them were killed by the second missile. However, The News put the death to 16.

Six persons, including three SF personnel and three Taliban militants, were killed while five SF personnel injured in two separate attacks in Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in FATA. The sources said two SF personnel were killed when a remote-controlled bomb struck a security convoy in the Malikdin Khel area of Bara tehsil. In the second incident, the Taliban militants attacked a security check post in the Feroz Khel area, close to the Orakzai Agency border. A SF official was killed while five others were injured in the attack. Three Taliban militants were also killed when SFs retaliated.

December 16: The SFs killed 49 Taliban militants in separate military actions in the FATA. "At least 18 militants were killed when helicopters pounded Toori Khel town of Orakzai Agency when they (militants) were holding an important meeting," paramilitary spokesman Major Fazlur Rehman said. Local Administration Official Riaz Khan confirmed the toll and said four more were killed in air strikes in the Sultanzai town of Orakzai Agency.

As many as four persons were killed and 27 others were injured when unidentified militants hurled grenades at the participants of a music concert at Shah Kas area in Jamrud tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in FATA.

December 15: A suicide car bomb exploded in a market outside the home of the Punjab Chief Minister’s senior adviser, Zulfiqar Khosa in Dera Ghazi Khan District of Punjab, killing 33 people and injured 60 others. Unidentified militants detonated the explosives outside the house of Khosa, who was not in home at the time of explosion. An eyewitness, Naeem, said a white-coloured car reached the gate of Khosa’s house and exploded. Most of the dead and injured were persons shopping or working at the market. It was unclear whether the bomber meant to target the politician’s home or the market. The attack badly damaged the house and several nearby shops and buildings, including a mosque and bank. "The whole market has collapsed," said Raza Khan, a local resident. "There is smoke and people running here and there." The attacker had packed the car with about 900 pounds (400 kilogrammes) of explosives, Senior Police Officer Muhammad Rizwan said. Zulfiqar Khosa’s son, Dost Muhammad Khosa, said two of his cousins were among the wounded. "It was a direct attack on us," Dost alleged, declining to speculate who was behind the blast. Meanwhile, Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa said that his residence was targeted in the suicide attack but he is not sure whether he was the target of the bomber or not. "All of my family members are safe and are in Lahore," he told a private television channel after a suicide bomber exploded an explosives-laden car outside his residence. Khosa condemned the explosion.

SFs killed 36 Taliban militants in separate military operations in Orakzai, Bajaur and Kurram Agencies of FATA. Sources said that 25 Taliban militants were killed when gunship helicopters pounded their hideouts in the Khost Sturi Khel and Sultanzai areas of Orakzai Agency. They also said three hideouts and two vehicles were also destroyed in the attack. An important training centre at Sultankhel was also destroyed.

Frontier Constabulary sources said SFs killed nine Taliban militants in Kurram Agency.

December 14: The SFs killed 18 Taliban militants in the ongoing military operations in FATA. The SFs killed five Taliban militants in Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan, the ISPR said. It said the SFs killed four militants at Mola Khan Sarai in the Shakai sector, while a trooper was also injured during the clash. Another militant was killed and a soldier injured during a clash in the Razmak sector.

Six militants were killed when helicopter gunships targeted a terrorists’ vehicle in Kurram Agency.

The SFs killed four Taliban militants during a search operation at Najigram in Swat of NWFP.

December 13: The SF killed at least seven militants in Kurram tribal region of FATA. Two soldiers also died in the fighting, officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media. People began fleeing the area after SF urged villagers to leave, the officials said. Reuters quoted administration officials and intelligence agents as saying that the SF, backed by artillery and fighter aircraft, had attacked terrorists in Kurram and destroyed 10 of their hideouts. 20 militants and 12 SF personnel were also injured in the exchange of fire.

December 12: Bonair Khan, a close aide of Sufi Muhammad, was killed along with three other associates as they tried to escape from the Army’s Red Fort in Maidan area of Lower Dir in the NWFP. It has been reported that Bonair Khan had masterminded several suicide bombings, target killings and attacks on Security Forces and facilitated the Taliban in various attacks.

December 12: At least 10 Taliban militants were killed during the ongoing military operation in the Kurram Agency of FATA. The killed Taliban militants included a ‘commander’ wanted by Police in several incidents of sabotage and insurgency. The SFs launched a massive operation in Marghan, Dogar, Gawadar, Zangey and Terley area. The SFs are advancing into other areas and have destroyed four Taliban hideouts so far. They have also seized a large amount of ammunition and explosive material.

December 12: 10 militants were killed while more than 150 suspects arrested in the Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency. Officials said the SFs retaliated when Taliban militants fired at them in the Shalobar area of Bara during the operation, jointly conducted by the Army and the Frontier Corps.

December 11: SFs killed at least 17 Taliban militants in the ongoing military operations in FATA. In Orakzai Agency, nine Taliban militants were killed and two of their hideouts destroyed in air strikes on Ghiljo and Mamoonzai tehsils (revenue unit), Paramilitary Force spokesman Major Fazalur Rehman said. They included a man identified as a local Taliban ‘commander’, Bacha Akbar, Military spokesman Major Mushtaq Khan said.

Seven militants were killed and 20 others injured when troops clashed with the LI in Shalobar area of Bara tehsils (revenue unit) in Khyber Agency. The clash occurred when troops raided a house in the area.

December 11: SFs killed four Taliban militants and arrested two others in the ongoing military operations in Swat of NWFP.

December 10: SFs killed 15 Taliban militants in ongoing operations in Khyber Agency and South Waziristan of FATA. The SFs targeted militant hideouts in Bara tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber, killing 10 militants in Zava area of Tirah valley, official sources said. Sources said that troops also destroyed four militant hideouts in the area, adding that three militants, including a commander, were arrested during a search operation in Akakhel area of Bara.

SFs killed five militants, while a trooper was killed in the clashes in South Waziristan. The ISPR said the SFs cleared the Nanu area and destroyed militant hideouts in Barwand, including that of Taliban commander Waliur Rehman. The SFs also cleared Partigai area near Ahmadwam and Kazha Kats, and also secured 30 militant’s compounds in the area around Abdullah Nur Kaskai, Bangiwala and Aka Khel Pungai. The SFs conducted a search operation in Marobi Raghozai near Makeen and neutralised an ammunition factory, along with a cache of arms and ammunitions.

December 9: Three Taliban militants were killed in the military operation in Bajaur Agency of FATA. Political administration officials said that three Taliban militants were killed in clashes between SFs and militants in the Chinar area in Nawagai tehsil (revenue division) of the Bajaur Agency.

December 8: A group of three Taliban militants launched a gun, rocket and suicide attack on the office of ISI, killing at least 12 people and injuring several others at Multan in Punjab. The blast in Multan destroyed the facades off several buildings in a part of the city largely reserved for Government and Security Agencies. The apparent target of the blast was a building housing an office of the ISI which was also damaged. Senior Police Officer Agha Yusuf said at least three Taliban militants in a car carried out the attack. He said one of them first fired a rocket and an automatic weapon at a police checkpoint, and then drove to the intelligence agency – where they blew it up. He said Security personnel were also among the 12 killed. "It was a suicide attack. There were two attackers who were stopped at the checkpost, but they tried to flee and Security personnel fired at them," another Police Official, Arif Ikram told reporters. "The attackers returned fire and also launched two rockets, and later exploded their vehicle." Multan’s top administrative official, Syed Mohammad Ali Gardezi, said that one military building was badly damaged in the blast. "They did not succeed in hitting the target," he claimed.

December 7: Two bomb blasts killed at least 38 people, and injured more than 100 at the crowded Moon Market in Allama Iqbal area of Lahore in Punjab. The two bombs exploded 30 seconds apart at 8:45 PM (PST). The first blast occurred outside a plaza housing a branch of the Muslim Commercial Bank, while the other outside the Allama Iqbal Town Police Station, situated across the road. A suicide bomber had also targeted Moon Market in August 2008 in which nine people were killed. As the first bomb went off, the plaza where the bank is situated, and an adjacent building went up in flames, halting rescue work, Nazeer Ahmed, a security guard who was at the spot when the blasts occurred, said. Nazeer said the fire made it impossible to rescue anyone from the burning buildings. The Punjab Law Minister, Police officials and officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad, rescue officials and witnesses could not say if the blasts were suicide attacks or remote-controlled detonations. Punjab Inspector General Tariq Saleem Dogar said the bombs might have been detonated by remote control, while Superintendent of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi said he was not certain if a suicide bomber was involved. "We have recovered 33 dead bodies so far," said Dr Rizwan Naseer, Director General of Rescue and put the toll for the injured at 95. However, Dawn reports 45 causalities in the twin blast.

December 7: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a court in Peshawar, the provincial capital of NWFP, killing nine people, including two Policemen, and injuring 50 others. It was the second suicide attack on a court in the city in three weeks. The earlier target was the Judicial Complex on the Khyber Road and the bombing claimed 22 lives. The two Policemen who died were identified as head Constable Naseer Ahmed and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ruhullah. The blast damaged the court building and damaged windows of the nearby MPA hostel, petrol station and some other buildings. About half a dozen vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed. Peshawar District Coordination Officer Sahibzada Mohammad Anees said the bomber had come in an auto-rickshaw. He tried to enter the session’s court building, but when the Policeman on duty stopped him for a search, the man blew himself up. Dr Hameed Afridi of the Lady Reading Hospital said that 54 victims had been brought to the hospital. Six of them were brought dead and three others died in the hospital. The condition of six of the inured was critical, he said. Mohammad Tanveer told Dawn that the bomber had used six to seven kilograms of explosives. Parts of his suicide vest, ball bearings and his head and legs have been found.

December 7: Eight Taliban militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in different areas of Bajaur Agency in FATA. The official sources added that fighter jets pounded suspected hideouts of insurgents in Kharkay, Gotki, Anga and Banda areas in which four militants were killed and several others injured. Two hideouts were also destroyed in air raids.

December 7: There were reports that three militants were killed when explosives stored in a house went off in the Damadola area in the Mamond Sub-Division. The house was reportedly being used by militants as their hideout and was completely destroyed in the blast.

December 7: A US missile strike killed at least three civilians in a village near Mir Ali, a main town in North Waziristan near the Afghanistan border of FATA. The official sources also confirmed that the missiles destroyed a car carrying three people.

December 6: Eight militants were killed and many others sustained injuries in attacks by fighter jets in lower parts of Orakzai Agency in FATA. Tribal sources said the fighter jets pounded the compounds and hideouts of militants in lower parts of the tribal agency, including Saifal Darra, Shakarkand and Sra Gharai, killing eight militants and injuring many others. Also, three hideouts and five vehicles of the militants were destroyed in the raid.

December 6: Four SF personnel were seriously injured in a roadside bomb blast in the Chinari area of the Mohmand Agency. Official sources said SFs were patrolling the Chinari area in Safi sub-division when their vehicle struck a remote-controlled device planted by the militants. Four soldiers sustained injuries in the blast.

December 6: Five militants, including local ‘commander’ Gul Maula, were killed in an encounter with SFs in the Dangram area in the suburbs of Mingora city of Swat in NWFP. Sources said ‘commander’ Gul Maula and his four accomplices, identified as Tariq, Khadim Shah, Muhammad Ali and Ejaz, were killed during an encounter with SFs.

December 5: Around 40 Taliban militants attacked an Army checkpoint in Wana of FATA, killing one SF. Six Taliban militants were also killed in the retaliatory firing of the SFs. "Soldiers at the checkpoint on a bridge in Wana retaliated after coming under fire on Friday night," said an unnamed Security official adding that "There were 30 to 40 Taliban who first fired rocket-propelled grenades at our post and then opened fire with AK-47 rifles which killed one of our soldiers. But we retaliated and killed six of them."

December 4: 40 persons, including 17 children besides serving and retired Army officers and personnel, were killed and over 86 others injured, when a Friday congregation at the Parade Lanes mosque in Rawalpindi was attacked by a group of terrorists. The high number of casualties was caused by hurling of grenades and indiscriminate targeted firing by the terrorists, reportedly numbering between six to eight. According to latest reports, two of the terrorists blew themselves up while two others were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the SFs. Exhaustive combing of the densely-populated locality was also being carried out by the SFs to flush out the other terrorists, who reportedly managed to escape from the spot and took refuge in the vicinity.

December 4: Eight militants were killed and their three hideouts destroyed in strikes carried out by the PAF fighter jets in the Ferozkhel area of the Orakzai Agency. Official and tribal sources said fighter jets targeted the hideouts and compounds of militants in the Ferozkhel area, killing eight militants and destroying their three hideouts and four houses. The sources added that the jets also destroyed an arms depot of the militants.

December 4: Six persons were killed and 13 injured when a bus carrying a marriage party hit a landmine in the Safi sub-division of Mohmand Agency. A political administration official said Amanullah, resident of Qala Gai Lakaro, Baseer Khan, Safi Jan, Haji Bakht Noor, resident of Landi Arbab, the driver Khaista Rehman, resident of Haleemzai, and an unidentified person were killed in the incident. The injured, including Amroz, Saifullah, Hamayatulalh Khan, Rukhsana and Ayesha, were taken to a hospital where four of them were said to be in critical condition.

The mosque is predominantly frequented by serving and retired Army officers, soldiers and members of their families and is not open to civilians living in the area. A serving Major General, a Brigadier, one Colonel and two Lt-Colonels were among the officers killed in the attack. The ISPR stated that 36 people, including 17 children, 10 civilians and nine Army personnel were killed in the attack. The ISPR said four terrorists approached the mosque inside an officers’ residential colony in the Parade Lane and lobbed grenades at worshipers, followed by indiscriminate firing. Meanwhile, two suicide bombers entered the mosque and blew themselves up, killing 36 people, who were offering the Friday prayers. SF personnel in the area retaliated and two other terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire. The terrorists reportedly scaled the mosque wall to enter the premises and carried out a double suicide attack, and when the people rushed out, their other accomplices hurled hand grenades at them and sprayed bullets with automatic weapons, killing 40 people on the spot and injuring over 86.

December 3: SFs killed 13 militants during raids at two locations in the Swat while two bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped elsewhere in the District. Official sources said the SFs had arrested a militant ‘commander’, identified as Naseem alias Abu Faraj, recently. On his information, the sources said SFs raided a militant hideout in Saigram near Koza Bandai and in an exchange of fire 10 militants were killed. Naseem, who was guiding the SFs to the hideout of his accomplices, was also killed and a soldier sustained injuries in the incident.

December 2: In the Hangu District, 10 militants were killed in a clash and 128 wanted criminals were arrested during a joint operation by the Police and the Frontier Constabulary. The operation was carried out in areas adjacent to Hangu and Orakzai Agency - Thall, Doaba, Shahu Khel, Kahi, Naryab and Kotki. The District Police chief Abdur Rasheed said three bombs with remote control devices, a rocket launcher, two grenades, 19 Kalashnikovs, 18 rifles, 17 shotguns, 24 pistols, 10kgs of hashish and thousands of cartridges had been seized. He said Police had also seized 1,950 bags of sugar and 868 of flour which were being smuggled to Afghanistan.

December 2: Five militants were killed in an exchange of fire with the SFs in the Palai area of Malakand Agency in the NWFP. Official sources said the militants attacked a convoy of the SFs in the Palai area, located near the border between Malakand Agency and Mardan District. The SFs, however, repulsed the attack and five militants were killed. Palai, situated in the foothills, has reportedly been the scene of encounters between the military and militants in recent months. Militants from Buner, Swat and Malakand Agency have been operating in the area.

December 2: Planes bombed a number of areas in the Warh Mamond and Nawagai sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency, killing four militants and injuring three others. Official sources said the Security Forces targeted positions of militants in the Kharkay, Anga, Almazo and Gotki areas in Mamond sub-division and Sharif Khana and Shah Khana in Nawagai.

December 1: At least four militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries when the SFs attacked the headquarters of the proscribed TTP in the Dabori area of upper Orakzai Agency. Several hideouts of the TTP were destroyed in the Dabori bazaar and its outskirts when artillery shells fired from the nearby Shahu Khel area in Hangu District in the NWFP slammed into them. According to sources, the SFs had taken control of important positions in the lower Orakzai Agency area of Feroze Khel and were now moving deeper into the tribal territory.

December 1: Unidentified gunmen killed three tribal leaders in Orakzai Agency, official sources said. The unidentified gunmen killed the tribal chiefs when they ambushed their vehicle in Oblan area. The deceased were identified as Malik Gul Haider, Malik Sabz Ali and Malik Mir Aslam Khan.

December 1: The SFs killed four militants in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. The SFs conducted a search and a clearance operation in Kamarkhel and Dorra on the outskirts of Bara.

November 30: The SFs killed 61 militants and arrested 85 others during the ongoing Operation Khwakh Bad-e-Shum in the Khyber Agency, security officials said. Briefing reporters at the Bara Fort, operation in-charge Brigadier Fayyaz Khan said 25 vehicles were also destroyed during the operation. Brigadier Khan said the SFs had captured several important areas and hideouts in the Tirah valley and had also destroyed several terrorist centres. He said the SFs also recovered tunnels in Bara, where the terrorists used to keep abducted people. Brigadier Khan stated that the troops were advancing towards Gurgury and Shin Qamar areas, believed to be the strongholds of the outlawed LI.

November 30: Ten militants were killed and 13 others injured when the SFs raided militants’ training camps in the Dhol Ragha area of Kurram Agency. Seven injured militants, including their commander, were arrested and three hideouts destroyed, officials said. Troops with air support had launched operations against the militants in central and lower Kurram last week and taken over a training centre of militants in Shasho area near the main Thall-Parachinar Road. The sources said that 10 militants were killed and seven others injured in the fresh offensive in Dhol Ragha. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition was seized and five vehicles laden with weapons were destroyed. Six militants were reportedly arrested in the Badama area of central Kurram.

November 29: Troops killed four militants during a search operation in the Bara town of Khyber Agency. "Four militants were killed and several others were wounded in search operations in different parts of Bara," a senior military official said. Four more militants were killed in Wana, the capital of South Waziristan Agency. "Troops retaliated after militants fired rockets at their camp in Wana. Four militants were killed and two were arrested," a local military spokesman said.

November 27: Troops killed 15 Taliban militants in the military offensive at South Waziristan, said the ISPR. "Security forces cleared Narakai after ... a clash ... 15 Taliban were killed and one soldier injured," said the ISPR in a statement, adding that troops cleared Sarwekai-Siplatoi Road in the same area, defusing 10 IEDs planted along the road.

A FC statement said troops backed by helicopter gun ships killed 15 Taliban militants at Khyber Agency. The Army and the FC mounted the operation in Khyber three days ago to crack down on militants, some of whom have attacked convoys supplying foreign troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Military spokesman Major Fazlur Rehman told AFP that three helicopter gun ships neutralized Taliban positions.

November 26: At least 18 Taliban militants were killed and 14 others injured when fighter jets and helicopter gunships targeted Taliban positions in Orakzai Agency. Seven Taliban hideouts were also destroyed in the raids. Eight Taliban militants were killed when fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombed the Chapri Ferozkhel area of Lower Orakzai, while 10 Taliban militants were killed in air strikes that targeted Dabori, Alf Khel and Toorsimt areas of Upper Orakzai. The sources said Security Forces had gained full control of Shahukhel, defusing eight mines and arresting four Taliban militants.

November 25: Seven more militants were killed and 10 others arrested as the SFs continued their operations in the Shahukhel area of the Orakzai Agency. Tribal sources said the SFs targeted the hideouts of militants in the Shahukhel area, killing at least seven militants and arresting 10 others. Over 30 militants have been killed in the operation so far.

The SFs killed three militants in Swat. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations statement, "Security forces carried out a search operation at Bar Kandao and killed three terrorists."

SFs claimed to have killed three militants and injured eight others in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in the South Waziristan Agency. Official sources said the SFs and militants clashed in an area between Asman Manza Nand in the Ladha sub-division, leaving three militants dead and eight others injured.

November 24: SFs killed at least 23 militants during an operation in the Bara tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber Agency. The SFs were backed by helicopters, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and heavy artillery. A press release issued by the FC media cell in Jamrud said that during the day-long operation, codenamed Khwakh Ba De Sham at least 23 militants were killed and 36 suspects arrested. 12 explosives-laden vehicles were destroyed and a huge quantity of arms and ammunitions seized in different localities of Bara.

Tribal and official sources said helicopter gunships pounded the hideouts and compounds of militants in the Daburi, Ghiljo, Khadizai, Mamozai, Tor Smat, Akhunkot, Mazid Ghari, Saiful Darra, Machiney Killay, Arghanjo and Ghundi Killay areas of Orakzai Agency, killing 19 militants and injuring 13 others. In addition, seven hideouts and four vehicles owned by the militants were also destroyed. The helicopter gunships hit a vehicle in the Ghiljo area in which one person was killed and another sustained injuries.

Four militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in clashes with the SFs in the Khar sub-division of Bajaur Agency. Three members of a family, including two children, and a prisoner were killed and four others injured when rockets hit a house in Maminzo area and Bajaur Scouts headquarters in Khar sub-division early in the day. Sources said that militants fired a number of rockets on various checkpoints of the SFs, Levies Force and Bajaur Scouts headquarters. Several shells landed in the compound of Bajaur Scouts headquarters one of which hit the lock-up, killing a prisoner and injuring two troopers. The SFs subsequently retaliated, killing four militants.

Helicopter gunships targeted the hideouts of militants in the Shahukhel and Tora Warai areas of Hangu District in the NWFP, killing 11 militants and destroying three of their hideouts. Sources said the action was taken after a group of militants fired rockets at the SFs in Shahukhel and Tora Warai areas, injuring a soldier. Soon after the incident, the SFs launched an offensive against the militants, hitting their hideouts.

Three militants were killed and an equal number of them were arrested in two separate incidents in the Swat District of NWFP. Official sources said the SFs clashed with a group of militants in the Kokarai area on the outskirts of Mingora city, killing three militants.

November 23: SFs claimed to have killed 17 militants in the Shahukhel area of Orakzai Agency. Official sources said gunship helicopters targeted the hideouts and compounds of the militants in the Shahukhel area. Ground forces also used heavy artillery and took control of the area. The sources said during the shelling, the SFs killed 17 militants and injured eight others.

Nine more Taliban militants have been killed in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in the South Waziristan Agency. An Inter-Services Public Relations statement said that three soldiers were also injured in the fighting. The Security Forces cleared Golden Top west of Pash Ziarat in Tabai Sar following "intense clashes" with Taliban, and consolidated their positions around Lakhi Ghund and the Bunker ridge.

Six people were killed when a shell landed in a civilian area during an exchange of fire between the militants and SFs at Gagra check-post in the Khyber Agency. In addition, 19 persons, including seven soldiers, sustained injuries in the clash. Tribal and official sources said a group of militants attacked a security check-post at Gagra in the Landikotal Tehsil (revenue unit), prompting the SFs to retaliate. The sources said 10 mortar shells landed in a market in Landikotal while one of the shells hit a coach and a pick-up near a filling station, killing six persons on the spot. Those killed were identified as Ali Syed, Iqbal, Akhtar Zeb, Arif, Sanaaf and Rehmatullah.

November 22: The SFs claimed to have killed 13 militants and conceded one casualty and injuries to five soldiers during an encounter in the Shahukhel area of Orakzai Agency. Military sources said the FC launched a ground assault in the Shahukhel area (bordering Hangu District of NWFP) early in the morning. During the battle, the sources said 13 militants and one Junior Commissioned Officer were killed and five soldiers sustained injuries. Tribal sources said the hideouts and compounds of militants in the Shahukhel area were bombarded by fighter jets, gunship helicopters and artillery. The use of jet fighters, however, could not be confirmed officially. Later, the SFs launched a search operation in the area and arrested 14 militants, but no confirmation of the arrests was available at the official level.

At least 11 suspected militants, a majority of foreigners among them, were killed and seven others injured when jets bombed militant hideouts and an Afghan refugee camp in Orakzai Agency. Strikes were also carried out in the Chappri Feroze Khel and Bezote areas bordering Khyber Agency.

17 militants, including two 'commanders' and two foreigners, were killed and eight others injured in bombing by fighter planes and clashes between the SFs and militants in different areas of the Bajaur Agency. Official sources said jet fighters of the Pakistan Air Force carried out intensive bombing on militant positions in the Saparay, Kharkay, Gotki and Sewai areas of Mamond subdivision, killing four militants, including two foreigners, and injuring five others. Four bunkers, they added, were also destroyed in the attacks. In another operation, the SFs killed 10 militants and an important 'commander', identified as Rafiullah, and wounded three others when fierce clashes broke out between the two sides in the Lois am, Inzari and Rashakai areas. Reports said the militants had attacked security checkpoints with automatic weapons, which was retaliated instantly. A local militant 'commander', whose identity could not be established, was among the dead.

Five militants were killed and nine others sustained injuries in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency. Officials said the troops came under attack from the militants during their advance towards the Pash Ziarat and Shawal areas. The SFs retaliated, killing two of the attackers and injuring five others. The troops subsequently secured control of the Pash Ziarat area after pushing back the militants, the officials added. A clash was also reported from the Asman Manza area of Kaniguram. Officials said the militants attacked a camp of the SFs from the Murdar Algad area. Retaliatory fire from the troops resulted in the killing of three militants. One soldier sustained injuries in the encounter.

November 21: SFs killed 14 Taliban militants in the Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency, as six soldiers, including an officer, were also killed and another four injured. The ISPR said the SFs secured Lakki Ghundi after an intense battle with the Taliban. "During the operation, 14 terrorists were killed, while six soldiers, including an officer embraced martyrdom and four were injured," it said.

Three suspected militants blew themselves up after Police surrounded them in Sarar village on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). "Police chasing the suspects surrounded them in Sarar village" on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, Police official Raja Faisal said. "The militants, who were on foot, blew themselves up after police surrounded them," he said, adding that there were no Police casualties.

November 20: At least 19 militants were killed in clashes with the SFs in the South Waziristan Agency, Khyber Agency and Bajaur Agency. Tribal and officials sources said five militants were killed and nine persons, including a soldier, sustained injuries during an exchange of fire in the Asman Manza area in the Ladha sub-division of South Waziristan. The clash, which continued for an hour, erupted when the militants attacked a military camp. SFs and militants also clashed in the Maidan area in Ladha but there was no word on casualties. The troops continued search operations in the Rawam area of Tiarza sub-division and Kaniguram and seized an unspecified quantity of arms and ammunition. A small arms factory was also seized in the operation and the SFs established a check-post on the Ladha Road.

In the Khyber Agency, eight militants were killed in a clash with the SFs in the Gandao area. Official sources said the militants attacked a security check-post in Gandao with heavy arms, prompting the troops to retaliate. The exchange of gunfire continued for two hours in which eight militants were killed. Further, a member of the BDU was killed in a roadside explosion in Bara sub-division. Tribal sources said the BDU members were clearing the route for the Security Forces' convoy in the Naway Kamar area in Bara when an explosive device planted by unidentified militants went off at 10:45 am, killing a BDU member identified as Ashraf and injuring three soldiers.

A US drone strike on a compound in North Waziristan Agency killed eight Taliban militants. Two militants were also injured in the attack on the building located in Michi Khel village of Mir Ali revenue-division, 18 kilometres east of agency the headquarters Miranshah. The targeted compound was owned by two brothers and the Taliban militants frequently visited the building. Ahmed Nawaz Dawar, a local tribesman, said the Taliban buried those killed and took the wounded to a hospital.

Five militants, including a foreigner, were killed when the SFs targeted the militant hideouts in Speen Thall area of Thall sub-division in the Hangu District of NWFP. An Afghan militant was among the dead.

November 19: At least 20 people - including three Policemen - were killed and 50 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of the Judicial Complex on Khyber Road in Peshawar, the NWFP capital. This was the sixth suicide attack in 11 days in the provincial capital.

13 militants and a paramilitary soldier were killed and several other people injured in air raids and clashes in various parts of the Bajaur Agency. Fighter planes and helicopter gunships are reported to have targeted militant hideouts in the Speray, Gatki and Sewai areas of Mamond sub-division. Two relatives of a militant leader, Maulvi Muneer, were killed when a shell hit his house in Sewai. One mortar shell hit the house of militant leader Fam Jan in Kamangara area of Nawagai sub-division, killing him, his wife and two sons. In addition, four militants were killed and five others injured in a clash with the Security Forces in the Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division. The clash erupted when militants attacked a security post in Bar Cheenar area with heavy weapons. The fighting, which continued for over an hour, also left one paramilitary soldier, Sarwar Khan, dead and six others injured. A girl was injured when a shell fired by militants hit a house.

SFs are reported to have killed seven more Taliban militants in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency. The SFs "engaged and cleared a Taliban [hideout] ...near Kikrai" on the Jandola-Sararogha front, said an ISPR statement. "During the clash, seven Taliban were killed," said the ISPR, adding that troops also consolidated their positions around Tor Wam, and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

November 18: Six civilians and 12 militants were killed, while 23 people sustained injuries as jetfighters shelled various parts of the Orakzai Agency. Tribal and official sources said the jet fighters targeted the hideouts and compounds of the militants in Ghiljo, Mishti Bazaar, Mazidgarhi and Tor Kanray, killing 12 militants and injuring 17 others. Eight hideouts and four vehicles were also destroyed in the attack. The sources said that some of the shells missed the targets and hit houses in Shahukhel area, killing three women, two minors and a man while injuring six others. Those killed were identified as Utmankhela, Usmankhela, Naeema Bibi, Asad, Samina and Abdul Wahid.

Heavy artillery shelling by the SFs in Kurram Agency killed five militants while four militants were killed when fighter jets targeted their positions in Bajaur Agency.

Four militants were killed and two others sustained injuries when fighter planes targeted their hideouts in the Mamond and Nawagai sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency. Official sources said the fighter jets heavily bombed the hideouts of militants in Anga and its adjoining areas in Mamond, destroying several bunkers and hideouts. There was, however, no word on the loss of life. SFs, the sources said, also shelled the militants' positions with artillery and rocket launchers in the Charmang Valley of Nawagai, killing four militants and injuring two others.

SFs claimed killing six more militants in South Waziristan Agency. A statement of the ISPR said six militants were killed when they opened small arms fire on the SFs in the Kund Mela area on the Shakai-Kaniguram Road. Five soldiers, including an officer, sustained injuries in the attack. In retaliatory fire, six militants were killed.

Four militants were killed and five others injured in a US drone missile strike in the Shanakhora village of North Waziristan. "It was a US drone attack which targeted a militant compound killing four militants and wounding five others," a senior security official in the area said. He said two missiles were fired from a US drone. Another security official, while confirming the attack, said "The compound was being used by the Taliban militants, however it is not clear whether there were any foreign militants or high-value targets." Residents in Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan, said they heard two loud blasts just before midnight.

Two women, three children and two men were killed when military planes accidentally bombed some houses in the Hangu District of NWFP. In the course of an attack on a seminary, the planes are reported to have accidentally dropped some bombs on adjacent shops and some houses in the Shahu Khel area of Hangu. Besides the women and children, two labourers were also killed in the attack.

November 16: The SFs claimed to have killed four militants near Gulibagh in the Swat District while the body of a militant 'commander' was found dumped in the Sambat area of Matta sub-division. The ISPR said the troops conducted a search operation in Roria near the Gulibagh area of Charbagh. It said the SFs confronted the militants during the action and killed four of them. Sources said the bullet-riddled body of Ahmad Jan alias Tor Lala was found dumped on a roadside in Sambat after unidentified men killed him. Ahmad Jan was among the 'commanders' of the Swat militants wanted by the SFs in numerous acts of terror in the area, the sources said.

Three persons were killed and more than 30 others sustained injuries in a suicide car bombing which targeted the Badaber Police Station on the Kohat Road near Peshawar, the NWFP capital. The powerful blast razed to the ground a mosque, a large portion of the Police Station and three nearby buildings. It also injured some horses in the nearby horse stand and damaged several vehicles in the vicinity. Eyewitnesses said Constable Umer Rahman of the Frontier Constabulary opened fire as he became suspicious about a fast-approaching vehicle near the Badaber Police Station around 7:40am. "When the brave constable opened fire, the explosives stuffed in the vehicle exploded. The soldier also suffered injuries but he is safe and sound," Frontier Constabulary Commandant Zafarullah Khan said. Those killed in the blast were identified as Dilshad from Badaber village, Abdul Mannan from Mohmand Agency and Sher Rahman belonging to the Kurram Agency. Officials of the bomb disposal squad estimated that around 250 kilograms of explosives had been stuffed in the vehicle. This was the fifth incident of its kind in and outside Peshawar during the last eight days.

November 15: Twelve more militants were killed in clashes with the SFs in Karakar and Shamozai Gharai while 14 bodies were found dumped in Charbagh's Gulibagh area in the Swat Valley. It was the second consecutive day that clashes between the SFs and militants were reported from Swat District. Eight casualties of militants were reported from Charbagh on November 14 when the SFs claimed killing them in a clash during a search operation in the Ashar Banr and Nala areas.

November 15: Volunteers of the Lashkar (militia) shot dead three veil-clad men near the residence of an anti-Taliban Nazim in Bazidkhel village of Peshawar District in the NWFP. Nazim of the Bazidkhel Union Council, Faheemur Rahman had raised a voluntary Lashkar comprising several hundred villagers to protect his area from the militants. He has survived a number of bombings and attacks on his life after a feud with Mangal Bagh, the chief of the Khyber Agency-based militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Islam. "The three Burqa-clad terrorists were on their way to my village Hujra, five kilometres south of Peshawar on the Kohat Road, when someone informed the Qaumi Lashkar volunteers and the villagers managed to kill them," Faheemur Rahman said.

18 militants were killed as fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in the Orakzai Agency. The bombings also destroyed 10 Taliban hideouts in the Ghaljo, Dabori and Mamozai areas of upper Orakzai Agency.

Five militants were killed in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in the South Waziristan Agency. The SFs claimed killing five militants in Ahmadwam village on the Jandola-Sararogha Road. Military sources said an exchange of fire took place between the SFs and militants during a search operation in Ahmadwam that resulted in the killing of five terrorists.

November 14: Troops killed 13 Taliban militants in two separate clashes in Swat in the NWFP, the ISPR said in a statement. Five terrorists were killed after a group of Taliban militants ambushed a military convoy near Totakan village, while eight more Taliban militants were killed during a search operation in a forest near Mangaltan village.

12 persons, including a Policeman and a three-year-old child, were killed and another 35 injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle at a Police checkpost in Peshawar, the capital of NWFP.

SFs killed seven Taliban militants during operations in South Waziristan, the ISPR said in a statement. The forces also cleared the area around Madike, located two kilometers northeast of Ahmed Wam, and also secured an important height, Point 1663, at Parmonkai Roghzai, the ISPR statement said, adding, numerous propaganda CDs, maps and passports were seized during a search operation for Taliban commander Nasrullah.

Seven militants were killed and a Taliban ammunition depot destroyed as fighter jets pounded suspected Taliban hideouts in the Lower Orakzai Agency.

November 13: At least 13 people - 10 military personnel and three civilians - were killed and 60 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the regional headquarters of the ISI in Peshawar, the NWFP capital. An ISPR statement said the bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a military check-post on Artillery Road at 6:45am (PST), killing 10 military personnel and three civilians, and injuring 60. The NWFP Inspector General of Police, Malik Naveed, said the vehicle was loaded with around 200 kilograms of explosives. NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain told the media that nine ISI officials were killed, while three were missing. Hussain also said that surrounding walls and an entire block of the agency headquarters were completely destroyed, while six blocks had been partially damaged.

Ten persons, including nine security officials, were killed and 22 injured in a suicide attack at a Police Station in the Bannu town of Bannu District in the NWFP. A Police official said that a suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the Bakkakhel Police Station on Miranshah Road - killing seven Security Force personnel, two Frontier Corps troops and a pedestrian. He also said that 22 people, including 19 Policemen, were also injured in the suicide attack. The station is close to the border with North Waziristan. The bomber reportedly struck 25 minutes after the suicide attack on the ISI building in provincial capital Peshawar.

November 13: The SFs in a fresh offensive in the Elum Ghar area of Buner District killed two local militant 'commanders' among four persons. The wife and three children of another 'commander' were arrested after he escaped in an injured condition. Sources said militant 'commanders' Asmatullah and Habibur Rehman of the Pir Baba area were killed in an encounter with the SFs in Elum Ghar. Habibur Rehman's wife and a child were also killed in the clash. Another 'commander', identified as Aziz, who was injured, escaped from the area, while his wife and three children were arrested. The Elum Ghar operation had been launched on November 11. An army official was also killed while three others sustained injuries during clashes with the militants.

Six militants and two soldiers were killed in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in the South Waziristan Agency, an ISPR press release said. The soldiers were killed and an equal number were wounded during an encounter with the militants at Ahmed Wam.

November 12: 17 soldiers were killed in stiff resistance to Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency by the TTP. This is the highest death toll for the military since operations were launched on October 17, security officials said. At least 15 soldiers were killed in clashes while a roadside bomb blast killed two soldiers in the Sararogha area further east, officials said. The ISPR earlier said that five soldiers and 22 militants were killed in the last 24 hours of the offensive. But the Army and security officials in the area said that the military death toll was 17. 15 soldiers were killed in the clashes, an Army officer said. It is the first time we have seen such stiff resistance, he said. Another unnamed official also said the clashes included face-to-face fighting.

November 11: A landmine blast and ambush killed 10 SF personnel in the Mohmand Agency. "Eight soldiers were martyred and two were wounded when their vehicle hit a landmine buried on the roadside… The soldiers were on a routine patrol. The landmine was buried by the militants. The explosion damaged the pick-up," Frontier Corps spokesman Major Fazalur Rehman said.

Seven Taliban militants were killed and two soldiers sustained injuries in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Nijat in the South Waziristan Agency, an ISPR statement said. "An intense gunbattle took place at the recently-established checkpost at Fort Knoll, where seven terrorists were killed and two soldiers, including an officer injured," it said.

Five suspected militants were killed when helicopter gunships targeted the hideouts of Taliban in the mountainous area of lower Orakzai Agency. Officials said that at least six camps and hideouts of the Taliban were completely destroyed in the air strike in Sultanzai area in the evening. Local tribesmen said that two women were also among the victims as militants were residing in their house.

Security Forces killed three militants and seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. Security officials in the Shahkas Fort of Frontier Corps said that they launched a search operation in Gurguri and adjoining areas after getting information about the presence of some militants. They said that at least three militants were killed in an exchange of fire.

November 10: At least 34 persons were killed and nearly 100 others sustained injuries in a powerful car bomb blast at a crowded intersection in the Charsadda bazaar of Charsadda District in the NWFP. Scores of women and children are reported to have died and dozens of shops and vehicles were damaged in the suspected suicide attack. District Police chief Riaz Khan said the explosives were packed in a car parked near the Farooq-i-Azam chowk. He said Police suspected that it was a suicide attack because limbs and shoes of the suspected bomber had been found. Shopkeepers and vendors were preparing to put down the shutters and a large number of people were waiting at a taxi stand when the explosion took place. Seven children and three women were among the dead, Police said.

The Army claimed killing nine more militants to raise the Taliban death tally to 492 since the launch of the Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency on October 17. Among the nine slain militants, the Army said five were killed in the north of Ladha and four others were killed in the Tauda Cheena and Fort Knoll areas of Makeen.

Five militants were killed and seven injured when fighter jets bombed Taliban hideouts in the Orakzai Agency. The sources said that fighter jets bombed Ghalju, Khawga Rehri and other parts of Upper Orakzai, destroying three Taliban hideouts.

Five militants were killed in an exchange of fire with the SFs after attacks on the base camp of the Frontier Crops and check-posts in the Bajaur Agency.

November 9: SFs fully secured the Shakai-Ladha road and started patrolling the Kaniguram-Ladha axis as eight militants and four soldiers died in fresh clashes in South Waziristan on the 24th day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. A local source said four soldiers died in a roadside bomb blast in the Makeen area. However, the Army militants fired several rockets at a security post in the Makeen area, killing four soldiers and injuring another. Eight militants were also killed in retaliatory action by the troops, said a statement from the ISPR.

Eight suspected militants were killed and several others injured as military planes targeted their positions in the Kurram Agency. According to sources, the areas which came under the air attack included Chinarak, Spairkot and Ormigai in the east of Parachinar. A vehicle carrying militants was hit in Khwaidatkhel, leaving eight occupants dead.

Three SF personnel and two militants were killed and a soldier sustained injuries in a bomb blast and firing incidents in different areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said two soldiers were killed and another sustained injuries when their vehicle was attacked with a remote-controlled bomb in the Mulla Said area in Salarzai sub-division. In another incident, unknown armed men shot dead Subedar Noor Zada of the Bajaur Levies force in a high security zone in Khar.

Three persons, including a Policeman, were killed and five others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber riding an auto-rickshaw blew himself up at a Police barricade on the Ring Road in the Latifabad area of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. An eyewitness, Attaullah, told reporters that Policemen deployed at a barricade near a canal signalled an auto-rickshaw to stop around 10:00 am (PST). "A man in his early 20s, having a trimmed beard and wearing brown clothes, came out of the three-wheeler and detonated explosives strapped around his vest," he recalled. Another eyewitness, Sher Afzal, said he saw two people going towards the barricade in a rickshaw a few moments before the blast. Investigators said five to six kilograms of explosives were used in the incident. This was the second suicide bombing in Peshawar during the last 24 hours.

November 8: Troops killed 20 Taliban militants "over the last 24 hours" and found a huge cache of arms and ammunition, while eight soldiers - including an officer - were injured in Operation Rah-e-Nijat in various parts of South Waziristan in FATA. A statement by the ISPR said that troops consolidated their positions around Sararogha, Raghzai and Sagar Langer Gel, killing three Taliban militants in a clash. "On the Shakai-Kaniguram axis, troops fully dominated and controlled the entire axis and conducted a search-and-clearance operation ... in Totai, Langar Khel, Tapparghai, Gutsurai, Gadowai, Bangal Khel and Kund Mela," added the ISPR, adding that a huge quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives was also found. "Eight soldiers - including an officer - were injured and 12 Taliban were killed ... a factory for manufacturing IED components ... was found in Gadawai," mentioned the ISPR. In areas along Razmak and Makeen, troops conducted a search-and-clearance operation. "Taliban fired small arms and rockets in Blanki Sar, Lagar Manza, Kund Mela and Makeen ... 5 Taliban were killed in clash," said the ISPR.

At least 13 people, including a local councillor heading an anti-Taliban Lashkar (militia), were killed and 44 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a cattle market at Adezai village, 25 kilometres south of the capital city of Peshawar in NWFP. Peshawar Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Muhammad Karim Khan said that that around eight-to-10 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

10 Taliban militants were killed in a clash in Zachmir Kund area of Mohmand Agency. The clash erupted when Taliban militants attacked SFs with sophisticated weapons during a search operation in the area. Two SFs were also killed in fighting - which continued for about four hours. Five SFs were also injured. Meanwhile, troops also defused a landmine in Gongut.

November 8: Troops killed three Taliban militants and arrested another one in an injured condition, while eight others surrendered before SFs at Bajaur Agency. SFs used long-range artillery in Mamoond tehsil (revenue unit) to target Taliban hideouts, killing three Taliban militants.

November 7: SFs killed 12 Taliban militants in Makeen town of South Waziristan. The SFs cleared the eastern edge of Makeen during efforts to secure the town. SFs also destroyed a vehicle with fleeing terrorists on board, killing at least eight Taliban militants. Also, three soldiers, including two officers, were injured in clashes. Troops were consolidating their positions in Sararogha and the surrounding areas, and killed four terrorists during clearance operations north of Sararogha.

Five Taliban militants and three SF personnel were killed in a clash at Tura Warai area of Hangu in NWFP. District administration sources said that the Taliban attacked the Hangu Frontier Corps fort with mortars and other heavy weapons, killing three personnel. SFs retaliated, killing five Taliban militants. The sources said two women were also injured in the three-hour fighting between the SFs and the Taliban militants.

November 6: Troops entered Makeen - considered the headquarters and the last bastion of the TTP in South Waziristan - as the military killed 24 more militants in clashes. "Today, security forces moved into Makeen, which is considered the headquarters of the Taliban. A large part of town has been cleared. In the remaining parts, a search-and-clearance operation is underway," said an ISPR spokesman in a statement, adding that intense clashes were in progress, and Taliban militants were fleeing the area - leaving behind their weapons and ammunition.

Eight militants were killed and four were arrested during search operations in the Swat District. According to the Swat Media Centre, SFs conducted search operations in the Dakorak area of Charbagh sub-division early in the morning. During an exchange of fire with troops, local Taliban leader Fida Hussain and his four aides, Latif, Arsal Khan, Mohammad Anwar and Roshan, were killed. Troops also seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition. In another encounter, militant leader Fazal Maabud was killed and his unnamed associate was injured. In the Kabal sub-division, troops killed suspected militants Abdul Wali and Bakht Sher in a clash.

November 5: The SFs secured Ladha Fort in South Waziristan Agency and consolidated their positions on peaks around another base of the militants. An ISPR statement said 28 TTP militants had been killed, taking the death toll for the TTP to 422 since the Operation Rah-e-Nijat began on October 17. Five soldiers, including an officer, were killed and two were injured. "Security forces have secured Ladha Fort and the northeast area of Shashak and also cleared Bangel Khel," the ISPR statement stated. SFs secured the Ladha Fort and consolidated their positions on the peaks in the Sararogha area where the five soldiers were killed in a blast, the military said.

Four persons were killed when a US pilotless plane struck a house with missiles in the Naurak village of North Waziristan Agency. Tribal sources said the CIA-operated drone fired two missiles at 1:25 am at a house of a tribesman named Musharraf in Naurak, 12 kilometres from Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, killing four persons. The political administration confirmed the attack but denied any casualties. However, independent sources confirmed the killing. Unnamed security officials were quoted by the foreign and local media as claiming that those killed were militants.

November 4: At least 30 militants were killed and eight soldiers, including two officers, sustained injuries in clashes and street fighting as the troops entered the Taliban stronghold of Ladha in South Waziristan Agency. Official sources said the fighting continued in Ladha and Sararogha and the troops cleared a major part of Sararogha following its capture a day earlier and withdrawal of most of the militants from the area. Political administration officials said the troops have also entered the Sam, Gadwai, Asman Manza and Karwan Manza areas. They said the troops faced tough resistance from the militants in Gadwai during their advance towards Ladha. However, the SFs managed to reach there after clashes with militants. The SFs also reportedly captured the Tehsil (revenue unit) building and fort in Ladha. Official sources said 10 militants were killed in the fighting.

November 4: A statement from the Army's ISPR said 16 militants were killed during clashes with the SFs in and around Sararogha. Eight soldiers, including two officers and one Junior Commissioned Officer, sustained injuries in these clashes. On the Shakai-Kaniguram axis, the SFs entered the Ladha town, one of the key strongholds of the Hakeemullah Mehsud-led TTP. The ISPR has reported street fighting in the town and confirmed the killing of at least 10 militants. Advancing from the third side on the Razmak-Makeen axis, the ISPR said the troops secured the Cheena village and consolidated their positions in that area. Four militants were killed while a soldier sustained injuries in the same area, the statement said, adding a huge quantity of arms and explosives were also recovered.

Four militants were killed when the SFs exchanged fire with them after an attack on a check-post at Hangu-Parachinar border in the Kurram Agency. A woman was also killed and three others sustained injuries when an artillery shell fell at a house in Spim Wam during the exchange of fire. Official sources said that militants fired three rockets at the security check-post in Spin Wam which was followed by heavy machinegun fire. The SFs subsequently retaliated with artillery shelling and ground troops chased the militants. Troops claimed that four militants were killed in the shootout.

SFs have killed at least four suspected Taliban militants in the Hangu District. A private TV channel reported that SF personnel were attacked by the Taliban at the Spin Thall check-post, near the District's border with Kurram Agency in the FATA. The SFs killed four militants in retaliation.

November 3: The SFs advanced towards Janta after securing areas around the Taliban stronghold of Sararogha in the South Waziristan Agency, where 21 militants and one soldier were reported dead by the ISPR. Official sources said the troops had secured the areas around Sararogha while clashes had taken place near Makeen and Sam where the militants were offering resistance. The troops claimed killing 16 militants during clashes in Sararogha while a soldier was killed and another injured in a landmine explosion in the area.

November 2: At least 35 persons, including two women and children, were killed and 63 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a branch of the National Bank of Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The majority of the blasts victims were reportedly military personnel and employees of the Defence Ministry who had queued up at the NBP Shalimar Plaza Branch to draw their salaries. It was the second terrorist attack in the Red Zone area of the garrison city within a month. According to eyewitnesses, many of the victims were retired military personnel who had gathered at the bank to draw their pensions. Several surrounding offices, part of a nearby hotel and a number of vehicles were also destroyed.

The ISPR Director General, Major General Athar Abbas, said that the Security Forces had gained complete control of Kaniguram, a major stronghold of Uzbek fighters. He said the terrorists there had been using modern weaponry, fortified positions and bunkers, adding the entire area had been cleared of mines and improvised explosive devices. He said the military had also secured Karama village, east of Kaniguram, adding other strategically important points around Kaniguram had also been secured. Giving details of Operation Rah-e-Nijat, the ISPR chief said 12 militants had been killed in the last 24 hours, adding that six SF personnel had been injured.

Seven Taliban militants were killed in clashes with the SF personnel and aerial strikes in Bajaur Agency. The air and ground assault focused on Ovishah, Seolai, Kharkay and Badalai areas in the Mamoond sub-division, destroying four terrorist hideouts. The SFs also reportedly clashed with the militants in Mulla Said and Mataak in the Salarzai sub-division.

November 1: The SFs killed 16 TTP militants and injured 10 others in clashes during Operation Rah-e-Nijat in the South Waziristan Agency. In the battle to control Sararogha, one of the main TTP strongholds, SFs killed six militants and injured four others. Separately, aerial strikes in Ladha, Saam, Gadawai, Maidaan and Makeen killed five militants and injured three others.

October 31: 33 Taliban militants were killed in the decisive battle for control of the Mehsud mainland in the Sararogha area. Four army personnel were injured in the attack. "Security forces have entered Sararogha," the statement added. "The town has been surrounded from all three entry points. All the key positions and ridges around Sararogha have been taken over by security forces," it said. "During the process of moving forward, intense exchanges of fire took place. Thirteen terrorists have been killed. The military will begin its clearance operation of Sararogha in the next 24 hours. There is a substantial presence of terrorists in the town," ISPR Director General Major Gen Athar Abbas said.

Pakistan Air Force fighter planes bombed militant hideouts in the Orakzai and Kurram Agencies of FATA, killing 15 Taliban militants. Official sources said jet fighters bombed three suspected hideouts of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in Orakzai, killing at least eight militants and injuring several others. They said another air strike in Kurram killed seven militants.

Seven SF personnel were killed and 12 other injured when militants attacked their vehicle using a remote-controlled bomb in the Sur Dhand area of Bara in the Khyber Agency. Officials blamed local militants for the attack on the soldiers. They were not specific, but said that Lashkar-e-Islam is the main militant outfit fighting in the area.

October 30: 14 Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed on the 14th day of the Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency. All 14 militants were killed along the Jandola-Sararogha axis, with troops advancing towards and securing an important area west of Dralima and northwest of Ahnei Kalle. Two soldiers were killed when the militants fired mortar shells.

October 29: Continuing their advance towards Srarogha, the stronghold of the TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, the SFs said they had killed 11 militants and lost one soldier with two others injured, the 13th day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. However, reporters and cameramen of television channels flown to South Waziristan and taken on a guided visit to several points quoted the SFs as claiming that 82 militants were killed in the fighting.

October 28: A remote-controlled car bomb killed at least 117 people – including women and children – and injured around 200 others at the Meena Bazaar in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. Bomb disposal squad chief Shafqat Malik told reporters that 150 kilograms of explosives were used in the remote-controlled blast. The explosion brought down buildings. A three-storey building and a mosque, Masjid Umme Habiba, situated in the narrow bazaar, caved in while six other structures were engulfed by a huge fire caused by the explosion, The News reported. Around 12 houses and over 60 shops were gutted while almost 300 other shops and houses were severely damaged due to the powerful explosion at around 12:40 pm. The Meena Bazaar is famous for women’s dresses, cosmetics and children’s garments. Minister Iftikhar Hussain told journalists that the blast was linked with the ongoing military operation in South Waziristan against the Taliban, saying, "foreign terrorists – including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks – stationed in Waziristan are carrying out attacks in Pashtun areas". However, no group claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The SFs were only a few kilometres from Srarogha, the stronghold of the Hakeemullah Mehsud-led TTP, on the 12th day of the Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency. Sources said some militants were fleeing to North Waziristan from the Srarogha side and via the Shawal Road from Makeen due to increased pressure from the advancing troops. Local sources said the troops were heading for Srarogha after getting full control of Kotkai and securing the surrounding areas and ridges. "The next important point is Srarogha, where a tough battle is expected once the troops get close," said a political administration official. The ISPR said 25 militants were killed and a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered. Five soldiers sustained injuries in the clashes and in attacks from the militants in different areas, it added.

Four suspected militants were killed and three others injured in a clash with the SFs in Mohmand Agency. Sources said a group of militants attacked the Baidmani check-post in Baizai sub-division with heavy weapons at about 1.30am. Four militants, including two Afghan nationals, were killed when the troops returned fire.

October 27: SFs claimed killing 42 more militants, raising the toll to 240 since the launch of Operation Rah-e-Nijat targeting the TTP in South Waziristan Agency on October 17. The troops admitted losing one soldier and injuries to two others as they advanced on the militants’ strongholds of Srarogha, Makeen and Ladha from three directions, using Wana, Jandola and Razmak as their rear bases.

11 militants and two soldiers were killed during an encounter between the SFs and militants in the Baizai tehsil (revenue division) of Mohmand Agency. The militants attacked a check post in the Baidmani area of Baizai, triggering an attack by the SFs in which 11 militants and two soldiers were killed and two others injured. Independent sources, however, said that seven militants were killed in the clashes.

October 26: Continuing their advance from three sides on the TTP strongholds of Srarogha, Ladha and Makeen on the 10th day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat, the SFs claimed killing 19 more militants in three separate clashes. Six Army soldiers were also killed while 20 others sustained injuries during clashes between the two sides in the Gharlai, Sarwek, Shaga and Sharkai Sar areas. Independent confirmation of the casualty was, however, not possible as the area has been under curfew for the past 10 days and communication links had been snapped.

Nine militants were killed during clashes with the SFs in different areas of the Bajaur Agency. Sources said about 15 militants attacked a security post in the Mattak area near the Afghan border on October 25 and killed a Junior Commissioned Officer and three other SF personnel. Two other SF personnel sustained injuries in the attack. Troops subsequently fired back, killing six militants and injuring four others.

The Security Forces claimed to have killed four militants and injured six others in aerial bombardment carried out at Mamozai area in Orakzai Agency.

16 militants were killed and 23 others wounded during a joint operation by the Army and Frontier Constabulary in the Tora Warai area of Hangu District in the NWFP on October 25-night and October 26. 54 militants, including some Afghans, were arrested during the operation. According to officials, security officer Abdul Jaffar was killed and seven other SF personnel sustained injuries in the operation which was launched after an attack by militants on a military check-post in Tora Warai late on October 25. Hundreds of militants of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan from Orakzai Agency and Hangu reportedly took part in the attack. Troops repulsed the attack after a gun-battle which continued for about two hours.

Eight bodies of suspected militants were recovered in the Swat District. Four bodies were reportedly found dumped in the Khwazakhela area, official sources said.

October 25: 23 militants were killed as troops advanced deeper into the Taliban-controlled territory in South Waziristan and captured Gherlama, an important position north of Kotkai, the hometown of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud. Four soldiers are reported to have died in fierce gun-battles in areas around Gherlama, Kotkai, Nawazkot and Spinqamer. Shin Gher, a vital hilltop near Razmak in North Waziristan, was also captured.

October 25: Six militants and three soldiers were killed in a clash in the Mattak village of Nawagai sub-division in Bajaur Agency. Tribal sources said a group of militants attacked a check-post of the SFs in Mattak village, killing three soldiers on the spot. Following the incident, the SFs targeted the positions of the militants with artillery guns from Khar, the regional headquarters of Bajaur Agency. Consequently, six militants were killed and three others injured while several militant hideouts were also destroyed.

Six militants were killed when jet fighters targeted their hideouts in the Ghiljo area in Upper Orakzai Agency. Eyewitnesses said that two hideouts and a camp of the Taliban were also destroyed in the air strikes. They said that jetfighters attacked hideouts of Taliban three times and killed at least six militants in Ghiljo Bazaar, considered a stronghold of Taliban affiliated with the Hakeemullah Mehsud group. The Tariq Afridi group of Taliban controls a small part of lower Orakzai Agency.

October 24: 21 Taliban militants and three soldiers killed were killed as SFs took control of Kotkai in South Waziristan, an important TTP stronghold and the native town of its chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, after intense fighting. Addressing a joint press conference with Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Major General Athar Abbas said 21 terrorists had been killed and three soldiers martyred while eight people had been injured.

A suspected US drone killed 22 militants in Bajaur Agency. The drone targeted a Taliban shura (leadership council) meeting in Damadola area, which is 12 kilometres north of Khar. Sources in the political administration said TTP deputy chief Maulvi Faqir left the site minutes before the strike, adding that his relatives were among the dead.

October 23: 18 persons, including some women and children, were killed and six others sustained injuries when a bus hit a landmine in the Mohmand Agency. According to Mohmand Rifles, the bus carrying wedding guests from Rawalpindi hit the mine at Suran Darra Chowk, some 25 kilometres from the Mamad Gat Frontier Corps camp. "The device was placed by militants who wanted to hit tanks and armoured personnel carriers," official sources said. No group has claimed responsibility for planting the mine, but local people and officials believe it was the work of militants in reaction to a search operation carried out in the area by security agencies a few days ago. Several militants were arrested and houses of a number of suspects were demolished during the search operation.

Fierce fighting was reported from the Sherwangai area in South Waziristan Agency as troops started their advance towards the militants’ strongholds on the Shakai-Ladha axis, the seventh day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. The Army claimed killing 13 militants, raising the casualty toll of the Taliban to 142 since October 17. However, the Taliban said only three of their men were killed since the launch of the operation. Claims from both sides could not be confirmed.

Five militants were killed when military planes and artillery attacked their positions in the Mulla Syed and Banda areas of Bajaur Agency.

Eight persons were killed and 17 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber exploded himself at a Police check-post on the GT Road near the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra in the Attock District of Punjab province. A suicide bomber blew himself when SF personnel intercepted him at the check-post near the PAC, some 60 kilometres from the national capital Islamabad. Consequently, eight persons were killed and 17 others were injured. District Police chief Fakhar Sultan said the attack killed six civilians and two Pakistan Air Force personnel. The Air Force said 15 security staff were wounded and confirmed two of its personnel were dead. "We have found a mutilated face, as well as other body parts, including legs and arms of the bomber," said Sultan.

Three militants were killed in Swat District. According to the Swat Media Centre, the SFs, during a search and clearance operation in the Talang area of Nejegram, killed three militants after an exchange of heavy gunfire.

October 22: SFs continued consolidating positions in the Tor Ghundai and Gurgurai Sar areas of South Waziristan on the sixth day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. According to the ISPR, 24 militants and two Army soldiers were killed and four soldiers were wounded in different areas on the Jandola-Srarogha and Shakai-Ladha axis. There was no comment from the Taliban about the casualty toll. Sources said 12 of the slain militants were foreigners. Although Army officials confirmed the killing of two soldiers, independent sources put the death toll at four.

The ISPR said that intense fighting took place in Tor Ghundai in South Waziristan, which resulted in the killing of 13 militants while the rest fled into the nearby mountains.

Five militants were killed and four others sustained injuries in clashes with the SFs in different areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said that troops returned fire after a military convoy on patrol in the Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division was attacked. Three militants were killed and two others injured. One trooper also sustained injuries. Further, two militants were killed and two others injured in a clash in the Lowi Sam area of Khar sub-division. The clash is reported to have erupted when militants attacked a check-post.

The SFs claimed to have killed three militants and demolished their seven houses and six hideouts during operations in different areas of the Mohmand Agency. Official sources said that the SFs continued advancing towards the remote borderlands in Baizai subdivision. The sources said a clash took place between the SFs and militants in the Manzari Cheena area of Baizai sub-division. Three militants were killed and several others injured during the clash.

SFs claimed to have killed an important Taliban ‘commander’ in the Banpur Sar area while three bodies, believed to be of militants, were found dumped in Barikot in Swat valley. Villagers said unknown persons had killed three suspected militants and dumped their bodies in the Ghazi Kandao area of Barikot. Two slain men were identified as Abdul Hameed and Bakht Zada while the identity of the third one could not be ascertained. In addition, a press release of the ISPR claimed that the SFs killed an important Taliban ‘commander’, identified as Iqbal alias Islam, during a search and clearance operation in Banpur Sar.

October 21: Fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in South Waziristan, as the army hoisted the national flag in the Shingwari area on the fifth day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat. An ISPR press release stated that, in the past 24 hours, 15 Taliban militants had been killed and 10 injured after jet fighters and long-range artillery struck Taliban positions in the Badar, Sam, Sararogha, Nanoo, Ladah and Makeen areas. It said four soldiers, including an officer, had also died in the same period.

12 persons, including Arab, Pakistani and Afghan militants, were killed and several others injured in a bomb blast in Surkot village, five kilometres east of Miranshah, regional headquarters of North Waziristan Agency.

Three militants were killed and as many injured during a search operation in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agency. Tribal sources said that the SFs continued search operation against militants in Charmang valley. They said that three militants were killed and as many injured when they challenged the troops in the valley.

October 20: The army killed 20 militants on the fourth day of Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the TTP in South Waziristan, the military said, as troops intensified the battle for the control of Kotkai. The TTP claimed they killed seven soldiers in an attack, but the army said only four soldiers had been killed in the assault on positions around Kotkai – the hometown of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud and trainer of suicide bombers Qari Hussain. The Taliban casualties have taken the death toll to 91 since the launch of the operation on October 16.

Two suicide bombers targeted the new campus of the International Islamic University Islamabad in the H-10 sector of Islamabad, killing at least six students and staff members, including two female students, and injuring more than 29 others. Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad, Amer Ali Ahmad, said that the deceased were identified as Sidra Khalid (student), Hina (student), Pervaiz Masih (sanitary worker), Shaukat Bhatti (security guard), Amna (worker) and Khalil-ur-Rehman (student). This is the first terrorist attack on an educational institution in Islamabad.

October 20: SFs killed three militants and arrested two others during the ongoing operation in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency, the Frontier Corps’ media cell said.

October 19: Eighteen Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed and 12 soldiers were injured in the last 24 hours in South Waziristan, the ISPR Director General, Major General Athar Abbas said. He told journalists at a press conference that the SFs were advancing from three fronts: on the Jandola–Sararogha axis, on the Shakai-Ladha axis and from the south and southwest of Razmak. He said the SFs had surrounded Kotkai, the hometown of Qari Hussain – reportedly the "mentor of suicide bombers" - and secured Tor Ghundai (east of Kotkai) and Shishwarm (northeast of Kotkai).

12 members of a displaced family were killed when a bomb hit them in South Waziristan. The dead included women and children. According to sources, the family was fleeing the army operation against militants in Hendi Zawar area. Unconfirmed reports suggested that they were hit by a shell fired from a jet plane. Some displaced people who had managed to reach Razmak area of North Waziristan said the family belonged to the Shabikhel tribe.

14 militants were killed and several others sustained injuries when jet fighters targeted militant hideouts in the Yakkaghund and Baizai subdivisions of Mohmand Agency. Official sources said fighter planes of the Pakistan Air Force targeted the militant hideouts in Karair, Koz Chinari, Shamshah, Spinki Tangi and Badmanai areas of the Yakkaghund subdivision and the Dawezai area of Baizai. They said the bombing killed 14 militants and many others wounded. Several militant hideouts were also destroyed in the air strikes, the sources added.

Six Taliban militants were killed and three others injured during operations by the SFs in the Salarzai and Mamoond sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency.

Three children were killed in the Dawezai area of Baizai sub-division when some bombs missed the target and hit the civilian area.

October 18: The Army claimed killing 60 militants and losing five soldiers with 11 others sustaining injuries in the past 24 hours as Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path of Salvation) launched in South Waziristan Agency entered the second day.

October 17: The Pakistan Army launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat, combating the Hakeemullah Mehsud-led TTP killing 30 Taliban militants in air strikes targeting the Kotkai, Makeen and Ladah regions in South Waziristan of FATA on three different fronts. Four soldiers had also been killed and 12 others wounded on the first day of the offensive.

12 Taliban militants were killed and two injured in clashes between the SFs and Taliban in the Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies of FATA. Political administration officials told that three militants were killed in the Salarzai tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency, adding two others were injured. The SFs also arrested four Taliban militants at Khar, headquarters of Bajaur, while 16 Taliban militants surrendered to the SFs in the Mamoond tehsil. Official sources said that the SFs continued the military operation in the Warr Mamoond and Salarzai tehsils to restore the Government’s writ in these areas, adding, Taliban hideouts were being shelled with helicopters.

Three soldiers were killed and six injured after two separate remote controlled bombings targeted SFs convoys in the Waziristan tribal agencies. Sources said that a security convoy traveling to South Waziristan from the Razmak subdivision of North Waziristan was targeted two kilometres from the army camp. They said two soldiers were killed and four others injured in the bombing, which also destroyed the vehicle. Separately, a security official told that one soldier had been killed and two others wounded in a bombing in Jandola town of South Waziristan.

October 16: At least 15 persons, including three policemen, were killed and 19 others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the CIA’s Special Investigation Unit in Peshawar, the capital city of NWFP. Bomb Disposal Squad Chief Shafqat Malik said that 60-70 kilograms of explosives had been used in the attack, adding that Police had recovered a leg of the attacker.

25 Taliban militants and three troopers were killed, as the military continued operations in South Waziristan and the Bajaur Agency. 12 Taliban militants were killed during the third day of bombings in South Waziristan while 18 others were injured. They said six terrorist hideouts had been destroyed and several houses had been damaged.

October 15: At least 19 persons, including 14 SF personnel, were killed and 41 others sustained injuries in three separate terrorist attacks in Lahore, capital of Punjab province. All nine attackers were also shot dead by the SFs, officials said. The attacks were carried out at the FIA building on the Temple Road, the Manawan Police Training Centre and the Elite Police Academy on the Bedian Road. The District Emergency Control Room reportedly received the first call of a terrorist attack at 9:40am (PST) on the FIA building. After 15-16 minutes, the control room received other calls of attacks on the Manawan Police Training Centre and the Elite Police Training Academy at 9:55am and 9:56am, respectively.

Military planes bombed suspected militant positions in the Laddah, Nawazkot, Khaisora, Saam, Sararogha and Tiarza areas of South Waziristan, killing at least 32 militants and non-combatants. 12 people were reportedly killed and seven others injured in the Kanigram and Karama areas of Laddah sub-division and nine in Nawazkot area adjacent to North Waziristan. Five people were killed when their car was hit in Maulvi Khan Sarai and six people died and five wounded in Tiarza. Officials said that three SF personnel were injured when a military base in Jandola came under a rocket attack.

11 persons, including three Policemen, were killed and 22 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the building of the Saddar Police Station located in the military area of Kohat in the NWFP.

Four Afghan Taliban militants were killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan. The slain men reportedly belonged to the Ghaznavi group of the Jalaluddin Haqqani network of the Taliban in Afghanistan "Three missiles were fired by the drone in Dandi Darphakhel area and killed four Afghan Taliban from the Haqqani network," officials said.

Four militants were killed as the Security Forces targeted militant hideouts in the Utmankhel area of Orakzai Agency. Tribal and official sources said the jetfighters targeted the hideouts and compounds of the militants in Utmankhel area, killing four militants and targeting three compounds.

October 14: 19 persons, including some militants and eight persons of a family, were killed and eight others sustained injuries when fighter planes targeted different areas of South Waziristan Agency. Four hideouts of the militants were also destroyed in the air strikes, tribal sources said. Fighter planes are reported to have bombed the Maidan, Tangi, Bodinzai, Kacha Langarkhel, Sam, Ragh, and Salay Rogha areas in Ladha sub-division. At least 11 persons, including militants, were killed and seven others injured in the bombing. The sources added that a training centre of the militants, the house of a Taliban ‘commander’ and a hideout were destroyed in the Sam, Ragh and Salay Rogha areas, respectively, in air attacks. They said several houses were also damaged in the intense bombing by the Pakistan Air Force jets in Salay Rogha. Tribal sources said two fighter jets fired at a house of an 80-year-old tribal elder Malik Nekam Khan in the Spinkai area of Sarwakai Tehsil (revenue unit) at 3:00 pm, killing eight members of his family on the spot and injuring seven others. Some of the dead were identified as Faqir Khan Mahsud, Shama Gul Mahsud, three women and as many children. The head of the family, Malik Nekam Khan, also sustained critical injuries.

October 13: At least six Taliban militants were killed when fighter jets targeted the group’s positions in South Waziristan, said officials, even as jets and helicopter gunships bombed Taliban hideouts and ground forces fired heavy artillery in Bajaur Agency, killing 26 Taliban militants and injuring dozens of others. Fighter jets are reported to have launched another round of air-strikes in South Waziristan, destroying around 15 houses in Makeen, Ladha and Barwand, said a local intelligence official. The military said in a statement that "Taliban fired 31 rockets" at a security convoy in South Waziristan, injuring two soldiers. Abdul Malik, a local Government official, said the military strikes in Bajaur Agency took place in the Damadola and Sawai areas.

October 12: At least 41 persons - including six soldiers - were killed and 45 others were injured in a suicide attack on a military convoy in the Alpuri area of Shangla District (which borders Swat District), NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain and a military official said. The bomber – believed to be 14 years old and on foot – targeted the convoy while it was passing through the busy Alpuri bazaar. The AP news agency, however, reported that the bomber detonated a car packed with explosives near the convoy. A military spokesman said that 12 shops and seven vehicles were destroyed when the young bomber detonated explosives. "Some vehicles loaded with ammunition were also part of the convoy... they caught fire after the explosion," said the spokesman.

At least 15 Taliban militants were killed and 16 others sustained injuries after SFs launched Operation Sherdil in the Mamoond and Salarzai sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency.

Jets bombed Taliban positions in South Waziristan, killing six Taliban militants. SFs said that three Taliban hideouts were destroyed in the Bajaur raids. The AP news agency reported that fighter jets bombed suspected Taliban hideouts.

October 11: In a successful 18-hour operation, the armed forces - in collaboration with Special Services Group commandos - killed four terrorists, arrested one and rescued 39 hostages at a security office outside the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, ending a siege that began on October 10. Three civilians and two SF personnel were killed, while seven SF personnel and three civilians were injured during the 18-hour operation - which culminated in the arrest of the ringleader, Aqeel alias Dr Osman. Although Aqeel was injured, sources said his condition is stable. Six soldiers and five terrorists had already been killed in the siege on October 10.

21 militants were killed and eight others sustained injuries when fighter planes targeted their positions in different areas of Ladha and Makeen sub-divisions in South Waziristan Agency. Tribal sources said two fighter planes started bombing Ladha Sarai, Patowelai, Tangi, Bodinzai, Makeen, Bandkhel and other areas in the afternoon. They said that 21 militants were killed and eight others injured while five hideouts were destroyed in the air strikes.

October 10: Six Army personnel, including a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel, were killed and five others seriously injured when militants clad in Army uniform attacked the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Army in Rawalpindi at around 11:30am (PST), ISPR Director General Athar Abbas told. He said that the highly trained militants armed with sophisticated weapons aboard a Suzuki van entered the office of the Security staff outside the premises of the General Headquarters and took 10 to 15 officials hostage. They opened fire and hurled hand grenades when they were stopped for checking at the first check post. He said that five of the 6 to 7 militants who attacked the headquarters were also killed in retaliatory fire of the SFs. "Five terrorists, one of whom was a suicide bomber, were killed in the ensuing gunbattle. Three to four accomplices of the terrorists, however, managed to cross over the grassy grounds unnoticed during the shootout," Gen Abbas said. The SFs have cordoned off the entire area and a siege was continuing to arrest the terrorists alive. The slained brigadier and lieutenant colonel were identified as Anwaar and Waseem, respectively.

Nine Taliban militants were killed and five injured in a clash between the SFs and Taliban militants in the Dara Adam Khel of NWFP.

At least four Taliban militants and three soldiers were killed in operations across the FATA. Four Taliban militants, including a key commander, were killed in the Laghari area of Mamoond tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency. SFs neutralised four Taliban hideouts, sources said, adding that a Security official was also killed and two others injured during the attack.

October 9: 49 persons, including a woman and seven children, were killed and 90 others were injured when a suicide attacker detonated his explosives-laden car at the crowded Soekarno Chowk in Khyber Bazaar in Peshawar, capital of NWFP. A Police official said that people were busy in routine activities when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives laden in his car. Many of those killed and injured were passengers of a mini-bus that was passing through the area at the time of the blast. Seven children, many of them schoolboys, and a woman, were among those killed. The blast destroyed around 30 vehicles and partially damaged over 60 shops in the nearby markets. Windowpanes of hundreds of shops and offices were also reportedly destroyed. Among those killed or injured were patients and their attendants going or coming out of the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, the biggest public sector hospital in the NWFP.

The SFs claimed to have killed nine militants and arrested six besides destroying a training camp and four other hideouts in the Tora Cheena, Sherakai, Akhurwal and Bostikhel areas of the gun manufacturing Darra Adamkhel town in NWFP. Official sources said that four soldiers were injured in the shootout. The SFs, backed by gunship helicopters, targeted a militant camp in Tora Cheena area and killed nine militants, including an important 'commander' identified as Zubair alias Anas.

October 8: The SFs claimed to have killed 17 militants in Swat as General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Ashfaq Nadeem, asserted that peace had been restored to 95 per cent areas of the District. The SFs conducted search operations in Tiligram, Benjot, Ser and Mangultan and killed 12 terrorists, the ISPR claimed. In another operation in Kasona, it added that troops killed five militants. Ashfaq Nadeem, while briefing the media at Circuit House in Mingora, said peace had been restored to 95 percent of Swat. He said majority of the militants had either been killed or arrested during the Army offensive and some had surrendered. He said curfew had already been lifted from most areas.

Four militants were killed in an exchange of fire with troops in the Shawal area of North Waziristan. The clash took place after a vehicle in an army convoy going from Daber Pepli camp to its base in Mana hit a bomb placed on the road and one soldier was injured. Troops pursued the militants and subsequently killed four of them.

Reports from Laddah stated that five militants were killed and several others injured when troops mounted a ground and air assault on suspected positions of the Taliban in South Waziristan. Sources said that three militants were killed in the Kalkala area and two in Shawal. An unnamed official source said that militants fired 10 missiles from Makeen at the Razmak fort and Scouts fort in Jandola.

October 7: SFs claimed to have killed six militants, including commander Nisar, in the Swat Valley. The ISPR said: "Important terrorist commander Nisar alias Ghazi Baba from Matta Tehsil has been killed this morning in Biha Valley." Nisar was carrying head money of PKR 10 million, the ISPR said, adding that he was involved in terrorist activities in Peuchar and Matta. Nisar was a member of the Taliban central shura and a close aide of Maulana Fazlullah. The ISPR said Nisar was involved in the killing of SF personnel and local elders. It said his son, whose name was not disclosed, had been arrested.

Afghan Taliban militants killed six militant leaders of the Hakeemullah Mehsud group for refusing to release two men they had kidnapped. The incident occurred in the Hangu city in the NWFP. According to sources, the two men, Shahid and Shah Nawaz, had been kidnapped three days ago. An Afghan Taliban shura (executive council) meeting held in the Orakzai Agency of FATA asked the militants to release the men and 'sentenced them to death' when they refused to do so. The shura was also reportedly attended by members from Waziristan. The sources said bodies of Hafiz Kamal, Hafiz Mujahid, Ghulam Mohammad, Basit and Manzoor were lying at a place on the Orakzai-Parachinar border with bombs tied to them.

Troops killed six militants and injured two others in a clash in the Razmak area of North Waziristan. According to sources, the clash occurred when troops retaliated after the militants had attacked a military base and fired 11 rockets. An unnamed official said that the exchange of fire continued for about two hours. He claimed that militants had taken away bodies of the assailants who had been killed. The claim, however, could not be verified from independent sources.

October 6: Fighter jets bombed TTP Pakistan strongholds of Makeen and Nawazkot in South Waziristan - killing six militants and injuring three others. Military sources said the strikes came a day after TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud vowed to launch attacks against the SFs in the country. "The air strikes are part of a major offensive being planned against the terror network," sources told. According to sources in Wana, the TTP holds considerable sway in both Makeen and Nawazkot, and the group has established its command-and-control structure there.

October 5: Security Forces killed eight Taliban militants and arrested 13 others in Malakand, a SFs spokesman said. Talking to reporters, the spokesman said an operation in Palai had been completed, adding that the area had been cleared of the Taliban. The spokesman said markets and schools in Palai were now open and that the SFs had provided relief items to the residents.

October 5: Five militants were killed when helicopter gunships targeted their hideouts on the Gurguri hilltop in Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. The helicopters shelled the hideouts for over two hours after militants attacked the Fort Saloop, eight kilometres west of Bara bazaar. Three soldiers were injured when rockets hit the fort, officials said. However, local people said five troopers had been injured.

A suicide bomber targeted the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) office in Islamabad, killing five persons, including a UN diplomat and two women employees. Six other staff members were injured. The terrorist is reported to have entered the WFP building in FC uniform through the small gate. He walked to the reception and blew himself up at 1217 hours, an investigation agency source said. The WFP office is located in a tightly-guarded residential area of the national capital. The dead included a UN diplomat and Iraqi national Bootan Ali, in charge reception Gul Rukh, assistant in charge reception Farzana Barkat, Abdul Wahab and Abid Rehman.

October 4: The army has killed nine Taliban militants - including three key commanders -in the ongoing military operation in Swat. According to the Swat Media Centre, six militants - including three commanders identified as Kota Younas, Noor Amin and Fazal Rabi - were killed in a clash with troops in Banjar village. The troops also killed three Taliban militants in the Bazdara area of Malakand. A Lashkar (militia) member was also killed in Bazdara.

October 2: Troops killed 27 alleged militants in the Khyber Agency of FATA. According to sources in the Frontier Corps, attack helicopters shelled militant training centres in the Tirah valley of Bara District, killing 27 militants including two key commanders Ghulam Nabi and Farooq Swati. Two hideouts, three caves and 19 vehicles belonging to the militants were also destroyed during the operation.

Three militants were killed in a search operation at Zulamkot-Serai of Swat District. An ISPR statement said the SFs also conducted search operations in Shah Dheri and arrested local commander Rehmat, besides arresting five militants at Shahid Khapa near Peochar and Sarsani.

September 30: Two US drones fired one missile each at two vehicles Norat village - 20 kilometers east of Miranshah - on Miranshah-Bannu Road in North Waziristan, killing five Taliban militants and injuring six others. "It is not clear if there was any high-value target," a security official said.

September 29: Two suspected US drone attacks killed nine Taliban militants, while seven other militants were killed in air strikes and military action in different parts of Waziristan in FATA. The first drone attack targeted the house of local Taliban 'commander' Ifran Mehsud in Sararogha, a village northwest of Wana in South Waziristan. "A missile from a US drone fired on the compound of Irfan Mehsud killed five militants and injured six," said a security official in the area. He did not know if Irfan was among the dead. The security official said the spy plane unloaded two missiles on the compound, adding that reports suggested three of the dead could be Uzbeks. Another drone attack at Danday Darpa Khel - four kilometres north of Miranshah in North Waziristan - killed four Afghan militants and wounding two others. The house targeted belonged to Emarati, an Afghan national, and the Afghan militants killed in the missile attack were said to be from the Jalaluddin Haqqani group.

The Pakistan Air Force jet fighters bombed Taliban bunkers in Kotkai, killing three militants in the strike. The military also targeted the Makeen area with long-range artillery, destroying three hideouts and killing four militants, according to security officials.

September 28: At least 12 Taliban militants were killed in a clash with SFs at Razmak in North Waziristan Agency. The clash erupted after Taliban fired rockets at the Shawaal Rifles Camp - 75 kilometres from Miranshah - killing two troopers and injuring five others. Official sources said at least "110 missiles have been fired at the army camp over the last 24 hours."

Local peace volunteers killed 10 Taliban militants, including 'commander' Momin alias Malang, in the Barikot tehsil (revenue unit) of Swat District in NWFP. A volunteer was also killed in the clash. Six Taliban militants were killed and nine others injured when helicopter gunships targeted hideouts at Upper Orakzai in FATA. Officials said the strikes - which targeted the Ghalju, Mulla Pati and Khadezai areas - destroyed three Taliban hideouts.

Four persons, including a prominent anti-Taliban cleric, were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a car at Bannu in NWFP. "The attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into a vehicle carrying pro-government local leader Abdul Hakeem," said Police Official Iqbal Marwat. Witnesses said Hakeem was on his way to office when the bomber struck.

September 26: Two suicide attackers separately rammed their explosives-laden vehicles into a Police station in Bannu and a military-owned commercial bank in Peshawar cantonment area of the NWFP, killing at least 23 people and injuring around another 200. At least 10 people were killed in the attack in Peshawar, while seven, including two Policemen, were killed in the assault on the Bannu Police Station. But a Police official in Bannu said 13 people had been killed. Around 94 people were injured in Peshawar and 64, including 31 Policemen, in Bannu. "It was a car suicide blast and according to our calculations 100 kilogram's of explosives were used," Shafqat Malik, bomb disposal squad chief, said at the incident site of the Peshawar attack. "The suicide bomber sitting inside the car hurled a grenade and then he detonated himself and the car," Malik said, describing the target as a branch of a bank run by an Army welfare trust. Eyewitnesses said Police arrested two suspicious persons from the site of Peshawar blast, which occurred some 300 metres away from the headquarters of the 11 Corps and the US Consulate in the high-security zone. The TTP claimed responsibility for the Bannu attack and threatened to unleash bigger attacks on the Government to avenge the killing of their leader Baitullah Mehsud in a US drone attack in August 2009.

September 25: Troops killed 10 Taliban militants in the Nawaz Kot locality of Razmak area in North Waziristan Agency. Official sources said that Taliban militants fired 12 missiles on Razmak Army Camp, but no casualties to SFs were reported. SFs retaliated, killing 10 Taliban militants and injuring several others.

September 24: Suspected Taliban militants killed seven members of a pro-Government tribal Lashkar (militia) at Janikhel area in the Bannu District of NWFP. The victims of the Taliban ambush included tribal chief Malik Sultan, who was raising a militia against the Taliban in the region. "All seven were killed on the spot," Bannu District Police Officer Iqbal Marwat said. In retaliation, militiamen killed nine Taliban militants. Two Khasadar (a local Security Force) personnel were also killed in the clashes.

Taliban militants killed seven tribal chiefs. Their bodies were found from various parts of Bannu.

Troops killed eight Taliban militants while two volunteers of a local Lashkar (militia) were killed during operations in the Swat and Malakand areas of NWFP, the ISPR said. "Eight terrorists were killed by security forces in the Palai area near Dargai on Thursday. Two security forces personnel were also injured in the firing," the ISPR said. It said the Taliban attacked the SF personnel in Sar Colony and killed two Lashkar members.

A suspected US drone strike on premises allegedly operated by an Afghan radical killed 10 suspected Taliban militants in North Waziristan. "Ten dead bodies were recovered from the debris of the house and two Taliban were wounded in the attack," said an unnamed security official. "The target was a compound of Haqqani's men. According to our reports all of the dead belong to the Haqqani network," the official said. The area is considered a stronghold for the Taliban and Afghan former Soviet resistance commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, around five kilometres northwest of Miranshah. The building acted as an office where Taliban militants would come to receive orders and rest between bouts of fighting across the border in Afghanistan, local residents and intelligence officials said.

September 23: At least five militants were killed and four Security Force personnel wounded during a clash at Malakand Division in NWFP.

September 22: At least 26 suspected militants were killed and several others injured when gunship helicopters targeted militant hideouts in the Spina Tigha and Makeen areas of South Waziristan.

Eight suspected militants were killed in clashes with the SFs in the Razmak area of North Waziristan. Sources said a security check-post in Upper and Lower Kofar in North Waziristan came under attack by some 600 militants. In the ensuing clashes, eight suspected militants were shot dead.

September 20: Troops killed eight Taliban militants and arrested 48 others at Swat in NWFP.

Four people were killed and four others injured, when unidentified militants opened fire at Pat Bazaar of Hangu District in NWFP, where people were assessing damages to the shops blown up by a bomb blast.

September 19: Five passengers were killed when Taliban militants opened fire on a vehicle in Swat. "Five passengers were killed near Jerona village in Malakand due to the Taliban's unprovoked firing on a pick-up van," according to an ISPR statement.

September 18: At least 30 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a suicide attack in the Kohat District of NWFP. At least 13 shops were also destroyed, and shockwaves were felt as far as a kilometre away, witnesses said. "Some 30 people have so far been killed ... it is suspected the attack was carried out using an explosives-laden car," said senior Police officials. Reuters reported that the bomb was believed to have contained about 150 kilogrammes of explosives. Locals put the death toll at around 40. The blast took place in Kacha Pakka area, 17 kilometres from Kohat city. Shopkeepers said most of the victims were Shias and coalminers waiting for buses. "It appears the attack was carried out to target Shias," they said. The LeJ claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was carried out to avenge the killing of one of their leaders. "We carried out the attack to avenge the killing of Muhammad Amin," Usman Haider, claiming to be a spokesman for the outfit, told BBC over telephone.

Unidentified militants opened fire at a funeral procession in Kohat, killing four people. The men opened fire during the funeral of a man killed in suicide bombing in the Kacha Pakka area.

Troops killed 13 militants during an operation in Khyber Agency's Tirah valley and Dabori area of the Orakzai Agency in FATA.

September 17: Troops killed 10 Taliban militants, including a local Taliban 'commander', in a pre-dawn exchange of fire near a river at Swat. The Taliban militants were trying to cross a river at night and infiltrate Mingora when Police and troops intercepted them, said the military in a statement from Swat. "Police and army acted jointly, and as a result of an exchange of fire, 10 Taliban were killed," said the military. Residents who identified the slain militants said they included an important local Taliban 'commander' identified as Amjad Ali.

September 16: A top Taliban 'commander', identified as Sher Muhammad Qasab, was arrested and three of his sons killed by troops in the ongoing counter-insurgency operation at Chaharbagh in Swat District.

September 15: Five Taliban militants were killed and four others injured in aerial strikes on hideouts in the Bajaur Agency, which also destroyed an illegal FM radio station and bunkers. The strikes were carried out in Darra, Chinar and Jirga areas.

Three Taliban militants were killed and 18 others arrested in the ongoing military offensive at Swat and Malakand in NWFP. According to the Swat Media Centre, SFs conducted a search operation in Mangaltan, killing three Taliban militants.

September 14: At least 27 Taliban militants were killed in clashes with the SFs in the Malakand area of NWFP. Sources said that about 15 Taliban militants were killed in clashes in Charbagh. The dead bodies of four Taliban militants were also found from Charbagh, added officials. The sources also said that Taliban militants fleeing from Batkhela clashed with troops in Derai Jolgraham. At least eight Taliban militants and a soldier were reportedly killed in that clash.

Eight militants and a solider were killed during fighting in the Kamarkhel area of Bara tehsil (revenue unit) in the Khyber Agency of FATA. The Security Forces cleared the area after intense fighting in Naraikarawal village, where militants were holed up in a house. The militants and soldier were killed in a gun battle, said the officials. A militant 'commander' was also killed in the gun battle.

A US drone fired a missile targeting a car in the Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan Agency, killing four persons and injuring one. The missile hit the car around 5am (PST) when it was passing through Khushali Turikhel village - 30 kilometres east of the Agency headquarters Miranshah. According to unconfirmed report, there were two foreign nationals among the dead.

September 13: Two Taliban militants and a soldier were killed at Kuz Bamakhela near Matta in Swat, when troops conducting a search operation were attacked by the Taliban.

Three troopers were killed and two others wounded and three vehicles destroyed, when a bomb blast targeting a security convoy was triggered in Mandi Kas area of Khyber Agency in the FATA. The roadside blast also injured two SF personnel and destroyed three vehicles. The SFs cordoned off the area following the attack and at least three people were killed when troops pounded the area.

September 12: The SFs, backed by helicopter gunships, killed at least 22 terrorists in the Tirah and Sandapal areas of Khyber Agency during the ongoing operations against Taliban-linked militants. Official sources said 12 vehicles and three Taliban hideouts were also destroyed in the operation.

Unidentified militants shot dead three Shinwari tribesmen on the main road in Landikotal. Two of the deceased were brothers, identified as Arshad and Jamshed Shinwari. One of them was the son-in-law of former senator Hafiz Abdul Malik, who is a brother of Zakat and Usher Minister Noorul Haq Qadri. The three men were driving from Torkham to Peshawar when they were attacked near Khyber Takya.

The SFs shot dead eight Taliban militants, including three Afghans, and injured nine others during operations in Swat and Malakand areas of the NWFP. A security officer was also killed and another injured in the clashes, the ISPR said.

Five militants and a trooper were killed when the troops carried out a search operation at Samter near Banjot.

September 10: At least 21 Taliban militants, including six foreign nationals, were killed and 14 others arrested by the troops in Swat. Security sources said the Taliban militants were killed during a search operation in Banjot. According to the sources, six of those killed are said to be Uzbeks holed up in a house. The Swat Media Centre confirmed 15 deaths in the area.

September 9: Troops killed 15 Taliban militants during operations in the Swat area of NWFP. "Fifteen Taliban were killed in Banjut, Jambil and surrounding areas during a search-and-cordon operation," said the military in a statement, adding that a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was also seized during raids. The ISPR said a soldier was killed in fighting.

Three persons were killed and two others critically injured when unidentified militants opened fire at the houses of pro-Government Bugti tribesmen in Loti area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan.

Three suspected Taliban militants were killed after they attacked a Police vehicle on patrol at unspecified place in FATA.

September 8: At least 24 militants were killed and their hideouts destroyed in the counter-insurgency Operation Bia Daraghlam at Bara in the Khyber Agency. "Security forces killed at least 24 militants and destroyed two militant headquarters and two hideouts," said a statement by the Frontier Corps.

Seven people - including four children who were on their way to school - were killed when unidentified militants tried to abduct the schoolchildren in the Lower Orakzai area of FATA.

In the Orakzai Agency, six militants were killed and four hideouts destroyed in air strikes at a village east of Kalaya.

A US missile strike from a drone killed at least 10 Taliban militants in North Waziristan. "The strike targeted a Taliban compound in Dargamandi village of North Waziristan, killing 10 militants," a senior security official told. Another official confirmed the casualties, and said a US drone fired two missiles at the compound. He said it was not immediately clear whether any "high-value targets" were present in the area at the time. It was reportedly the second US missile strike in North Waziristan in less than 24 hours.

September 7: Five soldiers were killed when a remote-controlled bomb exploded in South Waziristan, a day after troops killed 33 Taliban militants as part of a weeklong campaign in the Khyber Pass. The blast struck a routine military patrol en route to Wana from Tayarzai. "The patrol was sent ahead of a military convoy to check the security on the road and a bomb planted by the Taliban went off and killed five soldiers," an intelligence official said.

SFs killed 10 militants in the remote Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on the seventh day of Operation Bia Daraghlam. Security officials said that 12 houses being used by militants had been destroyed in the Akakhel, Shalobar, Malikdin Khel and Sipah areas of Bara sub-division, while a militant stronghold and five hideouts were destroyed in Tirah valley.

A missile fired by a US drone hit a house and a madrassa (seminary), killing at least five persons and wounding six others in North Waziristan. "The strike targetted a madrassa and an adjoining house in Machikhel village in North Waziristan," a security official said.

September 6: The SFs killed three Taliban militants and arrested 12 others from various parts of Swat in the NWFP. "On a tip off, security forces conducted a search and cordon operation in Liluani near Alpurai. In an exchange of fire, three Taliban were killed and two were apprehended," an ISPR statement said.

Three Policemen were shot dead by unidentified militants at Hasan Abdal in Punjab in an apparent act of targeted killing. The victims were identified as Muhammad Yaseen, Bashrat Shah and Muhammad Naeem. "The police officials were sleeping in the guardroom after taking the pre-dawn meal when they were shot dead," said Police Officer Arshad Mahmood. "All had a single bullet wound to their forehead. It appears to be a targeted killing," he added.

At least 33 militants were killed when the SFs targeted two militant centers - Tarkhokas Camp and Narai Baba Markaz - on the sixth day of the counter-insurgency operation Operation Bia Daghalam in Khyber Agency. "Security forces ... targeted Tarkhokas Camp [and] Narai Baba Markaz… Both centres and six vehicles ... [were] destroyed. Thirty-three militants ... [were] killed," said the FC in a statement. AFP quoted FC spokesman Major Fazl Rehman as saying that helicopter gunships and fighter jets strafed the militant boltholes, with the strikes targeting the Lashkar-e-Islam outfit.

September 5: At least 43 militants were killed and several others were injured in a military operation in Tirah valley and Kambarkhel areas of Khyber Agency. Troops pounded LI bases in Gogrina and Sandapal areas of Tirah valley. An LI centre - being used as a hideout and training facility - was destroyed, and at least 35 militants killed in that attack. The sources said that six militants were killed in Kambarkhel area of the Bara tehsil (revenue division), while two suspects were arrested from Shakas area. Security sources added that 15 houses were also demolished in Kambarkhel area of Khyber Agency's Bara tehsil.

September 4: SFs claimed to have killed two militants in the Ambar area while one Mohmand Rifles trooper was killed and two others sustained injuries during a search operation in the Baizai sub-division of Mohmand Agency. Sources said the SFs exchanged fire with the militants for about three hours in Ambar area early in the day, killing two militants. There were reports that military helicopters bombarded and destroyed suspected hideouts of the militants in Atam Killay, Lakhkar Killay and Tani area in Baizai near the Afghanistan border.

Five terrorists were killed and 24 others were arrested during a clash with the Security Forces in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency.

September 3: Three persons, including two FC personnel, were killed in an exchange of fire with gunmen from the BRA in Turbat District's Thump area in Balochistan. Official sources said an FC team was ambushed during a routine patrol. The insurgents opened fire at the FC vehicle on the Zubeda Jalal Road, killing the two soldiers. The FC troops consequently retaliated and killed one of the attackers. Murtaza Baig, a spokesman for the FC in provincial capital Quetta, confirmed the attack and added that three FC troopers had also been injured in the clash. However, unverified local accounts suggested that six FC soldiers had been killed, but the figure could not be independently confirmed. The BRA has claimed responsibility for the attack. The slain insurgent was identified as Meer Jan Miral, reportedly a Balochi poet.

A militia (Qaumi Lashkar) killed three militants in an exchange of fire in the Kabal sub-division of the Swat District, while seven militants were arrested in the area during a search operation by the SFs. Sources said the militiamen traded fire with the militants in the Galoch area in Kabal, killing three unidentified militants. Besides, bodies of two militants, identified as Rozi Khan and Ansar, shot dead by unknown persons, were recovered in the Panr and Haji Baba areas.

September 2: Three people were shot dead in the industrial town of Hub in Balochistan. According to Police, Syed Walayat Hussain, his friend and a bodyguard were going to Karachi after attending a religious function in the Dureji sub-division when motorcycle borne assailants opened fire at their car on the Sakran Road. Police said it might be an incident of sectarian killing.

16 more militants were killed and 35 others arrested on the second day of Operation Bia Daraglam in different parts of the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency, the FC sources said. Two explosive-laden vehicles, houses of six commanders, including those of Abid Murad, Tayyab and Sabeel, and six hideouts of militants were destroyed in the operation. At least 59 militants have been killed and 78 others arrested during the operation so far. Political Agent Khyber Tariq Hayat Khan told reporters that the operation would continue till the neutralization of all terrorists.

Five persons were killed when artillery and mortar shells hit a residential area in the Mohmand Agency. Three persons, identified as Gul Mohammad, Sher Mohammad and Welayat, were killed when stray shells fired from an unknown direction hit their houses in Musa Kor. Two persons were killed in shelling in Ghaljo Dara.

September 1: At least 40 militants were killed as SFs launched a massive operation in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. The operation, codenamed Bia Daraghlam (here I come again) was launched in the aftermath of a spate of beheading in the region, sources said. Locals said nearly 35 beheaded bodies were recovered from different areas of Bara over the past one month. Briefing journalists about the operation, sector commander of the SFs, Brigadier Faiz, and Political Agent of the Khyber Agency Tariq Hayat Khan said 40 militants had been killed and 43 were arrested. The arrested militants were produced before the media along with the arms seized during search operations. The two officials said four militant hideouts were destroyed during the operation.

SFs killed 15 Taliban militants in fresh clashes in the Swat District. According to the Swat media centre, 15 militants were killed in clashes in Kokari and Jameel on the outskirts of Mingora, while two SF personnel were wounded.

August 31: SFs killed at least 15 Taliban militants in various clashes in the Swat District. One soldier was also killed in crossfire between the army and the Taliban. "The security forces conducted a search operation in Allahabad near Charbagh. In an exchange of fire with the terrorists, five Taliban and one soldier was killed," an ISPR statement said. The SFs also killed seven more Taliban militants and arrested 11 of them during a search operation in Maira. Further, three more Taliban militants were killed during an operation in Lundai Sarand.

At least 36 bodies, believed to be of militants, were found dumped in various locations of the Swat valley. Official sources said 30 bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in the Manglawar and Banjot areas while the body of another militant, identified as Bacha Rahman, was recovered from the Nawagai area in Barikot. Three bodies were found in the Kanju area while two were recovered from Akhund Killay. Bodies of the Taliban militants were dumped on roadsides after being killed in mysterious circumstances, the sources said. So far a total of 230 bodies have been found dumped on roads and riversides in the Swat District.

August 31: Three militants were killed when two groups of Taliban exchanged fire in the Ferozkhel area of Orakzai Agency. Tribal sources said a group of militants belonging to the TTP unit in Darra Adamkhel allegedly attacked a seminary at Mehmoodabad in Lower Kurram, triggering retaliation by the Orakzai-based TTP.

August 30: At least 16 Police recruits were killed and 11 others sustained injuries after a suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body at the Mingora Police Station. The volunteers for the new community Police force were conducting drills in the yard adjacent to the station when the attacker detonated his explosives, local Government administrator Atifur Rehman told. Authorities were investigating reports the attacker - possibly in uniform - might have hidden among the dozens of recruits, he said.

August 30: 18 militants were killed and several others were arrested during the ongoing military operation in the Charbagh sub-division of Swat District. Brigadier Tahir Hameed said search and clearance operations against the militants continued in Balash Banar, Gutt and Mangaltan areas during which 18 militants were killed and many others were arrested.

August 30: A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), his driver and two militants were killed in an ambush in the Karak District. Police said DSP Shafqatullah Khattak, posted in the Anti-Terrorist Squad in Bannu District, was on his way to Latamber from Bannu when the militants rammed their vehicle with the Police van and at the same time opened indiscriminate fire on the Policemen. The Police retaliated and as a result of the collision and firing, DSP Shafqatullah, his driver Naeemullah Shah and two terrorists, Abdullah Noor and another person, whose name could not be ascertained, were killed. The DSP's gunman, Farman Ali, was seriously injured and later shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu.

Three militants were killed while eight others were arrested, four of them reportedly well-trained suicide bombers, during an encounter with the paramilitary FC soldiers at the Dosali checkpoint on the Esha-Razmak Road in North Waziristan Agency.

August 29: SFs killed at least 18 Taliban militants, including six would-be suicide bombers, during the ongoing offensive against the Taliban in Swat. Helicopter gunships were called in after intelligence and locals said a suicide attack mastermind was present in the Chaharbagh town of Swat. "At least six would-be suicide bombers were killed in the shelling by helicopter gunships. The place was being used as launching pad for training suicide attackers," an army statement said.

The bullet-riddled dead bodies of six suspected Taliban militants were found in a village in Swat, eight kilometers from Mingora, Police said. "Six badly mutilated bodies were found from two different places at Odigram," Ghulam Farooq, a senior Police official said, adding that the bodies had bullet wounds. It was not clear who had killed them.

August 28: Six militants and a minor were killed when gunship helicopters targeted a hideout of militants in the Charbagh area of Swat District. Acting on a tip-off, gunship helicopters targeted the base of militants near River Swat in the Charbagh area, killing six militants and injuring several others. A press release issued by the Swat Media Cell said the base was being used as a launching pad for preparing suicide bombers and using them for carrying out terrorist activities in Kabal, Kanju and Mingora city.

Five militants were killed in a clash with the SFs in the Thana area of Malakand Agency in the early hours. Official sources said unidentified militants opened fire on the convoy of the SFs on Palai Road, west of Thana, at 4 am, and the troops returned the fire, killing five militants. Some of the slain militants were reported to be foreigners. Five Kalashnikovs, a rocket launcher, rocket shells, five hand grenades, five wireless sets and explosive materials were also recovered from the militants.

August 27: A suicide bomber blew himself up as Security Force personnel gathered at sunset to break their daily fast (Muslims keep fast from dawn to dusk in the holy month of Ramadan), killing at least 22 soldiers and injuring 10 others at Torkham in the Khyber Agency of FATA near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, said hospital and official sources. An injured soldier said that a man entered the compound where the soldiers had gathered and blew himself up when they offered him to break the fast with them.

10 persons were killed and five others injured when a drone fired two missiles at a house in the Kanigaram area of Laddha tehsil (revenue unit) of South Waziristan Agency in FATA.

Seven Taliban militants were killed and four others arrested in a clash with the Police at Buner in the NWFP, a private TV channel quoted a local Police official as saying.

August 26: At least three persons belonging to Punjabi community were killed and three others critically injured in a targeted killing claimed by the BLUF at Jinnah Road of capital Quetta in Balochistan, when Baloch national parties observed a "black day" in addition to a shutter down strike on the third death anniversary of Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti, former Chief Minister and Governor of the province.

August 25: Troops killed three Taliban militants and arrested seven others, while 11 locals - who were forced to get terrorist training - surrendered at Swat and Malakand in the NWFP.

August 24: SFs killed four militants during a search operation while 11 bullet-riddled bodies of the militants were found in the Sar Tiligram area in the Swat Valley. Sources said the SFs continued a search operation in Sar Tiligram area and killed four militants identified as Sherzada, Yasin, Sabir and Bakht Rawan, besides recovering 11 bullet-riddled bodies of the militants.

August 23: Three persons were killed and 15 others sustained injuries in a powerful suicide blast close to the house of the slain AI spokesman, Mobin Afridi, in the Momin Town area of Peshawar, the NWFP capital. The blast also destroyed four houses and damaged eight others in the street. "Three people, including two women, were killed and 15 others injured when the suicide bomber blew himself up in a street after he ran short of ammunition," said SSP Qazi Jamilur Rehman. The bomb disposal squad estimated around eight kilograms of explosives were used in the attack. A large number of ball bearings and nails were also used in the blast to increase its intensity.

August 21: A pre-dawn drone attack killed at least 21 militants in North Waziristan Agency. According to sources, missiles fired by the suspected US pilotless plane hit a residential compound in Dandy Derpakhel village near Miranshah, frequented by militants mostly from the Punjab province. Militant sources claimed that women and children, and not their men, had been killed in the attack. The compound was adjacent to a large seminary set up by the Afghan militant ‘commander’ Jalaluddin Haqqani, said to be close to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. An unnamed official said the compound was used as a training centre for militants but he was not sure which group was running it. The air strike targeted Siraj Haqqani, a Taliban ‘commander’ blamed for masterminding ambushes on American troops in Afghanistan, intelligence officials said. It was unclear if Siraj Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, was among the people killed in the attack, the officials said, adding that three women were among the dead.

SFs killed at least 12 militants in different areas of Mohmand Agency and destroyed several of their hideouts. SF sources said at around 2:00 pm, two gunship choppers shelled militant strongholds in the Ghani Baba, Michni and Seperay areas of Yakkaghund sub-division. "Twelve militants were killed and four of their hideouts destroyed during the operation," the Frontier Corps said in a statement. "The troops also seized heavy arms, ammunition and explosives during the operation," said the statement.

August 19: SFs said that they had killed five Taliban militants in Bajaur Agency. "Taliban fired at a security convoy near Kuz Chamarkand ... troops retaliated and killed five Taliban," said the ISPR.

Unidentified armed men shot dead three persons, including a soldier of the Bajaur Levies, in the Shago area of Bajaur Agency.

August 18: A militant on suicide mission rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a check-post on the Bannu-Miranshah road in North Waziristan Agency in the evening, killing four Security Force personnel and injuring eight others. The bomber reportedly struck the Esha check-post located near Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan, which was manned by army and paramilitary personnel. An official said that an army soldier and three paramilitary personnel were killed in the attack.

Three militants were killed in a clash between the militants and the local Lashkar (militia) in lower Orakzai Agency. Tribal sources said militants belonging to the banned TTP clashed with the Lashkar of armed tribesmen in the Qazikhel and Storikhel areas. The clash continued for four hours and three militants belonging to Swat and South Waziristan were killed and several others injured. The Lashkar members also captured an injured militant.

The bodies of four unidentified persons were found elsewhere in the Orakzai Agency. However, it was not known who killed the four men.

August 17: SFs said that they had killed 13 Taliban militants in Swat District and arrested 28 militants, including 20 who surrendered in Dir District. "Troops conducted a search operation in Shaheed Sar near Sar Qala, and destroyed the Taliban headquarters there... 7 Taliban were also killed," said the ISPR, adding that six more militants were killed in a search operation at Derai.

The bodies of nine Policemen taken hostage in July 2009 by insurgents were discovered in Balochistan. "We have recovered nine bodies of dead policemen. They were kidnapped by the BRA," said senior Police officer Kaleem Ullah. The corpses were found in Naseerabad, some 390 kilometres southeast of provincial capital Quetta, and the Police officers were thought to have been killed about four days ago, Kaleem added. The insurgents had taken 24 local Police officials and labourers hostage in late July. Three Policemen escaped, and the bodies of 12 others have already been found. Sarbaz Baloch, a spokesman for the BRA, had earlier in August claimed responsibility for the kidnappings and deaths in a telephone call to reporters in Quetta. He demanded that the Security Forces leave the city.

Seven persons, including three children and two women, were killed and nine others sustained injuries in a bomb blast in a passenger vehicle at a petrol station in the Shabqadr sub-division of Charsadda District in the NWFP. Driver Zahid Khan was getting fuel in his pick-up at the Attock Filling Station on Michni Road near Shabqadr town, around 20 kilometers northeast of provincial capital Peshawar, when the explosion occurred. The vehicle was carrying passengers from Shabqadr town to Anbar sub-division of the nearby Mohmand Agency when the blast occurred. Leader of the Mohmand Agency-based Taliban, Qari Shakeel, reportedly claimed responsibility for the blast, saying they would continue such attacks on locals until the Government stopped raising armed militias against the militants.

August 17: In the fresh wave of target killing incidents in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, four persons, including a cardiologist, were shot dead in two separate places.

August 16: 18 bodies of suspected militants were found dumped in various parts of the Swat District while SFs killed six militants elsewhere in the valley during a search operation. Official sources said 11 bodies were found dumped on the roadside in Kanju Dheri and Dewlai areas in Kabal sub-division. Eight of the bodies were recovered from the Kanju area. Three bodies were recovered from Islampur, one in Kota Aboha, another from Gumband Mera and two more were found in Gorai area. Another unconfirmed report said three more bodies were found in the valley, raising the total to 21. In an interview with the BBC Urdu service, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the slain men weren't in the custody of the SFs and the military had no hand in the killings. He also said people who had suffered at the hands of the militants might have killed them to take revenge. Since July 13 when the displaced people started returning to Swat, a total of 102 bodies have been found dumped on roadsides and on the banks of Swat River. Almost all of them were reportedly stated to be of the militants. The SFs claimed to have killed six more militants at Ningolai in Kabal. The slain militants were identified as Sher Alam, Umar Rahim, Rehmat Ali, Muhammad Rafiq, Nawab Ali and Aftab.

Unidentified armed men killed 18 Taliban militants on the Wana-Ladha Road in South Waziristan. The slain militants were affiliated with the Mullah Nazir group. Taliban sources in Wana said that the bullet-riddled bodies of 18 militants were shifted to Wana in the evening. They said the militants had gone to the Paktika province in Afghanistan to fight the US-led coalition forces and were returning home when they were attacked by the armed men. The sources also said the militants had come back to Pakistan and were hoping to reach Shakai after passing through the territory of the Mehsud tribe. The militants, under the command of Meeradin, were reportedly traveling in two pickup trucks, when they were ambushed by unidentified assailants at the Shawangi area in the Ladha sub-division in the morning on August 15.

Three passers-by were killed and 25 others, including some women and children, sustained injuries when SFs resorted to indiscriminate firing after a roadside bomb blast in the Darga Mandi area of North Waziristan Agency. Tribal sources said unidentified militants had planted an improvised explosive device on Gulam Khan Road in Darga Mandi, which went off soon after a convoy of the SFs passed through the area. The SFs opened indiscriminate fire after the incident, killing three passers-by and injuring 25 others.

August 15: A Taliban suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a security check post at Waliabad near Charbagh in the Swat District of NWFP, killing three soldiers and a civilian. "An explosives-laden vehicle was rammed into a security check post in Waliabad near Charbagh, killing three soldiers and a civilian," said an ISPR statement. "We believe the bomber was aiming to hit a target in Mingora, where locals celebrated Independence Day on a massive scale," said an unnamed security official.

August 13: 12 Taliban militants were killed when helicopter gunships pounded several hideouts of Taliban 'commander' Hakeemullah Mehsud at Orakzai Agency. "We targeted hideouts of Hekeemullah Mehsud," said Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas. Military sources in Orakzai said that six of the bases in Tora Cheena and Chappar Ferozkhel areas had been razed. The sources said dead bodies of 12 slain Taliban militants were seen from helicopters. Hakeemullah - a close aide of Baitullah Mehsud, who was reportedly killed in a missile strike on August 5 in South Waziristan - is commanding the TTP in Orakzai and Kurram Agencies.

Seven persons were killed in gunfights between Taliban militants and a Lashkar (militia) in South Waziristan.

A tribal elder - who led a Lashkar (militia) against Al-Qaeda-linked foreign militants in South Waziristan in 2007 - his bodyguard and two passers-by were killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion at Wana in South Waziristan. "Malik Khadeen was passing through Wana Bazaar when a bomb planted on a motorcycle went off … killing him, his driver and two passers-by," eyewitnesses said over the telephone. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but local Taliban commanders accused al-Qaeda-linked foreign militants who were flushed out from Ahmedzai Wazir areas in the spring of 2007.

August 12: Fierce clashes broke out between supporters of the slain TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and rival Turkistan Bhittani at Jandola in South Waziristan and each side claimed inflicting heavy casualties on the other. According to sources, militants loyal to Baitullah attacked Bhittani's men in the Soor Gher area and set ablaze 33 houses. They said that seven supporters of Bhittani were killed and 15 captured. Bhittani's men claimed to have killed over 50 attackers. According to Associated Press, at least 70 militants were killed in the clash. Two intelligence officials said that militants used rockets, mortars and anti-aircraft guns against Turkistan's men. The officials, who cited wireless intercepts from the area, confirmed that at least 70 people had been killed. Bhittani claimed that 90 fighters were killed and more than 40 houses destroyed.

August 11: SFs used helicopter gunships in an operation against the banned Lashkar-e-Islam in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency, killing 17 militants and destroying six hideouts of the militants, Dawn reported. The Frontier Corps Media Cell said a huge ammunition dump was also destroyed in the Shalobar area. According to sources, an unspecified quantity of arms and ammunition were also seized.

14 militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries in another attack by a CIA-operated drone at Kaniguram town in the Ladha sub-division of South Waziristan Agency. Tribal sources told The News that the US drone fired three missiles at a house, which the militants had occupied from Zangi Khan Burki, a local influential trader, and turned it into their 'Markaz' or headquarters. Zangi Khan and his family had left their house and shifted to Karachi after tribal and foreign militants took over Kaniguram. Another house owned by the Agency councilor, Arif Zaman, located near the alleged headquarters of the Taliban, was also damaged in the attack. Sources close to the TTP said all those killed in the attack were local tribal militants.

Unidentified men killed eight Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency and abducted two others, said locals and official sources. Official sources told that armed men attacked a Taliban vehicle - en route to Mashti Bazaar from Ghaljo area - in Garhi village, killing eight militants, including a brother of Taliban 'commander' Sakhi. They said the slain militants were members of the Mashti tribe. Locals said the assailants could be Taliban militants from a rival group of Mufti Ziaur Rehman from the Akhel tribe. In apparent retaliation to the killings, militants from the Mashti tribe abducted at least 50 Akhel tribesmen, including 16 militants.

The SFs, during an 18-hour-long operation in Akhund Killay in the Kabal sub-division of Swat District, killed a militant commander and three others and showed their corpses to the media in Mingora. Briefing reporters, Lt-Col Akhtar of the IRPS media cell in Swat, said the operation against the militants in Akhund Killay continued for 18 hours. He said the militants had taken positions in bunkers at the hilltops while SF personnel had to move into the area by boats. He said the SFs succeeded in killing four militants, including 'commander' Rahim Shah alias Fauji. Two others killed in the operation were identified as Wajid and Said Rahim while the name of the third militant could not be ascertained.

August 10: SFs, backed by helicopter gunships and artillery, shelled hideouts of the militants loyal to Hafiz Gul Bahadur after a military convoy was attacked in North Waziristan. According to officials, 11 militants were killed when troops launched a counter-attack and fired heavy artillery and mortars to dislodge the militants from their positions.

Militants who had kidnapped Police personnel and labourers on July 30 claimed to have killed 10 more Policemen and thrown their bodies in the Chattar area of Nasirabad District of Balochistan. With the latest claim by the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), the number of Policemen killed by the kidnappers has now reached 22. Police officials in Dera Murad Jamali told that they had just heard this claim of the BRA. "Until the bodies are found, we cannot say anything in this regard," an official said.

Two women and two children were killed and nine others sustained injuries when a shell hit a house in the Shalobar area of Bara sub-division in the Khyber Agency, during fighting between the SFs and the Lashkar-e-Islam militants.

August 9: A Khwazai peace committee chief, five others and 11 Taliban militants were killed in a clash in the Payazai sub-division of Mohmand Agency. A political administration official said a group of Taliban militants attacked the peace committee chief Malik Ajmal's residence at around 2 AM. Ajmal's security guards and volunteers retaliated, killing 11 militants. However, Ajmal and five of his men were also killed in the attack. Local official Javed Ali confirmed the incident. Ajmal Khan was a pro-government tribal elder, who captured 12 Taliban militants and handed them over to the Security Forces last week.

Insurgents shot dead four more Policemen and threatened to execute other hostages unless the Government withdraws troops and releases detainees in Balochistan, Police said. "The bodies of four more policemen were found early on Sunday. They had been shot dead overnight," senior Police official Kalim Ullah told reporters. The insurgents had set as a deadline for meeting their demands. The BRA claimed that it had killed four more kidnapped Policemen after the Government failed to meet its demands and thrown their bodies in lands. "We have killed four more policemen and released seven labourers on humanitarian grounds," said spokesman Sarbaz Baloch, in a telephone call to reporters in the provincial capital Quetta. "In a day or two, we will decide about the fate of other policemen, if our demands are not accepted by the government," he added.

Two civilians and a Policeman were killed when Taliban militants ambushed a Police convoy in the Bannu District of NWFP. "Three policemen were on a routine patrol in Meryan village of Bannu when they were attacked by a group of 10 Taliban," senior local official Iqbal Marwat told. He said one Policeman and two farmers in nearby fields were killed in the attack.

August 7: A Taliban commander killed six militants before being shot dead by another militant in the Batara area of Chagharzai in Buner District of NWFP. Sources said the Taliban commander Shah Zar Khan from Choga area developed differences with his associates over the July 29 attack on the house of Haji Khalil, an activist of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Shah Zar is reported to have opened fire on his colleagues when they were offering Maghrib prayers, killing six of them on the spot, while he himself was killed by another militant, deputed to guard them. The militants later killed the son of Shah Zar who was stated to be a militant as well. Shah Zar was said to be a close relative of Haji Khalil and both hailed from the same village. Haji Khalil was killed after killing two of the Taliban attackers and injuring three others on July 29.

19 persons were killed and more than 18 injured in a gunfight between pro and anti-Baitullah Mehsud groups in the Tank District of NWFP. The clashes broke out soon after media reports saying that the TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud might have been killed in a missile strike by US drones in South Waziristan on August 5. A private TV cannel reported that Baitullah's men attacked two offices of peace committees run by Turkistan Bhitani in the Imamkhel and Umerada areas of Tank. Around 200 armed militants reportedly took part in the pre-dawn raid. The gunfight continued for about two hours, the channel reported. Turkistan Bhitani, who had won the backing of the Government after challenging Baitullah Mehsud in Tank and South Waziristan, had set up the camps in Government school buildings.

Ten people were killed and seven others sustained injuries during clashes between two rival militant groups in the remote Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Sources said the fighting between LI and AI started when the AI cadres captured a post in the Kookikhel area. After a fierce clash, with both sides using heavy guns, the post was recaptured by the LI militants. Sources said the dead included six AI men, three from the LI and a non-combatant. Those killed from the LI also included 'commander' Rangeen Khan. The civilian was killed when a mortar shell landed at a house.

August 6: Nine militants were killed and two others sustained injuries during an operation by the SFs in different areas of the Nawagai and Salarzai subdivisions in Bajaur Agency. The SFs targeted Taliban hideouts in the Chinar, Kohi, Manugai and Banda areas of Nawagai and Darra, Ghundi and Sur Dagai areas of Salarzai.

SFs killed seven Taliban militants and arrested 21 others in the ongoing military operation in Swat and Malakand, the ISPR said. The ISPR said SFs killed four militants during an encounter at Samsel Bandai near Kabal, while two others were killed during a search operation in Amankot. A Taliban militant was also killed in the Rashghatta-Kokarai area near Jambil.

August 5: SFs said that they, in collaboration with local militias, had killed eight militants during the ongoing military operation in Swat and Dir Districts. "The local Lashkar [militia], during a search operation backed by the Frontier Corps, killed four terrorists at Dog Darra in Dir, including Taliban commander Shakoor," the ISPR said in a statement. The militia killed five militants, adding that three of the deceased were Afghan nationals, while the remaining two were residents of Swat. The ISPR said four more Taliban militants had been killed in two different areas of Swat. It said the SFs, during a search operation at Goratai, had killed three extremists, including an explosives expert. In a separate incident, another member of the Taliban was killed in Kotah near Barikot and some arms and ammunition recovered.

Four persons, including the second wife of TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud, were killed and a few others sustained injuries in a drone attack on the house of Baitullah's father-in-law in Zangara village of Laddha sub-division in South Waziristan Agency. Taliban sources close to Baitullah Mehsud confirmed the killing of his wife in the drone attack, but denied reports that the TTP chief too was killed in the missile strikes. "Yes, I can confirm this bad news about the loss of his wife," said a senior Taliban commander based at Mirali in North Waziristan Agency. He, however, denied reports that Baitullah Mehsud too was killed in the strike. Official and tribal sources said the US spy plane fired two missiles at the house of Ikramuddin Mehsud.

August 4: Five civilians and four SF personnel were killed and six civilians and an equal number of SFs injured in the North Waziristan Agency. Militants fired rockets and missiles at an army camp, northeast of Miranshah, killing four Army personnel and seriously injuring another six.

SFs killed at least six Taliban militants in fighting in the Kabal and Barikot areas of NWFP, while a soldier was killed and another sustained injuries, a Police official.

August 3: The Baloch Republican Army killed five abducted officials, including a SHO and threatened to kill the remaining abducted persons if their demands were not met within 24 hours. The BRA is reported to have thrown the bodies on Jathhar Kelji Road. Speaking to a private TV channel by satellite telephone, a spokesman for the BRA, Sarfraz Baloch, claimed responsibility for killing the officials, including the Dera Murad Jamali SHO Ahsanullah Khosa. The spokesman threatened that if the Government did not release arrested Baloch leaders within 24 hours, the BRA would kill the remaining officials and labourers in their custody. The officials and labourers were working on Government projects in different areas of Dera Murad Jamali, headquarter of Nasirabad District, when they were abducted.

Jets shelled Taliban hideouts and killed at least five militants near Swat. The aircraft raided Dok Darra town after intelligence reports said that a large number of militants had gathered in the area, military spokesman Major Nasir Ali Khan said. "The bombing destroyed three Taliban bases and killed five militants," he said. Local administration chief Javed Marwat confirmed the air strikes and said at least five militants were killed.

Three militants were killed and several others injured when the SFs targeted suspected hideouts of the militants in different areas of Salarzai sub-division in Bajaur Agency. Official sources said the SFs targeted the militant hideouts in Darra, Ghundai and Sor Dagay areas with artillery guns, killing three militants and injuring several others. They added that a number of sanctuaries of the militants were destroyed in the operations.

August 2: Paramilitary troops were deployed in the Azafi Abadi village, also known as Koriaan, in the Punjab province where 10 people were killed in violence between Muslims and Christians over the alleged desecration of the Koran. Pakistan Rangers personnel took up positions in and around Azafi Abadi, a day after it witnessed communal clashes. Persons from the two communities reportedly exchanged fire and over 80 homes of Christians were set ablaze by mobs. "We have arrested a number of suspects and exemplary punishment will be given to those involved in heinous crimes. This is a crime against humanity," Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister of Punjab, told reporters. He said some outlawed religious groups were involved in the violence but did not name them.

August 2: SFs killed four Taliban militants and arrested 27 others from the Swat District. According to the ISPR, two militants were killed and seven others arrested during search-and-cordon operations in Derai and Danda. In addition, two more militants were killed and two others arrested in Gorai, Kotlai and Daragai.

July 31: SFs killed six Taliban militants in the on-going military operation in Swat District, a statement by the ISPR said. "Security forces conducted a search operation in Charbagh and Allahabad and killed six terrorists and also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition along with material for preparation of IEDs," it said.

July 30: The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) executed four men after pronouncing them guilty of abduction and murder at a self-styled court, witnesses and a spokesman said. The executions by firing squad took place near Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency. The LI announced the impending execution by mosque loudspeakers in Bar Qambarkhel village, 10 kilometers northwest of Bara, late on July 29 and urged locals to witness the killings, a local tribesman said. "Four blindfolded criminals with hands tied behind their backs were brought by LI men and lined up outside the mosque. Four LI fighters sprayed bullets, killing them on the spot," said witness Malik Qasim Khan Afridi.

July 29: Four terrorists were killed and 23 arrested in 24 hours during search and clearance operations by the SFs in Swat and Malakand, the ISPR said. The SFs killed four terrorists and arrested three suspects during search operations at Amankot, Ahingro Derai, Minar Qambar and Landikas near Mingora.

Three militants were killed and four paramilitary soldiers injured during an exchange of fire in the Dosali area of North Waziristan Agency. According to sources, militants attacked the Gerdai Rogha post, about 40km south of Miranshah. Frontier Corps (FC) personnel returned fire and killed three of the attackers. An official said four FC troopers were injured in the clash.

July 28: A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint in North Waziristan, causing an explosion that killed two SF personnel and injured five others. The bomber aimed for a checkpoint some three kilometers north of Miranshah, local Government official Rehmatullah said. Two intelligence officials confirmed the casualty figures and said the wounded include three paramilitary soldiers. Ahmadullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for the North Waziristan Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. He said the suicide attack on the SFs was a reaction from the Taliban against the silence of the Government over the US drone strikes in North Waziristan Agency, in which, he claimed, innocent tribesmen, including women and children, had died. He threatened to continue attacks on the troops if the drone attacks were not stopped.

SFs opened fire at a speeding car passing through the Frontier Corps checkpoint in front of the Miranshah Headquarters Hospital, killing three persons. Sources said all the three men who died on the spot were said to be Punjabi Taliban militants.

July 27: Military helicopters killed 20 militants and destroyed four militant hideouts, including a training centre for suicide bombers in Tirah valley, 35km southwest of Landi Kotal in the Khyber Agency. "Military helicopters shelled militant hideouts in the afternoon, killing 20 rebels and destroying four of their hideouts," a spokesman for the Frontier Corps, Major Fazal-ur-Rehman, said, adding that the air strikes were ordered after an intelligence tip-off.

11 militants were killed in a clearance operation by the SFs and local militia in the Swat and Dir Upper Districts, while 25 others were arrested during the ongoing military operation. An ISPR media update said the local militia (Lashkar) killed 10 terrorists and arrested six others in the Karodara, Shakoh and Chopra Kandao areas of Dir Upper District.

July 26: SFs killed six Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. And in the Lower Dir District of NWFP, at least 13 Taliban militants were killed and 15 of their hideouts destroyed.

The bodies of three alleged US spies were found in the Bechi area of Mirali in North Waziristan Agency. Local people said that a note found with the bullet-riddled bodies said the three were spying for the US.

July 25: SFs shot dead at least 14 Taliban militants during operations across Malakand, Buner and Swat of NWFP. "During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand division", the ISPR said. 10 Taliban were killed in Buner, while four were killed in Swat, and the SFs also arrested 29 militants from various areas of the two Districts.

July 24: 16 militants were killed by the SFs in Maidan, the hometown of the TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad in Dir Lower, the paramilitary Frontier Corps said without giving any other details.

July 23: SFs claimed to have killed six militants during search operations in the Mauja Kandao and Dadrah areas of Kabal sub-division in Swat District. A spokesman for the Swat Media Centre told reporters that the SFs launched operations in Mauja Kandao, killing six militants. He also said that a Prado used by Maulana Fazlullah was also recovered, besides another one.

A soldier and two militants were killed and another trooper sustained injuries in an encounter in the Thana area of Malakand Agency. Sources said a convoy of the SFs was on its way to Swat from the Malakand Agency when unidentified militants opened fire at it around 1:00 pm, killing a solider and injuring another. The troops retaliated by killing two militants. The other militants in the group, however, managed to escape.

July 22: 28 militants were killed and several houses were razed during the ongoing military operation Rah-e-Rast in the Swat, Buner and Dir Lower Districts.

Ten militants were killed when military planes bombed suspected positions of militants in the South Waziristan Agency. The AFP quoted an official as saying that the planes bombed two places in the Sarwakai area of South Waziristan. "Our jets hit a militant base in Gurguri and a Taliban compound in Ous Pass in Sarwakai. Both were destroyed and a total of four militants were killed," the military official said. The militants killed in the strikes reportedly belonged to the TTP, he said.

Four bodies, including two of sons of a slain militant commander, were found on the Tank-Jandola road, Police said. The bullet-riddled bodies, said to be of Idrees and Sher Qanoon, the sons of late militant commander Gul Pir, Jamshed and Younus, were found near the Fauji bridge. Gul Pir, a supporter of Baitullah Mehsud, was killed during an operation in the Sheikh Utar area two days ago.

In Buner, the SFs launched an operation against the Taliban remnants on Chagharzai strip to neutralise the threat of the Taliban in the District. The SFs claimed they had killed three militants during an encounter with the Taliban in Dewana Baba. They conceded injuries to two soldiers in the clash.

July 21: SFs killed 11 Taliban militants in the Swat District, while suffering three fatalities. Locals said seven militants, including two local 'commanders' identified as Khalifa and Pehlwan, were killed in the Damghar and Mamdherai areas of Kabal sub-division. A media update of the ISPR said "During a search operation at Damgarh and Mamdherai, security forces spotted five terrorists clad in Burqa, trying to escape from the area. They were apprehended, along with short machine guns, while five terrorists were killed." It said three soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer, were also killed during an encounter with the militants in the area. Locals told that three militants were killed in Shahdherai area of Kabal during an operation by the SFs. They also said four farmers were killed in the evening of July 20 in the Bara Bandai area of Kabal. They were identified as Bilal, Abdullah, Shamsher Ali and Akbar Hussain.

Continuing their operation in the Maidan revenue division of Lower Dir District in the NWFP, SFs claimed to have killed 12 militants, including two ringleaders, identified as Qari Hakimullah and Sher Khan.

July 20: SFs claimed to have killed around 100 Taliban militants in a massive military operation in a cluster of villages in the Maidan area of Dir Lower District in the NWFP. Military sources said the SFs launched action in five villages of Maidan to dislodge the militants from their hideouts as they were launching rocket attacks from there on the Scouts Fort in Timergara. "We have inflicted huge human loss on them. According to the information we have received, the casualties of the militants must not be less than 100," a military official stationed in the area said. He said a large number of foot soldiers backed by tanks, artillery and mortars stormed the positions of the militants in Sherkhanay, Shedas, Misrikhanay, Sangolai and Saparay on July 19. The official said troops continued their operation for around 18 hours to destroy the Taliban hideouts.

14 militants, including two 'commanders', and an Army officer were killed in clashes between the SFs and Taliban in the Swat District. Locals from the valley reported pitched battles between the two sides in the morning. They said the exchange of a heavy fire and mortar shell firing were heard from Koza Bandai village of Kabal area when the two sides clashed. Locals said the fighting resulted in the killing of 14 militants, including two 'commanders' identified as Zarqavi and Zulqarnain. Major Zahid of the Pakistan Army was also reported to have been killed during the encounter.

July 20: Suspected militants of the Mangal Bagh group killed four Policemen in an ambush on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. According to official sources, the Police team was patrolling the Sarband cattle fair on Bara Road at around noon when was attacked. Sub-Inspector Riaz Khan, constables Laiq Shah and Khudadad and driver Zahir Shah were killed on the spot.

July 18: Jet fighters pounded militant positions in Orakzai Agency, killing seven people, including two suspected militants. Two children and three women are said to be among the seven persons killed when jets bombed a suspected militant hideout in Moputay, Upper Orakzai. Locals, however, put the death toll at nine.

Three fighters were killed and two others injured when Taliban militants attacked SFs during a search operation in the Kohi and Ray areas of Charmang, Tehsil Nawagai.

July 17: Five militants were killed and four others sustained injuries in a drone attack on a suspected hideout of the Taliban in Badar village, about 30 kilometers from Razmak in the North Waziristan Agency. Sources said that a CIA-operated spy plane fired two missiles at the house of a local cleric, Maulana Abdul Majeed. The Badar village near Gharium is located on the border between North Waziristan and South Waziristan. According to sources, the five militants killed in the drone attack had come from the adjacent South Waziristan and were affiliated with the TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud. It was not clear as to whether the village cleric Maulana Abdul Majeed, whose house was reportedly targeted, died in the air strike or not.

Two soldiers and an equal number of Taliban militants were killed in the Swat and Dir Districts of NWFP. "A security vehicle – en route to Peochar from Shahid Khapa – was hit by an improvised explosive device near Serai… two soldiers were killed," said the ISPR. A local militia in Dir destroyed Taliban bunkers in Shahdas near Lal Qila and killed two militants and injured two others.

July 16: Three persons were killed and four others sustained injuries when an IED, planted by unidentified miscreants, exploded on the Ghulam Khan Road, eight kilometers from Miranshah, headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency. Official and tribal sources said a local passenger vehicle on its way from Ghulam Khan to Miranshah Bazaar when it hit an IED at 9:30 am, killing three persons on the spot. However, the identity of the victims could not be ascertained.

SFs killed eight more Taliban militants in the Loi Namal area of Matta sub-division in the Swat District. The ISPR said that SFs carried out search and clearance operations in parts of the valley. "SFs conducted a search operation in area around Loi Namal and Pansarat and killed eight terrorists, including local commander Bilal," the ISPR claimed.

July 15: Five militants and two civilians were killed and seven others wounded in air strikes and rocket attacks in South Waziristan Agency. According to Security officials, planes shelled two compounds occupied by militants in the Sararogha and Laddha areas of South Waziristan, killing five militants and injuring six others.

SFs claimed to have killed the most wanted terrorist leader Abu Laith and 13 other Taliban militants, including two foreigners, during the ongoing military operation in Swat valley. According to the ISPR, the SFs conducted a search operation in Peuchar and killed Abu Laith, a Swat Taliban commander in Peuchar, their former headquarters. "The security forces carried out search operation in Akhund Killay near Kabal and killed eight militants, including two foreigners. One soldier embraced shahadat and three soldiers including an officer were injured during exchange of fire," the ISPR said. During a search operation in Reema, the SFs claimed to have killed three more militants.

July 14: At least 23 militants were killed during clashes between a tribal militia and militants in the Ziaray Kandao area of Anbar sub-division in the Mohmand Agency. Four members of the militia were injured, sources said. However, official sources said only 18 militants were killed in the gunfight which continued for several hours. They said militants also destroyed five houses of the militia identified as Subedar Major Pasham Gul, Sultan, Zahir Shah, Baghdad Shah and Rozi Shah. Three volunteers of the tribal force were reported missing after the clashes.

In the Swat Valley, SFs killed nine militants and arrested several others during search and clearance operations. According to an ISPR update, the SFs conducted a search operation at Kuza Bandai and during the consequent encounter five militants were killed while four others were killed during clashes between the two sides at Tahirabad and Billogram.

July 13: Eight militants were killed and three others injured in a clash with a militia in the Mohmand Agency. Two militants were reportedly captured. Assistant Political Agent Rasool Khan said the clash had taken place in the Anbar valley. One tribesman was injured in these clashes.

Six suspected militants affiliated with the Maulvi Nazeer-led Taliban were killed and 10 others injured in an exchange of gunfire after an attack by the militants on a roadside security post at Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan Agency. Officials and tribal sources said a group of the militants attacked Sur Pul check-post near Rustam Adda at 7am with heavy weapons. The paramilitary FC personnel returned the fire, killing six militants and injuring 10 others. According to the sources, the militants took away three bodies of their slain accomplices along with them and left behind three others.

11 persons, including six children, were killed in a blast in a seminary in a village on the outskirts of Mian Channu near Multan city in Punjab province. The explosion, which occurred at 9:05am, also damaged around 30 houses. The blast was apparently caused by a huge amount of explosives stored in the house of a cleric. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the cleric, variously identified as Hafiz Riaz or Master Riaz, and two other men who were in the house at the time, were arrested from a hospital where they were admitted for injuries sustained in the explosion. Police said they suspected Master Riaz of storing the explosives for "terrorism" purposes. Children of the village attended Koran classes at the house and a number of them were inside at the time of the explosion.

July 12: About 12 militants were reportedly killed in shelling by fighter planes on suspected hideouts of the Taliban in Sarwakai sub-division of South Waziristan Agency. Sources said the fighter planes targeted the compounds and hideouts of the militants in Parwand and Novely Khan Serai areas in Sarwakai. Unconfirmed reports said 12 militants were killed in the operation. A military statement said one soldier also died in an exchange of fire with the militants in South Waziristan.

SFs announced the arrest of 11 Taliban militants in the Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency. The men were brought before the media at Shakas Fort, and paramilitary Colonel Mujahid told reporters that four of the arrested men were Afghans, two locals and the others from Waziristan. A huge cache of arms and vehicles were also taken into the custody.

SFs claimed to have killed five foreign militants in the Maidan revenue division of Lower Dir District in the NWFP. Official sources told that the SFs fired mortar shells on a vehicle carrying militants, killing five of them. The militants were reportedly foreigners and local people did not know them. They said that bodies of the militants were later taken away by other militants.

The militants killed three workers of the ruling ANP in the Pir Baba area of Buner District. Sources said the militants attacked Malik Pur village in Pir Baba and killed three ANP activists, identified as Shamsher Ali Khan, Gohar Ali Khan and Usman Ali Khan. The militants have been holding Jamil Ali Khan, brother of Gohar Ali, as hostage for the last one month and have demanded PKR 10 million as ransom.

July 11: Three Taliban militants were killed and several others injured during a military operation in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The SFs attacked the Chinar, Kohi Manogai, Karkanai and Zirat areas in Charmang Valley with artillery, killing the three Taliban militants.

Three security officials were killed and another six injured in a remote-controlled bombing in the Kohat area of NWFP. The bombing targeted an army vehicle passing through the Pirwala Khel area of Kohat.

July 10: Ten militants and six SF personnel were killed in various areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said the SFs targeted hideouts of the militants with heavy artillery and gunship helicopters in the Charmang, Chinar and Manogai areas, killing 10 militants. Several hideouts of the militants were destroyed in the operations. The sources added that two soldiers were killed and five others sustained injuries in the clashes.

Ten Taliban militants were killed during a clash with the SFs in the Zhob District of Balochistan. Quoting official sources, a private TV channel said the militants had been killed in retaliation after they attacked a security check-post in the Sambaza area of Zhob. Local administration and security officials told the APP news agency that an unknown number of Taliban militants had killed one SF official, Hazrat Mir, and wounded two others during the attack on the check-post.

Four Levies troopers were killed when unidentified militants attacked a check-post in Khar, the Bajaur Agency headquarters. Sources said the militants attacked the Bajaur Levies post with rockets and hand-grenades at 2:00 am, killing four paramilitary soldiers, Masood Jan, Rahatullah, Abdul Ghaffar and Muhammad Ishaq Jan.

SFs killed three militants and destroyed seven tunnels and eight hideouts during a search and clearance operation in parts of the Swat District, the ISPR said. The tunnels and the hideouts of the militants, according to the ISPR, were destroyed in Badar and Sar Colony areas of the valley.

July 9: 39 militants were killed when military planes bombed Taliban hideouts in the Orakzai Agency. According to unconfirmed reports, about 14 camps of the militants were destroyed in the Starsam, Drogai and Behram Garh areas of Chappri Feroze Khel in the lower and Ghiljo in upper Orakzai agency. Independent sources confirmed that 39 militants had been killed and eight injured in the strikes.

12 militants were killed when Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter planes targeted their suspected hideouts in South Waziristan Agency. The jets pounded suspected Taliban hideouts in four villages in Ladha and Kani Guram areas, according to four unnamed intelligence officials. Two of the officials said 12 bodies of militants were recovered from destroyed houses where they were staying. The other officials confirmed the bombing, but had no details of casualties. However, independent verification of the targets and casualties was not possible because the region is remote and largely inaccessible to journalists.

SFs claimed to have killed three militants and injured five others in the ongoing operations in various areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said the SFs targeted suspected locations of the militants in Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division with artillery and mortars. The sources said three militants were killed and five others sustained injuries while several suspected hideouts of militants were destroyed in the shelling.

At least five Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and 14 other people sustained injuries in a series of bomb and landmine blasts in Dera Bugti, Sibi and Quetta. Sources said a landmine planted in the Marwar area of Dera Bugti District exploded, hitting a Frontier Corps vehicle. Five FC personnel were killed and three injured in the incident. "It was an anti-tank mine which destroyed the FC vehicle," said official sources. No one has claimed responsibility so far.

July 8: 48 militants were killed and several others injured in two separate attacks by US drones in the South Waziristan Agency. However, some reports quoting officials of law-enforcement agencies and political administration put the death toll in the two attacks at 58. According to sources, besides the tribal militants, the dead also included four Arabs and seven Uzbeks. "Almost 90 per cent of the militants traveling in the convoy were killed in the drone attack," said an unnamed security official. He said the militants in the Mehsud-inhabited areas of South Waziristan had been reduced to their hideouts and caves in the mountains due to continuous flights of the US drones and frequent attacks on their locations. There are also reports that senior militant commanders, including their leader Baitullah Mehsud, have fled the tribal region due to continuous flights of the US drones.

July 7: A suspected US drone fired two missiles at a militant training centre in the Laddha subdivision of South Waziristan Agency, killing 16 militants and injuring 10 others. Five foreigners were among the dead, security officials said. The camp allegedly run by militants loyal to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was in Chenakai area of the Shabikhels, a sub clan of Mehsud tribe. There was no report if any high-value target had been hit in the attack carried out at about 10am. Sources said that a local commander of Baitullah was among the dead. The missile strike destroyed a compound which a high-ranking official described as a former office of Baitullah Mehsud, who has a five-million-dollar price on his head and a bounty of $615,000 in Pakistan for allegedly masterminding multiple bombings.

Helicopter gunships targeted militants’ hideouts in the Datakhel area of North Waziristan Agency, killing four militants.

SFs said they had killed four Taliban militants and arrested 34 of them from various areas of Swat and Bannu Districts.

July 6: Seven militants were killed and several others injured when jets shelled militant hideouts in North Waziristan. Officials and local people said the jets had attacked militants’ positions in Wuchabibi and Madahkel areas of Dattakhel sub-division, at about 3:30pm. Officials in North Waziristan Agency told that seven militants had been killed and 12 injured when fighter jets targeted terrorists’ hideouts in the area. "Seven militants were killed and 12 injured when jet fighter planes pounded Taliban hideouts at Madda Khel and Wuchabibi," an official based in agency’s main town Miranshah told.

July 6: SFs intensified attacks on the Taliban in Bajaur Agency, killing four militants and injuring six others in the region’s Charmang sub-division. The SFs also reportedly destroyed numerous Taliban hideouts in Charmang, defused several remote-controlled bombs, arrested 15 suspects and recovered missiles from their possession.

July 6: SFs killed 14 Taliban militants in the Tiligram area of Swat District. According to the ISPR, "Security forces killed 14 terrorists during an exchange of fire in Tiligram. A huge quantity of ammunition and explosives, four IEDs, one 14.5 gun barrel and 26 detonators were also recovered."

July 5: Ten militants were killed in shelling by the SFs in the Mangaltan area of Charbagh sub-division in Swat District, the military said. "Gunship helicopters shelled the militant hideouts in Mangaltan area of Charbagh town. At least, 10 militants were killed in the shelling," Major Nasir Khan, a military spokesman in Mingora, told. Nasir said the air attacks occurred after fresh reports of the militants' movement in the area. An intelligence official in Mingora confirmed the strikes and the death toll.

SFs said that three soldiers were killed and six others wounded while a few terrorists were arrested in the Malakand Division. According to the Inter-Public Services Relations, SFs raided the house of a terrorist in Mohalla Nehrabad in Kuza Banda and recovered one Suzuki pick up, one small machine gun, two magazines, one pistol and 175 rounds of miscellaneous caliber. During an exchange of fire with the militants near Bari Kot, three soldiers were killed and four others injured.

Seven persons were killed and 12 others sustained injuries when missiles fired by jet fighters missed their targets, hitting the civilian areas in Dattakhel in North Waziristan Agency.

Three imprisoned militants were killed and two civilians sustained injuries when militants fired several rockets at the Bajaur Scouts Fort in Khar, headquarters of the Bajaur Agency. Sources said that the militants fired rockets on Bajaur Scouts headquarters in Khar from a hilltop in Kohi Mor area and one of the rockets struck the building of quarter guard, killing three militants.

July 4: Fighter planes and gunship helicopters heavily targeted suspected positions of militants in the Taliban-controlled Orakzai Agency in the FATA, killing 26 militants a day after a military helicopter crashed in the area. Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed the bombing and said the action was taken as a reaction to the attack of militants on SFs and a rescue team on July 3. He said the militants opened fire on the SF personnel and rescue team when they went there to retrieve bodies of the soldiers killed in the helicopter crash.

15 men of an armed tribal Lashkar (militia) and three militants were killed when fierce clashes erupted in the Fam Pokha and Kharai Darra areas of Ambar sub-division in Mohmand Agency. Sources said the militants attacked the armed men of the tribal Lashkar of Utmankhel tribe in Fam Pokha area, killing 15 people on the spot. However, official sources put the death toll at 12. Further, the sources said three militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the pre-dawn clashes in Fam Pokha and Kharai Darra areas. The slain militants reportedly belonged to Dawezai area of Mohmand Agency.

July 3: 13 persons were killed and seven others sustained injuries in a US drone attack in South Waziristan Agency. Tribal sources said a US drone fired three missiles at the office of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud in Serwakai sub-division at 9 am, killing 13 persons present in the office and injuring seven others.

An AP report stated that US missiles struck a training facility operated by Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication centre in South Waziristan Agency, killing 17 people and injuring 27 others. In one attack, two missiles struck an abandoned seminary in Mantoi that was being used by the militants belonging to the Mehsud's group for training, officials said. In another strike, a missile hit a militant communications centre in the nearby village of Kokat Khel. In total, 17 people were killed and 27 others were injured, they said. However, Maulvi Noor Syed, an aide to Mehsud, told The Associated Press that three Taliban militants died in the strikes. "We lost only three Mujahideen in today's American missile attack," Syed said, adding "These attacks cannot cause any damage to us."

Eight persons were killed and 12 others wounded when fighter planes targeted a hotel in Deegan Bazaar, 25 kilometers from Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency. Sources said people were having breakfast at the hotel when two fighter planes struck at 7:30 am, killing eight persons and injuring 12 others.

July 2: SFs said they had killed 23 Taliban militants in various areas of Swat District over the last 24 hours. "The security forces consolidated their positions around Shah Dheri, where 17 Taliban were killed in a clash," said the ISPR in its latest update.

Five militants were killed during a search operation in Kanju.

July 1: A tribal Lashkar (militia) attacked Taliban hideouts in the Kurram Agency, killing 28 militants and suffering seven fatalities themselves, and the intensifying battles prompted them to ask for Army troops to help, a local lawmaker said. The fighting in the remote Kurram region was the latest in two weeks of battles between militants and tribesmen there that have killed 141 people, including more than 100 militants, two Government officials said. Their information could not, however, be independently verified.

14 persons were killed and 26 others injured in clashes between rival groups in Kurram Agency. Later, the elders of Upper and Lower Kurram succeeded in brokering a cease-fire after hectic efforts, sources said. Similarly, the rival tribes - Mastokhel, Hamzakhel, Ghundikhel, Alizai, and Shia Bangash of the Turi tribe and Parachamkani Masozai, Ali Sherzai, Zehmasht, Mangal and Sunni Bangash - were still at war with one another in Balishkhel, Sangeena, Khar Killay, Sadda city, Mingak, Makhzai and Tangai areas of Lower Kurram.

At least 28 militants, including an unidentified commander, were killed when gunship helicopters targeted the hideouts of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Sources said that three gunship helicopters targeted the hideouts of the Mangal Bagh-led group in Sandapal and Akakhel areas of Tirah Valley. An official of the Frontier Corps (FC), Major Fazal, claimed that 28 militants were killed in the action and among them was a commander. However, talking to The News from an undisclosed location, Lashkar-e-Islam spokesman Zar Khan denied any losses to his group.

SFs said that they had killed five Taliban militants in a clash in the Bannu District. "The Taliban ... raided a checkpost near Hindi Khel in Bannu ... one soldier was killed and six injured, while five Taliban were also killed," said the ISPR.

June 30: SFs stated that Taliban militants in the Biha Valley of Swat District had slaughtered 18 of their own injured comrades, as they could not be moved out along with the retreating militants. "It has been reliably learnt that during the clearance of Biha Valley, 18 wounded terrorists, who could not be taken to safety, were slaughtered by their own people on orders of their commanders," an ISPR statement said.

The SFs killed 16 militants and arrested 23 others in Swat while three soldiers died and eight others, including three officers, were injured.

Seven suspected militants were killed as jets continued to shell their positions in North Waziristan. However, it could not be verified whether the dead were militants or non-combatants. Local people and sources said that planes had bombed militants' hideouts in Wacha Bibi area, west of Miranshah, where terrorists had ambushed a military convoy and killed 27 soldiers on June 28. Ten militants were killed when troops returned fire.

In the first-ever suicide attack in a Baloch-populated area of Balochistan, at least four people were killed and 11 wounded when a bomber targeted a hotel in Kalat. The attack in Kalat District appeared to be aimed at disrupting supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan. The bomber detonated his explosives inside a hotel in the Sorab area of the District, 250 kilometers southeast of provincial capital Quetta. Most of the victims were reportedly Baloch tribesmen.

June 29: 21 Taliban militants were killed in overnight clashes with an anti-Taliban militia in Kurram Agency, tribal elder Ali Akbar Toori and lawmaker Sajid Toori said. Four militiamen were also killed.

SFs claimed to have killed at least 13 suspected militants in attacks on their hideouts at Bazaar Zakhakhel area of Landikotal in the Khyber Agency, while seven members of a family were killed and four others injured when an artillery shell struck a Hujra (guesthouse) in the Sra Shaga area of Jamrud sub-division.

SFs claimed to have killed eight militants in the Khwazakhela area of Swat District. An ISPR statement said the SFs raided a compound in Khwazakhela, killing eight militants. Weapons and explosive devices were also recovered in the raid, it added.

Four Taliban militants were killed as jet aircraft bombed suspected Taliban hideouts in South Waziristan Agency. The aerial attacks hit a guesthouse used by the Taliban at Kani Guram village, killing four militants.

June 28: 22 soldiers were killed and 35 others injured in two separate attacks by militants in North and South Waziristan agencies. In addition, 22 militants were also killed in the day-long military operations by SFs in the region.

12 militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries as jetfighters bombed suspected hideouts of the Taliban. Tribal sources said gunship helicopters and jetfighters bombed militant hideouts at 10:00 am in Saam, Kacha Lungerkhel, Kuram Garhi, Ladha Serai, Tangi Budenzai, Makeen, Janata, Srarogha, Kotkai, Garhagah and suburbs of Ladha sub-division, killing 12 militants and injuring seven others.

Four militants were killed and several houses were destroyed when SFs targeted militant positions in different areas of the Nawagai sub-division in Bajaur Agency. The SFs targeted militant bunkers and hideouts in the Charmang, Hasham, Cheenar, Babara and Manogai areas with mortar and artillery guns. They claimed dismantling several bunkers and trenches of militants.

June 27: 42 Taliban militants were killed and 50 others injured in the ongoing military operation at South Waziristan, Dir and Kurram Agency in FATA. SFs bombarded Taliban hideouts in the Ladha and Wana areas of South Waziristan, killing 15 Taliban militants and injuring 15 others. Also in Wana, the Taliban attacked a Frontier Corps camp, with no reported casualties. The SFs, in retaliation, shelled the Taliban, killing two of them and injuring three others, while a mortar shell hit the house of one Anwar Khan, killing him and injuring his wife and two daughters.

In Upper Dir, four Taliban militants were killed and another five injured in a clash with a local lashkar (tribal militia) in the Ghazi Gai area.

Jet aircraft bombed various areas in South Waziristan, killing 16 Taliban militants and injuring 10 others. Sources said that of the 16 killed, four were foreigners, three belonged to Orakzai Agency and the rest were locals.

June 26: At least 20 Taliban militants were killed and 15 others wounded when Security Forces shelled TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud’s hideouts in South Waziristan. According to a private TV channel, fighter jets bombarded Taliban hideouts in the agency’s Ladha, Saam and Makeen sub-divisions.

Four persons, including three SF personnel, were killed and 24 others injured in two remote-controlled bomb attacks on a security convoy in North Waziristan Agency. Local sources said that an army convoy from Bannu in the NWFP was proceeding to Miranshah in the morning when it was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb on the Chashma Pul – around two kilometers from agency headquarters Miranshah. The attack killed three SF personnel and a pedestrian and injured 20 soldiers. The same convoy was targeted a second time as it reached Nooruk, 20 kilometers from Miranshah. The second explosion injured four SF personnel.

Police killed five suspects, believed to be linked to Baitullah Mehsud, in an encounter in Karachi and also recovered large cache of arms and explosives. The militants were killed near Al-Asif Square in Sohrab Goth. Senior Police officials said the militants were planning a terrorist strike in the city. Superintendent of Police Rao Anwar Ahmed Khan said the terrorists were in the guise of internally displaced persons and were hiding in a small quarter behind a mosque near Pioneer Garden. However, their six accomplices escaped under the cover of fire, while taking advantage of darkness. Superintendent of Police Anwar Khan said one terrorist was identified as Shahid alias Shah Hussain, a Karachi based commander of the TTP.

June 26: A Taliban suicide bomber killed two soldiers on June 26 when he blew himself up near an army vehicle in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), in the first such attack in PoK. The military said in a statement that three other soldiers were injured in the early morning bombing in Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, and rushed to a nearby hospital. Hakimullah Mehsud, a deputy of the Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, told that the assault was launched to prove that Baitullah had not been weakened by more than a week of strikes on his suspected hideouts in South Waziristan Agency. "We are in a position to respond to the army’s attacks, and time will prove that these military operations have not weakened us," Hakimullah said over telephone.

June 25: At least eight Taliban militants were killed and three of their hideouts destroyed when helicopter gunships targeted parts of Orakzai Agency in the FATA. Sources told that the gunships targeted Taliban hideouts in Atmankhel and Ferozkhel areas of Lower Orakzai Agency, killing eight militants.

June 24: SFs killed seven Taliban militants in clashes in parts of the Dir and Swat Districts, while six soldiers, including two officers, were also killed.

Three Policemen, including an officer, were killed when some miscreants fired rockets and mortar shells at the Arbab Tapu check-post in the jurisdiction of Matani Police Station of provincial capital Peshawar.

June 23: Approximately 80 people, including a senior commander of the Baitullah Mehsud-led militants, Khwaz Wali Mehsud, were killed and several others sustained injuries in two separate attacks by US spy planes on a suspected militant hideout and funeral prayers at Lattaka village of Ladha sub-division in South Waziristan Agency. A US drone fired three missiles at a suspected militant hideout at Lattaka village, killing six militants, including senior Taliban commander Khwaz Ali, who was said to be one of Baitullah Mehsud’s trusted commanders. Five other people killed in the attack were said to be local tribal militants. Tribal sources said it was the first-ever attack by US spy planes on the Shabikhel area of South Waziristan - hometown of Baitullah Mehsud. Later, when the militants and villagers offered funeral prayers of the deceased militants at the village graveyard, two more missiles were fired on the venue. Sources close to the militants told that majority of the people after attending funeral prayers of the slain militant commander Khwaz Ali had started leaving the venue and few were there to have a final glimpse of Ali when they came under a missile attack. They said two US drones fired two missiles on the gathering killing over 60 people, majority of them militants.

Six militants were killed in the Shadas village of Maidan area in Lower Dir District when gunship helicopters targeted the house of a local Taliban commander, identified as Miftahud Din alias Shabar. Shabar is blamed for attacking convoys of the SFs in Shadas, Kala Dag and Hayaserai areas.

Five army men, including a major, a captain and three jawans, were killed when a unit of the Baloch Regiment was ambushed at Charbagh in the Malakand Division of NWFP. According to the ISPR, the troops were returning after a search operation when the incident took place at 7pm.

June 22: A military spokesman said 22 terrorists were killed and five others were arrested in Malakand. He said 14 terrorists were killed by the SFs during the ‘link up operation’ at the Shamozai Bridge, while eight large size IEDs planted by terrorists were also neutralised. The SFs successfully secured Biha Valley and also cleared Bartana South of Chuprial. He said three small size tunnels were destroyed at Loi Namal while locals handed over a terrorist to the troops at Bahrain while four others were arrested at Wanai Bridge, Shalkosar, Bashkhela and Drushkhela.

At least 21 people, both militants and civilians among them, were killed and several others injured during air strikes and retaliatory actions by the SFs in Waziristan. According to locals, women and children were also among the dead and injured. Air force planes reportedly bombed suspected militant hideouts and training facilities in areas dominated by the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan. According to officials and locals, the planes shelled houses of Malik Mohammad Amir Khan and Kabir Khan Berki in Salay Rogha area and killed 11 suspected militants and injured five others.

Helicopter gunships shelled a residential compound in Shinkai area of North Waziristan. According to sources, 10 people, including two women, were killed when the house of a tribesman, Jalal Afghani, was bombed in North Waziristan. Five militants were killed when Cobra helicopters targeted a suspected location near Miranshah.

Three persons, including two women, were killed and another sustained injuries when a rocket hit a house in Zardad Killay in the jurisdiction of Hovaid Police Station of Bannu District.

Three Shias, including a union council chief, were killed in Quetta, the Balochistan capital, by unidentified men in a suspected sectarian incident. Unidentified armed men reportedly opened fire on Talib Agha, Union Council 47 chief in Quetta, when he was on his way home along with his driver and security guard.

June 21: Four persons, including two women, were killed after armed assailants opened fire on the residence of tribal leader Wadera Wazeer Khan at Dera Bugti in Balochistan. A Sui Police official said the victims could not be identified.

12 militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries when gunship helicopters and fighter planes targeted their suspected hideouts in different areas of South Waziristan Agency, while 27 militants died in the military operation in Bajaur Agency.

An encounter took place between the two sides in Biha in Swat in which six militants were killed and 10 others arrested.

Seven suspected militants were killed in a clash with a Lashkar (the village militia) in Patrak area of Upper Dir District in NWFP. Local people said the clash took place in Shekhan Khwar near Patrak.

Five Taliban militants were killed and two soldiers were wounded in the Dir Lower District.

June 20: At least 15 Taliban militants, including two key 'commanders', were killed by the SFs during a counter-insurgency operation at Charmang area of Bajaur Agency in FATA, a private TV channel reported. The 'commander' Omar, a foreigner, was also among those killed in the operation. The SFs also destroyed four hideouts of the Taliban during the operation which was carried out after Taliban militants blew up two boys' schools and a college in Bajaur on June 19.

June 20: At least 22 suspected militants and six soldiers were killed in a daylong military action against the Baitullah Mehsud-led Taliban in South Waziristan as the troops cleared a portion of the Wana-Jandola Road.

June 19: SFs killed 15 more militants and injured seven others in a shootout in the Charmang area of Bajaur Agency.

11 Taliban militants were killed in the Doog Darra area of Dir Upper District by armed villagers and artillery shelling by the SFs as the militants started fleeing the area after giving up resistance.

Military officials said six militants were killed and several others injured when gunship helicopters targeted their positions near Serwakai in South Waziristan. The ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas said the operation was conducted for reopening the main road between Tanai and Serwakai.

Security Forces said that they had killed four more Taliban militants and arrested two in the ongoing operation in Malakand Division.

SFs killed four militants in Buner district and were consolidating their positions in parts of the Swat Valley. The ISPR said SFs clashed with militants in Sar Qilla area during a search operation. Four militants, it claimed, were killed during an exchange of fire.

June 18: SFs killed 34 more Taliban militants in the ongoing operation in the Swat and Dir Upper Districts, the ISPR said.

June 18: Suspected US drone strikes killed approximately 12 Taliban militants in South Waziristan. The drone targeted the suspected hideout of Taliban commander Malang some 18 kilometers northwest of Wana, said unnamed officials. Malang was a subordinate of Wazir Taliban leader Maulvi Nazir, they added. "Four missiles were fired at the hideout, where Taliban were believed to be training new recruits," local tribal sources told. "The attack was staged in two parts: An initial drone strike killed two Taliban. Then, when people converged on the site, three more missiles were fired, resulting in the deaths of 10 more people," they said.

June 17: While armed villagers in the Dir Upper District killed six holed up Taliban militants in the Doog Darra area, the Army claimed to have killed 22 more militants in the adjacent Dir Lower and Swat Districts during the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast.

In Dir Lower, located in the south of Dir Upper District, the ISPR claimed that SFs had killed 20 Taliban militants. The ISPR said troops carried out a search operation in the Galgut area of Maidan and killed 20 militants during a clash, besides recovering a cache of arms and ammunition. It said 15 others were arrested.

June 16: SFs claimed to have killed 15 militants, including a key foreign commander, in the Bajaur Agency of FATA and Dir Lower District in the NWFP. Sources told that the SFs heavily shelled positions of the militants in the Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division with artillery from Khar, headquarters of the Bajaur Agency, Loisam and Tank Khatta camps, destroying several hideouts in the area. An important foreign commander, known as Goraila, and three local militants were killed in the action. SFs cleared the area of the militants and took control of the key locations in Charmang, the stronghold of the militants. In Dir Lower, the SFs claimed to have killed 11 militants in the Maidan area of the District.

At least three persons were killed and four others sustained injuries in clashes between two groups in the Kurram Agency. The clashes which erupted when the rivals belonging to Balishkhel and Khar villages started building bunkers, sparked sectarian tension. According to sources, the clash followed an attack by Khar villagers near the Balishkhel checkpoint.

June 15: SFs claimed to have killed 50 Taliban militants during military operations in the Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, Malakand Division and Bannu District during the past 24 hours.

14 Taliban militants were reportedly killed in the Dir Lower and Upper Districts. Sources said nine suspected Taliban militants were killed in Dir Lower and five in Dir Upper, respectively.

June 14: SFs said they had killed 65 Taliban militants, including foreigners, and injured 50 in various army operations in South Waziristan and Bannu during the last 24 hours. "Thirty terrorists were killed, including a few foreigners, and 50 were injured at Makeen, South Waziristan due to the air strike on Saturday," the ISPR said in a statement. It said the offensive was partially in response to the suicide attack on Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemi's madrassa (seminary) in Lahore on June 12, in which seven civilians were killed, and the suicide attack on the Nowshera mosque on the same day in which five personnel were killed.

35 more militants were killed in fresh action by the troops in the Bannu District of NWFP. It said the SFs, continuing their operations against the Taliban, had bombarded suspected militant hideouts from Janikhel Fort. The ISPR also said one soldier was killed and three injured in an exchange of fire with militants in the Kabal sub-division of Swat District. Further, Taliban militants in the Kala Kale are injured another soldier. A cordon-and-search operation is reportedly continuing in the Loe Namal, Kuz Shaur and Matta areas of Swat, the statement added.

SFs claimed to have killed 24 militants in an operation in the Mohmand Agency of FATA. In addition, 12 civilians were killed when shells missed their targets and landed in the civilian areas of the agency.

The SFs reportedly killed 10 militants by targeting their hideouts with jetfighters and gunship helicopters in different areas of the Nawagai sub-division. Official sources also said four others were arrested in the daylong military operation.

A US missile strike targeting militants killed three persons in the Laddha region of South Waziristan Agency. "A drone attack targeting a militant vehicle killed three people in Mardar Algad area… There is a training camp close to this area," said Amir Mohammad Khan, a local administration official in Laddha.

Three people were killed and two injured when a vehicle carrying supplies for the NATO forces hit a roadside bomb in South Waziristan. Two of the deceased have been identified as Afghans, while one has been identified as a Pakistani. Political authorities confirmed the incident.

Nine people were killed and more than 40 others wounded when a in a bomb blast at a busy market in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP. Sources said the bomb, weighing five kilograms and apparently planted on a cycle cart, exploded in the busy Tejarat Gunj Bazaar. The blast also destroyed the windowpanes of the nearby shops and houses. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

June 13: SFs killed 41 Taliban militants in military operations in the Malakand Division and Bannu area in NWFP, the ISPR said. In Bannu, SFs secured Zindi Akbar Khan, FC Fort Jani Khel and Marwat Canal, the ISPR said, adding that 35 terrorists had been killed in the operation in various areas of Bannu District.

June 12: 39 more militants and 10 soldiers were killed in clashes between the SFs and Taliban militants in the Swat valley. A news update issued by the ISPR on the ongoing military operations in Swat and other adjoining mountainous areas, said 10 soldiers were killed and 24 others sustained injuries during the operation. SFs reportedly secured and consolidated their positions at Chuprial near Matta sub-division. During the process of consolidation, an encounter took place between the two sides in which eight soldiers died and 13 others were wounded. In retaliation, the SFs killed 39 militants and their bodies were reportedly lying at the encounter site.

18 more militants were killed as SFs continued their operations in the Janikhel and Hindikhel areas of Bannu District on the fourth consecutive day. Sources said SFs entered the Hindikhel area after clearing Sra Dargah area of the militants. "At least, 18 militants were killed in the daylong clashes in different areas of the semi-tribal region," the sources said, adding the troops faced stiff resistance in Hindikhel.

Five worshippers were killed and 105 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden van into a mosque during the Friday prayers in the Cantonment area of Nowshera in the NWFP. Sources said the congregation was in the second Rakat (part) when the bomber in the vehicle, carrying 125 kilograms of explosives, struck the wall of the mosque near the Army Supply Depot. Two soldiers were among the four persons killed on the spot while 105 persons, including 30 civilians, were injured in the explosion. Most of the wounded were reportedly Army personnel. One of those wounded succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Four Police personnel were killed and six others injured by two remote-controlled bomb attacks in the Hangu District of NWFP. In the first incident, suspected militants targeted a Police van in the Tull sub-division with an improvised explosive device, fitted in a pressure cooker. The blast killed four Policemen. In a second incident, militants reportedly attempted to attack another Police van with a remote controlled bomb in the Dawaba Police station precincts. However, the Police van narrowly escaped the blast.

SFs killed 12 militants in the Mohmand Agency, targeting Taliban's hideouts. In addition, five persons were killed when shells missed targets and landed in civilian areas. SFs are reported to have targeted the militants' hideouts in Alingar, Akhunzadgan, Sagi, Sheikh Baba, Sooran Darra, Guloona and Shandarra areas of Safi and Khewzai Baizai sub-divisions with helicopters gunship, artillery, tanks and other sophisticated weapons. Yar Khan, his wife and two children were killed when an artillery shell hit his house in Akhunzadgan area. Another civilian, Muhammad Deen Shah, was killed in the Alingar area. Civilians were also hit in the Upper and Lower Sagi areas. However, the number of casualties could not be ascertained.

Seven Taliban militants were killed by the SFs in Bajaur Agency's Charmang area, considered to be a Taliban stronghold. Planes and helicopters attacked militants' positions in Tangi, Hashim Ziarat, Kotki and Babara. Militants had reportedly used Mamond and Charmang for regrouping after having signed a peace deal with the Government. They built bunkers and dug trenches to protect themselves against ground and air assaults and had also occupied agricultural land of tribal elders and Government buildings. The TPP, meanwhile, urged the Government to halt the operation and its spokesman Maulvi Umar said that the peace deal would be derailed if the operation continued.

June 12: At least seven persons, including a prominent anti-Taliban cleric, were killed and seven injured when a suicide attacker detonated himself at the Jamia Naeemia madrassa (seminary) in the Garhi Shahu area of Lahore shortly after Friday prayers. Targeting Sarfaraz Naeemi, the head of Jamia Naeemia, the terrorist reportedly waited until the anti-Taliban cleric had reached his office before launching his attack. Six people were with Naeemi in his office at the time.

June 11: The SFs killed 66 more militants and arrested nine others, while four soldiers also died and 12 others sustained injuries in various areas of Malakand Division and Bannu, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

SFs intensified military operation in the FR Bannu and targeted the Taliban positions with jet fighters, gunship choppers and artillery in Janikhel and Zaidi Akbar Khan areas, killing 50 more militants. Official sources said more than 150 militants had been killed in the three-day military offensive. The military launched the operation on June 9 after expiry of the deadline for Janikhel and Bakakhel tribal leaders to hand over the militants wanted by the Government for kidnapping of students and teachers of Razmak Cadet College.

June 11: The SFs shelled suspected hideouts of the militants in Janikhel and Zaidi Akbar Khan with artillery from the Bannu Cantonment while gunship choppers and jet fighters also strafed the militants' locations in these areas. The gunship helicopters and jetfighters also bombed the Taliban hideouts in the precincts of Sra Dargah and Haved Police station while massive shelling was carried out in Zaidi Akbar Khan area. At least, 50 militants were killed in the daylong military offensive in the region.

In Frontier Region (FR) Bannu, according to the ISPR update, the troops secured Kotka Saifullah and Sara Bangal areas. During search operations in Sara Bangal, 34 militants were killed, while three others were arrested. The ISPR said about 400 militants attacked the Siplatoi and Jandola Fort late on June 10-night, killing three soldiers. In retaliatory firing by the SFs, 22 militants were killed and scores of others sustained injuries.

The Pakistan Air Force jet fighters started bombing suspected locations of Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency in FATA and the adjoining Hangu District in NWFP, killing 33 persons, including the Sunni Supreme Council chief Maulana Muhammad Amin and his nephew, and injuring 29 others. The local officials, however, put the death toll in the two regions at 50, including women and children. The warplanes targeted militants' positions in Mushti Bazaar, Mushti Mela, Ferozkhel, Sheikhan, Dabori, Ghiljo, Khadeezai, Shahuwam and Sultanzai. 26 people were reportedly killed and 13 others injured in the daylong bombing in these villages of Orakzai Agency.

June 11: The army killed 22 Taliban militants during fierce clashes in South Waziristan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. According to reports from Waziristan, the fighting broke out when around 400 militants attacked the Siplatoi check-post and the Jandola Fort late on June 10, and continued for several hours. Three soldiers died and five were injured in the fight, the military said in a daily update in Rawalpindi. Talking to Daily Times, hospital sources confirmed 11 Taliban deaths. They said seven militants were injured.

June 11: SFs claimed to have killed five militants during an encounter in the Kambar area of Dir Lower district, while two children were killed in fighting between the armed Lashkar (militia) of villagers and militants in Dir Upper District. Official sources claimed that SFs were carrying out a search operation when a group of militants confronted them. They said the ensuing encounter between the two sides continued for quite a while that left five of the attackers dead.

June 11: A remote-controlled bomb planted on a parked motorbike in Khuzdar District exploded near a military vehicle, killing three persons, including a paramilitary soldier, local Police officer Juma Khan said. At least 10 persons, mostly civilians, were injured in the blast.

June 10: Troops have killed more than 100 Taliban militants during two days of operation in the Jani Khel and Baka Khel areas of Frontier Region (FR) Bannu. A private TV channel reported that Taliban commander Sher Alam is among the dead. SFs are currently targeting Taliban positions with gunship helicopters and artillery shells, the channel said.

June 10: 23 Taliban militants and two soldiers were killed in clashes in parts of the Swat District. While one militant was killed during a search operation in Batkhela, six others were killed when the army retaliated an attack in Banmani Sar. The army is reported to have secured the Shalkosar Top and Shalkosar Kandao in Peochar valley. 16 militants were killed in fierce fighting over Shalkosar.

June 9: Troops killed 27 Taliban militants in various parts of Malakand Division, while a soldier was killed and nine others injured in clashes with the militants. A military statement said 14 militants were killed and 22 arrested during a search and destroy operation in Peochar valley. "A tunnel, a cache of arms and ammunition, and explosives were seized," it said. Troops also conducted a cordon and search operation to secure Darmai village in Sakhra valley. A soldier was killed in a Taliban attack on the Kalpanai check-post, and three others were injured during a clash in Uchrai Sar.

A massive truck bomb explosion at the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar, the NWFP capital, killed 17 people and injured 60 others. The attackers entered the compound on two vehicles at about 10:30pm, firing at the security guards at the hotel gate with bullets from one and blowing up the other in the hotel parking. "It was a suicide attack," Capital City Police Officer Sefwat Ghayur told. "There are two foreigners among the dead," NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said. Among those who were injured are the ruling Awami National Party's minister Zarshed Khan, Senator Nabi Bangash, UN officials, three foreigners and an airline's crew. 40 vehicles parked in the compound were destroyed and the building was seriously damaged. A Bomb Disposal Squad official told reporters at least 500 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.

Tribal militia in the Upper Dir District secured four villages and killed 13 Taliban militants. Foreign news agencies said they were backed by army helicopter gunships. A private TV channel said key TNSM supporter in Shangla District, identified as Waliullah Bilgarami, has surrendered.

June 8: An Upper Dir tribal Lashkar (militia) seeking retaliation for the suicide attack (June 5) at a mosque has killed 14 Taliban militants, including 'commander' Chamto Afghani, and burnt the houses of another 13 as they besieged two Taliban strongholds of Shatkas and Mena villages. Locals said heavy firing continued on third consecutive day as the militants, whose number was said to be between 200 and 300, had been holed up. In addition, 21 more Taliban militants were killed in various parts of the Malakand Division, according a press release by the ISPR.

June 8: In the Swat District, three Taliban militants were killed in Charbagh after a tip off from the civilian residents during a cordon and search operation. "Security forces carried out search operations in Bara Banda, Shahdhand Banda and successfully established link up at Damber Sar. During exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed. Security forces also established link up at Shakardara," the ISPR added.

June 7: Three SF personnel, including an officer, were killed and seven others sustained injuries, while four militants were also killed during the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast, the ISPR said. According to the ISPR media update, two soldiers were killed while fighting the militants in Kabal area, between Gul Jabba and Hazara Bridge.

June 7: Intensifying the offensive against the Taliban militants, the armed villagers of Hayagay Sharqi in Dir Upper District, backed by the people of dozens of other villages, besieged the militants from all sides, killing six more of them. Locals and the Lashkar (militia) sources said 12 Taliban militants, including two commanders, had been killed so far in the siege, while fighting was continuing till last reports were filed. Capturing several hamlets, the villagers also torched 21 houses owned by the Taliban and their supporters. The people of Hayagay Sharqi, located in mountains some 20 kilometers east of Dir town, the District headquarters, launched an armed action against the Taliban to avenge the killing of 49 persons in the suicide attack at a mosque on June 5.

June 7: During clashes between two groups of militants in the Mamond area of Bajaur Agency, four combatants were killed. Supporters of Maulana Faqir Muhammad, of the TTP, and Commander Salar Masood of the TNSM are now reportedly preparing for a major showdown in the area. The clash took place after the Salar group kidnapped Jarar Hussain of the TTP following a dispute over money. According to sources, Salar Masood's militants were repulsed when they attempted to overrun the headquarters of the TTP in Sewai. The sources said three of the slain militants belonged to the Salar group, Shah Tamas Khan, Zafarullah and Musa Khan, and one to the TTP, Najeebullah. Five men from both sides sustained injuries in the clashes.

June 5: Four Taliban militants were killed after hundreds of tribesmen attacked their houses at Hayagai Sharqi in Upper Dir District. Residents of the area launched the attack, a private TV channel reported. It said six houses belonging to the Taliban had also been destroyed.

A suicide bomber killed 49 worshippers, including 12 children, at a mosque in a remote village of the Dir Upper District of NWFP. Dozens more were injured as a young man detonated explosives fastened to his body minutes before the Friday congregation in the Hayagay Sharqi village. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. The village, located in the mountains, is situated approximately 20 kilometers east of Dir town, the District headquarters.

SFs said they had killed 10 Taliban militants and arrested four people, including three activists of the TNSM, while 14 SF personnel were killed and 14 others injured in clashes with the Taliban in Malakand Division.

SFs claimed to have killed 10 militants and secured the Chakesar area of Shangla District during military action against the Taliban. The ISPR said SFs carried out action in the Shangla District, situated to the east of the Swat valley, killing 10 militants in Chakesar. It claimed that the troops had cleared the Chakesar area of the militants. In addition, the area from Chakesar up to Aloch, Bazarkot and Shell Qasar were cleared and a linkup was established with the Charbagh area of Swat at Dakorak, the ISPR said.

Four farmers harvesting wheat crop in fields were reportedly killed when hit by mortar shells in the Tawa area of Puran sub-division in Shangla District. During their advance towards Chakesar, SFs shelled the suspected hideouts of militants in the Yakhtangi area of Shangla District. The farmers, harvesting wheat crop in Tawa, were hit by shells. Some reports from the Martoba area suggested that three more civilians were killed and two others injured when mortar shells struck them.

Four soldiers were killed and two injured when their patrol pickup hit an IED on the Jandola-Spinkai Raghzai road in South Waziristan Agency. The Army and paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel have been guarding the Jandola-Spinkai Raghzai road in South Waziristan. The pickup truck was destroyed, while another was partially damaged in the attack.

June 4: Security Forces said that they killed 10 Taliban militants and arrested six others in various areas of the Swat and Buner Districts, while a soldier was killed and two others injured in various clashes. Troops engaged fleeing militants at a check-post at Shangla and killed six of them and arrested four others, according to the ISPR.

At least seven SF personnel, including three Police officers and a Special Services Group (SSG) captain, were killed when the militants attacked a Buner-bound joint Police and Frontier Corps convoy at Natian, triggering a full-fledged operation in the area that continued till late night. Military sources, however, denied the killing of the military captain. Further, there were reports of the killing of one militant and injuries to several others. The exact number of causalities from the militants' side could not be ascertained. However, 32 people are reported to have sustained injuries in the clashes.

June 3: SFs claimed to have killed three militants in the Bedara area of Matta sub-division in Swat and secured Charbagh, where troops were now consolidating their position.

June 2: Battling the Taliban militants for the control of Charbagh in Swat Valley, Security Forces faced stiff resistance, killing 21 militants and suffering three casualties during the last 24 hours, the ISPR said.

June 1: SFs claimed to have killed 37 militants in the Swat Valley and the Buner District during the ongoing military operation against Taliban.

May 31: 25 militants, including a senior commander of the Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP, Miraj Burki, and six soldiers were killed and several others wounded in clashes between the militants and SFs in South Waziristan Agency. Other reports said 13 soldiers were killed and over two dozens injured. Fierce fighting between the two sides has reportedly forced thousands of tribal families to leave their homes in the Mehsud-inhabited areas.

SFs entered the Kalam Valley and took control of Mingora city, while 12 militants were killed during the last 24 hours in the ongoing Operation Rah-e-Rast, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. Eight SF personnel were also killed and six others sustained injuries, it added.

May 30: SFs have cleared Mingora city in the NWFP of the Taliban and destroyed the stronghold of the militant commanders, ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas said. Addressing a joint press conference with Information Minister Qamar Zaman Qaira, he said 25 Taliban militants were killed during the last 24 hours, including commanders, Abu Saeed Misbahud Din and Sultan Khan.

Two Taliban militants and a soldier were killed in a clash between Security Forces and militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in South Waziristan in FATA. Local residents and political administration officials said some Taliban militants attacked a checkpost of the SFs at Narai Sarkai border area with rocket launchers killing a soldier, Shahid, and injuring two others. Two Taliban militants were killed and another injured when the security forces retaliated. According to locals, the Taliban succeeded in escaping with the bodies of their colleagues.

May 29: SFs have taken control of Bahrain and cleared Peochar village in the Swat District, the ISPR said as SFs killed 28 Taliban militants, including commander Khush Mir Khan a.k.a. Abu Huzaifa. "The security forces have successfully secured Bahrain," said the ISPR in a statement, adding that the army had also arrested seven Taliban militants from various areas of Swat.

During a search operation in the Kalpani area of Lower Dir District, the army killed six Taliban commanders, identified as Qadir, Noor Hameed, Aftab, Yousaf, Iftikhar and Iftikhar.

The SFs also defused five improvised explosive devices during a search operation around Daggar in Buner District. The army is reported to have killed 13 Taliban militants hiding in a compound during a gun-battle.

May 28: Terrorists attacked Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, and its environs as eight people were killed and over 68 sustained injuries. Two separate blasts took place in the Qissa Khwani bazaar while three Policemen were killed and nine others injured in a suicide attack on a Police vehicle at the Sra Khawra security post on the Kohat road. Two suspected militants were killed and two others arrested in an encounter between the Police and alleged terrorists who had taken shelter in a building located behind Qissa Khwani bazaar soon after the two blasts.

The first blast occurred at the congested Kabari bazaar at the back of Qissa Khwani bazaar at 5:40pm. Two minutes later, another bomb planted in a motorbike in front of a sweet shop in Qissa Khwani exploded. At least seven persons, including a minor girl, were killed, while 63 others wounded in these explosions. There were reports that three of the deceased were killed in cross-firing between the suspected militants and Police. Bomb disposal squad experts said 4 to 5 kilograms of explosives was used in the twin blasts.

When people were busy in rescue work in Qissa Khwani, a suicide bomber riding a vehicle hit a Police mobile vehicle parked near the security post in Sra Khawra area on Kohat road in the jurisdiction of Matani Police station. Three Policemen were killed and nine others injured in the attack on the outskirts of Peshawar. The vehicle was destroyed and the police post was partially damaged in the suicide bombing.

May 28: SFs entered Bahrain, while seven more militants were killed and four others, including an important commander, were arrested during the last 24 hours in the ongoing operation in Swat Valley, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. Four soldiers were also killed while 12 others sustained injuries in clashes between SFs and militants in different areas of the valley.

A Policeman and two passers-by were killed and 13 people wounded when a suicide attacker exploded an auto-rickshaw near a Police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan.

Two militants, according to the ISPR, were killed during an exchange of fire between the Taliban and SFs in Malam Jabba. The SFs also continued action in Peuchar village and carried out cordon and search operations there. The troops also ambushed a group of 15-20 militants at Manodherai and killed three of them while four others were arrested. One soldier sustained injuries in the incident.

A convoy of eight Army trucks carrying relief and food destined for Barikot and Mingora was ambushed at Landakay near Barikot. Four soldiers, the ISPR said, were killed in the incident but relief goods were transported safely and distributed among stranded people of Mingora.

At least five persons, including a woman, were killed when unidentified attackers opened indiscriminate fire on a customer service centre in Quetta, capital of Balochistan. The assailants, who were riding a motorcycle, attacked the service centre on Kalat Street, Jail Road at around 11pm.

May 27: Suicide bombers detonated a vehicle loaded with 100 kilograms of explosives near offices of the capital city police officer (CCPO) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Lahore- killing at least 27 persons and injuring 326 others, in addition to destroying a two-storey building of the Rescue 15 police service, according to Police. An ISI colonel and 15 Police officials were among those killed. Witnesses said the attack started midmorning when two gunmen stepped out of a white van - which had pulled up in a narrow street separating the police and ISI buildings - cautioned civilians to take cover, and started firing at SF personnel deployed down the street. The gunmen also hurled a grenade at the SFs personnel. As the firing continued, the driver managed to cross the concrete barrier, but could not get further and was forced to blow up the vehicle there. Superintendent of Police Sohail Sukhera said a threefold security cordon prevented the attackers from getting to the offices CCPO and ISI offices. He said the terrorist in the vehicle was shot - which prompted him to blow up the vehicle about a hundred feet away from the intended target, in front of the Rescue 15 building.

At least 15 Taliban militants were killed and several injured by SFs shelling in South Waziristan Agency. According to a private TV channel, the SFs shelled Taliban hideouts in Sarokai area, killing 15 militants and injuring several others.

SFs said they would clear Mingora town in Swat District of the Taliban within two to three days, as 12 more militants were killed in the ongoing military operation. Mingora Force Commander Brigadier Tahir Hamid told the media that SFs had secured 70 percent of Mingora city. He said the army was chasing the Taliban through the streets.

Troops claimed to have killed 10 militants in the Maidan area of Lower Dir District. Militants' hideouts in Zaimdara, Shagai, Dabako, Babagam and other place of upper Maidan reportedly came under shelling.

May 26: SFs have gained control of half of Mingora city and killed 29 militants in various areas of Swat Valley during the last 24 hours besides arresting 14 others, the ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas said. "Six soldiers also laid down their lives and 11 others sustained injuries," he told reporters at a press briefing in Islamabad. "More than half of Mingora is under the army's control. We have plugged all escape routes for militants," said Abbas, adding that pockets of "hardcore militants" remained.

Several militants and five civilians were killed and 10 others injured in shelling by the military gunship helicopters in Shangla District. Sources said the SFs, backed by gunship helicopters, targeted the militant-infested areas of Jabar, Amnavi and Achar. The sources added these areas were heavily shelled and SFs on the ground continued search and cordon operations. There were reports that several militants and five civilians were killed in the shelling.

SFs launched a military operation against the Baitullah Mehsud-led militants in South Waziristan, reportedly killing seven militants. However, the military spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas, denied the operation in South Waziristan and said SFs had just consolidated their positions in the region.

Three Policemen and a suspected militant were killed and an ASI sustained injuries in a pre-dawn encounter with local and foreign militants in the Malikyar village of Haripur District of NWFP. This was the first major case involving militants in Haripur District. The suspected militants were believed to have attacked the Police party in a bid to secure the release of five women, who had been put under house arrest after the Police arrested a foreigner, Abdullah, from there last week.

May 25: The SFs claimed to have secured the training centre and logistic base of militants in the Malam Jabba area of Swat Valley. SFs also killed four militants during operations in the Fizagat and Peuchar areas and arrested eight others.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three Shia labourers in a drive-by shooting in Dera Ismail Khan. The assailants, riding a motorcycle, opened fire on a group of workers at a construction site, local Police chief Muhammad Iqbal said. "Three of the workers died on the spot and one was injured. The victims were all Shias," he told. The slain civilians were identified as Muhammad Nawaz, Jahangir and Mumtaz Hussain.

May 24: Fighter jets and helicopter gunships targeted Taliban hideouts in the Orakzai Agency of FATA, with the AP news agency reporting at least 18 people killed in the offensive. AP quoted a Government official as saying that the targets were strongholds of Hakeemullah Mehsud, a deputy to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

Troops have secured several important areas in Mingora, including a crossing infamous for beheadings carried out by the Taliban, said SFs as the military killed 10 more militants in various areas of Swat District. The Inter-Services Public Relations said 10 militants and three soldiers were killed in gun-battles in various areas of Swat, while 14 militants were also arrested. Five of the militants were killed in Malam Jabba when the SFs were tipped off about their presence in the area. The troops secured various important areas in Mingora – including Wattakai Chowk, Nawakilli Chowk, Nishat Chowk, Sirafe Chowk, Gulshan Chowk, Green Chowk, Haji Baba Chowk and Sohrab Chowk – in the 24 hours preceding the latest ISPR update on the operation. Green Chowk is infamous for beheadings carried out by the Taliban.

May 23: At least 17 Taliban militants, including a ‘commander’, were killed by the SFs at Mingora in Swat, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said. He said the troops had secured a part of the city from the Circuit House to Makan Bagh.

May 22: 17 militants and three SF personnel were killed and ten SF personnel sustained injuries during fighting in various areas of Swat District.

A powerful car bomb exploded near the Tasveer Mahal Cinema hall in the busy Kabuli Chowk area of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, killing at least 10 people and injuring over 65 others. Besides destroying the front elevation of the Tasveer Mahal Cinema, the powerful explosion also damaged another nearby movie hall, dozens of music centres and shops as well as several vehicles. The blast also disconnected power supply to the area hampering rescue efforts. Windowpanes of buildings in the adjoining Qissa Khwani, Khyber Bazaar, Mohallah Jhangi, Shoba Bazaar and Namakmandi areas were damaged due to the impact of the explosion.

May 21: 19 people, including 11 suspected militants and three SF personnel, were killed in the ongoing military operation and a roadside blast in the Maidan area of Dir Lower District in NWFP.

Four civilians and five SF personnel were killed and 25 injured in a suicide attack near a Frontier Corps (FC) fort in the Jandola area of Tank. According to a private TV channel, an explosives-laden truck rammed into the FC camp damaging several nearby shops and the fort.

May 20: SFs have completely secured the Sultanwas area of Buner District, overcoming tough resistance and killing 80 militants, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas said in Islamabad. "Since Tuesday morning to the completion of operation before dawn, 80 militants have been killed," Abbas told a press briefing. However, he said there was no independent confirmation of the casualties due to the ground situation in the area.

May 19: A Major and three soldiers were killed in the ongoing military operation in Swat District as SFs killed 16 more Taliban militants in fierce street battles in 24 hours. With the area surrounded by the SFs, Major Abid was hit in an exchange of fire with the Taliban inside Matta. "Operation Rah-e-Rast is making headway as planned, and in last 24 hours, 16 Taliban were killed ... an officer and three soldiers also died," said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

SFs claimed to have killed 13 militants and arrested five foreign combatants in an encounter near Khapakh check-post in the Halimzai sub-division of Mohmand Agency. A spokesman for the Mohmand Rifles Media Centre said SFs arrested five Burqa (veil)-clad foreign militants when they were trying to infiltrate into Afghanistan via the Pakistan-Afghanistan route. Following their arrest, the spokesman said local militants attacked the Khapakh security checkpoint with sophisticated weapons from all sides. He said SFs repulsed the attack and killed 13 militants in the ensuing three-hour encounter.

Reports from Chakdara indicated that three civilians, including two children, were killed and several others sustained injuries when jetfighters allegedly bombed houses in Kithiarai and other areas of Adenzai in Dir Lower District.

May 18: At least 27 militants were killed as the SFs started a ground offensive in the Swat District. Three important commanders, including Okasha, Malanga and Riaz, were among 27 militants killed during the operation that has now been named as Rah-e-Rast, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas informed the media.

May 17: As troops closed in on militants in the Matta sub-division on Swat District, SFs said they had killed 25 militants in the Arkot and Peuchar areas during the last 24 hours. One officer was killed while seven soldiers sustained injuries during the fighting. A statement from the ISPR said the troops were expanding their foothold in Peuchar, the area which served as the headquarters of Maulana Fazlullah and his fighters. The troops attacked a militant location in the area and secured an important position in the area. Fierce fighting took place for the control of the militant position, which resulted in casualties on either side. The ISPR said during the operation one officer was killed and two soldiers sustained injuries. The militants engaged SFs with rocket launchers and 12-7mm machine guns and in the retaliatory action, troops killed around 20 militants. In the Arkot and Nazarabad areas of Matta, the troops destroyed a compound of the militants from where the SFs faced resistance during their advance. The compound was surrounded and cleared from militants while five militants were killed during the operation. Following fierce fighting, SFs were successful in securing the area between Kanju and Nawan Kallay (Ayub Bridge) and from Ballogram to Takhta Band Bypass. The militants were reportedly putting up resistance on the outskirts of Mingora, the District headquarters of Swat, where intense clashes were reported.

May 17: Four civilians were reportedly killed when a mortar shell landed on a house in Maidan area of Dir Lower District, where SFs have been engaged in operation against the militants. In the Warjai area, four persons of a family were killed when a mortar shell struck the house of Abdullah. He told the media that his mother, wife and two children were killed in the incident.

May 16: 47 Taliban militants were killed in various areas of Malkand Division in the NWFP during the last 24 hours, said the ISPR spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.

11 people, including two women and two children, were killed and 31 others injured when a powerful car bomb ripped through a congested locality in Peshawar, the NWFP capital. Superintendent of Police (City) Ijaz Abid said the explosion was caused by a timed bomb in a car parked in the Kashkal area of the city. He said the apparent target of the blast was a nearby internet café. The bomb exploded at around 2:20pm and destroyed 17 cars and around a dozen shops. Casualties from a special children's school bus passing the area and caught in the explosion could not be confirmed.

25 people were killed in a suspected US drone missile attack on a seminary and a nearby vehicle in North Waziristan. US drones reportedly fired two missiles in Mir Ali sub-division of the North Waziristan - with one missile hitting the Anwarul Uloom Islamia seminary and the other a vehicle. "It was a drone strike on a compound where militants were staying," a security official said. Other intelligence officials put the death toll as high as 28, saying the dead were mostly local militants who had been preparing to leave for Afghanistan to carry out attacks. The officials added, however, that the bodies of most of those killed were burnt beyond recognition.

Nine Taliban militants were killed and 13 others injured when the SFs attacked Taliban hideouts in the Upper Orakzai Agency. Political administration sources said that SFs targeted Taliban hideouts in Dabori, headquarters of Upper Orakzai, using helicopter gun ships. Locals said all the dead were local Taliban and that no key commander was killed in the attack. Local Taliban, however, denied that any of their men were killed in the attack on their hideouts in the agency. Helicopter operations are being carried out as part of a larger ground and air assault against Taliban hideouts in Malakand division.

May 15: While asking the internally displaced people (IDPs) to help identify the fleeing militants, SFs claimed to have killed 55 militants in the Swat and Buner Districts during the ongoing military operation against the Taliban. SFs conceded three casualties besides injuries to 11 soldiers.

May 15: Three soldiers were killed and four others sustained injuries when their convoy came under a bomb attack near Miranshah in North Waziristan. Troops besieged Pir Kala, about 10km north of Miranshah, and fired on suspected militants' positions. Helicopter gunships were called in to support ground forces. According to local people, militants fired back and the ensuing exchange of fire continued for over three hours. Officials said the military convoy was going to Bannu in NWFP when it was hit by the bomb detonated by remote control.

Three militants, including a local Taliban 'commander', were killed in a bomb blast in the Sheikhan area of the Khwezai subdivision of Mohmand Agency. SFs, however, claimed that they had killed the three by targeting suspected hideouts with heavy weapons late on May 14-night. Official sources said that SFs targeted militants' positions in Spinki Tangi from a Frontier Corps post in Bhai Dag.

May 14: At least 60 Taliban militants and nine soldiers were killed during the ongoing military operation in Swat District. Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed 54 Taliban deaths in a daily briefing, and said the military was taking "extra-ordinary measures to avoid collateral damage". He said the army destroyed at least 15 Taliban hideouts in the Ramotai Loe area of Shangla District.

Nine militants were killed and 12 others arrested in a search operation carried out by the SFs in the Mulakhel area of Darra Adamkhel in NWFP, which was launched after the militants blew up a school in Akhorwal area. Sources said unidentified militants had planted explosive devices in the Government High School for Boys at Akhorwal, which went off at 5:00 am, destroying four rooms of the school. Consequently, SFs launched a search operation in the Mulakhel, Sanikhel, Akhorwal and Bustikhel areas, killing nine militants were killed and arresting 12 others.

May 14: SFs killed five militants in the North Waziristan Agency after a military convoy was targeted with an IED in the Pir Killay area, in which three soldiers were killed and four others sustained injuries. Sources said the SFs convoy was on its way to Bannu in NWFP from Miranshah when it was attacked with the IED, leaving three soldiers dead and four others injured. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the explosion. The troops retaliated by resorting to artillery shelling at the militants' positions from the Miranshah Tochi Fort, killing five militants.

May 13: 11 militants and four SF personnel were killed in clashes in the Swat District as troops dropped from the helicopters gained a toehold in Peuchar, the Taliban headquarters. In addition, five beheaded bodies were found in and around the Mingora city. Further, there were reports of 24 casualties, including 18 militants, in Lower Dir District. The Swat Media Centre (SMC) said 11 militants, including 'commander' Naseebur Rahman, were killed in the ongoing military operation against Maulana Fazlullah-led militants in Swat. The SMC said four soldiers were also killed and 12 others sustained injuries during operations in the last 24 hours. The military on May 12 said that SFs had suffered 29 casualties and inflicted 751 casualties in operations in Swat, Buner and Dir Lower.

Yahya Mustafa Kamran alias Hijrat, an Afghan national and Taliban commander based in the Jamrud sub-division of Khyber Agency, was killed along with four other militants in an encounter with the SF personnel near Peshawar, capital of NWFP, about three days ago. He had been arrested three months ago by Pakistani security agencies for leading a series of attacks on NATO supplies. He was associated with the Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP and was one of his loyal commanders. Baitullah had appointed him commander for the strategic Peshawar-Torkham Road, and tasked him to disrupt and destroy the NATO supply line to neighbouring Afghanistan.

May 12: Reports from Mingora and Peshawar quoting FC sources said the SFs killed 13 militants in the Torwarsak area of Buner District while there were reports about the killing of 37 Taliban militants in an assault in the Gulabad area of Dir Lower District and four others in Swat. Six bodies were found in parts of Swat Valley while a person was shot dead in Kanju. The SFs said four militants were killed in a clash triggered by Taliban's firing at Mamdherai. Further, six beheaded bodies of unidentified persons were recovered from Suhrab Khan Chowk, Peopleís Chowk, Rahimabad, Landikas and Green Chowk.

Fierce clashes between militants and the SFs were reported from Gulabad and Chakdara towns of Dir Lower. Sources said 37 militants were killed in an attack on Government Degree College Gulabad, which was occupied by militants. Sources said that 17 bodies were recovered from the building, damaged in clashes. One soldier was also reported to have been killed in the clashes. Nine militants, including a commander, were arrested in Chakdara and Gulabad.

12 people were killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan Agency near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Tribal sources said six, or possibly more, missiles were fired at three to four houses at Sunrai Zyara Leeta border village at 8 am. One of the houses was destroyed and others were damaged. An unnamed senior Government official claimed the targeted compounds were being used by local militants as a training and transit camp to launch attacks in Afghanistan. He conceded there was no Government presence in the area. He also had no information about the identity of those killed and injured.

May 11: SFs claimed to have killed 52 militants in the Swat District during the last 24 hours, while 31 persons, including three civilians, were killed in Lower Dir District. Three soldiers were also killed and 14 others wounded in Swat. In addition, seven bodies, including one of a prayer leader at a mosque, were found in different towns of Swat valley.

At least 11 people were killed and 13 others injured in a suicide attack on a camp of the FC in the Spina Thana area of Darra Adamkhel. The banned TTP, Darra Adamkhel chapter, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying more suicide attacks would be carried out if the military operation was not stopped in Swat and other parts of the country.

A Taliban commander close to Baitullah Mehsud was among six people found dead from various areas of South Waziristan - two months after the men went missing. The bullet-riddled body of commander Tikka Khan Burki - the Taliban chief for Salayrogha area in upper Kaniguram region - was found in Karwanmanza area of Ladah sub-division.

May 10: The SFs said they had killed up to 200 Taliban militants in 24 hours during the on-going operation in Swat even as they secured the Shangla top and important towns and ridges in the Dir and Buner Districts. Troops engaged the Taliban in their Peochar headquarters and at hideouts in Kanju, Mingora, Banai Baba, Namal, Qambar, Fizagath, Tiligram and Chamtalai, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in an update. The Inter-Services Public Relations claimed that 140-150 militants were killed in an attack on the Banai Baba training camp in Shangla and 50-60 militants were killed in different areas of Swat valley.

May 10: 26 Taliban militants were killed in a three-hour encounter that followed a Taliban attack on a FC camp in the Ambar valley of Mohmand Agency and 18 militants were killed when troops retaliated to an attack on their convoy in South Waziristan. In Mohmand, about 150 heavily armed militants launched a midnight attack on an FC camp in the Had area. Four FC soldiers were also injured during the ensuing encounter. In South Waziristan, the Taliban attacked a security convoy in Spin area south of Tanai. An officer, Captain Muneeb, also died in the attack.

May 9: Four missiles fired by a suspected US drone killed an unspecified number of Taliban militants at South Waziristan in FATA. Officials claimed that 10 Taliban militants had been killed, while a deputy Taliban commander said five were killed. However, tribesmen claimed they had counted 25 dead bodies.

SFs killed 55 Taliban militants in various areas of Swat, while 14 Taliban were killed in Lower Dir District after gunship helicopters targeted Maidan area. "We have hit certain militant positions in Mingora with helicopter gunships," said military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas. "The Taliban were harassing the civil population and intensely involved in various activities of looting and arson in the city of Mingora and, in an early morning attack, helicopters engaged militant hideouts and reportedly left 15 militants dead," Abbas added.

SFs also targeted suspected Taliban positions at Rama Kandhao ridge in Matta tehsil (revenue division) and destroyed the main headquarters of the Taliban there, a military statement added. "Reportedly, 30 to 40 militants have been killed," it added. Indiscriminate mortar fire by the Taliban militants in Mingora had caused civilian casualties, it said but no details were provided. A Taliban source confirmed heavy bombardment of the Taliban positions by jet planes and helicopters.

Five suspected terrorists were killed and a Policeman injured during an encounter at Baghbanan Road in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. According to a statement, Police arrested three suspected terrorists in the limits of Chamkani Police Station during a routine search. It said four more suspected terrorists ambushed the Police when the suspects were being shifted to a Police post. They killed the three suspects in Police custody, while two of the attackers were also killed in the encounter, the statement added. Three of the dead have been identified as Arab Shah, Abdul Akbar and Musarrat Shah, all residents of Afghanistan.

May 8: The SFs killed more than 140 Taliban militants as the military operation continued in the Swat valley. 13 of them were killed in a major gun battle at Matta Police station. Seven soldiers were also killed as the SFs took control of Khawazakhela and Chamtalai, ISPR Director General Maj Gen Athar Abbas said in a media briefing. He said military had launched a "full-scale operation" in Swat and the Taliban militants were on the run. He said the Taliban militants were trying to block an exodus of civilians through coercion, taking hostages, bombings and blocking roads with trees.

10 Taliban militants were killed in attacks in Takhtaband, Qambar Top and the house of a local lawyer. Another 10 were killed in an attack by helicopter gunship in Kabal. Five Taliban militants, including Commander Akbar Ali were killed in Kanju. 15 Taliban militants were killed in an attack on a Taliban compound in Maidan, General Abbas said, adding that they included two key commanders.

Four people were killed and several others injured when a rocket fired from an unidentified location hit an Afghan refugee camp in the Jangal Khel area of Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP. Four people, including two women and a child were killed when the rocket hit a house at the Afghan Refugee Camp number two. Three children were also seriously wounded.

May 7: Jet fighters and helicopter gunships targeted Taliban hideouts and centres in various parts of the Swat and Lower Dir Districts, killing 60 Taliban militants. "We have carried out air strikes on known centres of militants killing around 60 [Taliban] in Swat and Lower Dir," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told.

Five members of a local armed Lashkar (militia) were killed and six others injured when militants opened fire at them in the Siyalo Talab area of Hangu District. Sources said a person identified as Saifullah was abducted by the militants and armed villagers of Manjikhel tribe chased the kidnappers. An exchange of fire took place in Siyalo Talab area, leaving five men dead and six others injured. Sources said the clash between the militants and armed Lashkar continued for three hours in which four vehicles were also destroyed.

May 6: In a bid to recapture the Government buildings seized by the Taliban, SFs targeted militants’ strongholds with gunship helicopters and artillery, killing 60 militants. In the daylong fighting across the Swat District, 40 civilians and two FC soldiers were also killed.

22 militants were killed after the paramilitary forces raided Elahi village in the Buner District. "The FC conducted a raid in the village of Elahi, located west of Daggar, killing 22 militants," the FC said in a statement. "Reportedly, 50 militants were looting the villagers and on receiving this information, a force was sent to control them. After a stiff encounter, 22 militants were killed and the rest of them ran away," the FC stated. The death toll, however, could not be independently confirmed due to the ongoing military operation.

Suspected Baloch insurgents killed three SF personnel and injured three others when they attacked their van in the Thali area of Karmo Wadh town close to Sibi District.

May 5: During clashes between the SFs and militants in the Swat District, at least 18 persons, including three militants and two SF personnel, were killed and 20 others sustained injuries. Sources said clashes were going on in Mingora city, Khwazakhela, Barikot and Shamozai areas, while heavy shelling was witnessed in Qambar area. The shelling and firing continued overnight in which scores of houses were destroyed. Militants also attacked the DIG of Police’s office, Commissioner Office, Police station and museum in Saidu Sharif and captured the DIG office.

15 Taliban militants and two SF personnel were killed in a Taliban attack on the Spinki Tangi check-post in Mohmand Agency, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. It also said six of the troops had gone missing after the Taliban attacked the check-post around 3:30am. The SFs retaliated by targeting Taliban hideouts in the Baizai and Safi sub-divisions of Mohmand Agency. However, no casualties were reported.

Seven people, including two children and a Frontier Corps soldier, were killed and 48 others sustained injuries an explosives-laden car rammed into a pick-up near a check-post on the Bara road near Peshawar. The Bara Qadeem check-post was manned by the Police and Frontier Constabulary. Eyewitnesses said the car on a suicide mission was following a Frontier Corps pick-up from Bara and hit it when it slowed down near the check-post. The pick-up was carrying students to a school in Peshawar. The Senior Superintendent of Police Mian Ghulam Mohammad said no one had accepted responsibility for the blast. According to bomb disposal personnel, the explosives weighed about 85 kilograms. The blast also reportedly caused a deep crater in the middle of the road and damaged dozens of houses and shops.

May 3: Brigadier Fayyaz Mehmood Qamar, who is in-charge of military operations in the Buner District of NWFP, said the operations will be completed within a week. Briefing the media in District headquarters Daggar, he said SFs killed 27 suicide attackers, bringing the death toll of militants to 80. Three SF personnel were also killed in the operation, he added.

April 2: Taliban militants attacked a security post in the Mohmand Agency of FATA, triggering a battle that left 16 Taliban militants and two soldiers dead. About 100 Taliban militants attacked the Spinal Tangi post before dawn, the army said in a statement. "Sixteen militants were killed in retaliatory fire. Two security forces personnel embraced shahadat (martyrdom)," it added. Three troops were also wounded.

Five Taliban militants, including two key commanders, were killed in fighting with the SFs in the Charbagh tehsil ((revenue division) of Swat District in NWFP. Sources said the troops also seized a car prepared for a suicide attack and arrested three armed Taliban militants.

May 1: SFs have killed approximately 60 Taliban militants in the Buner District of NWFP over the last 24 hours as helicopter gunships continued shelling suspected hideouts, with almost 400 militants putting up a fierce resistance to the military operations. According to the ISPR spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas, "Nearly 55 to 60 Taliban have been killed over the last 24 hours in the Buner operation." He informed the media that two Frontier Corps personnel had also been killed and eight injured in the operation, which entered its fourth day on May 1. Abbas said the troops were killed when a suicide bomber blew up a booby-trapped house.

April 30: The ISPR Director-General Major General Athar Abbas said that 24 militants had been killed so far in the military operation in Buner and SFs had cleared the District headquarters Daggar of the militants. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said due to the successful operation, launched jointly by the FC and Pakistan Army, life was returning to normalcy in Lower Dir. He also said the number of casualties might increase in Buner and Lower Dir. Abbas added that the militants were still holding positions at Sultanwas and Pir Baba.

April 29: Troops took control of the main Daggar town, headquarters of the Buner District after being dropped by helicopter behind Taliban lines, killing over 50 Taliban militants in two days of fighting, the military said. Troops were operating on three axis – Ambaila, Malandar and Karakar – military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told reporters in Rawalpindi. "Two high-value targets — Maulvi Shahid and Qari Quresh — are among the 50 militants killed so far in Buner when gunship helicopters targeted militants’ positions during the operation launched on Tuesday afternoon," Abbas stated.

At least six people were killed and two injured when two missiles were fired by a suspected US drone at Kani Garam village in South Waziristan. "Six people were killed when a moving vehicle was hit by one [of the] missiles fired by a US spy plane," tribesmen told. They said that all of those killed were locals. Four people had also been injured in the strike. A local administration official and intelligence officials confirmed the missile strike.

Four militants were killed and two others sustained injuries in artillery shelling by the SFs in the Khwaizai Baizai area of Mohmand Agency in FATA. SFs are reported to have targeted suspected locations of the militants in different areas early in the morning, killing four militants and wounding two others. The troops also seized a pickup truck in the area and recovered rockets, mortar shells and explosives.

Three children were killed and their mother injured when they stepped on a landmine at a village near the border of Dera Bugti District. Police said the landmine had been planted in Goth Metha Bugti in the Sobatpur area. A Police officer said the woman and her children were on their way to a dispensary.

April 28: The Inter-Services Public Relations Director General, Major General Athar Abbas, told a news conference in Rawalpindi that the military operation in Lower Dir, which started on April 26, had been completed. "The operation in Dir has successfully been completed, during which 70 to 75 militants were killed," he said. Ten personnel of the Security Forces were also killed during the operation. He said over 300 militants had started entering Lower Dir on April 2 and 3. Despite warning from the Government officials, they did not stop their unlawful activities, he added. "They were involved in kidnapping for ransom, killing police and other security officials and other unlawful acts," he said. He also said no foreign militant was found during the Dir operation.

April 27: Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers killed 26 Taliban militants, including some important commanders, as Operation Toar Tander-I (Black Thunderstorm-I) continued in the Maidan area of Lower Dir District of NWFP for the second day. "Forty (Taliban), including commanders Maulana Shahid and Qari Quraish, have been killed in the last two days of operation," the FC said in a press statement. Officials said SFs were gaining ground against the Taliban and their hideouts in Kalkot, Islam Dara and Hoshyari Dara were targeted. "After a stiff encounter with the [Taliban], the Frontier Corps soldiers regained control of Lal Qila and flushed them out from Maidan valley," the FC statement added. Paramilitary troops and helicopter gunships bombed suspected Taliban bases during the operation, an unnamed military official told. "Eight security officials were also killed in two days of operation," another military official said. The operation was launched on April 26 after the Taliban militants attacked SFs and Government officials and closed roads for the movement of government and FC convoys. A day earlier, at least 11 schoolchildren were killed by toy bomb.

April 26: At least 26 Taliban militants, including an important commander, and a trooper were killed after Security Forces launched an operation in the Maidan area of Lower Dir. "At least 26 bodies of Taliban were found from Lal Qila. The FC [Frontier Corps] has taken control of Lal Qila," said the SFs, after the Government decided to establish the writ of the state in areas bordering Swat. An Inter-Services Public Relations statement said, "On the request of the provincial government and the people of Dir, the Frontier Corps launched the operation early on Sunday against suspected Taliban positions in Islampura and Lal Qila in Lower Dir. An exchange of fire took place in Kala Dag and scores of Taliban were killed." It said that a soldier was also killed and four others were injured.

April 25: Five militants and a FC soldier were killed in an alleged armed clash and a landmine explosion in the Dera Bugti area of Balochistan. A spokesman for the Baloch Republican Army, Sirbaz Baloch, claimed that five militants had been killed while SFs lost 19 troopers. He said 25 others were injured in clashes and the landmine explosion. Officials, however, said that no armed clash occurred between the SFs and militants in the area. They said that six soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in the Marvi area. "An FC vehicle was blown up in the landmine blast," officials said. According to reports from provincial capital Quetta, soldier Mohammad Arif who was wounded in the blast died of his injuries late in the evening.

12 children were killed and four others injured when girls of a local primary school in the in the Luquman Banda area of Lower Dir District in NWFP had found the toy bomb and were playing with it when it exploded. The dead girls were aged between four and 12 years. Seven of the 12 dead children were from the same family. A woman and three children were injured.

April 23: 46 militants have been killed and 26 injured in the four-day military operation in the Orakzai Agency, tribal and official sources said. The sources said jet fighters and gunship helicopters targeted the militants' hideouts in Balozai area of the Kalaya Tehsil (revenue division) at 2:00 pm, killing five militants and a civilian. A number of hideouts and bunkers of the militants were reportedly destroyed on Shawazar mountain. Several Government and private installations were also damaged during the shelling by the jet fighters and gunship helicopters on April 22.

The Inter-Services Public Relations media cell said the SFs had killed 11 militants in the Orakzai Agency after striking militants' hideouts in the Chapri, Ferozkhel, Khwajakhizar and Bizoti areas. It further said that the SFs in operations on April 21 and 22 killed 27 militants in Ghiljo Tehsil.

Nine members of a family, including two women and seven children, were killed when a house in the Storikhel area of Khyber Agency was allegedly attacked by jet fighters and gunship helicopters. Sources said jet fighters and gunship helicopters, which were busy in the operations against militants in the neighbouring Orakzai Agency, fired two missiles at a house owned by Gul Zarin, Shah Zarin and Niaz Amin in Storikhel, killing two women and seven children.

The SFs claimed to have killed eight militants and destroyed their ammunition depot during operation in different parts of the Kohat region. SFs said that they launched a major operation against militants in the Jammu, Jawaki, and Bulai Khand areas and helicopter gunships killed eight militants during shelling in the mountains of Darra Adamkhel. In addition, the ground troops and helicopters targeted a huge ammunition storage facility of militants in Bulai Khand.

April 20: A two-day-old ceasefire in South Waziristan collapsed as the Taliban attacked bases of SFs hours after a drone attack targeted suspected Taliban hideouts. Three persons, including a woman and a child, were also killed in crossfire between the Taliban and SFs, said locals. The Taliban attacked at least four security check-posts. The SFs also reportedly shelled and launched air strikes against Taliban positions in Wana, killing eight suspected Taliban militants, said officials.

Helicopter gunships and jets targeted Taliban positions in the Orakzai Agency, killing at least 11 militants and injuring five others. The military operation against militants has reportedly been expanded to the Mamozai, Maidan, Jabba, Samma and Buda Khel areas. SFs launched operations on April 19 after the TTP claimed responsibility for the April 18 suicide attack in Doaba in which at least 23 soldiers and five civilians were killed. The SFs are reported to have missed an important target, the house of local TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, during the air raid in Dabori.

April 19: Fighter planes and gunship helicopters targeted suspected hideouts of militants in different areas of the Orakzai Agency, killing 16 militants, while 10 others, including a soldier and two teachers, sustained injuries. Sources told that the militants had occupied a rest house, a women’s community centre, the Government Primary School in Ghiljo sub-division and the Government High School in Dabori area. The militants had been using these places as their bases, which came under severe air attack by the Pakistan Air Force fighter planes and gunship helicopters. Suspected hideouts of militants in the Khadizai and Mamuzai areas of Ghiljo were also heavily bombed. Security Forces claimed that 16 militants were killed in the daylong shelling, while eight persons, including a soldier, two teachers and some civilians, sustained injuries.

Eight persons were killed and two others sustained injuries when a suspected US spy plane fired missiles at two houses in the Ziyari Noor area near Rustam Adda in South Waziristan Agency. Sources said the US drones continued hovering over the area for hours and one of them fired missiles at the houses of Daim Khan Wazir and Wali Khan Wazir at 10:00 am, leaving eight civilians dead and two others injured. The houses were completely destroyed in the attack and three vehicles parked inside were also damaged.

April 18: At least 27 SF personnel were killed and 55 others injured in a suicide attack on a security check post in the Doaba area of Hangu District in NWFP, hospital sources said. Locals told that the attack on the checkpoint, about 45 kilometres southwest of Hangu, took place at around 4:15pm (PST) when SF personnel were visiting the area for the inspection. Two Police vehicles were passing by the check post when the suicide bomber driving a double-cabin pickup rammed the vehicle into the structure, they said. The explosion destroyed the check post, adjacent building housing troops and Police, and eight SF’s vehicles.

Four people were killed in a remote-controlled bomb blast in the Tirah Shalobar area of Bara tehsil (revenue division) of Khyber Agency in FATA. Sources in the area told that the dead included Sadiq – a shura (executive council) member of militant outfit Ansarul Islam (AI) – and an aide. The men were on their way to Tirah Larbagh when the explosive device – planted on the side of the road – went off. The men were injured by the explosion and died later.

April 15: At least 18 persons, including nine Policemen, were killed and five others injured when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Harichand Police Post in Charsadda District. The NWFP Inspector General of Police, Malik Naveed, said Police wanted to stop the suicide bomber’s speeding car and fired at it, but it had reached close to them by the time the explosives went off. The blast also left a crater about three metres wide, damaged windows in nearby buildings and severed power cables, plunging the area into darkness.

April 13: Three Taliban militants from the Mullah Nazir group were killed in clashes with SFs in South Waziristan- marking the first intense clashes with the group since April 2007. The political administration said that Taliban attacked two security check posts in different areas of Wana with rockets and other weapons - injuring one trooper deployed at the Dargai post. The SFs retaliated using mortars and artillery shells, killing three of the attackers.

April 8: Four suspected militants were killed and five others injured in a drone attack in the Gangikhel village of South Waziristan Agency (SWA). The village is located 10 kilometers south of Wana, headquarters of the SWA, locals said. An unnamed senior official said the drone fired two missiles at a vehicle parked by the Taliban in the village graveyard. The official also said the Taliban had fitted heavy weapons on the vehicle to target the CIA-operated spy plane which, he said, was seen hovering over Wana and the adjoining villages at an extremely low altitude. Militant sources confirmed the killing of their four colleagues in the attack. They said three among the slain militants belonged to the Punjab and one was affiliated to a group of pro-government militant commander Maulvi Nazeer.

April 7: 21 people, including 16 Taliban militants, were killed in an overnight clash when local volunteers and Police personnel tried to enter the Gokand Valley to flush out militants who had infiltrated into Buner area of NWFP on April 4 from the neighbouring Swat District. Three Policemen and two Lashkar (militia) volunteers were among the dead. When the combined force attempted to enter the area via Rajagaly Kandow from the Pir Baba side and dislodge the militants, Taliban militants took position and reportedly refused to go back. Sources said that the militants had sent 16 bodies and taken 13 of their wounded colleagues to Swat via Kalil Kandow.

April 5: A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of an Imambargah (Shia place of worship) at Chakwal in Punjab province, killing 24 people, including three children, and injuring 140 others, at a religious gathering. The target was the gathering of about 800 people, who were attending a Majlis-e-Aza (a gathering to mourn Imam Hussain) at an Imambargah in Muhallah Sarpak. The Majlis ended at 12:15 pm and the people were preparing to leave the Imambargah when a 15-year old boy, who looked to be an Afghan, stormed into the crowd and blew himself up after private security guards tried to stop him. The Inspector General of Police Shaukat Javed confirmed that the suicide attacker was a single person and said the incident was the continuity of the recent wave of terrorist attacks. He also said the suicide bomber appeared to be a 15-year-old boy whose legs and head, with damage to the face, had been found at the blast site.

Troops backed by helicopter gunships and jets killed at least 18 Taliban militants in the Mohmand Agency. The strikes launched continued overnight. "At least 18 Taliban were killed and 20 others wounded in a full-fledged military operation in Mohmand," an unnamed security official told. The militant death toll could not be confirmed independently as the area is sealed off under military operations. "We have also arrested two suspected militants and recovered five paramilitary soldiers who had been kidnapped by militants few days ago," the official said. The official added that troops had taken a compound used by the Taliban as their centre, forcing them to flee the area, and had also occupied the key heights on the hills ringing Anbar village.

Six FC personnel were killed in a remote-controlled bomb attack targeting a Security Forces convoy in the Sohbatpur area of Quetta, capital of Balochistan. According to a private TV channel, a man who claimed to be a spokesman for the Baloch Republican Army phoned various media organisations and claimed responsibility for the attack.

April 4: Eight Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel were killed, and seven others injured, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at an FC check post on the Margala Road in national capital Islamabad. The blast, which took place at 7:35pm, was followed by an exchange of fire between FC personnel and unidentified accomplices of the suicide attacker. The crossfire continued for around 20 minutes, an eyewitness told. However, Police denied any exchange of fire, saying security officials had been firing in the air to scare away other attackers.

Seven civilians, including two schoolchildren, and a soldier were killed when a suicide attacker blew up his explosives-laden vehicle after being intercepted near a security check post and an approaching military convoy at Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency. "Five private cars were also damaged in the suicide attack. Security forces opened fire in all directions, pre-empting a possible follow-up attack by the insurgents," said a doctor at the nearby state-run hospital. 12 schoolchildren and six soldiers were among 39 persons injured in the suicide attack.

A suspected US drone fired two missiles on an alleged Taliban hideout in the North Waziristan Agency, killing 13 people. Unnamed security officials told that the dead and injured included local and foreign Taliban militants, but could not ascertain the information. The officials said the family of the man who owned the attacked house was also killed. "The missile hit a house where some guests were staying," one intelligence agency official told. Officials use the word 'guests' for foreigners linked to al Qaeda and Taliban militants. A local tribal elder, Dilawar Khan, told Associated Press that the house was in the Data Khel village very close to the Afghan border. He did not know the identities of the people killed or whether there were Taliban militants staying there.

April 2: A would-be suicide bomber shot himself dead before hitting his target i.e. the funeral prayers for slain Police official Fateh Rehman in the Haryan Kot area of Dargai sub-division in NWFP. Five Police personnel, including Station House Officer Fateh Rehman, were killed in a rocket and rifle attack on a Police mobile van by militants near Jitkot village in Upper Dir District on April 1. Sources said the bomber abandoned a bag full of explosives and his suicide vest and hurled two hand-grenades at the people before fleeing. However, the hand-grenades did not explode and he shot himself on the spot with a pistol. The villagers found a national identity card with the body identifying him as Irshadul Haq, son of Niaz Muhammad, of Targhao area in Bajaur Agency.

April 1: Three minors and two women were among the 12 people who died in the first-ever US drone attack in Orakzai Agency. Sources told that an unmanned CIA-operated spy plane fired two Hellfire missiles on the two-storey house of a militant commander Maulvi Gul Nazeer alias Gul Mulla, in Khadeezai village, about 35 kilometers northwest of Ghiljo, Tehsil (revenue division) headquarters of the Orakzai Agency. They said the drone first fired one missile and fired another after an interval. The attack was the first of its kind in Orakzai Agency, the only tribal region out of the total seven regions of the FATA, which does not share its border with Afghanistan. Reports said the dead included four Arabs, one of them known as Kaka, reportedly a senior al Qaeda operative. The victims included two women and three children, including the wife of Gul Nazeer, his daughter-in-law, his two sons and a nephew. The children were identified as Abdullah, Abdul Latif and Mohammad Shoaib. Maulvi Gul Nazeer survived the attack.

April 1: Militants ambushed a Police mobile van on the Dir-Kohistan Road in Upper Dir District, killing five Police officials, including a Station House Officer and an Assistant Sub-inspector, and injuring two others. Area residents and officials said the militants fired two rockets at the van in Jitkot village in the jurisdiction of Sheringal Police station, setting the vehicle on fire. After the rocket attack, the militants, whose strength could not be ascertained, opened fire on the van. The rocket and rifle attack killed five Police officials, including two senior officers.

March 30: Eight Police recruits and a civilian were killed when a group of 10 terrorists attacked the Police Training Centre in Manawan near Lahore with guns and grenades. SFs regained control of the facility in an operation that lasted for more than eight hours. About 93 cadets and civilians were injured. One of the attackers was arrested, another was able to flee after being hit by a bullet and three blew themselves up to avoid arrest, Punjab Police Inspector General Khawaja Khalid Farooq said. He believed the other attackers might have fled unhurt in the densely populated neighbourhood.

Seven persons, including five Army soldiers, were killed and nine others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a military convoy near a filling station on the Bannu-Miranshah Road. The dead also included an Assistant Engineer of Radio Pakistan Razmak station, Basharat Afridi, and a lady travelling in a passenger coach. However, military spokesman and ISPR Director-General Major General Athar Abbas said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device planted in a roadside car.

March 28: SFs backed by helicopter gun ships killed 26 Taliban militants in the Mohmand Agency of FATA. An official statement issued by the Frontier Corps, NWFP headquarters, said the SFs pounded Taliban hideouts during a search operation in the Saapri area of Yakaghund tehsil (revenue division), killing 26 Taliban, adding that the forces had secured the area around Saapri. However, local sources said 18 Taliban militants were killed in the operation.

March 27: 83 persons, including 16 Security Force personnel, were killed and over 100 injured in a suicide attack on a mosque at Peshawar-Torkham Highway in the Jamrud sub-division of Khyber Agency in FATA during the Friday congregation. The huge explosion reduced the single-storey roadside mosque to rubble. Witnesses said they heard a huge explosion just as the Imam (prayer leader) concluded his Friday sermon and the people stood up for the Friday prayer. The dead included the prayer leader, his brother, four personnel of the Frontier Corps and 12 Khassadars (tribal police). The others were tribesmen belonging to the nearby villages, Pakistani and Afghan civilians traveling between Peshawar and Torkham, and drivers and conductors of trucks carrying goods to neighbouring Afghanistan.

March 26: 12 persons, including a woman, were killed and 22 others sustained injuries when a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up outside a crowded restaurant in the Jandola bazaar of Tank District in NWFP. A pro-government group of Bhittani tribesmen, led by Haji Turkistan, is believed to have been the target of the suicide attacker. Eyewitnesses told from Jandola - the gateway to South Waziristan - that a young boy blew himself up outside the crowded restaurant in the bazaar. The bazaar is located in front of heavily guarded British-era fort, currently inhabited by the Frontier Corps and the Army. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

March 26: Three Sunnis were killed in an apparent sectarian attack in Dera Ismail Khan. Motorcycle-borne gunmen opened indiscriminate gunfire on a medical store, killing its owner and two relatives. Three other men were injured, an unnamed Police official said, adding that the victims were from the Sunni community. "The killings were linked to sectarian violence," he added.

March 25: Seven militants, believed to be Arab nationals, were killed and three others injured when two vehicles they were traveling in, came under attack from the US drones near Makeen area of South Waziristan Agency (SWA). Sources close to the militants in the area told by telephone that the two vehicles had just left the Makeen bazaar to drop the men at their homes in Malik Shahi village of the SWA when they came under attack from the CIA-operated drone. Makeen town is on the border with Razmak sub-division of the North Waziristan Agency. The area is in control of tribal militants affiliated with Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the banned TTP.

March 19: The SFs in Landikotal sub-division of Khyber Agency clashed with the Taliban militants after they attacked an army camp using short-range missiles and mortars. 15 people were reportedly killed in the missile attack. The assailants targeted the military facility near the Landikotal bazaar from their hideouts in the mountains. One of the rockets missed the target and hit a warehouse close to the bazaar, killing 15 men who used to work at the warehouse and had also been using it as a makeshift residence.

March 18: Four Policemen and a Malakand University security guard were killed and three others were injured in a gunfight with militants on the premises of the campus. The Taliban later ‘arrested’ 14 militants involved in the incident in a search operation.

March 17: Four militants were killed when SFs targeted the suspected hideouts of militants with gunship helicopters in different areas of the Mohmand Agency in FATA. Reports from the agency said that four militants were killed as gunship helicopters targeted positions of militants in the Had Kor area of Ambar sub-division and Dwezai area of Pandyalai sub-division. Three vehicles were also destroyed in the attack.

March 16: 15 people were killed and 25 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a busy bus stand at Pirwadhai in Rawalpindi. Sources quoting investigators said the original target of the bomber could have been the participants of the ‘long march’, of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif which was scheduled to pass through the area. Regional Police Officer Nasir Durrani, however, told the media that it would be premature to decide whether the bomber’s original target was the ‘long march’. "The suicide bomber blew himself up on a motorbike outside a restaurant, which was set up close to the cab stand," said Durrani.

March 15: Intelligence officials said that two missiles fired by suspected United States drone planes killed five people at Chota Janikhel village in the Bannu District of NWFP. The officials said the dead included two Arabs and three other people. The missiles struck a house at around 10:30pm.

March 13: The number of those killed in a suspected US missile strike in Kurram Agency increased to 24. Two missiles fired by an unmanned drone destroyed an alleged Taliban training camp in Kurram, said officials. "We have handed over 24 bodies after cleaning and wrapping them in cloth," said Saidur Rehman, an official of the local charity Al-Khidmat Foundation.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three pro-government tribesmen in the Bajaur Agency. The slain tribesmen had been kidnapped from the Hilalkhel village of Chaharmang sub-division three days earlier. Residents said that the three headless bodies had been dumped in a deserted place. The victims were pro-government tribesmen, who were involved in organising a militia against militants in the area.

March 12: SFs backed by helicopter gunships killed 18 Taliban militants and injured three others in the Gurgurai, Supri and Mulla Ghani Baba areas of Yakka Ghund sub-division in the Mohmand Agency.

A suspected US missile strike destroyed a Taliban training camp in Kurram Agency, killing at least 15 Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists, as well as injuring another 50, security officials said. "Fifteen militants were killed and 50 wounded," a senior security official told. No high-value targets were believed to have died, the unnamed official added. Another security official said most of the dead were Afghan Taliban militants. "The training centre was run by local Taliban commander Fazal Saeed and training was underway at the time of the strike," the official added.

March 11: The NWFP Senior Minister and Awami National Party leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour survived an assassination attempt that left six persons, including two suspected suicide attackers, dead in Namak Mandi in the provincial capital Peshawar. Four persons, including a young girl, were wounded in the firing, grenade attack and suicide blast. "Bilour and others were coming back after opening a road project when a young man, followed by another, rushed towards him while loudly reciting Allaho Akbar. A security official pushed the attacker back after explosives around his vest did not go off despite his repeated attempts," said an eyewitness. A nearby shopkeeper said the attacker fell on the ground after which one of them lobbed a grenade at the crowd. Police, he added, also opened fire. A vendor, Tehmash, was killed while constable Himayatullah, a trader, Khalilur Rahman, and a six-year-old were injured in the incident. Even as the attackers managed to flee the Security Force personnel continued to chase them until the attackers forced their entry into the house of an auto-mechanic located around 500 meters from the earlier spot. Police besieged the house and "As the terrorists failed to find any way out, they triggered the explosives around the vest of one of them, killing the two attackers and three members of the family that owned the house," a Police official said.

March 10: SFs backed by helicopter gunships killed at least 35 Taliban militants during a two-day operation in Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP, Inter-Services Public Relations sources said. The SFs targeted the militants in Buland, Mirali and Torchena areas. Three SF personnel were reportedly wounded in the operation, the sources said, adding that several Taliban hideouts had been destroyed.

March 8: At least 15 Taliban militants and 14 soldiers were killed during clashes between Taliban and SFs at Aisha Corona and Banglo areas of the Mohmand Agency. Bodies of seven SF personnel were recovered from Aisha Corona. The Taliban had reportedly killed several soldiers after ambushing their convoy in the Banglo area and abducted others. Bodies of some of the abducted troops were recovered from Aisha Corona. The sources said other soldiers were still in Taliban’s custody.

March 7: Eight persons, including five Policemen, two Frontier Corps personnel, and a civilian, were killed in a remote-controlled car bombing at Mashugagr village in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. Some villagers also sustained minor injuries. Muhammad Wali, a villager, said the car was unlocked and the villagers had found the body of an old man in it. "The blast occurred when police officials walked towards the vehicle," he said. Security officials said about 40 kilogrammes of explosives were packed in the vehicle. They said it was likely that the militants who had blown up the shrine of Sufi poet Rehman Baba were involved.

Five persons were killed and eight others injured when a shop in the remote Tirah area of Khyber Agency in the FATA was bombed. The sources said that five cadres of the banned Ansarul Islam (AI) outfit were killed. An AI spokesman blamed rival militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Islam, for the bomb blast.

March 3: Sri Lankan cricketers narrowly escaped a terrorist attack when terrorists ambushed the bus carrying them to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day’s play of the second Test. At least seven persons - six policemen escorting the Sri Lankans and the driver of another van in the convoy - were killed and 20 others wounded in the attack near the Liberty roundabout, 500 metres from the stadium. Seven Sri Lankan players were among the wounded. Two of them - Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavithana - were hospitalised for a few hours with bullet injuries. Doctors later reported they were out of danger. The other injured players were skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilina Thushara and Suranga Lokumal. All of them escaped with minor injuries. A British coach, Paul Farbrace, and a Pakistani umpire, Ahsan Raza, were also injured in the attack.

Five Shias were killed in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, when unidentified assailants attacked members of a family in the city - taking the death toll from sectarian attacks in a single week to 12. According to Police, the assailants ambushed a van carrying the Shia family on the eastern bypass of Quetta – killing five people on the spot. The slain civilians were returning to Quetta from the Mach area when they were targeted. "It is a target killing," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Wazir Khan Nasar said. Although no group claimed responsibility for the incident, the killings are reported to be part of a series of sectarian attacks that started in Quetta a couple of months ago. The banned Sunni terrorist group, LeJ, has accepted responsibility for most of the recent attacks.

Four unidentified bodies presumed to be of foreign militants were recovered in the Babu Khwar Muslimabad area of Nowshera. The Cantonment Police inspector Shakeel Khan told the media that all of them had been shot dead and the bullet shells were recovered from the spot. However, there was no sign of blood near the place where the bodies were abandoned, he added. Police in the initial investigation maintained that the deceased were killed at least 72 hours before their bodies were retrieved. About the identity of the deceased, the Police said two of them seemed to be Uzbeks or Tajiks while the remaining two were said to be Afghan nationals having long locks and beards. They were said to be 25 to 30-year-old. However, the reason behind their killing was yet to be ascertained.

March 2: Six people were killed and several others, mostly students, sustained injuries in a suicide attack on a madrassa (seminary) in Kili Karbala in the Pishin District of balochistan. The Jamaat-Ulema-i-Islam (Fazlur Rehman faction JUI-F) provincial chief Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani, the Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha and provincial ministers belonging to the party were attending a ceremony at the seminary when a 15-year-old boy blew himself up in front of the stage. However, all the JUI-F leadership escaped unhurt. District Police Officer Akbar Raisani confirmed the incident saying that the blast had occurred at a girls’ madrassa in Kili Karbala, where Shirani was scheduled to address the school’s convocation. According to eyewitnesses, two men had come to the seminary for the bombing but one of them escaped immediately after the first explosion.

March 1: Two missiles, fired by a US spy plane, killed 12 people and injured three others in the South Waziristan Agency. Sources said two missiles were fired by a drone at around 4:00 pm (PST) that hit a house in Ganra Haibatkhel village of Sararogha sub-division, a stronghold of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The house was destroyed in the attack, leaving 12 people dead and three injured. The compound had underground bunkers and was in the area controlled by Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud's tribe, an unnamed official said. "It was a Taliban sanctuary," he said. Citing field informants, other intelligence officials told the Associated Press the compound was a training facility. At least four of the dead were foreigners, they said. This was the fourth missile strike by unmanned US aircraft since President Barack Obama came to power.

SFs killed seven militants in an encounter in the Ghurzandi area of Lachi sub-division in Kohat District in NWFP. Sources said SFs cordoned off the Ghurzandi, Hoti Banda and Chashmi Miangan areas in an attempt to arrest the militants, who were allegedly involved in incidents of kidnapping for ransom and murder. The militants allegedly opened fire on the troops, injuring a soldier identified as Irfan Sajjad. In retaliatory action by the SFs, seven militants were killed and five others wounded. The troops also reportedly freed four persons, who had been kidnapped by the militants a few days back.

February 24: A Shia trader and three of his sons were shot dead in an apparent sectarian attack in Quetta, capital of Balochistan. Ghulab Shah, a hardware trader of Afghan origin, was returning home with his six sons at about 8pm when four gunmen ambushed his car on the high-security Sariab Road. Shah and three of his sons died instantly, while two of them were injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

February 22: Four militants were killed and three others sustained injuries in the ongoing military operation in different areas of Khar and Mamond sub-divisions of the Bajaur Agency. Sources said SFs shelled suspected hideouts of militants in the Inayat Kellay, Bad-e-Samor, Bhai Cheena and Shinkot areas of Khar sub-division and some areas of Mamond subdivision with gunship helicopters, artillery and mortar guns. At least four militants were killed and three others injured in the latest military action, the sources said.

February 21: Eight suspected Taliban militants were killed in firing by helicopter gunships and artillery shelling by the SFs in the Bajaur Agency of FATA.

February 20: 32 persons were killed and 145 others injured when a suicide bomber exploded himself in the funeral procession of a slain employee of the Tehsil Municipal Administration near the busy Shubra Square in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP. Sources said the funeral procession of local Shia community leader Sher Zaman alias Shera, who was killed in firing by unidentified persons on February 19, was heading towards Kotly Imam Hussain for his Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayer) and burial when a suicide bomber ran into the mourners and blew himself up.

SFs fired mortar shells at suspected hideouts of the Taliban in various areas of the Mamoond and Khar sub-divisions of Bajaur Agency, killing four Taliban militants, including a commander, and injured several others.

February 19: 14 militants were killed and several others injured when SFs shelled suspected hideouts of militants in different areas of the Bajaur Agency. Official sources said that SFs targeted hideouts of militants in the Inayat Killay, Bhai Cheena and Shinkot areas of Khar sub-division with gunship helicopters and artillery.

February 18: SFs claimed killing nine Taliban militants by bombing their suspected hideouts in the Mamoond sub-division of Bajaur Agency.

February 17: SFs killed six Taliban militants during their ongoing operation to target suspected hideouts in Bajaur Agency. "Six militants were killed and scores injured during shelling by gunship helicopters in Inayat Qilay, Bhaicheena and Umerey areas in Mamoond tehsil," an unnamed official said.

Five people were killed and 17 injured in a car bomb blast outside the Hujra (male guest house) of the union council chief in Bazidkhel village of Peshawar. Faheemur Rahman, the union council chief of Bazidkhel, eight kilometres south of Peshawar on Kohat Road, alleged that the Mangal Bagh-led LI was involved in this "cheap act" of terrorism. Eyewitnesses said the blast occurred in a car parked on a street near the Hujra of Rahman. The blast also destroyed two cars and damaged six buildings.

February 16: At least 30 suspected militants were killed and three others sustained injuries in a missile strike on a refugee camp in the Kurram Agency. The three missiles believed to have been fired from a US unmanned aircraft destroyed a house used by a local Taliban commander. It was the first known drone strike in Kurram. An unnamed intelligence official said field informants reported that Taliban showed up at the village bazaar and ordered 30 caskets. However, political authorities have only confirmed 18 deaths from four missiles fired by two unmanned aircraft, while the local Taliban have claimed a death toll of 12. "Afghan Taliban were holding an important meeting there when the missiles were fired," an intelligence official in the area told Reuters.

SFs killed five militants and injured several others during shelling by jetfighters in various parts of the Bajaur Agency. Five suspected militants were killed and several others injured when jetfighters of the Pakistan Air Force targeted hideouts in the Khar and Mamond sub-divisions. Several underground bunkers of the militants were also destroyed in the attack.

February 15: Eight persons, including six Taliban militants, were killed and four injured during an operation launched by the SFs in the Mamond sub-division of Bajaur Agency. The SFs bombed the Taliban hideouts with jet fighters and destroyed several hideouts during the operation.

Four members of a family, including a minor, were killed in the Swat District of NWFP. Sources said a shell fired by the SFs hit a house in the Hazara area of Kabal sub-division, killing four members and wounding 10 others of a family.

February 13: Three civilians, Taj Muhammad, Malik Zada and Gul Rahman, were killed and an unidentified person was wounded during shelling by the SFs in Swat.

February 12: SFs claimed to have killed four militants during a clash following an attack on a check-post in the Shandai Mor area of Bajaur Agency. Military sources said the militants attacked the check-post with rocket launchers and other heavy weapons. The SFs deployed at the check-post repulsed the attack and the ensuing clashes between Taliban militants and troops left four militants dead.

February 11: Five suspected militants and a soldier were killed and several persons sustained injuries in clashes and bombing by the Pakistan Air Force fighter planes in Bajaur Agency. Military sources said warplanes targeted positions of militants in Inayat Killay, Bhai Cheena and Mamond subdivision, a stronghold of the militants led by TTP deputy chief Maulvi Faqir Muhammad.

Three soldiers were killed and several others were injured during clashes between SFs and militants in the Charbagh area of Swat District. Sources said the militants besieged and attacked a SFs' camp in Darul Uloom Charbagh with heavy weaponry. The attack triggered a fierce gun-battle between the troops and militants. Militants claimed that three SF personnel were killed and several others sustained injuries in the encounter while the camp building was also damaged. The adjacent houses and shops were also reportedly damaged in the attack. The militants' sources claimed that they had inflicted heavy losses on SFs in Charbagh, but the Swat-based spokesman for the military rebutted the claim.

February 10: SFs backed by helicopter gunships, killed 11 Taliban militants and destroyed many of their hideouts in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The operation was launched on February 9 in the Inayat Qillay town, a suspected stronghold of the Taliban and al Qaeda-linked terrorists, after a rocket attack by the militants, military official Mustaqim Shah told. The rocket attack destroyed a shop but caused no casualties, he said. "Troops backed by helicopters retaliated with artillery and mortar fire, and destroyed several suspected locations. At least seven militants were killed," the official said. In addition, four militants were killed in an encounter with the SFs in Inayat Qilay town.

February 9: 26 persons, including 11 children and a soldier, were killed while 38 others sustained injuries when mortar shells hit some houses during ongoing clashes between SFs and militants in the Qasimkhel area of Darra Adamkhel in NWFP. Sources said militants fired three rockets at the Babozai check-post, killing a soldier, Mirdad, and injuring two others. SFs also retaliated and an exchange of fire continued for sometime, during which heavy weapons were reportedly used. Reports said several shells fell at the main gate of the Government Girls Primary School Qasimkhel and nearby houses on the outskirts of Darra Adamkhel.

10 people were killed while an unspecified number of them were wounded during clashes between two rival religious groups in the Terra valley of Khyber Agency. The groups, Ansar-ul-Islam and Lashkar-e-Islam, were reportedly using mortar guns, small missiles, rockets and other arms in the clashes.

Nine persons, including five militants, were killed and 11 others sustained injuries in artillery shelling and incidents of violence in the Swat District. Sources told that five militants and two civilians were killed and five others sustained injuries when gunship helicopters shelled the Engaro Dherai, Takhta Band and Ogaday areas near Mingora city.

SFs targeted suspected hideouts of the Taliban, killing six suspected militants and injuring several others, including women, in different parts of the Bajaur Agency. Military gunship helicopters targeted suspected hideouts in the Inayat Killay, Bade Samo, Bhai Cheena and Omari villages of the Khar sub-division. An official said six militants were killed in the shelling and several others sustained injuries.

February 8: SFs killed 22 Taliban militants during a military operation in the Inayat Qilay area of Khar sub-division in Bajaur Agency.

A group of militants loyal to Maulana Fazlullah ambushed a vehicle of the SFs in the Aligrama area of Kabal sub-division in Swat District and killed three soldiers on the spot. Troops subsequently targeted suspected militant hideouts with artillery fire. Four persons were killed in heavy shelling and fire between the SFs and militants in Takhtaband area in the outskirts of Mingora city in Swat. Helicopter gunships were reportedly used to target militant positions. Three people were been killed and ten injured as mortar shells hit houses in the Shewar area of Matta sub-division.

February 7: Eight Taliban militants were killed during shelling by helicopter gunships in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The troops targeted Taliban hideouts in the Dama Dola, Mataro Sha, Umrai and Shinkot areas of Mamoond tehsil (revenue division).

Suspected terrorists shot dead two Policemen and blew up a check post, killing five more, in an attack in the Mianwali District of Punjab province. The attackers first killed the two Police guards and then blew up the check post with explosives in the town bordering the restive NWFP. "Seven of our men have died in the attack that appears to be part of terrorist activity being carried out by militants across the country," Malik Tasaddaq Hayat, a senior Police official in Minawali District said.

February 6: Army helicopter gunships killed 52 Taliban militants when they targeted hideouts in the Chapri and Feroz Khel areas along the border of Orakzai and Khyber Agencies. "Fifty-two militants were killed and a huge ammunition depot and eight vehicles were destroyed in an attack by army helicopters," Khyber Agency Political Agent Tariq Hayat told Reuters.

February 5: Three women were killed in Swat District as Taliban continued their attack on people they consider to be pro-government. The women, Zarmina, Zarbibi and Farzana, were killed and three men were kidnapped when militants stormed their house in Dagai village and accused them of supporting security personnel manning the nearby Wenai bridge post.

February 4: Nine members of the Bara-based Lashkar-e-Islam militant group were killed in an encounter with the Police and the Qaumi Lashkar (militia) comprising armed villagers when they allegedly attempted to kidnap the chief official of Bazidkhel union council near Peshawar, the NWFP capital. Three Policemen sustained injuries in the first incident of its kind in which the Police and villagers jointly countered the militants operating in Peshawar.

Eight local Taliban militants were killed in a clash between two rival factions in the Orakzai Agency. Sources in the political administration said the militants were killed in fighting between Taliban commanders Gul Bahadar and Tariq's factions in Shan Khel area. They said that all of the casualties were from Bahadar's faction.

February 3: Over 70 militants were killed by SFs during clashes in the Swat District in the night of February 2 and February 3. A group of Taliban militants were attacked and dispersed by troops in the Alam Ganj Waliabad area of Charbagh on February 2-night. In the evening of February 3, the militants gathered again and were reported to be planning an attack when the SFs cornered them. At least 64 militants were killed and several others were injured.

The militants surrounded the Shamozai Police post manned by about 30 personnel. Six militants and three SF personnel were killed and 10 persons, including five militants, were injured in an exchange of fire.

The BRA admitted to having killed four Punjabis in the Noshki District, saying it was retaliation for the alleged firing by SFs on a wedding ceremony in Dera Bugti. Unidentified people riding on a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire on a welding shop owned by a Punjabi, Muhammad Asif, on Aminuddin Road in Noshki District at around 7pm. Consequently, four people, including the brother of the shop owner, Muhammad Farooq, were killed on the spot.

Suspected militants attacked a military convoy on the Mingora bypass in Swat District. Troops subsequently cordoned off the area and launched an operation, killing four militants.

February 2: The military claimed it had killed 70 Taliban militants and injured several others during its assault on a village in the Chaharbagh sub-division of Swat District. Officials said residents had already vacated the village on February 1 before troops launched the operation. They said the SFs targeted Taliban hideouts in the Alamganj and Waliabad areas of Chaharbagh, killing approximately 70 militants.

At least five militants were killed in a gun-battle with SFs in the Dasht-e-Goran area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan. According to the local Police, a group of armed assailants opened indiscriminate fire at a vehicle of the SFs and in retaliation, at least five militants were killed by the troops.

February 1: 32 persons, including three soldiers, were killed and 22 others sustained injures as the SFs intensified the operation in the Charbagh, Matta and Sangota areas of the Swat District.

January 31: 10 persons were killed in fresh incidents of violence in the Swat District of NWFP. Locals said three people were killed in a clash between SF personnel and the Taliban militants in the Dherai area of Kabal revenue division. Three people were killed as helicopter gun ships targeted Taliban positions in Kabal. In the Aligrama area of Kabal, the Taliban militants attacked a SF’s convoy killing three SF personnel while another was injured in the attack.

January 30: Six persons were killed as the military operation in Swat continued on the sixth day. The SFs continued targeting Taliban hideouts in several areas of the Chaharbagh sub-division, including Coat and Darul Uloom.

Four soldiers were killed and eight injured when an Army convoy was attacked with a remote-controlled bomb in Malakand in the NWFP. Official sources told that a military convoy of the Sindh Regiment was on its way to provincial capital Peshawar from the militancy-hit Swat valley when a remote-controlled explosive device, planted by militants near a school building on Ghat Koto Road, went off, killing four soldiers and injuring eight others.

January 29: Four militants were killed and several others, including a Policeman, sustained injuries when suspected militants attacked a police post near Baran Bridge in Bannu in the NWFP with rockets and heavy arms.

Three more persons were killed and four others injured in the Swat District amid several abortive attacks by the militants on SFs.

January 28: 16 more people, including seven militants, were killed and 23 others injured in the Swat District, even as Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani vowed to establish the writ of the Government.

January 27: SFs killed more than 16 militants in Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP. The SFs claimed that they had besieged a large number of militants after a fierce battle which claimed the life of an army officer and injured five soldiers in Tor Chappar. The troops had reportedly been attacking the militants’ hideout in the area with artillery fire and shelling for the last four days. However, a Taliban spokesman denied the report of the death of 16 people and said that all of them were safe and alive.

January 26: Six people were killed and 22 others sustained injuries when a bomb rigged to a bicycle exploded in a populated area in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP. Three of the victims were in a car while the other three were walking past the bicycle parked in front of the main gate of the town hall. The remote-controlled bomb apparently targeted a Sunni leader. Locals told that the explosion occurred when NWFP assembly member, and leader of the banned SSP, Khalifa Abdul Qayyum, was passing through the area.

A woman and her two children were killed when a mortar shell, allegedly fired by the SFs, landed in a house in the Serai area of Swat District. Three persons were wounded in the incident.

January 24: Eight Taliban militants, including Commander Noor Bakhtiar, were killed by the SFs during clashes in the Nangolai area of Kabal tehsil (revenue division) in Swat in the NWFP. The SFs also recovered a large cache of arms from the Taliban’s hideout after the operation.

January 23: 20 people, majority of them local tribesmen, were killed and several others were wounded in two different missile strikes by US drones in North and South Waziristan agencies.

In the first incident, 10 persons were killed and several others injured when a US drone fired three Hellfire missiles on a Hujra (male guest house) of Khalil Dawar in Zyaraki village of North Waziristan. According to sources, two spy planes were seen flying over Mirali town during the strike. The guest house adjacent to Khalil’s house in Zyaraki, five kilometers west of Mirali, was razed to the ground in the attack. Sources close to the militants told The News the drone fired missiles after some guests, probably foreign militants, entered the Hujra of Khalil Dawar. They said besides Khalil, his two sons, brother Mansoor, a nephew and six other people were killed in the attack. However, a senior Government official in Miranshah said six among the dead were hardcore militants, including four Arabs and a Punjabi Taliban militant. It was the first missile attack by US spy planes in North Waziristan in 2009.

In the second incident, 10 more persons were killed in the adjoining South Waziristan Agency when a US drone fired two Hellfire missiles on the house of a local tribesman, Dil Faraz Gangikhel Wazir, in Gangikhel village, near Wana. Official and tribal sources said all those killed were local tribesmen. They said Dil Faraz, his three sons, two nephews and some guests were killed in the attack. A Wana-based official of the political administration said the drone had probably missed the target and killed only innocent people. He said four children also lost their lives in the attack. It was the third attack by the US drones in South Waziristan in January 2009 and the first after Barack Obama became the US President.

In an IED attack in the Takhtaband area of Mingora town in Swat District, three civilians, including a woman, were killed and a soldier sustained injuries. The militants reportedly intended to target a convoy of the Security Forces but failed in their bid. The Taliban claimed responsibility and warned of more attacks. "As long as bullets are fired at us, such attacks will continue to take place," a spokesman for the Swat chapter of the banned TTP threatened.

Five members of a family, including three children, were killed when a mortar shell hit a house in the Manpetai village of Khwazakhela sub-division. A couple and their three children died and their house was destroyed in the incident.

January 22: 21 persons, including 11 militants, were killed and an unspecified number of them injured in the ongoing military operation and fresh incidents of violence in the Swat District of NWFP. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)-run Swat Media Centre (SMC), 11 militants were killed and nine injured in Qamber and Koza Drushkhela. The SMC spokesman claimed that a militants’ hideout was destroyed in shelling at Qamber and four militants, identified as Abu Hamza, Ismail, Abdul Rauf and Qari Ghaffar, were killed. Sources added that SFs also carried out a ground assault in the Koza Drushkhela area of Matta sub-division, the stronghold of Maulana Fazlullah-led militants, and killed seven militants besides injuring three others.

Gunship helicopters attacked several suspected Taliban positions, killing seven persons, including four women and two children, in the Mohmand Agency. According to local people, a bomb hit the house of tribesman Zain Khan in Shekhan area, killing two women. Two more houses were hit in Ghunget Choher village of Lakaro sub-division, killing two women, two children and a man.

January 21: Several militants, including top commanders of the banned TTP, Mohmand chapter, were killed, as the military intensified its operation against the militants in Mohmand Agency. Sources said SFs targeted the hideouts of the militants in the Lakaro and Pindyali sub-divisions and elsewhere in the tribal agency with gunship helicopters, killing several militants and destroying their hideouts. Sources said the house of Omar Khalid, the TTP Mohmand Agency chief, was also destroyed in the aerial raids. More than 15 militants, including some important commanders, are reported to have died in the attack, while approximately 40 shops in the Qayyumabad and Askarabad bazaars on the Peshawar-Bajaur Road and 33 houses were also destroyed. Sources added that the SFs occupied the militant hideout after killing six militants in Ghaziabad area.

January 20: Troops backed by warplanes and helicopter gunships killed at least 38 Taliban militants in an ongoing military operation in the Mohmand Agency - raising the Taliban death toll to 60 over 24 hours. A statement said the FC had advanced and secured Darwazgai-Lakaro-Mamad Ghat Road in the operation and "militant strongholds of Habibzai and Mulakhel were destroyed." It also said that ‘leading commanders’, Umar Khitab, Qari Mumtaz, Haroon Rashid, Bilal, Yaqub, Yar Syed, Yousuf and Hamza, were among the dead. Troops have also "engaged Taliban strongholds of Krair and Chingai", it added. The Security Forces reportedly launched the crackdown in Mohmand Agency as early as the weekend, but a paramilitary official told that ‘hardcore militants’ were killed in the last 24 hours.

Taliban militants in the North Waziristan Agency shot dead six more people on charges of spying for the US forces stationed in Afghanistan. Tribal sources in agency headquarters Miranshah said that two of the six slain spies were Afghan nationals. One of them, whose bullet-riddled body was dumped near the Miranshah Bazaar, was identified as Guldar Ali, hailing from Afghanistan’s Khost province. Similarly, four more bodies were recovered from the Tehsil Road near Mirali. They were identified as Shah Madeen Khattak, a barber hailing from Karak district, 65-year-old electrician Shahi Haider Khan, teenager Nisar Ali and an Afghan citizen, whose name could not be ascertained. A handwritten letter placed near the bodies blamed all the four persons for spying for the US forces on the Mujahideen.

January 18: At least 15 Taliban militants and a soldier were killed when clashes broke out between the Taliban and SFs in Mohmand Agency. The clashes, which broke out late on January 17, occurred as the SFs cleared a road linking Bajaur Agency with Peshawar, an unnamed official said. "Fifteen militants were killed in a successful raid by security forces on their stronghold in Darwazgai area of Mohmand Agency… One security force personnel embraced martyrdom in the encounter," he stated.

January 16: A press release of the Military-run Swat Media Cell in Swat District claimed that 12 militants were killed and many others injured in a clash in the Chamtalai area of Khwazakhela sub-division. The TTP Swat chapter leader Shah Dauran also claimed killing several SF personnel in the clash. "Several troops were killed and five vehicles were destroyed in the attack," he claimed on his illegal FM radio.

Two militants and a soldier were killed and another sustained injuries in a clash in the Sandokhel area of Mohmand Agency in the FATA.

January 14: Four persons, including three soldiers, were killed in a remote-controlled bomb blast in the Dera Bugti District. The Baloch Republican Army claimed responsibility for the incident. The bomb, planted in the Sui Colony main bazaar, targeted a van carrying paramilitary personnel. Three soldiers and a shopkeeper died instantly.

Unidentified assailants killed four Policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, in a shootout in Quetta, capital of Balochistan. Motorcyclists ambushed a Police team on Sariab Road at around 11am, killing four Policemen. Three of the murdered Policemen belonged to Hazara community and were Shia. The outlawed Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility for the killings, which reportedly appear to be part of a recent series of target killing of Shias in the provincial capital that has claimed six lives in a month.

January 11: At least 49 Taliban militants were killed and an unspecified number of them wounded in Mohmand Agency as paramilitary troops repulsed a pre-dawn attack by about 600 militants coming from the Afghan border. The attackers – mostly foreigners, and supported by local Taliban – attacked Frontier Corps (FC) positions in Mamad Gatt at about 2am (PST). "Frontier Corps troops repulsed a massive attack by militants on one of its locations in the area," the military said in a statement, adding that "severe fighting continued through the night". Six soldiers were also killed and seven sustained injuries in the fighting.

A cease-fire between rival factions was reached in Hangu in the NWFP, after 30 persons were killed and 50 injured in sectarian clashes that broke out on January 9, according to Daily Times. However, The News put the death toll in the three days of sectarian clashes at 40. 20 houses – including that of the District Zakat committee chairman – were set ablaze in fresh clashes despite an earlier truce in the afternoon of January 11, as helicopter gunships targeted ‘miscreant’ hideouts.

January 10: At least 17 people were killed and 30 others injured in the ongoing sectarian clashes in Hangu in the NWFP. Officials said that fighting between the rival Shia and Sunni groups had been continuing since late January 9 while army helicopter gun ships were targeting the warring parties’ positions to control the situation. The clashes erupted when people from Kohat, who were protesting against the imposition of curfew in Hangu on the eve of Ashura, were attacked by the rival sect. The two groups started targeting each other with heavy and light weapons. According to officials, clashes occurred in the Khanbari, Singhar, Paskalay, Gungano Kalay, Malik Abad and Ibrahim Zay areas of Hangu city.

January 9: A Bugti tribal chief and his three bodyguards were killed in a landmine explosion in the Bekar area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan. Wadera Nawaz Masoori Bugti was on his way to a village when his vehicle hit an anti-tank landmine planted by unidentified miscreants. Consequently, Wadera Nawaz, along with three of his bodyguards, was killed on the spot, while two other people sustained injuries.

January 7: The Taliban in Hangu District of NWFP killed three Policemen and abducted three others when they stormed a Police check-post. Officials said the Taliban attacked the Police post in Dalan area of Tal tehsil (revenue division) using heavy weapons. Three Police personnel - Taimoor, Fazal Rahim and Daulat Shah - were killed, while Mohibullah, Tariq and Akhlaq were abducted by the militants, who also set ablaze the check-post.

Three Taliban militants were killed and six others sustained injuries as jet fighters targeted their hideouts in various areas of Bajaur Agency. Six trenches and some underground bunkers built by the Taliban had also been destroyed in the operation. Fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in Dama Dola and Khaza Pahar areas in Mamoond, Salarzai and Chargo Kandaw sub-divisions of Bajaur.

January 6: Six bullet-ridden bodies of Security Force (SF) personnel, who had been abducted by Taliban militants a few days ago, were found in the Mingora city of Swat District of NWFP. The militants brought the six persons to the College Square in Mingora in the night of January 5 and shot them dead.

Suspected militants killed four more alleged US spies in North Waziristan on the night between January 5 and January 6 and threw their bodies on main roads in various parts of the tribal region. Two of the alleged US spies were said to be Afghan nationals and the other two were identified as local tribesmen. Tribal sources said bullet-riddled bodies of the two Afghans were found on the road in Sarobi village near Spalga. Body of one tribesman was recovered from Miranshah Bazaar and the other body was found from the Razmak Road.

January 4: Ten persons, including four Policemen, were killed and 27 others injured in two bomb blasts near the Polytechnic College in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP. Sources said an explosive device, planted by militants near the main gate of the Polytechnic College, went off at 7:07 pm, injuring four persons. Eyewitnesses said soon after the blast, Police personnel and people rushed to the spot. As a large number of Policemen and people gathered at the site, a 16-year-old suicide bomber forced his entry into the crowd and blew himself up, killing 10 persons, including four Policemen, and injuring 21 others.

A suicide bomber was killed while two people sustained injuries near a check-post in Officers’ Colony in Bannu in the NWFP The suicide bomber blew himself up in an attempt to target a check-post but could not succeed as the bomb exploded before he could reach his target.

Five persons, including two Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed in separate incidents of violence in the Swat District. Frontier Corps official Sabir Khan from Chhuta Kalam and a Police official from Mamdheri, Azizur Rahman, who were abducted by the militants on January 3, were killed the next day. Aziz’s bullet-riddled body was thrown at the Green Chowk in Mingora city. Sabir Khan’s head was chopped off and hanged on a pole in same area. In another incident, unidentified assailants shot dead three persons at the Matta College Square and later escaped from the incident site.

January 2: Four militants were killed and three others injured when a CIA-operated spy plane fired two Hellfire missiles at a Government-run girls’ school in the Ladha sub-division of South Waziristan Agency in the FATA, the second attack in as many days. Tribal sources told that two pilotless spy planes were seen hovering over the Mehsud-inhabited areas before the air strikes on the school and a nearby-parked car. The drone reportedly fired two Hellfire missiles, one of them hitting the building of the Government Girls’ Primary School, Maidan Naray, and the other destroying the car owned by the militants. According to sources, four militants reportedly belonging to the Punjab, died and three others sustained injuries in the attack.

Seven persons, including an Awami National Party leader and two Frontier Constabulary personnel, were killed in different parts of the Swat District.

January 1: At least 13 people – 10 militants and three SF personnel – were killed in a clash between SFs and militants in Balochistan. According to the SFs, the gun-battle started when the militants – reportedly members of the Bugti tribe – attacked a patrol party in Dera Bugti District. The clash continued for the entire day in the Uch, Gandoi and Zan kho areas. At least five SF personnel were also injured in the gun-battle.

A suspected United States missile strike killed at least five Taliban militants in South Waziristan Agency. A local security official told that a US drone had fired three missiles in the Karikot area of Wana in the agency - the same spot where eight suspected militants were killed in a US drone strike 10 days ago. One of the missiles struck a vehicle, killing all five passengers, another security official said, adding those killed were known Taliban militants. The other two missiles hit a hilltop house that was a known Taliban hideout, but was empty at the time of the strike, the officials said. One militant was injured in the strike, they added.

Four civilians were killed in Bajaur Agency when Taliban militants fired rockets at local Government offices. At least four rockets landed near a court and the Government complex in Khar, the main town in Bajaur, local administration chief Israr Khan told. "The attack left four civilians dead and 16 injured," Khan added. Officials said that at least six rockets were fired on Civil Colony, where Government offices and residential quarters for officials are located. One of the rockets, the officials said, hit the office of FATA Rural Development Programme.

2008

December 31: Three women and a boy of a family were killed and six persons, including four women, were injured when a rocket hit a house in Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP. Officials said the rocket fired from some location in the hills near the town blew up the house, killing the three women and the boy on the spot. Six other members of the family were injured. Sources said this was the first rocket attack in Darra Adamkhel after a lull of one month. They said militants had escaped from the area to the Orakzai Agency after a military operation was launched in the area. The army had launched an operation in Darra Adamkhel in August 2008 following a suicide attack on a military camp near the Kohat Tunnel.

December 30: Five militants and three civilians were killed and several others injured when SFs targeted suspected militant hideouts in different parts of Bajaur Agency. SFs resorted to heavy mortar shelling after militants fired five missiles towards Khar, regional headquarters of Bajaur Agency, from Kohi Mor and Maram Ghundai areas. They said that three missiles landed in the Civil Colony, one fell near a check post in Fajja and one hit the Siddiqabad area. However, no casualty was reported in these missile attacks. The SFs countered the attack and fired mortar shells to target the militants’ positions. Two militants were consequently killed and a number of hideouts destroyed in the shelling on Kohi Mor and Maram Ghundai hills, said official sources. They also said a mortar shell fell in the Tope area, killing three civilians and injuring one. Officials added that three more militants were killed when SFs retaliated to an attack on a check post in the Zor Bandar area, about 18 kilometers from Khar.

December 28: 43 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near a polling station in a Government school in the Buner District of NWFP. 16 persons were injured in the blast believed to have been carried out to disrupt the by-election for a National Assembly seat. "It was apparently a suicide attack," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Arsala Khan, said, adding the bomber detonated his explosive-laden car parked near camps set up by different parties in front of the school in Shalbandi village, 5kms from the District headquarters of Daggar. The front wall of the school and an adjoining market and were destroyed and a mosque and several houses were damaged. Police said two Policemen, a volunteer and five children were among the victims. According to witnesses, the bomber was about 18 years old.

Three persons were killed by suspected militants on charges of ‘spying for the United States’ forces in Afghanistan and their bodies were thrown on the main Bannu-Miranshah Road.

December 27: Approximately seven persons were killed in fresh incidents of violence in Swat District while SFs claimed killing 34 militants in the four-day operation in Alamganj area of Khwazakhela. A press release of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said SFs had killed 34 militants, including an important commander Abdul Aziz alias Kotay, during the four-day operation. The troops suffered two casualties, it further said.

Four people, including three children, of a family were killed when a shell landed at their house in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The shell fired from an unidentified location hit the house in the Mandal area of Bajaur, sources said.

December 26: Seven persons were killed and 10 others, including three SFs personnel, were injured in the ongoing military operation in Swat Valley. Four persons were shot dead for violating the curfew. The incident took place near a security check-post in Golibagh town of Khwazakhela sub-division. In Manglawar, the SFs opened fire on two suspects, killing them on the spot. In another incident, the mother of a soldier, Samiul Haq, was killed and seven other members of his family sustained injuries when their house was hit by a mortar shell in Golibagh area.

In a suspected sectarian incident, unidentified gunmen shot dead five persons, including a senior Government official, in the vicinity of Gilgit town. Abdul Wahid, the Director of Agriculture Department, one of his associates, his wife and a child and his driver were killed in the ambush after more than one of the assailants opened indiscriminate firing on his vehicle. The deceased director was reportedly on his way to office in the morning when his vehicle came under fire from both sides of the road in an apparently sectarian motivated but highly organised target killing near Naikoi area, about 10 kilometers from Gilgit town.

December 25: Four persons, including two women, were killed in the ongoing military operation in the Swat valley of NWFP. All the dead belonged to Alamganj town of Khwazakhela, where SFs have been engaged in an operation against the Maulana Fazlullah-led militants.

SFs killed four Taliban militants in the Mamoond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency in the FATA.

December 24: At least 11 Taliban militants were killed and several others injured when the SF attacked their hideouts in the Shakardara area of Swat District in the NWFP. A Swat Media Centre spokesman said the SFs, backed by gunship helicopters and artillery, had targeted the Taliban locations at Shakardara in the Matta tehsil (revenue division) and killed 11 Taliban militants. The SFs also consolidated their positions in Sangota, he added. At least 22 Taliban militants and two soldiers have been killed during the last two days of the operation at Shakardara.

December 23: SFs claimed to have killed seven militants in Shakardara, while six other people were killed in fresh incidents of violence in the Swat Valley. A military official said SFs also destroyed the militants’ positions in Shakardara. He said troops suffered no loss in the operation.

December 22: 23 people, including 15 militants, were killed in a ground operation against the militants and other incidents of violence in Shakardara area of Swat District. The ISPR-run Swat Media Centre (SMC) said SFs launched a ground assault against the militants in Shakardarra, the stronghold of Maulana Fazlullah-led militants. It said SFs started a search-and-cordon operation early in the morning, backed by gunship helicopters, and killed 15 militants, besides injuring scores others, and destroyed their command and control centres.

Seven suspected militants reportedly belonging to the Punjab province were killed and several others sustained injuries when three US spy planes fired missiles at two vehicles and a house at Karikot, Azam Warsak and Dhog villages of South Waziristan Agency (SWA). Officials and tribal sources told from Wana, headquarters of SWA, that the CIA-operated spy planes fired three missiles, two at vehicles parked at Karikot and Azam Warsak villages, and another at a house, which did not explode. They said the Maulana Nazeer-led Ahmadzai Wazir and Punjabi Taliban had installed heavy weapons on both the vehicles from which they fired at the drones in the morning. Sources close to the militants said three militants hailing from Punjab were killed at Karikot village where the drone fired a Hellfire missile at a double-cabin pick-truck parked near the village. Similarly, they said, four more suspected militants, also from Punjab, died when their truck was hit by the pilotless spy plane. Villagers in Wana said another missile, which the drone had fired at a home at Dhog, could not explode.

December 21: Six persons, including two women, were killed and three others sustained injuries when jetfighters targeted the Omaray area of Mamond sub-division in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Sources said fighter planes targeted suspected hideouts of the militants in Omaray, killing two persons. Eyewitnesses said a truck, parked in the main square of Omaray, came under attack of jetfighters, killing four persons, including two women, on the spot and injuring three others.

Militants in the Swat District shot dead a Police official, an elected councillor and his son and burnt the family’s household items and goods kept in their shop. Four persons, including a woman, were also killed when mortar shells fired by the SFs hit their houses in Alamganj village.

December 19: Two drivers and a cleaner were killed when militants opened fire on an empty oil tanker near the Landikotal Bazaar in Khyber Agency. Sources said the oil tanker was on its way to Khyber Walikhel after supplying oil to the US forces in Afghanistan, when the militants attacked it with light and automatic guns, killing driver Rehan and cleaner Shabir on the spot. The co-driver, Wasif, also sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to the Landikotal Civil Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

December 16: SFs killed seven militants, including a prominent commander, when the latter attacked a checkpoint in Safi area of the Mohmand Agency. Talking to the media, a spokesperson for the Mohmand Rifles, a wing of paramilitary Frontier Corps, claimed that a group of 120 militants attacked the Darwazgai-2 check-post with heavy weapons on the night of December 15. SFs retaliated and targeted militants’ positions with artillery and mortar guns. The official said seven militants, including an important commander Zar Muhammad alias Zaray, and a trooper from the Mohmand Rifles, Ibad Gul, were killed in an encounter that continued for three hours.

December 15: The Taliban in Swat killed three people while three others were lashed for allegedly selling narcotics. Militants reportedly beheaded two followers of rival cleric Pir Sameeullah in the Gwalerai area of Matta tehsil (revenue division). The Taliban had killed Samiullah in a clash on December 14 and had taken 25 of his followers as hostage.

December 14: The Taliban killed an anti-Taliban cleric, Pir Samiullah, and his eight followers. Soon after the killings, the Taliban took over Mandal Daag area in Swat from the followers of the cleric. The Taliban also torched the houses of Samiullah and 15 elders of his group, and abducted 25 of his followers. The Taliban later launched a search operation and seized 50 rifles, a rocket launcher and others weapons from the slain cleric’s followers.

December 13: Five civilians were killed when a car hit a landmine in the Jano area of Khawazakhela tehsil (revenue division) in Swat.

In Mandal Dag area of Matta tehsil, Taliban militants killed four people in a gun battle with followers of a local leader.

A commander was among four Taliban militants killed during an operation in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. The Taliban commander – identified only as Ismail – was killed in Bajaur’s Nawagai tehsil, while three other Taliban militants – all of them Afghan citizens – were killed in Sperai area of Mamoond tehsil.

December 12: Six persons were killed and four others sustained injuries in two separate incidents of violence in Swat Valley. Sources said three persons were killed in an armed clash between militants of the banned TTP Swat chapter and Pir Samiullah group in Mandal Dag area of Matta tehsil (revenue division). The victims were from Pir Samiullah group. The militants also freed 150 hostages out of 200 of the Pir group, while the remaining 50 people were shifted to an undisclosed location. The militants had captured them along with five vehicles when they blocked the road leading to Aghal Mandal Dag area on December 11. For the return of 50 hostages, the militants were demanding custody of those people who had attacked the house of a Taliban commander with hand grenades in the area.

Three persons, including two minors, were killed and four others sustained injuries when artillery shells reportedly hit their houses in Kabal.

December 11: Five militants were killed and seven others sustained injuries in an exchange of fire with the SFs in Targhakhi area of Pandyalai tehsil in the Mohmand Agency. A group of local militants attacked the Targhakhi checkpoint in Pandyalai tehsil near Ghalanai, the Agency headquarters, with mortar guns and other heavy weapons. However, the SFs retaliated with artillery and mortar guns from the Ghalanai headquarters and the Yousafkhel checkpoint, killing five militants on the spot and injuring seven others. The houses of Mutabar Khan and Rahmanuddin in Pandyalai were also destroyed in the shelling.

Six suspected militants were killed when a missile apparently fired by a US drone struck a house in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan. The missile hit a house next to a seminary, a senior security official told. Local intelligence officials confirmed the strike, saying the missile destroyed the house and damaged the seminary.

December 8: Taliban torched at least 53 vehicles destined for NATO forces in Afghanistan in an attack on the outskirts of Peshawar, the second such raid in two days, police and locals said. Armed gunmen shouting ‘God is great’ attacked Bilal Container Terminal near Jamil Chowk on the Ring Road at around 3am, said Zahid Ali, a local resident. He said he heard gunshots and explosions after which a large part of the terminal caught fire. City Superintendent of Police Chaudary Ashraf said it was a sabotage attack. The number of attackers could not be ascertained, he said, and it was not clear how they entered the terminal and set ablaze the vehicles.

December 7: At least 171 vehicles of the US-led NATO forces, including 62 armoured personnel carriers, were torched by armed attackers in two parking bays on the Ring Road in the vicinity of Pishtakhara in Peshawar. Around 130 vehicles were completely destroyed in the attack, while 40 others were partially damaged. The attack is the biggest ever on NATO logistics in Pakistan, during which a watchman was killed while two others were injured when they offered resistance to over 300 attackers, who were armed with rocket launchers, hand grenades, petrol bombs and AK-47 rifles.

December 6: 13 Taliban militants and a trooper were killed in two clashes in Swat district of the NWFP. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) officials in Mingora said 11 Taliban militants were killed in shelling by helicopters in the Nalkot area of Matta tehsil (revenue division). Two more Taliban militants were killed and four wounded in an exchange of fire in the Sambat area of Matta. The officials also confirmed the killing of one trooper in the same incident.

December 5: A car bomb explosion outside an Imambargah (congregation hall for Shia rituals) near the Qisakhwani Bazaar in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, killed at least 34 persons and injured more than 150. Imambargah Alamdar Karbala and several adjacent buildings in the Kocha Risaldar alley were damaged and the ensuing fire engulfed buildings, markets and vehicles. The powerful explosion also damaged electricity wires, plunging the area into darkness.

At least six persons were killed and eight others sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle blew up in the Kalaia area of Lower Orakzai Agency. Officials said the suicide bomber was attempting to target a local fair, but the vehicle blew up before reaching the site when a petrol station’s guards started firing at it. Orakzai Political Agent Kamran Zaib told that six people were killed and eight injured in the explosion, but local sources put the death toll at 10, and said 15 people were injured.

Three people were killed in a missile attack by a suspected United States drone in the Mir Ali revenue division of North Waziristan. Two missiles were fired at a house in Kateera village in Khushal Torikhel area, around 20 kilometers south of Mir Ali, locals said. Intelligence officials and residents said those killed in the attack were Taliban militants. Two people were also injured in the attack.

December 4: SFs killed 10 Taliban militants in Malam Jabba and Matta in Swat. "The troops targeted (Taliban) hideouts in Malam Jabba and destroyed a vehicle prepared for a suicide explosion," the spokesman of Swat Media Centre as saying. He said that six militants were killed in the operation. In Matta, troops attacked a Taliban vehicle, killing four militants.

December 3: 14 militants and seven civilians were killed when fighter planes and gunship helicopters targeted various areas in the Lakaro tehsil of Mohmand Agency. Fighter planes and gunship helicopters bombed the hideouts of militants in Ziarat Mountain, Ghaziabad, Bagh hill, Bhawatha, Shawa Farsh, Mamad Gatt, Alingar, Hazeena, Chinari and Karer areas.

Five people, including three SF personnel, were killed and six others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed his auto rickshaw into a vehicle of the SFs at Pir Qala area of Shabqadar tehsil in the Charsadda district.

December 2: One soldier, six militants and six civilians were killed and several others wounded in an exchange of fire and shelling in Swat valley. According to the Government media centre, the soldier, identified as Shaukat, was killed when militants ambushed a convoy in the Deolai area of Kabal tehsil (revenue division) early in the morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations said that six militants were killed when helicopter gunships shelled their positions. Six non-combatants, four of them members of a family, were killed and several others injured when some shells hit a civilian area. In the Sar Senai area of Kabal, a man was shot dead by suspected militants.

Six Taliban militants were killed and several others injured in security forces’ operation in several areas of Bajaur Agency. Locals said troops targeted the Kosar, Bai Cheena, Jannat Shah and Charmang areas of Khar revenue division with artillery. The six militants were reportedly killed in the operation in Bai Cheena.

Three persons, including two women of a family, died and a minor was critically injured when a shell struck their house in lower Chinari village of Lakaro tehsil in Mohmand Agency.

December 1: The fighter jets and artillery killed 15 Taliban militants in Bajaur Agency. The clashes took place in several areas of Bajaur where troops are engaged in fighting with the Taliban since the launch of an army operation in August 2008. Local administration official Mohammad Jamil said six militants were killed and three others injured in artillery fire on Nawagai area, while nine were killed after fighter jets bombarded their hideouts in Mamoond. Jamil added that a woman was also killed when a mortar hit her house in Mamoond.

11 civilians were killed and 66 persons, including two soldiers, injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden mini-truck into the Sangota checkpoint in the Swat valley. The suicide blast brought the roof of a nearby house down, leaving a woman dead. All the dead were civilians waiting at the checkpoint. A military official said the checkpoint was the target of the bomber.

November 30: Three SF personnel and eight militants were killed and 17 SF personnel sustained injuries in a gun-battle which followed a Taliban attack on a police checkpoint on the Bannu-Miranshah road in Bannu district. Police said the militants attacked the Baranpul checkpoint with rockets and mortars, killing three SF personnel and injuring 17 others. Bannu District Police Officer Mohammad Alam Khan Shinwari said the Taliban escaped with the bodies of seven militants, leaving one body behind.

SFs claimed killing nine militants in artillery and air attacks on their hideouts in the Mamond tehsil (revenue division) of Bajaur Agency. Four others were injured. A 40-year old woman was killed when artillery shells reportedly hit a civilian area. Air attacks were carried out in Kharkay, Damadola, Gatkai, Irab, Gat Agra, Tarkho and Kass areas.

Three policemen were killed and five others were injured when the Taliban militants fired rockets at a police vehicle near Lakki Marwat.

November 29: At least three people were killed and two injured in a missile attack by a suspected United States drone in the Chashma village of North Waziristan in the FATA. The attack targeted the house of a local tribesman Taj Muhammad, around two kilometers south of Miranshah. There was no immediate information about the identity of those killed.

November 28: At least seven people, including a policeman, were killed and 16 others, including four policemen, sustained injuries when a suicide bomber targeted a police patrol vehicle in Bannu district. Local sources told that a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police car patrolling the streets near Tarezi Chowk on the main Bannu-Kohat road.

Seven persons, including six of a family, were killed in incidents of violence in the Swat Valley. Unidentified assailants entered a house in Gharibabad and shot dead six persons, including a 13-year-old child and three women of the same family. The dead were identified as Akbar Khan, his wife, two daughters, son and daughter-in-law. At Ayub Bridge, the security forces fired at a truck killing its driver, Muhammad Iqbal, while another person escaped narrowly.

Three militants were killed when the SFs attacked militant hideouts with gunship helicopters in different areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said SFs targeted hideouts in the Charmang, Chamarkand and Chinar areas of Nawagai and Momand sub-divisions.

November 27: Five suspected militants were killed when a roadside explosion destroyed their vehicle in the Tiarza area of South Waziristan. Local people claimed that suspected militants belonging to the TTP of Baitullah Mehsud were traveling in a vehicle when it hit a roadside landmine at Tiarza, around 25 kilometers north of Wana. Locals suspect that relations between the groups of Baitullah Mehsud and deceased militant commander Abdullah Mehsud soured during last couple of days, resulting in this incident.

November 26: Five persons, including three Taliban militants, were killed in two separate clashes between the Taliban and police in Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. The first clash erupted when over 100 militants, believed to have entered the city from Darra Adam Khel, besieged the house of Adezai Union Council chief Abdul Malik. According to Malik, the Taliban ordered him to surrender or join them. Upon refusal, they targeted his house with rockets and hand-grenades, he told reporters at Lady Reading Hospital. Malik’s two relatives, Khayal Gul and Sher Mast, were killed while six people were injured in the attack. Malik said security forces came to his rescue soon and attacked the Taliban. After a two-hour battle, the Taliban fled from the incident site leaving behind two dead bodies.

November 25: Eight persons, including six Shias and two Sunnis, were killed and several injured in separate acts aimed at fanning sectarian violence in the Hangu and Kohat districts of NWFP.

Six Taliban militants were killed overnight as the Pakistani Army moved in on their hideouts in the Bajaur Agency. "Pakistani artillery pounded Taliban hideouts and underground bunkers, killing six and injuring four others," said local administration official Mohammad Jamil.

Four people were killed in Hangu when unidentified gunmen opened indiscriminate fire in Raysan Bazaar, police said. The armed men opened fire on a shop, killing Wilayat Khan, Hayat, Zafar Ali and Jabir Ali. Nine people, including eight Sunnis and a Shia, were wounded. The authorities feared the incidents were aimed at igniting sectarian violence in the NWFP.

Four persons were killed in Kohat district when unidentified gunmen fired at a passenger’s van in the Kachai area.

November 24: SFs claimed to have killed 25 hardcore militants during a military operation in the Michini area of Peshawar district. They also claimed arresting 40 militants and seizing a huge quantity of arms and ammunition. Addressing a press conference at a military base camp in Shno Ghondai area near Mohmand Agency, the NWFP’s Inspector General of Police, Malik Naveed, said that SFs controlled most of the areas and the operation was continuing to arrest militants. He said that some foreigners were also killed in the operation. During the operation, he said a police constable and two Frontier Constabulary personnel were also killed.

17 persons, including 15 militants, were killed in a military operation against the militants and fresh incidents of violence in the Swat valley.

SFs targeted suspected hideouts of militants in different areas of Pandyalai tehsil (revenue division) in the Mohmand Agency of FATA with artillery killing five militants and injuring an equal number of them. The SFs claimed that militants had attacked a check-post of the Mohmand Rifles with mortar guns which was retaliated.

November 23: Five militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in fresh air raids and artillery shelling in different areas of the Bajaur Agency. Sources said SFs, backed by jet fighters, gunship choppers and artillery, moved towards the headquarters of Nawagai tehsil (revenue division) and adjoining villages and took control of the area.

November 22: Four Taliban militants and three women were killed in bombing by fighter aircraft in the Bajaur Agency of FATA. Officials said the aircraft attacked suspected hideouts in Kas, Gatki and Kharki areas of Mamoond tehsil.

Five people, including two children, were killed and seven others injured when a bomb exploded in a mosque in the Tull tehsil of Hangu district in the NWFP. Hangu District Police Officer Sajjad Khan told the bomb went off at about 4:00pm (PST) during prayers in the Sewa Gul Mosque in the Mohallah Tandaroo Sunni neighbourhood.

British terror suspect Rashid Rauf was among the five people killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan. A Western diplomatic source told the missile was fired from a jet across the border in Afghanistan. Peshawar-based intelligence officials said another al Qaeda militant Abu Zubair Al Masri was also among the dead.

Suspected Taliban militants fired rockets and bullets at the Lorra Pull police check post in the Mundan area of Bannu in NWFP at about 4:00am (PST), killing at least three policemen.

November 21: 22 militants were killed and five others sustained injuries when the SFs targeted hideouts of suspected militants in the Damadola area of Bajaur Agency. Sources said the SFs targeted hideouts in Damadola, Tanikhwar, Sapray, Charmang, Kotki, Zorbandar, Glokas Shenkot, Kharkay and Gutki areas of Mamond and Nawagai sub-divisions.

November 20: At least 24 Taliban militants, including 11 foreigners and one local commander, were killed in the military operation in Bajaur Agency. The foreign fighters killed in Bajaur were suspected to be Uzbek nationals, said Frontier Corps sources. They said the Taliban casualties came when security forces targeted militants in the Darbari, Saparai, Gatki, Bagori and Zorbandar areas of Mamoond and Nawagai sub-divisions.

The fighter jets targeted Taliban hideouts in the Ghat Piocher area of Matta sub-division in Swat, killing 20 militants.

An angry mob torched shops and vehicles and pelted police with rocks in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP after a bomb exploded at the funeral procession of a slain Shia cleric. 10 persons were killed and approximately 40 others were wounded in the blast. Deputy Superintendent of Police Sanaullah Khan told that a remote-controlled bomb exploded during the funeral of Syed Iqbal Shah at 11am.

The chief of a tribal Lashkar (militia) and eight other persons were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in the Badan village of Bajaur Agency. Eyewitnesses said the bomber succeeded in entering the mosque on the premises of the house of one Malak Rehmatullah during Maghrib prayers. Rehmatullah, a tribal chieftain and head of the Mamond militia, and eight of his close relatives, including a nephew, were killed.

In the Khwazakhel tehsil of Swat, at least eight civilians, including six women, were killed and 33 injured as SFs tried to target Taliban positions in the Alam Ganj area.

November 19: 12 militants were killed and several others injured when the SFs targeted their suspected hideouts in different areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said that the SFs, with artillery and gunship helicopters, targeted suspected hideouts in Damadola, Saparay and Shinkot areas of Mamond Tehsil (revenue division) and Charmang, Zorbandar and Sagi areas of Nawagai subdivision.

Nine persons, including five militants, were killed and dozens of others sustained injuries in the ongoing military operation in Swat Valley. Sources said gunship helicopters shelled hideouts of the militants, killing five of them and injuring several others.

November 18: 15 militants were killed and several others sustained injuries in the ongoing military operation in the Swat Valley. Gunship helicopters shelled alleged militant hideouts in Akhund and Zora Kellay in the Kabal sub-division, killing seven militants and injuring several persons, including civilians. Further, a soldier was killed and a civilian was wounded in an encounter between the SFs and militants at Ningolai checkpoint.

10 persons were killed in clashes between the Taliban and pro-government tribal leaders in Bajaur Agency. The Taliban on November 17 intercepted a convoy carrying 12 pro-government elders of the Mamoond tribe, local Government official Israr Khan told. The tribesmen opened fire and killed three Taliban militants, including their commander, he said. The elders later took refuge in a guesthouse belonging to a local tribal chief, but more militants arrived, who besieged the house and demanded the local chief hand over the elders. "They opened fire and lobbed hand grenades inside, killing four elders and three servants of the tribal chief," Khan said.

Eight militants were killed in an encounter with the SFs in the Gashkor area of Khwazakhela sub-division in Swat.

Five militants were killed while nine persons, including five militants, sustained injuries during a gun-battle in the Mian Kellay of Shabqadar sub-division in the Charsadda district of NWFP. S

A suspected US drone fired two missiles on a residential compound in the Janikhel area of Bannu district in NWFP, killing four persons and injuring four others. Officials said that the house of a retired serviceman, Dilbar Khan, in Handikhel village, some 15kms southwest of Bannu city, had been hit.

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