Missile kills Pakistan tribal head

ISLAMABAD (CNN) -- A tribal leader accused of harboring Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's western border region was killed Thursday night in a targeted missile strike, according to Pakistan intelligence sources. The Associated Press quoted an army spokesman Friday as identifying the tribal leader as Nek Mohammed, a former Taliban fighter.

He was killed late Thursday at the home of another tribal chief, the spokesman said.

"We were tracking him down and he was killed last night by our hand," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press.

http://www.dawn.com/2004/08/31/welcome.htm

Tribes protest killings in raid against Al-Qaeda: MIRANSHAH, Aug 31: Tribesmen called a strike today to protest at the killings of three locals during an army offensive against
Al-Qaeda near the Afghan border. After the operation last week the army said it killed three foreign militants. Locals said the dead were their kinsmen and held a series of protests, after
which the bodies were handed over to relatives. The strike at Miranshah, followed a big demonstration in the town in which

tens of thousands

marched through the streets after the dead
were buried. "We want the army to halt its operation and stop killing innocent people in the name of fighting terrorism," local religious leader Maulvi Abdur Rehman told a gathering.
(AFP) (Posted @ 12:45 PST)

Bits and pieces, rocket attack leaves five dead in Balochistan, and a rocket attack injures three in Bannu, also interrupting phone service for North Waziristan.

Near as I can tell, there was an IED hit on a military convoy moving from Wana towards Shakai both the night before and the day after the artillery convoy went through, but the artillery seems to have been unmolested.

But a mark on 32° 15' 15" N 069° 31' 40" E:

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2004/09/01/top7.htm

Tribe inks Agreement on Terrorist Hand-over, Musharraf for speedy FATA development
By Zulf Khan Afridi - Pakistan Times Special Correspondent

WANA (South Waziristan): Another main section of Ahmadzai Wazir of Wana sub-division, Sheikh Bazid of Zali Khel tribe has inked an agreement with the Government to the effect that they will ensure complete safety and security of their respective areas by keeping it free of foreign elements and terrorist activities.

Similarly under the agreement all the relevant sub-tribes have also resolved to handover the wanted elements to the Government authorities Tuesday. They have also furnished a guarantee of Rs. 10 million, depositing one fourth of the total amount in cash.

The significance and important of this yet another agreement forms on the ground that the signatories of the agreement also include sub tribes Ashraf Khel of Yar Gul Khel tribe, which forms half of the tribe's strength. It is the same tribe, which remained in the forefront in harboring the foreign elements in the area and most of the wanted tribesmen also belong to this tribe.

A representative jirga of 200 elders and prominent personalities of the respective sub tribes called on the NWFP Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah at the Governors House on Monday evening.

The participants belonged to Ashraf Khel, Jai Khel, Ghani Khel and Darri Khel clans of Sheikh Bazeed besides other Ahmadzai Wazirs including Mughal Khel, Bezan Khel, Hatti Khel and settled Dottani. The Secretary to Governor Sahibzada Saeed Ahmed and Secretary FATA Security Brig (R) Mehmood Shah besides the Agency Political Agent Asmatullah Gandapur was also present on the occasion.

It is worth mentioning that Gangi Khel and Utmankhel Wazir have already entered in the same agreements with the Government, which have helped in improving the situation and establishing writ of the Government in the area. The Gangi Khel tribes have also initiated efforts to implement the agreement by handing over a Wanted person Noor Deen s/o Mehboob to the Administration yesterday.

In their brief speeches, elders of the Jirga Haji Mohammad Jan Jai Khel, Allah Noor Mughal Khel, Shereen Jan Darii Khel, Allah Jan Dotani and others said that they are patriotic citizen of Pakistan and fully back the present government and will continue their cooperation in future as well.

They also promised to safeguard the soil and frontier of Pakistan and also courageously face those elements, who are out to defame and de-stabilize the area of their abode.

Musharraf directs completion of development projects

And in Rawalpindi, President General Pervez Musharraf directed on Tuesday that all on-going development projects in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) be completed on schedule for the socio-economic uplift and welfare of the residents of these areas.

He made these remarks during a meeting with Governor NWFP, Lieutenant General (R) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah.

The President stated that there is a need for accelerating the development work in FATA as these areas had remained under-developed in the past and there is a need to bring them at par with the rest of the country

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_1-9-2004_pg1_2

Downgrading American relations with Pakistan: It was a mistake, says Wolfowitz

By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: Paul Wolfowitz, US deputy defence secretary, said Monday that the Clinton administration's attempt to downgrade relations with Pakistan which was a "huge mistake."

He was speaking informally to reporters at a farewell reception at the Pakistan embassy for Ashraf Jehangir Qazi who is in the US for a week's stay after having reported for duty at Baghdad as the UN secretary general's special representative for Iraq.

Wolfowitz said the United States should have stayed engaged with Pakistan, while expressing satisfaction with the nature of the present relationship between the two countries. He said in answer to a question that a long-term relationship with Pakistan, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission, would be advantageous for both countries. Asked if the two states had already embarked on such a relationship, he replied, "I think so." To emphasise the upgraded ties between Washington and Islamabad, he pointed out that in 2000, US aid to Pakistan was below $4 million a year, compared with over $700 million yearly today. "I am not saying money is a measure of everything, but it is the message," he added, that is important. He said there was a substantial amount of assistance available to Pakistan for education and democracy programmes.

On terrorism, Wolfowitz, one of the leading hawks of the Bush administration, said the US was aware of the problem and during the first seven months of the Bush administration, it was realised that there could be never be a policy towards al Qaeda and no policy towards Pakistan.

Those attending the reception included Gen. Richard Myers, chairman, joint chiefs of staff; Michael Green, advisor to the President for Asia, Gordon England, Secretary Navy, Peter Rodman, Assistant secretary of Defence, Andrew Nastios, director general of USAID, and a number of White House and State Department officials. The think tank and academic community was well represented in Stephen Cohen, William Milam, Marvin Weinbaum, Akbar S Ahmed and Karl Inderfurth,. Also present were the ambassadors of various countries including France, Japan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Egypt. A large number of Pakistani-Americans were also to be seen at the reception.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=qw1094025602798B212
Al-Qaeda operative captured in Pakistan

September 01 2004 at 10:31AM

Islamabad - Pakistan has arrested a key Egyptian al-Qaeda operative who holds a senior position within the terrorist network, a security official said on Wednesday.

The official, asking to remain anonymous, identified the suspect as Sharif Al-Misri and said his capture carried a significant reward.

"He is one of the top operators in al-Qaeda's hierarchy," said the official.

Sheikh Rashid, who is due to be sworn in as information minister later on Wednesday, confirmed to AFP that Al-Misri and another al-Qaeda suspect had been detained.

The security official said the pair were arrested on Sunday in Quetta, the capital of south-western Baluchistan province which borders Afghanistan and Iran. - Sapa-AFP

Still no name of the second terrorist:

http://203.200.89.17/indexn12.asp?main_variable=FLASH&file_name=cap5.txt&counter_img=5

Pak forces capture 2 key Al Qaeda militants

Agencies/ Islamabad

Pakistani security agencies have arrested two prominent Al Qaeda militants hiding in a madrassa in South West city of Quetta in Baluchistan province.

Former Pakistan Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, identified one of the arrested as Shafrul Mistri, who, according to him, figured prominently in the list of wanted Al qaeda militants.

He, however, declined to identify the nationalities both the detained persons.

Reports from Quetta said two militants were arrested from a madrassa known as Jamai Arabia Matlaul Uloom, an Islamic religious school run by prominent leaders of the Islamist alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal, (MMA), Haiz Hussain Ahmed.

The AlQaeda militants were being hunted by the American and Pakistan security agencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Baluchistan, like the neighbouring North West Frontier Province, (NWFP), shares long border with Afghanistan.

Could it be this Hakeem? The article is from 2002:
http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=3&date1=2002-01-17

Saudi family to sue US for kidnapping its member
Updated on 2002-01-17 10:33:47

RIYADH, Jan 17 (PNS): A Saudi family, which claims that one of its members was "kidnapped" by US intelligence in Pakistan, has decided to sue the United States government, an Arabic newspaper reported.

Relatives said they lost track of Abdullah Al-Matrafi, director of the Wafa charity, on Dec. 10 after he called them from Lahore airport in Pakistan, shortly before he was supposed to board an Emirates flight to Jeddah via Dubai.

Wafa appeared on a US list of organizations suspected of funding terrorism in October, but its director denied the allegation on Qatar's Al-Jazeera television, Abdullah's brother Muhammad told Al-Hayat daily.

Abdullah, 39, had been in Afghanistan during the US-led war and Wafa's stores were a target of US bombings in which seven of its aid workers were killed, including four Saudis, Muhammad said.

Lahore airport authorities and the airline told the family that Abdullah had in fact boarded the Emirates flights at Lahore for Dubai, and at Dubai for Jeddah, but he had never arrived there.

Muhammad said he had been told Abdullah had been detained by the Americans, adding, "This is nothing but piracy, carried out by a superpower."

Abdullah explained in the TV interview that Wafa was involved in constructing mosques, digging wells, setting up medical centers and running a hospital in Kabul. He also said he was ready to show the charity's accounts to anyone.

After leaving Kabul due to US air raids, Abdullah was seriously injured in the bombings. He suffered a fractured leg and ribs and burns in various parts of the body, Muhammad said.

Abdullah's father said his son, who has three children, spent most of his life in charity work and was never involved in politics. He worked as director for a fund-raising committee for Bosnia for five years.

Later, Abdullah went to Makkah where he joined a dawa center and worked as an imam. He went to Afghanistan two years ago and founded Wafa.

Muhammad said he had already contacted a Saudi lawyer and was planning to sue the US State Department for including Wafa in the terrorist list without evidence, and the US government for "kidnapping" his brother. He also plans to sue Dubai-based Emirates.

The Emirates airline yesterday denied suggestions that Abdullah was "kidnapped". "Our records show that Abdullah Al-Matrafi did not board the Emirates flight from Lahore to Dubai," said Hatem Omar, the airline's public relations officer. But Muhammad Al-Matrafi insisted that he had proof that Abdullah was on Emirates Flight 675 from Lahore to Dubai.

In a related development, Abdul Hakeem Bukhari, a Saudi from Makkah who was reported to be among a group of prisoners in Afghanistan, telephoned his family on Monday, saying he was in a Kandahar jail, Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported.

Abdul Rahman Al-Bukhari, a member of the family, said Abdul Hakeem had no links with Al-Qaeda organization of Osama Bin Laden. "Abdul Hakeem went to Pakistan about five months ago for medical treatment and returned to the Kingdom before the Sept. 11 attacks," Abdul Rahman said.

Abdul Hakeem again went to Pakistan after the terror attacks thinking he could purchase Afghan carpets at bargain prices. "Until the last quarter of December, we had no information about Abdul Hakeem, until we received a telephone call from him in which he said he was imprisoned by the Taliban. "Then the line was cut off," he told the paper.

http://www.observerindia.com/cps/from_pak/news.htm

Strike against tribesmen’s deaths in North Waziristan

People in North Waziristan Agency observed a day of mourning called by
the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) on August 31 to protest the killing of three
tribesmen in a military operation on August 23. All bazaars and trade
centres in Miranshah and Mir Ali in North Wazisitan were closed down in
a strike and traffic was thin. The JUI marchers held a large public meeting
at Datta Khel Adda. Addressing the meeting, Member of the National
Assembly (MNA) from North Waziristan Maulana Syed Nek Zaman said
President Musharraf had adopted the US and British policies and brought
the Pakistan Army to a point where people were hurling stones at it. The
MNA said the government was killing innocent tribesmen and they would
not allow government raids on madrassas. JUI Secretary General Maulana
Sadar Abdur Rehman told a gathering of some 5,000 tribesmen in
Miranshah bazaar that the Bush-Blair-Musharraf alliance was terrorising
the world. He said tribal people had demanded the Army withdraw from
the Pakistani-Afghan border as tribal people could defend the frontiers.

More on Hakeem and another arrested:
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0902&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=World&pg=wo_07.htm

Pakistan arrests ``important'' al-Qaeda pair

ISLAMABAD Sept 1 - Pakistani security forces have arrested two ``important'' al-Qaeda operatives, including an Egyptian and a Saudi national, officials said on Wednesday.

The pair, Egyptian Abdul Sattar Sharif ul Misri and Saudi national Abdul Hakeem, were arrested in the southwestern city of Quetta on Monday, intelligence officials said. State-run Pakistan Television said they were found with explosives.

``These are important people,'' Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, information minister in Pakistan's outgoing cabinet, told Reuters, adding that ul Misri had a price on his head.

He did not say who had offered the reward for the capture of ul Misri, who is not among the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted terrorists. Ul Misri means ``the Egyptian'' in Arabic.

An intelligence official in Quetta said the two were captured in a rented mud house in a poor neighbourhood of Quetta, where many Afghan refugees also live. The owner of the house was an Afghan who was not present.

Another official said that Hakeem was in his early 20s while ul Misri was in his 40s and that both had been moved to the capital, Islamabad, for further interrogation.

Ul Misri was the third Egyptian al-Qaeda suspect Pakistan says it has arrested in recent weeks, but the organisation's top Egyptian member, Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al Zawahri, has remained as elusive as his boss.

Security forces in Pakistan, a frontline state in the US-led war on terror, have arrested more than 70 men linked to al-Qaeda as part of a major crackdown since July.

The announcement of the latest arrests came just after US President George W. Bush, who faces a re-election fight in November, said on Tuesday he would tell this week's Republican party convention that three-quarters of known al-Qaeda leaders had been captured or killed.

This is an increase from an earlier estimate of two-thirds, but critics say the estimate is meaningless as losses by a decentralised al-Qaeda are ever harder to estimate.

Pakistan's crackdown, including raids on mosques and Islamic schools, followed the arrest of computer expert Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, who officials say has provided crucial information about al-Qaeda operatives and the organisation's plans to launch attacks in Britain and the United States.

On Tuesday, security forces arrested another al-Qaeda suspect at a religious school run by a senior Islamist politician currently visiting India, officials at the school said.

Hafiz Abdul Khaliq was detained by police at the Matla-ul-Uloom-ul-Arabiyya (Horizon of Arabic Knowledge) school in Quetta, capital of Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan.

The school is run by Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, deputy parliamentary leader of Pakistan's main Islamic bloc, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), who was visiting India with a parliamentary delegation at the time of the raid.

``They searched our madrassah and arrested our guest, Hafiz Abdul Khaliq, on suspicion of links with al-Qaeda,'' Ahmed's son, Hafiz Munir Ahmed, told Reuters.

Officials could not be reached to comment on this arrest.

The thousands of unregulated religious schools in Pakistan have been identified as breeding grounds for extremists.

President Pervez Musharraf has vowed to reform the schools, but critics say little has so far been done.

The MMA is a mainstream opposition alliance of six hardline Islamic groups opposed to Pakistan's support for the US-led anti-terror war waged since the Sept 11 attacks in 2001. - Reuters

Probably all rumor but a guy can dream:

Osama bin Laden has been captured in Pakistan?
(02.09.2004)

We have received reports from US sources that Pakistani security forces have captured Osama bin Laden.

According to these sources, bin Laden was captured not far from Chitral in the Northern part of Pakistan (between Chitral and Peshawar), approximately 4 weeks ago.

This has not yet been confirmed, but we are told the information comes from a source that has provided reliable reports in the past.

We received a report almost 2 weeks ago suggesting that two high level Al-Qaeda operatives were being held in Pakistan and it was believed that their capture was to be announced to coincide with the Republican convention. Whether one of these is Osama bin Laden is uncertain.

http://www.profindpages.com/news/2004/09/02/MN336.htm

Yes, probably a rumor. However, this report is sound ;-)

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10646764%255E2703,00.html

Sonic boom rattles Pakistanis
From AP
September 02, 2004

ISLAMABAD: A sonic boom that many mistook for an explosion rattled windows and nerves in Pakistan's capital, where tensions were already high in the hours before the government swore in a new cabinet under heavy security.

Pakistanis are on edge after a series of high-profile al-Qaida arrests, assassination attempts and thwarted terror attacks in recent weeks.

Police and emergency officials reported receiving thousands of calls after a loud boom Wednesday that rattled windows across a large swath of Islamabad.

Hundreds of jittery residents left their offices and poured into the streets to see what had happened. The cause of the boom was initially a mystery. The air force at first ruled out a sonic boom. Local media reported rumors it may have been caused by an explosion at a textile factory.

It took nearly six hours for the air force to confirm that the boom and vibrations were caused by one of its jets breaking the sound barrier on a training mission near the capital.

"We did not intend to scare people. The plane was flying over its training area," about 50km south-west of the city, Air Force Cmdr. Sarfaraz Ahmed said.

The boom came about two hours before President Gen. Pervez Musharraf swore in a new 32-member cabinet that will serve under incoming Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Earlier, authorities had announced the arrest of two terror suspects in the southwest of the country in the past few days, including an Egyptian man the government said it considers an important figure in Osama bin Laden's terror group.

The capital has been under a virtual lockdown for months following a series of suicide attacks and thwarted plots against senior officials and the US Embassy. Pakistan has suffered a series of terrorist attacks, most in the restive southern city of Karachi.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.