Militants were unable to breach base security, death toll from airbase attack rises; U.S. expresses confidence in Pakistan’s nuclear security; Rumors of Pakistani operation in North Waziristan grow, top U.S. general meets Pakistani army chief; Two killed in Karachi bombing; ceasefire violation on Indo-Pak border; TTP Darra Adamkhel announces new suicide attack wing; Afghan militants raid northern Pakistan; UN Secretary General express outrage at sectarian killings.
Aftermath of Base Assault and Nuclear Fears
A report by the Associated Press makes the case that the assault on the airbase reinforces the need for a Pakistani military operation against Taliban militants in North Waziristan. The report quotes Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik as saying that four of the nine attackers were from North Waziristan. The report also quotes an unnamed military official as saying that Pakistan has recently increased the size of its force in North Waziristan from 30,000 to 34,000 with the addition of another brigade, and plans to add yet another brigade in
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Aftermath of Base Assault and Nuclear Fears
- The aftermath of the brazen Taliban assault on a Pakistani airbase near Islamabad on Thursday reveals that militants were unable to breach the facility beyond its outer security perimeter. According to media reports, the base was at heightened
security due to recent intelligence reports anticipating an attack of this nature, and the nine militants were engaged soon after scaling the base’s perimeter wall. Only one aircraft out of the base’s fleet, the target of the attack, was slightly damaged in the assault. One more soldier involved in the firefight succumbed to his injuries on Friday, bringing the military’s death toll from the attack to two. Security has been ramped up in the city of Peshawar following the attack.[1]
- U.S. officials on Thursday reiterated their belief in the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, saying they had no reason to doubt official Pakistani statements that no nuclear weapons were housed on the base. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters that the U.S. had “confidence that the government of Pakistan is well aware of the range of potential threats to its nuclear arsenal and has secured its nuclear arsenal accordingly.” Defense Department spokesman George Little said he did “not have any indication that [the Kamra] attack has endangered the Pakistani nuclear stockpile.”[2]
A report by the Associated Press makes the case that the assault on the airbase reinforces the need for a Pakistani military operation against Taliban militants in North Waziristan. The report quotes Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik as saying that four of the nine attackers were from North Waziristan. The report also quotes an unnamed military official as saying that Pakistan has recently increased the size of its force in North Waziristan from 30,000 to 34,000 with the addition of another brigade, and plans to add yet another brigade in
Read More on http://www.criticalthreats.org/pakistan-security-brief/pakistan-security-brief-august-17-2012