Pakistan Army raises anti-IED force

[Last Hope]

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army is raising a new force to combat increasing use of IEDs in terrorism incidents in the country, a meeting was told on Monday. The force comprises three CIED units. The second inter-agency meeting, headed by Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Rashad Mahmood, was held on Monday at the General Headquarters to review challenges and threats posed by the IEDs in the present environment. The representatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Minister of Industries, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Interior, FATA Secretariat, Pak-Arab Fertilizers, BIAFO, and Wah Nobel Group attended the meeting. CIED policy and strategy were discussed in detail with stress on the growing challenges that include increasing rate of casualties. The biggest regional challenge Pakistan faces today is to not only mitigate the effects but to also increase awareness in general public across the country so as to prevent them from becoming a part of this menace. The need is to bring on board both civil and military efforts and pursue CIED strategy in an aggressive manner. The most significant step is to identify the grey areas and cultivate a way forward for pursuing the policy. IEDs are referred as the weapons of choice that requires a ‘whole-of-nation’ approach to be countered. While overall the menace has beeon growing, the number of IEDs has been successfully reduced in the conflict zone from 55 percent to 45 percent in the last couple of years. During the meeting, the need for national and international legislation on pertinent issues was stressed upon. The panel noted that a number of other countries affected by IEDs have carried out legislation to bring this menace under control but Pakistan has yet not made any progress on legal plane. The issues like border control, tracking down terrorist networks and random checks in FATA also came under discussion. A regulatory mechanism was discussed in detail for effective control of move of the explosive material and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) fertiliser from various regional and extra-regional countries. It was identified that the traders could inadvertently help the terror networks by selling electric circuits, long range remote controls, activation switches and CAN fertiliser.

 

[UmarJustice]

‘Cheapest assassins’: Army creates new units to combat IED threat

The Pakistan Army plans to raise a new force to deal with the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which have claimed over 11,000 lives in the last decade in Pakistan.

IEDs have also been a major cause of fatalities among foreign forces stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan.
An inter-agency meeting, held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday, was informed that a new force of three Counter IED units was being raised within the Pakistan Army, according to an official statement.
The meeting, chaired by Chief of General Staff Lt General Rashad Mahmood, was part of efforts by the government to deal with the threat of IEDs.
Representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, minister of industries, ministry of information and broadcasting, ministry of interior, Fata Secretariat, Pak-Arab Fertilizers, Biafo Industries Limited, and the Wah Nobel Group attended the meeting.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the panel reviewed challenges and threats posed by IEDs in the present environment and identified them as the “cheapest assassins”.
The officials and experts acknowledged that while the menace has been growing overall, the number of IEDs has been successfully reduced in conflict zones from 55% to 45% in the last couple of years.
The panel noted that a number of other countries affected by IEDs have made laws to control the menace but Pakistan has yet to enacted any progress on this plane.

Related issues such as border control, tracking down terrorist networks and random checks in Fata were also discussed.
A regulatory mechanism was discussed in detail for the effective control of the movement of the explosive material and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) fertiliser from regional and extra-regional countries.
Pakistan has often been accused by western countries of doing little to stop the smuggling of CAN. According to the US, about 80% of the IEDs used in Afghanistan contain homemade explosives, and more than 80% of them are derived from the CAN fertiliser, which is produced in Pakistan.
The statement added that Pakistan is one of the top victims of IED attacks by militants. During the last decade, some 33,150 incidents have taken place across Pakistan, claiming the lives of 11,250 Pakistanis and injuring over 21,000.

‘Cheapest assassins’: Army creates new units to combat IED threat – The Express Tribune

 

[Jango]

Any idea about the role of these units and how they will be structured?

Seeing that there were industrial and agricultural figures present in the meeting, I think that the role of fertilizers getting into the wrong hands would also have been discussed.

 

[A.Rafay]

Any special Equipments of this Anit-IED Force?

 

[Devil Soul]

‘Cheapest assassins’: Army creates new units to combat IED threat
By Kamran Yousaf
Published: February 12, 2013
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Army plans to raise a new force to deal with the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which have claimed over 11,000 lives in the last decade in Pakistan.

IEDs have also been a major cause of fatalities among foreign forces stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan.

An inter-agency meeting, held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday, was informed that a new force of three Counter IED units was being raised within the Pakistan Army, according to an official statement.

The meeting, chaired by Chief of General Staff Lt General Rashad Mahmood, was part of efforts by the government to deal with the threat of IEDs.

Representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, minister of industries, ministry of information and broadcasting, ministry of interior, Fata Secretariat, Pak-Arab Fertilizers, Biafo Industries Limited, and the Wah Nobel Group attended the meeting.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the panel reviewed challenges and threats posed by IEDs in the present environment and identified them as the “cheapest assassins”.

The officials and experts acknowledged that while the menace has been growing overall, the number of IEDs has been successfully reduced in conflict zones from 55% to 45% in the last couple of years.
The panel noted that a number of other countries affected by IEDs have made laws to control the menace but Pakistan has yet to enacted any progress on this plane.

Related issues such as border control, tracking down terrorist networks and random checks in Fata were also discussed.

A regulatory mechanism was discussed in detail for the effective control of the movement of the explosive material and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) fertiliser from regional and extra-regional countries.

Pakistan has often been accused by western countries of doing little to stop the smuggling of CAN.

According to the US, about 80% of the IEDs used in Afghanistan contain homemade explosives, and more than 80% of them are derived from the CAN fertiliser, which is produced in Pakistan.

The statement added that Pakistan is one of the top victims of IED attacks by militants. During the last decade, some 33,150 incidents have taken place across Pakistan, claiming the lives of 11,250 Pakistanis and injuring over 21,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2013.
Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect picture attached to it. The picture has been replaced now.

 

[neehar]

good job..........................

 

[Alpha1]

What will the police do then? Corruption?

 

[TOPGUN]

This is good news to save more lives may GOD have mercy on our nation .

 

[EagleEyes]

What will the police do then? Corruption?

Police job has nothing to do with IED. There are not even trained for it.

 

[fatman17]

meray aziz humwatnon - already posted in PA news section - pls merge.

 

[Blue Warrior]

its more intelligence work rather than active involvement of armaments and armed personal..

 

[Glitcher]

A Wise Decision indeed This will help the current situation of pakistan

 

[Ayush]

good development.

 

[BATMAN]

Police job has nothing to do with IED. There are not even trained for it.

Not even army was trained todate.. for IED.

When there was a threat, responsibles started thinking about it, and today we have result.

We do criticize army for not foreseeing things, but this is another debate.

In same way if Rehman Malik wish they can also start looking into it... delegating every thing to army is no solution.

 

[Last Hope]

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to buy ten advanced mobile scanners equipped for tracing explosive materials and controlling terror activities, Geo News reported on Friday.

Sources add, that these computerized vehicles equipped with automatic devices would be imported at a total cost of Rs. 10 billion.

The federal interior ministry has prepared a summary for the purchase of mobile scanners, which would be sent to the prime minister for his approval, sources said.

Sources further add that these scanner vehicles would be purchased either from US or China, and that the scanners are capable of detecting explosive materials concealed in cars, trailers and trucks and will help block terror incidents.

The Federal government will be keeping two out of the ten vehicles for its use, while two each will be be given to Punjab and Sindh and one each to Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan governments.

Following the prime minister's approval, the vehicles will be imported within one or two months.

Govt. to buy 10 mobile scanners - thenews.com.pk