IED blast in South Waziristan injures 12 Security personnel

Twelve security personals were injured on Saturday when a security forces convoy came under an IED attack in the Sarwakai area of South Waziristan, a security official confirmed to The Express Tribune.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, and the injured have been shifted for treatment.

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IDPs return

Assistant Political Agent South Waziristan Nawab Safi told The Express Tribune that repatriation of IDPs is set to commence from March 16 this year after a gap of about 15 months.

The IDPs’ families will be sent back to 14 villages of the Sarwakai and Sarrarugha Tehsils of South Waziristan.

The families will be facilitated with cash through an ATM, amounting to Rs25,000. In addition Rs10,000 will be provided for transport per family.

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IDPs families will be registered start from March 8 to March 11 at the Political Compound South Waziristan, the official added.

The official says that in the new phase about 8,000 families will be repatriated to their homes in South Waziristan.

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The five tehsils of the Mehsud area of South Waziristan, the Sararogha, Sarwakai, Tayarza, Makin, and Lahda tribes got displaced as a result of Operation Reh-a-Nejat in 2009.

The official said the areas where the IDPs families will be repatriated is not only clear, but they have also been provided with facilities, and different development work has been done in the area.

So far, 11,924 families have been repatriated.  About 79,000 families were displaced from South Wazirsitan due to the Operation.