Border Villages Rise Up Against Taliban

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

PAKISTAN: Border Villages Rise Up Against Taliban​

By Ashfaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR, Aug 26 (IPS) - "We are trend-setters. Others are following us," boasts Rauf Khan, mayor of Pakistan’s Buner district, where villagers killed six militants in the Dara Shalbandi area on Aug. 14.

In some parts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), people are enlisting in anti-Taliban squads to take on the extremists who are blamed for a spate of abductions and arson attacks on girls’ schools, rural clinics and cyber cafes.

Rauf Khan is leading the village defence squads in Buner, a small valley between Peshawar and Swat. On Aug. 8, the Taliban had attacked the Pir Baba police station in Buner and killed nine policemen.

The village defence squad retaliated with indiscriminate firing that resulted in the deaths of eight militants, including Kamran Khan, the so-called chief of the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in adjacent Mardan district.

"Villagers had asked the militants to surrender before they laid siege," Khan told IPS. "But the militants requested safe passage. That was denied. Then the militants threw a hand-grenade in the direction of the villagers to break the siege," he recounts.

Pakistan’s border regions -- the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and NWFP – are infested with armed groups that espouse a radical Islam, influenced by Afghanistan’s erstwhile Taliban rulers. The Taliban had crossed the porous border into Pakistan when they were ousted by U.S. troops from Kabul in end-2001.

Violence has spiralled in recent months, particularly in Swat, the stronghold of the TTP. About 186 primary and middle schools for girls were torched in the district over the last two months, according to the NWFP Education Minister, Sardar Hussain Babak.

"We fear the Taliban could replicate the same in Buner if they were given a free hand. We have held several meetings and decided that we wouldn’t let Buner go Swat’s way," says Fareedullah, a local elder, who was part of the defence squad that killed Taliban on Aug. 14.

Initially the local people -- ethnic Pakhtoon or Pashtun cousins of the Afghan Taliban – welcomed the guests from across the border. But in 2005, the U.S., in the pursuit of its so-called ‘war on terror’ on militant Islam, began putting pressure on the Pakistan government to evict the outsiders, and FATA became a battleground for the military.

The following year the U.S. launched unmanned drone attacks on North and South Waziristan, forcing thousands to flee their villages. The Taliban capitalised on the strong anti-U.S. sentiment to challenge the Pakistan military.

Fear of intensifying military action in Swat and neighbouring Bajaur Agency, FATA, have triggered the current backlash against the Islamic fighters.

"We are seeing the writing on the wall. If we don’t prevent the Taliban at this stage, there is every possibility the military would launch an operation and the 11million population would be migrating in a state of helplessness to safer areas," says Rauf Khan.

On Aug. 15, a jirga (assembly) of elected councillors in Mardan district (NWFP) decided to set up anti-Taliban squads on the Buner model.

"The Taliban had already bombed about a dozen girls’ schools besides bombing 50 CD shops and attacking police stations," says Shakoor Khan of Bakhshali locality who participated in the jirga. "Before the Taliban resorts to torching more schools, we have decided to resist them," he told IPS.

In Upper Dir, NWFP, the jirga met with the local Taliban on Aug. 15, and asked them to leave the district immediately.

Upper Dir has been flooded with some 100,000 internally displaced by the military operations in adjacent Bajaur Agency. "We are not going to let the Taliban play with the future of our people. We don’t want schools to be burnt and our coming generations uneducated," asserts Gulzar Khan, a local leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami Party.

Wow - JI leaders taking such a strong stance against the Taliban? Expect demands for resignation from Qazi Hussain soon!

In Swabi district of NWFP, similar jirgas have established anti-Taliban squads which patrol the villages at night. "The good news is that all the political parties are supporting the move, because it has paid off in the context of Buner," observes Rehman Shah, a local leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) whose leader, Benazir Bhutto’s murder last December is blamed on the Pakistan Taliban. The PPP is in power in Islamabad.

"All the criminals in these areas are carrying out anti-social activities in the garb of the Taliban. The Taliban, used to be students of religious schools, who guided the people on the right path. But now the situation is quite the opposite. They are leading anti-social activities," comments Himayatullah Mayar, the mayor of Mardan.

A local jirga in Buner district has advised the police to stop night patrols. "We will kill any person seen after midnight. We have advised the local population not to come out of their houses," warns mayor Rauf Khan.

The Awami National Party-led provincial government has emerged a strong supporter of the anti-Taliban squads. On Aug 12, the provincial government had dispatched two helicopters to Buner to bombard Taliban hideouts within one hour of a request from the district administration.

Elsewhere in Lakki Marwat and Hangu districts, villagers have purged their areas of the Taliban. They have warned that all suspected Taliban fighters would be shot at sight. The NWFP government issued a quarter-page advertisement in all national Urdu dailies after the incident in Buner on Aug. 14, congratulating the village defence squads and urging other districts to put a stop to the spread of the Taliban.

It stated: "Militants bring destruction wherever they go. For a bright future, prosperity and development, follow the wise decisions of formation of anti-Taliban squads in Buner, Hangu, Dir, Swabi, Mardan, Lakki Marwat where the people have decided to cleans their areas of militants at their own." (END/2008)

PAKISTAN: Border Villages Rise Up Against Taliban

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Now if only the rest of Pakistan, watching this in their dining rooms, would realize what a terrible force the Taliban are, without having to experience them like the people in Swat did.

 

[fatman17]

the tribes are now realising that the policies of the taleban are not condusive to their way of life which is "pakthunkhwa" or "pakthunwali". (i hope i have the translation correct)

 

[Spring Onion]

In Mohmand Agency the tribesmen had killed about 15 to 16 terrorists of Baitullah Mehsud in gun battle earlier.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

In Mohmand Agency the tribesmen had killed about 15 to 16 terrorists of Baitullah Mehsud in gun battle earlier.

Jana ji - could you post that link in this thread?

 

[Spring Onion]

Jana ji - could you post that link in this thread?

My personal information directly from Mohmand Agency. two days back.

Rather there was in Swat too about 15 days back when villagers resisted Fazullah men and killed six of them the rest ran away.

 

[araz]

The only problem is a matter of trusting the tribes again given their previous broken promises. I think a mutually agreeable compromise with the arnmy being present inthe region to check compliance might suit the situation, or it may be a situation of "Sir, please sit back and enjoy the ride"
Araz

 

[Energon]

Although having the tribes in the troubled region take up arms against the Taliban would seem like a good thing; that effect will only be short term. The over all outlook of tribes fighting amongst themselves is disastrous to say the least. The tribes fighting the taliban aren't doing so because of a healthy allegiance to the national government, but rather on account of acute hardships that see both parties on the same side. Eventually we'll be left with combat savvy and war hardened militarized tribes who will have their own evolving agendas not necessarily in line with national policy and that will ultimately perpetuate the cycle of misery.

It would be prudent of the GoP to take this opportunity to comprehensively bring the tribes into the fold. Educate and impart them with skills which can be used in a civilian setting. The men and women who are ready to fight and have certain abilities ought to be enlisted into the military; and all the combat should ultimately be organized by the GoP via its armed forces.

 

[Spring Onion]

The only problem is a matter of trusting the tribes again given their previous broken promises. I think a mutually agreeable compromise with the arnmy being present inthe region to check compliance might suit the situation, or it may be a situation of "Sir, please sit back and enjoy the ride"
Araz

Its not exactly the same as it was previously sir.

Army has crippled Baitullah Mehsud's men in Bajaur, In Swat too they are on the run thats why they are offering agreements to the government but this time concerned quarters are in no mood to go for talks.


This time the villagers or tribes have taken arms for their own safety above all they came to know the real face of US agents.

 

[Spring Onion]

Although having the tribes in the troubled region take up arms against the Taliban would seem like a good thing; that effect will only be short term. The over all outlook of tribes fighting amongst themselves is disastrous to say the least. The tribes fighting the taliban aren't doing so because of a healthy allegiance to the national government, but rather on account of acute hardships that see both parties on the same side. Eventually we'll be left with combat savvy and war hardened militarized tribes who will have their own evolving agendas not necessarily in line with national policy and that will ultimately perpetuate the cycle of misery.

It would be prudent of the GoP to take this opportunity to comprehensively bring the tribes into the fold. Educate and impart them with skills which can be used in a civilian setting. The men who are ready to fight and have certain abilities ought to be enlisted into the military; and all the combat should ultimately be organized by the GoP via its armed forces.

Energone its not the particular tribes taking arms against another tribe.

This time the villagers are forming groups against militants and these groups are composed of all the villagers irrespective of their tribe.

 

[fatman17]

Although having the tribes in the troubled region take up arms against the Taliban would seem like a good thing; that effect will only be short term. The over all outlook of tribes fighting amongst themselves is disastrous to say the least. The tribes fighting the taliban aren't doing so because of a healthy allegiance to the national government, but rather on account of acute hardships that see both parties on the same side. Eventually we'll be left with combat savvy and war hardened militarized tribes who will have their own evolving agendas not necessarily in line with national policy and that will ultimately perpetuate the cycle of misery.

It would be prudent of the GoP to take this opportunity to comprehensively bring the tribes into the fold. Educate and impart them with skills which can be used in a civilian setting. The men who are ready to fight and have certain abilities ought to be enlisted into the military; and all the combat should ultimately be organized by the GoP via its armed forces.

i completely agree with u but all this comes after the militants are eliminated or nuetralised numbers-wise

 

[Energon]

i completely agree with u but all this comes after the militants are eliminated or nuetralised numbers-wise

But fatman17, that is in itself the caveat. Short term goals having serious consequences for the long term outlook. True, one can propose to endorse this system until the current crop of militants are knocked out... but history shows that programs of this sort usually have a snowballing effect and it can't be controlled as one would hope.

I still stand by my assertion... use this opportunity to strengthen the national foundation instead of outsourcing the issue to an entity that will sooner or later break away. This will undoubtedly postpone the resolution of the current problem and draw it out further, but IMO the investment is totally worth it... or rather the possible outfall is not at all worth it.

 

[Energon]

Energone its not the particular tribes taking arms against another tribe.

This time the villagers are forming groups against militants and these groups are composed of all the villagers irrespective of their tribe.

You're missing the point. What's happening here is that groups outside the government's fold are waging a private war; it just so happens that this is good for the GoP right now; but eventually it will all crumble and you'll have disenfranchised militias running around the frontier provinces... which is exactly how this problem started in the first place.

 

[fatman17]

But fatman17, that is in itself the caveat. Short term goals having serious consequences for the long term outlook. True, one can propose to endorse this system until the current crop of militants are knocked out... but history shows that programs of this sort usually have a snowballing effect and it can't be controlled as one would hope.

I still stand by my assertion... use this opportunity to strengthen the national foundation instead of outsourcing the issue to an entity that will sooner or later break away. This will undoubtedly postpone the resolution of the current problem and draw it out further, but IMO the investment is totally worth it... or rather the possible outfall is not at all worth it.

i say again i dont disagree but after war comes peace and i must admit that keeping the peace will be a uphill task but that is where winning the hearts and minds starts...jobs, schools, hospitals etc...its not going to be easy!

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

At the moment this seems to be a very effective means of denying the taliban space to function.

The military cannot police every village, even if it wanted to. It would be spread out so thin (as we saw in the early days of the FATA conflict) that check posts would be continuously overrun. At the end of the day it is effective local law enforcement that will prove to be the key to preventing terrorism, whether in FATA or in mainstream Pakistan.

The military is needed ot break the back of the currently large and well organized taliban groups, but once they are on the run and in smaller units, it is the locals who will have to step up.

Ideally this should be done through official local law enforcement, but small isolated communities like these will never have a police force large enough to beat back militant attacks, nor will it be economically possible to support a large well armed law enforcement presence in every village and small town. Therefore, the locals will have to be relied upon to provide volunteers for these 'defense committees' that would not be a large burden on the exchequer, and would be self motivated to 'keep the peace'.

It would probably also not be a bad idea to incorporate some military/law enforcement groups (paid and equipped by the government) that can coordinate local efforts with the provincial government/military, assemble, and more importantly, disband local volunteers when the threat is over.

 

[Spring Onion]

You're missing the point. What's happening here is that groups outside the government's fold are waging a private war; it just so happens that this is good for the GoP right now; but eventually it will all crumble and you'll have disenfranchised militias running around the frontier provinces... which is exactly how this problem started in the first place.

Energone it has been the norm there throughout the history of our tribal belt and the government had never had any porblem due to them. It was only after US attack on Afghanistan that led to many problems.

and they were nor they are disenfranchised militias. The foreign players are the real cause of such incidents.