Border Villages Rise Up Against Taliban

[RabzonKhan]

Tribal lashkar kills 3 Taliban in Bajaur

* Mohmand residents start vacating homes fearing military operation

KHAR/GHALANAI: Three Taliban were killed by a tribal lashkar in Bajaur Agency on Saturday.

According to locals, volunteers of the Salarzai tribe set fire to eight Taliban houses in the Aundai area. Taliban attacked the lashkar and three Taliban were killed in the exchange of fire.

Meanwhile, the residents of Mamoond have also decided to form a lashkar to combat the Taliban. The decision was taken during a meeting of tribal elders. A meeting of tribal leaders would be held on Sunday to devise a strategy against Taliban.

Afghan refugees started leaving Bajaur following a three-day deadline given by the local administration for them to vacate the agency, locals said.

Meanwhile, the residents of some parts of Mohmand Agency have started vacating their areas in the face of a possible military operation in the agency.

Rumours of a military operation have spread rapidly after Eid. People have started vacating their homes in Yaka Ghund tehsil and other adjacent areas, where Taliban have been active for a few months.

The local families leaving the area said they were leaving their homes as they feared a massive operation after October 6, following a clash between security personnel and Taliban in Pir Qala.

Sources told Daily Times that the Taliban leadership had directed their supporters to trim their beards and long hair to avoid recognition. Beards and long hair have become Taliban hallmarks in the Tribal Areas. hasbanullah/mukarram khan

 

[dr.umer]

Deadline for Afghan refugees to end today​

Sunday, October 05, 2008

PESHAWAR: The deadline set for Afghan refugees to leave Bajaur Agency will end today while large numbers of the refugees are making their way across to Afghanistan.

The bulk of the lashker is expected to take action against militants today while the Mamoond tribal lashkar have announced that they will take action against militants in Bajaur today.

On the other hand, tribal lashker comprising 500 volunteers will launch operation against militants on Monday in Charmang area of Tehsil Nawagai while Salarzai tribe is expected to meet on October 7.

 

[JK!]

I'm all for Lashkars rising up against militants but surely in the long run its dangerous to have such well armed civilians on the loose.

What if they like the Taliban bite the hand that feeds them?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I'm all for Lashkars rising up against militants but surely in the long run its dangerous to have such well armed civilians on the loose.

What if they like the Taliban bite the hand that feeds them?

Its a valid concern, but I would like to point out that there is a huge difference in terms of the role the two groups (militants vs current Lashkars) and any indoctrination they might be receiving.

The militants were trained to fight a government, reject any pretense of law international or domestic, and indoctrinated with 'Jihad'. The lashkars are primarily 'village defense squads', who are tasked with removing the criminal element from their areas, not fight a war against occupation nor jihad against a communist/capitalist infidel invader army.

In the end, we have to start integrating and developing the more stable parts into mainstream Pakistan, so we can remove the underlying conditions that make militancy an option.

 

[Kasrkin]

The Taliban didnt really bite the hand that fed them, there is a stark difference between the Afghan Taliban lead by Mullah Omar and the Pakistani Taliban lead by Betullah Mehsud who is considered an upstart by Mullah Omar. Also Mullah Omar on more than one occasion tried to dismiss him and distance himself from his organization. Mullah Omar has clearly said he has nothing to do with the fighting in Pakistani areas and that his Taliban recieve no help from Pakistani sources. Also some un-named American officials have accused Pakistans ISI of being in touch with not Mullah Omar and Osama-bin-Laden but people like Hekmetyar and Haqqani who are former enemies of the Taliban and always friends to Pakistan. They are the 'Old Guard'.
The Pakistani Taliban or the TTP and their supporters and tribes on the other hand are being run and sponsored by external forces with aim the of, my guess is, destroying or alteast seriously undermining the Pakistani state and at the same time defaming and destroying all Islamic irregular outfits which would inevitably happen when such terrorist violence is done against a state as big and powerful as Pakistan. Also being arrogant and primitive, most of the cannon fodder AKA members of the TTP probably dont know who their puppeteers are because their heads are so high up their...you know what I mean.

Anyway dont worry, lashkars are cool. And better they on our side than theirs. Lets face it, this is our wild wild wild west with killers and terrorists and exiles and criminals from all over the world there, pretty much everyone is heavily armed(including the locals). And these guns wont go away even if we discourage the local lashkars (and are in fact more likely to end up in the wrong hands). Atleast this way we know where they are and can keep track of them.

 

[Janbaz]

Its a valid concern, but I would like to point out that there is a huge difference in terms of the role the two groups (militants vs current Lashkars) and any indoctrination they might be receiving.

The militants were trained to fight a government, reject any pretense of law international or domestic, and indoctrinated with 'Jihad'. The lashkars are primarily 'village defense squads', who are tasked with removing the criminal element from their areas, not fight a war against occupation nor jihad against a communist/capitalist infidel invader army.

In the end, we have to start integrating and developing the more stable parts into mainstream Pakistan, so we can remove the underlying conditions that make militancy an option.

According to sources..........CNN primarily, the USA is considering a dynamic move to fight the Taliban, an "awakening" style movement involving Pakistani-Afghan Pashtuns rising against Taliban.............that could seal the deal.

The "awakening" coupled with McCain's pet surge is what the man is relying on to keep his campaign afloat.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

According to sources..........CNN primarily, the USA is considering a dynamic move to fight the Taliban, an "awakening" style movement involving Pakistani-Afghan Pashtuns rising against Taliban.............that could seal the deal.

The "awakening" coupled with McCain's pet surge is what the man is relying on to keep his campaign afloat.

Awakening is already up and running and expanding on the Pakistan side, the question is what the US can use to motivate the tribes on its side.

 

[Pk_Thunder]

Awakening is already up and running and expanding on the Pakistan side, the question is what the US can use to motivate the tribes on its side.

may be more economic uplift to the tribal people...As we know many tribes have already started cooperating with our forces,this mean the US is winning them on their side as pakistan is US ally,so helping pak forces mean they are helping the US!!!

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

may be more economic uplift to the tribal people...As we know many tribes have already started cooperating with our forces,this mean the US is winning them on their side as pakistan is US ally,so helping pak forces mean they are helping the US!!!

One commonality that I can see on the Pakistan side (with Iraq) is that Taliban barbarity and atrocities got to the point where the Tribes had enough.

One can also see that the 'awakening' came about after the PA deployed a large number of assets, really went at the militants for several weeks, the political leadership reiterated that they would keep the operation going until the militants were eliminated or surrendered (the military concurred), and the militants took heavy casualties with some leaders being attacked as well.

It was after the intent of the military and GoP, to stay and finish the job this time, became clear that we saw the Tribes really start coming out in support of the PA. From what I know of the 'Awakening' in Iraq, a similar show of military superiority, and a selling of the 'commitment to stay and finish the job' (along with AQ barbarities) was what brought the Sunni Tribes to the US side.

The Taliban have not resorted to AQ style tactics in Afghanistan to as large a degree as AQ in Iraq, nor is the population in Iraq as tribal as that of Afghanistan, so I am not certain that the factors that worked for the US in Iraq would work in the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.

Something has to change - the Taliban in Afghanistan have to either get really medieval on the tribes, and drive them into the arms of the US, or the US or GoA has to win them over by really going above and beyond the current development framework and pace - an 'offer they can't refuse'.

On the theme of your point, perhaps the Joint Patrols might help cement this perception.

On the flip side, the tribes (and the related Taliban groups) that are helping people like Haqqani, Hekmetyar, Nazir etc. fight a 'unjust' occupation, may not like the fact that Pakistan is attacking them, despite they not having attacked Pakistani interests.

That will be a tough one to get around, and a harder argument to win domestically from a propaganda POV.

 

[Cheetah786]

LANDI KOTAL: Elders of Kukikhel and Shinwari tribes in Khyber Agency have refused to adhere to the government demand about the formation of a tribal Lashkar in their respective areas.
Khyber Agency political administration convened a jirga of Shinwari elders at the Jirga Hall on Monday which was attended by nearly one hundred local elders.
After thoroughly deliberating the prevailing law and order situation, increasing number of kidnapping on the main Peshawar-Torkhum highway and a surge in the activities of militants, the local elders decided to constitute a 30-member peace committee instead of raising a tribal Lashkar.
A Shinwari elder Malik Gulab Khan told the officials that his tribe wanted to resolve the issue of deteriorating law and order peacefully and curb the menace of terrorism unleashed by local militants.
The jirga also resolved to ban entry of non local militant organisations in Landi Kotal. The jirga told the local administration that no religious organisation would be allowed to come to Landi Kotal in the name of implementing its own brand of Sharia.
Also in Jamrud tehsil, the Kukikhel jirga refused to raise a Lashkar and resolved to settle disputes with militants through negotiations.
Addressing the jirga, held near Railway Station, Malik Attaullah Kukikhel accused the political administration of pitting tribesmen against their own men. He said that formation of armed Lashkar would further aggravate the already volatile situation in the tribal areas. He said that instead of raising lashkars, the government should strengthen the role of tribal jirga.

 

[IceCold]

Well sooner or latter when a few of them gets blown up within these jirgas, they will automatically agree to form a tribal lashkar.
However till then it seems security forces will have to remain in the area and ensure that these areas do not fall under again with the militants.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

^^^ All options should be kept open.

If the elders can keep militants out and maintain peace as they said without a Lashkar, all power to them.

However, the GoP needs to continue monitoring events on the ground so that the SF's can step in, or Laskar raised if needed, before the situation spins out of control and the people become IDP's as in Bajaur.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

threads merged.

 

[RabzonKhan]

More tribesmen take up arms against Taliban

* Armed men from Mamoond tribe burn Taliban houses
* Security forces secure Indus Highway, clear Kohat tunnel

Staff Report

October 07, 2008. PESHAWAR: Two more tribes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) formed militias on Monday to take action against Taliban and several others assured the government of their support in its efforts to restore peace in the Tribal Areas.

Hundreds of armed men from Mamoond tribe of the Bajaur Agency burned the houses of several Taliban including a commander. Elders of the tribe said their men would continue action against the Taliban until peace was restored in the agency.

Officials in Khyber Agency told APP that 30 elders representing Shinwari tribes participated in a jirga on Monday and decided to raise a 300-strong ‘Qaumi Lashkar’ (national militia) against the Taliban.

But elder Haji Gulab Shinwari denied an armed group had been formed, insisting a committee would ‘handle law and order’.

APP said the jirga made it compulsory for each tribe to contribute at least 10 volunteers to the militia. A jirga of the Khyber Zakha Khel tribe also decided to set up a militia against Taliban.

“For now, a 20-member committee will monitor the situation and take timely decisions,” said Shakir Khan Afridi, an elder. Local volunteers had earlier helped restore the government’s writ in the Salarzai, Otmankhel, Barang and Khar areas.

Indus Highway: In Darra Adam Khel, the security forces said they had gained complete control of the Indus Highway and cleared the Kohat tunnel.

An ISPR statement said ‘militants’ had been evicted from their bunkers and hideouts along the road.

Troops also carried out a search operation in the Tor Chappar area “with the support of local population”, the press release said.

Also on Monday, a press release by the FATA Secretariat’s media cell said tribal elders from the Khyber, Bajuar, Mohmand and Orakzai agencies and the Frontier Regions had assured the government of support against the Taliban in separate jirgas.

The Salarzai, Mamoond and Utman Khel tribes of Bajaur Agency, Mullagori, Zakha Khel and Adam Khel Afridis of Khyber Agency and the Kohat Frontier Region, and the Ali Khel tribe of Orakzai Agency had formed lashkars against the Taliban, the statement said.

The Koki Khel tribe in Khyber Agency however declined to form a militia against the Taliban. Its head, Attaullah Jan Koki Khel, told a jirga raising militias was ‘American policy’. staff report/app

 

[Janbaz]

Well it is encouraging to see what has been going on.......hope the momentum does not shift and we all get a clean militant backside sweep!