Northern Alliance (ANA?) Funding Terrorism In Pakistan

[Slides]

The US had already done that by giving safe passage to TTP terrorists for attacking Pakistani public

Yes, and it is really unfortunate as it means more of our men will have to die in order rid these areas of the fitna.

I think as the US has already set the precedent of conducting air strikes inside Pakistan to go after terrorists, we should also leave this option open for conducting ops in Afghanistan if needed. We already did some clearing ops inside villages across the border which were being used as safe haven to launch attacks on our forces in Bajaur.

I'm sure the US will have no problem letting PAF conduct strikes in territory it has lost control of.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Cross-border militants strike back - Asia Times Online
By Syed Saleem Shahzad

ISLAMABAD - As a lone suicide bomber approached a convoy of security personnel after walking through a crowded market he detonated the bomb strapped to his body. Eleven people were killed and more than 35 injured in the massive blast on Monday in the Nishat Chowk district of Mingora, the capital of Swat in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Gruesome scenes of bodies being recovered amid billowing black smoke, burning vehicles and shattered buildings are not new to Pakistan; similar - and much bigger - attacks occur regularly. What was significant about Monday's attack was that it was the first in six months in the Swat area.

The return of violence to Swat is a direct result of the Taliban gaining control of the provinces of Kunar and Nuristan across the border in Afghanistan, sources in an al-Qaeda-led militant group tell Asia Times Online.

In a series of operations in the tribal areas that started last year, beginning in Swat and culminating in the offensive in North Waziristan, the Pakistani military rolled back the extensive advances make by the Pakistan Taliban and al-Qaeda. The militants were dispersed, with most disappearing into the wilds on both sides of the border.

Then, towards the end of last year, United States troops evacuated their main bases in Nuristan and border posts in Kunar and handed over responsibility for security to the Afghan National Army (ANA). In November, the Taliban struck a ceasefire deal with the ANA under which the Taliban agreed not to attack provincial capitals in return for the ANA not attacking Taliban bases in the two provinces. (See Taliban take over Afghan province Asia Times Online, October 29, 2009.)

This, say the militant sources, allowed militants from across the border to regroup, and Monday's attack is the first of what the sources say will be many more in Swat, as well as other tribal areas. This includes the restive belt of Bajaur Agency, Mohmand Agency and Dir and Swat in NWFP. There has already been a revival of activity in Bajaur and Mohmand over the past few weeks.

The militant sources say that the fighters who have gathered in Kunar and Nuristan have split into several groups to fight in Afghanistan and in Pakistan on a rotational basis to make the optimum use of their human resources.

A senior militant linked with al-Qaeda told Asia Times Online by telephone that the new assault in Pakistan would start in earnest once the weather improved in the next few weeks, while the battle in Afghanistan would continue.

"If you remember, the Soviets also sent additional forces [to Afghanistan] in the last days [late 1980s], but within a short period they decided they could not beat the mujahideen and they withdrew. The US has done the same [with its 30,000 troop surge] and will soon face so many losses it will not have any choice but to withdraw," the militant said.

Al-Qaeda and the Taliban arrests
The arrest over the past few days of several senior Taliban figures plays into the hands of al-Qaeda, a militant connected with al-Qaeda tells Asia Times Online. He says that as a result of the arrests, the Taliban have severed all links of communication for dialogue - be it with Afghanistan, Pakistan or the US - and they will now work more closely with al-Qaeda.

Those arrested include the Taliban's supreme commander in Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar; the former governor of the Afghan province of Nangarhar, Moulvi Abdul Kabeer; Mullah Abdul Salam, the shadow governor of Kunduz; and Mir Muhammad, also a shadow governor in northern Afghanistan.

Apart from Baradar, these Taliban handed over to the US were very much "assets" of the Pakistan military, which had direct links to them. Kabeer was known to be in contact with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) up until his arrest at the weekend. Because of these links, he would not visit North Waziristan for fear of reprisals from al-Qaeda militants. He was nevertheless on the Taliban's command council.

Similarly, Salam had links to the ISI dating to the mid-1990s shortly before the Taliban took control of Kabul - he represented the Taliban militia at the ISI's headquarters in Islamabad and he remained an asset.

Baradar was not directly in contact with the ISI, but his movements were known and security agencies turned a blind eye as he was considered one of Pakistan's future strategic assets in Afghanistan.

"They [those arrested] were aces in the hands of the Pakistan military, which could have used them to its favor, but now they are lost," a militant leader told Asia Times Online. "Why? We are all wondering, but the fact is that now the Taliban realize that they have no option but to join forces with al-Qaeda in a regional battle against the US and all its allies, including Pakistan and India," the militant said.

Commenting on the arrests, a senior strategic expert told Asia Times Online on the condition of anonymity, "Undoubtedly, they were Pakistan's assets and their arrest might have dire consequences for Pakistan. In my opinion, some very narrow vested interests led to the arrests. Pakistani chief of army staff General [Ashfaq Pervez] Kiani is scheduled to retire on November 27. He cannot make a decision on an extension of his own service, it has to be done by the government with the consent of Washington, and therefore Kiani agreed to make former friends the scapegoats," the analyst said. Kiani has developed very close ties to the US military and has effectively taken over "war on terror" responsibilities from the civilian government.

Sections in the military that are not as keen as Kiani on close ties with the US do not want to see his term extended, preferring one of their own to be promoted. Aware of this, the ISI's counter-terrorism branch explained that Baradar's arrest "was a mistake" and that intelligence officials were not aware of his presence when they made the raid that led to his apprehension.

Nonetheless, with the other arrests that followed, especially that of Kabeer, the Taliban are not buying this line and instead are looking to the regrouped militants in Afghanistan to do their talking in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com

This actually belongs in the thread that quotes the Taliban commander in Konar, Qari-Ziaur-Rehman, as asserting that he was paid by the NA (ANA? - largely has Tajik and Uzbek officers) to attack Pakistan.

Very relevant to the discussion there.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

This excerpt from the earlier article that Shazad refers to in terms of the Taliban taking control of Nuristan and Konar:

The province is now under the effective control of the network belonging to Qari Ziaur Rahman, a Taliban commander with strong ties to Bin Laden. This makes Nuristan the first Afghan province to be controlled by a network inspired by al-Qaeda.

In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, a militant linked to Rahman said that now that they had control of Nuristan, the militants are "marching towards Mohmand and Bajaur to help their fellow Taliban fighting against Pakistani troops", referring to two tribal agencies across the border...

...This region is also home to displaced militants from Pakistan's Swat Valley, who withdrew earlier this year after a military offensive in that area. They are believed to have regrouped and are preparing for new action in Swat once the winter snows block passes, making it difficult for the army's supply lines. ...

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

Since that report came out, that is unfortunately exactly what we have seen.

 

[Slides]

This actually belongs in the thread that quotes the Taliban commander in Konar, Qari-Ziaur-Rehman, as asserting that he was paid by the NA (ANA? - largely has Tajik and Uzbek officers) to attack Pakistan.

Very relevant to the discussion there.

Can you please point to this news article/post link? Thanks

The Kunar and Nuristan situation is appalling an unlike some of our American friends who abuse Pakistan because of areas on our side that we have little control over, I'm genuinely interested in figuring out how to tackle this serious issue.

Of course, the Western media will largely ignore the problems we face due to NATO/US inadequate troop levels and planning from the VERY beginning of the war. ANA is allowed to make deals with Taliban, even though unlike the PA, they have no capacity to enforce any deal whatsoever.

Just imagine if Bush had waited some more after 9/11 and gotten more troops into the theater for blocking positions and also coordinated better with Pak forces, the taliban would not have been able to shift in large numbers to Pakistan and Osama and Mullah Omar may already have been caught or killed.

Not absolving Pakistan of any responsibility, but the country planning the war and conducting the occupation bears a large responsibility for this blunder. Many American, Afghan, Pakistani and even indirectly Iraqi lives could have been saved.

 

[Ahmad]

Does it mean that the Good taliban are now turning their guns to their master Pakistan?

 

[S-2]

"Does it mean that the Good taliban are now turning their guns to their master Pakistan?"

Yes. Self-preservation will do that. It appears a better alternative than a long history of frustration fighting against the American forces like 2-12 Infantry and 2-503 Airborne Infantry in Konar and 3-61 Cavalry in Nuristan. Attacking combat outposts manned by 40 or less Americans has proved deadly for the afghan taliban. Over-running such compounds has proved impossible despite the hard combat. Rahman's taliban have lost hundreds of recovered dead in these attacks for very little gain. You'd think odds of 6:1 would be adequate but the American forces, as usual, punch well above their weight when confronted with direct combat.

The battles seem easier elsewhere further east. Fortunately, Ambassador Patterson's words before the local experts at Pakistan's Nat'l Defense University have confirmed the increasing coordination between the two sides. This, of course, has been long-sought by the Americans but impossible given Pakistan's predilection to treaty with the afghan taliban upon their lands. Finally that appears to be changing, thank God.

All the above are incontrovertible facts that don't rely upon the comment of a taliban commander for verification. Both the ORBATs and Patterson's comments are on the record. Her comments are salient as they were addressed before Pakistani professionals able to discern the truth. When weighed against the accumulation of know-nothings here, that's a valuable comparison. From what I've read in this thread, though, some few who know better have refrained from providing the truth to perpetuate a disheartening message. Such a shame.

Rahman certainly has a willing audience here for flying false flags however. Mainly this is because of self-serving motives of some coupled to the base inability of most others to perform simple research.

There will be no PAF airstrikes in Afghanistan. PAF has its hands full in western Pakistan and must assure its combat aviation assets also remain ready for other possibilities. Were PAF to desire such, however, they'd need the approval of the Afghan government. I doubt that will happen.

Unity, the border posts are a small matter. Afghanistan has 1/7th the posts and about 1/6th Pakistan's population. It's government is far newer and more inexperienced, lacking much of the capacity we'd expect from Pakistan where its F.C. is a long-established tradition. Of course, that long experience by Pakistan has proved inadequate to stopping its own citizens like Hafez Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazir from waging war upon the citizens of Afghanistan.

Most seasoned observers not prone to hysteria recognize those differences. They'd also recognize that Afghanistan shares borders of even greater length with Iran, Tajikistan, the PRC, Uzbekistan, and Turkostan. None here appear to have accounted for these factors. That's too bad but, really, not surprising given the amateurish analysis offered thus far.

Good luck to the P.A. with Rahman. It appears he's found happier hunting grounds

Thanks.

 

[BATMAN]

 

[BATMAN]

 

[somebozo]

Wether Pakistani or Afghani a terrorist is a terrorist. Hunt him down and kill him.
No matter from where he recieves his lurcative offer the ultimate master of game and finance is CIA for their own designs in central asia.

 

[Nahraf]

The people of Afghanistan have been living under state of war since 1978. Millions have died, millions have became refugees and still millions live extreme poverty. The Afghan factions: Parcham, Khalq, Taliban, Northern Alliance, etc. the foreign powers Soviet Union, Pakistan USA are guilty directly and indirectly for the misery of Afghanistan.

 

[53fd]

Finally, the activities of Afghanistan inside Pakistan are being exposed to the world. It's about time, these have been going on since ages.

 

[Irfan Baloch]

the words that come to my mind when I read or hear such stories are
(إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ)
a terrible sin is committed with a murder of a soul