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Separating Taliban from al-Qaeda
By Farzana Shah
The sectarian cauldron leading to carnage involving banned terror groups in different parts of Pakistan coupled with South Waziristan suicide attack killing two dozen people including pro-government Maulana Noor Muhammad last month once again proved complex deep rooted links between Taliban and al-Qaeda.
The involvement of local groupies of al-Qaeda in sectarian bloodbath and killing of pro government tribal leaders has also highlighted the failure of the government to realise growing ideological alliance between Taliban and al-Qaeda.
With US drawdown from Iraq, the same prospect is in sight for Afghanistan in few years; in such a situation how US and Pakistan are going to separate Taliban from al-Qaeda is going to be a key factor in bringing the region to a peaceful equation.
For Pakistan its more important to wake up to the reality of pro-Pakistan groupies of al-Qaeda including Nazir-Gul Bahadur-Haqqani network.
How we are going to neutralise local Taliban viz -a -viz al-Qaeda influence is vital for safety and integrity of Pakistan itself.
Recently US has realised the threat posed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), by banning and terming it a foreign terrorist organisation.
The TTP is very much part of the most dangerous terrorist threat the United States faces. The TTP and al-Qaida have a symbiotic relationship. TTP draws ideological guidance from al-Qaida, while al-Qaida relies on the TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border, said ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism, Daniel Benjamin.
Till recently the US/NATO alliance was far from even realising the threat posed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. The realisation felt only after the killing of CIA agents in Afghan attack followed by the video showing the attacker Dr. Hamam advocating attacks against US while sitting besides Hamikullah Mehsud.
Those close to the ranks of TTP openly admit that the attack was carried out by both TTP and al-Qeada and Dr. Hamam was trained by Qari Hussain, who heads the TTP suicide squad which had been sending suicide attackers to Afghanistan as well as for blowing up in Pakistan. Sources say initially Hamam was kept in South Waziristan and after military operation in the area he was shifted to North Waziristan Agency.
When Pakistani forces started operation in Mehsud inhabited South Waziristan Agency, Taliban offered a nominal resistance and started evacuating their strongholds in Kotakai, Srarogha, Ladha, Makin, Karama, Dila, Kaniguram, Sarwakai, Khaisor, Spinkai Ragzai, Sam, etc one by one.
They learned a lesson from their experience in Swat operation where Mulla Fazlullah-led militants suffered huge causalities in open confrontation with the Army. This led them to avoid conventional war and wage protracted guerrilla warfare. Due to this early retreat militants have suffered minimal causalities.
This is the same strategy practiced by Mullah Omer after US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. TTP has been in close co-ordination with both Jalal-u-din-led Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda. TTP battle strategy and tactics is equally supervised by both Haqqani network and Al-Qaeda.
TTP founder, Baitullah Mehsud was a personal friend of Sirajudin Haqqani and his networks military commander Molvi Sangin jointly carried out some of the initial attacks against US and NATO forces check posts along with Pak Afghan border area of Khost, Paktya and Paktika.
Before Baitullahs death in US drone attack in August last year, a central alliance Ithihad-e-Shur-e-Mujahideenof all three major factions of Pakistani Taliban was formed. Both Haqqani and al-Qeada played pivotal role in finalising this alliance. The same effort was once made by late Mullah Dadullah.
Under this new alliance, all three are bound to assist each other in case of operation by Pakistan Army in the area.
After Swat experience, TTP with consent and advice from Molvi Gul Bahadur (North Waziristan Agency) and Molvi Nazir (South Waziristan Agency, AhmadZai Wazir Tribe) decided to opt for a guerrilla war.
Those in close coordination with Ithihad-e-Shur-e-Mujahideen say the alliance was the main driving force behind a peace deal by Molvi Nazeer and Gul Bahadur with Army in their respective areas in order to provide safe sanctuaries to fleeing members of TTP, al-Qaeda and Uzbeks militants.
Despite the peace deal, TTP and al-Qaeda members have been sheltered and assisted by Nazir and Gul Bahadur through all possible resources against Pakistan Army.
It must be noted that Qari Hussain, known as Ustad-e-Fidayyeen, TTP suicide bomber Squads head, has a huge number of suicide bombers and used to keep them with himself. Now, according to sources, the suicide bombers are kept in North Waziristan, Orakzai and some with Haqqani group.
To understand the basic reason behind coordination between all these factions, we need to trace the affiliations of these groups with different Islamic schools of thought.
There are two major schools of thought in both TTP and Afghan Taliban; Deobandi and Salafi.
Deobandi constitute nearly 80% of Taliban on both sides of Durand Line while the remaining are Salafi, more inclined towards Saudi Wahabi School of thought. al-Qaeda too represents Salafi school of thought across the globe. Salafis are very rigid in religious interpretations and consider both West and its supported regimes in the Muslim world as Kafirs so Jihad is obligatory against both of them. Al-Qaeda struggle is not confined to a specific region, state or territory but striving to establish an Islamic Caliphate according to their own interpretation.
In Pakistan due to close coordination with al-Qaeda, TTP has also a fair number of Salafi militants, specially, Bajaur, Mohmand, Darra Adam Khel etc are areas where Salafi militants have a clear majority. While militants in South, North Waziristans, Khyber, Malakand, are Deobandi.
Former TTP head, Baitullah Mehsud was Deobandi similarly Maulana Wali-U-Rahman, TTPs S. Waziristan chapter head is also Deobandi. Pakistani religious political party JUI(F) main Deobandi headed by Fazlur Rehman also exerts influence in Waziristan.
Qari Hussain and his nephew TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud both are basically Deobandi but lately influenced by Salafis due to their close relation with al-Qaeda and sectarian militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkr-e-Jhanvi, an offshoot of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) is a mixture of both Deobandi and Salafi militants. But the outfit is reported to have close links with Salafi al-Qaeda
Molvi Faqir Muhammad of Bajur, Umar Khalid from Mohmand and Tariq Afridi of Dara Adamkhel are close to Salafi school of thought.
On the other side of Durand Line, Taliban active in Afghan provinces of Nuristan and Kunar, sharing borders with Bajaur, Mohmand and Malakand division are predominantly Salafi. Qari Zia-ur-Rahman, a renowned Afghan Taliban Commander has close relations with TTP deputy chief, Mualana Faqir Muhammad and used to send his fighters across the border to assist Pakistani Taliban against security forces. The fact admitted by ISPR DG as well. )
Keeping in view the growing influence of Salafis on Taliban it remains to be seen how the latter could be neutralised and included in any future set up in case US/NATO decide to withdraw.
Separating Taliban from al-Qaeda | Farzana Shah
By Farzana Shah
The sectarian cauldron leading to carnage involving banned terror groups in different parts of Pakistan coupled with South Waziristan suicide attack killing two dozen people including pro-government Maulana Noor Muhammad last month once again proved complex deep rooted links between Taliban and al-Qaeda.
The involvement of local groupies of al-Qaeda in sectarian bloodbath and killing of pro government tribal leaders has also highlighted the failure of the government to realise growing ideological alliance between Taliban and al-Qaeda.
With US drawdown from Iraq, the same prospect is in sight for Afghanistan in few years; in such a situation how US and Pakistan are going to separate Taliban from al-Qaeda is going to be a key factor in bringing the region to a peaceful equation.
For Pakistan its more important to wake up to the reality of pro-Pakistan groupies of al-Qaeda including Nazir-Gul Bahadur-Haqqani network.
How we are going to neutralise local Taliban viz -a -viz al-Qaeda influence is vital for safety and integrity of Pakistan itself.
Recently US has realised the threat posed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), by banning and terming it a foreign terrorist organisation.
The TTP is very much part of the most dangerous terrorist threat the United States faces. The TTP and al-Qaida have a symbiotic relationship. TTP draws ideological guidance from al-Qaida, while al-Qaida relies on the TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border, said ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism, Daniel Benjamin.
Till recently the US/NATO alliance was far from even realising the threat posed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. The realisation felt only after the killing of CIA agents in Afghan attack followed by the video showing the attacker Dr. Hamam advocating attacks against US while sitting besides Hamikullah Mehsud.
Those close to the ranks of TTP openly admit that the attack was carried out by both TTP and al-Qeada and Dr. Hamam was trained by Qari Hussain, who heads the TTP suicide squad which had been sending suicide attackers to Afghanistan as well as for blowing up in Pakistan. Sources say initially Hamam was kept in South Waziristan and after military operation in the area he was shifted to North Waziristan Agency.
When Pakistani forces started operation in Mehsud inhabited South Waziristan Agency, Taliban offered a nominal resistance and started evacuating their strongholds in Kotakai, Srarogha, Ladha, Makin, Karama, Dila, Kaniguram, Sarwakai, Khaisor, Spinkai Ragzai, Sam, etc one by one.
They learned a lesson from their experience in Swat operation where Mulla Fazlullah-led militants suffered huge causalities in open confrontation with the Army. This led them to avoid conventional war and wage protracted guerrilla warfare. Due to this early retreat militants have suffered minimal causalities.
This is the same strategy practiced by Mullah Omer after US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. TTP has been in close co-ordination with both Jalal-u-din-led Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda. TTP battle strategy and tactics is equally supervised by both Haqqani network and Al-Qaeda.
TTP founder, Baitullah Mehsud was a personal friend of Sirajudin Haqqani and his networks military commander Molvi Sangin jointly carried out some of the initial attacks against US and NATO forces check posts along with Pak Afghan border area of Khost, Paktya and Paktika.
Before Baitullahs death in US drone attack in August last year, a central alliance Ithihad-e-Shur-e-Mujahideenof all three major factions of Pakistani Taliban was formed. Both Haqqani and al-Qeada played pivotal role in finalising this alliance. The same effort was once made by late Mullah Dadullah.
Under this new alliance, all three are bound to assist each other in case of operation by Pakistan Army in the area.
After Swat experience, TTP with consent and advice from Molvi Gul Bahadur (North Waziristan Agency) and Molvi Nazir (South Waziristan Agency, AhmadZai Wazir Tribe) decided to opt for a guerrilla war.
Those in close coordination with Ithihad-e-Shur-e-Mujahideen say the alliance was the main driving force behind a peace deal by Molvi Nazeer and Gul Bahadur with Army in their respective areas in order to provide safe sanctuaries to fleeing members of TTP, al-Qaeda and Uzbeks militants.
Despite the peace deal, TTP and al-Qaeda members have been sheltered and assisted by Nazir and Gul Bahadur through all possible resources against Pakistan Army.
It must be noted that Qari Hussain, known as Ustad-e-Fidayyeen, TTP suicide bomber Squads head, has a huge number of suicide bombers and used to keep them with himself. Now, according to sources, the suicide bombers are kept in North Waziristan, Orakzai and some with Haqqani group.
To understand the basic reason behind coordination between all these factions, we need to trace the affiliations of these groups with different Islamic schools of thought.
There are two major schools of thought in both TTP and Afghan Taliban; Deobandi and Salafi.
Deobandi constitute nearly 80% of Taliban on both sides of Durand Line while the remaining are Salafi, more inclined towards Saudi Wahabi School of thought. al-Qaeda too represents Salafi school of thought across the globe. Salafis are very rigid in religious interpretations and consider both West and its supported regimes in the Muslim world as Kafirs so Jihad is obligatory against both of them. Al-Qaeda struggle is not confined to a specific region, state or territory but striving to establish an Islamic Caliphate according to their own interpretation.
In Pakistan due to close coordination with al-Qaeda, TTP has also a fair number of Salafi militants, specially, Bajaur, Mohmand, Darra Adam Khel etc are areas where Salafi militants have a clear majority. While militants in South, North Waziristans, Khyber, Malakand, are Deobandi.
Former TTP head, Baitullah Mehsud was Deobandi similarly Maulana Wali-U-Rahman, TTPs S. Waziristan chapter head is also Deobandi. Pakistani religious political party JUI(F) main Deobandi headed by Fazlur Rehman also exerts influence in Waziristan.
Qari Hussain and his nephew TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud both are basically Deobandi but lately influenced by Salafis due to their close relation with al-Qaeda and sectarian militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkr-e-Jhanvi, an offshoot of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) is a mixture of both Deobandi and Salafi militants. But the outfit is reported to have close links with Salafi al-Qaeda
Molvi Faqir Muhammad of Bajur, Umar Khalid from Mohmand and Tariq Afridi of Dara Adamkhel are close to Salafi school of thought.
On the other side of Durand Line, Taliban active in Afghan provinces of Nuristan and Kunar, sharing borders with Bajaur, Mohmand and Malakand division are predominantly Salafi. Qari Zia-ur-Rahman, a renowned Afghan Taliban Commander has close relations with TTP deputy chief, Mualana Faqir Muhammad and used to send his fighters across the border to assist Pakistani Taliban against security forces. The fact admitted by ISPR DG as well. )
Keeping in view the growing influence of Salafis on Taliban it remains to be seen how the latter could be neutralised and included in any future set up in case US/NATO decide to withdraw.
Separating Taliban from al-Qaeda | Farzana Shah
