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Siraj Haqqani sheltering in Kurram, near area of US helicopter strikes
By Kaushik Kapisthalam, October 22, 2010
Two of the US helicopter cross-border helicopter strikes that took place last month in Pakistan's tribal agency of Kurram occurred in an area where Siraj Haqqani, the operational commander of the Haqqani Network, was sheltering. The Pakistani military and government's severe reaction to the US incursions in Kurram are attributed in part to concern that Siraj, a key asset, was close to being killed in the attack, US intelligence officials and a Pakistani official told The Long War Journal.
The helicopter strikes, which took place on Sept. 27, occurred near the village of Mata Sanger, after US forces pursued Haqqani Network fighters who attacked Combat Outpost Narizah on Khost province in Afghanistan.
The helicopter attacks sparked a major protest from the Pakistani military after two Frontier Corps soldiers were killed. In response, Pakistan closed NATO's supply lines through the Khyber Pass for more than a week as Taliban force saved convoys in Baluchistan and in the northwest, destroying more than 150 fuel and supply trucks.
It is now believed that Siraj Haqqani was in a safe house close to the scene of the helicopter strike. Siraj, the son of Mujahideen commander Jalaluddin, is said to have relocated to Kurram from Miramshah in North Waziristan after a family member was killed in a US Predator strike. Siraj's brother Mohammed was killed in a US strike in February, and a military commander named Saifullah Haqqani was killed in a strike in September.
Siraj and other "key guest mujahideen" recently left North Waziristan for Kurram, with the knowledge of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, a US official said. The move occurred sometime in September, officials believe.
Members of the Turi tribe, a Shia tribe in Kurram, as well as members of the Bangash tribe attempted to resist the influx of Haqqani Network fighters into areas run by rival tribes, and clashed with the Haqqanis. Also, the Turis were moving against a stronghold operated by Gulbudin Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami faction in Spina Shaga.
The Pakistani media characterized these clashes as local sectarian fights over a water dispute, but US and Pakistani officials said this story cover to allow the Pakistani military to intervene on behalf of the Haqqanis and Hekmatyar, who are viewed as "good Taliban" as they do not fight the Pakistani state. In September and October, multiple reports of Pakistani helicopter gunships intervening in the "water dispute" were reported in the Pakistani media. The Pakistani military claimed more than 70 "militants" were killed in the strikes.
The Haqqani Network is now said to be "mediating" between the rival tribes. Khalil and Ibrahim, two sons of Jalaluddin Haqqani, have appeared in Peshawar and Islamabad, to "bring peace to the area," Dawn reported.
The Turis have battled the Taliban for years, and have fought them to a standstill [see BBC report, The Pakistani tribe that is taking on the Taliban, for more information on the Turis' struggles in Kurram]. The Turis has not received support from the Pakistani military.
Both the Taliban and the Haqqani Network have maintained a presence in Kurram for years. The tribal agency borders the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Nangarhar, and is an ideal launchpad for attacks into Afghanistan.
Fazl-e-Saeed Haqqani is the local commander for Haqqani Network fighters in Kurram. Hakeemullah Mehsud, the current leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Paksitan led Taliban forces in Kurram prior to his promotion in 2009. Mullah Toofan, who is considered to be a successor to Hakeemullah, currently leaders Taliban forces in Kurram.
Kurram is also thought to be a possible safe haven for al Qaeda's top leaders. Last week, a NATO official told CNN that Osama bin Laden was hiding in an area between Kurram and the northern district of Chitral in Pakistan's northwest. Bin Laden is said to be living comfortably and is being aided by members of the ISI.
Siraj is one of the most wanted Taliban and al Qaeda leaders in the Afghan-Pakistan region. The US military has described Siraj as the primary threat to security in eastern Afghanistan. He is the mastermind of the most deadly attacks inside Afghanistan, including suicide assaults in Kabul, and he is the senior military commander in eastern Afghanistan. He is the leader of the Taliban's Miramshah Regional Military Shura, one of the Afghan Taliban's four regional commands.
Read more: Siraj Haqqani sheltering in Kurram, near area of US helicopter strikes - The Long War Journal
By Kaushik Kapisthalam, October 22, 2010
Two of the US helicopter cross-border helicopter strikes that took place last month in Pakistan's tribal agency of Kurram occurred in an area where Siraj Haqqani, the operational commander of the Haqqani Network, was sheltering. The Pakistani military and government's severe reaction to the US incursions in Kurram are attributed in part to concern that Siraj, a key asset, was close to being killed in the attack, US intelligence officials and a Pakistani official told The Long War Journal.
The helicopter strikes, which took place on Sept. 27, occurred near the village of Mata Sanger, after US forces pursued Haqqani Network fighters who attacked Combat Outpost Narizah on Khost province in Afghanistan.
The helicopter attacks sparked a major protest from the Pakistani military after two Frontier Corps soldiers were killed. In response, Pakistan closed NATO's supply lines through the Khyber Pass for more than a week as Taliban force saved convoys in Baluchistan and in the northwest, destroying more than 150 fuel and supply trucks.
It is now believed that Siraj Haqqani was in a safe house close to the scene of the helicopter strike. Siraj, the son of Mujahideen commander Jalaluddin, is said to have relocated to Kurram from Miramshah in North Waziristan after a family member was killed in a US Predator strike. Siraj's brother Mohammed was killed in a US strike in February, and a military commander named Saifullah Haqqani was killed in a strike in September.
Siraj and other "key guest mujahideen" recently left North Waziristan for Kurram, with the knowledge of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, a US official said. The move occurred sometime in September, officials believe.
Members of the Turi tribe, a Shia tribe in Kurram, as well as members of the Bangash tribe attempted to resist the influx of Haqqani Network fighters into areas run by rival tribes, and clashed with the Haqqanis. Also, the Turis were moving against a stronghold operated by Gulbudin Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami faction in Spina Shaga.
The Pakistani media characterized these clashes as local sectarian fights over a water dispute, but US and Pakistani officials said this story cover to allow the Pakistani military to intervene on behalf of the Haqqanis and Hekmatyar, who are viewed as "good Taliban" as they do not fight the Pakistani state. In September and October, multiple reports of Pakistani helicopter gunships intervening in the "water dispute" were reported in the Pakistani media. The Pakistani military claimed more than 70 "militants" were killed in the strikes.
The Haqqani Network is now said to be "mediating" between the rival tribes. Khalil and Ibrahim, two sons of Jalaluddin Haqqani, have appeared in Peshawar and Islamabad, to "bring peace to the area," Dawn reported.
The Turis have battled the Taliban for years, and have fought them to a standstill [see BBC report, The Pakistani tribe that is taking on the Taliban, for more information on the Turis' struggles in Kurram]. The Turis has not received support from the Pakistani military.
Both the Taliban and the Haqqani Network have maintained a presence in Kurram for years. The tribal agency borders the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Nangarhar, and is an ideal launchpad for attacks into Afghanistan.
Fazl-e-Saeed Haqqani is the local commander for Haqqani Network fighters in Kurram. Hakeemullah Mehsud, the current leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Paksitan led Taliban forces in Kurram prior to his promotion in 2009. Mullah Toofan, who is considered to be a successor to Hakeemullah, currently leaders Taliban forces in Kurram.
Kurram is also thought to be a possible safe haven for al Qaeda's top leaders. Last week, a NATO official told CNN that Osama bin Laden was hiding in an area between Kurram and the northern district of Chitral in Pakistan's northwest. Bin Laden is said to be living comfortably and is being aided by members of the ISI.
Siraj is one of the most wanted Taliban and al Qaeda leaders in the Afghan-Pakistan region. The US military has described Siraj as the primary threat to security in eastern Afghanistan. He is the mastermind of the most deadly attacks inside Afghanistan, including suicide assaults in Kabul, and he is the senior military commander in eastern Afghanistan. He is the leader of the Taliban's Miramshah Regional Military Shura, one of the Afghan Taliban's four regional commands.
Read more: Siraj Haqqani sheltering in Kurram, near area of US helicopter strikes - The Long War Journal
