Mujahid
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MINGORA: Taliban militants are pushing to make a comeback in Pakistan's Swat Valley a year after being routed there, challenging government assertions that several army offensives have broken the al-Qaeda-backed movement.
Although Swat officials vow to keep Taliban militants away, heightened security measures suggest they still pose a serious security threat to the region as the army tries to consolidate gains made elsewhere in the country.
Through interceptions and information we gleaned from arrested militants, it is clear they will launch attacks in coming days, weeks and months, a senior intelligence official in Swat told Reuters.
A suicide bomber killed five people in Swat on Saturday.
The scenic valley, once a tourist hub, has witnessed a spate of killings of Pashtun tribal elders in the past few weeks that security officials say appear aimed at scaring the community leaders away from siding with the army and police.
Failure to stabilise Swat will raise questions over whether the government's strategy of assaults against the militants is working as it comes under mounting public pressure to rejuvenate a sluggish economy and ease crippling power cuts.
Pakistan's government had hoped the reported death of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone aircraft strike in January would throw the group into disarray.
But on Sunday, Mehsud appeared alive and healthy on videos posted on the Internet and suggested the Pakistan Taliban's ambitions extended far beyond returning to strongholds such as Swat that were taken by the army.
Mehsud warned of suicide attacks in major American cities, and the Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday's botched car bomb attempt in New York's Times Square.
Although analysts doubt the Pakistani Taliban have the capacity to strike beyond their northwest Pakistan stronghold, the militants could offer training and support to those aiming to attack in the West.
We are prepared
A Pakistani-American admitted to trying to detonate the bomb in New York and receiving bomb-making training in a known Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold in Pakistan, US prosecutors said.
New fears that the Taliban are determined to retake Swat and re-impose a reign of terror that included public beheadings could complicate efforts to re-establish strong government institutions to ensure long-term stability.
Some residents have started to lose faith in the army, which numbers in the thousands in Swat, and the underfunded police, who are expected to eventually take over security.
Two weeks ago, I saw two men riding on a bike shoot dead two passersby just 100 metres away from a police post and nobody bothered to rush to the spot, said tribal Abdul Kabir Khan.
I fail to understand how they manage to carry out such attacks in the presence of police and soldiers.
While military assaults in the northwest near the Afghan border have clearly hurt the Taliban, militants have a knack of melting away when the heat is on, only to pop up in other spots.
In Swat, some militants stayed behind with relatives or in remote mountains. Others shaved their beards and blended in with the population, security officials say.
Weapons and ammunition were hidden. Some were recovered by security forces but many were not.
Practically, it is impossible to make the valley 100 per cent secure. You have mountains, and forests that are very green and thick during this part of year and give you the best camouflage, said Swat police chief Qazi Ghulam Farooq.
But we are prepared. We have a strategy. We have beefed up police deployments on all roads and increased patrolling. Soldiers are on peaks to stop militant infiltration.
Swat authorities say residents are on their side, providing information on any suspicious activities or Taliban they spot.
The best thing is the residents, the villagers want us to fight the militants. They let us know if they find them anywhere, said Farooq.
But that cooperation may not last long if more Taliban turn up and intimidate people into silence.
They mostly roam around in the dark and threaten villagers who oppose them, said resident Sultan Khan.
I came across a bunch of masked men last week who abused me and warned me of dire consequences after I fired in the air to scare them.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Taliban seek comeback in Swat
Although Swat officials vow to keep Taliban militants away, heightened security measures suggest they still pose a serious security threat to the region as the army tries to consolidate gains made elsewhere in the country.
Through interceptions and information we gleaned from arrested militants, it is clear they will launch attacks in coming days, weeks and months, a senior intelligence official in Swat told Reuters.
A suicide bomber killed five people in Swat on Saturday.
The scenic valley, once a tourist hub, has witnessed a spate of killings of Pashtun tribal elders in the past few weeks that security officials say appear aimed at scaring the community leaders away from siding with the army and police.
Failure to stabilise Swat will raise questions over whether the government's strategy of assaults against the militants is working as it comes under mounting public pressure to rejuvenate a sluggish economy and ease crippling power cuts.
Pakistan's government had hoped the reported death of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone aircraft strike in January would throw the group into disarray.
But on Sunday, Mehsud appeared alive and healthy on videos posted on the Internet and suggested the Pakistan Taliban's ambitions extended far beyond returning to strongholds such as Swat that were taken by the army.
Mehsud warned of suicide attacks in major American cities, and the Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday's botched car bomb attempt in New York's Times Square.
Although analysts doubt the Pakistani Taliban have the capacity to strike beyond their northwest Pakistan stronghold, the militants could offer training and support to those aiming to attack in the West.
We are prepared
A Pakistani-American admitted to trying to detonate the bomb in New York and receiving bomb-making training in a known Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold in Pakistan, US prosecutors said.
New fears that the Taliban are determined to retake Swat and re-impose a reign of terror that included public beheadings could complicate efforts to re-establish strong government institutions to ensure long-term stability.
Some residents have started to lose faith in the army, which numbers in the thousands in Swat, and the underfunded police, who are expected to eventually take over security.
Two weeks ago, I saw two men riding on a bike shoot dead two passersby just 100 metres away from a police post and nobody bothered to rush to the spot, said tribal Abdul Kabir Khan.
I fail to understand how they manage to carry out such attacks in the presence of police and soldiers.
While military assaults in the northwest near the Afghan border have clearly hurt the Taliban, militants have a knack of melting away when the heat is on, only to pop up in other spots.
In Swat, some militants stayed behind with relatives or in remote mountains. Others shaved their beards and blended in with the population, security officials say.
Weapons and ammunition were hidden. Some were recovered by security forces but many were not.
Practically, it is impossible to make the valley 100 per cent secure. You have mountains, and forests that are very green and thick during this part of year and give you the best camouflage, said Swat police chief Qazi Ghulam Farooq.
But we are prepared. We have a strategy. We have beefed up police deployments on all roads and increased patrolling. Soldiers are on peaks to stop militant infiltration.
Swat authorities say residents are on their side, providing information on any suspicious activities or Taliban they spot.
The best thing is the residents, the villagers want us to fight the militants. They let us know if they find them anywhere, said Farooq.
But that cooperation may not last long if more Taliban turn up and intimidate people into silence.
They mostly roam around in the dark and threaten villagers who oppose them, said resident Sultan Khan.
I came across a bunch of masked men last week who abused me and warned me of dire consequences after I fired in the air to scare them.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Taliban seek comeback in Swat
