Saifullah Sani
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ISLAMABAD: In the backdrop of the November 29 assassination attempt on al-Qaeda linked tribal warlord Mullah Nazir and the subsequent decision of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe to expel all Mehsud tribesmen from South Waziristan by December 5, including loyalists to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan led by Hakeemullah Mehsud, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan has claimed that his group has nothing to do with the suicide attack on Mullah Nazir.
The TTP spokesman condemned the assassination attempt on Mullah Nazir but added in the same breath that the Tehrik-e-Taliban may have organizational differences with him (Nazir) but there were no ideological differences between both the militant groups. The problem created in South Waziristan is a tribal feud between the Ahmedzai Wazir and Mehsud clans which would be settled in accordance with the tribal customs, TTP spokesman has been quoted as saying by the Long Wear Journal (LWJ), a top American news website.
None of the militant groups has so far claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that targeted Nazirs vehicle as it was parked at the main bazaar in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan. Seven people were killed in the deadly explosion but Nazir had a narrow escape, mainly because he was outside his vehicle at the time of the hit, making a phone call. Hardly 48 hours after the attack, a grand jirga presided over by Mullah Nazir had ordered all the Mehsud tribesmen to leave Wana and other areas of the South Waziristan Agency that are under his control. Nazir further announced that those who fail to leave, and any locals aiding them will face stern action and their homes would be demolished.
His warning went out on loudspeakers of local mosques soon after the end of the grand jirga, which is in fact a 120-member peace committee formed in 2007 and representing the Ahmedzai Wazir clan and the elders of all the nine Ahmedzai tribes and their sub-tribes. The grand jirga, which was convened at the Rustam Bazaar site of the November 29 suicide bombing against Nazir, warned all internally displaced Mehsud tribesmen who had taken refuge from fighting in the Mehsud area between the Pakistani security forces and the Taliban militants to vacate their houses in the Ahmedzai Wazir area by December 5 or face the consequences.
The Ahmedzai Wazir clan took these tough decisions after it transpired that the bomber who tried to kill Nazir was a Mehsud and that he was most likely sent by Hakeemullah Mehsud. The bomber was reportedly dispatched to avenge the July 5, 2012 killing of Wali Muhammad Yargulkhel, a close associate of Hakeemullah Mehsud who was also the younger brother of Nek Muhammad Yargulkhel, a jehadi commander from South Waziristan. The TTP had threatened to target Maulvi Nazir to avenge Walis murder despite the fact that Hakeemullah and Nazir groups were key members of the five-member Shura-e-Muraqaba which was formally launched on January 2, 2012 upon the advice of Mullah Mohammad Omar, the fugitive ameer of the Afghan Taliban, after several years of infighting.
This is first time that the TTP spokesman, instead of claiming responsibility for an act of terror, has come up with a defensive statement, refuting his groups involvement, most probably because Mullah Nazir has survived and is set to teach a lesson to the masterminds of the failed assassination attempt.
TTP on backfoot: denies hand in Mullah Nazir attack - thenews.com.pk
The TTP spokesman condemned the assassination attempt on Mullah Nazir but added in the same breath that the Tehrik-e-Taliban may have organizational differences with him (Nazir) but there were no ideological differences between both the militant groups. The problem created in South Waziristan is a tribal feud between the Ahmedzai Wazir and Mehsud clans which would be settled in accordance with the tribal customs, TTP spokesman has been quoted as saying by the Long Wear Journal (LWJ), a top American news website.
None of the militant groups has so far claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that targeted Nazirs vehicle as it was parked at the main bazaar in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan. Seven people were killed in the deadly explosion but Nazir had a narrow escape, mainly because he was outside his vehicle at the time of the hit, making a phone call. Hardly 48 hours after the attack, a grand jirga presided over by Mullah Nazir had ordered all the Mehsud tribesmen to leave Wana and other areas of the South Waziristan Agency that are under his control. Nazir further announced that those who fail to leave, and any locals aiding them will face stern action and their homes would be demolished.
His warning went out on loudspeakers of local mosques soon after the end of the grand jirga, which is in fact a 120-member peace committee formed in 2007 and representing the Ahmedzai Wazir clan and the elders of all the nine Ahmedzai tribes and their sub-tribes. The grand jirga, which was convened at the Rustam Bazaar site of the November 29 suicide bombing against Nazir, warned all internally displaced Mehsud tribesmen who had taken refuge from fighting in the Mehsud area between the Pakistani security forces and the Taliban militants to vacate their houses in the Ahmedzai Wazir area by December 5 or face the consequences.
The Ahmedzai Wazir clan took these tough decisions after it transpired that the bomber who tried to kill Nazir was a Mehsud and that he was most likely sent by Hakeemullah Mehsud. The bomber was reportedly dispatched to avenge the July 5, 2012 killing of Wali Muhammad Yargulkhel, a close associate of Hakeemullah Mehsud who was also the younger brother of Nek Muhammad Yargulkhel, a jehadi commander from South Waziristan. The TTP had threatened to target Maulvi Nazir to avenge Walis murder despite the fact that Hakeemullah and Nazir groups were key members of the five-member Shura-e-Muraqaba which was formally launched on January 2, 2012 upon the advice of Mullah Mohammad Omar, the fugitive ameer of the Afghan Taliban, after several years of infighting.
This is first time that the TTP spokesman, instead of claiming responsibility for an act of terror, has come up with a defensive statement, refuting his groups involvement, most probably because Mullah Nazir has survived and is set to teach a lesson to the masterminds of the failed assassination attempt.
TTP on backfoot: denies hand in Mullah Nazir attack - thenews.com.pk
