Taliban Suicide Bomber Academy Graduation Ceremony

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Taliban Jihad School

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Rs 50m reward on Mehsud’s arrest live or dead announced

Rs 50m reward on Mehsud’s arrest live or dead announced

Announcing rewards running into crores of rupees on the arrests of Baitullah Mehsud and his accomplices live or dead, eleven more most-wanted persons’ ad has been released. The ads published in the newspapers announcing rewards on the arrests of most-wanted persons live or dead included three from South Waziristan, another three from Bajaur, two from Mohmand, two from Darra Adamkhel and one from Kurram Agency. A reward of Rs50 million has been announced for the arrest (dead or alive) of Baitullah Mehsud, according to the ad, while among others Bajaur’s Molvi Faqir’s head money has been fixed at Rs15 million besides the head money of Rs10 million each on the arrests (live or dead) of Abdul Wali of Mohmand Agency, Qari Shakeel of Mohmand Agency, Commander Tariq of darra Adamkhel, Hakimullah Mehsud and Qari Hussain of South Waziristan. Qari Ziaur Rahman of Bajaur, Fazal Saeed Utezai of Kurram Agency, Mufti Ilyas of Darra Adamkhel and Waliur Rahman of Bajaur’s arrests would be rewarded Rs5 million each. The government has released exclusive telephone numbers also for passing on information leading the arrests of most-wanted persons dead or alive.

Kurram clashes leave 33 dead

[SEE: The actual story of Parachinar Pakistan , Parachinar: The Valley of Death]

Kurram clashes leave 33 dead

Sixty five people were also injured in sectarian clashes between warring groups in various parts of Lower Kurram.—AP

Provinces

Kurram jirga again fails to broker peace

PARACHINAR: At least 33 people were killed and 65 others injured in sectarian clashes between warring groups in various parts of the Kurram agency on Friday night and Saturday.

According to sources, fierce clashes shook parts of Lower Kurram and the two groups were consolidating their positions.

The local populace is bitter over the attitude of the administration, accusing it of giving a free hand to troublemakers.

Haji Rauf, a tribal leader in upper Kurram, said the local tribesmen had fought Taliban for more than two years.

‘We have had over 700 young people martyred but have not allowed these militants to secure a toehold in upper Kurram. Now the influx of Taliban from Swat, Dir and other areas is worsening the situation.’

Haji Rauf called upon the government to launch an action similar to the one under way in Malakand. He extended the assurance that local tribesmen would stand ‘shoulder to shoulder with our army and fight alongside our soldiers’.

Paramilitary forces deployed in different areas of the conflict-hit region have so far not acted, a group of affected people complained during conversation with journalists.

The fighting started in the region 12 days ago over a dispute on construction of bunkers in Khar Kali and Balishkhel.

There were unconfirmed reports about infiltration of outsiders from Waziristan and Hangu district, but could not be verified from independent sources. The 12-day long clashes have left about 89 people dead and 175 injured.

Both sides have been accusing each other of seeking assistance from outsiders. Local people said that fresh clashes had erupted in Balishkhel, Khar Kali, Sangina, Mangak, Kochi Parachamkani and Kirman.

Doctors said that out of 20 injured people brought to the agency headquarters hospital on Saturday, four died.

The Kurram agency has seen frequent clashes over the past two years. Residents said that ‘movement of the militants’ in the area had caused sectarian clashes.

The main road from Thall to Parachinar has been closed to traffic for the past five months, causing severe shortages of foodstuff and medicines in Upper Kurram.

Arrested ex-MNA carried Baitullah’s letter

By Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: The case of ‘missing’ former MNA Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, who was picked up by an intelligence agency after his meeting with Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz as it transpired later, took an alarming new turn with the damning revelation that he may have been carrying a letter of Baitullah Mehsud addressing to a former high profile ISI general, known for his strong pro-Taliban views, it was reliably learnt.

The former MNA belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) had contested and won the 2002 elections from Karak District after defeating PTI supremo Imran Khan. The alleged secret letter of Baitullah Mehsud recovered from Shah Abdul Aziz was reportedly in the possession of the top khaki spy outfit.

When asked about the contents of the letter, sources within the Interior Ministry said the TTP chief in this letter had expressed his deep gratitude for the justifications, the former general had been offering to the media while defending the Taliban and their philosophy. More importantly, sources said the TTP chief was really happy with the retired general for opposing the military operation against the Taliban.

The sources said the letter was however significant only to the extent that it was allegedly written by Baitullah and the fact that it was being carried by Shah Aziz confirmed the nexus between the two, but it did not in any manner whatsoever suggest any link, direct or indirect, between the retired general and Baitullah Mehsud. Also, it was told that in all probability, the general was not even aware of the existence of such a letter.

A top level source in the Interior Ministry claimed that despite the fact that Shah Aziz was being monitored closely for some time, the secret agency did not have any intention to formally arrest him solely on the basis of his perceived links with the Taliban, fearing his arrest could lead to serious agitation in the ranks of pro-Taliban religious parties both within and outside the parliament. But much to the surprise of these agencies, Shah Aziz was found travelling with Fidaullah, one of the Taliban leaders and considered to be the mastermind of the suicide bombing in Islamabad and other areas in the recent past. His presence in the company of Fidaullah had alarmed the intelligence agency, which decided to take him in for further interrogations.

The sources said even at the point of actual arrest of Shah Abdul Aziz, the agency was still toying with the possibility of letting him go out of sheer political considerations but it all changed when one of the officers searching the vehicle in which Shah Abdul Aziz was travelling with Fidaullah found the letter in Shah Aziz’s briefcase. Shah Abdul Aziz reportedly had been tasked with delivering this letter to the retired general.

The source said the recovery of Baitullah Mehsud’s letter addressing to a top former spymaster had surprised even those who were deputed to investigate the former MNA known for his close links with the Taliban.

The sources said this secret letter had actually confused the intelligence agency officials, as they were wondering how to produce this letter in the court of law to justify the custody of Shah Abdul Aziz, as they believed that it would open a Pandora box and might bring a bad name to the army itself.

The sources said such a decision could seriously jeopardise the state’s case in the court of law. The sources said the intelligence agency had only two charges to frame against Shah Aziz, if it was serious in punishing him for his links with the Taliban and their suicide bombers. The sources said one potential charge that could be brought against him was that he was travelling with a wanted terrorist, Fidaullah. The second charge could be that he was carrying a secret letter written by the top terrorist of the country. But, the sources said, the intelligence agency had decided not to produce this letter in any court of law for the image of the institution.

Sources close to the intelligence agency said that though the detainee admitted that the letter was written by Baitullah to the retired general, they were trying to get to the bottom of the matter. They said the letter can be fake or sent with ulterior motives. They said the agency officials are also trying to verify the statement of the detainee about the letter.

This correspondent could not contact the retired general despite efforts. However, the generalís close circle suspected a plot to fix up the general. They believed that such efforts were made in the past but remained futile.

Separately, after remaining quiet for over a month since Shah Abdul Aziz was picked up by the top secret agency, a writ petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court by his brother, seeking his release.

Mehboob Elahi, the brother of Shah Abdul Aziz, confirmed in his petition that his brother was arrested when he was with Fidaullah, a young man from NWFP. The Islamabad SSP in his press conference had claimed on June 1 that Fidaullah was involved in a number of terrorist activities. But Mehboob Elahi in his petition alleged that his brother was kept in illegal confinement in the Aabpara police station along with Fidaullah as both were arrested together. He said his brother was innocent and police did not register an FIR against those who he believed had kidnapped his brother. He rejects all kinds of charges against his brother.

This correspondent contacted ISPR DG General Athar Abbas and sought his comment on the report that Shah Abdul Aziz was arrested by a secret agency and that he was carrying the letter by Baitullah Mehsud, his reply was crisp and short as he said: “I have no information on this subject”.

16 killed as militants’ hideouts pounded in SWA

Sunday, June 28, 2009

By Mushtaq Yusufzai & Irfan Burki

PESHAWAR/WANA: Sixteen more militants affiliated with Baitullah Mehsud were killed and six others sustained injuries in heavy bombing by warplanes and gunship helicopters on Taliban hideouts in parts of South Waziristan Agency on Saturday.

Also, the government took a serious note of Fridayís attack on the military convoy in Miramshah, North Waziristan, and warned the tribesmen in Miramshah to hand over the culprits within three days or face the consequences under territorial responsibility section of the laws of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).

The government continued the military operation against Baitullah Mehsud-led insurgents and sent fighter planes and gunship helicopters to pound their hideouts.

According to sources, three fighter planes and gunship helicopters blitzed militants’ positions in their strongholds of Ladha and Makeen and other villages, including Dwatoi, Kacha Langarkhel, Kotkai and Spinkai Raghzai.

The militants reportedly suffered losses when warplanes targeted their positions in Ladha and Makeen. Officials said 16 militants were killed and six others injured in the daylong air strikes on the Taliban positions. They said the injured militants were taken to private health centres in Makeen and Ladha, as the government has already withdrawn its machinery from most parts of South Waziristan inhabited by the Mehsud tribesmen.

Besides other government buildings, the government has also vacated most of the schools and roadside posts of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), which are now occupied by the militants.

In August last year, the government vacated the British-era Ladha Fort, which was built in 1932 and housed hundreds of soldiers.

The FC authorities on that occasion said they had vacated the fort to convert its building into a hospital. However, no hospital was set up there and later the spacious building was occupied by the militants. Portions of the historic building were dismantled and strong iron bars and other building material were sold at throwaway prices. Presently, there are no security personnel in the entire Mehsud territory.

The only option with the government to target Baitullah Mehsudís positions is bombing by fighter planes and gunship helicopters and using long-range artillery guns from the distant FC camps in Manzai, Jandola and Serwakai areas.

Keeping in view the tough resistance offered by the militants, the government will require sufficient time to send ground forces to the Mehsud region. The troops after days of battle secured the Wana-Jandola Road up to Serwakai while the Taliban militants are still in control of Wana-Jandola Road between Serwakai and Jandola.

Like the adjoining North Waziristan, where Utmanzai Wazir Taliban led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur developed differences with the government and attacks on security forces started in their territory, situation started deteriorating in the Ahmadzai Wazir parts of South Waziristan where pro-government militant commander Mulla Nazeer had signed a peace accord with the government.

Both Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Mulla Nazeer were considered pro-government and anti-Baitullah earlier when the government launched a military operation against the banned TTP chief in South Waziristan on January 13, 2008. However, this time the attitude of both the pro-government militant commanders seems different. [Maybe it was all the drone attacks upon him, or perhaps it was because the Army revealed its own hand by placing tracking devices [SIMS] in Taliban cars and homes?  SEE: Who Controls the Predators?]
Hafiz Gul Bahadurís ties with the government have soured and he has threatened to scrap his peace accord with the government if the military operation in Janikhel and Bakakhel in FR Bannu was not stopped.

After North Waziristan, suspected militants have now started attacks on military installations in Wana, South Waziristan, where the Ahmadzai Wazirs are based.

On ground, Mulla Nazeer has nothing concrete to motivate his militants for fighting against the government. His lone and longstanding demand from the government was an end to the drone attacks in his region.  [My own position remains unchanged on this facet of the dilemma, Nazir is "turning against the government" out of self-defense, a matter of survival.  The Predator attacks against him drove him into an alliance with Mehsud.  The Army writing him off is a mistake, as was "pimping" Qari Zainuddin before the press instead of covertly solidifying his forces with Nazir's and Bahadur's.  More mistakes such as these and Pakistan will be reunited with India, under total American domination.]

Sources in Wana said suspected militants attacked the military camp with rockets on Friday night. Later, the troops returned their attack with mortar and artillery shelling.

Tribesmen in Wana and nearby Azam Warsak village said they could not sleep due to the heavy firing in the area throughout the night.

A tribesman, Anwar Ashrafkhel, was killed and some villagers sustained injuries when mortar shells hit their mud houses in Azam Warsak village, seven kilometres west of Wana.   Sources close to Mulla Nazeer said that he had gone underground after series of drone attacks in the region.

Gul Bahadur and Mulla Nazeer entered into an alliance with Baitullah when they formed ìShura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideenî or the council of holy warriors, promising to help each other in case anyone of them was in trouble.

Meanwhile, the political administration in North Waziristan on Saturday convened a Jirga of eight tribal elders and asked them to hand over the culprits involved in attack on the military convoy or face punitive action under the FCR.

Assistant Political Agent (APA) of Miramshah sub-division Asghar Khan called a meeting of tribal elders of Miramshah village and gave them a three-day deadline to hand over the culprits or face punishment.

The APA said security forces had decided to launch a strict military offensive in the area after their convoy was attacked. But, he said, they did not take action because of a nearby school as many children might have died had gunship helicopters pounded the militants’ positions.

Quoting senior military officials, APA Asghar Khan said the military in future would target the area where they were attacked.

In favour of Drone attacks

Umar Khalid Dar

The phrase the enemy’s enemy is your friend is so true in today’s world and every nation is making alliances based on this theory. China and Russia are potential enemies but they have a common enemy i.e. America and hence creation of a bloc Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Similarly Pakistan shall also take advantage if any other country is against our enemy and wants to eliminate it; if in American imposed “war on terror” Pakistan and America have encountered a common enemy then why should we object the use of American drones against our enemy and demand that our own Armed forces shall take action against them. As far as my knowledge goes, I think that major chunk of arms and ammunition being used by our armed forces is supplied by Americans; so what difference does it make who is the man behind the gun till the time the targets are mutual. Therefore, I see no logic or forceful argument from those segments of the society who are in favour of taking on Taliban but are against the use of drones for achieving the task. I am referring to latest use of drones by America on the stronghold of most wanted fugitive of Pakistan, Baitullah Meshud and his gang of terrorists. For me it is just rhetoric from the analysts who object to use of the drones on the plea that such targeted killing shall be carried out by Pakistan Armed forces, with American supplied weapons, and not by Americans by their drones. To me it is immaterial who carries out the elimination of Pakistan’s staunch enemy; Pakistan Army Artillery gun or American Army Drone till the time the action is done with minimum loss of innocent lives. I am no military expert but I know the fact that Artillery guns are much more inaccurate as compared to guided missiles used by American drones; therefore, an Artillery gun will take a lot of time and a lot of innocents’ lives before hitting the target. So if we as a nation are convinced (though I am not) that this war on terror is our’s war and not American war then we shall not object on the means of achieving the goal. One should criticise the drones attack if they are used for targeting innocent human being but if the same potent weapon is used for targeting the known criminals or their accomplices then I do not see any wrong in it. During Swat operation; when Mr Fazlullah started feeling the heat of the Pakistan Army brute force; he sent frenzied calls to Baitullah Mehsud to start sending suicide bombers to Pakistan main cities in order to divert the Army’s focus away from Swat and force the federal government to come on terms with him; similar tactics was used by the miscreants very successfully during previous operations. Baitullah Mehsud; who is thought to be an American pawn as he was never targeted by Americans when Pakistan provided his whereabouts, obliged and we saw a tremendous increase in the suicide attacks in Pakistan. This makes Baitullah Mehsud Pakistan’s enemy and a terrorist who is killing innocent human beings and is thus wanted “dead or alive” by our security forces. It is pertinent to mention that Baitullah Mehsud has always shown his unwillingness to attack “infidel” forces in Afghanistan, rather he has focused his attention in killing innocent Pakistanis and targeting its security forces. If, for some unknown reasons, he has outlived his utility for the Americans and they also want him out of scene and it also serve our purpose then as a nation we shall not object the use of drones on him. The safest and surest way of getting rid of Baitullah Mehsud is through intelligence network; either ground intelligence or electronic intelligence. Ground intelligence in native or stronghold of Baitullah Mehud is almost negligible; see the fate of Qari Zainuddin, so the only way to get him is to either send ground forces into his stronghold or to hit him from distance based on electronic intelligence through either air force, artillery or drone. The history of Mehsud people as was observed by Lord Minto’s wife that is “they fight for the love of fighting” tilts the balance in favour of use of the latter means. One must understand that there is lot of difference between the terrain and people of Swat and Waziristan. Ground forces were successful in Swat because the general public was less sympathetic towards the ‘Taliban’ and that’s why they left their homes when they heard about Army operation, leaving the ‘Taliban’ and Army to engage without the fear of collateral damage. Whereas, no such movement of public have been observed from Waziristan which makes ground forces action much more difficult and prone to a lot of collateral damage. This delicate situation asks for more imaginative policy to handle; the use of brute force as in Swat might not be a good option. Collateral damage will be there whether we go for ground forces or drones attack, only the scale will be different. In case of ground force being used a lot of our brave soldiers will embrace ‘shahadat’ at the hands of miscreants whereas this loss can be minimized if drones are used. Therefore, in my opinion, use of drone on confirmed hideouts of miscreants is not a bad option and shall be accepted by our public. umardar27@hotmail.com

The al-Qaeda demon

Ghulam Asghar Khan

Al-Qaeda, which in Arabic means the Base, was originally the name given by the CIA operatives in Saudi Arabia to the database that they shaped to keep track of the individuals and groups to which the US administration was providing funds for the Afghan Mujahideen against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. The CIA also provided military training and logistic support to the Mujahideen. US arms dealers, CIA agents and the covert US military ‘Special Operation Troops’ were deeply involved in assisting the Afghan resistance to the Russian occupation. Part of the hardware provided were shoulder-launched anti-aircraft stringer missiles that enabled the Mujahideen to turn the tide of the battle that eventually defeated and expelled the Russian army from Afghanistan. All the war material from Washington for the Afghan Mujahideen was channelled through Pakistan with the tacit consent of the then military dictator Zia ul Haq. The arms training and the logistical support to the Mujahideen couldn’t have been possible without the active support of the ferocious tribesmen on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line. During the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, Osama bin-Laden was the Major Domo, who helped to funnel US arms and supplies to the Mujahideen force that had become an amalgamation of many foreign fighters from Saudi Arabia to Chechnya to push the Russian bear out of Afghanistan. In this pivotal role, bin-Laden was constantly in close contact with the CIA and was supposedly America’s only bet to defeat Russia on the Afghan front. He accomplished the mission of dissipating the USSR in a big way that Washington couldn’t have done in hundred years of its lingering “Cold War.” Al-Qaeda was nothing more than a bogey man, an invented invisible and non-existent phantom to frighten children and the ignorant populace and to provide an excuse for its unending war on terror. It is part of the US global policy to commit ‘false flag’ attacks like the 9/11, the Bali, Madrid, London and more recently the Mumbai carnage, providing Washington an excuse to step in to “rescue and protect” global community from the rampant terrorism that was actually perpetrated by the US itself. The Taliban did not grow out of the dark overnight; it in fact was a corollary to the US proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. It is the largest ethnic Pakhtun group that occupies a great swath of land and forms 80% of the total population of Afghanistan. Fiercely independent, the Pakhtuns have always defended their homeland from the foreign interlopers since 326 B.C. The region has a long history of invaders, who failed to overpower them. Among them were the Persians, Scythians (present day Ukraine), Kushans, Sakas, Huns, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, British, Russians, and most recently, Americans and their NATO allies. No alien power has ever been able to tame them in toto. They routed most of their invaders completely, or absorbed them into their tribes in such a way that they lost much of their identity with the passage of time. The adaptability of the Pakhtuns to the military strategies of their invaders had been par-excellent, which they used to fight among themselves until they confronted another alien threat to their sovereignty. It is this martial reorientation that has shaped the Pakhtun and Taliban outlook. The Afghans had their first encounters with a modern military power during the three Anglo-Afghan wars of 1839, 1878 and 1919. After failing to make any headway inside Afghanistan, the British Indian government established a porous boundary between Afghanistan and British India, the Durand Line that did not affect Afghans with strong ethnic and cultural bonds with the Pakhtuns living across the border. The British gave semi-autonomous status to the tribes on the eastern side of Durand Line by creating “tribal agencies” that morphed into FATA after independence in 1947. The FATA area generally remained calm until the last quarter of the 20th century. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 brought an end to this lull, when Afghanistan’s conservative religious majority rebelled against the occupation and a powerful group of Mujahideen emerged to lead the insurgency against the Soviets. In response, the Soviet army waged a brutal counterinsurgency crackdown that prompted the Mujahideen to call for jihad. During 10 years of occupation, Russian forces and their Afghan leftist allies reportedly killed 1.3 million Afghans, destroyed the infrastructure in the urban and rural areas and caused 5.5 million Afghans to flee to refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan where most of them found their way to the FATA. After a humiliating defeat and heavy loss of men and material, the Russians were forced to withdraw from Afghanistan in February 1989. Soviets left huge caches of arms and ammunition for their leftist allies in Kabul and sustained their material support for two years after the humiliating withdrawal. The leftist government the Russians left behind could not hold the fort against the might of the Mujahideen and fell in April 1992. The disorganised Mujahideen groups could not stick together and fell out. Each faction had a leader, or warlord with aspirations for power. Strife between the warlords and a war-wearing population led to an environment that allowed the Taliban’s radical ideas to have the sway. There is a quote that a Pakhtun is never at peace except when he is on war. The core of the Taliban grew from the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and presented themselves as the righteous religious students in the march for peace. Their popularity rapidly spread in the Pakhtun populace and became their de facto leaders under the command of Mullah Omar, who claimed the right to lead not just all Afghans, but all Muslims. In November 1994, Taliban seized control of the southern province of Kandhar under Mullah Omar’s command and claimed to be the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. They made lightning progress and by 1997 they established their hold over 95% of the country. Mullah Omar had a close liaison with bin-Laden, and the Taliban also hosted al-Qaeda training camps and leaders in areas under their control. At this time, they allegedly supported the militant fundamentalist sectarian groups in Pakistan. Amidst a myriad of transcontinental terrorists al-Qaeda predominantly gives the Taliban a religious cause and some legitimacy. It lends a helping hand to the Taliban information and warfare efforts and might as well provide money, personnel, advanced technology and tactical training. Also supporting or at least coordinating with the Taliban, are some Central Asian Islamist movements and other smaller militant groups. As an accident of history, the leadership of this movement has fallen to the Taliban as they had effectively dissipated the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Since the religious seminaries had played a predominant role in the anti-Soviet jihad, they acquired repute both as centres of learning as well as Mujahideen recruitment hubs. This aspect is crucial to the success or failure of Taliban insurgency. An uprising cannot maintain itself without the support of the people. The Pakhtun majority, rendered vulnerable by what they perceive to be a lack of influence in Kabul. Their suspicions and mistrust of the government were further heightened by the inability Afghan Transitional Authority (ATA) from the hostile Northern Warlords, the genocide and the persistent Human Rights violations by the US-led forces in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal belt. The contiguity of the Pakhtun tribes on both sides of the Durand Line, approximately 28 million Pakhtuns contribute recruits, support personnel, money, weapons and up-to-date intelligence to the Taliban insurgents. With more than two generations of war-hardened inhabitants, it is easy for the Taliban to recruit experienced fighters, who know the terrain and can survive in the harsh environment. An added bonus is the weaponry that fell to the Mujahideen during the war with Soviets in 1980s. And same tactics are in vogue in their war against US-led occupation since after 9/11. The Taliban strategy is one of patience, while the US-led coalition is in a hurry to wipe them out. And as a consequence to this hurried-approach, they have killed hundreds of thousands civilian on both the sides of Durand Line. History proves that such porous defences like the Maginot and Siegfried Lines, and even Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Wall failed against the hard-core determined freedom fighters. The Taliban strategy is one of patience. They are conducting a classic ‘war of the flea’ aimed at causing their enemy to suffer the ‘dog’s disadvantages; too much to defend against too small ubiquitous and agile enemy. If, the war continues long enough, the dog would certainly succumb to exhaustion. The oft quoted Taliban axiom is; “The Americans may have the watches, but we have the time.” gasghar20@gmail.com

IDPs Funds being misappropriated

Updated at: 2201 PST,  Saturday, June 27, 2009 PESHAWAR: President PML-Q NWFP Chapter Amir Muqam Saturday accused that the funds for the affected people of Swat and Malakand Operation are being largely manipulated by Baitul Maal. He was giving away the relief checque to fund established for the lawyers of Malakand here. Talking to Geo News, he said the Malakand affectees are not being fully helped, adding stopping the registration of affectees is quite regrettable. Amir Muqam demanded that all the relief funds should be all spent on the affectees. He said that Baitul Mall are embezzling the Rs5000 checques on a large scale, which is extremely condemnable.

US interference spawning terrorism in region

Updated at: 2050 PST,  Saturday, June 27, 2009 LAHORE: Jamaat Islami (JI) Secretary General Liaquat Baloch Saturday said the US interference and its armed action is causing the whole region to be inflicted with terrorism. Talking to various delegations at Mansoorah, he said after Pakistan and Afghanistan, the conditions are worsening in Iran. Liaquat said the Asian countries will keep on suffering from lawlessness, until US is staying in Afghanistan, adding it is imperative for the global peace that US withdraws its troops from Afghanistan. ‘Engineered extremism was caused by drone attacks and bombardment at Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa and Darul Hifz in Bajaur,’ JI leader said warning that Pakistan will not be allowed to turn into a secular country.

In pictures: On Pakistan’s tribal frontier

Followers of Zainuddin Mehsud Haji Turkistan Bhittani Anti-Taliban guarding street in Tank Soldiers and Militants Taliban in Dera Edit

Dera Ismail Khan Suspected Taliban hiding among civilians

Two boys held by Zainuddin on suspicion of being suicide bombers

Depleted Uranium Children Iraq

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New footage of deadly Afghan bombing

In the week that the US military pledged a new effort to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Channel 4 News has video evidence of an attack that may have killed up to 140 civilians.Airstrikes have long been a lethal coalition tactic, but the question of how targets are assessed refuses to go away.Late yesterday around 70 people were killed across the border in the south Waziristan region of Pakistan, when a US drone struck mourners attending the funeral of a militant. It is not known if civilians were among the dead.A previous attack in May saw up to 140 civilians die in Farah province in a US airstrike.The United Nations estimates that in 2007 there were over 1,500 civilian deaths in Afghanistan. In 2008 there was a 40 per cent increase, with over 2,000 deaths recorded, although over half of these were due to the Taliban.Our report by our diplomatic editor Jonathan Rugman contains some distressing images.

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Video: UN shoots at mourners during funeral for Father Gerard Jean-Juste in Haiti, June 18, 2009 :: www.uruknet.info :: informazione dall’Iraq occupato :: news from occupied Iraq :: – it

This is footage from Radio Teleginen, Haiti’s largest and privately owned television station, that captured the UN shooting at crowd level from the back of a small pickup truck on June 18, 2009. Mourners had just left Haiti’s national cathedral to begin a procession when Brazilian troops with the UN attempted to arrest one of their numbers. During the arrest they are followed by the crowd and they begin firing into the air.It is true that you don’t have one camera focused on the victim at the point of impact to see the bullet rip flesh and shatter bone. What you do have is a camera that captures a shot fired by Brazilian soldiers and a horizontal plume of gun smoke (showing the angle at which the firearm was discharged at crowd level) (1:19). This is followed by a second magazine flash fired in the direction of the camera and (1:21) towards the cathedral.Thirty seconds later it is clear that a victim is discovered (1:51) with what appears to be a gunshot wound to the head (other photographs and video will soon published that show more details of the victim).The trajectory of the shots, timing and condition of the victim is not consistent with the U.N. assertions:1. They ONLY fired into the air and therefore their troops are not responsible for the death2. That the victim was felled by a rock thrown by the crowd or was hit from behind by a blunt instrumentAt minimum, the U.N. must be held accountable by submitting to an independent autopsy of the victim’s body and the release of the full results of their own investigation and autopsy to the public. This should be done immediately as the corpse of the victim continues to decompose.This tragedy is another in a long list of shootings targeting Lavalas events and demonstrations in which the U.N. stands complicit and ultimately responsible. They stood by, watched and turned a blind eye for years as the Police Nationale d’ Haiti (PNH) and their sharpshooters picked off peaceful demonstrators with high-powered rifles. June 14 was the fifth anniversary of the current U.N. military mission in Haiti and four days later their presence is commemorated with blood in the streets once again.Read the complete story at:http://www.sfbayview.com/2009/a-funeral-and-a-boycott-%E2%80%98the-struggle-continues%E2%80%99-in-haiti/This is not the first time the UN has murdered innocent Haitians in cold blood and tried to cover it up:http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HIP/7_13_5/7_13_5.htmlhttp://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/12-another-massacre-in-haiti-by-un-troops/

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TTP confirms 13 died in attack on its camp

By Abdul Sami Paracha

According to officials, jets pounded hideouts in remote Chappri Ferozkhel and Bezote areas in the agency and in camps run by TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud. –AP Photo/Emilo Morenatti

Metropolitan

Suspected TTP fundraisers arrested in Karachi

KOHAT: The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan confirmed on Friday that its camp in lower Orakzai Agency had been attacked on Thursday night.

Thirteen militants were killed in the attack and TTP sources said the toll could rise because the rubble of the camp was still being cleared. They, however, said no important TTP leader was killed or injured.

According to officials, jets pounded hideouts in remote Chappri Ferozkhel and Bezote areas in the agency and camps run by TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud, a prime suspect in suicide attacks on Peshawar’s Pearl Continental hotel and the Rescue 15 building in Lahore.

Hakimullah has also been accused of sending dozens of suicide bombers to Kohat, Thall, Darra Adamkhel and other parts of the country.

The officials had initially put the death toll at four.

Zionist Congressman Works on Iran’s Back Door

US strategy in Fata not working: Congressman

By Anwar Iqbal

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (C) and US Congressman Gary Ackerman (L) sit with Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin.

World

Situation in Fata also to affect Gulf states, warns Gates

REHABILITATION

The battle for hearts and minds

WASHINGTON: The anger and desperation of the displaced people and the growing public outrage over civilian casualties in drone attacks show that the US strategy for fighting insurgency in Pakistan is not working, warns a key lawmaker.

Congressman Gary Ackerman, who chairs the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, also warned that the US military and economic might could influence government policies but cannot change ground realities.

During a congressional review of US policies for South Asia, another lawmaker, Edward Royce, a California Republican, noted that excessive restrictions placed in a house bill for tripling US aid to Pakistan would stifle efforts to increase trade between the United States and Pakistan.

‘The anger and desperation of this population should give us pause if the continued growing public outrage about civilian casualties caused by our drone strikes was not enough,’ said Congressman Ackerman while referring to more than two million people displaced during the Swat offensive.

‘What is becoming clear is that while our own understanding of regional, security, ethnic and tribal dynamics is growing, so, too, is the popular backlash against the methods we’ve been using.’

Although Mr Ackerman strongly backed using force to defeat the extremists, he also underlined the need for changing the US strategy.

‘Something needs to change. Albert Einstein’s warning holds true today: We can’t solve our problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.’

Mr Ackerman also acknowledged that before 9/11 the United States did not have a ‘sustained, deep or serious’ commitment to either Afghanistan or Pakistan. ‘We used them and they used us, and we assumed their dysfunctional governments and failing economies were problems of little consequence to us,’ he said.

SPECIAL ZONES
Congressman Royce pointed out that an administration-backed move to establish Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan could be useful in improving economic conditions in the troubled regions of those countries.

But ‘unfortunately, because of the way in which this legislation has been written in Congress – with the restrictions, with the burdensome requirements, I think that that legislation is not going to do anything to increase trade with Pakistan. And that trade with Pakistan right now should be an important goal.’

As the aid to Pakistan bill moves to conference with the Senate, Mr Royce urged both chambers of the US Congress to remove the clauses that were too restrictive. ‘This provision must be liberalised if it’s going to affect Pakistan,’ he said.

He then asked Robert Blake, the new Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department, if he concurred with that judgment.

‘Sure,’ said Mr Blake, who appeared as the key witness before the panel.

The United States, Mr Blake said, was working more closely to knit Afghanistan and Pakistan with their neighbours and with their region and to open up foreign markets to their products.

The establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones, he noted, would be an important step in stimulating economic growth in both countries and drawing people away from extremism.

Congressman Jim Costa, a California Democrat, said he believed that the ‘recent positive performance’ of the Pakistani government in the Dir and Swat valleys, was going to continue, notwithstanding the internal political differences between the Sharif brothers and President Zardari.

‘We’re very encouraged by the steps that President Zardari and his team have taken recently in Swat, in Buner and elsewhere. They’ve taken the fight to the Taliban, and that’s a very encouraging sign,’ said Mr Blake.

The offensive, he said, not only hurt the Taliban, it also had helped improve the Zardari government’s standing with their people. ‘And there’s much greater support now for the Zardari government, which, again, is a very positive sign,’ he added.

‘So as long as they continue to do that, as long as they continue to take concerted action, the United States will continue to support them.’

The State Department’s new pointsman for South Asia told the panel that a major new focus of the Obama administration ‘will be to dramatically increase economic assistance to – to help address a lot of the economic problems and also a lot of the governance problems that have plagued Pakistan.’

Congressman Ackerman noted that in a recent statement Pakistan’s army chief not only vowed to continue the military offensive but also said that the head of the Taliban organisation in Pakistan must be eliminated.

He wanted to know if the US administration believed the Pakistanis were serious and had the capacity to succeed.

‘I think there has been a turning point, sir, and we’re very encouraged by the progress that has been made in Swat valley,’ said Mr Blake. ‘Much more needs to be done still and I think they do have the capabilities to undertake that.’

Setting Waziristan ablaze

Roedad Khan

Why doesn’t our military leadership learn from history? They are certainly making history on our western border by waging war against their own countrymen.

The nation is beginning to see the rapidly unfurling consequences of Gen Musharraf’s fateful decision to join the “coalition of the coerced.” Dragged into a proxy war at gunpoint, America’s dreaded war on terror has indisputably arrived on Pakistan’s soil. Pakistan is slipping into a Dantean hell. The belle époque days for us Pakistanis are over. Pakistanis cannot continue deluding themselves by the romantic notion that they could go on living happily and peacefully under the American umbrella. Pakistan stands on the brink of civil war. A perfect storm is looming on the horizon. Fasten your seatbelts. It will be quite a ride.

The irony is that far from being an autonomous power waging its own parallel war, Pakistan has been reduced to no more than a lackey. Jinnah’s Pakistan, I regret to say, has ceased to be a sovereign, independent state. Today it is not just a “rentier state,” not just a client state. It is a slave state with a puppet government set up by Washington.

Euripides said: “Whom the Gods destroy, they first make mad.” At a time when Pakistan is extremely ill-prepared for adventurism on any serious scale, with the war in Malakand still not conclusively won and over three million internally displaced persons–men, women and children–living under inhuman conditions in Mardan and Swabi, this government decided to open a second front against its own people in Waziristan. The match is lit, the blaze will soon spread like wildfire throughout the tribal areas and beyond. That is for sure. The decision to launch a military operation in this highly sensitive border region is ill-conceived, ill-advised, ill-timed, and would almost certainly turn into a prolonged bloody conflict and, in time, prove a massive self-inflicted wound.

Today the killing or capturing alive of Baitullah Mehsud has become a top priority for the Pakistani government. Anybody who knows anything about Waziristan will tell you that looking for Baitullah or Osama bin Laden in the rugged mountains is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Baitullah, the central focus of the current American and Pakistani military operation in Waziristan, is not the first warrior to confront the administration in the mountains of Waziristan. The Faqir of Ipi led a similar revolt against the British in Waziristan in 1936. It set Waziristan on fire, and this lasted until after 1947. The British failed to capture Ipi and the operation had to be called off.

In the early years after Waziristan’s annexation, the British maintained only a skeleton administration in the agencies. All this changed in 1919 when they decided to build regular garrisons in Waziristan. Consequently, troop movements became routine, which caused resentment among the tribes. Then came the fateful decision to send troops into the Khaisora valley in November 1936, which transformed Ipi’s agitation into a full-scale uprising almost overnight.

The judgment displayed by the British and the poor intelligence upon which they based their decisions were chiefly to blame for the disasters that followed. This was the last major rebellion in Waziristan which stemmed from an abrupt change of policy. The tribesmen’s unrivalled fighting record, their ability to intervene in Afghan affairs and to involve Afghans in their own affairs, were factors ignored by the British that made Waziristan different from other Frontier areas. This disastrous attempt to “pacify” Waziristan was the last of several major incursions into tribal territory during the hundred years of Britain’s presence in north-west India.

When the British left, Pakistan had reason to be glad that it had inherited a secure North-West Frontier. In September 1947 Mr Jinnah took a bold decision to reverse the “pacification” policy, withdrew regular troops from Waziristan and entered into new agreements with the tribes. Cunningham, the new governor of the NWFP appointed by Mr Jinnah was a Frontier expert. His disillusion with the “pacification” policy was complete. “I think that we must now face a complete change of policy. Razmak has been occupied by regular troops for nearly 25 years. Wana for a few years less. The occupation of Waziristan has been a failure. It has not achieved peace or any appreciable economic development. It ties up an unreasonably large number of troops, and for the last 10 years there have been frequent major and minor offences against the troops.” The change in policy produced dramatic results and paid rich dividends.

All this has now changed. Mr Jinnah’s Waziristan policy, which had stood the test of time, has been reversed under American pressure. Our troops are back in Waziristan in aid of American troops looking for Baitullah Mehsud and bin Laden! The result is a totally unnecessary and avoidable state of armed confrontation between the Army and the tribesmen. Those who know the Frontier are deeply concerned. Our civil and military leadership is playing with fire. By reversing Mr Jinnah’s Waziristan policy, at the behest of the Americans, they have alienated powerful tribes in Waziristan and unsettled our western border which had remained peaceful since the birth of Pakistan. Pakistan would be well advised to profit from the mistakes of its forerunners in Waziristan and to avoid any shift of policy which cares only for immediate advantage and takes no account of the ultimate effects.

It all started when Gen Musharraf succumbed to a telephone “ultimatum” from Washington and promised “unstinted” cooperation to the Americans in the so-called war on terror. The Afghans never stabbed us in the back when we were in trouble and at war with India. No Afghan government was as friendly to Pakistan as the Taliban government. By allowing Americans to use our territory as a platform for bombing Afghanistan, we antagonised the Afghans, especially the majority Pakhtun tribes who live in the Pakhtun belt along our border. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a military government laid the foundation of permanent enmity with the Pakhtuns across the border. A civilian government has now compounded the problem by taking on our own tribesmen in Waziristan.

Said Voltaire: “I fear that in this world one must be either hammer or anvil, for it is indeed a lucky man who escapes the alternatives.” Waziristan has been on the anvil for centuries. The Mehsud and Wazir tribes living there are no strangers to foreign military interventions in their country. On each occasion the tribes and the mountains won a strategic victory, the troops were forced to withdraw back into the plains of the Indus Valley. The British soon learned that you can annex land but not people.

As they say, “it is a wide road that leads to war and only a narrow path that leads home again.” In the early 1900s, a crusty British general, Andrew Skeen, wrote a guide to military operations in the Pakhtun tribal belt. His first piece of advice: “When planning a military expedition into Pashtun Tribal areas, the first thing you must plan is your retreat. All expeditions into this area sooner or later end in retreat under fire.” Let us hope the current expedition ends differently.

Decision-making in today’s Pakistan is bizarre. Many questions swirl. Were other options available, only to be peremptorily rejected? Who decided to plunge Pakistan into a guerrilla war raising the spectre of a war on two fronts dreaded by military strategists and the general public alike? Who took the final decision to open a second front in Waziristan? The president? The prime minister? The cabinet? The Parliament? The Army? Who decides questions of war and peace in this country? In public perception, everything points to one inescapable conclusion: that the decision to open a second front in Waziristan was not an internal decision. It was taken in response to irresistible pressure from the United States.

Today we are experiencing a failure of leadership that bodes ill for the country. Nobody knows who is in command. The result is the mess that we are in today. How will it turn out to be tomorrow? “The morrow, as always, is with the Fates.” One is reminded of Stalin’s angry expletive which he uttered when the German army was only a few miles from Moscow and the very survival of the Soviet Union hung in the balance. “The great Lenin left us a great country,” Stalin told Mikoyan, “and we, his successors, have … up.” This is precisely what we have done to the great country left behind by Jinnah.

The writer is a former federal secretary. Email: roedad@comsats.net.pk, www.roedadkhan.com

Government Fighting Terror So Pakistani Children Will Be Welcome In West

Govt fighting terror to save future: Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that the government was waging the war against terrorism and extremism to protect the youth from falling into depression, mistrust and negative activities so that they could become patriotic citizens and play their role in national development.

“To save the future of our youth, the government is confronting the menace of terrorism and extremism,” he said, while addressing an award-distribution ceremony in connection with national internship programme at the Prime Minister Secretariat.

He said the government would arrange an inter-provincial youth exchange programme so that they could share their experiences and develop understanding. “It will help eliminate misperception and bring harmony among the youth and develop brotherhood among the provinces,” he added.

He urged the youth to get technical and specialised education, which would benefit them and they would be able to have jobs abroad and the government would facilitate them.He said acquisition of technical education was imperative to meet the modern day challenges. He said the government was endeavouring to send the talented youth abroad on scholarships.

The prime minister said the new education policy would soon be finalised, and it would fulfil the requirements of the modern age.He said in this regard the draft of the policy had been sent to provincial governments and Azad Kashmir to take their input in the finalisation of the policy so that a vibrant policy would be evolved to benefit all the stakeholders.

Gilani said the government had constituted a sub-committee of the cabinet to finalise the draft of the Youth Policy. He said the government was endeavouring to develop the human resource sector with an aim to provide maximum facilities of education to the youth and in this connection a significant allocation of Rs 3.6 billion had been made in the budget. “It will provide an opportunity to about 30,000 youth to enrol in the internship programme.”

The prime minister directed the Finance Ministry to examine proposals to set up the Youth Fund for providing assistance to the youth. He rejected the request of Youth Affairs Minister Shahid Bhutto to increase the age limit for getting internship. At presently, the youth in the 19-25 age limit are eligible for internship.

“The Charade Cannot be Allowed to Go On”

[Which "charade" was Zardari referring to--the one where the militants pretend to be religious, the one where the Army and the militants pretend to be waging war against each other, the one where the Pakistani Army and the US Army pretend to be at cross purposes, or the one where the United States is not controlling both Pakistan and India?]

Zardari asks militants to surrender

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said the government is determined to take the ongoing drive against the militants to its logical end.

“The militants have to give up militancy and submit to the state authority or they should be prepared for physical extermination as the charade cannot be allowed to go on,” he said this while talking to NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani, who called on him at the Presidency on Friday.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that matters pertaining to the ongoing drive against the militants in Waziristan, relief and rehabilitation of displaced persons and plans for the return of Swat IDPs were discussed during the meeting.

The president, reiterating the government’s determination to provide relief and rehabilitation to the IDPs, stressed that all necessary measures should be taken to ensure their smooth return to homes.

He also appreciated the provincial government’s contribution to relief efforts. The governor updated the president on relief and rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari directed the NWFP government to devise a plan for providing financial assistance on a regular basis to the vocational training centres set up in the province for the dislocated people.

The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission is managing a number of vocational centres in the province for the IDPs.Babar said while going through different projects developed for the rehabilitation of the displaced persons, the president noted that the vocational training centres would not be sustainable if they were not linked up to some viable financial support programme.

President Zardari, therefore, directed the provincial government to devise a well-thought-out plan to link these vocational technical centres with some suitable financial support programme to make them viable and sustainable.

He said apart from exploring the financial support programmes in the public sector, the plan should also consider involving the private sector. He asked the NWFP government to keep the Presidency posted with the financial support programme for the vocational centres.

Convoy attack leaves four soldiers dead in NWA

By Mushtaq Yusufzai & Irfan Burki

PESHAWAR/WANA: Seven people — four of them Armymen — were killed and 33 others, including 21 soldiers, injured in attacks on a military convoy in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) and air strikes in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on Friday.

The attack on security forces’ convoy jeopardised the Feb 17, 2008 peace accord between the government and Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Taliban militants in the volatile North Waziristan Agency, bordering Afghanistan’s restive Khost province.

Military officials based in the North Waziristan Agency blamed the local militants for the attack. They claimed to have intercepted conversations of senior militant commanders, asking their fighters to continue attacking security forces and government installations, as their peace accord with the government had already been scrapped.

They said militant commanders, however, decided not to make public their decision of scrapping the peace deal, as they could lose sympathies of tribesmen. “We were aware of their terrorist activities and attacks on security forces but we kept silence in the larger interest of poor tribesmen. But now I must say the government might launch a full-scale operation in the North Waziristan Agency,” said an official, wishing anonymity.

Official sources told The News a military convoy, which had left Miramshah, headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency, for Bannu came under attack near an abandoned flourmill in the town.

Militants had planted heavy explosives material close to the wall of the roadside factory, which went off when the heavily-guarded military convoy was passing through the area. Four soldiers died on the spot while 18 others were injured, some of them critically. The injured soldiers were later airlifted and shifted to a military hospital in Bannu.

Security forces immediately cordoned off the area and blocked the Bannu-Miramshah road for all kinds of traffic for four hours. Later in the day, security forces arrived in large numbers and started demolishing the factory building with the help of bulldozers so that the militants could not use it for terrorist acts in future.

The owner of the flourmill had closed it several years ago and portions of the building had been demolished by tribesmen. The same military convoy again came under attack when it reached the Naurak village in Mirali subdivision. Suspected militants attacked the military convoy through an improvised explosives device (IED). Three soldiers were injured in the blast, which caused damage to a few vehicles.

The military officials finally decided to stop their journey on the dangerous Bannu-Miramshah road when another IED was recovered near the Kajhori post in Mirali. The military convoy was then taken to a nearby FC camp and ordered not to leave the area till the situation became normal.

The violence-stricken Utmanzai Wazir tribesmen in the North Waziristan Agency were in great shock over the attack on the military convoy. They condemned the attack and termed it an invitation to disaster.

“Like the rest of the areas, the militants will remain safe but we will suffer in case of a military operation,” a seemingly-terrified tribal elder remarked when approached by The News in Miramshah.

Sources close to the militants said though the Taliban in the North Waziristan Agency had not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, they were demanding an end to the ongoing military operation in Janikhel and Bakakhel villages of FR Bannu.

Meanwhile, three suspected militants, including an Uzbek national, were reportedly killed and 12 others injured in air strikes carried out by PAF planes and gunship helicopters on alleged hideouts of Baitullah Mehsud in the adjoining South Waziristan Agency.

Official sources, however, claimed higher death toll in the bombing and artillery shelling. Three fighter jets pounded suspected positions of the Taliban commander at Ladha, Seegagarai, Ladha Sarai, Ashanki Gudawai, Makeen, Dwatoi and Piaza villages.

According to the sources, the PAF planes after making a few rounds of flights over the region started heavy bombing on the militants’ positions. The tribal region reportedly echoed with two dozen explosions. Tribesmen in Miramshah said they heard heavy explosions when the planes pounded Makeen in the South Waziristan Agency.

However, they were not aware of any human losses as communication to the area was suspended since the military operation was launched. Military officials said three militants, including an Uzbek, were killed in Makeen.

According to the sources, 12 injured militants were brought to a private health centre in Makeen, five of them in serious condition. The sources among the militants said they had now started burying their dead during night time after the recent drone attack on the funeral procession of slain militant commander Khwaz Wali Mehsud in Makeen. Tribal sources said several shops were destroyed in Shamankhel village of Ladha subdivision in the bombing.