|
|
|
South Waziristan Taliban leader Mullah Nazir. Click to view. |
Forces under the command of a leader considered to be one of the “good Taliban” by the Pakistani military destroyed an Afghan Army camp.
Taliban forces commanded by Mullah Nazir blew up an the Afghan Army base, which was just across the border from the Angoor Adda region in Pakistan. The region is under the control of Nazir, a Pakistani Taliban commander.
“Sources said the Taliban planted explosives all over the base and blew it up, destroying bunkers and installations,” Dawn reported. The based was destroyed after “a contingent stationed there moved out of the fortified compound.” The Taliban and “a group of tribesmen” then looted the base.
The destruction of the Afghan base by Nazir’s forces follows the Dec. 6 attack on a Pakistani Army checkpoint at a bridge in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, which is also under the control of Nazir. The attack resulted in one one soldier killed. The Taliban suffered six of their own killed after the Pakistani Army counterattacked. The military did not take further actions against Nazir.
Pakistan’s military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers “good Taliban” as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state. However, Nazir openly supports Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan; more senior al Qaeda leaders have been killed in Nazir’s tribal areas during the US air campaign than in those of any other Taliban leader in Pakistan.
Earlier this year, just prior to launching a military operation against the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in the Mehsud tribal areas in South Waziristan, the military agreed to a peace deal with Nazir as well as with North Waziristan Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar. Nazir and Bahadar are not members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Bahadar and the Haqqani Network, which is also based in North Waziristan, are also considered “good” Taliban by the Pakistani government and military.
The peace agreement allows for the Pakistani military to move through Nazir and Bahadar’s tribal areas without being attacked. Another condition of the agreement prohibits Bahadar and Nazir from providing shelter to fleeing members of the Mehsud branch of the Taliban.
But Taliban fighters from the Mehsud tribal areas have sought shelter with Mullah Nazir in the Wazir tribal areas, and the rearguard fighters still opposing the Army’s advance are receiving support from Nazir’s forces, US military and intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal.
Bahadar and the Haqqanis are also providing shelter to fleeing Taliban fighters and covert support to the Mehsud Taliban, and they also shelter al Qaeda leaders and fighters. The covert US air campaign in Pakistan’s tribal areas has zeroed in on North Waziristan. Since the Aug. 5 strike that killed Baitullah Mehsud, the former leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, 14 of the 18 reported airstrikes have taken place in North Waziristan. And nine of those 14 attacks in North Waziristan occurred in territory administered by the Haqqani Network.
21 Comments
Now a Afghan one, just for good measure: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/11-taliban-destroy-afghan-post-near-border–il–13
A good taliban is a dead taliban
In the months and years of the Pak offensive against their Taliban, I’ve not seen even one pic of a dead Talib fighter, killed by Pak soldiers. Have any of Long War Journalists ever seen a dead fighter killed by the Pak offensive against their Talib?
Is the Pak war against their Taliban just empty Pak propaganda, just Pak dishing out some figures of their Talib fighters killed, without any verification whatsoever by independent columnists ?.
Musharraf did the same, announcing some alqaeda capture or killed every time he came to Washington, with beret in hand.
Without pics of dead fighters, it looks like the same old Pak trick.
J. Daniels I’ve seen a few videos of dead and captured taliban in Pakistan. I’ll get you the links later I’m on my way to work now…
J. Daniels, here is a vid for you. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=440_1260291560
>Pakistan’s military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers “good Taliban” as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state. However, Nazir openly supports Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan;
Great! On the other hand, Pakistan covertly supports Mullah Omar and OBL, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. With allies like these …
Good taliban, lol.
Ditto natej740
J. Daniels,
I have seen pics of many dead talibs in Pakistan and even videos of talibs being “interrogated” or beaten up from the Pak side. On the other hand I have seen almost no pictures of dead talibs since the Marines started their push in Helmand or even before that they were rare to come by.
This is the new sanitized version of war operated from Nevada.
Charley,
Pakistan is A LIE not an ALLY
UHH Did I read the article right? Afghan Army base..in Pakistan? ??? If so it’s a testament to subjectivity of that border that a mistake such as that could have occurred.
…guess I should have re-read the article before the previous post
T Ruth: Unfortunately, the Pakistanis feel the same way about the US.
Ian: “Unfortunately, the Pakistanis feel the same way about US, India, Israel and generally the West.” should be more accurate. How do Pakistanis feel about Saudi, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia and Umma? There is a pattern here, you know..
‘
What are his thoughts in late December, the period when the Soviets thrust into Afghanistan with a troop buildup on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 and then the overthrow of the government on Dec. 27?
“Bitterness and regret that we were drawn into this war,” Tsalko replied.
In short, he said, “those who fought there do not want to talk about it when they’re not drunk.”
Unlike Russia’s springtime celebration of its World War II victory over Nazi Germany, a national holiday that includes a triumphant, sparkling military parade in Red Square, the anniversary of the Soviet war in Afghanistan is hardly mentioned in the cold, dark days of December.”
Ian about Pakistan’s ‘feelings’, i could simply say Lucy’s in the Sky with Diamonds, and leave it at that.
I was responding to the simple facts that Charley had outlined above….not so much about feelings.
Now, if America/India/Israel have a secret ‘strategic death’ plan for Pakistan, in Balochistan and consequential dominos, then i could understand their feelings, though not necessarily sympathise with them.
A move in Balochistan would be the right counter to Pakistan sleeping with good Taliban
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/21/us-taliban-balochistan-strategy-pakistan
Afghanistan is an ongoing CIVIL WAR between pashtuns and northern alliance. Why does America refuse to listen to this hard cold fact? Pashtuns are supported by Pakistan because there are many Pashtuns in Pakistan also. So yes, Pakistan will support “good” taliban because America is supporting corrupt uzbeks and tajiks led by the puppet karzai. Why shouldn’t Pak want friendly govt on the west, when the one on the east has dismembered our nation so many times in the past?? And America keeps preaching to us that India is “not a threat”….lol.
Hmmm , distroying a perfectly good , deserted military installation … It seems that what you can not hold , might as well distroy , not a good sign for the Taliban’s strenght .
If that’s the ‘good’ Taliban, I would hate to see the bad Taliban…
Sal – “Afghanistan is an ongoing CIVIL WAR between pashtuns and northern alliance.”
Render, thank you for educating sally.
One wonders what kind of a life these people have who want to lie down with good taliban.
hey kemal thanks for linking to my video on liveleak 😀