36 killed in bombings in Pakistan’s tribal areas

Thirty-six Pakistanis have been killed in a pair of bombings in Pakistan’s lawless tribal agencies. The attacks took place in the tribal agencies of Khyber and Arakzai, two regions heavily influenced by the Taliban and allied groups.

In Khyber’s Tirah Valley, a bomb that detonated outside a mosque killed a local commander of the Lashkar-i-Islam and 24 others, Dawn reported. The blast took place near a headquarters of the Lashkar-i-Islam, an extremist group run by Mangal Bagh.

The Lashkar-i-Islam has been battling for control of the valley with the rival Ansarul Islam, which likely carried out the attack. Taliban forces attacking across the border in Afghanistan are known to shelter in the Tirah Valley and have established bases in the region.

The Lashkar-i-Islam and other groups, such as Hakeemullah Mehsud’s branch of the Pakistani Taliban, have gained power in Khyber despite a series of military operations that began in the summer of 2007 which were supposedly designed to relieve Taliban pressure on neighboring Peshawar. A total of five military offensives have failed to dislodge the terror groups, however.

Bagh claims that he does not support the Taliban. But Bagh has carved out a Taliban-like state in his territory in Khyber, and sends forces across the border to attack US and Afghan troops in Nangarhar province. In November 2008, the US military attacked Taliban forces in the Tirah Valley after they retreated across the border from Nangarhar in Afghanistan. US strike aircraft and artillery killed seven Taliban fighters during the hot pursuit.

Just a week ago, Khyber was the scene of two other deadly attacks. A suicide bomber killed 11 policemen and eight civilians in the Jamrud region on Feb. 10. That same day, the Taliban killed a Pakistani Army brigadier general and wounded two officers as they attempted to rescue the pilots of a downed Cobra attack helicopter in Khyber.

The Jamrud region in Khyber has become a hub of Taliban and al Qaeda activity since the Pakistani military launched an operation in the Mehsud tribal areas in South Waziristan in October 2009. Taliban forces have also relocated to the Bara region and the Tirah Valley in the Khyber [see LWJ report, “Taliban escape South Waziristan operation”]. Tariq Afridi, a powerful Taliban commander based in Darra Adam Khel, has taken control of Taliban operations in Khyber.

Bombing in Arakzai kills 11

In the Arakzai tribal agency, a bombing at a cattle market in the Darmela region killed 11 people and wounded more than 50, Dawn reported. The target of the attack is not known; the Taliban have conducted suicide and roadside bomb attacks against civilians in an effort to intimidate the population and prevent them from cooperating with the Pakistani government.

In late 2009, the military launched a limited operation in Arakzai in an attempt to dislodge the Taliban sheltering there. The military claimed success, but soon after the military completed its operation, the Taliban moved back into clear areas and turned on civilians who refused to fight alongside them.

On Jan. 5, the Taliban torched the homes in the village of Tori Mela after ordering the villagers to leave. The Taliban “‘punished’ tribesmen because of their refusal to stay on in the village and support them in their fight against security forces,” Dawn reported.

Arakzai is a nest of dangerous Taliban groups [see list below]. In addition, Taliban fighters from South Waziristan fled to Arakzai during the Pakistani Army operation that began in mid-October 2009.

Major Taliban groups based in Arakzai:

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan: Akhunzada Aslam Farooqui is the new leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in the Arakzai tribal agency as well as in neighboring Kurram. He took control of the Taliban after Hakeemullah Mehsud was promoted to lead the entire Taliban movement in Pakistan’s tribal areas and in the northwest. He is a close friend of Mullah Omar and has claimed in the past to lead more than 7,000 Taliban fighters.

Fedayeen-e-Islam: Led by Hakeemullah Mehsud, the Fedayeen-e-Islam has taken credit for multiple terror assaults and suicide attacks throughout Pakistan. The group is made up of members of the Pakistani Taliban, the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and other Islamist terrorists from Pakistan. It is based in Arakzai and South Waziristan. Senior leaders of the Fedayeen-e-Islam include Qari Hussain Mehsud, a former senior deputy to Baitullah who trains child suicide bombers; Qari Mohammed Zafar, the operational commander of the September 2008 attack on the Islamabad Marriott; Asmatullah Moaviya, another senior aide to Baitullah who was reportedly arrested in Mianwali in Punjab province; and Rana Afzal.

Lashkar-i-Jhangvi: An anti-Shia terror group that has integrated with al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has an extensive network in Pakistan and serves as the muscle for terror attacks.

Commander Tariq Group: This group is considered the most powerful outfit in Arakzai. Led by Commander Tariq Afridi and based in Darra Adam Khel, the group conducts attacks on Pakistani security forces in Arakzai, Kohat, Peshawar, and Hangu. The Commander Tariq Group took credit for murdering Polish geologist Piotr Stanczak earlier this year.

Omar Group: Another major Taliban group based in Darra Adam Khel. It has conducted attacks in the regions around Peshawar.

Ghazi Force: This group is named after Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, the brother of former Red Mosque leader Maulana Abdullah Aziz. Ghazi was killed when Pakistani troops assaulted the Red Mosque in July 2007. The Ghazi force runs a terror training camp in Guljo in Hangu and has conducted suicide attacks in Islamabad. The group is led by Maulana Niaz Raheem, a former student of the Red Mosque.

Abdullah Azzam Brigade: This shadowy group appears to be made up of Taliban members from the Commander Tariq Group who merged with some Arakzai-based elements of Ayman al Zawahiri’s Egyptian Islamic Jihad. A spokesman named Amir Muawiya, who is also a leader in the Commander Tariq Group, said the Abdullah Azzam Brigade was behind a terror assault in Peshawar.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Tags: Pakistan