The Lashkar-e-Khorasan executed three so-called “US spies” in North Waziristan. From the Daily Times via the South Asia Terrorism Portal:
Two tribesmen and an Afghan national were killed on charges of spying for United States in two separate places in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on April 8, reports Daily Times. Sources said that the dead body of Aziz, an Afghan national, was found near Nowrek village in Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) and those of two local tribesmen, Inayatullah and Shah Wali, were spotted in Pir Kali area near Miramshah. Chits strapped to the bodies said the three had been killed because they were spying for the US.
The Taliban established the Lashkar-e-Khorasan late last year to root out tribesmen and Taliban members thought to be providing information to US and Pakistani intelligence officials for use in the US’ Predator air campaign. For more on the group, see Taliban create Lashkar-e-Khorasan to hunt Predator spies.
The US Predator campaign is on hold after the March 17 strike in Datta Khel that killed a senior Taliban commander, 11 fighters, and more than 30 tribesmen. The strike reportedly took place as the Taliban tried to broker a deal over mineral rights in the area. Top Pakistani military leaders and government officials publicly denounced the March 17 strike.
There has not been a strike in 23 days; the current pause is the fourth-longest period without an attack since the US dramatically ramped up the program in August 2008.
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4 Comments
The mineral rights story-line makes no sense. What mining outfit would hazard any commercial investments in that part of the world?
I’m beginning to think that the Lashkar-e-Khorasan is the ISI’s creation to stop predator successes against their “good” Taliban. The Taliban’s current zeal against spies (real or imagined) in their midst, as well as the pause in drone attacks, may both be associated with intel they might have obtained from Davis’s seized equipment. An “accidental” predator attack on high value ISI’s assets may be warranted to send them a message to cooperate, or else it won’t just be the Taliban or AQ being targeted the next time .
This is no surpirse. It wouldn’ t be happening if we were able to go in there and do the job legitlly, without the assistance of other agencies. Until the ISAF coalition can get access into the FATA, I don’t see a whole lot of this changing. I know that it’ll probably never happen because of political ties, but if it is that easy for them to disappear across the border, let ISAF go get them and stop complaining about how there are attacks going across the border into pakistan. no harboring, no attacks. period. As far as the minning goes, I agree with Blert…. whod wanna mine anything in such a hostile enviroment? And why on earth would they denounce the attacks unless they where hiding something? HUMINT is not always reliable, but obviously it was more reliable than the Pakistani govenrment.
@blert:
Just a guess, but I don’t think they are talking about bringing in any sort of commercial firm. I think they are talking about doing it themselves, and are arguing about which tribe can dig where.