Global Jihadist Movements: The Pakistani Taliban Project

The meteoric rise of the Pakistani Taliban since the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the United States has pushed the Pakistani state to the brink of civil war. Well-armed, trained, funded, and supported, the Pakistani Taliban has consolidated control over the tribal areas and is threatening to take control of much of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. The rise of the Taliban inside Pakistan has made that country the most important and difficult foreign policy decision facing the United States.

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, or Tehrik-i-Taliban, traces its origins back to the efforts to eject the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. The efforts to rid the Soviets was fostered by the Pakistani state and maintained by its intelligence arm, the Inter-Service Intelligence to ensure influence in post-Soviet Afghanistan. The Pakistani tribal areas became a breeding ground for radicalization and recruitment.

This new generation of Taliban is under the influence of al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar and is supplemented by militants from all over the in the Islamic world. Fighters and leaders from as far away as Chechnya, Bosnia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula are present in Pakistan's lawless zones.

The movement is led by a number of Pakistani and foreign leaders. Baitullah Mehsud has established his stronghold in South Waziristan, the Haqqani family and Sadiq Noor are ruling in North Waziristan, and Faqir Mohammed controls Bajaur. Foreign al Qaeda leaders also hold sway in Pakistan's tribal regions. Iraqi Arab Abu Kasha is holding the fort at Mirali and Najmuddin Uzbek also maintains sway in North Waziristan.

The Global Jihadist Movements: The Pakistani Taliban Project will cover the emergence of the Pakistani Taliban and the rise of their radical ideology, the myriad of peace deals between the government and the Taliban, and the security situation in the settled district of Swat. Additionally, the Global Jihadist Movements: The Pakistani Taliban Project will profile senior Taliban leaders such as Baitullah Mehsud, Faqir Mohammed, Maulana Fazlullah, and Mangal Bagh.

The series begins with a profile of Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan who is at the leading edge of the Taliban insurgency.

Pakistan’s Taliban Warlord: A Profile of Baitullah Mehsud
By Manzar Zaidi
Sept. 30, 2008
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