While claiming credit for Thursday’s deadly attack at a funeral in the district of Dir, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan said it would continue to hit at weddings and funerals of tribal groups who support the Pakistani and US governments. From CNN:
The threat came as the Taliban claimed responsibility for Thursday’s suicide blast targeting a funeral procession for a member of an anti-Taliban militia.
“Anyone who supports the U.S. and Pakistani military will face the same fate,” Taliban spokesman Siraj-ud Din said. “We will target funeral processions and wedding ceremonies of those who support the U.S.”
Din said Friday that the deceased and his attendants were enemies of Taliban because of their pro-government activity.
Siraj-ud Din’s threat is nothing new. Since December 2007, Pakistani Taliban groups have conducted 35 major terror attacks at mosques, shrines, funerals, weddings, and religious processions. See LWJ report, Suicide bomber kills 31 mourners at funeral in Pakistan’s northwest, for a list of such attacks.
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5 Comments
The Afghan Taliban under the control of “The Emirate” say that they have nothing to do with this (when asked by foreign reporters what their stance is on attacks in Pakistan).
They say that they have no control over armed groups “operating outside the borders of the Emirate”.
They went on to say, “We are in Afghanistan and only in Afghanistan. We are fighting a very large force that is highly advanced and very devious and barbaric in it’s tactics. Our only address is Afghanistan, and our land and dominion resides in the Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan. Therefore, we do not have the interest nor the jurisdiction to attack people in other lands or nations. We are focused on fighting our own war against the kuffar aggressors.”
I read this on Ansar Mujahideen English Forum. Edit this out if you don’t want it showing here.
Soccer
My take is the Pak army fully support the Afghan Taliban for strategic reasons whilst any pakistani people i speak to in UK believe the Pakistan Taliban is a creation of the US/West.
Well, it is the job of the Afghan Taliban to drum up nationalistic support, because if they reach out to the greater Muslim populations, they run the risk of being branded and labelled as these global jihadists that are in league with Al Qaeda that wish to take over the world under the banner of Islam.
So, I think it it necessary for the Afghan Taliban to make such statements every once in a while, as it boosts their image among certain people and makes them look more legitimate in the eyes of certain sympathizers.
Yes this is what annoys me about the Taliban (well one of many things tbh) they carry out these operations brazenly and without remorse only to then claim they ‘did not do it’ when accused by the western media, all the while they trumpet the killing of Puppets and apostates on their media arm (forums, social networks etc) that is watched avidly by aspiring jihadis and sympathisers but seemingly ignored by those who News networks and corporations that have the ability to dispel this doublespeak.
I wish the drones would target the more Wedding and funerals of the TB forces. Its such a wasted opportunity to stop horrible violence, who cares what anybody says. Especially coming from folks (gangsters in SWA and caucuses, TB INS whatever) who have no real concept of what is right and wrong are. There is no end to their end game. Lastly please remember that, people who value life and culture have left the regions in question anyway.