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| India-Pakistan |
| Tribes and customs protect al-Qaeda in Bajaur |
| 2006-01-25 |
| Early in the morning on January 12, suspected U.S. aircraft fired missiles at houses in the village of Damadola in the Bajaur Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), killing 18 people. This was the first attack of its kind in this area (Frontierpost.com.pk, January 14). What is the significance of Banjaur agency and its relation with the central government? What is the connection if any of Bajaur to the Al-Qaeda terrorists and why would one, of all places, look for Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two man in the al-Qaeda hierarchy, in Bajaur? Who is Mawlawi Faqir Mohammad, who appeared briefly to eulogize the bombing victims, and then disappeared into thin air? What about Bajaur makes it so tempting for the terrorists to hide there? FATA, which roughly comprises the size of Florida, has a population of over three million, predominantly of Pashtun tribes. As some major tribes inhabit FATA, Pashtunwali, or the Pashtun tribal code, provides the foundation for the area's legal system. This area of Pakistan has remained isolated for centuries. Afghan kings, the British Raj, Pakistani generals, the Soviets and American Green Berets have all tried unsuccessfully to assert control over these wild lands at one point or another. These loosely administered territories are not governed by boundaries or politicians, but by tribal elders and tribal loyalties. The British granted the tribal people maximum autonomy and allowed them to run their affairs in accordance with their Islamic faith, customs and traditions. This prickly borderland formally belongs to Pakistan, but has deep historical, cultural, and ethnic ties to Afghanistan (The News, March 14). Of the seven FATA Agencies, North and South Waziristan and Bajaur play the most significant role in the war on terrorism because of the presence of local militant groups and their association with the top leaders of al-Qaeda. Bajaur has the added dimension of being the suspected host to several members of al-Qaeda's top leadership. Also notable is its proximity to the volatile province of Kunar in Afghanistan, one suspected hiding area of Osama bin Laden. In May of last year, a prominent al-Qaeda leader, Abu Farraj al-Libbi was arrested in Mardan a town southeast of Bajaur. At one time, al-Libbi was also serving as bin Laden's secretary. When another key al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11 attacks was arrested in March 2002, Libbi had replaced him as the terror network's number three leader. Two days later, security forces arrested thirteen people including ten foreigners of having al-Qaeda links from Bajaur Agency. The foreigners included Uzbek and Afghan nationals. Al-Libby was at some point living under the protection of Malawi Faqir Mohammad (UPI, May 5, 2005). Faqir Mohammad, who delivered a fiery anti-Pakistan and anti-U.S. speech at the collective funeral of the civilians killed in the Friday bombing on January 12, left the scene. He narrowly escaped the missile attack. Mawlawi Faqir Mohammad and al-Zawahiri along with Mullah Omar were reportedly invited to a feast in the village. Faqir Mohammad, who had a close connection with the Taliban, is also wanted for giving shelter to foreign terrorists. (al-Jazeera, January 14). Faqir Mohammed is a leader of the Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Sharia, a religious group that forcibly imposed Islamic religious laws in the Pashtun tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan in the 1990s. Although the Pakistani military later removed most of the parallel courts and administrative units established by the movement, the group continued to run a parallel government for some time. The group still has some influence and occasionally sets up temporary tribal courts to try cases such as fornication, alcohol consumption and selling narcotics. In 1996, when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the group established a close working relationship with Mullah Omar's regime. This group is also believed to have recruited thousands of ethnic Pashtuns to fight in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban when the United States attacked the country in December 2001. Many of these volunteers later died in prison camps in northern Afghanistan. The group was never directly involved with al-Qaeda but is known to have cooperated with it in the past on the instructions of the Taliban. Pakistani intelligence officials say they would not be surprised if the group is now sheltering senior al-Qaeda leaders. Faqir Mohammad himself, as a result of his association with the Taliban and especially Al-Qaeda leaders is on the wanted list in Pakistan. "They are very influential and have the infrastructure to hide bin Laden and his comrades," said the Pakistani official. (UPI, May 5, 2005). Al-Zawahiri, aside from his association to Faqir Mohammad is the son in law of the Momands, one of the largest Pashtun tribes inhabiting Momand Agency. His wife is a Momand Pashtun and is living with her children on the border of Bajaur and Momand. Under Pashtunwali, al-Zawahiri is considered part of the family and the tribe and he must be protected with the lives of the tribesmen. Aside from its "hospitality," Bajaur is important to the Taliban and foreign terrorists for its proximity to Kunar province. The tribes straddling the border area are drawn to two basic tenets: Pashtunwali and Islam. Giving shelter to a fellow Pashtun or Muslim is a Pashtunwali tradition and an Islamic duty. This and the rugged terrain and inaccessibility of the border region make it an ideal sanctuary for al-Zawahiri and other members of al-Qaeda. Any pressure, whether from the U.S. or Pakistani government, will not change the mentality of the people. Attacks in which allegedly innocent people are killed, will only reinforce the militants' position and further isolate the central government in Islamabad. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #14 Youse guys are hillarious. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-01-25 23:45 |
| #13 With 20% more Glistening Vibrafoam! |
| Posted by: .com 2006-01-25 20:36 |
| #12 "Free Pashtunistan - with equal or lesser purchase" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-01-25 20:35 |
| #11 In 2006 can civilization survive if we tolerate "tribalism" as an excuse for terrorism and acts of war? I say no. In 2006 your tribe has to be the "human race." If it isn't perhaps you need some rough treatmet to educate your sorry hide. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2006-01-25 19:40 |
| #10 I'll take "destroyed" for $50 Bob. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2006-01-25 15:45 |
| #9 Hey OP, send me some lo-res scans of the stamps. I'm sure Fred can find something creative to post with them... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-01-25 15:43 |
| #8 I've been a stamp collector for almost 50 years, and Afghanistan is one country I collect. Afghanistan has issued stamps since the late 1950's to celebrate "Free Pashtunistan Day". "Pashtunistan" incorporates the provinces of Baluchistan, the NWFP, and Gilgit Agency. There are also a couple of Afghan border provinces (Kandahar, Kunar, etc.) that have a majority Pashtun population that would probably revolt and join Pashtunistan if it ever got its independence. Pakistan can't control the area because of the animosity between the Pashtuns and the Sindh. It's going to continue to be a problem for both Afghanistan and Pakistan until it's either brought under government control, or destroyed. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-01-25 15:26 |
| #7 Very interesting...how do we know where Zawahiri's wife is living? How many does he have? I think women are the secret weapon in the War on Terror. They just think differently, and most men are clueless to what they are thinking, especially in paternal, anal-retentive societies, and they seem to pay little attention to what segregated women-folk do. How much more so when they have multiples, and many aren't well cared for. Isn't there a grateful Pashtun female, liberated from the Taliban, willing to at least be wired, perhaps concealed in a burqa, just for listening or tracking purposes? Deborah and Barak are commemorated as war heroes, but it was Jael who made the victory sure. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2006-01-25 10:54 |
| #6 In short, "Tribes and customs protect al-Qaeda in Bajaur" is either true, or the title "Tribes, customs, and Pakistan, protect al-Aqeda in Bajaur". |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-01-25 10:38 |
| #5 Picture an adult child doing whatever he pleases, selling dope, shooting at people out the family house window, fighting with and refusing to obey his parents unless they happen to overpower him, and yet hides behind momma's skirts and DEMANDS that the parents take the fall, not him, when the cops come calling. Picture the situation when the parents are half scared, half complicit, with his behavior. This area of Pakistan has remained isolated for centuries. Afghan kings, the British Raj, Pakistani generals, the Soviets and American Green Berets have all tried unsuccessfully to assert control over these wild lands at one point or another. They said the same thing about Afghanistan when we arrived, and we disproved the conventional wisdom. Due to the above "no one can be held responsible, but everyone is in authority" set-up, our armed forces have not been fully unleased on these miscreants. High time we said, "If pakistan cannot exert effective authority over the FATA, then FATA is not a part of Pakistan: thus ALL ATTACKS in FATA that are not directed at Pakistani armed forces are actions directed against stateless individuals." I.e. if FATA ACTS like a country independent of Pakistan, and if Pakistan ACTS as if FATA is a country uncontrollable by Pakistan, then we should TREAT FATA AS a country independent of Pakistan. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-01-25 10:36 |
| #4 Tribes and customs protect al-Qaeda in Bajaur They may protect al-Qaeda, but they don't protect the fine citizens of Bajaur. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-01-25 10:34 |
| #3 Harboring international fugitives from justice, are they? In that case, a little hot pursuit is in order. Fuck their "traditions." Our practice is to kill terrorists, and damn harboring collaterals. |
| Posted by: Flomotch Thaiper2166 2006-01-25 09:57 |
| #2 Nano-tech grey mush bots... hmm. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-01-25 07:54 |
| #1 Just turn the whole, cancerous wasteland into radioactive glass. It has been a cancerous sore on the butt of civilization for centuries. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-01-25 05:09 |