[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Afghan Taliban declined a request for help from the militants in Swat by reminding them of their policy of non-interference in Pakistan's affairs.
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Sources among the Afghan Taliban told The News that the Swat Taliban had approached them recently and sought help in their battle against Pakistan's security forces. The sources didn't provide details as to how and where the Afghan Taliban were approached. It wasn't possible to seek comment from the Swat Taliban about the issue as all their commanders and spokesman Muslim Khan have gone into hiding to avoid capture.
A senior Afghan Taliban official, requesting anonymity, contacted The News from an undisclosed location to confirm that they were approached by the Swati militants for help in their fight against Pakistan's armed forces. "We told them that the Afghan Taliban have a standard policy not to interfere in Pakistan's affairs. We reiterated our policy and requested the Swat Taliban not to involve us in Pakistan's internal matters," he explained.
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It may be added that the Afghan Taliban have often been linked to the Pakistani Taliban. There have been credible reports that Taliban leader Mulla Muhammad Omar has been sending emissaries to mediate between warring Pakistani Taliban leaders and request them not to fight with each other. Every Pakistani Taliban commander ranging from the late Nek Muhammad to Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan on August 5, and Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Maulvi Nazeer, Maulana Faqir Muhammad to Hakimullah Mehsud has pledged allegiance to Mulla Omar and often referred to him as their Amirul Momineen, or Commander of the Faithful.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, an important Afghan Taliban commander operating in Khost, Paktia, Paktika and Kabul provinces, has often mediated between the rival Pakistani Taliban factions on behalf of Mulla Omar. He and other Afghan Taliban officials have also played a role in arranging truce and peace talks between the Pakistani Taliban and the Pakistan government in some of the tribal areas.
However, there have been only a few instances of Afghan Taliban commanders becoming involved in the fighting between the Pakistani militants and security forces. One such commander was Saeedur Rahman in Charmang area in Bajaur Agency who fought the Pakistani security forces along side the local militants. The other Afghan Taliban commander, who became part of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was Yahya Hijrat, who operated out of Jamrud in Khyber Agency and was blamed for most of the attacks on the Afghanistan-bound trucks carrying supplies for Nato forces. Hijrat was captured some months ago and was later found dead along with a few other militants near Peshawar in an incident that was described by government officials as an encounter with the police.
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