WANA, South Waziristan - This Pakistan tribal area on the border with
Afghanistan is a stronghold for insurgents fighting Western coalition forces
stationed in Afghanistan, but unlike other tribal areas it is peaceful, humane
and without the Taliban's distinctive "pro-Taliban siege mentality".
The kingpin here is commander Nazir Ahmed (see Part 1), leader of the dominant
Wazir tribe, viewed by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces as
their "worst enemy". He is behind all the devastating attacks on NATO forces in
Afghanistan's Paktika province and is the most successful recruiter of
footsoldiers for the Taliban in Zabul and Helmand provinces.
Asia Times Online spent a week in South Waziristan, from the main city Wana to
the border town of Angorada, to get an overview of how Pakistan created a
divide between al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and how al-Qaeda eventually
outmaneuvered the state.
Al-Qaeda's first home in the tribal region
After the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was driven out by United States forces
in late 2001, al-Qaeda needed to find a new home from where it could regroup as
well as bolster the Taliban's efforts to return to power.
Al-Qaeda homed in on South Waziristan, and by mid-2002 senior members had set
up a process that by 2006 had helped the Taliban become a force to be reckoned
with in Afghanistan.
The main component of al-Qaeda's strategy to acquire control of the area was
developing a pro-Taliban siege mentality. It invested in the Ahmedzai Wazir
tribes in the border regions of Afghanistan and raised them as an unchallenged
force in the region (see the Asia Times Online series
Waziristan, July 2004.
Within a few years, with the support of their al-Qaeda and Uzbek mentors, these
Taliban youths had become so powerful that Pakistan didn't have the capacity to
take them on militarily. So a political solution - divide and rule - was
sought.
While the Pakistan army opposed all foreign forces and their backers in the
area, Mullah Nazir was given tacit support. The experiment was successful as
Nazir led a massacre of 250 al-Qaeda-affiliated anti-Pakistan militants of the
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in 2007 and forced hundreds of others to flee
from Wana.
In 2009, Nazir's Taliban allowed space for the Pakistan army to carry out
operations against the anti-Pakistan army Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan
Taliban -TTP).
From 2007 to 2011, large swathes of South Waziristan were effectively sublet to
the Taliban led by Nazir, whom Islamabad believed would guarantee any future
deals for peace and reconciliation with the Taliban and force out al-Qaeda.
State within a state
After passing through at least a dozen army checkpoints to enter South
Waziristan, I arrived at Wana bazaar, where there was a feeling of peace,
unlike neighboring North Waziristan where any stranger feels danger all around.
The checkpoints do not generally allow in non-Wazirs, including Mehsud
tribesmen as they are considered supporters of the TTP.
"Nobody can jeopardize the peace of the area. The Taliban have imposed a 5,000
rupee [US$60] fine if anybody even slaps someone else in Wana Bazaar," Sher
Mohammad, a shopkeeper, told me when I mentioned the peace in Wana.
However, this peace does not compromise support for the Afghan resistance
against the foreign occupation forces in Afghanistan.
Wana is the main transit point for those going to fight in Afghanistan. Punjabi
fighters with long hair and tall, white-faced Turk youths can be seen waiting
in Wana bazaar for vehicles that will take them to the border regions for
launching into Afghanistan. Yet their presence does not seem to affect everyday
life as the Taliban have cleverly compartmentalized war fever.
The Taliban are behind all aspects of life in South Waziristan, from sports
events to hospitals.
Musa Qala, with the same name as a district in Afghanistan's Helmand province,
is a Taliban stronghold in Wana. It recently staged a soccer (football) match
between local teams which turned out in short-sleeved shirts and shorts -
something that would not have happened in Afghanistan during Taliban rule.
Commander Nazir had announced a 40,000 rupee prize for the winning team, and
this event was followed by games across the tribal region. They drew large
crowds.
Qamar Abbas runs the only blood bank (Hafiz Blood Bank) in Wana. "Seventy-four
patients with thalassemia [a blood disorder] have been reported in South
Waziristan, beside one patient with HIV," Abbas said.
"Hafiz Blood Bank provides blood transfusion services. People wonder how we
manage that all. The army commander called me one day and asked about my
financial resources. I told him that I meet my expenses through charity.
Similarly, Ameer Saheb [Nazir] summoned me and asked whether I collected funds
from any foreign NGO [non-governmental organization]. I told him my situation,
after which he promised to finance my project," Abbas said.
From the busy market place one can see the high minarets of Darul Uloom
Waziristan - an Islamic seminary. A first impression emerges of a bastion of
militancy, but a visit reinforces the idea that under shrewd management, a
formula between the state and the Taliban has been worked out that allows even
for a model education system.
"We place special emphasis on women's education," said Dr Taj Muhammad Haqqani,
a PhD who wrote his thesis on the customs and traditions of the Wazir tribes
and their comparison with Islamic law.
"We have 1,800 girl students of whom 800 are from far-flung villages in South
Waziristan. They live in hostels. We provide them with Islamic education as
well as mainstream [secular] education. This year, 231 girls appeared for the
Matriculation Board of Education examination," said Haqqani.
"Not only am I supportive of women's education, I want each one of my students
to open up schools in their villages," said Haqqani, who showed me around his
seminary, computer laboratory and a modern library. The doctor, in his late
40s, seems ready to take more progressive steps, but because of social taboos
he will not take any radical measures - only small steps to guarantee success.
Haqqani is the son of a former Pakistani parliamentarian and cleric, Maulana
Noor Muhammad, who was killed by al-Qaeda in a suicide attack last year as he
was considered a supportive force of the status quo, that is, the military
establishment.
"My father was a symbol of stability in South Waziristan. In his presence,
nobody could easily disturb the peace of the area. Therefore, he was
assassinated," Haqqani said with sadness.
Muhammad's killing was a major turning point in South Waziristan and within a
matter of a few months the whole "crisis management" arrangement between the
Taliban and the Pakistan army was challenged and al-Qaeda is once again gaining
strength. It's aim is to break this region's stability and transform moderate
Taliban into high-grade radical global jihadis. It has already made much
progress.
(Note: This report was written before the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden on May 2.)
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