Asia Times: Taliban steal another march on US


	November 1, 2001	atimes.com

India/Pakistan

Taliban steal another march on US
By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - By denying thousands of jihadis entry into Afghanistan the Taliban has dealt another blow to Pakistan and the United States in their plans to foment rebellion among the Taliban in the eastern provinces of the country.

Roused largely by the calls of Sufi Mohammed, the firebrand leader of the Tehrik-i-Nefaz-i-Shariah Muhammi (TNSM), a fundamental party with its origins in the tribal areas of North West Frontier province in Pakistan, many thousands of men headed for the border to offer their services to the Taliban to fight against United States-led attacks.

Initially, Pakistan refused to allow the jihadis to go into Afghanistan, but it then reversed its decision. However, the Taliban suddenly announced that the volunteers were not welcome and suggested that they return to their homes, seemingly out of mistrust for the true motives of Sufi Mohammed, whom they believe to have been in contact with the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

Sources say that the ranks of the volunteers have been infiltrated by supporters of the Pakistan-inspired plan to woo away "moderate" Taliban from the hardcore leadership of Mullah Omar, with the aim of forming a new broad-based administration in Kabul.

This development follows close on the heels of the execution last Friday of a leading Afghan opposition figure, Abdul Haq, by the Taliban. He was captured in Afghanistan and summarily killed while apparently on a mission to isolate Mullah Omar's leaders.

The Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, put out the official line, saying, "We have requested them [the volunteers] not to come. At this stage it isn't needed for them to go into Afghanistan. There are plenty of mujahideen at the front lines. If they did go there would be a lot of congestion in these areas, and the possibility of mass casualties because of American air strikes would become much higher. It isn't wise."

The Taliban's stance was a severe embarrassment to Sufi Mohammed, and he subsequently negotiated with them to allow a limited number of jihadis to enter Afghanistan, but they are confined to border villages as reserve forces and will not be allowed to integrate with the Taliban's fighting corps. About 200 men have now traveled to Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar. They are armed with rocket launchers, missiles, Kalashnikovs and hand grenades.

Thousands of other volunteers hailing from Dir district and Bajaur Agency in Pakistan are still camped near the Pakistan-Afghan border in the agency.

Sources say that the Taliban's rejection of the jihadis occurred after a Karachi-based scholar, who is considered an idealogue of the Taliban movement, sent a signal to senior leaders expressing his doubts over the integrity of Sufi Mohammed.

These sources say that Sufi Mohammed's movement in 1994 for the enforcement of Islamic law in some parts of North West Frontier province is a case in point. According to the scholar, Sufi Mohammed's agitation created major problems for the government of then premier Benazir Bhutto. The Pakistan army, the Frontier Constabulary and the police had surrounded the area, but they dared not clash with the followers of Sufi Mohammed, who had blocked the Silk Road (the trade route between Pakistan and China) and taken positions at Bisham and Timargara to fight against the Pakistani troops.

To avoid bloodshed, the government enlisted the help of some renowned scholars to convince Sufi Mohammed to adopt a less confrontational approach. The same Karachi-based scholar was one of these, and he was sent to Timargara to talk to Sufi Mohammed. According to the scholar, the sources say, he first met the deputy commissioner of the region. During this meeting, an unnamed person entered the room, to whom the deputy commissioner deferred.

The scholar then met Sufi Mohammed, and the same unnamed man appeared. When the scholar objected, Sufi Mohammed said that the interloper was "his man".

"His man" turned out to be none other than the commander of North West Frontier province's ISI office. The scholar realized immediately that Sufi Mohammed's campaign for the introduction of Islamic law was not a real one; rather, it was a move fully sponsored by ISI to destablize Benazir Bhutto. The scholar took no further part in the matter.

Consequently, as soon as Sufi Mohammed started rousing the masses to join the Taliban, the scholar contacted Mullah Omar, mentioning his experiences, and warned of likely ISI infiltration among the volunteers. The Taliban clearly believed him.

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