Swat falls to Taliban militants – Associated Press – What do orindary Pakistanis think?
The Taliban in Swat ban girls schools and girls education (Where is the Pakistan Army?)
Amir Hameed Comments:
This cancer of Fazal-ullah needs to be stopped and taken out and should not be allowed to spread. These fagg0t beardos are no muslims, this is for sure. I would like to ask their supporters on this forum that where in the Quran is it mentioned that girls should not be allowed to get education?
On the other hand, these b@stards have support of the agencies else how can one explain that they (agencies) were able to kill Bugti but have not been able to capture this fagg0t?
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It is really sad to see Swat fall to these so called Muslims.
What is it? Is it military backed covert operation where factions in our own military giving these people sanctuary with the dream of regaining control over Afghanistan or they are backed by Afghan/Indian/US coalition, getting weapons from them and using against us. It is hard to believe that Pak army could be so incompetent to take control unless either they are willing to do so or they are not only facing the extremist but also Western/US coalition.
It is hard to believe that the are able to stand against the professional machinery of a trained and we sourced army with out any external help.
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By NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writer Nahal Toosi, Associated Press Writer – Mon Dec 29, 6:33 pm ET
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Taliban militants are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan’s picturesque Swat Valley, and residents say the insurgents now control most of the mountainous region far from the lawless tribal areas where jihadists thrive.
The deteriorating situation in the former tourist haven comes despite an army offensive that began in 2007 and an attempted peace deal. It is especially worrisome to Pakistani officials because the valley lies outside the areas where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have traditionally operated and where the military is staging a separate offensive.
“You can’t imagine how bad it is,” said Muzaffar ul-Mulk, a federal lawmaker whose home in Swat was attacked by bomb-toting assailants in mid-December, weeks after he left. “It’s worse day by day.”
The Taliban activity in northwest Pakistan also comes as the country shifts forces east to the Indian border because of tensions over last month’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, potentially giving insurgents more space to maneuver along the Afghan frontier.
Militants began preying on Swat’s lush mountain ranges about two years ago, and it is now too dangerous for foreign and Pakistani journalists to visit. Interviews with residents, lawmakers and officials who have fled the region paint a dire picture.
A suicide blast killed 40 people Sunday at a polling station in Buner, an area bordering Swat that had been relatively peaceful. The attack underscored fears that even so-called “settled” regions presumptively under government control are increasingly unsafe.
The 3,500-square-mile Swat Valley lies less than 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad.
A senior government official said he feared there could be a spillover effect if the government lost control of Swat and allowed the insurgency to infect other areas. Like nearly everyone interviewed, the official requested anonymity for fear of reprisal by militants.
Officials estimate that up to a third of Swat’s 1.5 million people have left the area. Salah-ud-Din, who oversees relief efforts in Swat for the International Committee of the Red Cross, estimated that 80 percent of the valley is now under Taliban control.
Swat’s militants are led by Maulana Fazlullah, a cleric who rose to prominence through radio broadcasts demanding the imposition of a harsh brand of Islamic law. His appeal tapped into widespread frustration with the area’s inefficient judicial system.
Most of the insurgents are easy to spot with long hair, beards, rifles, camouflage vests and running shoes. They number at most 2,000, according to people who were interviewed.
In some places, just a handful of insurgents can control a village. They rule by fear: beheading government sympathizers, blowing up bridges and demanding women wear all-encompassing burqas.
They have also set up a parallel administration with courts, taxes, patrols and checkpoints, according to lawmakers and officials. And they are suspected of burning scores of girls’ schools.
In mid-December, Taliban fighters killed a young member of a Sufi-influenced Muslim group who had tried to raise a militia against them. The militants later dug up Pir Samiullah’s corpse and hung it for two days in a village square — partly to prove to his followers that he was not a superhuman saint, a security official said on condition of anonymity.
A lawmaker and the senior Swat government official said business and landowners had been told to give two-thirds of their income to the militants. Some local media reported last week that the militants have pronounced a ban on female education effective in mid-January.
Several people interviewed said the regional government made a mistake in May when it struck a peace deal with the militants. The agreement fell apart within two months but let the insurgents regroup.
The Swat insurgency also includes Afghan and other fighters from outside the valley, security officials said.
Any movement of Pakistani troops from the Swat Valley and tribal areas to the Indian border will concern the United States and other Western countries, which want Pakistan to focus on the al-Qaida threat near Afghanistan.
On Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said thousands of troops were being shifted toward the border with India, which blames Pakistani militants for terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month that killed 164 people. But there has been no sign yet of a major buildup near India.
“The terrorists’ aim in Mumbai was precisely this — to get the Pakistani army to withdraw from the western border and mount operations on the east,” said Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and author who has written extensively about militancy in the region.
“The terrorists are not going to be sitting still. They are not going to be adhering to any sort of cease-fire while the army takes on the Indian threat. They are going to occupy the vacuum the army will create.”
Residents and officials from the Swat Valley were critical of the army offensive there, saying troops appeared to be confined to their posts and often killed civilians when firing artillery at suspected militant targets.
The military has deployed some 100,000 troops through the northwest.
A government official familiar with security issues estimated that some 10,000 paramilitary and army troops had killed 300 to 400 militants in Swat since 2007, while about 130 troops were killed. Authorities have not released details of civilian casualties, and it was unclear if they were even being tallied.
The official, who insisted on anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, disputed assertions that militants had overrun the valley, but said a spotty supply line was hampering operations. He said the army had to man some Swat police stations because the police force there had been decimated by desertions and militant killings.
A Swat militant boasted that “we are doing our activities wherever we want, and the army is confined to their living places.”
“They cannot move independently like us,” said the man, who was reached over the phone and gave his name as Muzaffarul Haq. He claimed the Swat militants had no al-Qaida or foreign connections, but that they supported all groups that shared the goal of imposing Islamic law.
“With the grace of Allah, there is no dearth of funds, weapons or rations,” he said. “Our women are providing cooked food for those who are struggling in Allah’s path. Our children are getting prepared for jihad.”
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Associated Press writers Zarar Khan in Islamabad and Riaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this report.
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081229/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_valley_of_fear
Some Comments:
Re: Live with Talat 29-December-2008
A special episode of live with talat regarding Swat situation with Rasheed Iqbal ( Journalist ), Syed Inam-ur-Rehman ( Swat Peace Jirga ) , Zia-ud-Din (Global Peace Council ) and lot of guests from Swat.
engsaaiqbal Says:
December 29th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
comment-top
salam to all.
It is crystal clear that the situation in swat is created by the army.They intentionally do not want to handel the situation.we are the resident of swat and have keen observations.If taliban walks in mingora bazaar(known as chena)while the city is coverd from all the side by armed forces so how the militants enter the city.Swat is settled area and we have no border attached with other countries or tribal areas so how such a huge amount of weapons come to the district as a resident of swat i my self can not carry knife to mingora bazzar. It is something amazing that an atomic power which can exact shoot it target thousand of kilometer away can not shoot some thousands militants.This drama should be stop further………..
FM radio frequency can be jammed in few minutes but still It is running by the militants.I can just request the pak army to stop killing the people instead of taliban.Other wise a horrible civil war will begin which will have no end………………………..
syed amjad iqbal
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eqykhan Says:
December 30th, 2008 at 12:49 am
AA,
Swat situation is a totally drama by Govt. and other related forces, killing innocent people, creating hostile environment for terrorist to come, live and supporting them to achieve what the govt want? Only solution is to change govt. policies……..
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First to all of those talking about social disparity, and struggle between rich and poor, don’t mislead people who are always trying to find an alternative reason to Army’s backing of the taliban darama as the reason for the situation.There is nothing pecular about Swat. Why not in Dir, Buner, Mardan, Peshawar ? ? ? The society is more or less the same so why would there be a clash between poor and rich. Furthermore, there has never been such things as Chawdhry, Wadera in pukhtun society. Don’t try to confuse things.
Now the question is why is our intelligence agencies doing this ? ? ? ? What could be their motives for this criminal behaviour ? ? ? any sane person has some idea ? ?
Khyber operation: AS with operations elsewhere, Operation Here I Come in Khyber Agency raises more questions than it answers. The one answer we do have is that the state has finally decided to act against militants threatening the convoys travelling on the Peshawar-Torkham highway laden with supplies for American and allied forces in Afghanistan. Tariq Hayat, administrator of the Khyber Agency, has identified two areas of focus: Jamrud, a stamping ground for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Landi Kotal, a den of kidnappers, criminals and militants. In doing so the government hopes to clear a highway that will remain a vital supply route even if alternatives are found in Central Asia. Now to the questions. Has the government learned any lessons from other areas in northern Pakistan where it has unsuccessfully tried to use paramilitary forces to clear and hold areas against militants? The statement by Mr Hayat that “we will arrest militants and criminals, demolish their houses and hideouts” is admirable but doesn’t explain the government’s strategy for defeating clever, battle-hardened militants. However, working in the government’s favour in Khyber are reports which suggest that the militants’ presence in Jamrud and Landi Kotal is not as strong as in, say, Swat. Let us hope that the combination of lessons learned and lighter resistance will yield more success this time. But why has action only been promised in these two parts of Khyber Agency? What about Bara, where Mangal Bagh and his cohorts terrorise the local population and practise their own brand of vigilantism in the name of Islam?
The attacks on the convoys have admittedly put enormous pressure on the government, but surely this piecemeal, selective policy of taking on the militants will not yield any meaningful long-term results. Landi Kotal is a prime example of how local criminal elements, petty warlords and the Taliban mix readily. Excluding action against militants who currently do not pose a direct threat to the Americans, such as in Bara, does not mean they will not in the near future, while attacking militants who are focusing on the Americans will ensure they turn on Pakistanis. And, finally, does the government have the appetite to see the fight through to the bitter end? Mr Hayat has vowed not to talk to the militants and to continue the operation “till we achieve our objectives”. We hope he is right and that the operation will continue until all of Khyber is secure. Dawn Editorial