Taliban & TTP Archive

Hamid Mir Saga: Follow the sequence – by Ahmed Iqbalabadi: In the last four days, Pakistan has mainly been in the news over the internet censorship of facebook, youtube and other websites where sacrilegious content is being broadcast against the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon Him). However, LUBP has

Militant splits span AfPak border – by Syed Saleem Shahzad: ISLAMABAD – The year 2009 was a second watershed in the Taliban-led struggle against foreign forces in Afghanistan as the resistance took the war, previously limited mainly to the south and western parts of the country, to north and

Did Hamid Mir have a conversation with the TTP? – by Ayesha Siddiqa: Source: Diary of a Politically Incorrect Vagabond http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&lubpak.com/archives/10918 The man in the tape is Hamid Mir beyond doubt. The voice and style of conversation is his. I have had conversations with him on several occasions and he breaks stories

Strategic mess — by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur: “A people living under the perpetual menace of war and invasion is very easy to govern. It demands no social reforms. It does not haggle over expenditures on armaments and military equipment. It pays without discussion. It ruins itself;

Taliban / Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists kidnap 60 women, men and children in Kurram: Taliban/Sipah-e-Sahaba militants Saturday (15 May 2010) kidnapped about 60 people in northwest Pakistan, a region beset by militant and sectarian violence, a senior government official said. The hostages were traveling from Peshawar city to Parachinar, the main town in

The enemy within: A student holds up a threatening letter, sent to the school by members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, at the Girls High School in Kali Shekhan, Quetta. (Source)

Secret audio tape of Hamid Mir’s conversation with a Punjabi Talib associate of Hakimullah Mehsud: Note: It is pertinent to mention that the audio conversation presented in this post appears to be an intentional leak by the Punjabi Taliban or the ISI (first posted on the ISI fan page on facebook). While the exact

Who killed Benazir Bhutto? Who really is Qari Saifullah Akhtar? – by Yousuf Nazar: Pakistani police officers assist injured militant commander Qari Saifullah Akhtar, centre face covered, as he exits following a court appearance in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in 2007 (Photo source) Source: State of Pakistan The following was originally published on February 17,

Pakistan inequality fueling Taliban support – Owen Bennett Jones (BBC): Source BBC Swat in Pakistan used be called the Switzerland of Asia, a remote mountain kingdom run by a traditional ruling family, which was peaceful and known for its trout fishing – a place for honeymooners and tourists. More

Beyond state of denial: How blind hatred of United States is undermining our own interests: Raza Habib Raja has contributed this piece to LUBP which was previously published at Chowk. Here is Mr Raja’s brief introduction in his own words: I am an economist by education and a banker by profession. I have enormous

Islam, a religion of peace, hijacked by the violent children of Sayyid Qutb – by Fouad Ajami: Islam’s Nowhere Men Millions like Faisal Shahzad are unsettled by a modern world they can neither master nor reject. By FOUAD AJAMI ‘A Muslim has no nationality except his belief,” the intellectual godfather of the Islamists, Egyptian Sayyid Qutb,

Faisal Shahzad’s case: Do Pakistani Taliban (TTP) have the reach? – by Rahimullah Yusufzai: Does TTP have the reach? Pakistan has again been thrust into the limelight, particularly the Pakistani Taliban and Waziristan, following the arrest of Faisal Shahzad, the 30-year-old Pakistani-American accused of the failed New York car-bombing. The fallout of the

The Taliban scourge — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: When General Musharraf dissociated himself from the extremists, the links with al Qaeda were ruptured but an institutional decision was taken by the military top brass to continue secret low profile support of the Taliban. The more recent delinking

Irrational patriotism, liberalism and nuclear arsenal – by Raza Habib Raja: My article “Traitors and Reactionaries” which was just a satire has created this impression that I am some kind of a Taliban supporter or a media Taliban. A long emotional article of Chaudhary Ahmed Khan alleged that I am

Paths of terrorism lead but to Pakistan – by Ardeshir Cowasjee: “Can some bright psychologist work out why Faisal Shahzad, a college graduate, son of a Pakistani air force officer, married with two children, was prompted to do what he did on May Day?” – Photo by AP. The adoption

Faisal Shahzad’s anti-Americanism – by Pervez Hoodbhoy: The man who tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square was a Pakistani. Why is this unsurprising? Because when you hold a burning match to a gasoline tank, the laws of chemistry demand combustion. As anti-US

They killed Benazir Bhutto and this is how it happened – by Anas Abbas: Anas Abbas is a co-editor of Critical PPP/LUBP who also administers his own blog at: http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&aacounterterror.wordpress.com “Targeted assassination is a necessity of this modern world”. Those were the words of former MOSSAAD official in a recent BBC documentary programme

Incompetent terrorist but not incompetent recruiters – by Nazir Naji: In the following op-ed, veteran columnist Nazir Naji highlights the need to eliminate the ideological recruiters and logistic facilitators of the terror-network in the region. Naji writes that Faisal Shahzad (the Times Square bomber) may be an incompetent operative

Failed New York car bombing : A wake-up call: MCC urges Obama Administration to distance itself from Islamists promoting doctrine of ‘armed jihad’ and Sharia Law TORONTO – The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) has condemned the attempted bombing in New York, but has also expressed alarm at the

Curious case of Faisal Shahzad and the infrastructure of jihad – by Cyril Almeida: This undated photo shows Faisal Shahzad, right, and his wife Huma Mian. Shahzad was arrested at a New York airport on charges that he drove a bomb-laden SUV meant to cause a fireball in Times Square, federal authorities said.

Silence or conditional condemnation of the Times Square bomber — by Dr Mahjabeen Islam: Ours is a nation with many Joseph Goebbels. We rattle on in convoluted, minute details and in the effort to convince others, delude only ourselves, unfortunately so deeply that we lose the beginning of lies and the death of

North Waziristan: the new terrorist epicentre?: The investigations into Faisal Shahzad’s attempted car bombing in New York have shifted focus to his links in Pakistan. While little evidence has so far emerged of his link to one or the other terrorist group, his own admission

Of friends and fire: Taliban’s violence against the JI and Khalid Khwaja – by Nadeem Paracha: On April 19, a Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) rally in Peshawar was attacked by a suicide bomber. The gruesome attack was allegedly engineered and undertaken by members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The irony is that the JI are one of

Chameleons: Pakistani politicians’ approach towards Taliban – by Farooq Sulehria: The suicide blast in Peshawar on April 19 that claimed 23 lives was a little different, in the sense that instead of targeting the ANP, as usual, the suicide bomber chose a Jamaat-e-Islami demonstration to detonate himself. The Naib

Khawaja’s murder: a dark indicator – by Kamila Hyat: The sordid murder of Khalid Khawaja, the former ISI official, squadron leader and a man thought at various times to have negotiated between the US, the Pak Army and militants, exposes the many inter-linkages relating to terrorism. There is,

Khalid Khwaja: Life and death of an intelligence operative – by Nimer Ahmed: Former daily Aajkal columnist and briliant young journalist Nimer Ahmed has written this piece exclusively for the LUBP. We hope Nimer will keep contributing and sharing his valuable thoughts with us. (Ali Arqam Durrani) خالد خواجہ؟ نمراحمد حال ہی

Faisal Shahzad: The Air Marshal’s incompetent bombmaker son: By Dr Omer Ali Someone posted comments about the Times Square bomber and why Pakistan is breeding so many Islamic fanatics (thankfully so many incompetent Islamic fanatics). Someone else posted Dhume’s article from the WSJ today. I wrote a

Get the militant leadership — by Daud Khattak: In wars, the death of a leader means half the war is won. But, interestingly enough, in the anti-terror war in this region, the leadership is intact despite the use of all air, ground and intelligence resources against them

Finally, the Deobandi awakening against Taliban terrorists?: No condemnation Dawn Editorial Monday, 03 May, 2010 There is little doubt that there still exist, across Pakistan, mosques, schools of religious learning and other religious centres that continue to spew hate. Unless that infrastructure of hate is shut

Perfect Karma – by Omar Khattab: LUBP Exclusive The Rottweiler of Islamofascism is cannibalized by his own ilk By Omar Khattab in Islamabad Khalid Khawaj’s bullet-ridden body thrown onto a rubbish mound in Waziristan reminds one of William Shakespeare’s central theme in his tragedies: Evil

The Final Solution – by Tariq Saeedi: Just in case our readers haven’t seen the following articles by Tariq Saeedi et al (News Central Asia), presenting an extensive investigative (and speculative) assessment of the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the broader region, we encourage our readers

Sipah-e-Sahaba responsible for Khalid Khwaja’s murder – by Amir Mir: Killers of Khwaja wanted custody of Afghan Taliban, not release Sunday, May 02, 2010 By Amir Mir LAHORE: The Asian Tigers’ demand for the release of some key commanders of the Afghan Taliban, including Mulla Omar’s second-in-command, in exchange

A salute to martyrs of Pakistan’s war on terror – by Nazir Naji: شہیدوں کو سلام….سویرے سویرے …نذیرناجی 30 اپریل کو شہدا کا دن قرار دیا گیا ہے۔ یقینی طور پر اس کی وجہ سوات‘ ملاکنڈ اور قبائلی علاقوں میں کثرت سے شہادتیں پانے والے وہ فوجی جوان اور افسر ہیں‘ جنہوں

Khalid Khwaja’s death – by Ahmed Iqbalabadi: I am saddened by the killing of former ISI officer, Mr. Khalid Khawaja, by the so called “Asian Tigers” (Punjabi Taliban) after having abducted him more than a month ago. Even though I have strong differences to the point

No ‘good’ Taliban – by Zafar Hilaly: The regularity with which the military claims to be killing as many as 30-40 militants in a day may be gratifying, but the frequency with which the Taliban are bombing schools and police stations and killing friendly tribals, police,

The kidnapped: Why did Punjabi Taliban capture Colonel Imam and Khalid Khwaja? – by Rahimullah Yusufzai: The kidnapped Rahimullah Yusufzai There is no doubt that North Waziristan is dangerous territory. It is a major sanctuary of local and foreign militants espousing diverse causes. No other place in the world has been subjected to so many

Who if not Baitullah? By Amir Mir: The United Nations Inquiry Commission report into Bhutto’s murder has put Musharraf regime in the dock The three-member United Nations Inquiry Commission has almost absolved the slain Ameer of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Commander Baitullah Mehsud of the Bhutto murder

A hard-hitting report – by Asma Jahangir: Source: Dawn THE UN inquiry report on Benazir Bhutto’s assassination may not be an eye-opener but it does put the record straight and fixes responsibility for the tragedy. Responses to the report have been mixed. Some have been dismissive