April 04, 2007
War Song
While the rest of the world seems focused on Iranian promises to free 15 British sailors kidnapped 1.5 miles inside Iraqi waters, former pro-Taliban tribesmen are pushing forward with what they say is a final offensive to crush foreign al Qaeda fighters in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region.
The fighting against entrenched Uzbek, Chechen and Arab positions is intense:
Tribesmen stormed a bunker manned by foreign militants early on Wednesday and killed 11 Uzbeks and captured another 14, residents said, citing the tribal forces."Soon after morning prayers there was a heavy sound of war drums and tribesmen were seen leaving in different directions amid shouts of 'Allahu Akhbar' (God is Greatest) and 'Victory, victory, victory'," Malik Sangeen Khan, a resident of the region's main town of Wana, said.
"Since this morning there have been massive sounds of rockets and gunfire. It is louder even than the Pakistani military operations here in 2004."
It seems rather pathetic that the Musharraf government is claiming these battles vindicate his 2006 peace accord, a deal which effectively ceded Waziristan to Taliban and al Qaeda forces after Pakistan's Army suffered heavy losses in the area in 2004-2006.
I don't think anyone could have easily predicted this red-on-red conflict between former allies, but as long as Taliban and al Qaeda loyalists continue to kill each other instead of staging incursions into Afghanistan, very few people outside of Waziristan are likely to complain.
You may not like it but there is some logic to what Mushariff did. The tribesmen, while they are obliged by tradition to give to refuge, hate foreigners. By leaving them to their own governance the only foreigners are the terrorists and their allies.
The fighting has started and in some areas the terrorists are winning. In other areas they are not. What you may well get is some tribes asking the Pakistanis back in to help them.
I view the open revolt of some in Pakistan, and calls by terrorists to overthrow the Pakistani government, as an opportunity not a setback. It could well mean that the leadership located in the tribal areas do not think they are secure.
Sure, this is frought with perils, but what does Musharif have to lose. He is a dead man to many already.
Posted by: davod at April 5, 2007 09:37 AM
