Tea and Politics: Hakimullah Mehsud

Showing posts with label Hakimullah Mehsud. Show all posts

Friday, 16 April 2010

Pakistan seizes second tribal region from the Taliban

Map showing the districts of the Federally Adm...

Soldiers took parts of Orakzai, a district of forested mountains where the Taliban regrouped after their ouster from Waziristan. With the fighting in Orakzai, the army has fought major operations in six of the seven tribal districts, called agencies, along the Afghan border.
“Operations are ongoing in South Waziristan, Khyber and Orakzai,” army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said in an interview. “But in all regions where we get information about militants, the military will take action.”

But residents in the area don't want to return to their homes, as they are not pretty sure about security there:

Despite government's claim to have taken control of South Waziristan tribal region, the displaced families from the area are reluctant to go back to their homes, saying they will not return without absolute peace and unless the political administration re-establishes its writ in the region.

And it seems they are not at all wrong:

...On the other hand, the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP*) had recently warned the tribal people not to return to their houses unless they push out the army from the area.

"We have launched the offensive against the military and as long as we do not defeat them, no one should think of coming back to the area," TTP spokesman Azam Tariq announced few days back.

The Govt is wrong to ask this people to go back if their security cannot be ensured. But publicity is publicity and they really need the international image of being fighting heavily the Taliban in the area.

*TTP is the group whose leader was Baitullah Mehsud, killed by a US drone airstrike, while he was having a massage in his legs, and afterwards, Hakimullah Mehsud, who assisted Al- Balawi, the suicide bomber who killed several CIA agents in the. Hakimullah Mehsud was also fatally wounded by another US drone. The actual leader of TTP is probably Maulana Toofan.