Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Waziristan War
Part of the War on Terrorism
File:R1170292410 web.jpg Pakistani paramilitary soldiers guard a mountain pass in Waziristan.
Date March 2004- (conflict still ongoing) Location Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan Result Conflict ongoing
Belligerents
Pakistan, USA, Canada	Waziristan tribesmen, al-Qaeda members, Taliban forces
Commanders and leaders
Pervez Musharraf	Ayman al-Zawahiri (probable), Haji Omar
Strength
15,000?	8000-20,000?
Casualties and losses
950 Pakistanis, 100 Americans	3000 confirmed

The Waziristan War (2004-present) is an ongoing armed conflict that began in 2004 when the Pakistani Army began its search for al-Qaeda members in Pakistan's mountainous Waziristan area (or the Federally Administered Tribal Areas). Clashes erupted between the Pakistani troops, who are frequently assisted by US precision strikes, and al-Qaeda militants joined by local armed rebels and pro-Taliban forces. The struggle there is seen as a part of the War on Terrorism, and is connected to the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan [1][2].

Success

Since initial incursions into the tribal areas by the Pakistani Army many al-Qaeda figures have been captured.

The Saudi born Zayn al-Abidn Muhammed Hasayn Abu Zubaydah was arrested by Pakistani officials during a series of joint US and Pakistan raids during the week of March 23, 2002. During the raid the suspect was shot three times while trying to escape capture by military personnel. Zubaydah is said to be a high-ranking al-Qaeda official with the title of operations chief and in charge of running al-Qaeda training camps.[3] Later that year on September 14, 2002, Ramzi Binalshibh was arrested in Pakistan after a three-hour gunfight with police forces. Binalshibh is known to have shared a room with Mohammad Atta in Hamburg, Germany and to be a financial backer of al-Qaeda operations. It is said Binalshibh was supposed to be another hijacker, however the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rejected his visa application three times, leaving him to the role of financier. The trail of money transffered by Binalshibh from Germany to the United States links both to Mohammad Atta and to Zacarias Moussaoui.[4]

On March 1, 2003, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was arrested during CIA-led raids on the suburb of Rawalpindi, nine miles outside of the Pakistan capital of Islamabad. Mohammed at the time of his capture was the third highest ranking official in al-Qaeda and had been directly in charge of the planning for the September 11th attacks. Escaping capture the week before during a previous raid, the Pakistani government was able to use information gathered from other suspects captured to locate and detain Mohammed. Mohammed was indicted in 1996 by the United States government for links to the Oplan Bojinka, a plot to bomb a series of U.S. civilian airliners. Other events Mohammed has been linked to include: ordering the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, the USS Cole bombing, Richard Reid's attempt to blow up a civilian airliner with a shoe bomb, and the terrorist attack at the El Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has described himself as the head of the al-Qaeda military committee.[5]

Location of North and South Waziristan.

On May 4, 2005, Pakistani commandos captured Abu Faraj al-Libbi after a raid outside the town of Mardan, 30 miles north of Peshwar. Abu Farraj al-Libbi was a high ranking al-Qaeda official, rumored to be third after Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. al-Libbi replaced Khalid Shaikh Mohammed after his arrest in March of 2003 in connection with the September 11th attacks. The Pakistani government arrested al-Libbi and held him on charges in relation to being a chief planner in two assassination attempts on the life of President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.[6]

Timeline

In July 2002, Pakistani troops entered the Tirah Valley in Khyber tribal agency, for the first time in 55 years. They proceded to move into the Shawal Valley of North Waziristan, and later South Waziristan. This was made possible after long negotiations with various tribes, who reluctantly agreed to allow the military's presence on the assurance that it would bring in funds and development work. But once the military action started in South Waziristan a number of Waziri sub-tribes took it as an attempt to subjugate them. Attempts to persuade them into handing over the foreign militants failed, and with an apparent mishandling by the authorities, the security campaign against suspected al-Qaeda militants turned into an undeclared war in 2004 between the Pakistani military and the rebel tribesmen.

In March 2004, heavy fighting broke out at Azam Warsak, near the South Waziristan town of Wana, between Pakistani troops and an estimated 400 militants holed up in several fortified settlements. It was speculated that bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri was among those trapped by the Pakistani Army.

The latest turn of U.S. involvement was an U.S. airstrike on the village of Damadola, on January 13, 2006. The attack occurred in the Bajaur tribal area, about 7 km (4.5 miles) from the Afghan border, and killed at least 18 people. The attack targeted Ayman al-Zawahiri, but he was most probably not there. DNA evidence showed that at least five high-ranking Al Qaeda foreigners were killed, including Midhat Mirsi, a bomb building expert, for whom a $5 million award was offered.

On February 14, 2006, Islamic State of Waziristan was proclaimed.

On March 4, 2006, Pakistani forces started a massive assault on pro-Taliban elements in the region. Pakistani officials said 46 militants and five soldiers died after fighting erupted, although some reports put the death toll at over 70.

On June 21, 2006, pro-Taliban militants in the Bannu region of Northern Waziristan stated they shot down a military helicopter that was reported to have crashed. The government denied missile fire as the cause, stating it was due to technical fault. On the same day, militants killed an inspector and two constables on a road connecting the town of Bannu and the main town of Miranshah. The police officers were reportedly ambushed and killed while praying along side their vehicle.

On June 26, 2006, a suicide car bomber killed nine Pakistani soldiers. Officials say that the explosives-laden vehicle detonated about six kilometres (four miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region.

Haji Omar is the Amir (leader) of the militants.

See also

• War on Terrorism
• Taliban insurgency

External links

• Pakistan's undeclared war by Zaffar Abbas, BBC News, Friday, 10 September, 2004
• Dozens killed in Pakistan clashes, BBC News, Friday, 5 March, 2006
• A brief description of the Waziristan War which began in 2004 in Northwest Pakistan. From the History Guy Website