The Battle for Waziristan

January 15, 2010

By Ghulam Ghaus

In many ways it should hardly be surprising that the military is struggling to exert control over the area. Waziristan is a barren, mountainous terrain of rocky ridges and dry river beds inhabited by 800,000 tribal Pushtuns living in mostly in mud-walled homes. Some are studded with pebbles to help them withstand machinegun fire, while the more luxurious brick houses of the wealthier tribal leaders have multi-story towers with firing slits.

Militants are attracted to the region because of the remoteness and ruggedness both of its geography and its people; after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, thousands of Afghan and foreign militants took refuge in Waziristan. For many analysts of developments along the Afghan-Pakistan border, this is, therefore, the global headquarters for Islamic Jihadists.

‘Thousands of Arab, al-Qaeda, Punjabi Taliban and foreign militants like Uzbeks and Chechens have escaped to other parts of Pakistan like North Waziristan and Kurram,’ a tribal elder says on the condition of anonymity. ‘Some of the Uzbek and Arab al-Qaeda fighters have taken refuge in North Waziristan under the patronage of Hafiz Gul Bahadur,’ he adds referring to another Pakistani militant group.

According to some US intelligence agency sources, North Waziristan is also believed to be the headquarters of the Haqqani network, a militant organization responsible for attacks aimed at NATO and US forces operating in Afghanistan, a suggestion apparently borne out by the recent deadly attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan’s Khost Province, which borders North Waziristan.

However, Brigadier Shah says the military offensive in South Waziristan should not be equated with the situation of its northern counterpart. ‘It shouldn’t be compared with what NATO is doing in Afghanistan,’ he says, adding that the operation in the south can’t be seen as a question of ‘defeating’ or ‘conquering’ the enemy because it’s an internal matter, not a war between two countries.

Tribal leaders this reporter has spoken with, though, remain unconvinced the large-scale ground offensive being conducted by Pakistani forces is the solution to militancy in the tribal area and say it is unlikely to bring the desired stability to the region. Indeed, some even voiced more support for the controversial drone attacks, although they say the reasoning behind using drones should be better explained.

Meanwhile, the bleeding of militants from South Waziristan to its northern neighbour suggests this ‘internal’ conflict has implications for broader regional counter-militant efforts, while the risks of a destabilized Pakistan are clear.

‘The problems in South Waziristan were like a cancer,’ says Peshawar-based commentator Syed Irfan Ashraf. ‘But when the military tried to cure the disease, it ended up spreading across the country rather than healing.’