The Taliban siege of Pershawar
The current government of Pakistan appears to be unable to deal with this problem and their strategy of negotiations has completely failed. What the government needs to do is let the army coordinate with NATO and coalition forces in a pincer attack against the Taliban in the area as well as any al Qaeda.Pakistan’s battle against the Taleban threatened to spiral out of control yesterday after Islamic militants extended their grip in the lawless North West Frontier region.
Emboldened by an increasingly weakened and demoralised security force, Taleban fighters moved in to the outskirts of the provincial capital. Peshawar, surrounding the city and placing it virtually under siege.
Army troops have increased patrols in the garrison areas and paramilitary soldiers carrying machineguns are posted at government buildings. But senior security officials said that militants, who now control the region’s main arterial roads, were in a position to cut off communications at will.
Police on the city’s outskirts have long given up patrolling at night for fear of attacks by militants, who are organised under the banner of Tehrik-e-Taleban, the group led by the notorious commander Baitullah Mehsud. Several officers have been killed in rocket attacks on police posts in recent months. “It is a highly alarming situation,” said a senior provincial government official.
The Taleban raided the main government hospital in the heart of the city last week, kidnapping 16 Christians and taking them to the Khyber Agency tribal region outside Peshawar. Although they were freed after a few hours, the incident heightened fears among non-Muslims.
The Khyber Agency, the supply route for Nato forces in Afghanistan, has emerged as the new centre of Taleban activity. Ambushes on convoys have become more frequent.
Yesterday security forces said that they had found the bodies of 22 men who were captured by militants this week and executed after summary trial. Taleban fighters also abducted and killed six thieves and kidnappers in the Orakzai area near Peshawar.
On Sunday militants kidnapped 15 paramilitary soldiers after raiding a checkpoint in the tribal belt only a few miles from the city. The attack occurred hours after security forces in the area foiled a suicide attack involving a teenager.
Tehrik-e-Taleban has virtually established control not only in the tribal areas, but also in several key cities of the North West Frontier Province.
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If they did that the movement would be crushed militarily and they could begin a counterinsurgency operation to keep them from coming back. At this point the Pak government seems to lack the political will to even make a decision much less do anything that might work.
A one-time resident of Persharwar, who grew up there, has told me that the city and surrounds has long been a place dominated by Al Qaeda in a manner exactly paralel to Mafia methods. Taliban and Al Qaeda may not be the same but their beliefs are the same and their objectives are in sync. "Losing" Persharwar is an idea that we had better get used to.
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