Independent:
Taliban gunmen have begun assassinating their own rank and file in a desperate bid to stop a remote mountain valley sliding from their grasp, as well as bringing in new commanders to oversee their fightback in Sangin, Afghanistan's most violent district, The Independent can reveal.
They are also attacking tribal elders trying to broker a peace deal between disillusioned members of the insurgency – resentful of Taliban commanders from other tribes and districts ordering them about – and government officials eager for peace.
Speaking by phone, a tribal elder in the upper Sangin valley said Taliban gunmen ambushed an elder from the Alokozai tribe called Badar Agha as he left home for morning prayers earlier this month. Aware an attempt on his life was likely, the elder shot back with his Kalashnikov, apparently wounding an assailant before being taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Two local Taliban commanders known to be sympathetic to a détente were less fortunate. Riza Gul and Pahlawan disappeared soon after the attack on Badar Agha. "Everyone says they've been killed," the elder said.
Losing control of the upper Sangin valley would be a disaster for the Taliban proper. Not only do they get a lucrative cut of the district's drugs revenues, but the area is totemic for the number of Nato casualties there – 133 dead, and counting. More important than either of those factors is its location. Sangin controls access to the Kajaki dam – described by one Afghan politician as a "national treasury".
To try to quell resistance in Sangin, the Taliban proper have appointed a new shadow governor to the district as well as targeting the peace-makers. Mullah Wali Mohammad was instated after the attacks on Badar Agha, Riza Gul and Pahlawan and is said to bring crucial skills to the table.
"He is sociable, well-informed and not too strict," one acquaintance said. "He interacts with people very well."
Besides bringing a silky touch to the fractious politics of the upper Sangin valley, Mohammad has a trait that - in the wake of so much betrayal – the Taliban high command will prize. A nephew of Mullah Rauf Akhund, a founding member of the Taliban, he is a staunch loyalist who is unlikely to switch sides.
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There is a touch of desperation in these moves. While the thrust of the story is about a concern for peacemakers, it is clear that they are losing and they are replacing the old leadership. This is just their not to subtle way of relieving people of command. With more troops in the area it will be harder for the Taliban to assert control and they are likely to lose a lot of the dope they make money off of.
Image via Wikipedia
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