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| India-Pakistan |
| People of three districts stand up against militants |
| 2008-08-16 |
| In an unprecedented development, an armed Lashkar in Buner district recently hunted down and killed six militants allegedly involved in killing cops in Kingargali. The operation shows that the people of Buner, Dir Upper and Dir Lower have stood up against the Taliban militants sneaking into these hitherto peaceful areas after Bajaur and Swat military operations. A grand Jirga of the elders of Maidan area in Lower Dir district's headquarters, Timergara, asked more than 150 foreign fighters and their tribal Taliban supporters to leave the area or face strong action from the local people. A similar Jirga in Barawal, a town of Dir Upper district, sharing border with Afghanistan, warned the militants to stay away from the area or they would take up arms against them. The Buner incident took place on Khel Mountain in Shalbandai when hundreds of local people picked up arms, locally called 'Appa', on information of the presence of the Taliban militants, who had brutally killed eight policemen in Kingargali last Friday. The armed Lashkar of 200 locals threw a cordon around the militants and asked them to surrender but the Taliban challenged it. The official sources told 'The News' that the militants' refusal triggered a gunfight and they hurled hand grenades at the Lashkar, prompting a retaliatory action from local armed men, which resulted in the killing of all the six militants. Three members of the Lashkar sustained injuries in the clash. Four among the militants were locals, hailing from Daggar, the district headquarters of Buner, while the identity of two could not be ascertained till the filing of this report. However, the local militants were identified as Azim, son of Said Karim, Usman Ghani, son of Said Muhammad, Rahman Said, son of Ali Khan, and Bahram. After confirming the identity of the militants, the local police raided the house of Badshah Khan in Daggar and recovered rifles snatched from the cops killed in Kingargali. The police sources said the rifles included one LMG, two G-3s, two Kalashnikovs and one gas-gun. They did not rule out the presence of more militants in the area but said they would be dealt with sternly. The militants affiliated to Fazlullah had carried out four attacks on the police during the last six months, of which the Kingargali incident remains the deadliest. The people of Buner, who have staunchly opposed the deployment of security forces, assured the government that they would deal with the militants and warned the Taliban to stay away from the peaceful district. The vehicle (IDK 5188) allegedly used in the incident was also recovered and the Lashkar asked those living in mountains to immediately inform the elders should they see any militant group in their respective areas. Also on Tuesday, the gunship helicopters were called in Hisar when some suspected Taliban fighters were spotted in the area. The choppers shelled the suspected spots but no casualty was reported. However, the Lashkar confronted the militants head-on at Khel mountain when they were sighted roaming around there on Wednesday. The people in their Jirgas, which they had been holding since Friday in various villages, volunteered 20-25 men from every village to protect their areas. The also vowed to protect police stations and posts, the locals said. Also, a grand Jirga held on August 9, which was attended by representatives of all the parties and the TNSM, had warned the Taliban to stop their militant activities in the district. Over 150 foreign fighters and hundreds of Taliban are believed to have slipped into the Maidan area in the wake of a military operation in their Bajaur stronghold. The locals were already patrolling Sarlara and Kalpani areas to contain the insurgents. The Jirga agreed that if the militants did not meet the two-day deadline, they would volunteer 50 men from every village to raise a force for fighting the Taliban. In Barawal area of Dir Upper district, where some miscreants claiming affiliation with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have circulated threatening letters, a Jirga attended by the district Nazim, DCO, DPO and elders of the area vowed not to let the Taliban militants enter the area. "The schools and other government buildings will be protected at all costs. The people said they favour enforcement of Shariah, but not through the destruction of our own country," the district Nazim Sahibzada Tariqullah said. Tariq said the people in Nihagdara, bordering the militant-infested Peuchar and other areas had already declared that they would treat the Taliban mercilessly, if they tried to enter the district. He said the security forces were not welcomed, as locals would take care of the militants. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 I think it's more likely that a few people have finally gotten tired of armed men threatening them, messing with their women and goats, and stealing from them. In the end, whatever works. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-08-16 09:33 |
| #1 Sounds like the "Anbar Experiment" (Iraq) has been exported. Of course that would involve paying wages to counter-terrorists. Whatever works. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-08-16 06:12 |