Konflikt in Nordwest-Pakistan

Vorlage:Infobox War Vorlage:Campaignbox Waziristan The Waziristan conflict (2004–2006) was an armed conflict that began in 2004 when tensions rooted in the Pakistani Army's search for al-Qaeda members in Pakistan's mountainous Waziristan area (the Federally Administered Tribal Areas) escalated into armed resistance by local tribesmen. Clashes erupted between the Pakistani troops — who were frequently assisted by US air strikes — and al-Qaeda militants joined by local rebels and pro-Taliban forces. The struggle was seen as a part of the War on Terrorism, and had connections to the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

On September 5 2006, it was announced that the Pakistan government and pro-Taliban tribes signed a peace agreement in which the tribes agreed to expel foreign militants and cease cross-border attacks in exchange for a reduced presence of Pakistani troops.

Timeline

Initial troop movements – July 2002

In July 2002, Pakistani troops entered the Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency for the first time since independence in 1947. They proceeded 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.

However, once the military action started in South Waziristan a number of Waziri sub-tribes viewed the action as an attempt to subjugate them. As attempts to persuade them to hand over the foreign militants failed, and missteps by the authorities increased feelings of ill-will, the security campaign against suspected al-Qaeda militants turned into an undeclared war in 2004 between the Pakistani military and the rebel tribesmen.

Waziri attempts on President Musharraf's life – December 2003

In December 2003, two assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf were traced to Waziristan. The government responded by intensifying military pressure on the area, however the fighting was costly and government forces would sustain heavy casualties throughout 2004 and into early 2005 when the government switched to a tactic of negotiation instead of direct conflict.

Fighting breaks out – March 2004

In March 2004, heavy fighting broke out at Azam Warsak, near the South Waziristan town of Wana. Pakistani troops faced an estimated 400 militants holed up in several fortified settlements. It was speculated at the time that Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri was among those trapped by the Pakistani Army, but he either escaped or was never among these fighters.

In April of 2004 the Government of Pakistan signed the first of three truce agreements with militants in South Waziristan. The second was signed in February 2005. The first two truces would not have a substantial effect in reducing bloodshed.

• 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.

• On January 13, 2006, the U.S. launched an airstrike on the village of Damadola. 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 again targeted Ayman al-Zawahiri, but later evidence suggests he was not there. DNA analysis showed that at least five high-ranking al-Qaeda foreigners were killed, including Midhat Mursi, a bomb building expert, for whom a $5 million award was offered.Vorlage:Fact

• 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.Vorlage:Fact

• On June 21, 2006, pro-Taliban militants in the Bannu region of North 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 faults. On the same day militants killed an inspector and two constables on a road connecting Bannu and the main town of Miranshah; the police officers were reportedly ambushed and killed while praying along side their vehicle.

Ceasefire - June 2006

Also on June 21, 2006 the military head of the Taliban in Waziristan, Sirajuddin Haqqani, issued a decree that it was no longer Taliban policy to fight the Pakistan Army. This marked the end of significant fighting in South Waziristan, however the Taliban intentionally did not circulate the decree in North Waziristan thereby keeping pressure on the Government as the terms for a comprensive accord were worked out.

• 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.

Waziristan peace accord signed – September 2006

On September 5 2006, the Waziristan Accord, an agreement between tribal leaders and the Pakistani government was signed in Miranshah, North Waziristan. to end all fighting. The agreement includes the following provisions:

• The Pakistani Army will help reconstruct infrastructure in tribal areas of North and South Waziristan.
• The Pakistani Military will not tolerate any assistance to intruders in North Waziristan, and will monitor actions in the region.
• The Pakistan government is to compensate tribal leaders for the loss of life and property of innocent tribesmen.
• “Foreigners” (informally understood to be foreign jihadists) are not allowed to use Pakistani territory for any terrorist activity anywhere in the world.
• 2,500 foreigners who were originally held on suspicion of having links to al-Qaeda or the Taliban were to be detained for necessary action against them.

The agreement, dubbed the Waziristan accord, has been viewed by some political commentators as a success for Pakistan. Further details of the agreement, as well as comments on the agreement made by US, Pakistani, and Taliban spokesmen is available in the Waziristan accord article.

Casualties

There has been no conclusive reports on the casualties of the war, though some authors, especially Pakistani writers, have estimated that the total casualties on both sides to be more than 1,000. Some have speculated that the unofficial number of Pakistani soldiers killed in action to be somewhere around 3,000.

A Pakistan writer, Ayaz Amir states that the army's "Casualties were high, perhaps unsustainable, although we’ll never know the exact figures, the Pakistan army not given to embarrassing disclosures." Imran Khan, leader of a Pakistani oppositional political party stated: "Waziristan has been a disaster; there’s been a disgraceful withdrawal from there. The Pakistan Army has been defeated."

According to AFP in 2007, around 700 soldiers and 1,000 militants have died in the operations. [1]

Role of the United States in the conflict

Pakistan received about $4 billion from the United States for the logistical support it provided for the counter-terrorism operations from 2002 to 2006, and for its own military operation mainly in Waziristan and other tribal areas along the Durand line, according to a report of the Asian Development Bank. The Bush administration also offered a $3 billion five-year aid package to Pakistan for becoming a frontline ally in its 'war on terror'. Annual instalments of $600 million each split evenly between military and economic aid, began in 2005.

The Islamist in Waziristan views Musharraf as American puppet and traitor of Islam like former Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat.In his autobiography, President Musharraf wrote that the CIA had paid millions of dollars to the Pakistan government as bounty money for capturing al-Qaeda operators from tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. About 359 of them were handed over to the United States.

See also

• Islamic Emirate of Waziristan
• 2007–present Waziristan conflict
• Taliban insurgency
• War on Terrorism

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