War in Waziristan

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Waziristan War

Part of the War on Terrorism

Map of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, including Waziristan

Date	March 2004–present
Location	Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan
Result	Conflict ongoing Creation of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan Defeat of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

Combatants

Pakistan

United States

Islamic Emirate of Waziristan,

al-Qaeda,

Taliban,
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (Until 2007)

Commanders

Pervez Musharraf

Safdar Hussain

Hamid Khan

Masood Aslam

Osama bin Laden

Mullah Omar

Haji Omar

Abu Faraj al-Libbi

Jalaluddin Haqqani
Tohir Yo‘ldosh

Strength

80,000 Pakistani troops^[1]
~80,000 Frontier Corps

Casualties

1,000 killed
(Pakistani^[2] and US^[3] claim)

Other estimates:
1,012 soldiers, 363 police and 35 tribesmen killed^[4]
2,259 soldiers wounded^[5]
453 soldiers missing or captured^[6]

2,420 militants killed^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]
(488 foreign fighters ^[11]), 2,500 foreign suspects captured (released)^[12]

2,380+ civilians

v • d • e War in Waziristan
Wana – Damadola – Chenagai – Lal Masjid siege – Mir Ali – Swat

v • d • e Campaigns of the War on Terrorism
Afghanistan – Algeria – Iraq – Saudi Arabia – Thailand – Waziristan – Israel and Lebanon – Palestinian Territories – Somalia – Lebanon – Phillipines – Trans Sahara Contemporaneous Wars: Philippines – Nepalese Civil War – Second Congo War – Chechnya – Israel and the Palestinian Territories – 2001 Macedonia conflict – Darfur – Yemen

The War in Waziristan is an armed conflict between the Pakistani Army and Waziri tribes allied with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. It 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 and al-Qaeda's and other 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 war and Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.^[13]^[14]

After a truce in September 2006, clashes escalated again in 2007, with local tribesmen ousting militant Uzbeks and attacking the Pakistani security forces again in July 2007.

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.

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.^[15]

Waziristan War (2004-2006 phase)

Part of the War on Terrorism

Date	March 10, 2004–September 5, 2006
Location	Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan
Result	Waziristan Accord

Combatants

Pakistan

Islamic Emirate of Waziristan,

al-Qaeda,

Taliban,
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

Commanders

Commander XI Corps

Haji Omar,
Abu Faraj al-Libbi (captured),
Jalaluddin Haqqani,
Tohir Yo‘ldosh

Strength

80,000^[16]

40,000^[17]

Casualties

700^[18] Pakistan military and paramilitary killed

1,000 militants killed^[19],
2,500 foreign suspects captured (released)^[20]

1,000 civilians killed^[21]

Main article: Battle of Wana

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. Pakistan won the battle, but suffered almost as many casualties as the militants.

In April 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.^[15]

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 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.^[22]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[23]

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 comprehensive accord were worked out.^[24]

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.^[25]

On September 5, 2006, the Waziristan Accord, an agreement between tribal leaders and the Pakistani government was signed in Miranshah, North Waziristan.^[26] to end all fighting. The agreement includes the following provisions:^[27]

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^[28] 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.^[29] 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.

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."^[30]

On October 30, 2006, the Pakistani army conducted an air strike, with possible U.S. involvement, against a madrassa in the Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan. The madrassa was destroyed killing 70 to 80 people.

In retaliation for the attack the militants conducted a suicide bombing on an army camp on November 8, 2006, killing 42 Pakistani soldiers and wounding 20.

Waziristan War (March–April 2007 phase)

Part of War on Terrorism

Date	March 19, 2007 - April 12, 2007
Location	Wana, Islamic Emirate of Waziristan (South Waziristan, Pakistan)
Result	Uzbek fighters expelled from the region; Pakistani victory

Combatants

Wana tribesmen,

Pakistani Army [1]

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and their local supporters

Commanders

Maulvi Nazir

Tohir Yo‘ldosh

Strength

800-1,200 (est.)

Casualties

35 tribesmen and 1 soldier killed

~100 to 300 killed[2]

Reportedly, the fighting sparked by the killing of Saiful Adil, an al-Qaeda-linked Arab, blamed on the Uzbeks by Maulavi Nazir, described as a top pro-Taliban militant commander in the region.

According to the other version, fighting started after Mullah Nazir, whom the government says has come over to its side, ordered the Uzbek followers of Tohir Yo‘ldosh, formerly a close confidant of Osama bin Laden, to disarm.

It was also preceded by the clashes between the IMU and a pro-government tribal leader in Azam Warsak, in which 17 to 19 people died before a ceasefire was announced.[3]

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, tried to stop the fighting but failed. Local Taliban militants allied to the tribesmen were reported attacking and seizing the IMU's private jail in Azam Warsak.

Pakistan Army said did not intend to step in, but witnesses say government artillery fired on the Uzbek bunkers they set up to fight the tribesmen.

Heavy fighting resumed on March 29, ending a week-long ceasefire between tribal fighters and foreign militants. According to initial reports, tribesmen attacked a checkpoint manned by Uzbek militants and captured two of them. The clashes also left one tribal fighter dead and three wounded. The following day, a senior Pakistani official announced that 52 people were killed during the past two days, 45 of them Uzbeks and the rest tribesmen. One of Maulvi Nazir's aides put the death toll at 35 Uzbeks and 10 tribal fighters. However, residents in the area said that the death toll on both sides was inflated.

The conflict further escalated on April 2 when a council of elders declared jihad against foreign militants and started to raise an army of tribesmen. According to Pakistani security officials, heavy fighting concentrated in the village of Doza Ghundai left more than 60 people dead, including 50 foreigners, 10 tribal fighters and one Pakistani soldier. He also said that "dozens" of Uzbeks had surrendered to tribal forces and that many bunkers used by militants were seized or destroyed.

On April 12, 2007 the army general in charge of South Waziristan said that tribal fighters had cleared the Uzbeks out of the valleys surrounding of Wana and the foreign militants had been pushed back into the mountains on the Afghan border.[4] Four days later, the local tribesmen has urged Islamabad to resume control of law and order in the area.[5]

Waziristan War (July 2007-present phase)

Part of War on Terrorism

Date	July 3, 2007–present
Location	Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan
Result	Ongoing conflict

Combatants

Military of Pakistan,

Pakistani police

Islamic Emirate of Waziristan,

al-Qaeda,

Taliban

Commanders

Masood Aslam^[31]

Osama bin Laden
Mullah Omar
Abdullah Mehsud ☠

Strength

90,000^[32]

unknown

Casualties

571 soldiers killed^[33]
108 policemen killed,
21 soldiers missing,
4 policemen missing,
421 soldiers captured
(319 released),
120 policemen captured
(all released)

1,135+ militants killed^{[citation needed]}

1,402 civilians killed^[34]
3 Chinese workers killed
2 American missionaries killed^[35]

Main article: 2007 timeline of the War in Waziristan

On July 3, 2007, the militant supporters of Lal Masjid and Pakistani security forces clashed in Islamabad after the students from the mosque attacked a nearby government ministry building. The Pakistani security forces immediately put up a siege around the mosque complex which lasted until July 11 and resulted in 108 deaths. This represented the main catalyst for the conflict and eventual breakdown of the truce that existed between Pakistan and the Taliban in the northwest. Already during the siege there were several attacks in Waziristan in retaliation for the siege.

As the siege in Islamabad ensued, several attacks on Pakistani troops in Waziristan were reported. On July 14, 2007, a suicide bomber attacked a Pakistani Army convoy killed 26 soldiers and wounding 54. On July 15, 2007, two suicide bombers attacked another Pakistani Army convoy killing 16 soldiers and 5 civilians and wounding another 47 people. And in a separate incident a fourth suicide bomber attacked a police headquarters killing 28 police officers and recruits and wounding 35 people.^[36]^[37]

The assault on the Red Mosque prompted pro-Taliban rebels along the border with Afghanistan to scrap the controversial Waziristan Accord with the government. ^[38]

The Army moved large concentration of troops into Waziristan and had engaged in fierce clashes with militants in which at least 100 militants had been killed including wanted terrorist and former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Abdullah Mehsud.^[39] The militants also struck back in attacking Army convoys, security check points and sending suicide bombers which has killed dozens of soldiers and police and over 100 civilians. In one month of fighting during the period from July 24 to August 24, 2007, 250 militants and 60 soldiers were killed.

On September 2, 2007, just a few dozen militants led by Baitullah Mehsud managed to ambush a 17-vehicle army convoy and captured an estimated 247 soldiers in it, without a shot being fired; an event that shocked the nation.^[40] Several officers were among the captured.

After the army moved into Waziristan again they garrisoned the areas and set up check-points but the militants hit hard. Mid-September Taliban forces attacked a number of Pakistani army outposts all across North and South Waziristan. This resulted in some of the heaviest fighting of the war. On September 12, 2007, the first outpost was attacked and overrun by the Taliban resulting in the capture of 12 Pakistani soldiers. The next day on September 13, 2007, a suicide bomber in Ghazi Tarbela attacked a Pakistani army base, destroying the main mess hall and killing 20 members of the Karar commando group; Pakistan's most elite army unit. Another 29 soldiers were wounded. A series of attacks ensued and by September 20, 2007 a total of five Pakistani Army military outposts had been overrun and more than 25 soldiers captured. More than 65 soldiers were either killed or captured and almost 100 wounded.

Little over two weeks later, the Army responded with helicopter gunships, jet fighters and ground troops. They hit militant positions near the town of Mir Ali. In heavy fighting over four days between October 7 and October 10, 2007, 257 people were killed, including 175 militants, 47 soldiers and 35 civilians.

With the fall of the Swat Valley, the fighting spread to the whole FATA

By the end of October fighting erupted in the Swat district of the North-West Frontier Province, with a large Taliban force, under the command of Maulana Fazlullah, trying to impose Sharia law. Around 3,000 paramilitary soldiers were sent to confront them. After almost a week of heavy fighting the battle came to a standstill with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Then on November 1 and November 3, 220 paramilitary soldiers and policemen surrendered or deserted after a military position on a hill-top and two police stations were overrun. This left the Taliban in controll of most of the Swat district.

In mid-November the regular army was deployed with the help of helicopter gunships to crush the uprising. By November 17, more than a 100 militants had been killed. The casualties on the Pakistani side are unknown but the Pro Taliban militants claim that the army has suffered "heavy" losses.^[41]

The city of Rawalpindi, which is the military headquarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces, was an attractive target for the militants and they were planning to hit the city. On September 3, two suicide bombers targeted a military intelligence (ISI) bus and a line of cars carrying ISI officers. The bus attack killed a large number of Defence Ministry workers and the other attack killed an Army colonel. In all 31 people, 19 soldiers and 12 civilians, were killed.

Over two months later on November 24, in a similar fashion a pair of suicide bombers struck. Again, one of the targets was a military intelligence bus. Almost everyone on the bus was killed. The other bomber blew up at a military checkpoint. 35 people were killed, almost all military.^{[citation needed]}

The fighting in Swat is the first serious insurgent threat from pro-Taleban forces in what is known as a settled area of Pakistan. Forces loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, including some foreign fighters, had taken control of a series of small towns and villages, where they tried to implement strict Islamic law in November 2007. The Pakistan Army deployed over 2,500 men and re-captured Swat after a two week battle which left nearly 250 pro-Taleban fighters dead along with 15 Pakistani Soldiers and 30 civilians.^[42]

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 by 2006.^[43]

On September 13, 2007, then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte noted during a visit to Islamabad that Pakistan lost 1,000 soldiers fighting the militants since joining the war on terrorism.^[44]

On November 14 2007, senior Pakistan Army officials told at a news conference that a total of 28 suicide attacks killed some 600 Pakistani security men, in addition to 1300 civilians in the period after the Lal Masjid siege. It also said that from 2001 till November 14 2007, at least 966 military men were killed and 2259 others were injured; 488 foreign extremists were killed, 24 others were arrested and 324 foreign extremists were injured^[45]

Some have speculated that the unofficial number of Pakistani soldiers killed in action to be somewhere around 3,000 by the late 2006.^[46]^[47] 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."^[48]

According to AFP in the early 2007, after the first round of fighting, around 700 soldiers and 1,000 militants have died in the operations.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[49]

In his autobiography, President Musharraf wrote that the United States 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 US for prosecution. ^[49]