[R-G] Pakistan, US raise militant tempo

[Anthony Fenton]

Pakistan, US raise militant tempo
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JC01Df01.html

KARACHI - With the United States missile attack on an important  
Taliban compound in Azam Warsak village in the South Waziristan  
tribal area in the early hours of Thursday, a new phase in the  
regional "war on terror" - joint Pakistan-North Atlantic Treaty  
Organization strikes - has begun.

The attack is also a stark reminder to the newly elected Pakistani  
politicians who recently put their weight firmly in favor of dialogue  
rather than military operations against militants. This underscores  
their limited role in the coming months in concentrating on domestic  
issues while the bigger battles are dealt with by NATO and the  
Pakistani military command.

The pre-dawn strike by an unmanned US Predator drone demolished a  
building, killing up to 12 suspected militants. Asia Times Online  
contacts in the area claim that the drone took off



from Peshawar airfield, making it the first Pakistan-NATO military  
strike.

The attack came as a big surprise to militants as it was a most  
secret and highly important militant compound: it was disguised as a  
madrassa (seminary).

Pakistan sifts through election aftermath that NATO and Pakistan have  
agreed on joint offensives.

Two days after the ATol report, the New York Times ran a similar  
story, saying that US officials had reached an understanding last  
month with Pakistan's leaders, including President Pervez Musharraf,  
of the need to intensify strikes against suspected militants using  
pilotless aircraft launched in Pakistan. Previously, such raids  
originated across the border in Afghanistan. Officially, Pakistan  
says it does not allow the US to operate on its territory.

Learning to fight
Madrassas like the one struck in Azam Warsak are spread all over the  
border area and nothing is really taught - they are used as a cover  
by militants.

The tradition of such madrassas is as old as the Afghan resistance  
against the Soviets in the 1980s. They are portrayed as local centers  
of basic Islamic learning, and, indeed, youngsters attend them to  
recite the Koran in the mornings, and people gather five times a day  
to prayer in adjacent mosques.

But in reality they are used by militants for the transfer of weapons  
and for high-level meetings.

The madrassa hit on Thursday was, according to ATol contacts, used  
several weeks ago by Baitullah Mehsud - accused of masterminding the  
assassination of Benazir Bhutto last December - and Sirajuddin  
Haqqani, a senior Taliban commander. It is also said to have been  
used by Tahir Yuldashev, head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,  
and al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Such madrassas rarely feature on the radars of US intelligence as  
they are only used for short meetings, stays or transfers. They are  
never used for training purposes or for prolonged stays or as hideouts.

The Azam Warsak madrassa was also used for launching guerrilla  
operations in Paktika province across the border, hence it was  
stocked with missiles and rockets. It is believed that a fresh group  
of militants had gathered at the madrassa on Wednesday for such an  
attack.

The regional theater
There has been widespread speculation that since Pakistan's newly  
elected politicians have resolved to seek Musharraf's dismissal for  
his role in the "war on terror" and because of their call for  
dialogue with militants, operations to preempt the Taliban's spring  
offensive might be put on hold.

But this does not appear to be the case and preparations are in full  
swing for coordinated offensives in the region.

On Tuesday, General Sir Richard Dannatt, chief of the General Staff  
of the British army, called on the Corps Commander Peshawar,  
Lieutenant General Muhammad Masood Aslam, at his headquarters.

According to a Pakistani military press release, Aslam apprised  
Dannatt of the Pakistani army's role in fighting against militancy  
and terrorism. He was also briefed on development activities  
undertaken by the army in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  
Dannatt also visited Peshawar airfield, which will play a central  
role in the coming months.


Thursday's strike therefore serves as a reminder to militants that,  
despite what politicians might say, they can expect no breathing  
space and that a ceasefire is not an option. That is, the changing of  
the government in Islamabad has nothing to do with the "war on terror".

A top al-Qaeda member of Pakistani origin summed it up in commenting  
to ATol on condition of anonymity, "We were eyeing developments in  
Islamabad after the elections [last week] but it seems that nothing  
is going to change and our new strategy will surface like broad  
daylight in the coming few days."

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He  
can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002 at yahoo.com