[R-G] Taliban show no let up despite 8,000 soldiers in FATA

[Anthony Fenton]

Taliban show no let up despite 8,000 soldiers in FATA

Daily Times Monitor
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp? 
page=2008\09\28\story_28-9-2008_pg7_34

LAHORE: Taliban hostilities show no sign of abating despite the  
deployment of 8,000 troops in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas  
and the army’s claim of killing 1,000 Taliban, according to The Times.

The newspaper said in a report on Saturday that a constant supply of  
fresh fighters from inside the country and across the border in  
Afghanistan is helping the Taliban to stay in the fight.

Bajaur Agency is a main operating base for Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  
Pakistani intelligence believes that Ayman al-Zawahri, the second-in- 
command of Al Qaeda, has been a visitor.

The report says the roots of the Marriott hotel attack and other  
incidents of violence across Pakistan, however, are to be found in  
Taliban strongholds such as Bajaur.

“Militant groups that have been banned have mutated into small cells  
and found a common cause with Al Qaeda,” the report said, and cited  
Pakistani security and intelligence officials believing the attack at  
the Marriott had signaled the beginning of a new phase of the Al Qaeda  
offensive in Pakistan.

The newspaper also quoted former NWFP chief secretary Khalid Aziz as  
saying in a statement that Pakistan’s co-operation in the war on  
terror would cost it dear.

Many believe the Marriott attack was in reprisal for the military  
campaign in Bajaur, which has turned into full-blown guerrilla  
warfare, according to the report.

“With growing numbers of civilians paying the price, the fear is that  
the motivation to turn against the authorities - perhaps by carrying  
out another hotel bombing in another big city - is increasing for  
many,” the report says concerning the impact of the operation on the  
population.

It says that the Taliban in the agency are not a problem for Pakistan  
alone as a critical US coalition forces supply line runs through FATA  
that are de facto under the Taliban control. Increase in fighting  
multiplies attacks on convoys carrying supplies for US forces in  
Afghanistan.

A key dilemma is the growing conflict between Pakistan and the US over  
the US violations of Pakistani borders, the report states.

Pakistan has said that attacks from across the western border, which  
have caused civilian casualties, have hindered its own antiterrorism  
efforts and increased support for the Taliban.

“Pakistan is caught between more aggressive military actions by the  
Americans on the one hand and the [Taliban] on the other,” said  
Maleeha Lodhi, the former Pakistani envoy to Washington and London.

“Pakistan’s leadership confronts the challenge of reconciling domestic  
opinion with international demands, squaring this circle is going to  
really test the Zardari-led Government,” Maleeha said concerning  
public resentment to Islamabad’s policy on war on terror.