Fresh Flare-UP of Taliban – Shia Clashes in Kurram

"The sources said that the rival groups have captured important posts soon after they were relinquished by the militia forces which further intensified the gun battle between them. Meanwhile people of the area have shown great concern over the militia forces' unilateral action."
____________________________

(December, 27, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) For the last five days, there has been a fresh flare-up of clashes between the largely Shia Turi tribals of the Kurram Agency in Pakistan's tribal belt and Sunni tribals belonging to Al Qaeda and the newly-formed Tehrik-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan. Many of the Sunni tribals involved in the fresh clashes have infiltrated into the agency from South Waziristan and the Swat Valley.

____________________________

"During the present fighting, the Shias have been hitting back at Al Qaeda and Taliban elements with considerable effectiveness. The Sunni leaders have accused Iran of sending arms and ammunition to the local Shias. This has been denied by the local Shia leaders."
____________________________

The Shias and the Sunnis have been using even weapons such as mortars, rocket launchers etc against each other's places of worship and schools, causing large casualties and severe damages to places of worship. Each side has been accusing the other of starting the fresh violence. There have been over 150 fatalities in the intermittent clashes, which have been continuing for over a month now---- about 45 of them in the last five days alone. The Taliban and Al Qaeda have also been targeting Shia members of the local para-military forces.

The Pakistan Army, which is preoccupied with the operations against the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) in the Swat Valley of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), is not in a position to send reinforcements to the Kurram Agency. It has left the anti-Al Qaeda and anti-Taliban operations there in the hands of the para-military forces. Their requests for helicopter gunships have not been accepted.

During the present fighting, the Shias have been hitting back at Al Qaeda and Taliban elements with considerable effectiveness. The Sunni leaders have accused Iran of sending arms and ammunition to the local Shias. This has been denied by the local Shia leaders.

While official spokesmen and the Pakistani mainstream media have refrained from identifying the dramatis personae and giving details of the fighting, the "Frontier Post" of Peshawar (December 27,2007) has given the following details:

"Two FC (Frontier Constabulary) personnel among thirteen Taliban killed while twenty two others sustained serious injuries in the ongoing shootout at different places, sources said on Wednesday. So far fifteen persons had been killed with forty other injured in the fighting among the warring groups in the area. Till now thirteen Taliban are said to have been killed among fifty one others and ninety five individuals have received serious wounds in the battle. According to the details, fierce fighting is continuing at Sada, Khar Kalay, Balish Khel, Sangeena , Alizai, Tungi, Chardewaal, Bagan, Makhezai, Mengak, Maqbal, Kanjalizai, Satikot, Terimangal and Pevaar, heavy weapons including mortar guns, missiles, rocket launchers and machine guns are being used freely from both sides, while the Government is like a silent spectator over the bloody clashes. The sources added that on Tuesday night hundreds of Taliban hailing from Waziristan agency attacking at Alizai, Tungi, Chardewaal, Mengak areas where Turi tribesmen are residing suffered heavy loss at the hands of the Turi tribesmen while retaliating the charging Taliban on their respective areas. Among the thirteen killed Taliban four were buried at South Waziristan, four were laid to rest at Bulandkhel, three were taken to grave at Gul locality, while two corpses of Taliban were buried at Buggan area, sources told The Frontier Post. The reports pouring in from Sada area said that thirteen Taliban were killed while injuring twenty two others including two FC personnel .It also said that two persons were killed and eight others injured at a Imam Bargah after it was hit by a mortar shell at Balishkhel area on Tuesday night. The sources said that the rival groups have captured important posts soon after they were relinquished by the militia forces which further intensified the gun battle between them. Meanwhile people of the area have shown great concern over the militia forces' unilateral action. The elite, religious clerics and local elders are engaged and approaching the warring groups to bring an end to the gun battle and reach a truce. In Sada a local school was destroyed by explosion killing three students on the spot while injuring more then eight students. Independent sources confirmed the death of three students but death toll may rise as some of the injured were in critical condition. It is worth mentioning here that the recent clashes started when a group of local Taliban militants attacked and opened fire on security forces (FC) at Sada on Sunday plus they also attacked the nearby Balishkhel village where Turi tribe is living. As the Sada is the strongest base of Taliban militants therefore the government writ is nil; that is why due to lack of monitoring and writ of government, clashes spread throughout the Kurram Agency and now its control is quiet difficult due to invasion of Taliban militants."

This may please be read in continuation of my earlier article of November 20,2007, annexed below.

(B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )

ANNEXURE

"Al Qaeda is trying to replicate Iraq in Pakistan by exacerbating the already existing divide between the Shias and the Sunnis in the civil society as well as in the Army." --- Extract from my earlier paper of November 15, 2007, titled "The State of Jihadi Terrorism in Pakistan"