Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak

The Tribal Warriors
1 1
eyes, had emerged as a hero among the tribesmen, after his blistering
guerrilla attack had forced government troops to retreat. His pro-al-
Qaeda fighters had eluded capture for six weeks and had killed 120
government soldiers.
For Nek Mohammed, the journey of ‘holy war’ had started at the
young age of 14 when, as a madrasa student, he fought alongside the
Afghan mujahidin in the anti-Soviet war. He moved to Kandahar in
1994 to join the emerging Taliban militia. He fought against the US
coalition forces in Afghanistan and returned home after the Taliban
were routed. Back in Waziristan he organized his tribesmen to defend
al-Qaeda against attacks by the Pakistani army.
Lt.-General Safdar Hussein, the top army commander responsible for
anti-terrorism operations in north-western Pakistan, helicoptered into
Shakai on 26 April to sign a truce with Nek Mohammed. Amid much
fanfare, the General hugged and garlanded the rebel commander. 27 .He
agreed to halt the army operation against Nek Mohammed’s militants,
compensate the Wazir tribesmen for war damages and free most of
the 160 suspected al-Qaeda militants captured by his forces. Under
the deal, Nek Mohammed and other militant leaders were granted
amnesties and also allowed to keep their weapons. In return, the
militants promised not to attack government troops, but they were not
bound to hand over foreign fighters. The militants had also refused
to give any commitment to stop raids on the American and Afghan
government forces across the border. ‘We cannot stop our jihad until
Afghanistan is free from foreign invaders,’ declared Nek Mohammed
after signing the accord. 28
The deal marked a temporary halt in the hunt for foreign militants
in the tribal areas. Pakistani authorities justified what they described
as a ‘reconciliation’, saying it was aimed at weaning the tribesmen
away from foreign militants or al-Qaeda. But Nek Mohammed and his
supporters celebrated the truce as a victory for jihad. By giving in to
militant tribesmen backing al-Qaeda, Islamabad risked the wrath of its
allies. The truce exposed the difficulty the government forces faced in
confronting the fiercely independent and heavily armed tribesmen.
Within days the agreement was in tatters, as militants launched a
series of attacks on military posts. Fierce fighting broke out with the
army raiding militant hideouts with helicopter gunships. It was the
first time military authorities had used airpower against the militants.
The army’s deadly response made things worse. Mounting civilian
casualties fuelled anger, even among those tribesmen who did not