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Why are Pakistan's Taliban so dangerous?
The TTP is the main Pakistani militant alliance which operates from Pakistan's northwest.
The TTP is the main Pakistani militant alliance which operates from Pakistan's northwest. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Taliban seem more confident than the group has been in years, mounting large-scale attacks deploying hundreds of fighters, taking over a naval base and possibly preparing to return its fight to the capital, Islamabad.
Here are some questions and answers on the Tehrik-e-Taliban, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan (TTP).
Who are they and what is their aim?
The TTP is the main Pakistani militant alliance which operates from Pakistan’s northwest.
It has strong links with al Qaeda as well as Punjabi groups and has been blamed for many of the suicide bombings across Pakistan.
The TTP has focused on trying to topple the US-backed government to impose its austere version of Islamic rule.
The TTP also has ambitions to attack Western targets abroad but has not proven capable of doing so. It claimed responsibility for the botched bombing in New York’s Times Square in May 2010.
Why has the TTP survived so many army offensives?
The army has made advances against the TTP since it launched a series of offensives starting in Swat Valley in 2009 and extending to tribal agencies near the Afghan border.
The TTP has managed to regroup after moving its fighters around from one area to another when the heat is on.
It has retained the capacity to strike partly because alliances with other groups allow it to carry out suicide bombings even it is on the defensive.
Close ethnic and strategic ties with the Afghan Taliban across the border also help.
TTP leaders on the run can find safe havens there, reorganise and plot future attacks.
The ability of the TTP and other groups to penetrate the army, spy agencies and security forces means it can gather intelligence.
“They have friends in state institutions,” said Ayesha Siddiqa, an expert on the Pakistani military. ”That is where their strength is.”
One example of that may have been the siege of the PNS Mehran naval base in Karachi in May. Analysts say it must have been an inside job.
Why have the Taliban been so active of late?
The TTP threatened to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2 and attacked paramilitary cadets, a US consulate convoy, the navy base and other targets.
Analysts say these attacks had probably already been planned and the TTP decided itwas an opportune time to follow through.
In a sign of growing confidence, the Pakistani Taliban recently mounted a bold cross-border attack on a security checkpost which killed 27 Pakistani forces in the northwest.
The government said about 400 militants took part in the operation which triggered three days of fighting. It was the first such large-scale cross-border attack.
Analysts believe it was carried out by TTP leaders who had been pushed out of Swat and regrouped, including fiery cleric Maulvi Fazlullah, whose fighters at one point gained control of 70% of Swat, publicly whipping and executing people deemed immoral.
Can the government win?
Pakistan’s military has been geared over decades to wage conventional warfare with rival India. It has yet to develop the counter-insurgency expertise needed to deal with the Taliban.
That will require better intelligence gathering to understand the complex ties between militant groups.
Killing a high-profile militant leader every once in a while is not enough.
“You have to think outside the box. It’s a messy landscape that I don’t think anybody has really mapped out in its entirety,” said Kamran Bokhari, south Asia director and global intelligence firm STRATFOR.
“All they have to do is have a few sympathisers here and there and that works for them. But it takes a lot more for the state to get ahead of these people.”
Like al Qaeda, the TTP can inspire smaller independent groups that carry out suicide bombings on its behalf. It didn’t claim this week’s suicide bombing at a bank in Islamabad which killed one person — the first attack in the capital since December 2009.
A new campaign of violence in the capital would discredit the army and security forces and scare away foreign investors needed to strengthen the country’s fragile economy.
Reader Comments (28)
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this is all rubbish, they are not dangerous, once America leaves they will be distributing flowers, give up their weapons and go home and peace shall prevail….NOT!Recommend
No one will comment on this?? terrorism is terrrorism and it is unlawful by religion and by law of powerful and powerless countries. The freedom fighter was the terminology used for such movements in the past, but targeting cilivians and mosques is the sign that gives us the idea who they are and for whom they work for. Money rather plenty of Money and training or brain washing or patronization required for a group to operate with some established links within the society for such operation they executed so far. However, when the agenda is just arround toppling the government and imposition of lslamic law in the country, this such movements can’t be linked with the reality as there are many more moverments in the country who are doing even more but it a socialize manner. I can’t prospose a solution for this, as the time to overcome such movement is already up, and now we have to just tolerate it till they stop bugging us through covered and unconvered attacks. Since the internal resistance in the country exists to show their disgust against such crimes, it is more likely that militancy will be only on those areas, where the militants have dens. Recommend
@tightdhoti, well said, but it is not the reality, their is some tumor, need to be removed, whatever the reason, it is there now, Recommend
I think what we need to do is to some how shut the supply of human resource to these groups. Identify spots from where they hire people.Recommend
Ties between TTP and Afghan Taliban loyal to Mullah Umer needs to be investigated furtherRecommend
US should leave and Pakistan needs a non US-puppet government, if the people don’t like the new government, then they support the evil Taliban of Aghanistan, and you should send them to Afghanistan.Recommend
Taliban are hungry for money and they always will be. They have already made it clear that they will continue these “holy attacks” against the state institutions even if the US leave till Pakistan become a true “Islamic Republic” according to “their” definition of Sharia. Taliban are a cancer, don’t let it spread. Eliminate them!Recommend
The SWAT offensive is a great example of why the Taliban are strong — 5 months of talking about fighting — give the enemy a retreat path — send in a small fraction of available troops — have low casualties on both sides — don’t capture or kill any high echelon Taliban. It was a campaign designed to garner favorable press and money from the USA – it wasn’t designed to eliminate or even significantly degrade an enemy.Recommend
All militant groups are friendly, as long as they kill Indians and Afghans. If they sometimes kill Pakistanis too, thats acceptable as per the establishment doctrine.Recommend
An excellent analysis on TTP by Reuters. Some pertinants points have been raised in the article which needs to be addressed soon. TTP at present is the most formidable enemy of the state who has also made some in-roads in military establishments which makes it more dangerous than others. The army has to deploy units against this outfit which have least sympatisers of TTP. As mentioned, Pakistan has less expertise in counter-insurgency operationsn which is quite true, in that during last operations against them most of them melted away into the safe havens of NWA and Afghanistan and aerial bombardment was also not very effective. No commanders of this outfit were killed and their infrastructure also remained intact. Therefore, a systematic and tactical operation needs to be launched using tactics of anvil and hammer or encirclement of these terrorists, killing them ruthlessly. Recommend
The Taliban will survive and thrive as there are no challengers to its ideology. The state cannot even repeal the infamous blasphemy law, where is the question of defeating a mindset. There is no will even to tackle hate speeches that foster violence, from a public platform. Nothing is done to confiscate hate literature, also donation boxes continue to coerce funds from the citizens which finally find their way to terrorists. So militancy will only be defeated after the issues raised above are addressed, very likely never. Also all Institutions are now infected by the Jihadi virus and are no longer capable of fulfilling their Constitutional duties. Once Secularism was buried in Pakistan it was destined that tolerance, pluralism, diversity and rationality would also get buried alongside. Recommend
most people in pakistan has the strong comparability in concepts with taliban when it comes to America. we if we go by history and read the story behind the american ambitions what kind of pakistan they want (i.e pak without nukes) than you can compare American idealogy with the anti-pakistani taliban and some other country and intelligence agencies.Recommend
Can the government win?
Pakistan’s military has been geared over decades to wage conventional warfare with rival India. It has yet to develop the counter-insurgency expertise needed to deal with the Taliban.
If we go by the Army’s track record against India, I would say Pakistan is in trouble. The military is incapable of winning. All they can do is spread conspiracy theories and get big plots where they can park their BMW limos.Recommend
You sow, so shall you reap …..Recommend
they are dangerous because the Pakistani government/military will not eliminate the Taliban bases within the agencies, doing that (which would only take a few months), and you will reduce the Taliban to 1/5 their normal activity…. do that to ALL the taliban, “good” taliban and bad taliban…
witness Afganistan where all of their bases of operation have been removed, and now all the taliban can do is a few tiny operations that are of little consequence.Recommend
HAAAAAAAAAAAa ha ha………………….Recommend
how cn anyone think that they cn ever take over pakistan!!!pakistan is like israel in several ways the way israel has been attacked by terrorists for so many years in the same way pakistan also has to take a stance against these terrorists!!!i guess we would have to eventually bomb waziristan to ashes to get these viruses to be exterminatedRecommend
@bulbul:
TTP are an epiphenomenon who’s strength lies in Army’s own faults (war against its own civilians); if America leaves, they’ll perhaps continue to sing the same song (‘we want Islamic rule in Pakistan’ – like before 2006 they were sleeping), but they will not have popular support. Do you really think that peoples want to fight (as much as suicide bombing) for ‘Islamic rule’ ? They just want the traditional social Trinity : roti kapada aur makan.
If they’re doing such things, it’s just because they’re desperate, but after America’s (and Pak Army) withdrawal, and then a sound social policy, they just don’t have an interest in attacking the State.Recommend
Because they have judiciary behind them!!!!!Recommend
@TightDhoti: You are right. Once the Americans leave will the Taliban will distribute flowers. Being the kind hearted people they are they would lovingly send anyone disagreeing with them to heavens so that they can disagree in a peaceful environment. Recommend
I wil continue my moral and financial support to the TTP freedom fighters in their just struggle against Pakistani armyRecommend
Taliban are Taliban ,there no good or bad Taliban .All those having illegal arm deserves to be eleminated as early as possible and for that sake millitancy as streategic asset has to forget both by ISI AND PAK ARMY . That simply means forget Kashmir and Israel in one stroke .Otherwise foreign forces will do the job since the on going drama has now reached at its climax ,Recommend
@TightDhoti:
You are dreaming. Keep up your Dhoti tight. Recommend
@Ashutosh:
Boring comments. Recommend
Initially, Taliban of Pakistan were supposedly good. For they were killing in Kashmir and Afghanistan. It is since when they’ve turned on Pakistani public that they appear dangerous. Our idea of this world is not oval, it is screwed up pretty badly. When someone kills someone else from our homeland, it is fair enough. But if that same person / organization turns on us, it is a bad idea. TTP has lot of supporters within Pakistan among the fanatical Wahabbi group. They also have direct support from Saudi Arab and UAE. All vices, which these TTP / Punjabi Taliban, etc, proclaim to end are found in abundance in the Holy land of Saud. Why not attack the Saudi Kings and princes? The answer is very simple: Because the funding comes from there. And Pakistani Intelligence have lot to answer for the moles are within there and not outside.Recommend
When America leaves Afghanistan if TTP doesn’t disband in a similar way to the MUJAHIDIN who worked for so much progress of the country .. then maybe we can all give a dharna for that cause as well.. Recommend
tehreek taliban founder baitullah mehsud dead
suicide trainer qari hussian dead
nowdays kids are smart they will not become suicide bombers whatever taliban say
azam tariq spokeman is dead or whatever
hakimmulah dont know
ehnullah spkoeman whatever name is talking rediff he didnt kill innocents
lol
sympathysiers of taliban is thrown out by there families there children want haapiness
they will sympathise with dead instead of monster taliban
one military operation all go for ever
but america aid is 20 billion
and cost on war is 66 billion
so operation will be not full strectched
fencing of afg pak border with canada helpRecommend
is Maulana Fazlullah aliveRecommend