Army, militants trade barbs in North Waziristan

Army, militants trade barbs in North Waziristan
The News, March 03, 2010
Forces accuse Taliban of toeing enemy’s line
By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: Amid rumours of an impending military operation in the volatile North Waziristan region, the military and Taliban militants for the first time released strong-worded Urdu language leaflets, accusing each other of following the foreign agenda.

Tribal sources in Miramshah said the situation remained tense in the militancy-hit tribal region after the killing of two paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) men by unknown assailants and later firing by security forces, which led to the death of two tribesmen on main road in Miramshah.

The authorities had clamped curfew in the entire tribal region on Tuesday that restricted the tribesmen to their homes.Security officials said curfew in the area was imposed due to movement of the security forces.

Tribesmen saw a huge number of troops armed with heavy weapons arriving in Miramshah. Later, when the troops arrived safely, the security forces dropped leaflets from the air in which the Taliban militants were held responsible for the destruction and backwardness of South and North Waziristan tribal regions.

The tribesmen feared the government might start military action in the region as they said they had never observed the two sides using such harsh language against each other.

They said a leaflet by the military titled “Correct decision and first step towards right direction” was a clear indication of parting ways with the militants. In the same pamphlet, the Taliban militants were accused of getting funds from India, Israel and al-Qaeda to buy heavy weapons and brainwash innocent youth.

The leaflet accused the Afghanistan-based Indian consulates and the Indian RAW, Israeli Mossad and other anti-Islamic organizations of financing militants. The militants were also accused of accumulating resources from opium and hashish.

It said it was wrong to call a militant as Qari, who cannot even read the Holy Quran.
The militants also circulated leaflets in which they accused military authorities of selling innocent Pakistanis like Dr Aafia Siddiqui to the US for the sake of dollars. It alleged that Pakistani security agencies were involved in the killing of innocent Pakistanis for dollars and were creating hurdles in the way of implementing Islamic Sharia in the country.

Related:
More Afghan Taliban Members Arrested by Pakistan - VOA
Pakistan reveals the Taliban’s secret underground cave network - National Post
Taliban’s Bajaur base falls, army eyes Tirah, Orakzai - Dawn.com