Reuters: Pakistani tribesmen prepare for Al Qaeda hunt

Reuters ^ | April 16, 2004 | Hafiz Wazir

[mikegi]

WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A Pakistani tribe whose members are accused of harbouring al Qaeda fighters is preparing to launch a hunt for the militants, after those sheltering them refused to surrender, tribal elders said on Friday.

The decision came after five men said to be sheltering al Qaeda rebels near the Afghan border rejected demands by a traditional tribal assembly either to surrender, leave the area or promise not to protect foreign militants.

Tribal elder Malik Shireen Jan said the hunt by a force of tribesmen numbering nearly 2,000 men for al Qaeda militants and their Pakistani allies would be launched on Saturday.

"We will not spare these people because they are bent upon destroying our area," he told tribal representatives in the western town of Wana, 380 km (238 miles) southwest of Islamabad.

President Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, has vowed to clear foreign militants from the lawless tribal areas on the Afghan border.

He blamed militants with links to tribal areas for attacks across Pakistan, including two attempts on his life in December.

About 5,000 Pakistan troops launched a major operation last month near Wana to flush out members of al Qaeda, Afghanistan's ousted Taliban militia and Pakistani tribesman sheltering them. More than 100 people died and no top rebel figure was captured.

The tribal assembly sent a delegation on Thursday to try to persuade fellow tribesmen to give up foreign militants they were sheltering.

Residents in Wana said the tribal elders had begun enrolling volunteers to join the hunt.

"They are calling people by telephone and asking them to prepare their weapons," a resident said.

Pakistani authorities have set a deadline of April 20 for the elders to hand over foreign fighters, thought to be Chechens, Arab and Uzbeks, and the tribesmen sheltering them.

In a possible buildup for a fresh push against al Qaeda and their local supporters, the army has sent more troops to Wana in recent days as chances of a political solution fade.

Tension has gripped Wana and other parts of South Waziristan tribal region amid fears of more fighting.

Hundreds of students rallied in Wana on Friday, calling on the authorities to seek a political solution to the standoff.

"We urge both sides to save Waziristan from further destruction," student leader Osman Khan said.

[mikegi]

I hope that the statement by the tribal elder, "We will not spare these people because they are bent upon destroying our area", is legit and will catch on with other tribes.

[FreeReign]

Residents in Wana said the tribal elders had begun enrolling volunteers to join the hunt.

Peasant Paki's with pitchforks...

[river rat]

This is Pakistan...
These are Muslims...
Believe ONLY what you can confirm or prove..

Wait until there is fighting or captives before you believe these "tribes" are contributors to the war against terrorism...instead of terrorists..

Semper Fi

[ChocChipCookie]

I wouldn't put it past Reuters to build this story up, set up huge expectations of a B-I-G capture only to suddenly announce that only a minor tribal leader had been killed. And then label it as one more of President Bush's "failures."

[bygolly]

The heck with pitch forks...I'm beginning to think that all the invitees to "baby showers" in this part of the world bring AK-47s as gifts to the newly or soon to be born jihadists!

[lonevoice]

Deja Vu all over again.

[Parley Baer]

Yep, it seems as if we have been down this road before. Hopefully the outcome will be different. However I won't hold my breath. Parley

[mtbopfuyn]

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

[dila813]

They are going to chase Osama out of the country, now I know why he was so worried on the tape.

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

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[Ben Chad]

Don't forget the coon dogs.

[Finalapproach29er]

USA to tribemen: No justice, no peace!

[M Kehoe]

I don't know why, but this article reminds me of Cliff Claven and the snipe hunt episode on Cheers.

5.56mm

[Rebelbase]

"Peasant Paki's with pitchforks..."

Sounds good to me, just don't call one a "Paki" to his face, you'll regret it.

[eleni121]

May I suggest this article that puts this news story in perspective:

http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/4872/%EF%BF%BD

[mikegi]

Of course, I can provide links to numerous articles from Sept/Oct 2001 saying that the incredible, undefeated, and undefeatable Afghanistan resistance would win. After all, they defeated the Soviet Union's army.

If anything in the War on Terror has been surprising it's the strength of the Iraqi resistance. They have been the ones giving us fits.

I think there are two important points to draw from this and they're linked together:

1) Guerrillas supplied with modern weaponry and tactics can defeat a more sophisticated army.

2) A superior invading/occupying army is vulnerable to defeat by well-supplied guerrillas by attrition.

In Afghanistan, we avoided both traps. We used Afghans themselves to overthrow the Taliban and the Taliban had no superpower behind them supplying weapons.

In Iraq, we fall into both traps. We invaded Iraq with a large army which provides the guerrillas with the proverbial "target rich environment". The Iraqi guerrillas also have a supplier of modern weaponry and tactics - Saddam's depots and former army.

We need to Iraqize this war. Find someone in Iraq who is smart and has some teeth. Councils, etc. are intrinsically weak.

[eleni121]

My link was of course meant to support what most posters see as a doubtful ally in Pathan Waziritan tribal leaders going after OBL.

As for your position on Iraq: I agree wholeheartedly. Turn it over ASAP to an Iraqi military willing to take control from the US-led coalition. When the terrorists start killing their own, the general population will turn on them (fanatics).

To what extent is the external "pipeline" of ideological and logistical support to the Shias and Sunni fanatics relevant ot the uprising?