Just in case you weren’t sure who really runs the show in Pakistan’s tribal agency of North Waziristan, Taliban supremo Hafiz Gul Bahadar sent the locals there a reminder: He is. Bahadar issued pamphlets notifying the locals that the Taliban are the law, and will “punish” kidnappers and car thieves, and even burn down their homes. [Note: That can include putting a suicide vest on the accused and detonating him in front of a crowd.] From The News:
The shura or council of the militants in North Waziristan on Monday warned that anyone involved in kidnapping and car lifting would be punished and his house would be burnt. Leaflets in Urdu language distributed in Miramshah town also promised reward for those who inform the militants’ shura about kidnapped persons or snatched vehicles.
The leaflets were distributed on behalf of the Ameer, or head, and shura of the militants in North Waziristan. Hafiz Gul Bahadur is head of the Taliban militants in North Waziristan, but his organisation isn’t part of the Hakimullah Mahsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The message in the leaflets warned that the house in which kidnapped person or snatched vehicle was kept anywhere in North Waziristan would be burnt and its inmates would be punished.
Advising the people to stay away from such crimes, the message also threatened action against those demanding ransom for the release of kidnapped persons or return of lifted vehicles.
In North Waziristan, the Taliban are the law. Taliban forces hold sharia courts, adjudicate local disputes, announce punishment, collect taxes, and run their own private jails. At the same time they host al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad Group, the Turkistan Islamic Party, the Afghan Taliban, and a number of other local and international terror groups.
And for this, the Pakistani establishment describes Bahadar and a host of other Taliban groups in North Waziristan as the “good Taliban.”
Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
3 Comments
Accidentally put a plague on the Taliban supremo Hafiz Gul Bahadar house then!
Surely Pakistan has a number of surface to surface weapons (SSM’s) that go ‘accidentally’ hay-wire from time to time!!
Think pressure needs to be put on PAK command for this to happen…
What “pressure” can we then put on Pak command? We can’t even get them to release a consular employee with diplomatic status, despite the billions that we have poured into their coffers. Besides, why would Pakistan wish to kill off one of its assets?
Dang, thought we’d killed this guy.