Read on Twitter
There's alot of confusion when it comes to Afghan Taliban and Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Are they the same? Was it the Afghan Taliban who carried out the APS massacre? Is TTP part of peace process in Afghanistan?
In this detailed thread, I will answer these questions.
In this detailed thread, I will answer these questions.
Before I start, it’s important to understand the difference between Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda because TTP was formed by the ideologues of AQ.
Afghan Taliban was an indigenous movement which erupted in 1994 when Mullah Umar along with 53 students waged a war against the...
[1]
Afghan Taliban was an indigenous movement which erupted in 1994 when Mullah Umar along with 53 students waged a war against the...
[1]
rapacious warlords of Kandahar in 1994. He rescued two abducted girls and emerged as a robin hood figure. The Afghans were fed up because of the internecine war between Hikmetyar and Massoud. Many would be surprised to know that the northern allaince supported Mullah Umar..
[2]
[2]
..initially by giving $1 million in cash to the fledgling Taliban movement. Soon Taliban captured a dump in Spin Boldak. This huge cache consisted of 17 tunnels worth of ammunition and weapons, enough to supply 3 divisions. By Sept '96, Taliban took control of Kabul.
[3]
[3]
Mullah Omar set up a six man shura headed by Mullah M Rabbani to rule Kabul. No leader in the world was surrounded by as much secrecy and mystery as Mullah Umar. Contrary to Al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban had a local agenda which did not stretch beyond Afghanistan.
[4]
[4]
Afghan Taliban were not involved in the #September11 attack. 9/11 Commission Report by the US govt has a section entitled ‘Dissent within the al-Qaeda leadership’ where it's mentioned that Mullah Umar opposed the attacks against the US. He was the first to condemn 9/11.
[5]
[5]
Mullah Umar denied involvement, demanded proof and an independent court to assess claims on OBL's involvement. But the US was intransigent and launched Op Jawbreaker in no time. The first CIA team landed with $10 million cash under Gary Schroen in Afghanistan on Oct 7 2001.
[6]
[6]
CIA team established a joint intelligence cell with @AmrullahSaleh2. As Schroen's lackey, Saleh assisted while US dropped 12000 bombs; killing 10000 Afghans. While Kabul was burning with charred bodies, Saleh was still not satisfied:
“This is all the US Air Force can do”?
[7]
“This is all the US Air Force can do”?
[7]
The coalition forces conducted operations in South and Eastern Provinces of Afghanistan; Operation Anaconda, Valiant Shield, Mountain Loin, Snipe, Dragon Fury, Haven Denial, Warrior Sweep, Mountain Viper, Mountain Resolve, and Mountain Sweep. They had a huge impact on Pak.
[8]
[8]
The US military did not use any land forces to cordon off the escape routes during the operations which allowed the fighters of Al Qaeda to escape into the tribal areas of Pakistan since there were 249 unfrequented routes along the Durand line.
[9]
[9]
General Musharraf was furious after the Battle of Tora Bora in 2001. “General Franks, what are you doing? You are flushing these guys out and there are one hundred and fifty valleys for them to move through. They are pouring in to my country.” Franks did not have an answer.
[10]
[10]
Before the Battle of Tora Bora in dec 2001, President Bush had asked his team, “Is there a way we can seal the Pak-Afghan border”? “No army on Earth can seal this,” Crumpton replied who was in charge of CIA's Counterterrorist Center for Kabul.
[11]
[11]
While Gen Musharraf deployed three brigades in Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai to establish blocking positions despite of the fact that India had escalated his forces in a ten month military stand off which ended as a disaster for Vajpayee when he lost 800 soldiers in 2002.
[12]
[12]
Pakistan's policy towards the US was ‘Yes, but....’. General Musharraf rescued the leadership of Afghan Taliban and few ISI personnel from Kunduz in Nov 2001. The US referred to those several sorties as Airlift of Evil. But at the same time Musharraf dismantled Al Qaeda.
[13]
[13]
Pakistan launched a massive crackdown against Al Qaeda by apprehending more than 670 operatives.
Abu Zubaida, Khalid Sheikh, Ramzi Binalshibh, Yassir al-Jaziri, Khalid bin Attash, Yuldashev, Ahmed Ghailani, Abu Faraj, Nasar, Abu Laith are few of the names.
[14]
Abu Zubaida, Khalid Sheikh, Ramzi Binalshibh, Yassir al-Jaziri, Khalid bin Attash, Yuldashev, Ahmed Ghailani, Abu Faraj, Nasar, Abu Laith are few of the names.
[14]
Unlike Afghan Taliban whose agenda did not stretch beyond Afghanistan, Al Qaeda had global ambitions. Al Qaeda had emerged from the Maktab al Khidmat, the services bureau that Abdullah Yusuf Azam set up in early 1980s to facilitate young Arabs from middle east to fight...
[15]
[15]
against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Azzam was assassinated in 1989 and was replaced by Osama Bin Laden who transformed the organization into Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda wouldn't have had the same impact if it had not been preceded by al Zawahiri and the Muslim Brotherhood ideology.
[16]
[16]
While Pakistan established 665 checkpoints with 75000 troops along its side of the 600 kilometers stretch of the Durand Line to apprehend the foreign fighters, coalition forces established just 69 posts with 25000 troops which was certainly not enough to man the border.
[17]
[17]
The ideologues of Al Qaeda like Sheikh Essa decided to establish the erstwhile FATA as their strategic backyard. They became guests of the locals who were naive and could not say no because of the Pashtunwali code. While AQ cunningly crafted circumstances to replace the...
[18]
[18]
..the political agents in tribal areas with local militias. Men like Nek Muhammad and Baitullah Mehsud were given money and weapons. Within a few years, Al Qaeda established its stronghold amidst military ops and peace deals like Shakai and Sararogha agreements.
[19]
[19]
Tahir Yaldochiv who cofounded the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was a key ally of Al Qaeda. On the instructions of Sheikh Essa Al Misri, he convinced Baitullah Mehsud that the real fight is against Pakistan Army while those who are fighting in Afghanistan are deviants.
[20]
[20]
At the same time, Mullah Umar send a message through Maulana Dadullah, his envoy, to all factions including Baitullah Mehsud in North and South Waziristan that they were to abandon all other activities and join forces with the Taliban in Afghanistan. His words were:
[21]
[21]
"Immediately stop attacks on Pakistani security forces. This will lead to chaos and cannot be termed as Islamic Jihad.... Jihad is being waged in Afghanistan so leave your place and come to Afghanistan to join the jihad against the Americans and it's infidel allies".
[22]
[22]
Pakistani Taliban paid no attention to Mullah Umar's call. Almost 50,000 fighters incl Chechens, Uzbeks, Arabs had gathered in two Waziristans in early 2006. Tahir Yaldochiv issued a fatwa which prioritize fighting against Pak army over waging the war against the West.
[23]
[23]
Afghan Taliban were shocked. This resulted in clashes between the foreign fighters and and loyalists of Mullah Nazir who was the commander of Taliban in Wana. To avoid any further internecine warfare, Al Qaeda gathered all Pakistani pro Taliban groups under the TTP flag.
[24]
[24]
Baitullah Mehsud was installed as first chief of Tehreek e Taliban. Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Molvi Faqir were appointed his Lieutenants. In the ensuing battle, Pakistan convincingly defeated Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and it's factions after clearing 46,000 sqkm area.
[25]
[25]
18,000 terrorists were killed and 400 tons of explosive material was seized in a series of military ops from 2008 onwards. Operation Sherdil led by Lt Gen Tariq Khan in Bajaur broke the myth of taliban invincibility. More than 500 officers gave their lives in the war.
[26]
[26]
After being driven away, around 6500 fighters of TTP have reorganized in Afghanistan by merging all it's factions including Jamaat ul Ahrar (JuA) and Hizb ul Ahrar (HuA). They have pledged allegiance to the TTP chief, Mufti Abu Mansour Asim, known as Noor Wali Mehsud.
[27]
[27]
At the same time, TTP has established a strategic alliance with Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, known as IS Khorasan Province (ISKP) which is at war with Afghan Taliban. First contingent of militants for ISKP was formed by TTP leader, Hafiz Saeed Khan on July 14, 2012.
[28]
[28]
Following 8 armed groups of TTP joined ISKP.
1. Khalid Mansoor, TTP commander in Hangu;
2. Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman of TTP;
3. Mufti Hassan Swati, TTP commander in Peshawar;
4. Gul Zaman Fateh, TTP commander in Khyber;
5. Hafiz Dawlat Khan, TTP commander in Kurram;
[29]
1. Khalid Mansoor, TTP commander in Hangu;
2. Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman of TTP;
3. Mufti Hassan Swati, TTP commander in Peshawar;
4. Gul Zaman Fateh, TTP commander in Khyber;
5. Hafiz Dawlat Khan, TTP commander in Kurram;
[29]
6. Hafiz Saeed Khan, TTP commander in Orakzai;
7. Abdul Bahar Mehsud, TTP commander in Waziristan;
8. Abu Bakr, commander of the TTP in Bajaur.
These subfactions of TTP are assisting the ISKP in it's war against Afghan Taliban.
[30]
7. Abdul Bahar Mehsud, TTP commander in Waziristan;
8. Abu Bakr, commander of the TTP in Bajaur.
These subfactions of TTP are assisting the ISKP in it's war against Afghan Taliban.
[30]
The differences in the ideologies of Afghan Taliban and Tehreek e Taliban are quite vivid. It was the TTP Daradamkhel group who carried out the APS attack. After the US invasion, Afghan Taliban have emerged as a polycentic group under the Rahbari Shura.
[31]
[31]
Jalaluddin Haqqani was the first to lead the resistance movement against US forces in 2002 even before the establishment of Rahbari Shura by the leadership of Afghan Taliban. Jalaluddin Haqqani had appointed its Representatives (Massuleen) to 46 districts and 4 provinces.
[32]
[32]
In June 2003, Rahbari Shura was formally established. Few experts call it the Quetta Shura but technically no such term exists. The founding members were all senior Taliban figures, and among them stood out Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (former deputy minister of defence),
[33]
[33]
Mullah Dadullah (the foremost military commanders of the Emirate), Mullah Faruq, Mawlavi Akhtar Mohammad Mansur (former minister of civil aviation) and Mullah Gul Agha Ishaqzai (a close collaborator of Mullah Omar).
I'm sure these details have answered the questions of many.
I'm sure these details have answered the questions of many.
Reference:
1. “An Enemy We Created: The Myth of Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger” by Alex Linschoten and Felix Kuehn
2. “Directorate S” by Steve Coll
3. “Inside Al Qaeda and Taliban” by Saleem Shahzad
4. “Beyond Tora Bora” by Ali Jan Aurakzai
5. “Taliban at War” by Antonio Giustozzi
1. “An Enemy We Created: The Myth of Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger” by Alex Linschoten and Felix Kuehn
2. “Directorate S” by Steve Coll
3. “Inside Al Qaeda and Taliban” by Saleem Shahzad
4. “Beyond Tora Bora” by Ali Jan Aurakzai
5. “Taliban at War” by Antonio Giustozzi
