BACKGROUND: Since September 11, 2001 and the American attacks on Afghanistan, many have claimed that South Waziristan, right across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, is a readily available hideout for Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. Pakistan, being a frontline state in this ongoing war against terrorism and a major U.S. ally, seems now to be taking every step possible to root out terrorists from this area. Since the beginning of 2004, Pakistani forces have operated in the South Waziristan Agency against the terrorists, mainly in Wana. It should be noted that this is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a military presence of this magnitude has been seen in the FATA. Wana, capital of South Waziristan, is only several miles away from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is mainly populated by the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe. This tribe consists of nine sub-tribes or sections, the prime amongst them being the Zali khel and the Yargul khel. The operations began in the second half of January, when authorities received reports that a number of Al Qaeda members could be hiding in the Klo Shah town. Exchanges of fire took place, though no foreign suspects were found, according to Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan. Soon, an ultimatum was given to the tribal jirga for handing over several individuals accused of sheltering Al Qaeda figures. During the jirga, it was decided that a tribal lashkar (paramilitary force) would be created to assist the security forces in arresting the wanted. The joint efforts of the Pakistani forces and the tribal leaders led to the surrender of more than twenty suspects. While addressing a gathering of tribal elders on March 15, President Pervez Musharraf said that there were 600 terrorists present in the area. These include Arabs, Central Asians, as well as Afghans. He guaranteed that these terrorists will not be handed over to any third country if they surrender. “If the lashkar fails, then the Pakistani armed forces will take action”, he added. Reports suggest that apart from two wings of the frontier corps (FC), the Special service Group (SSG) is also active in the area; intelligence networks have also been strengthened.

IMPLICATIONS: The biggest ever-Pakistani operation in the tribal area is now under way. Almost 5,000 troops are operating in the South Waziristan settlements of Azam Warsak, Shin Warsak, and Kaloo shah. The area witnessing most military concentration has a perimeter of about 12-15 miles. The terrorists have used heavy machine guns and are well entrenched in their hideouts. A number of terrorists have been killed and captured during this ongoing operation. 123 people have been arrested, of which 68 are in the custody of the political administration, whereas the rest are held by the Pakistan army. Government sources claim to have received vital information from those captured, though at the moment they are not ready to share it. On March 18, Pakistani forces declared a temporary ceasefire, aimed at giving tribal elders time to negotiate with the militants for their surrender. The government has given three conditions to stop the operation: all held personnel should be freed; all the wanted men should be handed over; all foreigners should be told to leave the area, or their hideouts pointed out. Major General Sultan said the operation would continue. “There is no ceasefire except a halt in fire in the area where the jirga has gone to negotiate. This operation will continue until all those wanted surrender or are captured or evicted.” The jirga failed to produce any result up till now, and fighting is still raging. Six bodies of fighters killed in the operation have been brought to Rawalpindi for a DNA test to ascertain their identities. This has led to speculations about the dead. The stiff resistance faced by the Pakistani forces and President Musharraf’s statement on the eve of the operation that there is a high value target present in the area led to speculations. Though Pakistani authorities never claimed the presence of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda second-in-command, the global media is full of speculations on this account. One of the most eminent Afghanistan specialists, Rahimullah Yusufzai opines that in keeping with past experience, Al-Zawahiri is unlikely to be there because normally Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri stick together. And if he is in the area, according to him, there could be two explanations for this: “one, the two have decided to stay separately so that one is able to survive and run Al Qaeda in case the other is killed or captured. Two, that Bin Laden is long dead and that is why Al-Zawahari is alone.” Other reports suggest the high value target may be Tahir Yuldash, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Over the weekend, Brig (Retd) Mahmood Shah Secretary (Security) FATA told newsmen that the Pakistani forces have found a telephone exchange and a two kilometer long tunnel between the houses of two wanted men, Sharif Khan and Naik Mohammad. Many think that at least some of the terrorists might have escaped through these tunnels. According to Pakistani army source, the fighters are be facing a shortage of ammunition: heavy firing has almost entirely stopped and they are only using light weapons.

CONCLUSIONS: The still ongoing operation in Wana is the largest ever by Pakistani forces in the tribal area. This operation is a clear indication of Islamabad’s will and resolve to eliminate terrorists from its soil. The tribal area, however, is a problematic area. Governments in the past neglected it, claiming that they are preserving traditions. The area suffer from many problems of governance and most parts of it lack even basic necessities of life, such as clean water, hospitals, education etc. Interestingly the present government, with a new vision and resolve, is undertaking development work in the area including irrigation, roads, schools, and orchards for the development of the are and the people. Achieving results in this operation is necessary, but developing the area and providing the public with basic necessities of life, freedom of choice and better facilities and opportunities is a high-value target in itself and needs to be achieved.

AUTHOR’S BIO: Rizwan Zeb is a Islamabad based Security Analyst and RCSS Mahbub-ul-Haq Fellow. He is currently working on a book on Pakistan-Central Asia relations.