Nothing terrifies Taliban fighter Tariq Wazir more than US drones, a harbinger of instant death invisible to the naked eye and proof of America’s mastery of the skies. Each time he hears the low hum reminiscent of a bumble bee, fear clutches his heart and he remembers how 20 of his comrades were pulverised by missiles they never saw coming in the tribal badlands. Gone are the days of communicating by phone and travelling freely. Instead he spends his days praying or reading newspapers in safe houses, moving under the cover of darkness, trying to keep one step ahead and stay alive.
An AFP reporter was this week given a tantalising glimpse of the day-to-day life of a group of the Taliban, travelling with them for four days between safe houses in North Waziristan. He and three other journalists were invited to interview the head of the faction, Hakimullah Mehsud, or “another top Taliban leader” but the interview never materialised, due to what the Taliban said were “security reasons”. Instead, they spent each night on the move, resting by day in relatively comfortable mud-brick homes with kitchens, running water and toilets, offered freshly cooked meals and fizzy drinks.
It was a relatively sophisticated logistics operation that shows how embedded the Taliban are in North Waziristan, where the military has resisted US pressure to launch a sweeping offensive. Their fervour for fighting and hatred of the US and the federal government was plain to see. But so too were lighter moments, like sunning themselves in the courtyard, reading Urdu newspapers to keep abreast of events and listening to songs praising the glory of jihad blasted out of cassette players.
In the past three years, there have been 236 US drone strikes in Pakistan, killing at least 1,767 people. Taliban foot soldiers admit they have had a devastating impact on their lives. “I lost 20 close friends in drone attacks. It’s the biggest danger for us,” said Wazir, a commander in North Waziristan who refuses to give his real name. “It has restricted our movement. We take a lot of care before moving from one place to other, we avoid using the phone,” he said. Precautions have not been relaxed despite a one-month reprieve in missile strikes since November 17. The Long War Journal quoted US intelligence officials as saying the attacks are “on hold” so as not to further strain the alliance with Islamabad after a NATO air strike killed 24 soldiers on November 26. In response, Pakistan shut its Afghan border to NATO supplies and evicted US personnel from the Shamsi Airbase, a reported hub for CIA drones, although most of the aircraft are thought to take off from US bases in Afghanistan.
Officials concur there is a temporary moratorium on drone attacks, but witnesses say surveillance flights are incessant. The Taliban fighters wear the uniform of any adult man in the tribal belt. They carry Kalashnikovs wherever they go, tuck pistols into their belts and sometimes sport hand grenades around their waists. Dressed in traditional shirts that fall to the knees, caps rolled down over the ears, waistcoats and balloon-style trousers, they conceal their guns under the itchy folds of the blankets wrapped around the head and shoulders.
