Pakistan said on Monday that Afghan and US-led forces had failed to hunt down a Taliban cleric responsible for a spate of cross-border raids despite repeated requests from Islamabad, a complaint likely to deepen tension between the neighbours. The attacks in which militants loyal to Maulvi Fazlullah took part killed about 100 members of Pakistan’s security forces, angering the army which faces threats from multiple militant groups. “We have given locations and information about these groups to the Afghan government and ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), but apparently there has been no action,” Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told Reuters.
“The problem refuses to go away.” Fazlullah was the Pakistani Taliban leader in Swat Valley, about 100 miles northwest of Islamabad, before a 2009 army offensive forced him to flee. Also known as FM Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts, he regrouped in Afghanistan and established strongholds, and poses a threat to Pakistan once again, said Abbas. Fazlullah, a leading figure in the Pakistani Taliban insurgency, is based in Kunar and Nuristan provinces in Afghanistan, Abbas said.
He is a prime example of the classic problem faced by Pakistan’s military. Militant leaders can simply melt away in the rugged mountainous frontier area in the face of army offensives. “When they ran away from Swat, Fazlullah’s group was in tatters and was scattered,” said Abbas. “They got time and support in Afghanistan.”
Mansur Khan Mehsud of Islamabad’s FATA Research Centre doubts Fazlullah could take control of Swat or other areas. “While Fazlullah has the support of local Taliban in the Kunar and Nuristan provinces, he has the capacity to only launch hit-and-run attacks,” he said.
“He does not have the ability to overpower security forces and hold territory.” In Kabul, National Directorate of Security spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said “terrorist groups usually come from the other side of the border and do some attacks”. “One thing for sure I can say that no one is regrouped or settled here in Afghanistan,” he added.
Ties between Kabul and Islamabad, marred by mistrust in the best of times, have been heavily strained in recent months. First, Afghanistan complained that Pakistan was shelling Afghan border areas in response to militant raids.
More recently, Afghan officials accused Pakistani intelligence of involvement in the suicide bombing assassination of the chief Afghan peace envoy with the Taliban. Pakistan denied the accusation. “With this new element, friction will increase. The problem is the issue is highly politicised given the state of affairs in the region, with accusations coming from both sides,” said Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Pak Institute of Peace Studies. “What was simply a border security issue is now politicised, and will impact bilateral relations.” Fazlullah, who Swat residents said ordered beheadings, public executions and the bombing of girls’ schools, is the last thing Pakistan needs.
“Now Fazlullah and his group are trying to re-enter Swat through Dir,” said Abbas, referring to a border region in northwest Pakistan. Only police and paramilitary forces were based in Chitral and Upper and Lower Dir districts in Pakistan before Fazlullah started raids there. Now regular army units have been deployed to tackle the threat, Abbas added. Asked about Pakistan’s complaint about Fazlullah, ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said: “We are working with Pakistan to achieve our shared goals of lasting stability and security in Afghanistan and the broader region.”
