Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad

01 Jan 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com

Pakistan: Why Jihadi might is increasing day by day

Those destroying the peace of the land and killing innocent people must be dealt with an iron hand, but it is also necessary to review why their might is increasing day by day despite the use of immense force against them. The continued military operations against the Taliban, their supporters and al Qaeda elements are regularly shifting from one area to another over the past few years (mostly in the lawless tribal zone), but a complete victory against the militants still seems to be a far cry, as they continuously change positions and open new bases when dislodged from the previous ones. The continuation of the anti-terror war has multiplied the desolation of the already frustrated, impoverished, overlooked and dispossessed people of the tribal areas over the past eight years, which is no doubt unfortunate, but what is niggling for the general masses is that the war has almost turned into a number game instead of bringing any positive outcome for them. --Daud Khattak

Pakistan: Why Jihadi might is increasing day by day

Decapitation is no solution either By Daud Khattak June 30, 2010 Those destroying the peace of the land and killing innocent people must be dealt with an iron hand, but it is also necessary to review why their might is increasing day by day despite the use of immense force against them The continued military operations against the Taliban, their supporters and al Qaeda elements are regularly shifting from one area to another over the past few years (mostly in the lawless tribal zone), but a complete victory against the militants still seems to be a far cry, as they continuously change positions and open new bases when dislodged from the previous ones. The continuation of the anti-terror war has multiplied the desolation of the already frustrated, impoverished, overlooked and dispossessed people of the tribal areas over the past eight years, which is no doubt unfortunate, but what is niggling for the general masses is that the war has almost turned into a number game instead of bringing any positive outcome for them. Body count is what the people hear and see on the electronic media all day long and read about in the newspapers when they get up each morning. If the number of militants killed as shown by the media is to be believed, it will run into thousands only during the year 2009. But the Taliban and their supporters are still there; alive, kicking and even spreading from the hilly and porous tribal areas to the cities, first in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and now in Punjab — the most populous, developed and rich province of Pakistan and also the heartland of the country. The number of slain Taliban claimed by the Pakistani as well as the US-led NATO troops on both sides of the ill-defined 2,640-kilometre Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan has gone up incrementally over the years, but the trouble still seems far from over. This points towards some serious flaws in the political and military strategies in both the countries with regards to dealing with the insurgency once and for all. From a common man’s perspective, either the number of slain militants mentioned in the media is flawed or, if correct, the strategy of relying only on decapitation is not working well in the present and will not work in the future too. Let us believe for a moment that the army has killed as many Taliban, or at least half of them, as mentioned in the media over the past months and years. Despite this, the curtain is not going to draw on the drama of Talibanisation being played in the region since the mid-1990s until an effective political strategy is worked out soon. We have examples. French army officer David Galula wrote that the killings of leaders and volunteers of the Algerian National Liberation Front (1956-1958) had little effect on the direction of the rebellion because it was too loosely organised to crumble under the blow. Then there is Israeli Defence Forces’ aggression against the Palestinians and the elimination of some of their key leaders, but the resistance is still in place well after 30 years. On the other hand, the artillery shelling and air strikes sometimes cause civilian losses, thus providing reason to the gun-toting militants to gain the sympathies of the people and spread hatred among the masses against the government and security forces. Two recent examples are young men like Najibullah Zazi and Faisal Shehzad, who were not regular Taliban or al Qaeda members, but still poised to attack the US “to take revenge for the civilian casualties in air strikes and drone attacks” in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The purpose of this discussion in no way is to call for a halt to the operation against the self-styled defenders of Islam. Those destroying the peace of the land and killing innocent people must be dealt with an iron hand, but it is also necessary to review why their might is increasing day by day despite the use of immense force against them and their supposedly high casualties. From Nek Muhammad in June 2004 to Baitullah Mehsud (Hakeemullah’s death is still not confirmed) in August 2009, several key Taliban leaders have been removed from the scene, but there is no let-up in the militant attacks targeting cities and civilians, and the latest in the series was the well-organised strike against the Ahmedi community’s places of worship in Lahore. The past eights years of operations have proved to be a one-way process and need to be backed with a political strategy, part of which is to immediately start development projects in line with the needs and requirements of the people of the troubled zones, which are now cleared of the Taliban. The same has not been done so far in Bajaur, Waziristan, and even Swat, which have been declared free of the Taliban. At the same time, the entry of hardcore militants into peaceful areas should be blocked while those who have joined the militants out of frustration rather than their misleading ideology should be brought into the mainstream by relying more on the carrot instead of the stick. Obstructing the spread of hardcore militants to other areas, alleviation of the problems affecting tribesmen and other people and luring the disenchanted youth to the mainstream society by providing jobs, schooling and health facilities will help support the military strategy, to some extent at least. Source: Daily Times, Pakistan URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamTerrorismJihad_1.aspx?ArticleID=3862