Emerging Al-Qaeda Strategy Targeted at Damaging the Pakistan Army in Muslim Eyes, Assassinating Its Senior Officers, Annihilating It after U.S. Drawdown from Afghanistan in 2014

Introduction

Having declared the Pakistani military as an apostate force (one that has left the fold of Islam), the emerging Al-Qaeda strategy appears to be targeted at damaging the Pakistan Army's image in the eyes of Pakistani Muslims, assassinating its senior officers through selective killings, and following the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2014 annihilating the institution of Pakistan Army thoroughly and executing its personnel for collaborating with the United States. The growing focus of Al-Qaeda on undermining the Pakistan Army is becoming evident from messages contained in its statements and in a series of videos released this year.

Al-Qaeda's targeting of Pakistan Army was underlined again in Issue No. VIII of "Inspire," an English-language jihadi magazine published by the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Issues No. VIII and IX of Inspire were released on jihadist internet forums on May 2, 2012 – the first anniversary of the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.[1]

As discussed below, a study of the Al-Qaeda statements and videos reveals that its analysts are questioning the historical relationship of Pakistan Army with Muslims through past three centuries –back at least to the Battle of Plassey in 1757, or 190 years before the Islamic state of Pakistan was created in 1947. At the Battle of Plassey, the British defeated the Muslim army of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, whose commander Mir Jafar was part of a conspiracy to defeat the Nawab. Some Al-Qaeda videos have recently pointed out that Pakistan Army has been killing Muslims both before the creation of Pakistan in 1947 and after, for example, in the 1971 Bangladesh war and the anti-Taliban military operations underway in the Pakistani tribal region.

It appears that Al-Qaeda is seeking to achieve two objectives through this strategy: first, damage the image of Pakistan Army in the eyes of Muslims worldwide but especially in Pakistan; second, divide the loyalty of Pakistani soldiers to their commanders and recruit them to the cause of jihad and Islam. The new Al-Qaeda strategy poses a serious risk for the Pakistani armed forces. This risk is not unreal, as several large-scale terror attacks have taken place in Pakistan recently, revealing the involvement of Pakistani soldiers.[2]

Al-Qaeda Official for Pakistan Ustad Farooq: "If There is a Force That is Fundamentally Responsible for Throwing This Entire Region Into Bloodshed and War, It is the Pakistani Army…"; "It Was Pakistan that Activated its Airspace, Territory, Airbases, Centers, and Everything ... For America"

Al-Qaeda leaders began reviewing the role of Pakistan Army a few years ago – perhaps the first trigger being the killing of Arab fighters in Pakistani military operations in the tribal region along the Afghan border.

In July 2010, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda, released a comprehensive interview of Ustad Ahmad Farooq, the Head of Al-Qaeda's Department for Dawa and Media in Pakistan. In the interview, Ustad Ahmad Farooq discussed the role of Pakistan Army in the war against terror and offered justifications for jihad against Pakistan, arguing: "One who can understand jihad against America, should also be able to understand the jihad in Pakistan, for the reason that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are in effect the same battlefront…"[3]

Ustad Farooq added: "If the Afghan National Army – whose strength is not even one-fourth of the Pakistani Army's, and whose military experience, military equipment and weapons, and professionalism cannot be in any way compared with the Pakistani Army's – if battle against it is justified for this crime [of supporting the U.S. troops], and if all the mujahideen fighting for the Islamic Emirate [the Taliban's shadow government] target it and no objection is raised, then why isn't a battle against the Pakistani Army justified?...."[4]

He further argued: "Is it hidden from anyone that a few years ago this region was not in the situation that it is in now? Today, from Afghanistan to Pakistan, there is war everywhere. And if there is a force that is fundamentally responsible for throwing this entire region into bloodshed and war, it is the Pakistani Army. When the U.S. decided to launch an attack here [following 9/11], it needed a local host to support it…. No neighbor of Afghanistan was ready to play this role… It was Pakistan that activated its airspace, territory, airbases, centers and everything to be available for America. The precious information of the [Pakistani military's] intelligence department needed for all operations and all the secrets of the Islamic Emirate and mujahideen were provided to America…."[5]

In March 2012, Ustad Ahmad Farooq outlined his justification for jihad against Pakistan Army, arguing that 10 senior Taliban leaders are in the Pakistan Army detention. Speaking in an Al-Qaeda video, he cited the name of the following Taliban commanders in Pakistani jails: Mullah Baradar, the deputy of Taliban leader Mullah Omar; Mullah Obaid, the deputy of Mullah Baradar; Ustad Yasir; Mullah Jahangirwal Zabuli, aide of Mullah Omar; Mullah Anwarul Haq Mujahid, son of Mullah Younus Khalis; Mullah Mir Ahmadwakul of Jalalabad; Mullah Abdul Salam of Kunduz; Mullah Muhammad of Baghlan; Mullah Turabi of Amr bil Maaroof Nahi Wa Nahi Anil Munkir; Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, brother of Mullah Dadullah.[6]

Taliban Video: "This [Pakistan] Army has been Defeated by Indian Forces in 1965, 1971, and All Other Fronts Like Kargil Episode [War in 1999]; But These Coward Armed Forces Went to Every Extent to Crush the People of Bangladesh"

In January 2012, a video released by the Umar Media of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which works inter-connectedly with Al-Qaeda, also questioned the role of Pakistan Army in defending Muslims. A narrator, who did not appear on the video, said: "It [the Pakistan Army] is an 'apostate' as it acts on the directives of infidel forces and has been killing Mujahideen to protect the interests of American-led NATO allies in Afghanistan and the rest of the world. It called itself the frontline ally of America in the so-called war against terrorism - which in fact is the American war to silence voices for Jihad and Sharia enforcement."[7]

The narrator added: "The very foundation of its army was laid down by Britain soon after Pakistan came into existence on the world map in 1947."[8] He reminded that the first two chiefs of this apostate army were British generals; General Ayub Khan had got commission from Royal Military Academy of Britain. And all other top officers Muhammad (1935), Yahya Khan (1939), Gul Hassan (1942), Tikka Khan (1940) and Zia-ul-Haq (1943) got commission from the Indian Military Academy during the British rule.

"This [Pakistan] Army has been defeated by Indian forces in 1965, 1971, and all other fronts like Kargil episode [war in 1999]. But these coward armed forces went to every extent to crush the people of Bangladesh [former East Pakistan in 1971], kill innocent people of Baluchistan [even now], crush the valiant sisters of Jamia Hafsa [Islamic seminary during a 2007 army operation in Islamabad] when they raised voices for the enforcement of Sharia and martyrdom, or the patriotic people of the tribal areas…."[9]

A masked militant in the video stated: "Respected Muslims, these apostate security forces are nominal Muslims. At the behest of America, they treated Mujahideen brutally, threw their bodies... into rivers in Swat and martyred madrassas [Islamic seminaries], mosques and houses in Waziristan tribal region. They committed acts of blasphemy by throwing copies of the Koran and other holy books on ground in mosques during military operations. Most of these soldiers are Shias or Ismailis [who are not considered Muslims by the Taliban] and the rest are nominal Muslims promoting the infidels' agenda."[10]

Al-Qaeda Video Traces Pakistan Army's Role "Against Muslims" In Iraq, Palestine, Delhi, Pakistani Tribal Regions, Bangladesh; Al-Qaeda Militant Says: "The Units of This Army Played a Singular Role Alongside the British in the World War I in Handing over Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque to These Infidels"

In March 2012, a new video, which was produced by Al-Sahab, traced the Pakistan Army's role "against Muslims" over the past century in Iraq, Palestine, Delhi, Pakistani tribal regions, and Bangladesh, accusing it of killing Muslims and causing wounds to the Muslim Ummah throughout history.[11]

In the video, a narrator reminds viewers that the Pakistan Army's role in killing Muslims is not new, adding: "The regiments of this army [Pakistan Army, or erstwhile Indian Army] won Baghdad and Mosul for the British in the World War I; sent 1500,000 of its soldiers to defeat the Ottoman Empire; attacked and helped establish the Crusader-Zionist occupation in the pious land of Palestine where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) led the prophets [in prayer]."[12]

He noted that the Pakistan Army units also killed the followers of Syed Ahmed Shaheed, the militant Islamic cleric who led the Pashtun tribes to wage jihad against the British in the early 19th century, and killed thousands of Islamic clerics and trampled the "jihad for freedom" against the British rule in 1857, the first war of Indian independence fought by Muslim and Hindu kings and queens as well as by jihadist forces.

That video contained clips and images of Pakistani soldiers mistreating Pakistani people, launching air raids in the Pakistani tribal region in recent years, the erstwhile Indian/Muslim soldiers fighting alongside the British in 1857 against Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal ruler of Delhi, and entering Palestine along their British generals. On the video, Pakistani senator from Baluchistan Ismail Baladi was shown confirming how Baluchi leaders are being killed by Pakistan Army soldiers in broad daylight in recent years.

The significant point about this video was that it traced the role of Pakistan Army both before the creation of Pakistan in 1947 and after, producing footage from American television channels' archives showing how Pakistani soldiers killed Bengali Muslim youth in hundreds of thousands in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in the 1971 war. This particular video also produced clips from NBC TV channel archives showing how Bengali Muslim women, some as young as 13 years old, were kept in barracks and raped by Pakistani soldiers, giving birth to children they wanted to give away.

The Al-Qaeda video also contained a clip of respected Pakistani politician Javed Hashmi describing his sorrowful experience of witnessing the killing of Bengali Muslims by Pakistani soldiers: "Allah is witness, my guilty eyes have seen vultures eating the intestines of Bengalis [Muslims], and they [the Pakistani soldiers] were telling happily that many days had passed and we had not killed Bengalis and now that Bengali had come and we have killed [them]"[13] It also showed journalists such as Syed Saleem Shehzad and common people being killed in broad daylight by Pakistan Army in Karachi and other Pakistani regions.

Ustad Sher Alam, an Al-Qaeda militant who appeared on the video with his face masked, wondered why Pakistani journalists and political analysts fail to see the Pakistan Army's role against Muslims, stating in Urdu language: "We want to ask these analysts, haven't they read the history of this army? Can't they understand this simple fact that the units of this army played a singular role alongside the British in the World War I in handing over Palestine and Al-Aqsa mosque to these infidels; and were at the front in the war against the center of Muslims and end of the Ottoman Empire…?"[14]

Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri: "Senior Officers of the [Pakistan] Army have been Bred on American Bribes; They have been Trained to Submit to America's Desires and Transgressions"

In March 2012, Ayman Al-Zawahri, the successor to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, appeared in a video to explain the justifications for jihad against the Pakistan and Pakistan Army. In the video, which was recorded sometime in the aftermath of the November 26, 2011 U.S. raid on the Salala checkpost in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed, Al-Zawahiri sought to play on the Pakistani people's anti-U.S. sentiments, stressing that the U.S. cannot be a reliable partner and urging people to rise up against the Pakistan Army.[15] Specifically addressing the people of Pakistan, Al-Zawahiri stated:[16]

"The history of America's dealings with the Shah of Iran, [former Pakistan Army ruler General Pervez] Musharraf, Zain ul Abidin Bin Ali, Hosni Mubarak, and Ali Abdullah Saleh proves that America views its agents as if they are mere hunting dogs or worn-out shoes used to fulfill its objectives and then thrown into the dustbin; and this indeed is the fate awaiting the generals of Pakistan Army.

"The Pakistan army permitted American air strikes in the tribal areas. It provided help and active support in these bombings and continues to do so. What did it get in return? The Pakistan Army carried out gruesome military operations involving aerial bombings and outright murder in Swat, Waziristan, Mohmand, Orakzai and Khyber in the interest of America. What did it get in return?

"Earlier, the Pakistan Army supported the Crusader attack on Afghanistan and it continues to do so. Thousands of Muslims were killed in this attack and more are still being killed. What did it get in return? The Pakistan Army arrested thousands of Pakistani and Afghan mujahideen, in addition to immigrant brothers. It tortured them, murdered some, and handed others over to America. What did it get in return?

"Senior officers of the army have been bred on American bribes. They have been trained to submit to America's desires and transgressions. Haven't these generals made a business out of the Kashmir issue for 60 years, and used it as a pretext to plunder the wealth of the Pakistani people, without freeing even an inch span of Kashmir?…

"Follow in the footsteps of your brothers in Egypt, who take to Tahrir Square again and again by the millions to force the Military Council [SCAF] to meet their demands. Cannot a million free and noble people rise from amongst the Muslims of Pakistan to stage a protest against the Generals of the Pakistan Army so as to force them to stop their betrayal of the Muslim Ummah by participating with America in its war against Islam, to compel them to stop drone strikes, and to pressure them to end the military operations in the tribal areas and Swat and to release all prisoners?"

Suicide Bomber on Pakistan Naval Base Attack: "The Rulers and [Military] Generals of This Country, Who Sell Their Beliefs and Faith Just for the Sake of Dollars, Remember That You will Get Tired of Fighting Us"

In March 2012, Al-Sahab released a video of pre-recorded statements of four martyrdom-seeking bombers of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who carried out the May 2011 suicide attack on the PNS Mehran, the headquarters of Pakistan Navy in Karachi, as revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The video was released in two parts, with the first part tracing the role of the Pakistan Army against Muslims in the Pakistani tribal region and Bangladesh, and before the independence from British rule, in Iraq, Delhi, and Palestine.[17] Although Pakistan did not exist before 1947, the argument forwarded by Al-Qaeda's analysts is that Muslim soldiers from India's northwestern territory, which became Pakistan, were part of the British-led Indian Army, which took part in missions in Iraq and Palestine in the World War I and II.

In the video, one of the suicide bombers read a statement declaring: "The rulers and generals of this country, who sell their beliefs and faith just for the sake of dollars, remember that you will get tired of fighting us but we will not tire of fighting you, Allah willing."[18]

An audio clip was also part of the video, in which Ustad Ahmad Farooq urged the Pakistani soldiers to rise: "Isn't there a self-respecting soldier in this army of 600,000 who considers the orders of the Prophet [Muhammad] as dearer to him than the orders of his officers?"[19] He added: "If the army units of Libya could rebel against [Mu'ammar] Al-Qadhafi and the Sunni soldiers of the Syrian Army against Bashar Al-Assad, then why can't the lower-ranking soldiers of the Pakistan Army rebel against their generals in order to free the 180 million people [of Pakistan] from this slavery, and for enforcement of Islamic Shari'a?"[20]

Issue No. VIII of "Inspire" – Former Pakistani Soldier: "After 1857, the Forefathers of the Present Day Pakistan Army have Also Fought against the Muslims Under the Leadership of the British in the Second Afghan War (1878-80)"

Issue No. VIII of Inspire – which was released on May 2, 2012 – carried an article by a former Pakistani soldier who has been identified as Abu Obaidah Al-Islamabadi. The article titled "Lust & Fear: An Insight into the Pakistan Army & Its Role in the Crusades" was submitted by a reader, but nevertheless is an endorsement of Al-Qaeda's thinking on the role of Pakistan Army.

In the article, the writer notes the pride of Pakistani generals in tracing their history back to 1757, the Battle of Plassey. He writes: "One day, while together on a military exercise, a Major from 1 Frontier Force Regiment of Pakistan Army showed me his diary. It was a meticulously crafted personal notebook but what really intrigued me was a list on its initial pages. The list contained the names of all the commanding officers of 1 Frontier Force Regiment in a chronological order and to my surprise; the list was dating back to the year 1757. This was the year when British East India Company captured Bengal in a major battle against the Muslim ruler Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey [near Kolkata, India]. 'So, your Battalion fought against the Muslims in 1757?' I asked the Major. A glitter of pride appeared in his eyes, 'Yes, and the British government and military acknowledge our services till today!'"[21]

It's not inconsistent that Al-Qaeda is tracing the history of Pakistan Army back to 1757. Generally, Pakistani writers, especially those on the side of the Pakistani establishment, have sought to trace the history of Pakistan at least back to 711 AD, when Muhammad bin Qasim, an Islamic general from Saudi Arabia, began the conquest of Sindh, a territory now in Pakistan. Now, Al-Qaeda is utilizing this established Pakistani narrative to argue that Muslim soldiers, who formed part of Indian Army before Pakistan's creation, and are now the part of Pakistan Army, have been involved in the killing of Muslims.

"The unequivocal loyalty and subordination of today's Pakistani Army to the anti-Muslim Crusader alliance may surprise some people but it is a historical fact that the troops from this area have always been loyal to the British and were especially instrumental in undermining the independence movement by other Indians in 1857. The forefathers of present day's Pakistan Army under the leadership of British commander Brigadier General John Nicholson were mobilized from North Western India (present day Pakistan) to fight against Indian freedom fighters who were trying to restore the authority of the Muslim Mughal Emperor in Delhi."[22]

The author further notes: "After 1857, the forefathers of the present day Pakistan Army have also fought against the Muslims under the leadership of the British in the second Afghan war (1878-80) as well as in the First and Second World Wars. Participation of these so-called 'Muslim troops' in the First World War is of great importance as they helped the British abolish the Islamic Caliphate completely for the first time in the 1400 year history of Islam. These 'Muslim troops' participating in the World Wars were strongly supported by pro-British 'Muslim' politicians such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the man who was to later become the founder of Pakistan…"[23]

Issue No. VIII of "Inspire" – Former Pakistani Soldier: "After the Crusaders withdraw from Afghanistan [in 2014], Pakistan's Army Should Be Thoroughly Annihilated and Its Personnel, Who were Complicit with the Crusaders, Should Be Tried and Executed"

Abu Obaidah Al-Islamabadi, the author of the article "Lust & Fear: An Insight into the Pakistan Army & Its Role in the Crusades," further questions the psychology of Pakistani soldiers, arguing that they work as mercenaries or "peacekeepers" as part of the United Nations. Perhaps unintentionally, the role of Pakistani security forces in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries, especially in curbing Shi'ite protesters in Bahrain, is not cited by the author.[24] Following are excerpts from the article:[25]

"The soldier of the Pakistani Army primarily fights for money and he justifies his moral corruption by taking pride in another un-Islamic concept of 'patriotic nationalism.' The salary of a Pakistani soldier is carefully determined. It is slightly higher than the salary of other government employees but still much lower than the Western Crusader troops. Resultantly, for higher salary, Pakistani soldiers would happily serve as paid mercenaries, anywhere in the world and under any conditions. For their conscience, it does not matter if they are asked to fight against Muslim mujahideen, or they have to safeguard the Crusaders interest under the banner of United Nations' 'peacekeepers' at various places around the world.

"The Pakistan Army's lust for money has been acknowledged many times in the past by their Crusader masters. The Pakistan Army's lust for money and its justification through nationalism were clearly demonstrated during the tyrannical rule of Pervez Musharraf when he raised the slogan 'Pakistan comes first.' Following this satanic concept, the Pakistani Army martyred a considerable number of precious non-Pakistani [Arab and other] mujahideen residing in Pakistan and many were sold to the Crusaders…

"If there is a voice to implement the Shari'ah within the Army or country, it is met with extreme brutality with the silent consent of the Western powers; examples of which are the assassination of late President Zia ul Haq and the massacre of Islamabad's Red Mosque [military operation in 2007]…

"The Crusaders keep their influence over Pakistan's Army by controlling a few handpicked elite Generals who in turn exert their control over the whole army mainly through training curriculum and military laws. The process of moral corruption starts at the very beginning of the training…

"Right from the induction into Pakistan's Army, recruits are made to idolize the Crusader armies as the height of professional excellence. As an incentive, top cadets from the Pakistan Military Academy are sent to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK for further training. A major portion of military educational curriculum taught in the Pakistan Army institutions is based upon campaigns and tactics of the Allied Armies during the World Wars. Officers who perform well in these institutions are promoted to higher ranks and further selected for foreign courses in the military institutions primarily in USA and UK where their loyalties to the Crusader armies are further ascertained…

"After grooming the suitable Pakistani Army officers, the Crusaders lift them to the position of Generals and then control them through the carrot and stick policy. If Generals follow the agenda of their masters, they are showered with wealth and praises and if the Generals are not efficient in performing their job, they are rebuked with the threats of assassination…

"In the light of the above, it can be deduced that the Crusaders' occupation of Afghanistan is standing on its historical asset, the Pakistani Army. Until the Pakistani Army is standing and guarding the supply routes, the Crusaders are in the position to continue this war for a considerable length of time leading to further bloodshed of Afghani and Pakistani Muslims. Hence, in order to bring down Crusaders' military structure, it is important to strike a decisive blow to its pillar: the Pakistani Army.

"Hence, the dealings with the Pakistani Army should be met with considerable terror and an effort should be made to publicize the retaliatory atrocities caused by them. Their senior officers should be assassinated through targeted killings. Once this Army is fearful of mujahideen, it would not be able to protect the Crusaders' supply lines, air bases, soldiers and private contractors in Pakistan who could then be targeted relatively easily leading to an ischaemia of [or cure against] the Crusader armies in Afghanistan.

"After the Crusaders withdraw from Afghanistan [in 2014], Pakistan's Army should be thoroughly annihilated and its personnel, who were complicit with the Crusaders, should be tried and executed publicly…"

Conclusion

In the months following the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in May 2011, Al-Qaeda's statements on the Pakistan Army's relationships with Muslims became more frequent. This trend is likely to continue in the coming years, especially if the Pakistani military continues to carry out security operations against the Taliban and other militant groups in the Pakistani border region.

The message against the Pakistan Army is not limited to only be coming from top Al-Qaeda leaders. The fact that the video of suicide bombers after the PNS Mehran attack questioned the role of Pakistani generals indicates that lower-ranking militants in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, and allied groups are being persuaded to comprehend the Pakistan Army's relationship with Muslims in a historical context – as having been essentially harmful to Muslims throughout history.

The issue of Inspire, which contained the article "Lust & Fear: An Insight into the Pakistan Army & Its Role in the Crusades" was produced by AQAP, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda based in southern Yemen. It is likely that Al-Qaeda groups in various countries are studying the role of Pakistan Army in a historical context. Since Al-Qaeda affiliates are getting stronger across the world, there could be two consequences in the long term: some militants could move to Pakistan to fight against the Pakistan Army; and more research questioning the Pakistan Army's relationship with Muslims could be published by Islamist groups worldwide. The threat to annihilate the institution of Pakistan Army – though not an easy task for Al-Qaeda – cannot be taken lightly, as the terrorist organizations are expected to find a surplus of jihadists in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region after the drawdown of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2014.

However, the fact that Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Ustad Ahmad Farooq are making considerable efforts to justify Al-Qaeda's jihad against Pakistan Army by issuing long statements and interviews also reveals a significant point: the Al-Qaeda leadership realizes the difficulty of persuading the people of Pakistan to adopt its viewpoint on jihad, which will require Pakistanis to see no geographical barriers across Muslim communities in the world, abandon their own loyalty to the idea of Pakistan and thereby lose their own identity – which is extremely difficult – as Pakistanis.

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)