In its April 2009, issue, Leekwal, a Pashtu-language monthly magazine based in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North WestFrontierProvince (NWFP), published an article stating that the Taliban in the NWFP's Swat district are on the offensive in the wake of the Shari'a-for-peace deal with the government.
The article, published before the Pakistani Army launched an operation against the Taliban in May 2009, was titled "Swat after Shari'a," and was written by Leekwal Yousafzai. Leekwal, the Pashtu word for "writer," is probably a penname adopted by the author due to likely threats from the Taliban.
Following are excerpts from the article: [1]
Taliban Commander Fakhr-e-Alam Says, "Our Rule is Here [in Khyber Agency] as Well as in Swat - We Had Gone Via Mountains and Return By Road"
"Taliban militants are less popular in society. Most of them were forced to flee the district after the first operation by security forces [in November 2007]. Later, the government started negotiations with the Taliban and announced a ceasefire. The Taliban detained by security forces during the operation were released and once again they established contacts with their fugitive fellows; and they once again regrouped.
"The regrouping of Taliban was very dangerous for the government. The Pakistani cleric Mullah Fakhr-e-Alam, known by his assumed names of Mullah Khalil and Benori, fled from Swat and reached Bara [in the tribal area of Khyber Agency near Peshawar] through a mountainous route and started an FM radio station there. Now, he says, 'Our rule is here [in Khyber Agency] as well as in Swat. We had gone via mountains and return by road."'
"[The Taliban] had Either Fled the Area or Were Detained by the Government - It Can Be Easily Guessed from Their Return That Taliban and the Military are One"
"Here, it can also be pointed out that those [Taliban] who had fled after the [2007] attack on Jabar Khan and [his uncle] Khan Lala [i.e. Afzal Khan, a senior Pashtun nationalist leader in Swat district popularly known as Khan Lala], and the killing of the nephews of Ayub Ashari, a provincial minister of Awami National Party (ANP), have also returned. They [the Taliban] had either fled the area or were detained by the government. It can be easily guessed from their return that the Taliban and the military are one."
"The Man Killing the Boy Raised His Head and Told the People, 'Those Spying will Meet the Same Fate'; A Boy Secretly Filming the Scene was Beaten by a Taliban Militant with The Butt of His AK-47 - And Was Directed to Take the Footage Openly"
"They slaughtered a young man on the stairs of a mosque near Sakhara Adda [bus stop, in 2007] and invited all everyone to come and see and learn a lesson. The incident took place two days prior to the second phase of the 2008 military operation Rah-e-Haq. The man killing the boy raised his head and told the people, 'Those spying will meet the same fate.' A boy secretly filming the scene was beaten by a Taliban militant with the butt of his AK-47, and was directed to take the footage openly."
"A Taliban Jail in the Sakara Girls' School [200 Kilometers from Peshawar]"
"Taliban have also established a jail in the Sakara Girls' School [200 km from Peshawar] that was partially damaged by an explosion.... The [Taliban] jailer, Hassan, is the resident of Sambat, who also conducts raids, takes and allows remand of the prisoners. People living around the jail hear the cries of the prisoners due to violence. The people are flogged, lashed, and given other punishments, while sometimes announcements are made two days before a punishment to come, to see, and to learn a lesson. People are worried, as government or military personnel do not resist this situation."
Taliban FM Radio: "The Khans, the Maliks, and Other Tribal Chieftains Who Do Not Take Part in Jihad are Infidels - Chopping Off Their Heads is Sunnah [Prophet's Conduct]"
"A declaration of jihad on [Taliban] FM radio says, 'The Khans, the Maliks and other tribal chieftains who do not take part in jihad are infidels, and chopping off their heads is Sunnah [Prophet's conduct].' It was also announced that those who have weapons, blankets or any other extra things at their homes should give them to the Baitul Maal [Islamic Treasury], and that if such things were later found with anyone, they would be punished according to Shari'a. It was also announced that the heads of those talking against the Taliban would be chopped off."
"The [Taliban] Have Been Demanding the Ushr Tax, and They Loot the Homes of People Who They Think Are Not Their Supporters - They Call This Mal-e-Ghanimat [War Booty]."
"The [Taliban] destroy the houses and people have been taken hostages. Those who were the servants of Khans [tribal chieftains] are asked to compulsorily work for the Taliban. They have also been harassing local residents and asking them to give to the Taliban what they have in their house as Jizia [poll tax on non-Muslims]. They have also been demanding the Ushr tax [seasonal Islamic tax] from agricultural yield, and they loot the homes of people who they think are not their supporters - and call this Mal-e-Ghanimat [war booty].
"The looted goods - consisting of women's dresses, shoes, beds, and even livestock, which are slaughtered for food - are auctioned off. They announce on FM radio: 'We have been doing this all according to the Koran and Sunnah, and if anyone has a reason and wants a Munazera [dialogue over a controversy], we are ready, but if they fail their heads will be chopped off.'
"[In a command unit,] political decisions are taken by the Emir, who answers to no one, while the military commander is a symbol of terror and can do anything."
"The [Taliban] Sent a Message to the People of the Village That They Wanted to Hold a Jirga [Reconciliation Meeting]... and That Neither Taliban nor Villagers Will Bring Weapons" - Villagers Who Came to the Meeting Were Killed
"Shorgat and Peochar are two localities which are the center of the Taliban ruled area. When talks were started with the government, an active Taliban commander, Ibn-e-Amin, stood up [to the Taliban leadership] during a Shura [council] meeting and said, 'You have started negotiations for reconciliation, but what will I do with 200 murders [1] am carrying on my shoulders.' These were the people who were killed during a jirga [reconciliation meeting] in Gawalari village.
"The incident took place [in December 2008] when the people of Gawalari village stood up against the Taliban and decided that armed men would not be allowed to come to the village. When the Taliban heard this, they sent a message to the people of the village that they [Taliban] wanted to hold a jirga... and neither Taliban nor the villagers will bring weapons with them... [then the villagers who came to the meeting were killed].
"The brother of Taliban commander Ibn-e-Amin, Ibn-e-Aqil, who is known by the jihadi name Ghaznavi, is the nazim [organizer] of Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat. He kills people who come to them to obtain the release of a person they have arrested. Besides the Mal-e-Ghanimat [war booty], he also gives honoraria to the gunmen when they return from war."
"Every [Taliban] Unit has Training Camps Where Jihadist Training is Given to Militants; The Operations at These Training Camps are Similar to the Operations During the Afghan War - When Jihadist Personnel Were Trained"
"There are 72 [command] units established by Taliban in the Swat district, and every unit has training camps where jihadist training is given to militants. The operations in these training camps are similar to the operations during Afghan war, when jihadist personnel were trained.
"Barikot is the sole tehsil [revenue district] that has escaped unharmed during the entire trouble in the Swat district. But now there are fresh reports that 400 militants are being trained in four bungalows at Wahab Pharmaceutical Plaza in Nawagai, and in Barikot, and their trainers speak the Urdu language.
"At Choparial, the army personnel killed civilians during the so-called military operation [in 2007] and later announced from the media cell that 'a key commander was killed' - but it is clear that no key Taliban commanders had been killed or wounded during the operation, and their bases and hideouts are also not hidden from the government.
"[In another incident,] a local elder, Liaqat Ali Khan, who had handed over a Chinese man who had escaped from the Taliban to an army camp, was killed the next morning along with other people in his house.
"Emerald mines in Mingora [the headquarters of Swat district] are also under the control of the Taliban, who make a profit on them. Those who work in the mines get 50 percent of the profits, while the rest goes to the Taliban."
"For Enlightened People, Especially All Those Concerned About Their Future, Denying the Taliban is Equal to Denying the Religion"
"The Taliban killed a woman at Choparial on charges of having links to military personnel, while her husband was shot by the Army on allegations of supporting the Taliban. These are the operations that were continuing before and after the enforcement of Shari'a in Swat.
"Now people are under more pressure, as Swat was given to the Taliban in the form of a religious extremist state, and the government cannot control the district or implement any law or constitution in it.
"In such a situation, for enlightened people, especially those concerned about their future, denying the Taliban is equal to denying the religion."
Endnote:
[1] Leekwal, Pakistan, April 2009
