True irony reared its head in Kurram agency in NW Pakistan today as the Taliban leader in Kurram, Maulvi Noor Jamal, narrowly missed being killed in an assassination attempt as his convoy was hit by an IED and then an ambush - four of Jamal's jihadis were killed.
I mean seriously, how sweet would it have been to see the look on the faces of the king of the roadside bomb get blown to hell by their own method of warfare?
Here's some of the article at The Long War Journal:
As you notice there, it's not known at this time who was behind this assassination attempt but I think we can rule out any kind of Pakistani military special ops mission - I've never seen them even attempt something like this and as far as a local lashkar or tribesmen doing this...I don't buy that either - the lashkars don't exactly have the experience or know how with roadside bombs. No, I think those behind this were another Taliban or Taliban-linked group...this is infighting.
It only stands to reason that as the Taliban groups in the NW area of Pakistan become more and more compressed in less and less territory that would be deemed "safe", that tensions and differences in leadership decisions would crop up. We have to remember that with the Taliban, they literally solve all issues with warfare - it's their way, so any disagreement between factions is going to lead to this type of action. And baby, I'm all for that! Hopefully, this will lead to Jamal's group seeking revenge on the other faction and another 10 to 20 will be killed and then the other group will retaliate and kill another dozen of Jamal's group and then....well, you get the point.
I mean seriously, how sweet would it have been to see the look on the faces of the king of the roadside bomb get blown to hell by their own method of warfare?
Here's some of the article at The Long War Journal:
A top Taliban commander in Pakistan's tribal belt survived an assassination attempt that killed four of his fighters.
Maulvi Noor Jamal, the Taliban commander for the Kurram tribal agency who is also known as Mullah Toofan, narrowly escaped a roadside bomb attack and ambush while he traveled in Arakzai. Four of Jamal's fighters were killed and three more were wounded in the "ensuing melee," Dawn reported.
It is unclear if Jamal's convoy was attacked by a rival Taliban group, a tribal militia, or covert special operations forces. Taliban groups have fought local turf wars in Arakzai and Kurram over the past year.
During the month of March, Jamal battled with a rival Taliban commander known as Rafique in central Kurram. Jamal and Rafique inked a truce on March 22.
Jamal is known as a brutal and effective leader who is considered a a potential successor to Hakeemullah Mehsud, the overall leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Paksitan. After Hakeemullah was reported killed in late January 2010, Jamal denied rumors that he had taken control of the Pakistani Taliban. In fact, Jamal claimed Hakeemullah is still alive.
As you notice there, it's not known at this time who was behind this assassination attempt but I think we can rule out any kind of Pakistani military special ops mission - I've never seen them even attempt something like this and as far as a local lashkar or tribesmen doing this...I don't buy that either - the lashkars don't exactly have the experience or know how with roadside bombs. No, I think those behind this were another Taliban or Taliban-linked group...this is infighting.
It only stands to reason that as the Taliban groups in the NW area of Pakistan become more and more compressed in less and less territory that would be deemed "safe", that tensions and differences in leadership decisions would crop up. We have to remember that with the Taliban, they literally solve all issues with warfare - it's their way, so any disagreement between factions is going to lead to this type of action. And baby, I'm all for that! Hopefully, this will lead to Jamal's group seeking revenge on the other faction and another 10 to 20 will be killed and then the other group will retaliate and kill another dozen of Jamal's group and then....well, you get the point.
Taliban leader escapes ambush in Pakistan's northwest
A top Taliban commander in Pakistan's tribal belt survived an assassination attempt that killed four of his fighters.
Maulvi Noor Jamal, the Taliban commander for the Kurram tribal agency who is also known as Mullah Toofan, narrowly escaped a roadside bomb attack and ambush while he traveled in Arakzai. Four of Jamal's fighters were killed and three more were wounded in the "ensuing melee," Dawn reported.
It is unclear if Jamal's convoy was attacked by a rival Taliban group, a tribal militia, or covert special operations forces. Taliban groups have fought local turf wars in Arakzai and Kurram over the past year.
During the month of March, Jamal battled with a rival Taliban commander known as Rafique in central Kurram. Jamal and Rafique inked a truce on March 22.
Jamal is known as a brutal and effective leader who is considered a a potential successor to Hakeemullah Mehsud, the overall leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Paksitan. After Hakeemullah was reported killed in late January 2010, Jamal denied rumors that he had taken control of the Pakistani Taliban. In fact, Jamal claimed Hakeemullah is still alive.
Arakzai remains a battleground between the Taliban and the Pakistani military. The military claims to have killed more than 160 Taliban fighters since heavy fighting began in the tribal agency on March 21.
On March 31, Army helicopter gunships struck Taliban positions in the tribal agency, killing eight Taliban fighters. The Taliban destroyed a health clinic and five schools.
On March 27, more than 100 Taliban fighters launched an assault on a Frontier Corps outpost and overran it, killing a lieutenant colonel and four troops. The military retook the outpost after a several-hour-long battle. A day later, the Taliban massed to attack another outpost, but the attack was repelled.
Arakzai has become a hub of Taliban activity over the past year. Large elements of the Taliban in the Mehsud regions of South Waziristan have relocated to the tribal agencies of Arakzai, Kurram, Khyber, and North Waziristan, after the Pakistani Army launched an operation in October 2009 [see LWJ report, "Pakistani military hits Taliban in Arakzai"].
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