In interviews, several Taliban fighters based in the border region said preparations for the anticipated influx of American troops were already being made. A number of new, younger commanders have been preparing to step up a campaign of roadside bombings and suicide attacks to greet the Americans, the fighters said.

The refortified alliance was forged after the reclusive Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, sent emissaries to persuade Pakistani Taliban leaders to join forces and turn their attention to Afghanistan, Pakistani officials and Taliban members said.

The overture by Mullah Omar is an indication that with the prospect of an American buildup, the Taliban feel the need to strengthen their own forces in Afghanistan and to redirect their Pakistani allies toward blunting the new American push.

The Pakistani Taliban, an offspring of the Afghan Taliban, are led by veterans of the fighting in Afghanistan who come from the border regions. They have always supported the fight against foreign forces in Afghanistan by supplying fighters, training and logistical aid.

But in recent years the Pakistani Taliban have concentrated on battling the Pakistani government, extending a domain that has not only threatened Pakistan but has also provided an essential rear base for the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

At the same time, American officials told The New York Times this week that Pakistan’s military intelligence agency continued to offer money, supplies and guidance to the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan as a proxy to help shape a friendly government there once American forces leave.

The new Taliban alliance has raised concern in Afghanistan, where NATO generals warn that the conflict will worsen this year. It has also generated anxiety in Pakistan, where officials fear that a united Taliban will be more dangerous, even if focused on Afghanistan, and draw more attacks inside Pakistan from United States drone aircraft.

“This may bring some respite for us from militants’ attacks, but what it may entail in terms of national security could be far more serious,” said one senior Pakistani official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to talk to news organizations. “This would mean more attacks inside our tribal areas, something we have been arguing against with the Americans.”

The Pakistani Taliban is dominated by three powerful commanders — Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulavi Nazir — based in North and South Waziristan, the hub of insurgent activity in Pakistan’s tribal border regions, who have often clashed among themselves.

Mullah Omar dispatched a six-member team to Waziristan in late December and early January, several Taliban fighters said in interviews in Dera Ismail Khan, a town in North-West Frontier Province that is not far from South Waziristan. The Afghan Taliban delegation urged the Pakistani Taliban leaders to settle their internal differences, scale down their activities in Pakistan and help counter the planned increase of American forces in Afghanistan, the fighters said.

The three Pakistani Taliban leaders agreed. In February, they formed a united council, or shura, called the Council of United Mujahedeen. In a printed statement the leaders vowed to put aside their disputes and focus on fighting American-led forces in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, denied that the meetings ever took place or that any emissaries were sent by Mullah Omar. The Afghan Taliban routinely disavow any presence in Pakistan or connection to the Pakistani Taliban to emphasize that their movement is indigenous to Afghanistan. “We don’t like to be involved with them, as we have rejected all affiliation with Pakistani Taliban fighters,” Mr. Mujahid said. “We have sympathy for them as Muslims, but beside that, there is nothing else between us.”

Several Pakistani officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to talk to news organizations, confirmed the meetings. But they said that the overture might have been inspired by Sirajuddin Haqqani, an Afghan Taliban leader who swears allegiance to Mullah Omar but is largely independent in his operations.

Mr. Haqqani, and his father Jalaluddin Haqqani, the most powerful figures in Waziristan, are closely linked to Al Qaeda and to Pakistani intelligence, American officials say. From their base in North Waziristan, they have directed groups of fighters into eastern Afghanistan and increasingly in complex attacks on the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The Taliban fighters said the Afghan Taliban delegation was led by Mullah Abdullah Zakir, a commander from Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, whose real name is reported to be Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul.

A front-line commander during the Taliban government, Mullah Zakir was captured in 2001 in northern Afghanistan and was detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, until his release in 2007, Afghan Taliban members contacted by telephone said.

The Pakistani fighters described Mullah Zakir as an impressive speaker and a trainer, and one said he was particularly energetic in working to unite the different Taliban groups. Beyond bolstering Taliban forces in Afghanistan, both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban leaders had other reasons to unite, Pakistani officials said.

One motivation may have been to shift the focus of hostilities to Afghanistan in hopes of improving their own security in Waziristan, where more than 30 drone strikes in recent months have been directed at both Mr. Mehsud and Mr. Nazir. Two senior commanders of the Haqqani network have been killed.

The Pakistani Taliban leaders also rely on Mr. Haqqani and their affiliation with the Afghan mujahedeen for legitimacy, as well as the money and influence it brings.

In their written statement, decorated with crossed swords, the three Pakistani Taliban leaders reaffirmed their allegiance to Mullah Omar, as well as the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden.

The mujahedeen should unite as the “enemies” have united behind the leadership of President Obama, it said. “The mujahedeen should put aside their own differences for the sake of God, God’s happiness, for the strength of religion, and to bring dishonor on the infidels.” The Taliban fighters interviewed said that the top commanders removed a number of older commanders and appointed younger commanders who were good fighters to prepare for operations in Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

In confident spirits, the Taliban fighters predicted that 2009 was going to be a “very bloody” year.

Pakistani and Afghan Taliban Unify in Face of U.S. Influx

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry Adviser Rehman Malik told a press conference that “some part of the conspiracy has taken place in Pakistan,” adding that eight people had been arrested – including a few named by India as masterminds.

But he also unveiled a slew of foreign links pointing to a network of “non-state actors” providing logistical support from around the globe. These include:

* Internet phone accounts arranged in Barcelona
* a digital teleconferencing system in Houston
* the use of Indian mobile phone connections
* a domain name registered in Russia
* a satellite phone registered in a Middle Eastern country
* further links to Austria and Italy.

Criticism, pressure from India
After 164 people were killed in Mumbai over three days last November, India was quick to point the finger at its long-standing rival for not doing enough to stop terrorists from using their territory as a base. (Read the Monitor’s article about that here.)

It was not until early January that Pakistan admitted that Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the attacks, was a Pakistani, while government officials have over the past few days been pushing a Bangladesh link. As little as eight days ago, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UK denied the attacks had been planned in Pakistan. The government, it appears, is keen to dispel the notion that there was any official link between the attackers and any government agencies, instead portraying itself, along with other countries, as a hapless victim.

Admission coincides with US envoy’s visit
The admission also coincides with a visit to the region by the newly-named US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke – the Monitor wrote about his ‘listening tour‘ on Wednesday. (It may be worth noting that the Pakistani government’s apparent about-face on releasing disgraced nuclear scientist Dr. AQ Khan’s was attributed by the Pakistani media to Holbrooke’s visit.]

India, meanwhile had termed the developments as “positive” but added Pakistan must now dismantle the “infrastructure of terrorism” on its soil.

Pakistan admits links to Mumbai attacks, arrests chief suspects | csmonitor.com

Hussain Haqqani said Pakistan wanted to pursue terrorists in the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan rather than go to war with India, adding the country also wanted to work with New Delhi to capture terrorists who were responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

“That said, over the last few days, we have reason to believe that there has been an escalation of rhetoric in India, which is accompanied by certain moves that we consider to be potentially dangerous,” Haqqani said.

He told the channel that he could not reveal the intelligence Pakistan had about Indian moves “but we are willing to share that with our friends around the world. And we have attempted to do that”.

Troop movement: He rejected the suggestion that the movement of Pakistani troops signalled an escalating situation.

“There is no bravado. Pakistan is not trying to make a show of might. All we are trying to do is to reassure our people that we do not want to go to war, but in case there are aggressive moves from the other side, then certainly we will take defensive positions,” Haqqani said.

“(It) is a call for India and our friends internationally to make sure that this remains a situation in which we work co-operatively,” he said, adding there had been no movements of troops from active engagement against terrorists and their supporters in the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Need for evidence: He said Islamabad ‘has been fully co-operating’ with New Delhi in anti-terrorism efforts but pointed out the need for evidence to prosecute suspects.

“We have arrested many people that the Indians have named. Now, of course, we are asking for evidence. After all, people, once they have been arrested and charged, need evidence to be prosecuted. And we are a country under the rule of law now that democracy has been restored in Pakistan,” the envoy said.

“The most important thing is Pakistan wants to continue pursuing the war against terror. We remain the allies of the international community in fighting terrorists and we certainly do not want to divert our attention from that,” he added. app

Daily Times – Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Pakistani intelligence officials say the U.S. has staged some 20 missile strikes on Pakistani territory since August, almost all of them aimed at the lawless tribal region along the Afghan border. But for the first time Wednesday, the missiles targeted militants beyond the tribal areas, deeper inside Pakistan. Six suspected insurgents were killed.

The strikes have strained relations between the allies, who are fighting al-Qaida and Taliban militants blamed for attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan as well as within Pakistan. Al-Qaida leaders Osama bin-Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri are believed to be hiding along the border.

Pakistan, which called the attack a “great provocation,” said the U.S. strikes undermine public support for fighting insurgents.

The Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson to protest the strike, the second time she has been called in since August.

“It was underscored to the U.S. ambassador that such attacks were a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” a ministry statement said. The foreign secretary stressed the attacks must be stopped, it added.

The U.S. rarely confirms or denies involvement in strikes inside Pakistan, which are believed to be carried out mainly by unmanned CIA drones flown from Afghanistan.

Also Thursday, militant leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur warned his men would launch suicide attacks on foreigners and government targets around the country unless the raids stop.

“The Pakistani government is clearly involved in these attacks by American spy planes so we will target government interests as well as foreigners,” Bahadur’s spokesman, Ahmedullah Ahmedi, told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He claimed the group — which is based in the Waziristan tribal area — had “well-trained volunteers.” An Interior Ministry spokesman said the government was not aware of the threat and declined comment.

Just days ago, NATO and U.S. officers on the Afghan side of the border reported improving cooperation with their Pakistani counterparts in fighting insurgents hiding on, or very near, the poorly demarcated border.

And Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sought to placate Pakistani lawmakers by telling them he expected the raids to stop when President-elect Barack Obama takes office.

“I think these things are happening because of this transition period,” he said. “I am sure when the government of Sen. Obama is formed, attacks like these will be controlled.”

Obama has not directly commented on the raids. But his comments on Pakistan before the election were more hawkish than his Republican rival, suggesting Gilani’s hopes may be misplaced.

Gilani also denied speculation that the Pakistan government — which relies heavily on U.S. aid — may have agreed to the missile strikes privately while publicly condemning them.

Pakistan has been hit by a surge in suicide attacks over the last 18 months and is engaged in a major offensive against militants in the Bajur tribal agency.

In the latest fighting, troops backed by helicopters killed 17 insurgents Wednesday and Thursday in Bajur, said Jamil Khan, the No. 2 government representative in the tribal region.

Bajur lies across from an Afghan region where U.S. officers have said they have launched a complimentary operation to squeeze fighters fleeing the offensive, which began in August.

In another sign of cross-border cooperation, the NATO-led force in Afghanistan said Pakistan’s military had responded to a request to attack insurgents on its side of the border earlier this week.

And on Thursday, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Bajur where pro-government tribesmen were praying, killing four and wounding four, said Fazal Rabi, a tribal police officer.

Authorities are encouraging residents in the tribal regions to form militias to drive out militants, who have responded with attacks.

The Associated Press:

“We have reports that 12 people were killed, including five foreigners,“ a paramilitary official told Reuters by telephone from the area.

A relative and aides to Mehsud, and Pakistani government and paramilitary officials said the attack happened at around 1:45 a.m. (2045 GMT), and at least three missiles were fired.

Frustrated by fighters from Pakistan fuelling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and fearful of al Qaeda regrouping, U.S. forces have intensified missile attacks by pilotless drones since early September.

A U.S. commando raid on Sept. 3 was the first time the lid has been raised on the use of ground forces on Pakistani territory and led to a diplomatic storm between the allies.

Pakistan has condemned the violations of its territory and argues that the attacks fuel anger towards the United States and undermines the government’s own efforts to garner people’s support for the campaign against militancy.

The latest attack coincided with a visit by the commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan to Islamabad.

General David McKiernan met with Pakistani parliamentarians at the U.S. embassy on Thursday to brief them on the security situation and efforts to combat the militancy threat, according to a lawmaker who attended, but requested anonymity.

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The assault highlighted the vulnerability of a vital supply route for the 65,000 U.S. and NATO forces battling a resurgent Taliban in landlocked Afghanistan. A significant amount of supplies for the Western forces go through Pakistan.

Attacks on convoys carrying food, fuel and other supplies are common on the road. But Monday’s raid was especially large and well-organized. It also could further strain U.S.-Pakistani relations over rooting out Taliban and al-Qaida militants along the border, which remain entrenched despite military offensives and U.S. missile strikes.

Some 60 masked militants blocked the route at several points before overpowering the convoy, said Fazal Mahmood, a government official in Khyber tribal region. He identified the attackers as members of Pakistan’s Taliban movement.

Security forces traded fire with the gunmen, but were forced to retreat, he said. The militants took about 13 trucks along with the drivers, who were believed to be Pakistani.

A U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed the thefts late Tuesday.

“There were some U.S. military materials that were taken — Humvees and water tank trailers,” said Maj. John Redfield.

Later Monday, a separate group of insurgents halted a truck carrying what appeared to be a NATO jeep, setting the military vehicle on fire, Mahmood said. NATO officials could not immediately be reached for comment on that incident.

In the past, U.S. and NATO officials have played down their losses along the pass.

But earlier this year, NATO said it was trying to reduce its dependence on the route by negotiating with Russia and other nations to let it truck “non-lethal” supplies to Afghanistan through Central Asia.

Security forces, backed by helicopter gunships, hunted for the missing trucks and drivers. The military said late Tuesday it had recovered some of the stolen materials but would not specify what.

“We are using all resources to trace and recover the hijacked trucks, some of which were carrying vehicles for the allied forces in Afghanistan,” Mahmood said.

Most of the supplies for U.S. and other foreign troops in Afghanistan arrive by ship at Pakistan’s port of Karachi in unmarked containers. They are then taken by colorfully decorated trucks to places like Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, the Afghan capital.

NATO and U.S. officials have declined to say if the trucks carry weapons and ammunition. They have in the past suggested that ordinary criminals — not an orchestrated campaign by militants — are the main problem.

The Khyber Pass, a stretch of about 30 miles, has long been an important trade route and militarily strategic area traversed for centuries by armies, from Moghul warriors to British colonial forces. It abuts the main northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar.

In a bid to eliminate militancy in the border region, the U.S. has stepped up unilateral missile strikes there, a move condemned by Pakistani leaders who say it only deepens anti-American feelings among civilians.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was headed to the United States Tuesday for a U.N. conference on interfaith relations. He was expected to broach the subject of the missile strikes with U.S. officials.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, issued a statement after a meeting Tuesday with a U.S. congressional delegation saying there was a “need for restoration of trust between” the two nations and that there must be “complete respect for Pakistan’s territorial integrity.”

Pakistan has pursued its own military offensives against insurgents, including ones in the Swat Valley and the Bajur tribal region. The U.S. has praised the operations, but the militants have staged a wave of suicide attacks, apparently in retaliation.

A suicide bomber blew himself up Tuesday outside a stadium hosting athletes from around the country, killing at least three people and wounding 17 while narrowly missing some top government leaders, officials said.

The bomber struck outside the main gate of the Peshawar Sports Complex, which was decked with lights for the closing ceremony of the Inter-Provincial Games. Officials had promoted the games as a way to improve the northwest’s violent image.

The province’s information minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, said he was just a few feet away from the site of the explosion when it happened, and that the province’s governor had left the scene only 15 minutes before.

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The reported strike occurred in the South Waziristan region, part of Pakistan’s wild border zone that is considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

Missile strikes into Pakistan’s border region have escalated sharply amid complaints from American commanders that Pakistani forces are not putting enough pressure on militant strongholds on their territory.

U.S. military and CIA drones that patrol the frontier region are believed to have carried out at least a dozen strikes since August. The United States rarely confirms or denies involvement.

Two intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media on the record, said the targeted house in Mandata Raghzai village belonged to a lieutenant of local Taliban chief Maulvi Nazir.

The officials, citing reports from agents and informers in the area, said militants cordoned off the scene. The identities of the 20 bodies pulled from the rubble were not immediately known, they said.

The missile strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida operatives in Pakistan this year.

However, it has also put strain on the country’s seven-year alliance with the U.S. in its war on terror, especially since stalwart U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf stepped down as Pakistan’s army chief and president.

Pakistan’s new leaders have protested the missile strikes — as well as a highly unusual raid by helicopter-borne commandos in September — as unacceptable violations of their sovereignty.

The attacks only fuel the militancy destabilizing Pakistan and undermining the nuclear-armed nation’s already faltering economy, they argue.

Pakistani troops are battling militants in two areas of the country’s troubled northwest. In the Bajur region, for instance, it claims to have killed some 1,500 suspected insurgents in a two-month offensive.

The operations have drawn U.S. praise.

Yet many Pakistani are weary of a war they believe is being fought at America’s behest and the government has offered to negotiate with any militant group willing to renounced violence, regardless of their ideology.

“There is an increasing realization that the use of force alone cannot yield the desired results,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a gathering of Pakistani and Afghan tribal elders.

The meeting in Islamabad was part of a dialogue process begun last year in hopes that it could ease strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both crucial allies of the U.S.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly accused Pakistan, which backed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America, of secretly continuing to aid the militants as a way to exert influence over its poorer neighbor.

Pakistan denies the charge. However, it has also seized on recent indications that Afghanistan’s government is also seeking talks with the Taliban to press for compromise.

Talks should be open to “sons of the soil willing to forsake the path of violence. With a patient air, we must listen to them,” Qureshi said. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan “need a healing touch,” he said.

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