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MILNET Brief
  Pakistani Violence and Jihadists, January, 2008 (updated May 21, 2008)
"In September [2007], Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf signed a controversial peace agreement with seven militant groups, who call themselves the "Pakistan Taliban." Pakistan's army has agreed to withdraw from the area and allow the Taliban to govern themselves, as long as they promise no incursions into Afghanistan or against Pakistani troops."
- Infoplease 10


India-Pakistan Military Balance

Four months before former P.M. Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan to begin a run for President of Pakistan, a sporadic insurgency began to pick up momentum, beginning in the North and inexorably moving southward.  As Pakistani authority failed to control the insurgency, perhaps demonstrating that the insurgents could create havoc at will, the insurgency rapidly grew into daily chaos including suicide bombings, car bombings, and flat out murders as the Jihadists began to spread their involuntary influence.

Unfortunately, much of the violence would appear to be instigated by two essential forces Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, both who have made their safe havens in the rugged areas near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the North.  The key element may be an agreement by Pakistani President Musharraf in September of 2007 to allow a band of tribal groups autonomy in the north.  The band of radical groups called themselves, "Pakistan Taliban" and yes, they are thought to be remnants of and new recruits of the original Taliban that took over the government in Afghanistan.  10  While for a short while these tribal groups appeared to honor the agreement, it is clear today that they have spawned a major insurgency in Pakistan, one that may soon match the levels of violence in Iraq that peaked between 2005 and mid 2007.

But neither the Taliban or Al-Qaeda alone have the forces necessary to create the kind of havoc seen continuing beyond December of 2007.  They are enlisting, and it appears quite successfully, other radical Islamists in Pakistan, which also unfortunately, in that country, there is no shortage of such groups.  The successful assasination of Bhutto on the second attempt on her life in Pakistan in December of 2007 has also set aflame those usually less prone to violence and the country appears now to be heading for disaster.

This briefing looks at the Jihadists in Pakistan who may be contributing to the insurgency there, focusing on and upgrading work from an earlier MILNET briefing "Pakistani Export of Militant Islamic Jihadists" which was first briefed in 2003, and updated in July of 2005.  The table below focuses on suicide bombings...the prevelant method for achieving death by violence in Pakistan these days.  It should be noted that gun battles also occur as well as remote control bombings...the familiar IED or a vehicle laden with explosives.
Chronology of recent attacks In Pakistan  July 14, 2007 throughMay 21, 2008
Date
 Where
 Details
7/14/2007
 North Waziristan
 Suicide car-bomber kills 24 paramilitary soldiers and wounds 29
7/15/2007
 Swat Valley in NWFP
 Sixteen people, most of them paramilitary soldiers, are killed in ambush on patrol
7/15/2007
 Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP
 suicide bomber targets police recruiting center, killing 29
7/17/2007
 Islamabad (Capital city)
 Suicide bomber kills 16 people outside court near suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry
7/19/2007
 Three seperate towns
 Suicide attacks kill a total of 52 in one day
7/27/2007
 Islamabad Suicide bomb attack in restaurant near Red Mosque kills 13 people, most of them policemen
09/04/2007
 Rawalpindi
 Two suicide bombers kill 25
09/11/2007
 Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP
 Suicide bomber kills 16 people
09/13/2007
 Near Islamabad
 At least 15 soldiers killed in suicide bombing in an army canteen
10/19/2007
 Karachi
 139 people killed in suicide bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto's motorcade, Bhutto survives
10/25/2007
 NW Swat Valley in NWFP
 Suicide bomber kills 21 people, including 17 soldiers, in an attack on an army convoy
11/24/2007
 Rawalpindi
 Two suicide carb bomb attacks kill 15 people, day before Nawaz Sharif due back from exile
12/17/2007
 Kohat in Northwest
 Suicide bomber kills 10 military recruits
12/21/2007
 Northern Pakistan
 suicide bomber kills at least 41 people in a mosque during Eid festival prayers
12/27/2007
 Rawalpindi
 Former P.M. Benazir Bhutto and 16 others  killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack after a rally
12/31/2007
 Country-wide
 Angry supporters of Bhutto take to the streets. The death toll of people killed in riots reaches 47
01/07/2008
 Northwest Pakistan
 Al-Qaeda-linked militants attack 2 government-sponsored peace movement offices, killing  8
01/10/2008
 Lahore
 Suicide bomber sets off explosives outside the High Court, killing 22 police and 4 civilians
01/14/2007
 Karachi
 10 killed and 12 injured in blomb blast hidden under fruit cart in Karachi's Quaidabad
01/17/2008
 Peshwar in the North Teenage boy suicide bomber kills 12 and wounds 25 in Shiite Mosque when stopped at door
01/30/2008
 Peshwar in the North
 Premature detonation of suicide bomb kill three terrorists, 2nd bomb destroyed shops in a suburban area
02/04/2008
 Rawalpindi in the North
 Suicide bomber rams motorcycle into Army mini-van killing 6 and wounding more than 30
02/09/2008
 Charsadda, NWFP
 Suicide bomber sets off blast amidst Awami National Party -- ANP rally killing 27
02/11/2008
 Aidak*, near Mir Ali, No. Wazinstan
 Suicided bomber rams bomb laden car into convoy, killing Nisar Ali and 9 others in ANP
02/16/2008
 Parachinar, NW Pakistan
 Suicide bomber rams car into candidate's election office, kills 37 outside PPP candidate's office also wounding 90
02/22/2008
 Mata, Swat Valley, NWFP
 Truck bomb killed 12 wedding guests, it may have been a suicide bomber
02/25/2008
 Rawalpindi in the North
 Suicide bomber killed Pakistani Surgeon Mushtaq Baig and his driver while waiting at stoplight
03/01/2008
 Swat Vellly, NWFP
 Suicide bomber kills 38 attending a funeral for policeman killed in an earlier attack
03/01/2008
 Khar, Bajuur
 Suicide truck bomber rammed a paramilitary vehicle killing one and seriously wounding 17 others.
03/02/2008
 Darra Adam Khel, NWFP
 Suicide bomber attacks a meeting of tribal leaders resisting Al Qaeda and Taliban killing 40 or more.
03/04/2008
 Lahore
 2 Suicide bombers drove motorcycles into back entrance of the war college killing at least 5
03/11/2008
 Lahore
 3 killed by suicide truck bomber while 21 were killed by bomb at Federal Investigation  Agency
03/15/2008
 Islamabad
 Possible suicide bomber killed 1 and injured seven  or more at a popular Italian restaurant
03/17/2008
 Swat district of NWFP Two policeman killed and five others wounded on attack at police builiding by bomber posing as new recruit
03/21/2008
 Near Afghan Border
 Suicide bomber drives explosives laden car into Pakistani brigade HQ, killnig 5
05/01/2008
 Khyber tribal district Offices of pro-taliban cleric Haji Namdar (Tanzeem Amar Bil-maruf wal Nahi Al-munkar, a muslim anti-vice organization) 30 injured, bomber killed
05/06/2008
 Bannu region, NWFP
 Cycle rickshaw driver blew himself up when police stopped him at checkpoint, killing one officer and injuring five others
05/18/2008
 Mardan, NWFP
 Suicide bomber kills 13 including four soldiers
07/5/2008
 Islamabad
 Suicide bomber kills 10-15 at police station kiosk
07/13/2008
 Kotli Imam Hussain
 Suicide bomber injured 4 people at a conference memoralizing others killed earlier in Dera Ismail Khan
8/07/2008
 Bajur
 2 Pakistani soldiers killed, three wounded by a remotely detonated bomb near Khar
    NWFP = North Western Frontier Province  (Swat and Muralar);  Data from varoius news sources including  Zeenews Bureau 17 and MILNET Research;
   *= Aidak is sometimes spelled as Eidak, and both spellings appear in multiple news reports of the attack.
 
Updates are reflected in the bottom rows of the table above which details the chronology of attacks.


 The MIJs in Pakistan

As we have reported earlier, there is no shortage of MIJs in Pakistan.  This list is a who's who of South Asian Terrorists, many who have supported the battle against the Russians during the Afghanistan war, and many who have regularly attacked into the Kashmir or randomly targeted the innocent as part of the terrorist campaign aimed at and in cities within India.

Looking at a map of where the concentrations of these militants are gives you a clear picture also of the influence of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan as well as the significance of Afghanistan in all this.


The Major Terrorist Groups Contribution to Insurgency in Pakistan

The Taliban are not shown on this map, however, it is clear they have refuge in the northern areas of  both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In fact, in September of 2007, in a move that brought criticism from most all analysts, Perez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan, signed an agreement 10 with the so called "Pakistan Taliban" giving them control of an area in northern Pakistan.  The deal clearly has backfired, as by the end of December, 2007, the area has proven to be the breeding ground for radical islamist assaults southward as far as Islambad as well as sparked insurgencies in all the major northern Pakistani cities as far south as Lahore and clearly has been the central cauldron feeding an unprecedented insurgency in Pakistan that threatens to topple Musharraf's government.

With some 8 major terrorist groups living or recruting heavily in Pakistan, and some 7 or more active local militants in Pakistan, it is clear that the insurgency has plenty of fodder from which to find more suicide bombers and a large force of sneak killers to build and set off bombs in cars or trucks. 

Pakistan, then, is a bomb whose fuse has already been lit, and unfortunately, the result could be the ownership of nuclear weapons by the world's worst nutcases that have ever been seen.

The table below lists the groups of militants known to exist in Pakistan:

Name
 Led By
 Description
 Importance
International Groups

Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)
(Movement of the Warriors)
a.k.a. Jamiat ul-Ansar (JUA) 		Fazlur Rehman Khalil, in mid-February 2000 stepped down as HUM emir, turning the reins over to the popular Kashmiri commander and his second in command, Farooq Kashmiri. Khalil
(Links to Al Qaeda)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 The HUM is an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan that operates primarily in Kashmir. It is politically aligned with the radical political party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F). Longtime leader of the group, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, in mid-February 2000 stepped down as HUM emir, turning the reins over to the popular Kashmiri commander and his second in command, Farooq Kashmiri. Khalil, who has been linked to Usama Bin Ladin and signed his fatwa in February 1998 calling for attacks on US and Western interests, assumed the position of HUM Secretary General. HUM operated terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan until Coalition airstrikes destroyed them during fall 2001. In 2003, HUM began using the name Jamiat ul-Ansar (JUA), and Pakistan banned the successor JUA in November 2003. First designated in October 1997.  Based in Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi, and several other towns in Pakistan (See MILNET Lodi Five briefing).  The HUM trained its militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan and thus may still have strong support networks in either or both countries. Supporters throughout Pakistan, rallies the so called "Arab Street" in Pakistan.  Provides Jihadist training to Muslims in country and is believed to fund and help operate Madrasah in Pakistan.  May be hiding Osama Bin Laden in the regions bordering Afghanistan.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F)		 Fazlur Rehman Associated with the Deobandi Islamic tradition, a Sunni extremist faction of the Muslim faith.  The group is associated with no less then two other former Aftghan fighter terrorist groups (Jarakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) and Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islmami (HUJI)), as well as links to terrorists operating in the Kashmir region of Pakistan/India.
 Maintains and supports the Deobandi Islamic extremist ideology, with Madrasas that are believed to recruit candidates for Jihadist training camps in Pakistan or perhaps Afghanistan.

Jaish e-Mohammed (JEM)
(Arm of Mohammad)
a.k.a. Tehrik ul-Furqaah,
Khuddam-ul-Islam

Note: Bahar Idriss Abu Garda has emerged as the leader of what is now called the JEM collective (Justice and Equality Movement), and active in northern Africa (the Sudan) and active in the Darfu region. He has identified the reason for forming the collective leadership in Sudan is the failure of Khalil Ibrahim and several unnamed conspiracies by the leader.  The original North African JEM and the splinter "collective" have no relationship to the JEM in South Asia.
 Mosoos Azhar, arrested in December of 2001, but was released in December of 2002.
Other's identified in leadership roles are:
Qari Mansoor Ahmed
Abdul Jabbar (HUM)
Saijad Usman
Shah Nawaz Kan
(a.k.a. Saijiid Jehaid/Gazi Baba of HUM)
MuftixMohdxAsgharx(HUM)x13


 Extremely militant and violent Isalmic, pro-Taliban group active in India and the Kashmir region. Jaish takes the battle to the people of India, however, attacking innocent targets deep inside India rather than focusing only on Kashmir.  a U.S. State Department release on 10/12/01 identified this group officially as a terrorist group and the U.S. Justice Department added the group to the list of groups whose funds will be seized worldwide by members of the Anti-Terrorist Coalition.  Ties to Al-Qaida (Osama Bin Laden) and the Islamic Egyptian Jihad (Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri). Thought to have many of its members trained by Al-Qaida and related organizations in Afghanistan.  Most of the JEM’s cadre and material resources have been drawn from the militant groups Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI) and the Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM). The JEM had close ties to Afghan Arabs and the Taliban. Usama Bin Ladin is suspected of giving funding to the JEM. Maintains a number of supporters in Pakistan and bordering areas of Afghanistan, may be hiding Osama Bin Laden

Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami (HUJI) (Movement of Islamic Holy War)		 Amin Rabbani HUJI, a Sunni extremist group that follows the Deobandi tradition of Islam, was founded in 1980 in Afghanistan to fight in the Jihad against the Soviets. It is also affiliated with the Jamiat Ulema-I-Islam Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F) and the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam. The group is made up primarily of Pakistanis and foreign Islamists who are fighting for the liberation of Kashmir and its accession to Pakistan.  Also believed to have links to the Kashmiri Al-Faren terrorist group that claimed credit for the kidnap of five Western tourists in July of 1995.
 Maintains and supports the Deobandi ideology in Madrasah in Pakistan and perhaps Afghanistan.  Believed to use the Madrasah to recruit into Jihadist training camps in Pakistan and perhaps Afghanistan

Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami - Bangledesh (HUJI-B)
 Shauqat Osman (founder and still commander-in-chief)
 The mission of HUJI-Bx14 is to establish Islamic rule in Bangladesh. HUJI-B has connections to the Pakistani militant groups Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI) and Harak ul-Mujahidin (HUM), who advocate similar objectives in Pakistan and Kashmir. HUJI-B was accused of stabbing a senior Bangladeshi journalist in November 2000 for making a documentary on the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh. HUJI-B was suspected in the July 2000 assassination attempt of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. HUJI-B has an estimated cadre strength of over several thousand members. Funding of the HUJI-B comes primarily from madrassas in Bangladesh. The group also has ties to militants in Pakistan that may provide another funding source.  Provides addtional support to Pakistani terrorists via training and recruitement, however, Madrasah in Bangledesh may provide funds to supporters of Pakistani terrorist groups who in turn provide those funds to Pakistani training camps or Madrasah who recruit for those trainng camps.

Jama'at ul-Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB)  13 (Bangladesh Assembly of Holy Warriors)
Possible a.k.a. Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB).		 Maulana Abdur Rahman and second-in-command, Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai

"Prior to the March 30, 2007 execution, JMB was led by a triumvirate consisting of its ‘supreme commander’ Abdur Rahman, a former activist of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai of the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) and Muhammad Asadullah al-Ghalib, an Arabic language lecturer at the Rajshahi University and chief of the Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB)" 13 		Believed to have been formed in 1998 in the Jamapur district of Bandladesh.  In May 20, 2002, eight Islamist militants were arrested at Parbatipur in the Dinajpur district and where authorities seized 25 petrol bombs and documents detailing the outfit's activities.  The group is thought to be responsible (and many cases has claimed responsiblity for February 13, 2003 attacks with seven bomb explosions in the Chhoto Gurgola area of Dinajpur town where three persons were wounded and an Aygyst 17, 2005 series of  blasts across the country where leaflets claiming responsibilty were found near each blast site. The list of attacks from JMB is horrendously long yet according to the Jamestown Foundation, Bangledesh was, as late as May of 2205,  continuing  to be in denial 14 of the level of terrorism in country. Essentially a Bangledesh operating outfit, the JMB has ties in Pakistan with radical sympathizers not satisfied with the HUJI-B organization which also recruits heavily in Pakistan.
"The outfit is known to maintain about 10,000 fulltime and 100,000 part-time cadres. Reports also suggest that there are approximately 10 lakh trainees of the outfit." 13
"The JMB has reportedly received funds from individual donors in countries like Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Several international NGOs such as the Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage and Doulatul Kuwait, UAE-based Al Fuzaira, Khairul Ansar Al Khairia, Bahrain-based Doulatul Bahrain and the Saudi Arabia-based Al Haramaine Islamic Institute have provided, over the years, a generous amount of funding to the outfit." 13

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ)
a.k.a. Lashkar-i-Jhangvi
 Original Founders: Riaz Basra (killed in 2002 at Mali, Multan), Akram Lahori and Malik Ishaque.
Lahori is believed to be the current  Saalar-i-Aalax(commander-in-chief) however he is in police custody and it is quite possible bodyguard Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi may be contributing in his place.
A later leader Asif Ramzi was killed in Allahwal Town, Karachi, Pakistan.
Another leader indentified in LJ is
Qari Abdul Hai
(Linked to Al Qaeda)
 Pakistani Islamic terrorists linked to attempts on the life of Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf.  Militant offshoot of the Sunni sectarian group Sipah-i- Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). The group focuses primarily on anti-Shia attacks and was banned by Pakistani President Musharraf in August 2001 as part of an effort to rein in sectarian violence.   LJ is active primarily in Punjab and Karachi. Some members travel between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  After the collapse of the Taliban, LJ members became active in aiding other terrorists with safehouses, false identities, and protection in Pakistani cities, including Karachi, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. Provides funding to Pakistani Madrasah which recruit into Jihadist training camps.

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) (Army of the Righteous)
 MDI chief, Professor Hafiz Mohammed Saeed

 Armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organization, Markaz-ud-Dawa- wal-Irshad (MDI)--a Sunni anti-US missionary organization formed in 1989. One of the three largest and best-trained groups fighting in Kashmir against India, it is not connected to a political party but rather to a religious organization. Based in Muridke (near Lahore) and Muzaffarabad.  The LT trains its militants in mobile training camps across Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Local Groups
Ahle-Hadith   5 ?
 Sunni group responsible for secatarian violence, but very local and low on the list of terrorist groups (some analysts regard them more of a nuisance than a terrorist group).  A large number of smaller factions and no clear leadership make the groups activities spurious at best.
 May serve aa a recruiting ground for other, larger and more violent anti-Shia terrorist groups
Majlis-e-Dawah-wal-Irshadx5xxxx ?
 Sunni group responsible for secatarian violence, but very local and low on the list of terrorist groups (some analysts regard them more of a nuisance than a terrorist group). A large number of smaller factions and no clear leadership make the groups activities spurious at best. May serve aa a recruiting ground for other, larger and more violent anti-Shia terrorist groups
Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan
a.k.a. Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba (ASSP)
a.k.a. Sipah-e- Sahaba Pakistan (SSP)  5
 Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, Maulana Zia-ur-Rehman Farooqi, Maulana Eesar-ul-Haq Qasmi and Maulana Azam Tariq, 9/85
 The SSP wants Pakistan to be declared a Sunni state.
While fervently believing in hostility towards the Shias, the SSP also aims at restoring the Khilafat system. It also aims to protect the Sunnis and their Shariat (law). The SSP has declared that Shiites are non-Muslims. Opertational in Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Jhang, Multan and Muzaffargarh, 500 offices and branches in all 34 districts of Punjab. 		The outfit joined the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jamaat-e-Ulema-e Pakistan (JUP), Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, and Fazlur Rahman faction of JuI and Jamaat-e-Ahle Hadith in forming the Afghan Jehad Council
Muttahida Quomi Movement  5 Afaq Ahmed and Aamir Khan in June 1992 MQM-A, the suffix denoting the leadership of Altaf Hussain) which evolved from the Mohajir Quomi Movement, is the foremost among the ethnic based politico-terrorist formations in Pakistan. A break-away faction termed Haquiqi Mohajir Quomi Movement (literally meaning original MQM, and termed as MQM-H.  The MQM-A and the MQM-H were locked in a violent war for domination of urban territory in the Sindh province. Following strong action taken by the Pakistani state in 1997-98, the MQM-A was seriously affected in terms of loss of cadre and equipment and has, since then, largely adopted peaceful means of protest. Major political and violent force for sometime in the Sindh province of Pakistan.  May retain links to Madrasah and low visibility terrorist training.
Sipah-e-Mohammed Pakistan (Army of Muhammad)  5 Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani founder, Ghulam Raza Naqvi leader Ghulam Raza Naqvi is the Saalar-i-Aala (chief) of SMP. A dreaded hitman, when arrested in 1996, the government had placed a reward of Rs 2 million for his alleged involvement in about 30 cases of murder and dacoity.  He is reported to have visualised the creation of a Quds force comprising both Shias and Sunnis to ‘liberate’ Jerusalem. He is now in prison.  Goals is the protection of the Shiite community from Sunni fundamentalist and terrorist outfits. Its main rival is the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.  Headquarted in Thokar Niaz Be, a village near Lahore, Pakistan, numerous attacks in and around Lahore. Maintains close links with the Shia regime in Iran, its HQ in Lahore, Pakistan is believed to be a central point for anti-Sunni extremism in Pakistan and may finance and provide guidance for Shia based Islamic Jihadist training  in Madrasah associated to the anti-Sunni cause.
Tehreek-e-Jaferia Pakistan (TJP) (movement of the followers of Fiqah-e-Jaferia)  5 Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqv (previous leader was Allama Arif Husseini) Formed in 1979 to protect the interests of the Shiite minority and to spread the ideas of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian leader who led the successful Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran in 1979.  The objectives projected by the TJP are: the creation of a society based on ‘pure Islam’, the protection of social, political and religious rights of Shiites, the propaganda of Shiite ideas, coordination of all Pakistani Shiite organisations and the fight against imperialism. It also believes in Islamic egalitarianism and social justice. Two TJP members are also members of the Pakistani Parliament. The TJP is reported to have links with the Iranian clergy. Proscribed by President Pervez Musharraf on January 12, 2002, the group never-the-less states they are a religious organization.
 The terrorist group sources its finances from the Shiite community in Pakistan, Iran as well as certain commercial groups.
Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e- Mohammadi (TNSM)
 (The Movement for the Implementation of Mohammad's Sharia Law)
 Sufi Mohammed (in jail in Pakistan)
Faqir Mohammed
Maulana Fazalullah (thought to have replaced Sufi Mohammed while he is in jail)
 Active in the western sections of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan (NWFP), primarily in the Malakand and Swat districts, and clearly associated with the Yousafzi Pashtun tribe.  Focused on rule by Shara law and throwing off western "chains" which has resulted in followers burning electronics such as CDs or CD players, radios, televisions, etc.  Which of course further isolates them from world news and reality of the world outside their region.
 Recruits all over the northwest of Pakistan however its finances are not clear.  Judging by the number of people in Pakistan who have set fire to their elecrtronic appliances (some 10,000+) it is clear they have at least a few people willing to act on their preachings.
OTHERS


Al-Jihad
a.k.a. Jihad Group, Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) 		Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri Merged with Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda in June of 2001.  Members operate independent of but in concert with Al Qaeda.  Historically operated in the Cairo area, but most of its network is outside Egypt, including Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom, and its activities have been centered outside Egypt for several years. Maintains recruiting operations throughout the Middle East as well as criminal organizations providing funds to Al Qaeda through drug and human trafficking.

Al Qaeda
(aka al-Qaida)
"The Base"		 Usama bin Laden
(aka Osama bin Laden)
Dr. Ayman Zawahiri		 Formed from the remnents of Maktab al-Khadamat, which was led by Abdallah Azzam and later aided by Usama bin Laden. Helped finance, recruit, transport, and train Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan resistance to the Soviet occupation. Current goal is to "reestablish the Muslim state" throughout the world. Works with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non-Islamic" and remove Westerners from Muslim countries. Issued statement under banner of "The World Islamic Front for Jihad Against The Jews and Crusaders" in February 1998, saying it was the duty of all Muslims to kill US citizens, civilian or military, and their allies everywhere.  Has confessed to dozens or its associate groups claimed hundreds of attacks, including the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.
Maintains recruiting operations throughout the Middle East as well as criminal organizations providing fund through drug and human trafficking.  Provides funds to loosely associated terrorist groups who basically can become famous overnight by committing a publicly spectacular attack and professing to associated with Al Qaeda.
The Taliban Army
 Mullah Omar (Spirtual Leader), Maujana Qazi Fazlullah (Swat and Shangla, Pakistan),
Baitullah Mehsud (Pakistan),
Sufi Mohammed and Faqir Mohammed (Bajaur Province in Afghanistan).
Killed in recent U.S. and NATO attacks were:
Mullah Akhtar Osmani, Mullah Azizullah, Mullah Ibrahim, Mullah Abdul Ghafoo, Mullah Tor Jan the son of Taliban police chief, Jahi Aghar Mohammad. Mohammed Nabi was captured in a raid in Helmand and Mullah Daud Trabi was captured in Khost.
Remaining well known leaders are:  Mullah Hayatullah Khan, Qari Hazrat, Hamidullah, Matiullah Agha, Mullah Qassim,  Haji Aghar Mohammad, Mullah Abdul Rahim, Mullah Nizamuddin,  Mullah Razayar Noorzai, and Haji Naimatullah and possibly Mullah Dadullah 9,  all presumably targeted by NATO and U.S. special forces on a Taliban hit list.

 Pre 9/11 Taliban Timeline
Once in full control of the country of Afghanistan, the Taliban regime was spawned from the extremely radical elements of the Mujhideen fighters from the Afghan Insurgency fighting off the Soviet forces from Russia.  The Taliban rule in Afghanistan was one of the most brutal in Islam and gave Usama bin Laden and Dr. Ayman Zawahiri a safe haven to build and then train members of Al-Qaeda.  The Taliban was ousted from Afghanistan's seat of power and fled to the hills in the northeast settling in a wide area along the Afghan-Pakistani border.  However, U.S. and European (NATO) forces were still battling pockets of the Taliban from the Afghanistan side of the border as late as January of 2008.  Today it is believed the Taliban are found in the Pashtun tribal 8 areas and have tendrils spreading thorughout Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in areas in western Pakistan as well as eastern and southern Afghanistan.
 Recruits thorugh ideaology, specifically aiming at diseffected youth, older radically minded who believe or have been indoctrinated into believing the rule of Sharra law trumps all human rights and freedoms.  The Taliban's popularity seems hard to believe in the West, however, there is ripe and furtile ground in the Middle East as well as South and Southeast Asia among muslim prospects.  The preachings of Salyafist beliefs in Madrassah (religious schools) make excellent  inroads for  conversion of religioius ideals to violent Jihadists and the Taliban (and Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah for that matter) are expert in this area.  Whether Sunni or Shiite oriented, the idea of violent Jihad against infidels provides for numerous recruits for the Taliban in Afghanista and Pakistan.












Sources:
  1. Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State, 2003
  2. Terrorist Group Profiles, MILNET Brief
  3. Terrorism 101: A Tutorial on International Terrorism Today, MILNET, updated 7/21/2005
  4. London Attacks Prove Theory, MILNET Opinion, updated 7/21/2005
  5. Pakistan Terrorist Groups, South Asian Terrorist Portal -- SATP, New Delhi, India, 7/30/2002-1/09/2004
  6. Pakistan Grills Man with 7/7 Links, Zahid Hussain, Daniel McGrory and Sean O'Neill, London Times (Fox News), 7/21/2005
  7. Pakistan Detains Militants in London Bomb Probe, Associated Press, Fox News Online, 7/21/2005
  8. The Taliban Leadership, The Long War, 2/11/2008
  9. Taliban Leadership Endures a Heavy Blow, News, Afhanistan, Afgha.com, 2/14/2007
  10. Who Are the Taliban, Infoplease, undated
  11. Plot to bomb U.S. Jets is Foiled, John Ward-Anderson and Karen deYoung, Washington Post, 8/11/2006
  12. Details Emerge on Alleged Terror Plot, MSNBC.com, 8/10/2006
  13. South Asian Terrorism Portal, Institute for Conflict Management
  14. Global Terrorism Analysis, The Jamestown Foundation
  15. Bangladesh Still In Denial of Terrorsim Scourge, The Jamestonw Foundation, 5/12/2005
  16. India-Pakistan Military Balance, MILNET, January, 2008
  17. Timeline of recent bomb attacks in Pakistan, Zeenews Bureau International Edition
  18. Pakistani Forces Say [They] Kil[ed] up to 90 Militants, Augustine Anthony, Reuters, 1/18/2008
  19. Suicide Bomber Kills 38 at Pakistan Funeral, Reuters, 3/1/2008




© Copyright 2008, Michael G. Crawford for MILNET