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The Taliban phenomenon

Over the past few months, a new movement transcending all political and militant factions has appeared in Afghanistan. The Taliban phenomenon has had considerable military success starting with the rescue of Pakistan’s road convoy to Central Asia. Since that land route initiative was taken by Maj Gen (Retd) Naseerullah Khan Babar, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, the freeing of Pakistani trucks and drivers hostage in the hands of the local warlords then in control of the region seemed to indicate Gen Babar’s control (or support) of this new force, as later events have shown this seemingly “new” breed of warriors of Islam in the already over-factionalised society of Afghanistan do not accept any control except that of God. The public perception about their sudden appearance and relative success may remain a mystery, rumours may abound about their objectives and origin but the answers are really very simple and has similarities in the third force movement even in our own country (though no connection one may hasten to add). Already perennial opportunity-seekers are trying to jump on the bandwagon of their success.

As stated, the Taliban started their military operations from South-Eastern Afghanistan at about the same time that a convoy of NLC trucks left Pakistan via Chaman en route to Turkmenistan (Chaman-Kandahar-Herat-Turghundi). The convoy was stopped by Mujahideen Commanders, namely Gul Agha, Mansoor, Niaz Mohammad Lalai and Hameed Agha of Mahaz-e-Milli as well as Sarkatib Ata Mohammad and Ustad Abdul Aleem of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (Hikmatyar). This convoy was subsequently rescued by the Talibans who continued their operations deeper inside Afghanistan and in a very short period of time gained control of the following eight provinces:-

A. KANDAHAR
(1) Spin Boldak: Initial resistance was put up by Noorzai Shoora headed by Mullah Akhtar Mohammad of Hizb-e-Islami (Hikmatyar) but they were overcome.

(2) Highway Takhtapul-Kandahar Airfield: Commander Mansoor (ex-Maahaz-e-Milli of Saiyed Ahmed Gilani) had a number of posts on the road. Talibans cleared the area after stiff resistance.

(3) Kandahar City: The city was occupied after heavy fighting between Taliban and the combined forces of the following Commanders:

(a) Niaz Mohammad Lalai, Gul Agha (Governor of Kandahar) and Hameed Agha (ex Mahaz-e-Milli of Saiyed Ahmad Gilani).

(b) Sarkatib Ata Mohammad and Ustad Abdul Aleem (of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (Hikmatyar).)

(4) No resistance was offered by Corps Commander Kandahar, namely Mullah Naqeeb (of Jamiat-e-Islami of President Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani).

B. ORUZGAN: Located north of Kandahar and lightly held by groups belonging to all major Mujahideen parties. No fighting was involved in its occupation.

C. HELMAND: Situated west of Kandahar astride the Kandahar-Herat road. It was occupied after heavy fighting against the forces of Mullah Ghaffar (ex-Harkate Islami of Maulvi Mohammad Nabi) and Raees Abdul Wahid (ex-Jamiat-e-Islami of President Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani).

D. ZABOL: Located north of Kandahar astride the Kandahar-Ghazni road. Major area of the province was under the control of commanders belonging to Hizb-e-Islami (Khalis), Harkat-e-Islami (Maulvi Mohammad Nabi) and Ittehad-e-Islami (Sayyaf). No resistance was put up by them.

E. NIMROZE: The Province was very lightly held by small and scattered groups affiliated with different Mujahideen Tanzeemats. No resistance was offered by them.

F. FARAH: Mujahideen groups belonging to all groups had control of the Province. However, they did not pose resistance to Talibans.

G. GHAZNI: The entire Province was under the effective control of a powerful warlord, Qari Taj Mohammad commonly known as Qari Baba. Qari Taj was appointed by President Rabbani as both Governor and Corps Commander of Ghazni. Qari Baba welcomed the Talibans and handed over the province to them.

H. WARDAK: This Province is under the control of forces belonging to Hizb-e-Islami (Afghanistan) Hikmatyar. After heavy fighting the Talibans have been successful in gaining control of a large area of the province. Presently fighting is going on for the capture of Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital about 30 miles south of Kabul.

Afghanistan has 28 Provinces, of these 8 Provinces are now held by the Taliban comprising 40% of the land area of the country. Contrary to speculation, the Taliban are not “new” warriors but are mostly veterans of the Afghan independence war, having fought Russians and their surrogate Afghan Communist forces throughout the 80s decade. Every faction of the Afghan movement had students from “Deeni Madrassahs” (religious schools) from the same region fighting in their ranks. For the most part they even maintained their own “Taliban” identity within the factions. Since the Russians and their surrogates were the common enemy, the Taliban found it expedient to join with the most powerful military faction in their proximity. As such, we are not witness to any new group of recently trained soldiers emerging out of the blue but the banding together of Taliban units of the different Afghan factions into a single potent entity.

Instead of freedom at the end of the war, Afghans have had their hopes shattered by local warlords. While there are a number of factions, Afghanistan has been mainly divided into areas controlled by the Government in Kabul led by the current President Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) supported by JI’s military leader in the field, Ahmad Shah Masood. Opposing him are, to the West Gulbadin Hikmatyar of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) who is supported in the North by the mercenary warlord Rashid Dostum. To the South-west is Governor Ismail Khan of Herat who commands considerable influence in his area and supports President Rabbani. The other factions are smaller and have only local influence, supporting one or the other major parties in the conflict.

Gulbadin Hikmatyar’s forces have clashed with the Taliban at Maidan Shahr on the way to Kabul. At this time the Taliban are opposed by the Hizb-i-Islami and it stands to reason that they will also confront Rashid Dostum’s forces if and when they move towards Mazar-i-Sharif in the North. It is an even bet that Russia will support Dostum with all its might, his ideological leaning being very tenuously “Islamic”. For the moment President Rabbani has not opposed the onset of the new Taliban force towards Kabul but only time will tell how the alliances will work out. JI’s military commander, Ahmad Shah Masood, is less friendly towards the Taliban. Others such as Sayyaf and Khalis are more or less neutral but the Taliban have got more than moral support from the outset from Moulvi Nabi Mohammad of the Harakat-e-Islami.

The Taliban have drawn support from the population because of their return to community basics by deeds rather than applying the strong arm methods employed by the militant political factions for their own selfish ends. In the Provinces that they have “liberated”, all the population has been disarmed, something no force in history has been able to achieve in Afghanistan. There is peace in the areas they control and absolute freedom of travel. Moreover, there is basic justice instead of the rule of the gun. One does not wonder why the population has taken to the Taliban rule with such great enthusiasm. The only requirement of the Taliban has been enforcement of Shariat rule (shades of Malakand). To the UN mediator Mesteri who made a flying visit in Kandahar recently, they pledged full support for the normalisation process but they had reservations for the proposal for western style one man-one vote type of democracy since they feel that one Muslim cannot be equated to one Kafir, criminal, liar, etc but (as they suggested) perhaps to 1,000 such people.

The Taliban movement must reach its logical conclusion and that is the peace it promises to strife-torn Afghanistan. Since a fair percentage of their combatants are drawn from “Deeni Madrassas” in Pakistan adjacent to the borders, there is ultimate likelihood of the process spilling over into Pakistan at least in NWFP and Balochistan areas bordering Afghanistan in a more than potent manner. As it is we are going through an indigenous “Back to Basics” Imran phenomenon which may not be so ideologically pure as the Taliban but seems to have caught the public imagination as tailored to Pakistan. The people of Pakistan are fed up with the unending political strife and seem to have discovered a ray of hope in Imran’s simple message to return to pure Islamic values in the living of our now very “complicated” lives. To the common man, burdened under rising prices and deprivation, Imran seem God-sent. There is a wind of change in the air and that militates against the vested interest that have eaten Pakistan blind. We are seeing the phenomenon in Afghanistan happen through the barrel of the gun, maybe we will see the process succeed in Pakistan through the process of the real vote, not one manipulated past midnight as the culmination of a well planned fraud.

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