ISLAMABAD — They were never routed, no matter what Pakistan claimed. Instead, the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters have merely relocated. They’re still near the Afghan border.
Months after Pakistani troops chased them from South Waziristan, these militants have established a new base farther north under the protection of an insurgent leader who has cut past deals with the Pakistani army, according to residents, militants and reports from Associated Press correspondents who visited recently.
The fighters — including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks — roam through markets, frequent restaurants and watch jihadi movies or surf the Web at Internet cafes, their weapons propped up against the table. Pakistani troops wave them through checkpoints even though they’re armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers.
These are the new VIPs in Pakistan’s most dangerous region, North Waziristan.
The influx of these militants into North Waziristan in recent months adds to pressure on the army to launch an offensive there, and raises questions over its policy of making agreements with Gul Bahadur and other insurgent leaders who threaten U.S. forces in Afghanistan but do not attack targets in Pakistan.
Bahadur agreed not to help fellow militants during last year’s offensive in South Waziristan as part of an understanding reached with the army. In exchange, the army would not attack his territory to the north. Now it appears this pact has backfired on the army.
