Maulvi Nazir

Maulvi Nazir (c. 1975^[1][2] - ) is a leading militant of the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan.^[3][4][5] Nazir's operations are based around Wana.^[6] He is opposed to foreign influence, particularly Uzbek and American, in Waziristan.^[1] The Pakistani military and intelligence establishment consider Nazir to be "good Taliban" as he does not have a particularly anti-government agenda.^[7]

Background

According to the The Jamestown Foundation Nazir is a member of the Kakakhel tribe, part of the Ahmedzai Waziris. With an estimated birth year of 1975, he is a dual citizen of both Afghanistan and Pakistan and until 2010 owned property in Kandahar.^[1][2] He controls large portions of South Waziristan and maintains influence in southwestern Afghan provinces of Paktika, Zabul, Helmand and into Kandahar.^[2]

Early activities

Prior to the creation of the Taliban he was affiliated with the Hezbe Islami Gulbuddin, an older conservative, Wahhabist group supported by Pakistan's Inter-service Intelligence Directorate during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. He later joined the Taliban and aligned himself politically with Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s JUI party.^[1]

With the notable approval of Mullah Dadullah and Siraj Haqqani, Nazir enforced sharia in South Waziristan in 2006 with instructions to his supporters to avoid combating the Pakistani army.^[1]

Conflicts with Uzbek militants

After Maulvi Nazir established sharia his forces, with the support of the Pakistani military, engaged in battle with Uzbek militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) operating in the region under Tahir Yuldashev.^[1] Although more than 250 Uzbeks were killed in the fighting and others were forced to flee, Nazir stated in a 2011 interview that he and the IMU had reconciled after Yuldashev's death in 2009.^[2]

Unification against NATO troops

In early 2009 Nazir and two rival warlords, Baitullah Mehsud and Hafiz Gul Bahadur, agreed to put aside differences to unify efforts against NATO troops under the newly formed Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, the Council of United Mujahedeen.^[8][9] In a written statement circulated in a one-page Urdu-language pamphlet, the three affirmed that they would put aside differences to fight American-led forces. The statement included a declaration of allegiance to both Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden.^[8][10]

Rifts Within the Ranks

After the death of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed by a CIA drone on August 5, 2009, reports surfaced of infighting within the TTP.^[11][12] Mehsud was the leader of the loosely-knit Pakistani Taliban, a militant network comprising 13 different, and sometimes rival, factions. His death created a power vacuum that led to a power struggle within the TTP.^[13][14]

On August 16, 2009, an alleged group of fighters loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, armed with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), attacked a group of Nazir's men, killing at least 17 militants. According to Nazir's spokesman Shaheen Wazir, the attack was so sudden, that Nazir's fighters couldn't even fire back.^[15] It was also reported that Nazir himself was one of the 17 men killed.^[15] Baitullah Mehsud's camp denied the accusations.^[16] Abdul Haq, another spokesman for Nazir said he didn't know whether Mehsud's loyalists or the Pakistan Army were behind the attack.^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Hassan Abbas (2007-05-14). "South Waziristan’s Maulvi Nazir: The New Face of the Taliban". 5. The Jamestown Foundation. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4147. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Shahzad, Syed Saleem (2011-05-05). "Taliban and al-Qaeda: Friends in arms". Asia Times Online (Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd.). http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/ME05Df02.html. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ Iqbal Khattak (2008-01-31). "Wazir tribesmen wary of Uzbek militants’ return to South Waziristan". Daily Times (Pakistan). http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\01\31\story_31-1-2008_pg7_1. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
4. ^ Iqbal Khattak (2009-02-26). "Taliban alliance only against US, says Maulvi Nazir". Daily Times (Pakistan). http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\02\26\story_26-2-2009_pg7_29. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
5. ^ "Taliban groups fight for local support in South Waziristan". Daily Times (Pakistan). 2009-03-27. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\03\27\story_27-3-2009_pg7_20. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
6. ^ Shah, Pir Zubair; Sharon Otterman (2009-06-18). "Pakistan Says U.S. Drone Kills 13". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/world/asia/19pstan.html. Retrieved 2009-06-18. 
7. ^ Roggio, Bill (2010-05-17). "The Pakistani Taliban's top leaders". The Long War Journal. Public Multimedia Inc.. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/05/the_pakistani_taliba_1.php. Retrieved 2011-02-22. "Mullah Nazir is a Taliban leader in the Waziri areas of South Waziristan. Nazir is not a member of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan; he is closely allied to Mullah Bahadar. Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state. However, Nazir openly supports Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. More senior al Qaeda leaders have been killed in Nazir's tribal areas during the US air campaign than in those of any other Taliban leader in Pakistan." 
8. ^ ^{a b} Khan, Haji Mujtaba (2009-02-23). "Taliban rename their group". The Nation. http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/23-Feb-2009/Taliban-rename-their-group. Retrieved 2009-03-30. 
9. ^ "Three Taliban factions form Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahiden". The News. 2009-02-23. http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=69346. Retrieved 2009-03-30. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ Carlotta Gall, Ismail Khan, Pir Zubair Shah and Taimoor Shah (2009-03-26). "Pakistani and Afghan Taliban Unify in Face of U.S. Influx". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/asia/27taliban.html. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
11. ^ "Taliban Leader in Pakistan Is Reportedly Killed". The New York Times. 2009-08-08. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/world/asia/08pstan.html. Retrieved 2010-05-12. 
12. ^ "Signs of Taliban rift hearten Pakistan, U.S". Reuters. 2009-08-16. http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSLG242603._CH_.2400. 
13. ^ Khan, Ismail; Tavernise, Sabrina (2009-08-09). "Pakistan Says Feud Kills a Top Militant". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/world/asia/09pstan.html. Retrieved 2010-05-12. 
14. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
15. ^ ^{a b c} Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
16. ^ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL418203.htm