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July 7, 2006
Afghanistan: Islamist Women Form Suicide Bomb Brigade
News from AKI states that suicide bombing, which was previously rare in Afghanistan's conflict, is becoming more frequently used by insurgents, and a group of about 70 women are leading this development.
The women are mainly the widows of Arab and Uzbek militants who have been killed in clashes in Afghanistan or the now-Talibanised region of North Waziristan in northern Pakistan.
Waziristan was formerly the home of 70,000 Pakistani troops, charged to quell the unrest and hunt down foreign insurgents living in the border territories with Afghanistan, which included prominent Al Qaeda members.
Recently, Pakistan's government has bizarrely attempted a policy of reconciliation with the local tribal tribesmen from North and South Waziristan, and has withdrawn many of its troops from the region. Many of the tribal leaders are supportive of the Taliban, and consequently, militants are finding Waziristan to be a safe haven. The reconciliation with the pro-Taliban leaders came through negotiations with the opposition MMA, (Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal).
Such reconciliation is bizarre, as the six party opposition alliance which make up the MMA support the ideals of the Taliban anyway, and wish to impose Sharia law on Pakistan. The head of the MMA is Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. Ahmad has consistently tried to bring down Musharraf's government, by force if necessary, and has given his support to both the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
AKI states that the introduction of suicide bombings to Afghanistan's conflict can be traced back to March, when a delegation of Iraq-based insurgents connected to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tavelled to the country, with video footage of "successful" suicide attacks, to demonstrate to the Taliban how these could further their aims.
Suicide bombings have increasingly featured in pro-Islamist DVDs and videos currently on sale in Waziristan.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 7, 2006 8:34 PM
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