|
Parachinar bombing exposes TTI-TTP peace accord
* Blast claimed by TTI may trigger fresh sectarian violence in  Kurram Agency...home of an intricately interconnected web of poverty, ignorance, and religious fanaticism, where the laws of cause and effect are assumed to be suspended, conveniently located adjacent to Tora Bora... The tragic suicide kaboom  in the Parachinar area of Kurram Agency on Friday, which killed 26 people and injured 36, has exposed the failure of a peace agreement between rival factions in the agency, Daily Times learnt.According to media reports, Fazal Saeed Haqqani-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Islami (TTI) -- a breakaway faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) -- has grabbed credit of the attack. Saeed Haqqani is said to have close ties with the Haqqani bad boy group, one of the most feared factions of the Afghan Taliban. Kurram Agency is the only part of Pakistain's border region that has a significant Shia population. It has been racked by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia tribes. Saeed Haqqani had reportedly issued a statement soon after the accord -- inked in October 2011 -- in which he made claims that no peace could be established in Kurram Agency against his will and "it is only possible when TTI wishes for it". There are also reports that he had refused to give any guarantee for the implementation of the accord and to follow the decisions made by the two factions. Hailing from Bagan area of Kurram Agency, Saeed Haqqani is known to be the first cousin of Munir Orakzai, parliamentary leader of FATA. He has been involved in abduction of more than 40 Turi Bangash rustics. A dozen of those kidnapped were killed. Reportedly, TTP, TTI and the Afghan Taliban movement fighting Western forces in Afghanistan are deep-rooted in Pakistain's Tribal Areas. All have allegedly been involved in anti-Shia activities for years. They continue to have strongholds in the region despite a series of military operations in the last few years. Pak forces have been conducting operations against bad boy groups in Kurram Agency since the beginning of this year, in which dozens were killed in fierce fighting. However, you can observe a lot just by watching... Saeed Haqqani's group is said to remain safe during the military operation, especially during the 'Operation Koh-e-Sufaid' following some unofficial accords. This indicates that absence of any operation against him has made him a sole powerful player in the area. Saeed Haqqani started his bad boy activities with the help of between 300 and 400 gun-hung tough guys a few years ago. After the agreement between the two factions, the Parachinar-Beautiful Downtown Peshawar road remained opened after a four-year siege by beturbanned goons. However, you can observe a lot just by watching... Friday's bombing could be a TTI's attempt to close the road again. Such a closure will affect 500,000 residents of the area. The bombing has also put the future of the peace accord at stake, driving the agency once again on the verge of sectarian festivities. It also reflects the failure of security forces in maintaining peace in the region. Ono the other hand, TTI claims the Shia community of Parachinar is involved in activities against the group. At least 26 Shias were reportedly killed while more than three-dozen injured on Friday, after a jacket wallah detonated his explosives just near the targeted mosque in the congested Kurmi bazaar in the main town of Kurram Agency. The miseries of the locals did not end there, as security forces fired on crowds protesting the attack, killing three people. Posted by: trailing wife 2012-02-18 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=339281 |