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Sounding the drum for al-Qaeda hunt
It is early morning and a man in his early thirties is beating a beautifully decorated drum in an open field in Wana, main town of Pakistanâs South Waziristan tribal region. He is playing the drum as loud as possible. The intention is to let people know proceedings have begun. Soon men of all ages with guns hanging from their shoulders start gathering around him. A few of the young lose control and start dancing to the drums. This is the gathering of the traditional militia called the Lashkar, made up of volunteers in the rugged, semi-autonomous South Waziristan region. Soon these tribesmen will leave on a hunt for al-Qaeda militants hiding in their area, close to the border with Afghanistan. The tradition of beating drums is as old as the Pathan race that lives in this part of the world. The drum is known locally as the "dhol" and in tribal tradition its beating announces a danger or emergency. A 4,000-strong Lashkar has for the past few days been searching for al-Qaeda suspects in South Waziristanâs remote Shakai area. They have yet to catch any. The problem is that the al-Qaeda and Taleban militants enjoy a good deal of tribal support. Consequently, some argue that it seems odd to use loud drums to lead a Lashkar for a surprise raid on al-Qaeda suspects. An expert on tribal traditions, Raj Wali Khattak, says: "Itâs not clear why they are using the drums in these searches. No doubt it is a tradition but now politics have also crept in. Maybe the tribesmen donât want to arrest the militants. Their policy might be only to let them clear the area."
Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-06-10 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=35134 |