An incident in NWFP looks to be backlash from the freeing of Lal Masjid — in an unusual step the Taliban quickly disavowed all knowledge or involvement. This is unusual — the Taliban are quick to claim strikes that are theirs, but they rarely disavow. Think they know that the army and Musharraf are on the hunt? Methinks so.
From Daily Times:
Seven people including three policemen were killed and several others injured in two suicide attacks, two blasts and a rocket attack in three tribal regions and Swat district in the NWFP on Thursday. Officials say the terrorism incidents may be in reaction to the military operation against the Lal Masjid militants.
Tribal areas security chief Arbab Arif said that North Waziristan political agent Pirzada Khan escaped unhurt in a suicide attack at his office in Miranshah. However, two government employees were killed and another three including pro-Taliban cleric Maulvi Gul Rehman were injured in the attack.
The attack on the political agent is the first of its kind since September last year when pro-Taliban militants signed a peace deal with the government. The agreement, however, appears to be failing following the security forces’ return to the checkposts abandoned after the agreement.
There was a separate attack in Bara, with no casualties, and Hekmatyar is calling for Islamist revolt in Pakistan, having utterly failed at the same in Afghanistan, while killing thousands of Muslims in the process.
Meanwhile in Swat “radio maulana” is also calling for revolt.
All of this points out how leaderless, visionless, and pointless the jihadi remnants in Pakistan are — they are jihadis without a true cause. All Jihadis currently attack muslims in muslim-led states. It’s all about personal power of the various leaders of these Islamist dog packs now.
Meanwhile, Metroblogging Islamabad continues to follow the Lal Masjid story, with recent articles on the funders of the mosque (I can’t read Urdu, so can’t tell you the name unfortunately.) and other historic background.