Name: Causes of Rebellion in Waziristan
Rating: 3.9 (15 reviews)
Author: Khalid Aziz

What’s in it for me? Understand the political situation in Waziristan.

How much do you know about the political situation in Afghanistan? Probably very little. What about Pakistan? Probably even less. Now what about Waziristan? In all likelihood, you’ve never heard of it. And yet Waziristan’s political situation is considered by many to be a centerpiece of international security.

Causes of Rebellion in Waziristan details the various attempts that have been made to stabilize this region. The book gives a comprehensive overview of a neglected subject, proposing solutions that we can try to implement in the future and discusses the various parties who continuously impede progress.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how Waziristan influenced political developments in Afghanistan;
how people there explain the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; and
why the war in Waziristan is considered asymmetrical.

The little-known region of Waziristan is a strategic locus for the Taliban and jihadists.

Have you ever heard of Waziristan? Many people haven’t. However, this 5,000-square-mile expanse of tribally ruled mountains and barely arable land between Pakistan and Afghanistan is key geopolitical territory.

Why?

Because its strategic position has majorly influenced political developments in Afghanistan. For instance, Waziristan’s close proximity to several Afghan districts allows the people of Waziristan, known as the Wazirs, and everyone else in the region to enter and exit Afghanistan with relative ease.

In fact, in the past few years there have been countless attacks waged on Afghan soil by organizations like the Taliban, which, after assaulting US troops in Afghanistan, retreat to the mountains of Waziristan to recruit new fighters and plan their next foray. For instance, in January of 2007, over 40 trucks and buses full of armed fighters came into Afghanistan to fight US troops and Afghans before retreating to Waziristan.

But why does the Taliban have so much power in this territory?

Because Waziristan has continually resisted the control of Pakistan, of which, legally, it is a territory. So, while the Pakistani government has made repeated attempts to assert authority over the Wazir tribes, the groups have resisted these attempts time and time again.

For instance, in 2004, the United States convinced Pakistan to attempt to gain control of Waziristan. However, the tribes and foreign jihadists stood their ground against the military campaign and the Pakistani army couldn’t maintain their grasp on the region. As the Pakistanis lost their footing and authority, the Taliban swooped in and became the new leading force in Waziristan.

In recent years, however, as the Pakistani military began moving back in, the situation on the ground has only worsened.

The various wars and conflicts in the South Asia have drawn in many nations.

Knowing what you now know about Waziristan, it should come as no surprise that the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have had a strong impact on the region. But how did these conflicts begin?

Actually, it’s still disputed whether the Afghan and Iraq wars were waged because of resources or as an attempt to mitigate Islamist forces. In fact, over the years a variety of conspiracy theories have been proposed.

The Pakistani military didn’t own up to its shortcomings in Waziristan until it was too late.

Over the last few decades, the Pakistani military has made attempts to enter Waziristan and quell the ever-expanding threat of terrorist groups, jihadists and the Wazir tribes. However, they’ve been unable to keep the situation under control. In fact, the United States has repeatedly alleged that the Pakistani military supports jihadists.

While Pakistan has denied the allegations, their credibility suffered sorely. For instance, Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that it works to prevent attacks. At the same time, however, jihadists carried out countless terrorist attacks in Afghanistan after making their way through Pakistani military checkpoints. Not just that, they even returned through those same checkpoints after killing people in Afghanistan!

The war in Waziristan is a war of belief and religious rules are being imposed on the citizens of the region.

To understand the situation in Waziristan, it first helps to understand that the conflict being fought there is not a typical war – in fact, it’s asymmetrical.

When countries wage war against each other, differences in military strategy and equipment often bring decisive advantages to one side or the other. But the situation in Waziristan is entirely different.

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Causes of Rebellion in Waziristan (2015) takes the reader on a journey into the rocky terrain of this tiny South Asian region whose geopolitical influence reaches far beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan. These blinks explore how the region became such a hotbed of insurrection and what can be done about it.