The Mahsud Tribesmen of South Waziristan Not Hating the Taliban

An Afghan child grabs razor wire protecting the ruins

of the former Royal Palace in Kabul

Peter Nicholls/The Times

A report by Alex Rodriguez in the Los Angeles Times states that the Mahsud back the offensive by the Pakistan Army because it offers the only hope for government assistance for the basics such as phones, electricity and asphalt roads. On the other hand, having the Taliban around is not so bad according to the people. The Taliban have brought order to a community faced with kidnappers and thievery. The Mahsud have said crime dropped when the Taliban came to town from the mountain hide-outs in tinted-glass SUVs and resolved disputes between rival tribes by executions.

Gul Gai, an unemployed villager from Khaisura describes the Taliban relationship, "Many of them were locals from the town. Many villagers believe the Taliban are good Muslims."

Many villagers are recruited into the Taliban while others need no invitation. Most youths in Waziristan cannot read or write and are easily led by the militants preaching jihad as the only way out of misery.

Sultan Mahsud, a 22 year-old tribesmen from Ghurghurai and a university student, is the exception in this region. Mahsud says success in Waziristan will not come from airstrikes but from teachers and textbooks.

"Tribal people in Waziristan are illiterate," Mahsud states. "They need awareness, which is why they need schools. If the offensive is successful, that would be my demand to government."

source: www.latimes.com

www.timesonline.co.uk