Maulvi Nazir
Encyclopedia
Maulvi Nazir is a leading militant of the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan
.
Nazir's operations are based around Wana.
He is opposed to foreign influence, particularly Uzbek
and American
, in Waziristan
. The Pakistani military and intelligence establishment consider Nazir to be "good Taliban" as he does not have a particularly anti-government agenda.
Nazir is a member of the
Kakakhel tribe, part of the Ahmedzai Waziris. With an estimated birth year of 1975, he is a dual citizen of both Afghanistan
and Pakistan and until 2010 owned property in Kandahar
. He controls large portions of South Waziristan and maintains influence in southwestern Afghan provinces of Paktika, Zabul, Helmand and into Kandahar.
Fazlur Rahman’s JUI party.
With the notable approval of Mullah Dadullah
and Siraj Haqqani, Nazir enforced sharia
in South Waziristan in 2006 with instructions to his supporters to avoid combating the Pakistani army.
his forces, with the support of the Pakistani military, engaged in battle with Uzbek militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
(IMU) operating in the region under Tahir Yuldashev. Although more than 250 Uzbeks were killed in the fighting and others were forced to flee, Nazir stated in a 2011 interview that he and the IMU had reconciled after Yuldashev's death in 2009.
and Hafiz Gul Bahadur
, agreed to put aside differences to unify efforts against NATO troops under the newly formed Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, the Council of United Mujahedeen. In a written statement circulated in a one-page Urdu-language pamphlet, the three affirmed that they would put aside differences to fight American-led forces. The statement included a declaration of allegiance to both Mullah Omar
and Osama bin Laden
.
, who was killed by a CIA drone
on August 5, 2009, reports surfaced of infighting within the TTP. Mehsud was the leader of the loosely-knit Pakistani Taliban, a militant network comprising 13 different, and sometimes rival, factions. His death created a power vacuum that led to a power struggle within the TTP.
On August 16, 2009, an alleged group of fighters loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, armed with small arms
and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), attacked a group of Nazir's men, killing at least 17 militants. According to Nazir's spokesman Shaheen Wazir, the attack was so sudden, that Nazir's fighters couldn't even fire back. It was also reported that Nazir himself was one of the 17 men killed. Baitullah Mehsud's camp denied the accusations. Abdul Haq, another spokesman for Nazir said he didn't know whether Mehsud's loyalists or the Pakistan Army were behind the attack.
South Waziristan
South Waziristan is the southern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . Waziristan comprises the area west and southwest of Peshawar between the Tochi River to the north and the Gomal River to the south, forming...
.
Nazir's operations are based around Wana.
He is opposed to foreign influence, particularly Uzbek
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
. The Pakistani military and intelligence establishment consider Nazir to be "good Taliban" as he does not have a particularly anti-government agenda.
Background
According to the The Jamestown FoundationThe Jamestown Foundation
The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based institute for research and analysis, founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet dissidents. Today its stated mission is to "inform and educate" policy makers about events and trends, which it regards as being of current "strategic"...
Nazir is a member of the
Kakakhel tribe, part of the Ahmedzai Waziris. With an estimated birth year of 1975, he is a dual citizen of both Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Pakistan and until 2010 owned property in Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
. He controls large portions of South Waziristan and maintains influence in southwestern Afghan provinces of Paktika, Zabul, Helmand and into Kandahar.
Early activities
Prior to the creation of the Taliban he was affiliated with the Hezbe Islami Gulbuddin, an older conservative, Wahhabist group supported by Pakistan's Inter-service Intelligence Directorate during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. He later joined the Taliban and aligned himself politically with MaulanaMaulana
Mawlānā is an Arabic word literally meaning "our lord" or "our master" ....
Fazlur Rahman’s JUI party.
With the notable approval of Mullah Dadullah
Mullah Dadullah
Maulavi or Mullah Dadullah or Dadullah Akhund was the Taliban's senior military commander until his death by U.S and U.K special ops in 2007. He was an ethnic Pashtun from the Kakar tribe of Kalai-Kakaran village in Uruzgan province of Afghanistan...
and Siraj Haqqani, Nazir enforced sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
in South Waziristan in 2006 with instructions to his supporters to avoid combating the Pakistani army.
Conflicts with Uzbek militants
After Maulvi Nazir established shariaSharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
his forces, with the support of the Pakistani military, engaged in battle with Uzbek militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is a militant Islamist group formed in 1991 by the Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev, and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani—both ethnic Uzbeks from the Fergana Valley...
(IMU) operating in the region under Tahir Yuldashev. Although more than 250 Uzbeks were killed in the fighting and others were forced to flee, Nazir stated in a 2011 interview that he and the IMU had reconciled after Yuldashev's death in 2009.
Unification against NATO troops
In early 2009 Nazir and two rival warlords, Baitullah MehsudBaitullah Mehsud
Baitullah Mehsud was a leading militant in Waziristan, Pakistan, and the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan . He formed the TTP from an alliance of about five militant groups in December 2007. He is thought by U.S...
and Hafiz Gul Bahadur
Hafiz Gul Bahadur
Hafiz Gul Bahadur is the leader of a Pakistani Taliban faction based in North Waziristan. Upon the formation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in December 2007, he was announced as the militant group's overall naib amir under Baitullah Mehsud, who was based in South Waziristan, but has largely...
, agreed to put aside differences to unify efforts against NATO troops under the newly formed Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, the Council of United Mujahedeen. In a written statement circulated in a one-page Urdu-language pamphlet, the three affirmed that they would put aside differences to fight American-led forces. The statement included a declaration of allegiance to both Mullah Omar
Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
and Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.
Rifts Within the Ranks
After the death of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Baitullah MehsudBaitullah Mehsud
Baitullah Mehsud was a leading militant in Waziristan, Pakistan, and the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan . He formed the TTP from an alliance of about five militant groups in December 2007. He is thought by U.S...
, who was killed by a CIA drone
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
on August 5, 2009, reports surfaced of infighting within the TTP. Mehsud was the leader of the loosely-knit Pakistani Taliban, a militant network comprising 13 different, and sometimes rival, factions. His death created a power vacuum that led to a power struggle within the TTP.
On August 16, 2009, an alleged group of fighters loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, armed with small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), attacked a group of Nazir's men, killing at least 17 militants. According to Nazir's spokesman Shaheen Wazir, the attack was so sudden, that Nazir's fighters couldn't even fire back. It was also reported that Nazir himself was one of the 17 men killed. Baitullah Mehsud's camp denied the accusations. Abdul Haq, another spokesman for Nazir said he didn't know whether Mehsud's loyalists or the Pakistan Army were behind the attack.