Death of a terrorist
The killing of Mullah Fazlullah in a US drone strike has closed a brutal chapter of terrorism that had caused thousands of deaths in Pakistan over the past decade. A US military spokesman said Fazlullah was targeted on Wednesday in an area along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Several of his aides were also reportedly killed in the strike.
Islamabad has long demanded that Kabul take action against militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil. According to some analysts, the killing of the most feared Pakistani militant commander is an indicator of improving cooperation between Washington and Islamabad. The incident came within hours of the enforcement of a three-day cease-fire during the Muslim holy festival of Eid between Afghan forces and the Taliban.
Some reports suggest that Pakistan played a critical role in getting the Afghan Taliban to agree to the cease-fire offer made by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last month. The historic agreement has opened a window of opportunity for the elusive peace process in the war-torn country. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the phone with Pakistani Army chief Gen. Qamar Bajwa.
The latest US drone strike is likely to help improve relations between the two estranged allies, which had hit a new low over the past year under the Trump administration. The death of Fazlullah is a serious blow to the Pakistani Taliban, which had already been weakened by Pakistani military operations in the tribal region.
Known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the militant outfit has splintered in several groups, most of them operating from sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan. Fazlullah had fled Pakistan in 2009 after a military operation in the northern Swat district, and had been conducting terrorist operations from the Afghan province of Kunar since then.
The killing of TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah in a US drone strike is an indicator of improving cooperation between Washington and Islamabad.
Zahid Hussain
He was chosen as head of the TTP after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike in 2013. Fazlullah had claimed responsibility for an attack on the Army Pubic School in Peshawar that killed more than 150 students and staff. The incident sent shockwaves across Pakistan and beyond. His group was also involved in an attempt to assassinate Malala Yousafzai. The young activist, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize, survived the attack.
Fazlullah came to prominence in 2007 when he led a radical movement in the Swat Valley. He established a large madrassa in his home village of Imamdehri, which he also used as his headquarters. After leading Friday prayers there, he would emerge on a white horse so the townspeople could have a glimpse of him.
Popularly known as Mullah Radio for his fondness for broadcasting his sermons, he and his associates set up at least 32 stations in the region, broadcasting his extremist messages around the clock. He was a formidable leader and developed a large following.
Fazlullah’s followers set up parallel administrations in large parts of the Swat Valley, establishing courts that imposed their own version of Shariah law. They also began killing those who publicly opposed them.
Many police officers and local officials quit their jobs, fearing for their lives as the state’s writ collapsed. This reign of terror finally ended when the Pakistani military drove out Fazlullah from the Swat Valley and surrounding districts in 2010, but he continued to guide his terrorist outfit from across the border.
— Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC.
Twitter: @hidhussain
