New Delhi, April 10
Pakistan may play a vital role in the regrouping of the Taliban forces holed up in its various cities, especially after the reports of tension rising between Kabul and Washington due to the increased number of civilian killings by the US-led allied forces based in Afghanistan.
Intelligence reports reaching here said a large number of Taliban cadres hiding in various cities of Pakistan were regrouping to regain power in Kabul.
The Taliban fighters hiding in Pakistan and in the areas located along the Afghanistan border are hoping to take advantage of the rising anti-US sentiments among the Afghans to come back to power. Various Taliban groups have reportedly already had a meeting and have decided to regroup under the leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Reports have also suggested that the situation was fast getting out of hands of the allied forces in Afghanistan, especially in the areas on the outskirts controlled by various tribes. Allied forces are apparently being able to keep things under control just in Kabul and neighbouring areas but are coming under attacks from Taliban cadres in other areas.
According to sources, Pakistan has also been turning a blind eye to the regular meetings of the Taliban cadres based there and covertly encouraging them. Despite the knowledge of their presence, the Pakistani authorities have not taken any steps to detain the Taliban cadres.
The re-establishment of a Taliban regime in Afghanistan will be in Pakistan’s favour as it would again be able to get the “strategic depth” as regards its position with India.
Senior Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah has also said the Taliban had already regrouped under Mullah Mohammed Omar and would now be attacking the US-led coalition troops.
This could prove to be an extra burden for the coalition forces, especially with the US authorities being preoccupied with the establishment of a new regime in Iraq.
Reports said the Taliban leaders had been working hard to secure the support of some warlords in Afghanistan who were opposed to the Karzai administration.
Apart from the support of the Pakistani intelligence agencies, the Taliban leaders have also managed to get former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar behind them. Omar is apparently hoping to launch a campaign against the “Jews and Christians and foreign crusaders” by taking advantage of the rising anti-US feelings among the Afghan people.
There has been an increase in the killings of the civilians by the coalition forces in the past few weeks which has had the Afghan people up in arms.
While the US-led coalition has been claiming that the attacks were part of its ongoing operations against the members of the Taliban regime and the remnants of Osama bin-Laden’s Al-Qaida network, it has led to increased tension between Kabul and Washington as the Karzai administration is finding hard to explain the killing of innocent people.
