Appearing from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad & Quetta

Monday, October 19, 2009, Shawwal 29, 1930

TTP leaders evacuated by mysterious airlifts

Akhtar Jamal

Islamabad—Mysterious airlifting of some Taliban elements from areas of Pakistan-Afghanistan border linking Waziristan have been reported by several sources and fears are growing that anti-Pakistan TTP terrorists are also being rescued by their “foreign allies” from across the border.

The unexplained movements of “un-marked” helicopters and aircraft have been reported since last few days along Pak-Afghan border and one source claimed that they were being transported to the Eastern Afghanistan.

Some experts believe that secret allies of friendly-Talibans took the action in order to secure the militants from an assault in South Waziristan by Pakistani Armed Forces while others believe the secret evacuation was part of a larger deal between some Western States and “good Taliban.”

The airlifting and evacuation of TTP leaders from South Waziristan coincided with a report by foreign news media or a similar mysterious evacuation of “militants” from South Afghanistan to North Afghanistan.

An Iranian news site on October 18 reported that “British Army has been relocating Taliban insurgents from southern Afghanistan to the north by providing transportation means.” Quoting diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Iranian site claimed that insurgents are being airlifted from the southern province of Helmand to the north amid increasing violence in the northern parts of the country.

The PressTV.com also claimed that “the aircraft used for the transfer have been identified as British Chinook helicopters.”

The report suggested that the secret operation was being launched under the supervision of Afghan Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, who “was still operating under the British guidance.”

Last week Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency reported that “US ambassador scotched speculation that his country was helping terrorists in the north, saying America had nothing to do with the air-dropping of armed men from helicopters in Samangan, Baghlan and Kunduz provinces.” At an October 11 news conference in Kabul, President Hamid Karzai had himself claimed that “some unidentified helicopters dropped armed men in the northern provinces at night.”

According to Pajhowk news report President Karzai revealed “the government had been receiving evidence of the air-dropping of gunmen from mysterious helicopters in the provinces over the last five months.”

A comprehensive investigation is underway to determine which country the helicopters belong to; why armed men are being infiltrated into the region; and whether increasing insecurity in the north is linked to it.

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