Maulvi Nazir
Maulvi Nazir | |
---|---|
Born | estimated 1975 |
Died | 2 January 2013 |
Cause of death | Drone strike |
Citizenship | Afghanistan, Pakistan |
Organization | Taliban |
Maulvi Nazir, also known as Mullah Nazir, or Maulvi Nazir Wazir, (Pashto: مولوي نذیر وزیر) was a prominent commander of the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan based in Wana. He was a dual citizen of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and had a significant role in Taliban affairs in both countries.[1][2][3][4][5] He was killed by a US drone strike on 2 January 2013.[6][7][8]
Early life
[edit]Nazir was a member of the Kakakhel tribe, which have Sayyid origins and are a part of the Ahmadzai, which are part of the Wazir. He was estimated to have been born in 1975. He had citizenship of both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and owned property in Kandahar until 2010.[4][5] During the Soviet–Afghan War and ensuing Afghan civil wars, he was affiliated with Hezbe Islami Gulbuddin. He later joined the Taliban and aligned himself politically with the JUI party of Fazal-ur-Rehman.[9] In Pakistan, he controlled large portions of South Waziristan, and maintained his influence in the Afghan provinces of Paktika, Zabul, Helmand, and Kandahar.[5]
Career
[edit]With the notable approval of Mullah Dadullah and Sirajuddin Haqqani, Maulvi Nazir was authorised to implement Sharia in South Waziristan in 2006, and the Afghan Taliban had instructed him to avoid confrontations with the Pakistani army.[4]
Maulvi Nazir eventually overthrew Maulvi Omar and became the leader of the Taliban in Wana. Maulvi Omar was close to Baitullah Mehsud, a rival of Maulvi Nazir. Throughout his conflict with Baitullah Mehsud, Maulvi Nazir was supported by the Afghan Taliban, who opposed Baitullah Mehsud due to his attacks on Pakistan.[10][11] In 2006, Mullah Omar endorsed Maulvi Nazir as the emir of South Waziristan.[12][13] Mullah Omar later disassociated himself from Baitullah Mehsud after he continued to attack Pakistan.[14]
In March 2007, Maulvi Nazir ordered the expulsion of all Uzbeks from Waziristan, and sparked the 2007 Wana clashes against the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) led by Tahir Yuldashev. Maulvi Nazir later succeeded in expelling the Uzbeks.[4][5]
Tensions continued between Maulvi Nazir and Baitullah Mehsud. In early 2009, Mullah Omar asked Maulvi Nazir and Baitullah Mehsud to put aside differences and aid the Afghan Taliban in combating the American presence in Afghanistan.[15] Maulvi Nazir, Baitullah Mehsud, and Hafiz Gul Bahadur agreed to form Shura Ittihad ul-Mujahideen to focus on fighting NATO in Afghanistan. Shortly after the establishment of the union, tensions resurged between Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Nazir, and the union collapsed. Baitullah Mehsud was later killed on August 5, 2009.[16][17]
The tensions between Maulvi Nazir and the mainstream TTP continued until a peace deal between Maulvi Nazir and Hakimullah Mehsud was reached in 2011.[18]
Death
[edit]Maulvi Nazir was killed by an American drone strike on 2 January 2013 in Angur Ada, near the capital of Wana, South Waziristan.[6][7][19][20] Bahawal Khan, also known as Salahuddin Ayubi, was his successor.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ Iqbal Khattak (31 January 2008). "Wazir tribesmen wary of Uzbek militants' return to South Waziristan". Daily Times. Pakistan. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ Iqbal Khattak (26 February 2009). "Taliban alliance only against US, says Maulvi Nazir". Daily Times. Pakistan. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ "Taliban groups fight for local support in South Waziristan". Daily Times. Pakistan. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d Hassan Abbas (14 May 2007). "South Waziristan's Maulvi Nazir: The New Face of the Taliban". Vol. 5, no. 9. The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d Shahzad, Syed Saleem (5 May 2011). "Taliban and al-Qaeda: Friends in arms". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ a b "U.S. drone strike kills important Taliban commander: sources". Reuters. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Pakistan militant Mullah Nazir 'killed in drone attack'". BBC News. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ Shah, Pir Zubair; Sharon Otterman (18 June 2009). "Pakistan Says U.S. Drone Kills 13". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
- ^ Hassan Abbas (14 May 2007). "South Waziristan's Maulvi Nazir: The New Face of the Taliban". Vol. 5, no. 9. The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ German Jihad: On the Internationalization of Islamist Terrorism, Guido Steinberg, 2013, pp. 193
- ^ Ordering Violence: Explaining Armed Group-State Relations from Conflict to Cooperation, Paul Staniland, 2021, pp. 194
- ^ Talibanistan: Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion, 2013, pp. 184-185 In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan, Seth G. Jones, 2010, pp. 262
- ^ Jihadism in Pakistan: Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and the Local Militants, Antonio Giustozzi, 2023, pp. 67-68
- ^ Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero, Rohan Gunaratna, Khuram Iqbal, 2011, pp. 83
- ^ Carlotta Gall, Ismail Khan, Pir Zubair Shah and Taimoor Shah (26 March 2009). "Pakistani and Afghan Taliban Unify in Face of U.S. Influx". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Fair, C. Christine (January 2011). "The Militant Challenge in Pakistan" (PDF). Asia Policy. 11 (1): 105–37. doi:10.1353/asp.2011.0010. S2CID 155007730. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ Roggio, Bill (16 August 2009). "South Waziristan Taliban Groups Clash". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
- ^ Talibanistan: Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion, 2013, pp. 189
- ^ "Mullah Nazir killed in US drone attack". Pak News. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ "Pakistan: Drone Strike Kills Militant Mullah Nazir". The Descrier. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ^ Bahawal Khan to succeed Pakistan militant leader Mullah Nazir, BBC, 4 January 2013