Counterterrorism Blog

The NEFA Foundation has released a new report by NEFA Senior Investigator Claudio Franco titled "The Evolution of the Taliban in Pakistan during the February-May 2008 Period: The Peace Accord Era." Franco explores the evolution of the insurgency in North-Western Pakistan from February-May 2008, a time characterized by an attempt to stabilize the area by means of a negotiated effort. The new Pakistani cabinet, led by Yusuf Reza Gilani, initiated a dialogue with the insurgents in Malakand and Swat, eventually finalizing two distinct peace accords in April and May 2008. But have the Pakistani authorities been more successful than the West has noticed in stabilizing the region, or is this another ephemeral exercise in tribal diplomacy? Will the undeniable results achieved by Pakistan benefit the Coalition's forces across the border? And more importantly, what kind of conflict are the tribes of North-Western Pakistan bracing for: An Islamist insurgency or conflict by proxy across the border? In the report, Franco also examines the emergence and consolidation of non-Taliban Islamist militias in the northern tribal areas of Pakistan, paying particular attention to Mangal Bagh's Lashkar-e-Islam (LI); LI is the Khyber-based Islamist militia targeted by the army in the first military operation ordered by Yousuf Reza Gilani, Pakistan's first post-Musharraf Prime Minister.

The report can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.