Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan

The Forming of the TTP

Following the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center orchestrated by al Qaeda, U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the [Page 577]Taliban government there, which had supported the terrorist network. Many Taliban and al Qaeda militants found a haven in the northwest region of Pakistan. This region functions primarily under tribal leadership and is autonomous from the central Pakistani government.

Pakistan has long been home to a variety of Islamic militant groups, and once the ousted Afghan Taliban made its home in northwest Pakistan, the area became even more of a magnet for militants. Many of these militants remained largely focused on the political situation in Pakistan, not Afghanistan, and as a result they were never been fully incorporated into the Afghan Taliban. These militants consolidated control over the northwest border area of Pakistan by executing more moderate tribal leaders there.

The Pakistani militants in the region became informally known as the Pakistani Taliban, and in December 2007 the TTP announced its existence under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud, an established militia leader from South Waziristan who had close ties to al Qaeda. Despite the formality of the announcement, most observers believe that the TTP is more of a loose federation of militia groups, rather than a tightly organized operation under the strict control of one person. Nonetheless, by forming a coalition and coordinating action, the Islamic groups in the region have been able to carry off an extremely ambitious series of attacks.

The announcement of the founding of the TTP was followed two weeks later by the assassination of Bhutto. Bhutto, who was prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, was the first woman to serve in such a position in an Islamic country, and she vocally opposed legal restrictions on women's behavior that are generally supported by militant Islamists. Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack on December 27, 2007, while campaigning for another term as prime minister. While the TTP denied having a role in the assassination, the government of Pakistan maintains that Baitullah Mehsud was involved in the planning of the attack.

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