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Wana: Bazaars remain closed as tribesmen condole with Nek Muhammad?s family

WANA: The situation was calm and peaceful here and in rest of South Waziristan on Saturday as tribesmen flocked Kaloosha village to offer condolences to the family of Nek Muhammad, the pro-Taliban tribal militant who was killed in a laser-guided missile strike on Friday.

The mourners also travelled to other villages in Wana valley to condole with the families of the five other tribesmen killed along with Nek Muhammad. There were reports that Sharif Khan and his brother Nur Islam, colleagues of the late Nek Muhammad and also wanted by the government for allegedly sheltering foreign militants, were among the tribesmen who visited Dhog village to offer condolences on the death of Yasin and Tor, the sons of late Sher Zaman Ashrafkhel whose home was hit by the missile.

Nek Muhammad was spending the night in Dhog in Ashrafkhel?s home when it was struck by the precision-guided missile. Eyewitnesses said Nek Muhammad and the five other men were sitting outside in the lawn enjoying Wana?s pleasant evening breeze when they were attacked. A visit to the site of the attack showed that the missile strike was so perfect that it did not damage any part of the building except the lawn where Nek Muhammad was seated. The missile had dug a hole into the earth and damaged some plants.

Villagers confirmed that Nek Muhammad had been using his satellite phone just before the missile attack. It is widely believed here that a drone overhead tracked down his satellite phone and communicated his location to a missile battery for the strike. Some villagers, who had been out on their roofs to guard their homes, claimed they saw a bright white ray of light emanating from the white unmanned aircraft just before the missile attack.

The issue was also discussed here at the places where Fateha for Nek Muhammad and the other five deceased was being offered. Almost every tribesman is convinced that the US military provided the technology that tracked down Nek Muhammad?s satellite phone and enabled the Pakistan Army to target his hideout. Without exception, the tribesmen were found blaming the US for killing Nek Muhammad.

In Kaloosha, Nek Muhammad?s brother Lal Muhammad, who is a laboratory attendant at a private hospital in Wana, and his uncle and father-in-law Sadiq Khan sat in a tent erected in an open space to receive all those visiting them for offering condolences. The army had demolished Nek Muhammad?s home as punishment for harbouring foreign militants.

The 27-year-old Nek Muhammad had married Sadiq Khan?s daughter, who also happened to be his cousin, barely two weeks ago. It was his second marriage. He has four children from his first wife.

The bazaars in Wana and Azam Warsak remained closed and public transport was off the roads. The economic sanctions imposed by the government against the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe for failure to expel foreign militants from Wana valley were still in place. Life was paralysed and tribesmen complained of rising prices and lack of market for their ripe plums, peaches, tomatoes and other vegetables.

The military operation in Baghar near the border with Afghanistan has also been halted. Access to that area was still denied through road blockades. There were reports that two members of the Malikkhel sub-tribe loyal to Nek Muhammad had been killed in that aerial bombing unleashed by jet-fighters and helicopter gunships. A number of women were also injured in the bombing and had to be shifted to Bannu and Peshawar for medical treatment.

Speculation was also on as to who would replace Nek Muhammad as the spokesman and commander of the group of tribal Islamic militants in Wana. Apart from Nek Muhammad?s four colleagues Sharif Khan, Nur Islam, Maulana Muhammad Abbas and Maulana Abdul Aziz, the names of Khan Muhammad and Allah Noor were being mentioned as his possible successor. The last-named is a cousin of Nek Muhammad.

Meanwhile, a Jirga of tribal elders led by Malik Muhammad Younis reached Shakai from Bannu on Saturday. The Jirga members belong to the Sperkay sub-tribe, who also live in Shakai and were affected by the recent military operation in their area. The Jirga, backed by the government, was expected to console the tribesmen and assess the damage caused by the bombing by the warplanes and helicopter gunships in the hope of securing compensation from the government. Senator and tribal elder Faridullah Khan, who owns property in both Bannu and Shakai, was reported to have sent the Jirga with the consent of the government.