Location of North and South Waziristan inside Pakistan.

Waziristan (Pashto: وزیرستان, "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11 585 km² (4,473 mi²). Pashto ( Naskh: پښتو‎ pəʂ'to also rendered as Pakhto, Pushto, Pukhto, Pashtu, Pushtu, also known as Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, It is part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, considered to be outside the country's four provinces. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas ( FATA) in Pakistan are areas outside the four provinces bordering Afghanistan, comprising a region

Waziristan comprises the area west and southwest of Peshawar between the Tochi River to the north and the Gomal River to the south. ( پښور; Urdu: پشاور) is the capital of the North-West Frontier Province and the administrative centre for the Federally Administered Tochi river ( Urdu: دریائے توچی) is located in North Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan. Gomal River (دریائے گومل is a river in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with its headwaters in the south-east of Ghazni. The North-West Frontier Province lies immediately to the east. The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP ( Urdu: śimāl maġribī sarhadī sūba) is the smallest of the four main provinces of Pakistan. The region was an independent tribal territory until 1893, remaining outside British-ruled empire and Afghanistan. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Tribal raiding into British-ruled territory was a constant problem for the British,^[1] eliciting frequent punitive expeditions between 1860 and 1945. Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The region became part of Pakistan in 1947. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

For administrative purposes, Waziristan is divided into two "agencies", North Waziristan and South Waziristan, with estimated populations (as of 1998) of 361,246 and 429,841 respectively. North Waziristan ( Urdu: شمالی وزیرستان is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan South Waziristan ( Pashto: جنوبی وزیرستان is the southern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The two parts have quite distinct characteristics, though both tribes are subgroups of the Wazir Tribe and speak a common Wazirwola language. Waziri language is a Southeastern Iranian language spoken by the Waziris in Waziristan in Pakistan and some of the neighboring provinces They have a formidable reputation as warriors and are known for their frequent blood feuds.

The Wazir tribes are divided into sub-tribes governed by male village elders who meet in a tribal jirga. A Loya Jirga ( Pashto: لويه جرګه, Persian: جرگه بزرگ) is a "grand assembly" a phrase taken from the name of large Socially and religiously, Waziristan is an extremely conservative area. Women are carefully guarded, and every household must be headed by a male figure. Tribal cohesiveness is also kept strong by means of the so-called Collective Responsibility Acts in the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

Taliban presence in the area has been an issue of international concern in the "War on Terrorism" particularly since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U

North Waziristan

North and South Waziristan and surrounding Federally Administered Tribal Areas and provinces. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas ( FATA) in Pakistan are areas outside the four provinces bordering Afghanistan, comprising a region

Main article: North Waziristan

North Waziristan's District capital is Miran Shah a. North Waziristan ( Urdu: شمالی وزیرستان is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan Miranshah ( Urdu: میران شاہ is a town in North Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA in Pakistan. k. a Miramshah (or Mirumshah in the local dialect).

The area is mostly inhabited by the Darwesh Khel, a sub clan of the Wazir tribe (from which the region derives its name), who live in fortified mountain villages, including Razmak, Datta Khel, Spin wam, Dosali, and Shawal, and the Dawars (also known as Daurr or Daur), who farm in the valleys below in villages including Miranshah, Darpa Khel, Amzoni, Ali Khel, Mirali, Edak, Hurmaz, Hassu Khel, Ziraki, Tapi, Issori, Haider Khel, Khaddi and Arabkot.

North Waziristan shares an open border with Khost, a province of Afghanistan. Khost ( خوست) is one of the thirty-four Provinces of Afghanistan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت,

South Waziristan

Main article: South Waziristan

The South Waziristan's Agency has its district headquarters at Wana. South Waziristan ( Pashto: جنوبی وزیرستان is the southern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan Wana ( Urdu: وانا is the most important town of South Waziristan Agency in Pakistan 's FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas

South Waziristan, comprising about 6,500km², is the most volatile agency of Pakistan. Not under the direct administration of the government of Pakistan, South Waziristan is indirectly governed by a political agent, who has been either an outsider or a Waziri — a system inherited from the British Raj. Raj may refer to Jaskinia Raj, cave in Poland Ráj, village in the Czech Republic administratively part of Karviná

The south is also predominantly inhabited by the Mahsud Tribes. Another major tribe is Wazir, who live in tent villages and graze their characteristic Waziri fat-tailed sheep, which are white with black faces. Waziri ( Urdu: وزیری) is breed of sheep in Waziristan, FATA, Pakistan The Waziri is a fat tailed mutton/wool type The fat-tailed sheep is a category of Domestic sheep that comprise approximately 25% of the world Sheep population (Davidson 1999

History

==Waziristan Revolt== (1919-1920): In the rugged and remote region of Waziristan on British India's northwest border with Afghanistan, mountain tribes of indepedent-minded Muslim fighters gave the British Army a difficult time for decades. The Northwest Frontier is now part of Pakistan, which is fighting its own war against Waziri tribesmen in the early 21st Century The Waziristan Revolt of 1919-1920 was sparked by the Afghan invasion of British India in 1919. Though the British quickly defeated the Afghans, the Waziri tribesmen gave the colonial forces a very difficult fight. Many of the Waziri men were veterans of the British-led and controlled Indian Army (India and Pakistan were combined at this time as part of the British Empire), and used modern military tactics and modern Lee Enfield rifles against the British and Indian forces sent into Waziristan. One aspect of this conflict is the effective use of air power against the Waziri fighters. This is similar to Royal Air Force tactics in suppressing the Arab Revolt in Iraq in 1920 and 1921.

A flag used by a resistance movement in Waziristan against the British during the 1930s, with the Takbir written on it. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The takbīr or takbeer (ar تَكْبِير is the act of saying the phrase, ar الله أكبر

Taliban presence and the War on Terror

Traditionally, local Waziri religious leaders have enlisted outsiders in their feuds, though it's not always that way, as local Waziris claim they are totally against the foreign militants living here. In the early stage of the U. S. invasion of Afghanistan, when the Taliban started fleeing into Pakistan the local leaders or Maliks began a campaign among their locals to oust the foreigners. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Malik (ملك) as an Arabic word meaning " king " It has been adopted in various other mainly Asian languages for their ruling princes and to Since then, around 200 noble Maliks have been assassinated by local Taliban through targeted killings.

On June 4th, 2007, the National Security Council of Pakistan met to decide the fate of Waziristan and take up a number of political and administrative issues in order to control the “Talibanization” of the area. The meeting was chaired by President Pervez Musharraf and attended by the Chief Ministers and Governors of all 4 provinces. They discussed the deteriorating law and order situation and the threat posed to state security.

The government decided to take a number of actions to stop the “Talibanization” and to crush the armed militancy in the Tribal regions and the NWFP.

The NSC of Pakistan has decided the following actions will be taken to achieve the goals:

• Deployment of unmanned reconnaissance planes
• Strengthening law-enforcement agencies with advanced equipment
• Deployment of more troops to the region
• Operations against militants on a fast-track basis
• Focused operations against militant commanders
• Action against madrassahs preaching militancy
• Appointment of regional coordinators
• Fresh Recruitments of police officers in NWFP

The ministry of interior has played a large part in the information gathering for the operations against the militants and their institutions. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. The Ministry of the Interior has prepared a list of militant commanders operating in the region and they have also prepared a list of seminaries for monitoring.

The Government is also trying to strengthen law enforcement in the area by providing the NWFP Police with weapons, bullet-proof jackets, and night-vision devices. The paramilitary Frontier Corps is to be provided with artillery and APCs. The state agencies are also studying ways to jam illegal FM radio channels. ^[2]

External links

• Sketch Map of Waziristan
• Waziri breed of sheep
• Flag of the 1930s Resistance Movement
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/slideshow/page/0,,2021829,00.html Audio slideshow: Waziristan's impossible border

See also

• Waziristan War
• Islamic Emirate of Waziristan

References

Coordinates: 32°17′N 69°33′E / 32.283, 69.55