The Kurram tribal agency is in many ways the most important tribal area of Pakistan's lawless frontier. Just north of North Waziristan, it is
suspected of being a hiding place for Siraj Haqqani, the infamous network's leader, and on of the hiding places for the #1 and #2 most-wanted. The agency sticks out like a dagger into eastern-Afghanistan towards Kabul, bordering three Afghan provinces.(map
here ) Yet unlike any other tribal area of Pakistan, Kurram has a population with divisions beyond tribe. There are Shia there in the northern part, and they are completely opposed to the Taliban or other Deobandist/Salafist groups moving through their territory. Sectarian violence has been relentless as of late; the Turi tribesmen are the only thing standing between the Taliban-affiliated militants and the dagger-tip of Kurram, pointing right at the Afghan capital.
Our ally Pakistan, about to receive over two billion in fresh military aid, reportedly has decided to betray the Turi tribe.
The recent moves reportedly conducted by Pakistani security forces were designed to seal off the Turi tribe. Kurram's border with Afghanistan, frequently used by the Turi tribesman, was
shut down by the Pakistani army. The clashes are sometimes reported as being over water.
From the conservative Long War Journal;
Siraj and other "key guest mujahideen" recently left North Waziristan for Kurram, with the knowledge of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, a US official said. The move occurred sometime in September, officials believe.
September was a record-breaking month for drone strikes in North Waziristan, and the pace has remained intense so far in October.
Members of the Turi tribe, a Shia tribe in Kurram, as well as members of the Bangash tribe attempted to resist the influx of Haqqani Network fighters into areas run by rival tribes, and clashed with the Haqqanis. Also, the Turis were moving against a stronghold operated by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami faction in Spina Shaga.
The Pakistani media characterized these clashes as local sectarian fights over a water dispute, but US and Pakistani officials said this story was cover to allow the Pakistani military to intervene on behalf of the Haqqanis and Hekmatyar, who are viewed as "good Taliban" as they do not fight the Pakistani state. In September and October, multiple accounts of Pakistani helicopter gunships intervening in the "water dispute" were reported in the Pakistani media. The Pakistani military claimed that more than 70 "militants" were killed in the strikes.
Now with Pakistan going further and sealing the Turi tribe off, one must ask; what the fuck is Pakistan doing? The short-answer is; a double-game.
Maps:
When considering the situation in Pashtunistan, consider these maps of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is in the Pashtun areas where the U.S. and NATO have the most problems. It's important to note that while Pashtuns make up a much larger proportion of the population of Afghanistan than they do in Pakistan, there are still more Pashtuns in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. Here is a good map and rundown of the areas that make up the main warzone.