Data Darbar Shrine, The TTP and Global Jihadist Groups

[wmthomson]

Last week the Data Darbar Shrine was attacked in Lahore, Pakistan. At least 41 people died, this was the 2nd attack on a religious site in the city of Lahore in just over a month. The Data Darbar shrine is a very popular shrine in Pakistan with both the Muslim and non-Muslim population. I could just be thinking too much and this attack could have just been a nice soft target for Islamic extremist of many ilks (which abound in Pakistan); that being said this event and the declaration by a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan shortly after the bombing stating that is was not the work of the TTP leads me to ask many questions.

Does any one have any thoughts on whether the series of bombings at Pakistani religious sites over the past month might suggest a growing tension between jihadist groups with global ambitions, and jihadist groups with more local ambitions? (I am thinking of similar events in Iraq that caused splits when asking this question)

Or is this just a matter of group’s taking advantage of soft targets to ferment unrest and unease in Pakistan and me wishing for the local population to pull away from the global jihadist, Sons of Iraq style if you will?

I am also puzzeled by the TTP’s claims that they do not attack religious sites (of course much of what the TTP does puzzles me) when only last month on May 28th they did claim responsibility for the attacks on the two Ahmadi Mosques (Maybe they don’t count because both Shia and Sunni seem to despise the Ahmadi?).

Does it seem likely that this is a new TTP strategy to unsettle Pakistan, pitting religious groups against each other, first Ahmadi mosques and then the Sufi Shrines, of course why not take credit for the attack on Data Darbar then?

Or do I have too much time on my hands to build webs of unconnected events?

[Tukhachevskii]

Last week the Data Darbar Shrine was attacked in Lahore, Pakistan. At least 41 people died, this was the 2nd attack on a religious site in the city of Lahore in just over a month. The Data Darbar shrine is a very popular shrine in Pakistan with both the Muslim and non-Muslim population. I could just be thinking too much and this attack could have just been a nice soft target for Islamic extremist of many ilks (which abound in Pakistan); that being said this event and the declaration by a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan shortly after the bombing stating that is was not the work of the TTP leads me to ask many questions.

Does any one have any thoughts on whether the series of bombings at Pakistani religious sites over the past month might (a) suggest a growing tension between jihadist groups with global ambitions, and jihadist groups with more local ambitions? (I am thinking of similar events in Iraq that caused splits when asking this question)

Or is this just a matter of group’s taking advantage of soft targets to ferment unrest and unease in Pakistan and me wishing for the local population to pull away from the global jihadist, Sons of Iraq style if you will?

I am also puzzeled by the TTP’s claims that they do not attack religious sites (of course much of what the TTP does puzzles me) when only last month on May 28th they did claim responsibility for the attacks on the two Ahmadi Mosques (Maybe they don’t count because both Shia and Sunni seem to despise the Ahmadi?).

Does it seem likely that this is a new TTP strategy to unsettle Pakistan, pitting religious groups against each other, first Ahmadi mosques and then the Sufi Shrines, of course why not take credit for the attack on Data Darbar then?

Or do I have too much time on my hands to build webs of unconnected events?

Makes two of us...two much time on our hand that is

Don't discount Pakistani governmental participation either (for whatever reason). With regards to (a) there has always been tension between local and global jihadis especially when local players feel that their goals are being subverted (and lives squandered) to further the goals of the globalists who may or may not actually give a damn about the local issues at stake (just look at Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.). Also, Ahmadiyyah's do tend to be reviled but I think thats dependant on other factors (such as domestic political constituencies, governmental bias or percieved bias, who is dominant, etc?). Strangely, in Yemen there's a noted Ahmadiiyah mosque perched atop a mountain said to be the resting place of some notable saint or some such inhabited by mostly South Asian types which is not only tolerated but respected...yes, I am talking about Yemen and yes, I've been there.