ShareThisBy GRAEME SMITH
Toronto Globe and Mail
Monday, May 14, 2007
Signs of disorder emerged in Taliban ranks as insurgents grappled with the news that Mullah Dadullah, their most powerful field commander, had been killed.
The Taliban initially denied reports that the notorious mullah was dead, then confirmed the killing and vowed revenge. But the question of who should now lead the insurgents into battle was a matter of disagreement between Taliban figures in southern Afghanistan.
Serving in the Taliban leadership council under its reclusive leader, Mullah Omar, has become an increasingly dangerous job. Three of the council's top figures have been killed or captured in the past six months. Dadullah was by far the most important, suspected of masterminding suicide bombings, beheadings, assassinations and other aspects of the Taliban's most bloodthirsty operations.
"Mullah Dadullah ... will most certainly be replaced in time, but the insurgency has received a serious blow," said a NATO statement announcing his death.
One of the few remaining senior insurgents who could lead a military campaign would be Mullah Berader, a former Taliban governor of Herat province. Afghans who have met the tall, thin, long-bearded Berader say he is committed to driving away foreign troops but he is less fanatical than Dadullah was.
Whereas the slain commander was assessed by Western intelligence as a sadist, Berader is described as more educated and good-humored, and perhaps less enthusiastic about the suicide-bombing strategy championed by Dadullah.
A spate of suicide attacks caused a sharp increase in civilians deaths last year and the issue of whether ordinary Afghans are legitimate targets has caused divisions within the Taliban. Such an argument was also visible as some Taliban pushed for a successor more aligned with Mullah Dadullah's views -- perhaps one of his brothers, or a close associate.
The internal politics of the insurgency are murky, as most of the significant players avoid all publicity. Some have never been photographed.
Dadullah was a notable exception, speaking on television and starring in his own video productions. His propaganda films included long scenes in which his fighters cut off the heads of suspected spies.
The insurgent leader's own death was equally public. Kandahar Gov. Asadullah Khalid invited local journalists to his palace Sunday to view Dadullah's body, half-shrouded in a purple cloth, lying on a metal hospital bed. He appeared to have been shot in the head, but was still recognizable. Two bullets struck him in the stomach, the governor said. The shroud was pulled up so journalists could see the characteristic stump of his amputated left leg.
How he died was unclear. Conflicting reports suggest he was killed during fighting in the Sangin or Nad Ali districts of Helmand province. A NATO statement said the operation was led by U.S. forces, with NATO support.
Dadullah's death leaves a void in the Taliban's command structure, but his absence as an inspiration will also be felt. His legendary ruthlessness instilled fear among enemies and allies alike; during previous civil wars, the rumor of his presence on the battlefield was sometimes enough to rout his opponents.
Born in the southern province of Uruzgan, Dadullah belonged to the Kakar tribe, part of the Pashtun ethnic group that dominates southern Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas. He fought the Russians in the 1980s, and rose to prominence in the 1990s as a field commander in the Taliban army that swept north and captured most of the country. His leg was blown off by a land mine in 1995.
The U.S. invasion in 2001 trapped him in the northern city of Kunduz, but he narrowly escaped. Afghan authorities believed he sought shelter in Pakistan and demanded his return in 2003. Pakistan officially took action against him in 2005, sentencing him to life in prison, in absentia, for the attempted murder of a parliamentarian.
Last year, he claimed to have 12,000 fighters under his command.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
