English translation of ʼIsmāʻīl al-Suhaylī’s “A Brief Glance At The Jihadist Situation In Paktīkā Province” from Issue #56 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣomūd Magazine

NOTE: To view issue number fifty-six of the Ṭālibān’s magazine al-Ṣomūd see here. You can also see another translation from issue fifty six of Fidā’ī’s “The Afghān Jihād Is The Reason For The World’s Salvation And Especially The Islamic World.”
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Safar 25, 1432 A.H, Sunday, January 30, 2011
By Isma’il al-Suhayli
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.
Geographic Situation: Paktika Province is located in the southeast of Afghanistan and is bordered by Paktia and Khost provinces to the east; Ghazni to the north; Zabul to the west and the Waziristan region to the south. 393,800 people live in the province, the capital of which is the city of Sharan. It is situated 2118 meters above sea level.
(Paktika) was separated from greater Paktia and is composed of 23 districts: Mata Khan, Yosuf Khel, Yahya Khel, Omna, Sar awda, Zarghun Shahr, Jani Khel, Gomal, Sarobi, Urgun, Ziruk, Nika, Dila, Khushamand, Waza Khwa, Terwa, Barmal, Gayan, Kherkut, Remami, Yek Khel and Jarbaran.
The life of the people in Paktika province is a tribal life like the rest of the Pashtun tribes, characterized by religiousness, hospitality, patience, forbearance, respect for their chiefs and honor for scholars.
Educational Situation: The continuous wars in Afghanistan have impacted all aspects of life. The educational aspect has been greatly damaged and the residents of Paktika have been denied the blessings of education. There are undoubtedly causes for this deprivation, at the forefront of which is the foreign occupation which has left its negative impression on the Afghan people, especially the people of Paktika province.
Paktika province was one of the main battlefronts during the Soviet occupation and remains in the front line of fire in confronting the Crusaders. The residents of Paktika still defend Islam and its people with self-sacrifice and devotion as they break the backs of the tyrannical aggressors. Due to their death-defying defense and heroic stand, the haughty aggressors destroy their schools by their continuous shelling of villages and their barbarous campaigns. Because of this, the educational infrastructure is being demolished and the people of this province are denied their right to an education.
Health Situation: Undoubtedly whenever a country is afflicted by the flames of battle, there is a detrimental impact on and degeneration in the basic necessities of people’s life. Public health is one of those necessities (of life) that has been greatly damaged in Afghanistan. The health situation in Paktika province is very low. Some Arab charitable foundations used to be concerned with the health situation in Paktika province but, after the American occupation, all projects connected to the health situation in the region collapsed and matters went from bad to worse. A routine illness that used to be treated immediately, now, because of the lack suitable clinics for treatment, become chronic illnesses. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Paktika province lacks a working hospital and a single specialist who can treat these routine illnesses!!!
The Role of the People of Paktika in Confronting the Crusader Occupation: The people of Paktika province, as mentioned before, are a prohibitive barrier in confronting the occupiers, always conducting their Jihad to defend their religion. The pages of the history of Afghanistan bear (the stories of) the heroes of Paktika who confronted both the English and Russian occupation. After the American occupation of Afghanistan and the maligning of our Islamic values, Paktika was among the first provinces to declare Jihad against the American forces. The famed Shahi Kut mountains in Pakistan witnessed one of the epic battles in the land of Afghanistan under the leadership of the Shaheed Saif al-Rahman Mansour, may Allah have mercy on him. This extraordinary commander began his campaign against American forces, taking the Shah-i Kot mountains as a base to launch his Jihadist operations and reminded the occupiers of the black days of Vietnam.
From the epic battle of the Shah-i Kot mountains till this day, Paktika province has been a lofty fortress of Jihad. The sacrifices of its people are always increasing. The people of this proud province are determined to continue their Jihad until Afghanistan is liberated from the filth of the Crusaders and the banner of Islam flutters in its sky!
Paktika province is one of the provinces in which the Mujahideen were able to kidnap an American soldier from inside an American military base in broad daylight and transport him to a secure location. This demonstrates the cooperation of the people of Paktika and their standing by the side of their Mujahideen brothers because such an operation cannot be conducted without the cooperation of the local people.
Paktika province is considered one of the most important bases of Jihad in the southern regions and the operations of the Mujahideen in this province are conducted with the cooperation of its residents. Its zealous people stand in the ranks of Jihad in confronting the occupiers and their lackeys. For this cause, they, like the rest of the people in the other provinces of Afghanistan, offer the greatest examples of heroism and sacrifices.
This year, Paktika province, in comparison to neighboring provinces, offered many martyrs, may Allah Almighty accept them. Yet, Jihadist operations have not ceased. Rather, they are on the continuous increase. In each of its districts, the Mujahideen launch their attacks on enemy bases. The enemy has tried his sword (against them) time and time again but they remain nothing but a shamed loser, bearing enormous losses in lives and equipment.
The martyrdom-seeking military operation which was recently carried out by nine Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate against a border base in the Urgun directorate resulted in the destruction of almost fifty infidel occupiers, is the best evidence of what we said. The pace of Mujahideen operations against the supply convoys of the occupation forces is continuously on the increase. The people of Paktika have not, and will not permit these military convoys to cross the lands of Paktika in peace! They lie in ambush for them and offer themselves; their wealth and their sons as a sacrifice for the Deen of Allah Azza wa Jall and will not let the filthy feet of the occupiers tread on their lands. Despite all the efforts of the enemy to control Paktika province and annihilate the Mujahideen, the Mujahideen, through the grace of the All-powerful and Omnipotent, have liberated a large area of this province from the filth of occupations and its lackeys. The flag of the Islamic Emirate flutters in the sky over 85% of the lands of Paktika, praise be to Allah. The occupiers and their lackeys have become besieged in their bases and even the areas adjacent to these bases are under the control of the Mujahideen.
Most of the occupiers in this province are American, but there are also some soldiers belonging to other countries who work on American bases under the direct supervision of the Americans. The number of occupiers is around 10,000 soldiers.
The presence of this huge number of occupiers armed to the teeth with the most modern and destructive of weapons has not had a negative impact on the morale of the Mujahideen. Rather, the morale of the Mujahideen is high, because it is based on lofty principles and their ardor built upon true and passionate sentiments. Indeed, the Mujahideen rejoice in this great number of occupiers because military targets have therefore spread out and increased.
Because of his inability to destroy the Jihadist movement in the region, the cowardly enemy has resorted to base methods in targeting the people; destroying their houses and raiding their homes at night in order to take their revenge against the Mujahideen and spread a climate of fear and terror in the province. This, however, has no effect on the morale of the people of the province and strong cooperation in the cause of Jihad. Rather, this barbarism makes them more committed to the Mujahideen and ignites in them the spirit of vengeance and retribution against the occupiers and their cowardly agents. The increase in Mujahideen operations in this province and in their campaigns there is evidence of this reality. Indeed, because of these operations, the Paktika theater has become oppressive for the occupiers.
Praise be to Allah, first and finally.
Translated From The Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan: Al-Somood Magazine Issue #56
The Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan