New American Foundation

FATA: Inside Pakistan's Tribal Regions

Data and in-depth analysis from all seven tribal agencies of FATA-pakistan

South Waziristan

Drone strikes*

  • Total incidents 45 strikes
  • Non-militants killed 76 to 203
  • Militant deaths 251 to 363
  • Militant Leaders killed 12
  • * Includes data through July 2010

Of all the tribal agencies and districts of the FATA, few have assumed as much importance for the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, as South Waziristan, the country's southernmost tribal agency and the largest by area. The people of South Waziristan are almost all orthodox Sunni Muslims, and a great majority of them are illiterate.

After U.S. and NATO forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, thousands from the Afghan Taliban, al Qaeda, and their foreign affiliates -- including groups of Uzbeks, Chechens and Tajiks -- came to South Waziristan looking for refuge and bases to continue their fight against the U.S. and NATO forces occupying Afghanistan. The local tribes, sympathetic to the cause, provided shelter and assistance to the fighters, while local militants who were affiliated with the Afghan Taliban government before Sept. 11 began to organize local Taliban groups across South Waziristan. In December 2007 local tribal and militant leaders formed the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of dozens of Taliban groups throughout Pakistan, under the initial leadership of Baitullah Mehsud.

The Taliban had at one point virtually taken over South Waziristan, running their own courts in the agency and collecting taxes from the local population. While recent military advances have mostly cleared the Taliban's structure and fighters, combat between militants and the Pakistani army in South Waziristan continues. --Mansur Khan Mahsud

Filter by demographics

Local Issues

How important are the following issues?

Corruption of local officials

Lack of security

Drone attacks

Lack of jobs

Foreign fighters

Lack of schools and education

Lack of good roads and transportation

Poor health care and access to water

Taliban fighters

People fleeing from the area as refugees

Afghan refugees coming into the area

Government

How important are the following long-term goals for the government of Pakistan in the tribal areas?

Building new schools

Improving mosques

Improving health care

Improving the economy

Expelling foreign fighters

Support more drone attacks

Implementing strict Sharia

Ensuring and independent judiciary

Defeating Taliban fighers

Education

How important are the following long-term goals for education in the tribal areas?

Building new government schools for boys

Building new government schools for girls

Building new madrassas for boys

Building new madrassas for girls

Economy

How important are the following long-term goals for the economy in the tribal areas?

New jobs

New roads and transportation

Better water/sanitation

Better agricultural assistance

Land reform to allow for local ownership

Governing FATA

How important are the following long-term goals for governing in the tribal areas?

FATA should be governed as it now is

Regular Pakistani criminal and civil laws should be extended to FATA

FATA should become part of an independent Pashtun state

FATA should be governed by the Pakistani military

FATA should have an independent and elected council

Justice

How important are the following long-term goals for justice in the tribal areas?

The tribal areas should be governed by Pakistani government courts

The tribal areas should be governed by local jirga

FATA should be governed by strict Sharia

FATA should be governed by the Pakistani military

Group Actors

How favorable is your opinion of the following groups?

Arab and other foreign fighters

American military

Pakistani army

Frontier corps

Pakistani Taliban

Federal Pakistani Government in Islamabad

Provincial government in Peshawar

Political agent

Pakistani Police

FATA Secretariat

FATA Development Authority

Opinions of the U.S.

Would any of the following improve your opinion of the United States?

U.S. business investment in FATA

U.S. aid for school construction and teacher training in FATA

U.S. aid for medical care and training in FATA

U.S. military equipment and training to the Pakistani armed forces in FATA

U.S. increasing visas for people in FATA to work or study in the United States

U.S. increasing educational scholarships for students in FATA to study in the United States

Withdrawal of U.S. military from Afghanistan

U.S. brokering a comprehensive Middle East peace between Israelis and Palestinians

Leadership

How favorable is your opinion of the following individuals?

Pervez Musharraf

Barack Obama

Ashfaq Parvez Kayani

Jaluddin Haqqani

Nawaz Sharif

Yousaf Raza Gilani

Siraj Haqqani

Manmohan Singh

Asif Ali Zardari

Fazl-ur-Rahman

Qazi Hussain Ahmed

Osama bin Laden

Mullah Omar

Sami ul-Haq

Pursuing Militants

Do you support or oppose each of the following?

The Pakistani military pursuing Taliban, Al Qaeda, and foreign fighters inside FATA

The U.S. military working with the Pakistani military to pursue Taliban, Al Qaeda, and foreign fighters inside Pakistan

The U.S. military pursuing Taliban, Al Qaeda, and foreign fighters by itself inside Pakistan, without working with the Pakistani military

Foreign Groups

Do you support or oppose the presence of the following groups inside FATA today?

The United States Military

Arab and foreign Al Qaeda fighters

Afghan Taliban fighters (led by Mullah Omar)

Pakistani Taliban fighters

Violence

Which of the following groups is most responsible for the violence inside FATA?

Which of the following groups is most responsible for the violence inside FATA?

Negotiation

Should the Pakistani government negotiate with, or continue to fight, the following groups?

Arab and foreign Al Qaeda fighters

Afghan Taliban fighters

Pakistani Taliban fighters

Other militant groups (e.g. Mangal Bagh's faction, etc)

Safety

Which of the following groups poses the greatest threat to your personal safety?

Which of the following groups poses the greatest threat to your personal safety?

Elections

If you could vote for any party or group in a Pakistani election, which of the following would you vote for?

If you could vote for any party or group in a Pakistani election, which of the following would you vote for?

Drone Strikes

Do you support or oppose United States military drone strikes by air inside FATA today?

Do you support or oppose United States military drone strikes by air inside FATA today?

Drone Targets

Do you think American drone strikes for the most part accurately kill militants or mostly kill civilians?

Do you think American drone strikes for the most part accurately kill militants or mostly kill civilians?

Pakistani Drones

Do you the Pakistani military should launch its own drone attacks by air inside FATA?

Do you the Pakistani military should launch its own drone attacks by air inside FATA?

Local Actors

Are the following people important in your area?

Maliks

Political agents

Pakistani army

Frontier Corps

Arab and other Foreign fighters

Local Imams and Mullahs

Taliban fighers

Political leaders

NGOs

Suicide Bombings

Do you think that suicide bombings and attacks are justified?

Do you think that suicide bombings and attacks are justified?

Bombing Targets

Are suicide bombings justified against the following targets?

The Pakistani military and police

The U.S. military

Pakistani civilians

American civilians

The War on Terror

Do you support or oppose the U.S.-led war on terror?

Do you support or oppose the U.S.-led war on terror?

U.S. Goals

What do you think is the real purpose of the US-led war on terror?

What do you think is the real purpose of the US-led war on terror?