SUMMARY

Zakakhel tribe, located in the Zakakhel area of Khyber agency, is one the most affected populations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as a result of Sunni militancy aimed at establishing a Taliban-style government in the region. In order to defend themselves against the regional extremist group, Lashkar-e-Islam (Army of Islam), the Zakakhel tribesmen formed a tribal militia, as many other tribes had done to counter such threats. Because of their proximity to Bara, the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Islam, the Zakakhel tribe absorbed the majority of the attacks.

The onset of the conflict between Lashkar-e-Islam and Lashkar of Zakakhel tribe is attributed to the incident in which a religious scholar of the Zakakhel tribe, Maulana Muhammad Hashim, was kidnapped from the Zakakhel bazaar area on March 21 and beheaded the following day by a Lashkar-e-Islam commander named Khan. Hashim, an influential religious scholar living in Tirah valley, was a severe critic of Lashkar-e-Islams un-Islamic and criminal activities. The abduction and subsequent beheading of Hashim enraged militants from his tribe, who then formed a militia to fight against Lashkar-e-Islam. The Zakakhel demanded Lashkar-e-Islam to hand over commander Khan, and guarantee that Lashkar-e-Islam militants will not operate in the Zakakhel area again. Their demands were turned down by the leader of Lashkar-e-Islam, Mangal Bagh.

The non-state conflict between the Lashkar-e-Islam and Lashkar of Zakakhel tribe is first included in UCDP data in 2011. In April of that year, fighting between the two groups had resulted in over 25 battle-related deaths.