| Wana (واڼۀ) |
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Wana
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | FATA |
| Elevation | 1,387 m (4,551 ft) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
Wana (Pashto: واڼۀ, pronounced [ˈwɑɳə]) is the largest town of South Waziristan Agency in Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas). It is the summer headquarters for the Agency's administration, Tank located in neighbouring Tank District being the winter HQ[1]
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During the British Empire period, beginning in the late 19th century, the British established a cantonment on the Wana Plain which was used as a headquarters by the British forces in South Waziristan until they departed India after the partition in 1947. During their rule, the ferocious Pushtun tribes of Waziristan - part of the Karlanri Tribal Confederation - gave the British much headache. In fact, the British, known then as the 'foreigners' , had to deal with a full fledged insurgency in Waziristan in the 1930s. At one point during the 30s, the British had up to 18,000 troops in and around Waziristan, with Wana being used as the forward headquarters and airbase.
It is currently in the eye of a storm because of the embedded presence of another set of foreigners (Al-Qaeda) who have affiliated themselves with the Taliban-aligned Ahmadzai Waziris of the Wana Plain and others in the area . The Pakistan Armed forces have conducted armed operations against these Al-Qaeda members since August 2003 off and on with limited success. Perhaps the town's most violent incident in the War on Terror was the Battle of Wana which took place in March 2004 and included fighters from the Pakistani Army against Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. More than 100 armed personnel were killed during the week of the fighting.
On the evening of Thursday, April 2, 2009, militants blew up the only local government radio station after stealing the radio equipment. Militants set up several small stations in the tribal areas, and the station had already cut back its broadcasts to a minimum because of repeated Taliban harassment and had been avoiding any controversial programming, including music. (AKI) To add to the confusion the militants also told local residents that they could steal government property and consider anything taken as war booty. Soon crowds started breaking into government offices and taking away anything they could carry. New government housing and government offices located near the main base of Pakistan's Frontier Corps were destroyed. According to a report in Dawn News, local security stood by as even a newly built security post was destroyed.
Inhabitants of Wana are Muslim Pushtuns, primarily Ahmedzai Waziris. from the Wazir tribe. Also in South Waziristan Agency are some members of the Mahsud and Bhittani tribes who live in the surroundings of Wana.