It seems that “the locals believed that the criminals were enjoying support of the militant groups.” The jihadists have never hesitated to make use of criminal elements to further their ends — witness their opium trafficking in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan: Local Taliban Asked To Help Curb Crimes,” from AKI (thanks to Insubria):
Lakki Marwat, 26 June (AKI/DAWN) – Elders of a grand jirga of the Marwat tribe in the Lakki Marwat district of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) have asked the local Taliban to take action against kidnappers and criminals in the district.
The opposition Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) provincial general-secretary Kamal Khan Marwat represented the jirga and held talks with the local Taliban in the village of Mamashkhel on Sunday evening and apprised them of the increasing cases of kidnapping and other crimes in the area.
A tribal elder said they had urged the Taliban to take action because the locals believed that the criminals were enjoying support of the militant groups.
The Taliban played an active role in releasing kidnapped persons in the district, he said and asked them to use their influence for the recovery of a local official.