MINGORA, Oct 24: The Tehrik Nefaz-i-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM) Malakand division workers, armed with sophisticated weapons, would leave for Afghanistan on Thursday via Bajuar agency to join hands with the Taliban against the United States.

Eyewitnesses said the TNSM had made announcements urging the people to come armed to Lal Qilla in Maidan, headquarters of the TNSM in upper Dir, to leave for Afghanistan and take part in the ‘Jihad.’

The TNSM expects a big turnout at the venue. A TNSM worker said that scrutiny of the men would be carried out to send only the able-bodied and young people to fight in Afghanistan.

The witnesses said that the administration had so far taken a lenient view of the TNSM activities to avoid a law and order situation.

The amir of TNSM Maulana Sufi Muhammad, while talking to this correspondent on telephone from his residence at Maidan Dir (Lower) on Wednesday evening, said that he had urged all of his followers to prepare themselves for the jihad that was binding on them.

He said that it was compulsory for the faithful to participate in the jihad against the aggressors, adding that the non-Muslims should be taught an exemplary lesson.

Sufi said the workers of TNSM would move to Afghanistan with their own resources, as the Taliban had already informed them of lack of foodstuff and other facilities.

He said the TNSM would do all the things on its own and not bother the Taliban to provide them with things like foodstuff, clothing, or shelter, etc.

He said it was jihad in the way of Allah and not for the Taliban.

He said the TNSM workers were in possession of all kind of heavy weapons like anti-aircraft guns, mortars, missiles, klashnikovs. “But the best weapon we have is our faith.”

He said that he was in contact with the Jalalabad governor Abdul Kabir and the Taliban supreme leader Mulla Omer, and vowed to do whatever was required of him.

He, however, did not reveal the actual figures of the people wishing to go to Afghanistan, saying it would be a continuous process.

He said all the people were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Islam and to fight against the non-Muslims.

He condemned the policies of the government of providing support to the American forces against Taliban and termed them a total failure.

He hailed the role of the religious groups they played for the cause of Islam and for the support of Mujihadeen in Afghanistan.

When asked whether he had appointed anyone to act as his substitute, he said: “During the jihad, there is no need of running of the tehrik”.

Meanwhile, a big public meeting of the TNSM was held in Maidan on Wednesday in which the participants displayed klashnikovs and other weapons openly even in the presence of the law enforcement agencies.

The authorities had already decided to give a free hand to the TNSM workers as it would have led to a clash had they stopped them from displaying of the arms, an officer told this correspondent on telephone.

It was also learnt that workers of some other religious groups would also accompany the TNSM caravan.

The people have started moving to Afghanistan since the United States’ attacks on that country began.