Baitullah Mehsud and America

[Neo]

Baitullah Mehsud and America​

Editorial: As Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) comes under pressure from the military operations launched in its stronghold, deserters from its rank and file are making revelations that belie some of the sacred beliefs the media has allowed to become common “analytical” currency. One big diversion from the truth is the “discovery” that Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the TTP, is an agent of the United States and India wreaking havoc in Pakistan to fulfil the US design to establish the hegemony of India in South Asia and to facilitate the elimination by the US of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Who has proof of all this? Who inside the government has spread this “information” without giving sufficient proof? If you ask the state functionaries they insist they have not planned any such massive disinformation. Yet one has to recall that some spokesmen have vaguely named “agencies” on the “other side of the border”, but again without tangible proof. This, however, convincingly looks like a part of the “strategic” decision that the presence of NATO in Afghanistan is not in Pakistan’s interest and that India’s presence in Afghanistan is hostile to the interests of Pakistan. Some Pakistani analysts have now started questioning the “logic” behind the stringing together of these tales of TPP-Indian and TTP-American collusion.

Logic is the first casualty. There are a number of statements of Baitullah Mehsud on record vowing revenge on the Americans for their invasion of Afghanistan, recalling his own time spent in that country fighting alongside the Taliban. His men have preyed on the trucks that take provisions to the NATO troops through Pakistan and for which the Americans bypassed the Pakistan government and made independent arrangements with various private hauling companies and warehouse owners. The TTP now has a good supply of high quality combat vehicles and other military supplies. How does one reconcile this with the “fact” that Mehsud is actually working for the Americans?

The willingness to believe Mehsud rather than the government was in evidence in the media after the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. Mehsud’s telephonic conversation with the mastermind of the suicide attack was intercepted and made known by Pakistan’s intelligence establishment. However when he declared that he had not carried out the attack, Mehsud was immediately believed. Now that deserters from the TTP have revived the truth — that Baitullah Mehsud actually planned the killing and personally sent off the attackers to Rawalpindi — there is a silence of embarrassment in Pakistan. Had the fact been accepted in 2008 when the gang of assassins was apprehended, we would not have horribly falsified the evidence that linked the killing to Al Qaeda’s understanding of Ms Bhutto as an American “asset” in Pakistan.

Then in 2008 came the Mumbai attacks. The Indians reacted by rattling the sabre. Suddenly, India was the enemy and Mehsud a patriot. A “disenchanted” Pakistani analyst sought answers to such newspaper reports as the one quoting an army official saying that Baitullah Mehsud and Fazlullah were “patriots”. Another was reported as saying that in case of an Indian invasion the TTP will fight “shoulder to shoulder” with the Pakistani troops to save Pakistan.

From that to what is being said now is a big leap of the imagination. Such leaps are usually called fantasy. Now Mehsud is the paid agent of the Indians. Analysts appearing on TV have gone so far as to say that the Taliban inflicting savage cruelty on the people of Swat were actually Hindus! Everyone has forgotten about the 5,000 plus foreigners — Uzbeks, Arabs, Chechens and Uighurs — sheltered by Mehsud on behalf of Al Qaeda. One “deserter” has thrown in the red herring about how India trains its Hindu agents in the intricacies of Islamic learning till they become ulema before being sent into Pakistan looking like the Taliban!

So buried are we in our narcissistic obsessions that the world now rebukes us for living on the basis of contradictions. Foreign commentators now ask: If you hate the US so much and know that it is helping the Taliban to create chaos in Pakistan as a prelude to grabbing your nuclear weapons, why do you go asking Washington for money? They also say: If India is destroying Pakistan through the Taliban why are you seeking a “composite” dialogue with it instead of going to war with it?

 

[brilTek]

He refused to attack foreign troops in afghanistan thats why he was labelled as "american agent". Isn't that strange that guy working for Islam killing innocent muslims instead of non-muslims.

The question remains who the hell is he working for? The name comes to my mind is 'India'.

 

[muse]

Briltec


Perhaps it will be more productive if we focus who he is working against, instead of who his pay masters are --- it has been reported that huge sums of money are pouring into the Talib insurgencies from "private" donors in Saudi and Gulf countries.

But many may not be psychologically ready to accept this -- and this is because they do not understand that for persons of a particular religious school of thought, it is more important to confront what are seen as apostates, Pakistan is key, because it is seen as a potent but weak and ******* state that can be overwhelmed by the islamist insurgencies.

Again, think of the early days when no one believed that the talib were a threat to Pakistan or that Islamists would one day target Pakistani cities with suicide bombers.

 

[sergente rehan]

can anybody post some informations about the past of Baitullah Mehsud? where he come from, where he lived and what about the period in Egypt? when he massacred dozens of innocent Muslims...like he's doing now days

To me he has some serious problems....maybe he's a bit psychopath

 

[Neo]

Baitullah Mehsud: Who is he? ​

The Dawn
Tuesday, 31 Mar, 2009

Baitullah Mehsud, the man who claimed responsibility for the attack on a police training academy in Manawan (on the outskirts of Lahore) on March 30, is a veteran of the anti-Soviet ‘jihad’ of the 1980s, and has emerged to become the top Taliban commander in Pakistan. He claims to enjoy a ‘good relationship’ with the Afghan Taliban’s top most commander Mullah Omar. In addition to directly controlling sizeable militias who have waged overt war with Pakistani security forces in Waziristan, Baitullah has also been blamed for a number of terrorist attacks in the rest of the country, including the assassination of former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto. However, despite all of his exploits, he remains elusive and shrouded in mystery.

According to Jane’s Intelligence Guide, Baitullah Mehsud was born sometime during the 1970’s in the village of Landi Dhok in NWFP’s Bannu region. Though Bannu is far from the traditional Mehsud stronghold of southern Waziristan, it remains fiercely independent, and its residents continue to display the characteristics which helped the tribe remain one of the few that could never be subjugated by the British during their colonisation of the subcontinent.

Despite failing to register on any major intelligence agency’s radar screen until recently, his reputation for bravery made for a steady rise through the Taliban’s ranks. Ironically, Baitullah was among the chosen few Pakistanis who made it to the Time’s 2009 list of the world’s most influential people. However, his so called ‘mystery’ has been enhanced by his refusal to let himself be photographed in recent years, citing religious beliefs, even though he has had no issues with his press conferences being photographed as long as his face remains hidden.

Baitullah Mehsud played a leading role in a vicious campaign against the military operation in Waziristan throughout 2004, during which he employed many of the tactics evolved during his time in Afghanistan, including beheading local policemen, guerrilla warfare and using the rugged terrain to hide troops and supplies.

At that time, Baitullah was working in close collaboration with Tahir Yuldashev, cofounder of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and Abdullah Mehsud, a former Guantanamo detainee who is also said to be Baitullah’s brother but it remains unconfirmed. Another report by Dawn claimed that one of Abdullah’s brothers was a serving major in the Pakistan army, during the Waziristan operation which failed in rounding up this top rank of militants. Abdullah Mehsud committed suicide in 2007 after security forces raided his hideout in Balochistan.

The Pakistan Army, battered by a long campaign against militants in the region, finally offered a cease-fire agreement to him in February 2005. The agreement ceded control of vast tracts of land to Baitullah Mehsud and saw the army agreeing to man existing forts in the region only with paramilitary Frontier Corpsmen in return for a pledge to end sanctuary for foreign fighters and ending opposition to development projects.

However, according to the New York Times, Baitullah took this as an opportunity to re-arm his men and consolidate his grip on power in the region. This seems to be borne out by the fact that when the peace treaty collapsed in August 2007, Baitullah’s tribal armies were even stronger than before. After claiming that the army had violated the terms of the ceasefire, his forces launched attacks which seized more than 200 soldiers on August 30, 2007, who were later exchanged for 25 militants in November the same year.

On December 14, 2007, he was chosen to lead the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan), an umbrella group aimed at uniting the largest militant factions operating in the tribal agencies and NWFP. He was also blamed for exacerbating the violence during the Red Mosque operation, which saw army officers storming a seminary in the heart of Islamabad.

In February 2008, Baitullah reportedly announced another ceasefire agreement with the Pakistani government; however, the Pakistani military officially claims operations against him have not stopped. At the time, Carlotta Gall of the New York Times and Ismail Khan of Dawn reported that high-level officials in the Pakistani government confirmed the deal with him.

In July 2008, Baitullah threatened to take action against the NWFP government if its officials did not step down within five days. The warning was met with outright scorn on the government's part. Only a month later, rumours of his death from kidney failure circulated, but were later clarified by his doctor. He continues to live.

Days before the Manawan attack near Lahore, on March 26, the United States government offered a $5 million reward for information on Baitullah Mehsud, describing him as a key al-Qaeda facilitator intending to attack the United States.

In the light of recent developments, analysts are debating whether or not the Pakistan army is truly committed to rooting out Baitullah and his ilk, or whether they prefer to use these militants as an additional line of defence against a possible Indian invasion and for acquiring a ‘strategic depth’ of sorts in the region. However, it remains to be seen if the latest attack in Manawan will spark a change in attitudes towards the TTP and their brethren.

 

[brilTek]

Briltec


Perhaps it will be more productive if we focus who he is working against, instead of who his pay masters are --- it has been reported that huge sums of money are pouring into the Talib insurgencies from "private" donors in Saudi and Gulf countries.

But many may not be psychologically ready to accept this -- and this is because they do not understand that for persons of a particular religious school of thought, it is more important to confront what are seen as apostates, Pakistan is key, because it is seen as a potent but weak and ******* state that can be overwhelmed by the islamist insurgencies.

Again, think of the early days when no one believed that the talib were a threat to Pakistan or that Islamists would one day target Pakistani cities with suicide bombers.

No doubt in my mind that anyone sponsoring these terrorists working against Pakistan let it be Saudia, UAE or India should be dealt firmly.

I'm Not ready to accept that Saudian or UAE govt backing these. Some "non state" persons might be financing them. However, Indian, Russian and Israeli govt. could very likely to be involved.

You kill mehsud, two more will sprung up next day. Cutting the grass won't solve the problem, you have to uproot the menace.

 

[muse]

You kill mehsud, two more will sprung up next day. Cutting the grass won't solve the problem, you have to uproot the menace

This statement is not correct. Please think about the kind of training and motivation that has been indoctrinated into this person. Please think about the skill sets Baitullah has shown to have been trained in -- these are unique -- all leaders are unique, that's why they are leaders.

Our strategy is not as expensive as that of the U.S., it's not because we do not love or care for our people, it is because of all the options availbale to us, we have opted for one which we believe will result in maximum numbers of lives saved and central to this strategy is the elimination of top tier leadership.

Other leaders may replace Baitullah, but they will not bring the kind of strengths Baitullah presents us with. They may have other strengths and other weaknesses.

About "non-state" actors in Saudi and Gulf -- these are individuals with a lot of money or access to a lot of money - and while they cannot be identified as state actors, they are usually very close to state actors - think of who make up the leadership in those countries, are those princes rich, are they all govt actors? are they close to govt runs by their family members??

Think about why relations between Pakistan and Saudi have been as distant as they have been under the "democractic" dispensation - why Saudi arm had to be twisted by U.S to attend "friends of pakistan" donor meeting in Tokyo? Why Saudi oil facility is not forth coming?? Why Saudi ambassador has become a player in the islamist insurgency in pakistan, publically calling for talks with the terrorists????

 

[brilTek]

This statement is not correct. Please think about the kind of training and motivation that has been indoctrinated into this person. Please think about the skill sets Baitullah has shown to have been trained in -- these are unique -- all leaders are unique, that's why they are leaders.

Watch Meray Mutabiq of 20th June with Gen. (R) Muhammad Arif Bangash and you'll know the answer. He was an ordinary man but gained importance when army directly get involved in negotiating to him. Thats a biggest mistake by army accd. to Gen. Arif.

Think about why relations between Pakistan and Saudi have been as distant as they have been under the "democractic" dispensation - why Saudi arm had to be twisted by U.S to attend "friends of pakistan" donor meeting in Tokyo? Why Saudi oil facility is not forth coming?? Why Saudi ambassador has become a player in the islamist insurgency in pakistan, publically calling for talks with the terrorists????

Thats because of zardari who puts balme of murdering benazir on saudis what I learnt so far. He accused saudis in various meetings with foreign envoys. After that expecting oil and other support from them is out of question.

 

[muse]

Bril

You are exactly right that the army should never have been talking to these people or signing agreements with them, because it gave them political legitimacy -- point I was making was that insurgent leaders are not a dime a dozen but rather very highly trained commanders with a good grip over their commoand and control, their political, their auxilliary, their information ops and their polical wing -- as a whole formenting and sustaining insurgency is very complicated and it is true that help from "outside" is absolutely vital - I cannot think of a single insurgency in recent memory that did not get training and a sort of political legitimacy from outside. That said, our focus should be to lable these as enemies, to focus the enrgy of our populace against these.

Zaradri blaming Saudis? Perhaps, I don't know any better in that count but I do know that some in Saudi and the gulf see insurgency in pakistan in the context of war against those they call apostates (shi'aH) - that they see themselves as engaged in the larger conflict with Iran and Pakistan as a stepping stone.