Hakimullah Mehsud Finally Re-surfaces

[TaimiKhan]

Hakimullah Mehsud alive, meets reporters
Monday, 05 Oct, 2009


PESHAWAR: The new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud appeared in a video clip broadcast on local television on Monday, dispelling rumours of his death and vowing new attacks.

Hakimullah Mehsud claimed to have taken over the reins of the feared Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in late August, after finally confirming that their commander Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US missile strike that month.

But rumours since swirled that Hakimullah Mehsud himself was also dead, with a senior US counter-terrorism official on Saturday saying they were looking into reports he was killed during infighting over the succession.

'I am alive and sitting in front of you. All the stories about my death were baseless. You can see me that I am alive,' a healthy-looking Hakimullah Mehsud said in a video clip seen in full by an AFP reporter.

'We will take severe revenge for Baitullah Mehsud's killing and the continued drone strikes... both America and Pakistan will have to face the consequences,' said the warlord, believed to be about 30.

'We have respect for Al-Qaeda and the jihadist organisations, we are with them. Tehrik-e-Taliban is united and stronger than before.'

The footage shows a smart and bearded Hakimullah Mehsud sitting on the ground in a clearing surrounded by trees and flanked by Taliban commanders. Two militants wielding a gun and a rocket launcher stand behind them.

Wali-ur Rehman, Hakimullah Mehsud's apparent rival for the Taliban leadership, is shown sitting beside him.

Television reports on the private Dawn and Express 24/7 stations said the footage was recorded Sunday at an undisclosed location.

Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a strike by a US drone in the Taliban's tribal heartland of South Waziristan on August 5, with government officials saying the death plunged the militants into disarray.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on August 9 there had been a shoot-out between Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur Rehman which left the former dead, sparking speculation over the young commander's fate.-AFP

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Hakimullah Mehsud alive, meets reporters

Latest Pictures

DAWN.COM | Media Gallery | 'I am alive and well,' says Hakeemullah Mehsud

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Bastard is still alive.

Hopefully all that talk of him being dead was to force him to go public, and hopefully there was a plan behind that.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Bastard is still alive.

Hopefully all that talk of him being dead was to force him to go public, and hopefully there was a plan behind that.

Yups, may be or may be he was in fact injured but not dead & the authorities may have interpreted the militant messages wrongly or assumed them as a sign of his death as he has resurfaced after a lot of time, enough to get healed.

 

[DbnReaper]

Find him, give him a fair trial and thereafter hang him till he dies

 

[kidwaibhai]

This is bad news. Taking this event into account the army should first go into orakzai agency because he is the strongest there. we should shelve the the operation in waziristan for now.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

yup. This lizard eating son of a ***** is still alive.

and now his group just attacked UN office @ Islamabad - WFP (World Food program). 4 Pakistanis and an Iraqi were killed.






'I am alive and well,' says TTP chief

PESHAWAR: New Pakistani Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud appeared in a video clip broadcast on local television on Monday, dispelling rumours of his death and vowing 'severe' new attacks.

Hakeemullah Mehsud claimed to have taken over the reins of the feared Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in late August, after finally confirming that their chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US missile strike that month.

But rumours since swirled that Hakeemullah Mehsud was also dead, with a senior US counter-terrorism official on Saturday saying they were looking into reports he was killed during infighting over the succession.

'I am alive and sitting in front of you. All the stories about my death were baseless. You can see me, that I am alive,' a healthy-looking Hakimullah Mehsud said in a video clip.

DawnNews TV and other private television stations, which showed the video, said the footage was recorded Sunday at an undisclosed location.

'We will take severe revenge for Baitullah Mehsud's killing and the continued drone strikes... both America and Pakistan will have to face the consequences,' said the warlord, believed to be aged about 30.

'We have respect for al Qaeda and the jihadist organisations -- we are with them,' he added.

Hakeemullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud are not related, although they are from the same tribe.

The comments were broadcast the same day a suicide bomber walked into the offices of the UN's World Food Programme in central Islamabad, detonating his explosives and killing five employees working for the agency.

Officials have blamed the attack on the Taliban.

The footage shows a smart and bearded Hakeemullah Mehsud sitting on the ground in a clearing surrounded by trees and flanked by Taliban commanders. Two militants wielding a gun and a rocket launcher stand behind them.

Waliur Rehman, Hakeemullah Mehsud's apparent rival for the Taliban leadership, is shown sitting beside him.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on August 9 there had been a shoot-out between Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman which left the former dead, sparking speculation over the young commander's fate.

But Hakeemullah Mehsud said the TTP umbrella organisation was 'united and stronger than before'.

'Our basic aim is enforcement of Islamic sharia law and if thousands of human lives need to be sacrificed, we will not hesitate,' he warned.

Pakistan's government blames the TTP -- formed by Baitullah Mehsud in late 2007 -- for the majority of about 275 attacks and suicide bombings that have killed more than 2,140 people across Pakistan in the past two years.

Islamabad earlier this year launched a fierce offensive to purge the northwest of Taliban fighters, and has already claimed success in Swat valley.

They are now poised for an assault on North and South Waziristan, which are teeming with Pakistani Taliban and other militants who fled Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion.

They have carved out camps in the mountains of the semi-autonomous tribal belt, and Washington says the militants are plotting attacks on the West and slipping over the border to target foreign troops in Afghanistan.

'If the Pakistan army tries to launch any offensive, it will face severe resistance, tougher than in the past,' Hakimullah Mehsud said.

Malik said earlier that the Taliban likely staged the Islamabad UN bomb blast to avenge the Swat offensive, which he said had 'broken their back'.-AFP

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Hakimullah Mehsud alive, meets reporters


In these photos taken Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud sits by his comrades in Sararogha of Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan along the Afghanistan border.-AP

 

[TalibanSwatter]

SARAROGHA, Pakistan – Flanked by heavily armed fighters, the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban sat on a blue blanket, amiable and relaxed as he cracked jokes and mixed in threats of vengeance for deadly U.S. airstrikes.

One day later, a suicide bomber attacked a U.N. office in Islamabad.

Hakimullah Mehsud met with reporters Sunday for the first time since winning control of the militant group, quashing speculation that he had been slain in a succession struggle following the killing of his predecessor in a U.S. drone attack.

He also described his group's relationship to al-Qaida as one of "love and affection." Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders are believed to be hiding out in the remote border region with Afghanistan, possibly in territory controlled by Hakimullah.

The militant vowed to retaliate against the U.S. and Pakistan for deadly attacks on his allies and said his fighters will repel an anticipated Pakistani offensive into his stronghold.

Hakimullah made his threat of vengeance hours before a suicide bomber disguised as a security officer killed five people at a U.N. office in Islamabad on Monday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but authorities blamed Islamic militants.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said several times that officials believed Hakimullah — and possibly his deputy, Waliur Rehman — had been killed in fighting over who would replace Baitullah Mehsud after his Aug. 5 death in a missile strike. Malik said that Hakimullah was being impersonated by his brother, including in calls to media organizations.

Western diplomats in Islamabad had also said their intelligence indicated he may have been killed, while Western media reports over the weekend quoted American officials as saying they believed he may be dead.

Hakimullah was very much alive, speaking calmly as he sat under a tree on a blanket surrounded by top Taliban commanders, including Waliur Rehman, in a show of unity in South Waziristan, where the Pakistani state and security forces have little or no presence. Also present were Qari Hussain, the head of the Taliban's suicide bomb faction, and Azam Tariq, a Taliban spokesman.

He told five Pakistani reporters, including one from The Associated Press, that the group's leadership remained intact and unified.

"We all are sitting before you, which proves all the news about myself ... was totally baseless and false," he said.

Pakistani security authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Pakistan has largely beaten back a Taliban insurgency in the northwestern Swat Valley in recent months and intelligence officials say the country is preparing a major offensive against al-Qaida and the Taliban in South Waziristan. The military has been blockading the region and seeking to encourage other tribes to rise up against Hakimullah.

Hakimullah said his forces were ready for such an attack, which would likely be far tougher than the Swat campaign. The army has been beaten back there three times since 2004. Analysts say some 10,000 well-armed militants, including foreign fighters, are in the mountainous region and well dug in.

"We are fully prepared for that operation and we will give full proof of those preparations once the offensive is launched," he said.

On the drive to and from the interview, the AP reporter could see fighters taking up positions at key vantage points. Residents said the militants were digging trenches along routes the army was expected to travel.

Fearing the coming offensive, civilians were fleeing the area via backroads and traveling at night because the military had already sealed most of the main routes out.

While Baitullah avoided the glare of media and was only photographed once — from a side angle — Hakimullah showed no such modesty.

He did not appear to be a nervous fugitive in hiding from Pakistan soldiers and U.S. drones.

His tunic was clean, white and freshly pressed, and his manner at ease as he spent more than seven hours chatting and eating with the reporters. Two goats were brought out for slaughter for lunch.

At one point, he pulled out a laptop to show his guests an Afghan comedian's standup routine about jihadi — or holy war — groups. On the serious side, he also showed pre-attack video testimony made by a suicide bomber.

Hakimullah spoke flanked by fighters wielding automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. He agreed to be interviewed on condition his comments not be published until the reporters left the area Monday.

One of Baitullah's deputies, Hakimullah was known for brazen strikes on civilians, claiming responsibility for the June 9 bombing of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar and the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore earlier this year.

U.S. officials are watching closely to see whether Hakimullah will direct more fighters across the border where U.S. and NATO forces face attacks by insurgents. Baitullah was believed to have mainly concentrated on attacking Pakistani targets.

Hakimullah did not address that issue directly, only saying there were no "difference between Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan." He said the Pakistani Taliban were fighting for the imposition of Islamic law in Pakistan and to rid it from the "clutches of the Americans and the Jews."

"For this very purpose, we will enhance and prolong our jihadi efforts," he said.

Hakimullah also introduced a man he identified as Qari Mohammad Zafar, who has a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S. Justice Department in the 2002 bombing of the U.S. consulate in Karachi that killed three Pakistanis and a U.S. diplomat.

"See, we have such people with us. And they are saying that we have differences. It is an example that we are united," he said.

He vowed his forces would avenge Baitullah Mehsud's killing and would strike back at Pakistan and the U.S. for the increasing airstrikes.

Unmanned drones have carried out more than 70 missile strikes in northwestern Pakistan in the last year in a covert program, killing several militant commanders along with sympathizers and civilians. The Pakistani government publicly protests the attacks but is widely believed to sanction them and provide intelligence for at least some.

"There is no doubt that American spy planes are being used in these attacks, but we know all the intelligence is being provided by Pakistan," Hakimullah said. "We have taken revenge for the past attacks and we will definitely take revenge for the remaining drone attacks."

 

[nightrider_saulat]

his alliance with wali-ur-rehman is a bad sign for pakistan

 

[BATMAN]

I have a question bothering me about the timin gof B.Mehsud death.
He was suddenly killed just before Pakistan's military offensive!
I ponder about the timing of US drone attack after years of unconcerned behavior....
Imagine if this sob may have captured alive byPak security forces... he could have been very dangerous for US itself.
Now... both US and indians seems to be very desperate due to Pakistan's military push and have launched simultanious phsyilogical attacks on Pak army.
US is threatning to bomb Quetta, where as indinas have moved their army and airforce on foward bases.
At the same time ineptness of interior ministry and bomb blasts in Islamabd is third front fabricated to disturb army leadership.
It is very real senario that indians and US cross the line and black water army inside Pakistan carry out some special operations!
This can become very challenging given the fact of limited resources.
Pakistan army does not even have the luxury of drones and helis.
I think in present day senario China and middleast need to stay on high alert.

 

[Janbaz]

2 Strikes on Talibs, one in Waziristan and they're OUT!

They lost Swat, Bajaur, throw em a curveball and theyre toast!

 

[TalibanSwatter]

DAWN October 7 2009

Whether the bravado is contrived or based on genuine strength is perhaps immaterial at this stage. The hard, cold fact is that the new TTP leadership based in South Waziristan appears to be intact and, on the face of it at least, unified in its resolve to battle the state. The re-emergence on Monday of Tehrik-i-Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud came as a major embarrassment for the interior ministry which was claiming that he had been killed in intra-Taliban fighting.


What’s more, he was flanked by none other than Waliur Rehman Mehsud, the man ostensibly responsible for his death. On Monday, Hakeemullah vowed to exact revenge for the killing of his predecessor Baitullah Mehsud.

He moreover pledged allegiance to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar and was accompanied by a sectarian hate-monger who is also wanted in connection with an attack on the US consulate in Karachi. This triumvirate of sorts should send a clear signal to the security establishment: there can be no differentiating between good and bad Taliban. They are one and the same, on both sides of the Durand Line. Militant sectarian outfits in Pakistan are also part of the Taliban–Al Qaeda nexus now and must not be spared in the ongoing crackdown.

An army of suicide bombers was waiting for orders, Hakeemullah warned, adding that the TTP had become stronger, not weaker, in the post-Baitullah period. This may not be true but such claims cannot be dismissed either given the intelligence black hole that is South Waziristan. A truer picture can emerge only when the military moves towards Mehsud strongholds and takes on the enemy in its own backyard. A ground offensive is said to be imminent and battle lines have been drawn on both sides. The Mehsud Taliban, backed by their Uzbek allies, are expected to fight to the last man and they also enjoy the advantage of home turf in a terrain that can be baffling for outsiders. Yet they can be no let-up on the part of the security forces. Hakeemullah Mehsud may talk big but it is clear that the Taliban are on the back foot. This is the time for a decisive assault.

That said, the country must brace itself for more violence in the streets even if the state enjoys the upper hand in the theatre of war. Responsibility for Monday’s suicide bombing in Islamabad has been claimed by the TTP, and more attacks can be expected if the Mehsud militants are taken head-on. But no setback, however big, should deter the state and the citizenry in their fight against the enemy within.