Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud killed in drone strike.

[Nav]

yeah can't ignore this possibility...i know most of the members here would ridicule it with jokes...

lets see what US dig next for Pakistan

 

[Kompromat]

One should never feel happy at the shedding of human blood. But I would make an exception in this case. Hakimullah Mahsood was indeed a butcher of the first order. His crimes are too many to enumerate.

I hear so many people scared stiff of what is going to happen. For heaven’s sake, if you are scared of what Taliban would do, then you have lost before you have started. How can you feel sorry for the man who kills Col. Imam and then puts the video for all to see! Shame on the people who grieve for the death of this brutal criminal of humanity.

Person who was directly or indirectly responsible for the untimely death of PTI Minister & 2 MPAs has been finally despatched to hell. Instead of feeling pleased, Imran Khan is looking distressed at this death; as if his hero had died!

I am happy that talks with Taliban are not likely to take place. Talks can only succeed if you negotiate from position of strength. Talk by all means but only when Taliban are begging for it.

P.S.

I still don’t support drone attacks by the US and never will no matter how beneficial these maybe. I wish it was Pak Army who had done it.

Respected sir, we are ALL happy about this bastard getting the shaft, there's no doubt about it. His death is as important as the death of a rabies infected dog, its insignificant and not worth our time for discussion. Though i tend to agree with your point that we need not worry too much about the rein of terror that is about to be unleashed, however one must care about the civilian and military loss of life that would result in. We have already lost too many of our brothers and sisters.

 

[Kompromat]

 

[Kompromat]

Security high alert in KP after TTP chief's killing


PESHAWAR: Security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was put on high alert a day after the chief of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan organisation, Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in US drone strike conducted in North Waziristan a day earlier, DawnNews reported.

In an attempt to prevent a possible backlash from Taliban militants, security was increased at all sensitive government installations in provincial capital city of Peshawar, including Cantonment areas, and the localities adjacent to tribal regions.

Blockades were set up at all entry and exit points of the city where the search of suspicious persons was underway whereas there was also a step up in random snap checkings being conducted in the city.

Security agencies were put on high alert in the region whereas the number of personnel deployed at security checkposts was also increased.

PoIice patrolling was also increased in the city in addition to monitoring of all routes of Peshawar.

Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal region on Friday.

His death was confirmed by US and Pakistani authorities.

Moreover Pakistani Taliban militants had also confirmed incident and added that funerals for the TTP chief and other militants killed in the drone strike were held on Saturday in various parts of North Waziristan.

 

[Side-Winder]

Those Pakistanis who are Happy with this scenario , Don't Be , nothing has been achieved .. only thing this strike did was to give TTP another reason to shed the blood of innocent civilians .. TTP is still there , they have a new leader , and according to their traditions his First Responsibility will be to avenge the previous leader . TTP are bunch of cowards so instead of attacking Army they will target civilians .

More Blood will be shed & it will have achieved Nothing ..

POST of the day man!!!

 

[TalibanSwatter]

They will retaliate and that is for sure but that's not the point, the point is TTP is meant to cause harm. They had harmed us, they are harming us and they will continue to harm us, no peace process can halt this devilry. The war has been always upon us, evading it is useless. The damage that we have sustained during peacetime is not at all less than the damage one suffers during a wartime. Better to die in a war.

Hakimullah and his gang of Salafi inspired thugs deserve to be sent to hell. That said, killing him will not decimate the TTP. Someone else will be nominated by TTP's Salafi masters to take his place.

Just as there are non-state actors in Pakistan fighting to carve out a salafi-inspired state, there are 'non state directors' in the Saudi Salafi establishment, orchestrating these violent insurgencies and propping up these non state actors: the TTP in Pakistan, Al Nusra in Syria, AQAP in Yemen, AQIM in Mali, ISIS in Iraq, Al Shabab in Somalia, Abu Sayyaf in Philipines, Boko Haram in Nigeria, Ansar Al Sharia in Tunisia...the list goes on and on.

Of course, Al Qaeda provides the ideological and operational guidance to all these organizations as directed by its 'non state directors' sitting in Saudi.

The goal is to overthrow existing states and set up salafi takfiri states around the world and eventually link them under the umbrella of a salafi caliphate. This is a war between the Salafi jihadists and the rest of the muslim world, and the western world.

That is why the TTP continues to reject the pakistani's state's constitution, its founding principles, democratic system and its very foundation, because they are looking to take over the state as per the directions from their masters.

If the Pakistani state and the US establishment are smart, they will realize that this war cannot be won just by targeting the non-state foot soldiers like TTP. At the end of the day, the fight must be taken to the ' non state directors' sitting in Saudi , dreaming of a salafi caliphate and orchestrating these diabolical insurgencies around the world.

 

[Kompromat]

 

[Zarvan]

Mr those who are going to replace him are far more violent than him we can face huge bloodshed now

 

[IceCold]

If the Pakistani state and the US establishment are smart, they will realize that this war cannot be won just by targeting the non-state foot soldiers like TTP. At the end of the day, the fight must be taken to the ' non state directors' sitting in Saudi , dreaming of a salafi caliphate and orchestrating these diabolical insurgencies around the world.

What you said above looks all good on the paper but in reality do you really believe the leaders of Pakistan specially the current one can do anything even remotely close to the above?
No only does the TTP have masters sitting in Saudi Arabia but so does your PM. Security of Saudi Arabia is the red line for them.........to hell with the security of Pakistan after all Saudi Arabia is going to bail them out again when booted out. And as for the Americans why would they target their largest ally in the middle east.........not to mention the huge oil interest that they have and than the Iran thingy. The interests that the US has with Saudi Arabia far out weights anything Pakistan has to offer. Besides lets not forget that TTP never really targets the US anyways. Their agenda is in Pakistan alone.

 

[Kompromat]

Mr those who are going to replace him are far more violent than him we can face huge bloodshed now

I know, lets just enjoy this moment for now though.  
'
Friday’s attack. Instead, enraged Taliban commanders have vowed to repay Mr. Mehsud’s killing in bloodshed. “Our revenge will be unprecedented,” Abu Omar, a Taliban commander in North Waziristan, said by phone on Friday.

Mr. Omar said he considered the Pakistani government “fully complicit” in the drone strike. “We know our enemy very well,” he said.
'

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/w...nd-used-by-pakistani-taliban-leader.html?_r=0

 

[Assault Rifle]

Report: Mujahideen Shura Council of N. Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur has declared it will hold Pak Army responsible for the killing of TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud.

Jihadi sources: Muj Shura Council is "calling for a complete evacuation of the area... which may portend a clash with the Pakistani army.

Courtesy:Evan Kohlmann.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

What you said above looks all good on the paper but in reality do you really believe the leaders of Pakistan specially the current one can do anything even remotely close to the above?
No only does the TTP have masters sitting in Saudi Arabia but so does your PM. Security of Saudi Arabia is the red line for them.........to hell with the security of Pakistan after all Saudi Arabia is going to bail them out again when booted out. And as for the Americans why would they target their largest ally in the middle east.........not to mention the huge oil interest that they have and than the Iran thingy. The interests that the US has with Saudi Arabia far out weights anything Pakistan has to offer. Besides lets not forget that TTP never really targets the US anyways. Their agenda is in Pakistan alone.

Fair point - the Pakistani state can only do so much against TTP's Saudi masters. However, the Americans can, and they are slowly waking up, as demonstrated by their reluctance to pull the trigger on Syria while warming up to Rouhani. No wonder the Saudis are pissed. Perhaps the Americans realize that they may be able to mend fences with Iran, as the US comes to grips with the existential threat posed by the real enemy - the salafi jihadist movement.

The shale oil boom in the US is perhaps a good beginning in terms of eventually reducing dependence on Saudi oil.That said, oil dependence or not, the US needs to realize that they are indirectly funding salafi jihadist attacks on their own people and military.

TTP has targeted US specifically and has openly declared Al Qaeda as an integral component of its leadership. The Jordanian suicide bomber who killed US operatives in the Khost camp worked closely with Hakimullah's gang on direction from AQ. The fact that salafi militants from around the world are sitting in NWA, tells us that there is a symbiotic relationship between TTP and Al Qaeda and other salafi affliates.

At the end of the day, TTP is a regional foot soldier and their region specific goals are simply part of the big picture. The agenda is manufactured by its non state masters in Saudi - an agenda that is clearly global in scope.

 

[Kompromat]

Report: Mujahideen Shura Council of N. Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur has declared it will hold Pak Army responsible for the killing of TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud.

Jihadi sources: Muj Shura Council is "calling for a complete evacuation of the area... which may portend a clash with the Pakistani army.

Courtesy:Evan Kohlmann.

They'll kill civilians....Army will give them the shaft they cant take.

 

[Grindel]

 

[Devil Soul]

Analysis: Beginning of the end for TTP?
By Dr Raza Khan
Published: November 2, 2013
Hopefully by the time these lines are printed, the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the reported death of TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud would have cleared. If confirmed, his death will have far-reaching consequences.

There could be a violent backlash in the form of reprisal attacks, anywhere in the country, particularly in Peshawar. However, the TTP may not be able to launch big attacks immediately because of the irreparable loss it has suffered. However, if the group still stages large-scale attacks, it would be an indicator of its existing strength and viability. Failure to do so would signal a beginning of the end for the terrorist outfit.

Decapitation or the strategy of killing top commanders of terrorist groups is quite important from the counter-terrorism standpoint. But considering the loose structure, vague ideology and motivation of the TTP, this strategy may not

work. The TTP is unlike traditional terrorist groups, like say the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which more often than not is separatist in character.

Hakimullah’s death will also be highly consequential for the so-called peace talks between the government and the TTP. In the short run, the prospect of talks would seem to have vanished altogether.

But as time passes by, factionalism may increase inside the TTP and the Punjabi Taliban, led by Asmatullah Muawiyah, would gain strength. Muawiyah had welcomed the offer of peace talks by the government without Hakimullah’s prior consent, prompting the latter to expel him from TTP ranks.

Reportedly, however, TTP factions in favour of talks outnumber those opposed to negotiations. This may be the reason why Hakimullah himself gave up his usual recalcitrant posture a few days back and showed his willingness to hold talks with the government. Hakimullah’s elimination will further factionalise TTP, most of which ultimately may agree to hold talks.

The timing of the drone attack on Hakimullah is extremely important. He perished when a government team was about to leave for Waziristan to have ‘peace’ talks with the TTP. It seems the US deliberately chose such an occasion to eliminate the TTP chief so that any peace process could be torpedoed. At the time of his presumed death, Hakimullah was said have been consulting his close confidantes about how to engage the government.

On America’s part, such a move makes sense because if the TTP enters a peace deal with the government, their entire militant potential would be diverted toward US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. At a time when the US forces are increasingly pulling out of Afghanistan, the escapades of the TTP could be a significant hindrance to a safe withdrawal.

Irrespective of the anti-drone public opinion in Pakistan, the elimination of Hakimullah yet again proves the efficacy of the drones in the war against terror. Hakimullah’s death may be a setback for peace in the immediate future. However, in the long run, it may prove to be a huge opportunity of diluting the TTP.

But all this would depend on our leadership and the strategy it devises to counter the threat. Quality of leadership is one of the key determinants of national power and the lack of quality in the leadership has cost the country dearly in its war against terror. According to an international terrorism expert Barrebi, dealing with religious terrorism can be confusing, since it is difficult to know whether terrorist organisations, which on the face of it are considered religious, are using religion to attract an audience while primarily motivated by secular goals. This needs to be understood by our leadership.

(The writer is an independent analyst who holds a PhD in International Relations, specialising in terrorism, counterterrorism and governance)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2013.