U.S. believes it killed al Qaeda No. 3

June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s third-in-command, whose role spanned from operations to fundraising, is believed to have been killed last month in a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan, dealing a serious blow to the embattled group.

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Sheikh Sa’id al-Masri, also known as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, was believed to be killed along with members of his family in a strike by a pilotless CIA-operated drone attack. Al Qaeda confirmed his death in a statement on a Islamist website earlier on Monday.

“We have strong reason to believe … that al-Masri was killed recently in Pakistan’s tribal areas,” a U.S. official in Washington said on condition of anonymity. “In terms of counterterrorism, this would be a big victory.”

A Pakistani security official said Yazid was most probably killed in a missile strike in North Waziristan on the night of May 21.

“We had a report at the time that one Arab was killed in that strike with some of his family members and I think it was probably him,” said the official, who declined to be named.

The attack targeted a house owned by a tribesman some 25 km (15 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, a stronghold of al Qaeda and Taliban militants that borders Afghanistan.

Intelligence officials at the time said six militants were killed but residents said 12 people, including four women and two children, were killed. Six women and two children were wounded and treated at a hospital in Miranshah, residents said.

“He was known as Mustafa in the area. His wife was killed in the strike,” a resident of the village where attack took place said on condition of anonymity.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors Islamist websites, said earlier on Monday that al-Qaeda announced al-Masri’s death in an Internet posting.

In addition to al-Masri, the announcement stated that his wife, three of his daughters, his granddaughter and other men, women and children were killed, according to SITE.

The CIA has stepped up the pace of unmanned aerial drone attacks, targeting not only high-level al Qaeda and Taliban targets but largely unknown foot soldiers as well.

A U.S. official said al-Masri was widely seen as al Qaeda’s No. 3 figure and its main conduit to leader Osama bin Laden.

As al Qaeda’s chief operating officer, he had a hand in everything from finances to operational planning, the official said.

CAPACITY DAMAGED, COMMITMENT REMAINS

Analysts say his death will be a major loss for al Qaeda but there would be no weakling of the group’s fighting resolve.

“Definitely it will have an impact because it was their important figure, it’s a big loss for them but there appears to be a generational change taking place in al Qaeda where new ones are replacing old ones,” said Rahimullah Yusufzai, a newspaper editor and expert on militant affairs.

“Al Qaeda’s capacity to operate and strike has been badly damaged because of their losses in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq but we have not yet seen any weakening of their commitment.”

A senior intelligence official in Islamabad said al Qaeda’s No. 3 position was “the most dangerous” rank in the group.

Five other al Qaeda leaders considered third-in-command have been killed or captured since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, but al-Masri may be the most difficult to replace.

“They’re not getting enough people of the right caliber that they require as they were getting earlier,” the intelligence official said, crediting pressure from the drone strikes, Pakistani military actions in the tribal areas and stepped-up intelligence actions in the rest of Pakistan.

Yazid served as al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan and as well as al Qaeda’s “chief financial officer,” according to the U.S. 9-11 commission.

As chief financier, he was responsible for disbursing al Qaeda funds, making him one of the most trusted and important leaders of the group.

He was a founding member of Ayman al Zawahiri’s branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, one of the original groups that merged to form al Qaeda. Following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, al-Masri was implicated in the killing along with Zawahiri and others, and they spent time in jail together.

He also served as a top propagandist for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

In March, U.S. officials said a drone strike in Pakistan killed a key al Qaeda planner.

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Q+A: Who was al Qaeda’s operations chief Sa’id al-Masri?

June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s operations chief and third-in-command, Sheikh Sai’d al-Masri, is believed to have been killed in a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan last month, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

World

Al Qaeda has confirmed the death of Masri, who is also known as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, in a statement on an Islamist website but gave no details.

U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials believe Masri was killed, along with members of his family, in a strike by a pilotless CIA-operated drone in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan in late May.

Following are some facts about him.

WHO IS SAI’D AL-MASRI?

He was born on December 17, 1955, in Egypt and became a militant Islamist in his youth, spending three years in prison.

Masri was a founding member of al Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri’s branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, one of the original groups that merged to form al Qaeda. Following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, Masri was implicated in the killing along with Zawahiri and others, and they spent time in jail together.

He left Egypt for Afghanistan in 1988 and was subsequently convicted in absentia for militant offences in several trials in Egypt, and was sentenced to both life imprisonment and death.

Masri accompanied Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan to Sudan in 1991. While there he served as an accountant for bin Laden’s Sudan-based businesses before returning to Afghanistan with bin Laden in 1996.

Masri is reported to have supplied funding for Mohammed Atta, the leader of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

WHAT WAS HIS ROLE IN AL QAEDA?

Masri was one of al Qaeda’s most important and trusted leaders. He was al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan and in what the group refers to as the Khorasan, a region encompassing large areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran.

The Khorasan is considered by jihadists to be the place where they will inflict the first defeat against their enemies in the Muslim version of Armageddon.

He also served as a top propagandist for al Qaeda and the Taliban. Bespectacled Masri, wearing a white turban, often appeared on propaganda tapes with senior Taliban leaders.

As one of the founding members of al Qaeda in the late 1980s, Masri was a close associate of bin Laden. He also was a member of al Qaeda’s Shura Council, its core leadership forum.

Among Islamist groups, Masri was reputed to be a diplomatic personality who had good relations among local militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His appointment as the leader of Afghan operations in May 2007 was seen by experts as a bid by al Qaeda to boost its ties to local insurgents.

The U.S. September 11 Commission described Masri as the network’s “chief financial manager”. He was also believed to have opposed the September 11 attacks prior to their execution, but he remained loyal to al Qaeda and bin Laden.

HOW SIGNIFICANT IS HIS DEATH?

Security experts say his death would be a blow. Al Qaeda has suffered a steady erosion of its leadership and ability to mount attacks since the United States stepped up its campaign of missile strikes by unmanned aircraft in Pakistan’s tribal region.

His death could also hamper al Qaeda’s ability to raise and distribute funds because he was in charge of the group’s “bayt ul mal”, or treasury. Because of his seniority he will be difficult to replace, security experts say.

Masri, which means “the Egyptian”, was the most senior al Qaeda leader killed in Afghanistan since military commander Mohammad Atef died in a U.S. air strike on his home in Kabul in November 2001.

He was also the highest ranking al Qaeda operative to have been killed in Pakistan’s tribal belt this year. In 2008, Pakistani security officials had said he was killed in military clashes in the northwestern Bajaur tribal region but that was later proved incorrect.

WHAT DID HE SAY WHEN HE WAS ALIVE?

One of the few recognizable faces of al Qaeda, Masri issued warnings and threats to countries and leaders the group considers itself waging holy war, or jihad, against.

In an interview aired on Al Jazeera television in June 2009, Masri said al Qaeda would use Pakistan’s nuclear weapons in its fight against the United States if it were in a position to do so. When asked about the whereabouts of bin Laden and Zawahiri, he said they were “safe”.

In a video seen by Reuters in 2009, Masri warned India of more attacks like the 2008 operation in its financial capital Mumbai and said India’s economic interests would be targeted if it retaliated against Pakistan.

Masri also told Pakistan’s Geo television in an interview aired in 2008 that a suicide bomber who attacked the Danish embassy in Islamabad that year came from the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

In a June 2009 audio message, Masri said militants were short of food, weapons and other supplies and appealed for funding. In a January 2010 message, he praised a December 30, 2009, attack at a U.S. base in Afghanistan in which a Jordanian double agent turned suicide bomber killed seven CIA officers.

(Additional reporting by William Maclean in LONDON; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Miral Fahmy)

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Q+A-Who was al Qaeda’s operations chief Sa’id al-Masri?

June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ISLAMABAD/KABUL, June 1 (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s operations chief and third-in-command, Sheikh Sai’d al-Masri, is believed to have been killed in a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan last month, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

Al Qaeda has confirmed the death of Masri, who is also known as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, in a statement on an Islamist website but gave no details.

U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials believe Masri was killed, along with members of his family, in a strike by a pilotless CIA-operated drone in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan in late May.

Following are some facts about him.

WHO IS SAI’D AL-MASRI?

He was born on Dec. 17, 1955, in Egypt and became a militant Islamist in his youth, spending three years in prison.

Masri was a founding member of al Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri’s branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, one of the original groups that merged to form al Qaeda. Following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, Masri was implicated in the killing along with Zawahiri and others, and they spent time in jail together.

He left Egypt for Afghanistan in 1988 and was subsequently convicted in absentia for militant offences in several trials in Egypt, and was sentenced to both life imprisonment and death.

Masri accompanied Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan to Sudan in 1991. While there he served as an accountant for bin Laden’s Sudan-based businesses before returning to Afghanistan with bin Laden in 1996.

Masri is reported to have supplied funding for Mohammed Atta, the leader of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

WHAT WAS HIS ROLE IN AL QAEDA?

Masri was one of al Qaeda’s most important and trusted leaders. He was al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan and in what the group refers to as the Khorasan, a region encompassing large areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran.

The Khorasan is considered by jihadists to be the place where they will inflict the first defeat against their enemies in the Muslim version of Armageddon.

He also served as a top propagandist for al Qaeda and the Taliban. Bespectacled Masri, wearing a white turban, often appeared on propaganda tapes with senior Taliban leaders.

As one of the founding members of al Qaeda in the late 1980s, Masri was a close associate of bin Laden. He also was a member of al Qaeda’s Shura Council, its core leadership forum.

Among Islamist groups, Masri was reputed to be a diplomatic personality who had good relations among local militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His appointment as the leader of Afghan operations in May 2007 was seen by experts as a bid by al Qaeda to boost its ties to local insurgents.

The U.S. September 11 Commission described Masri as the network’s “chief financial manager”. He was also believed to have opposed the September 11 attacks prior to their execution, but he remained loyal to al Qaeda and bin Laden.

HOW SIGNIFICANT IS HIS DEATH?

Security experts say his death would be a blow. Al Qaeda has suffered a steady erosion of its leadership and ability to mount attacks since the United States stepped up its campaign of missile strikes by unmanned aircraft in Pakistan’s tribal region.

His death could also hamper al Qaeda’s ability to raise and distribute funds because he was in charge of the group’s “bayt ul mal”, or treasury. Because of his seniority he will be difficult to replace, security experts say.

Masri, which means “the Egyptian”, was the most senior al Qaeda leader killed in Afghanistan since military commander Mohammad Atef died in a U.S. air strike on his home in Kabul in November 2001.

He was also the highest ranking al Qaeda operative to have been killed in Pakistan’s tribal belt this year. In 2008, Pakistani security officials had said he was killed in military clashes in the northwestern Bajaur tribal region but that was later proved incorrect.

WHAT DID HE SAY WHEN HE WAS ALIVE?

One of the few recognisable faces of al Qaeda, Masri issued warnings and threats to countries and leaders the group considers itself waging holy war, or jihad, against.

In an interview aired on Al Jazeera television in June 2009, Masri said al Qaeda would use Pakistan’s nuclear weapons in its fight against the United States if it were in a position to do so. When asked about the whereabouts of bin Laden and Zawahiri, he said they were “safe”.

In a video seen by Reuters in 2009, Masri warned India of more attacks like the 2008 operation in its financial capital Mumbai and said India’s economic interests would be targeted if it retaliated against Pakistan.

Masri also told Pakistan’s Geo television in an interview aired in 2008 that a suicide bomber who attacked the Danish embassy in Islamabad that year came from the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

In a June 2009 audio message, Masri said militants were short of food, weapons and other supplies and appealed for funding. In a January 2010 message, he praised a Dec. 30, 2009, attack at a U.S. base in Afghanistan in which a Jordanian double agent turned suicide bomber killed seven CIA officers.

(Additional reporting by William Maclean in LONDON; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Miral Fahmy) (For full coverage of Pakistan and Afghanistan, click on [ID:nAFPAK] (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here)

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Pakistan investigates NY bomb plot Taliban link

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistan is investigating whether a Pakistani-American arrested over a botched plot to bomb New York’s Times Square met Pakistani Taliban leaders in their stronghold in the northwest, a minister said on Saturday.

Pakistani investigators were trying to verify information provided by the United States that the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, 30, had visited South Waziristan, a militant bastion near the Afghan border where the Pakistani military launched an offensive late last year, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.

“Today we received a formal request from them in which they have given the details of the charges according to which Shahzad has been visiting South Waziristan and meeting Qari Hussain and Hakimullah Mehsud,” Rehman told reporters, referring to two Pakistani Taliban commanders.

“But it all needs confirmation.”

The Pakistani Taliban last Sunday claimed responsibility for the attempted car bomb attack the previous day, but a spokesman for the militants on Thursday denied links with Shahzad.

Mehsud is the head of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, while Hussain is referred to as the mentor of the Pakistani Talbian suicide bombers.

If confirmed that the Taliban in Pakistan sponsored the attempted bombing in New York, it would be the group’s first involvement in an attack on U.S. soil.

That would also put Pakistan under renewed U.S. pressure to intensify its crackdown on the militants.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in comments released by the U.S. CBS network on Friday, said U.S. ally Pakistan had been cooperating on the investigation.

But she also said the United States had warned Pakistan of “severe consequences” if a successful attack in America was traced back to Pakistan.

VIDEO THREAT

Mehsud was widely believed to have been killed in a missile strike by a pilotless CIA drone aircraft in January but he appeared in a video posted on the internet last week in which he threatened revenge suicide strikes in U.S. cities.

Hussain also appeared in a separate tape posted on the same day taking responsibility for the attack in the United States “with pride and valour”, apparently referring to the Times Square incident.

The New York police at the time said there was no evidence to support Taliban claim.

Malik said on Thursday he thought it unlikely that Shahzad acted alone.

Pakistani security officials say Shahzad, who is suspected of driving an explosives-laden SUV into Times Square, was close to Jaish-e-Mohammad, a group fighting Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region.

The group also has ties to al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistani security agencies have arrested at least one Jaish activist, Mohammad Rehan, as he left a mosque linked to the group in the southern city of Karachi on Tuesday.

Other associates, including Shahzad’s father-in-law, have also been detained in Karachi, according to media reports.

The United States has asked to interview Shahzad’s parents, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

But Malik ruled that out.

“The government of Pakistan will not allow any outside investigators to investigate our people,” he said.

(Reporting by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel and Sugita Katyal)

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US does not rule out Headley-Shahzad connection

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 8 (IANS) The United States has not ruled out a connection between two Pakistani Americans, key Mumbai terror plotter David Coleman Headley and failed Times square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, as it probes all angles of the case.

‘Well, it could be – there have been multiple plots that have involved the United States and Pakistan, citizens on both sides who have chosen to take these actions,’ a State Department spokesman said Friday when asked if there was any connection between the two cases.

‘I’m not aware that there’s any specific connection, but clearly, we are looking to see, while this individual was in Pakistan, who he met with, what support, if any, was provided,’ spokesman Philip J. Crowley told reporters.

‘And that is the reason why we are working so closely with Pakistan on this investigation.’

Asked whether the US was in touch with India about the Times Square incident, Crowley noted the two countries have a regular dialogue on counter-terrorism issues, but could not say at this point if there was an Indian link.

‘I mean, we have regular dialogue with India, including on counter-terrorism issues,’ he said. ‘I can’t say at this point there’s an Indian link to this case, but we do have dialogue with India on a regular basis on terrorism issues.’

Earlier, ABC News citing unnamed sources traced Shahzad’s links to another Pakistani militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and suggested he was a childhood friend of one of the alleged masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai massacre.

However, the television network did not identify the Pakistani mastermind.

The Pakistani Taliban are denying any role in the failed car bombing, but have praised Shahzad for a ‘brave job done’, ABC said noting the suspected bomber was also in contact with former Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a US missile strike in 2009.

‘The Mehsuds had been family friends of Shahzad, who is a son of a former high ranking Pakistani military officer,’ ABC News said quoting Pakistani sources.

Shahzad was reported to be in touch with a man named Mohammad Rehan, a suspected Jaish militant who helped him to travel to Peshawar and then to Waziristan and introduced him to Taliban.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

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Taliban leader thought dead vows revenge

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The leader of the Pakistani Taliban, reported killed in a CIA drone aircraft attack in January, has appeared in internet videos threatening revenge suicide strikes in the United States.

Hakimullah Mehsud was widely believed to have been killed by a US missile strike in South Waziristan in January, but on April 29 Pakistani intelligence officials said they believed he was alive.

He has now posted warnings on on the Internet, vowing revenge against the US.

The warning comes shortly after the Taliban Movement of Pakistan (TMP) said it was responsible for an attempted car bomb attack in New York’s Times Square on Saturday evening.

“The time is very near when our Fedayeen (fighters prepared to sacrifice themselves) will attack the American states in their major cities,” Mehsud said, adding the video was recorded on April 4, 2010.

“Our Fedayeen have penetrated the terrorist America. We will give extremely painful blows to the fanatic America.”

The TMP has focused on fighting the Islamabad government and has never proved capable of carrying out overseas attacks.

But the possibility that the TMP may have global aspirations may worry the US because of the group’s ties with Al Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

The TMP has proven resilient despite a series of Pakistani army offensives in the north-west, a global militant hub.

It has carried out suicide attacks on a wide range of targets, from military and police facilities to crowded markets.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces have killed 16 militants in clashes in the north-western lawless regions, government officials said.

The clashes broke out near the Afghanistan border after militants ambushed a security post and patrol in Orakzai and Bajaur, respectively.

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Six militants killed in US drone attack in North Waziristan

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Peshawar, Mar.31 (ANI): US drones continue to pound Pakistan’s ungoverned tribal regions, as six more militants were killed in missile hits in Tapi village of North Waziristan, security officials said.

Confirming the missile strike, a security official, who refused to be identified, said at least three missiles were fired from the pilot-less aircraft targeting a house owned by a local tribesman Zamir Khan.

The house was believed to be a militant hideout.

“A US drone attack targeted a compound owned by Zamir Khan, which was used by militants. Two missiles were fired,” The Dawn quoted the official, as saying.

The area where the drones struck is believed to be a stronghold of the Haqqani network, which continues to target US troops in Afghanistan.

Over 800 people have been killed in more than 90 US strikes in Pakistan since August 2008. The frequency of the missile hits have increased considerably since last December after a Jordanian Al-Qaeda double agent blew himself up near a CIA base killing seven top US officials in Afghanistan. (ANI)

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Pak Army kills 22 Taliban militants in Orakzai

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Parachinar, Mar. 29 (ANI): The Pakistani Army reportedly killed 22 Taliban insurgents near the Afghanistan border on Sunday after a group of militants attacked an army base with rockets and automatic weapons.

The Dawn quoted Samiullah Khan, a Pakistani government official, as saying that the fighting occurred in the Orakzai tribal region where the army is on the offensive.

He added that security forces first killed 10 militants in a retaliatory attack and the military helicopter gun ship later bombed hideouts in the Chapri Ferozkhel area, killing another 12.

According to Pakistani officials, over 100 suspected militants and five soldiers have been killed in fighting in the region this week.

Militants killed in the attacks include Uzbek and Arab nationals.

The region has been the main base of the Pakistani Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud.

A suspected US missile strike is believed to have killed him in North Waziristan earlier this year. (ANI)

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U.S. missile strike kills 10 militants in Pakistan

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – A U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles into Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on Tuesday, killing 10 militants, the latest such strike on a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary, officials and residents said.

World

The attack targeted a militant compound in the Datta Kheil area, about 40 km (25 miles) west of North Waziristan’s main town of Miranshah.

“Smoke is rising from the burning compound,” Javed Iqbal, a resident of Datta Kheil, told Reuters by telephone.

U.S. officials say the pilotless drones are one of the most effective weapons against militants. The strikes have killed senior Taliban and al Qaeda figures.

But they have caused resentment in U.S. ally Pakistan, where anti-American feelings run high. The Pakistani government wants the Americans to provide them with drone technology so the country’s military can carry out its own strikes.

(Reporting by Haji Mujtaba; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Michael Georgy)

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Pak dumps military offensive plans against TTP

August 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, Aug. 29 (ANI): Overlooking the American demands, the Pakistan Government has abandoned plans to launch a military offensive against the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), according to Time magazine.

Although the group’s top commando Baitullah Mehsud is said to be dead in a missile strike, the Pakistani military has concluded that a ground attack on its strongholds in South Waziristan would be too difficult, the Daily Times reports.

Despite a clear message from the US urging a military campaign, the Pakistan government is hoping to exploit divisions within the TTP to prize away some factions.

US counter-terrorism officials worry that a failure to capitalise on the post-Baitullah confusion within the TTP will allow its new leader, Hakeemullah Mehsud, to consolidate his position and reorganise the organisation.

Officials in Washington say special envoy Richard Holbrooke and NATO commander General Stanley McChrystal have both pressed Islamabad to strike while the iron is hot.

The report quoted a senior politician as saying that there will be no ground assault at all. Instead, he says, the military will try and buy off some TTP factions through peace deals.

This alarms US officials, who point out that Taliban leaders have previously used peace deals to expand their influence.

“Such deals have been abject failures that, at the end of the day, have made the security situation in parts of Pakistan worse. Why the Pakistani government keeps returning to this strategy is a mystery,” says a US counter-terrorism official. (ANI)

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Pak Taliban finally admits Baitullah killed in US strike

August 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Dera Ismail Khan, Aug 26 (ANI): The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has acknowledged that its top leader Baitullah Mehsud was dead, ending weeks of claims and counter-claims over his fate following a US missile strike on his father-in-law’s house earlier this month.

It is the first time that the militant group has acknowledged his death.

Two of Baitullah’s top aides, Hakeemullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman, called a foreign news agency on Tuesday evening to say that he had died on Sunday of wounds from the August 5 strike near the Afghan border.

“He was wounded. He got the wounds in a drone strike and he was martyred two days ago,” The Dawn quoted Hakeemullah, as saying. Rehman later repeated the same statement.

Both also confirmed an earlier Taliban announcement that Hakeemullah was now leading the Pakistani Taliban, while Waliur Rehman would lead the movement’s wing in South Waziristan.

The Taliban had insisted for weeks that Baitullah Mehsud was still alive following the missile strike, while US and Pakistani officials said he was almost certainly dead and a leadership struggle had ensued.

Hakeemullah and Waliur Rehman, who had served as top aides to Baitullah, said they were calling together — handing the telephone back and forth to each other-to dispel reports of disunity in the Taliban leadership. They spoke to an AP reporter who had interviewed both and recognised their voices.

“Our presence together shows that we do not have any differences,” Rehman said.

The 28-year-old Hakeemullah commanded three tribal regions and had a reputation as Baitullah’s most ferocious deputy. (ANI)

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Maulvi Omar captured, admits Baitullah is dead: Mian Iftikhar Hussain

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.18 (ANI): Security forces on Tuesday captured Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s top spokesman Maulvi Omar and he acknowledged the death of the group’s leader in a recent US missile strike, officials said on Tuesday.

Hussain said that intelligence agencies had informed him about Maulvi Omar confirming the death of Baitullah during interrogation.

“Everybody knows that Maulvi Omar has been arrested. He was a spokesman for the Taliban. We will catch them all,” a Dawn report quoted Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Information Minister for the North West Frontier Province, as saying on Tuesday.

Omar had been moved to the provincial capital Peshawar.

US and Pakistani officials have said they were almost certain that the chief, Baitullah Mehsud, had been killed during the August 5 strike, but at least three Taliban operatives, including the detainee, Maulvi Omar, had called media organisations following the attack to say he was still alive.

Omar’s comments – relayed by an intelligence official who took part in the questioning – would be the first admission by the Taliban that Mehsud was dead.

The spokesman’s capture was the second arrest of a prominent Taliban figure in 24 hours.

As the official spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Omar frequently called journalists to claim responsibility for terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

As well as being the movement’s mouthpiece, Omar was an influential aide to Mehsud and ranking member of the Taliban.

He was captured along with two associates in a village in the Mohmand tribal region Monday night while he was travelling in a car to South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold, said Javed Khan, a local government administrator.

Omar’s capture came a day after police arrested militant commander Qair Saifullah, another close Mehsud aide, as he was being treated in a private hospital in Islamabad, the capital.

Saifullah appeared on Tuesday before a special anti-terrorism court along with Zaid Ikram, an aide arrested along with him.

Both were ordered held for four days for investigation, prosecutor Raja Yaseen said, but he would not elaborate on what charges they would face. (ANI)

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US asks Pak to continue Waziristan offensive

August 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug. 9 (ANI): In a bid to ensure that Islamabad doesn’t call off or delay its military offensive in Waziristan following the reported death of Baitullah Mehsud, the United States has told Pakistan to continue fighting the war on terror in the tribal areas.

“The Obama administration is pleased over the death of Baitullah Mehsud, but it is against any decision by Islamabad to delay the South Waziristan offensive for long or call it off,” The Nation quoted a diplomatic source, as saying.

Pakistan, however, wants to continue with its current policy of weakening the militants in Waziristan through air strikes and then follow it with ground offensive.

On Saturday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that Baitullah Mehsud had died in a US missile strike on Wednesday, while his close aide Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a shootout that broke out on Friday between potential successors.

Pakistani security forces are hoping to defeat the weakened Taliban easily.

“We believe the Taliban in South Waziristan are in disarray and if they couldn’t do away with their differences it would be of great advantage to the Pakistani security forces as their objective would be achieved without any offensive,” an official said.

However, if the Taliban retaliated strongly contrary to our expectations and once again there was a surge in suicide bombings and subversive acts then the operation could be launched soon to eliminate the terrorists, he added. (ANI)

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Pak challenges Taliban to prove Mehsud is still alive

August 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Aug. 9 (ANI): Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik has challenged the Taliban to prove that their top leaders-Baitullah Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud-are still alive.

“If Baitullah Mehsud is alive, or Hakimullah is alive, why don’t they bring out a video. Every telephone has a camera on it. They can just get one out and show people that they are alive. I challenge them,” BBC quoted Malik, as saying.

Malik said that Pakistan’s enemy no. 1 had died in a US missile strike on Wednesday, while his close aide Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a shootout that broke out on Friday between potential successors.

“The day before yesterday, there was credible information coming from inside the area that Baitullah Mehsud had been killed. This credible information had come right from sources based in South Waziristan, and particularly in Ladha,” he said, adding that officials had non-physical evidence to prove that Mehsud was dead.

Malik said Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman, the other leader allegedly involved in the shootout, had long been hostile towards each other.

“They had been fighting in the past and we have information that there has been enmity between Waliur and Hakimullah since they were fighting together in Kurram valley,” he said. “Hakimullah was replaced by Baitullah Mehsud with Waliur.”

The militant group’s spokesmen were also unable to offer any physical evidence to disprove the government’s claims.

The Taliban has accused the interior ministry of making up the incident, but Malik denied such claims.

“Obviously, it is not a story made up by us. This fight must have happened because of the succession,” he added.

On Saturday morning, however, Hakimullah Mehsud told the BBC by telephone that reports of his and Mehsud’s death were “ridiculous”.

“The news regarding our respected chief is propaganda by our enemies. We know what our enemies want to achieve – it’s the joint policy of the ISI [Pakistani intelligence service] and FBI – they want our chief to come out in the open so they can achieve their target,” he said.

He said the Pakistani leader had decided to adopt the tactics of Osama bin Laden and stay silent. He said he would issue a message in the next few days. (ANI)

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‘Drones may kill leaders but not eliminate the Taliban’

August 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, Aug. 8 (ANI): The US missile strike that killed Baitullah Mehsud may not be sufficient to eliminate the Taliban from Pakistan’s tribal belt.

The terror outfit has intertwined the ethnic identity, religion and politics with extremism, and it will take decades to undo, the Guardian reports.

Behind the rise of Pak-Taliban chief Mehsud in Pakistan lie factors that are not going to be resolved easily.

“Firstly, there is the fusion of Pashtun tribal identity with a radical Islamic identity. The latter has only ever really thrived when grafted onto a sense of local belonging. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were Pashtuns from the Pakistani side of the frontier that has split their tribal lands for over a century,” the report said.

Second issue is that the Pashtun tribes of the FATA have the lowest levels of literacy, economic development and infrastructural development of anywhere in Pakistan, it observed.

They are not considered full citizens. Pushed to the margins, they are, in one sense, trying to fight their way into the centre of national political and economic life, the report added.

Finally, there is religious homogeneity: the conservative southwest Asian Deobandi strand of Sunni Islam that has established itself with its system of mosques and free schools across the region, it says.

Put all this together and it is fairly clear that drones may tackle symptoms but not causes. It is also clear why, as my colleague Declan Walsh points out elsewhere on this site, another Mehsud may well emerge soon, it concludes. (ANI)

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Two Yemeni fishermen killed in Red Sea missile strike

May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sana’a, Yemen – Two Yemeni fishermen were killed and another was injured after their boat came under a missile strike in the Red Sea, the official Saba news agency reported Wednesday.

Saba said the missile is believed to has been launched by an international anti-piracy navy ship.

The agency said the “the boat was totally destroyed,” in the attack that took place in the Sudanses terretorial waters on Tuesday.

It said the injured fisherman made it to Sudanese coast, while the fate of a fourth fisherman was still unknown.

The missile “probably came from sea by one of those warships conducting anti-piracy patrols in the region,” Saba said, quoting Yemeni Navy sources.

It said Yemeni and Sudanese authorities were coordinating to investigate the incident.

Yemeni official media have frequently reported attacks by international counter-piracy warship against Yemeni boats in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On January 14, a Yemeni fisherman was killed and two others were injured during an anti-piracy operation by a Russian navy ship near the southern Yemeni port city of Aden.

Yemeni authorities said the fishermen were caught in crossfire after a Russian frigate attacked Somali pirates attempting to hijack a Dutch vessel.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden has surged in recent years as Somalia descends further into chaos and the ineffectual central government continues to squabble rather than govern.(dpa)

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Eight killed in U.S. drone strike in Pak’s South Waziristan

May 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 9 (ANI): At least eight persons were killed and seven others injured in a suspected U.S. drone strike at Sararogha area in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on Saturday, The News reported.

According to sources the U.S. Predator drone aircrafts targeted a house and madrassa in the region firing four missiles, which destroyed both the buildings completely.

“I can confirm a missile strike at a compound at Tabbi Langar Khel,” a security official said.

However, he did not confirmed reports about the casualties.

This was the fourth such type of drone attack in the region in less than a month. (ANI)

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British Minister wants UK to distance itself from US’ Pak drone attack policy

April 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 12 (ANI): A British minister wants the United Kingdom to distance itself publicly from the American policy of launching attacks on al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists hiding inside Pakistan tribal areas with pilot less drones, to avoid inflaming Pakistani opinion.

Community Cohesion Minister Sadiq Khan said he had listened to the “anger and frustration” of students in Islamabad over US attacks inside Pakistan.

“It’s quite clear in many Pakistani eyes that the UK is considered in the same terms as the US. We want to explain that our foreign policy, especially on the issue of drone attacks, is distinct from US foreign policy,” The Times quoted Khan, as saying.

Khan’s comments came as the full extent emerged of what investigators believe is Pakistan-based control of the alleged al-Qaeda plot to bomb shopping centres in Manchester over Easter.

Rashid Rauf, a fugitive British terrorist identified by MI5 as Al-Qaeda’s “director of operations” in Europe, is suspected of planning the bombing as part of a “master plan” for attacks on European cities.

Multiple cells, comprising at least 12 terrorists each, were dispatched last year from Pakistan’s tribal areas to conduct a series of atrocities in the UK, France, Belgium and elsewhere, an Al-Qaeda informant has told MI5.

The cells are said to have been acting under the orders of Rauf, 27, from Birmingham, who has previously been linked to the failed suicide attack on London in July 21, 2005.

The plan was set in motion just weeks before a US Predator missile strike targeted Rauf in a remote Pakistani village. Officials are still unclear whether he survived the attack last November. (ANI)

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Suspected US drone strike kills four in Pakistan

April 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, April 8 (DPA) A suspected US missile strike killed four Taliban militants Wednesday in Pakistan’s tribal region near the Afghan border, an intelligence official said.

Two back-to-back missiles fired by a pilotless drone aircraft hit a vehicle in Ganjikhel area of South Waziristan tribal district, a stronghold of Taliban and Al Qaeda militants launching cross-border attacks on US-led international forces in Afghanistan.

‘The missile destroyed the vehicle and killed all four Taliban in it, while it damaged the nearby house, leaving five civilians injured,’ said an intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The strike came a day after Pakistani leaders told visiting US officials, special envoy to Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, that the drone attacks on its soil were of great concern.

Pakistan says such attacks are counter-productive because they fuel anti-US sentiments and increase public support for militants in the tribal districts.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Tuesday told a press conference after meeting with with Holbrooke that the interests of the two countries converged, but there existed a ‘gap’ as far the use of drone attack was concerned.

‘We can only work together if we respect each other and we trust each other,’ Qureshi said. ‘There is no other way, nothing else will work.’

But US authorities say the war in Afghanistan cannot be won without eliminating the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan’s lawless tribal region.

More than three dozen US airstrikes have targeted suspected militant hideouts in tribal belt since August 2008, killing more than 300 people, including a number of lower-tier Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

Dozens of non-combatants have also been killed in the strikes.

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Suicide bomber kills 12, injures 20 in South Waziristan town

March 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Jandola (South Waziristan, Pakistan), Mar.26 (ANI): At least twelve people were killed in a suicide bomb blast at a restaurant in South Waziristan’s Jandola town on Thursday.

A BBC report said that 20 people were injured in the explosion.

It quoted officials as saying that a group of militants opposed to Pakistan Taleban commander Baitullah Mehsud were in the restaurant at the time of the blast.

Some of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition and officials said the number of dead could rise.

According to the BBC, the bomber walked into the restaurant on Thursday morning and blew himself up. The premise was completed destroyed as a result.

The attack targeted Turkistan Bittani, a pro-government tribal leader who is a rival of Mehsud.

Bittani, who was helping the military take on Mehsud, had left the restaurant minutes before the attack.

Mehsud is one of the most wanted Taleban militants operating on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He is suspected of masterminding dozens of suicide attacks across Pakistan as well as attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Thursday’s attack came a day after a suspected US missile strike in South Waziristan killed seven Arab militants. It also followed an announcement on Wednesday by the US State Department of a five million dollar bounty for information leading to the capture of Mehsud. (ANI)

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