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| name= '''Hakimullah Mehsud'''<br>({{lang-ps|حکیم اللہ محسود}})
| name= '''Hakimullah Mehsud'''<br>({{lang-ps|حکیم اللہ محسود}})
| born = 1981 (Aged 28)
| born = 1981 (Aged 28)
| died = January, 2010
| placeofbirth= Jandola, South Wazirstan
| placeofbirth= Jandola, South Wazirstan
| caption=Baitullah Mehsud
| caption=Baitullah Mehsud
Line 9: Line 10:


<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Hakimullah Mehsud.png|thumb|270px|Hakimullah Mehsud (left)|{{deletable image-caption|1=Monday, 7 September 2009}}]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Hakimullah Mehsud.png|thumb|270px|Hakimullah Mehsud (left)|{{deletable image-caption|1=Monday, 7 September 2009}}]] -->
'''Hakimullah (Hakim Ullah, Hakeemullah) Mehsud''' ([[Pashto]]/[[Urdu language|Urdu]]: حکیم اللہ محسود) (born c. [[1981]]<ref name=dawn20100115>{{Cite news | last = Mehsud| first = Sailab| title = US drone targets Hakimullah Mehsud | newspaper = Dawn.com| publisher = Dawn Media Group| date = 2010-01-15| url = http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/19-suspected-drone-strikes-in-shaktoai-south-waziristan-casualties-feared-hh-05| accessdate = 2010-01-14}}</ref>) ([[a/k/a]] Zulfiqar Mehsud<ref name=bbcprofile>{{cite news|author=
'''Hakimullah (Hakim Ullah, Hakeemullah) Mehsud''' ([[Pashto]]/[[Urdu language|Urdu]]: حکیم اللہ محسود) (born c. [[1981]]- January, 2010)<ref name=dawn20100115>{{Cite news | last = Mehsud| first = Sailab| title = US drone targets Hakimullah Mehsud | newspaper = Dawn.com| publisher = Dawn Media Group| date = 2010-01-15| url = http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/19-suspected-drone-strikes-in-shaktoai-south-waziristan-casualties-feared-hh-05| accessdate = 2010-01-14}}</ref>) ([[a/k/a]] Zulfiqar Mehsud<ref name=bbcprofile>{{cite news|author=
Syed Shoaib Hasan |title=Profile: Hakimullah Mehsud |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8219223.stm|publisher=BBC | date=2009-08-25 | accessdate=2010-01-05}}</ref> and Jamshed Mehsud<ref name=dawn20100114>{{Cite news
Syed Shoaib Hasan |title=Profile: Hakimullah Mehsud |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8219223.stm|publisher=BBC | date=2009-08-25 | accessdate=2010-01-05}}</ref> and Jamshed Mehsud<ref name=dawn20100114>{{Cite news
| title = Hakeemullah cultivates ruthless reputation
| title = Hakeemullah cultivates ruthless reputation

Revision as of 17:17, 31 January 2010

Hakimullah Mehsud
(Pashto: حکیم اللہ محسود)
StatusDead[1]
Battles/warsWar in North-West Pakistan

Hakimullah (Hakim Ullah, Hakeemullah) Mehsud (Pashto/Urdu: حکیم اللہ محسود) (born c. 1981- January, 2010)[1]) (a/k/a Zulfiqar Mehsud[2] and Jamshed Mehsud[3]) is the current amir of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).[4][5] He was deputy to commander Baitullah Mehsud and one of the leaders of the militant group Fedayeen al-Islam prior to the elder Mehsud's death in a CIA drone missile strike.[6][7][8] He had been the TTP's commander in the Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai agencies of Pakistan.[6] He is described as being in his late 20s and a cousin of Qari Hussain.[6] He is known to be a young and aggressive commander, who previously served as a driver and was very close to Baitullah Mehsud.[9]

Early years

Hakimullah was born in the region of Kotkai near the town of Jandola in South Waziristan. His only schooling was at a small village madrassa in Hangu District. One of the other students at the time was Baitullah Mehsud, but he dropped out.[2]

Jihad

He later joined his fellow clansman in jihad initially as bodyguard and aide to Baitullah. He had gained a reputation within the Taliban for his strong skills with the AK-47 and the Toyota pickup truck in battle. One Taliban member told a BBC correspondent that at the time Hakimullah's reputed battle skills were only second to Nek Mohammad.[2]

In 2004, he was made a spokesman. In 2008, he was given command of the Orakzai, Khyber and Kurram districts.[3]

Tehrik-e-Taliban leader

Baitullah's successor

Pakistani news channels reported on August 8, 2009 that Hakimullah Mehsud was killed after shooting erupted between his camp and that of Wali-ur-Rehman during a shura to determine the successor to the slain Baitullah Mehsud. Interior Minister Rehman Malik could not confirm the death only that the fighting had occurred.[10] On August 10, a man claiming to be Hakimullah Mehsud called a Reuters reporter to declare that he and Baitullah were still alive. While the reporter was certain that the call was authentic, Pakistani officials awaited voice analysis results and stated that intercepted phone calls led to the intelligence of Hakimullah's death.[11] Wali-ur-Rehman telephoned a Reuters reporter to say that Hakimullah is alive, and would be calling soon, and that the first shura where the shooting supposedly occurred never took place.

Pakistani intelligence officials who thought that Hakimullah had perished believed that the militant's younger brother had returned from fighting in Afghanistan to assume the elder's identity in an effort to project an image of stability and cohesion amid a power struggle among TTP leadership.[4][12][13][14]

On August 22, 2009 Hakimullah Mehsud was appointed unanimously as the new leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban by a 42-member shura.[9][15] Analysts cited by The Daily Times interpreted the appointment of the 28-year-old commander as a way to admit the death of Baitullah Mehsud although spokesmen for the group continued to vehemently deny his passing, instead saying he was ill.[15][16]

On August 25, Hakimullah and Rehman telephoned the BBC to say that Baitullah Mehsud had died on August 23, 2009 and that Hakimullah had replaced him as TTP leader.[17]

On September 5, 2009, Pakistan forces claimed they had captured a man who confessed to killing Hakimullah Mehsud.[18]

On September 29, 2009, Mehsud's brother Kalimullah was reportedly killed by Pakistan security forces in North Waziristan.[19][20]

On October 1, 2009, The Daily Times reported that, according to diplomatic sources, US officials also doubted Hakimullah Mehsud was still alive.[21]

On October 4, 2009 Hakimullah met with a small group of reporters to end any speculation of his demise. He repeated his vows of revenge for the death of Baitullah Mehsud and the drone missile strikes occurring in the tribal areas.[20] However, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik maintained doubts that it was in fact Hakimullah Mehsud in the video, but rather his look-alike brother.[22]

Pakistan issues bounty

On November 2, 2009 Pakistani authorities offered a Rs50 million ($600,000) [23] reward for information that leads to the capture or killing of Hakimullah Mehsud. They offered the same reward for similar information regarding Wali-ur-Rehman and Qari Hussain and smaller rewards for 16 other TTP militants.[24][25]

Camp Chapman attack

Hakimullah Mehsud appeared alongside suicide bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi in an early January 2010 video that claimed responsibility for the Camp Chapman attack in retaliation for the death of Baitulluh Mehsud.[1][26]

January 2010 missile strike

In the early hours of January 14, 2010 two missiles from a US drone struck a religious compound in the Shaktoi area, where it was believed that Hakimullah slept. Unnamed officials speculated that the militant leader was among the 18 killed in the attack although TTP spokesman Azam Tariq denied the amir had died, but did confirm that Hakimullah had been in the area.[1][27][28] On January 16 the group released an audiotape carrying the voice of Hakimullah, who said, "Today, on the 16th of January, I am saying it again - I am alive, I am OK, I am not injured ... when the drone strike took place, I was not present in the area at that time."[28] Nevertheless, rumors continued that he had been fatally injured.[29]

On January 31, 2010, Pakistan state television reported that Mehsud was in fact injured in the US drone attack in the Shaktoi area on January 14 and died three days later of his injuries. He has allegedly since been buried in Orakzai Agency.[30] Reuters, quoting Pakistani intelligence sources, subsequently suggested that while escaping the initial attack, he was killed in another attack on January 17.[31] The Taliban have rejected report about Hakimullah's death.[32] The Long War Journal quoted an American intelligence official stating, "We've seen no evidence he was killed, nor do we hear chatter of a leadership crisis in the Taliban ranks."[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Mehsud, Sailab (2010-01-15). "US drone targets Hakimullah Mehsud". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  2. ^ a b c Syed Shoaib Hasan (2009-08-25). "Profile: Hakimullah Mehsud". BBC. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  3. ^ a b "Hakeemullah cultivates ruthless reputation". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  4. ^ a b Kahn, Ismail and Polgreen, Linda (August 22, 2009). "New Leader of Pakistan's Taliban Is Named, Though Officials Believe He Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Alex Rodriguez and Zulfiqar Ali (August 22, 2009). "Pakistani Taliban names new leader". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  6. ^ a b c Yusufzai, Rahimullah (2008-11-30). "Hakimullah Mehsud unveils himself to media". The News International. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  7. ^ "Pakistan's extremists: The slide downhill". The Economist. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  8. ^ "Baitullah's likely successor Hakimullah dies in Taliban infighting". Times of India. 2009-08-09. Archived from the original on 2009-08-09.
  9. ^ a b Associated Press (August 22, 2009). "Pakistani Taliban Choose New Chief". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  10. ^ "Fighting erupts between Taliban rivals". Financial Times. 2009-08-08. Retrieved 2009-08-08. Pakistani news channels were carrying unconfirmed reports that Hakimullah Mehsud, one of the movement's most powerful commanders, had been killed at a shura, or council meeting, held to decide who would succeed slain leader Baitullah Mehsud. "The infighting was between Wali-ur-Rehman and Hakimullah Mehsud," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Reuters. "We have information that one of them has been killed. Who was killed we will be able to say later after confirming."
  11. ^ Shah, Pir Zubair (2009-08-11). "U.S. Missile Kills at Least 10 in Pakistan Tribal Area". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Hakimullah's 'look alike brother' new Taliban chief: report". Indian Express. 2009-08-23. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  13. ^ "Falling out". The Economist. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  14. ^ "Hakeemullah annnounced new leader – doubts linger". Dawn News. 2009-08-23. Retrieved 2009-08-31. Another senior officer, who requested anonymity, speculated that the Taliban leadership was trying to buy time until one of Hakeemullah's brothers returned from fighting in the Afghan insurgency to take command of his men.
  15. ^ a b Khan, Hasbanullah (2009-08-23). "Hakeemullah appointed Baitullah's 'successor'". Daily Times. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  16. ^ Bitani, Alamgir (August 9, 2009). "US says evidence Taliban chief dead "pretty conclusive"". Reuters. Thompson Reuters. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  17. ^ "Taliban confirm commander's death". BBC News. August 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
  18. ^ http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/06-Sep-2009/Killer-of-Hakimullah-surrenders
  19. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4U8IpCfmxiQGd9QMTlyMKyJYYTQ
  20. ^ a b "Hakimullah Mehsud alive, meets reporters". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  21. ^ "5 killed in drone strike: BBC airs footage confirming Baitullah's death". Daily Times. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  22. ^ Masood, Salman (2009-10-06). "Pakistan Braces for Taliban Attacks as It Prepares Offensive". New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-10-10. Mr. Malik also cast doubt over a new video that purports to show Hakimullah Mehsud, the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban. He said the person in the video instead appears to be Hakimullah's brother, who bears a strong resemblance.
  23. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8337237.stm
  24. ^ "Deadly blast rocks Pakistani city". Al Jazeera. Doha: Aljazeera IT. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  25. ^ "Government offers reward for leads on Taliban chiefs". Dawn. Dawn Media Group. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  26. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8450102.stm
  27. ^ Constable, Pamela (2010-01-14). "U.S. strike may have killed top Taliban leader in Pakistan". Washington Post. Washington, DC: The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2010-01-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ a b "Pakistani Taliban leader 'alive'". Al Jazeera. 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  29. ^ "Rumours about Hakimullah's death". The News International. 2010-01-28. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  30. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584402,00.html
  31. ^ "Pakistan Taliban chief likely targeted by drone". Reuters. 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  32. ^ http://www.pakistannews.net/story/595636
  33. ^ Roggio, Bill (2010-01-31). "Reports of Pakistani Taliban leader's death are premature". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
Military offices
Preceded by Leader of Pakistani Taliban
2009 – 		Succeeded by


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