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Baitullah Mehsud

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Baitullah Mahsud (Urdu: بیت اللہ محسود ) is a leading tribal militia leader in Waziristan, Pakistan. He is primarily tribally oriented but is sympathetic to Al Qaeda and is the leader of the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, formed in December 2007.[1][2][3]

Role within the Waziri tribe

The Waziris are a Pashtun tribe whose home spans the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. The Mahsud are one of the four sub-tribes of the Waziri.

Mehsud entered into a ceasefire with Pakistani authorities on February 8 2005.[4][5][6] Mehsud was offered US$20 million for his cooperation in the ceasefire.[7] Some Taliban leaders had claimed they needed the money because they owed al Qaeda money, and couldn't disengage from hostilities unless the debt was repaid. Mehsud however told Pakistani authorities that they should use his share of the pay-out to "compensate families who had suffered during the military operation".

Preliminary investigations concerning the September 2007 bombings in Rawalpindi note that Mehsud is the primary suspect behind the attacks.[8] A December 18 2005 report stated that Baitullah Mehsud, Abdullah Mehsud and Yaldeshev were the subject of a man-hunt.[9] Authorities said they believed that the militants were short of ammunition and would be captured soon.

A March 10 2006 report asserts that Mehsud collects a kind of tax in Waziristan.[10] The report quotes an official in the Northwest Frontier Constabulary:

Baitullah's lashkar (army) is very organised. He has divided it into various units and assigned particular tasks to each unit. One of the units been tasked to kill people who are pro-government and pro-US and support the US occupation of Afghanistan. The last person to be killed was Malik Arsallah Khan, chief of the Khuniakhel Wazir tribe, who was killed on February 22 in Wana (in South Waziristan).

The Ariana Afghanistan WorldWide Broadcasting reported on June 23 2006 that the Waziri tribes allied with the Taliban were negotiating another ceasefire with Pakistani forces.[11] The article said Baitullah Mehsud "has been chosen to continue to be the head of militants from Mehsud tribe." His growing influence in South Waziristan have led some to label him as "South Waziristan's Unofficial Amir".[12]

In February 2008, Mehsud announced that he had agreed to another ceasefire with the government of Pakistan. The Pakistani military has officially claimed that military operations against Mehsud are continuing. The The New York Times, however, reports that anonymous high-level officials in the Pakistani government confirmed the deal.[13] On 4th of August, 2008 Pakistani official blamed the CIA that it did not act at all when provided with information on Baitullah Mehsud's location..[14]

Benazir Bhutto assassination

On December 28, 2007 the Pakistan government claimed that it had strong evidence regarding Baitullah Mehsud as the man behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007.[15] The Pakistani government released a transcript it asserted was from a conversation between Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Sahib (literally "Mr. Cleric").[16][17][18] According to the transcript Maulvi Sahib claimed credit for the attack, Baitullah Mehsud asked who carried it out, and was told, "There were Saeed, the second was Badarwala Bilal and Ikramullah was also there."

The translation released from Agence France Presse differed slightly from the translation from the Associated Press.[16][17][18] According to the transcripts Baitullah Mehsud says he is at, "Anwar Shah's house", in Makeen or Makin. The Agence France Presse transcript identifies Makeen as a town in South Waziristan. Subsequently, both Agence France Presse and NDTV released an official denial by Mehsud's spokesman in which he said that Mehsud had no involvement in the attack, that the transcript was "a drama", that it would have been "impossible" for militants to penetrate the security cordon around Bhutto, and that her death was a "tragedy" which had left Mehsud "shocked".[19] Mehsud's spokesman was quoted as saying: "I strongly deny it. Tribal people have their own customs. We don't strike women."[20]

In an address to the nation on January 2, 2008, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said that he believed Maulana Fazlullah and Baitullah Mehsud were prime suspects in the assassination of Bhutto.

In its January 18, 2008 edition, The Washington Post reported that the CIA has concluded that Mehsud was behind the Bhutto assassination. "Offering the most definitive public assessment by a U.S. intelligence official, [Michael V.] Hayden said Bhutto was killed by fighters allied with Mehsud, a tribal leader in northwestern Pakistan, with support from al-Qaeda's terrorist network."[21]

Relationship with Abdullah Mehsud

Abdullah Mehsud a Taliban leader who was among the first captives set free from Guantanamo is sometimes described as Baitullah's brother.[22] Other sources merely assert that they were clansmen, or associates.[23][24][25] Islam Online reports that Baitullah suspected that Abdullah was a double agent.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ Daan Van Der Schriek (March 11 2005). "Recent Developments in Waziristan". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Masood, Salman (26 February 2008). "Blast Kills Surgeon General of Pakistani Army". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Abbas, Hassan. "A Profile of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan". CTC Sentinel 1 (2): 1–4. January 2008.
  4. ^ Iqbal Khattak (January 30 2005). "Baitullah Mehsud gets ready to surrender". Daily Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Iqbal Khattak (February 8 2005). "Baitullah Mehsud and 35 others get government amnesty". Daily Times. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Shamim Shahid (February 8 2005). "Baitullah, supporters lay down arms". The Nation. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Ismail Khan (February 9 2005). "Pakistan paid militants to surrender: Money used to repay Al-Qaida debt". The Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Azaz Syed (September 6 2007). "Baitullah Mehsud behind attacks in Rawalpindi". Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |publisherr= ignored (help) mirror
  9. ^ Qudssia Akhlaque (December 18 2004). "Hunt launched for key ultras". The Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Mohammad Shehzad (March 10 2006). "Why is the Pakistan army scared of this man?". rediff. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Forces, militants heading for truce". Ariana Afghanistan WorldWide Broadcasting. June 23 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Sohail Abdul Nasir (July 5, 2006). "Baitullah Mehsud: South Waziristan's Unofficial Amir". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Gall, Carlotta (2008-02-12). "In Pakistan, Doubts Over the Fight in Tribal Areas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Khan, Kamran (2008-08-05). "USA,Afghanistan and India should not support terrorism in Pakistan". The Daily Jang, Lahore, Pakistan. Retrieved 2008-08-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Gale, Carlotta (2007-12-28). "Bhutto Buried as Government Orders Virtual Lockdown". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  16. ^ a b "Transcript of Alleged al-Qaida Intercept". Associated Press. December 28 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b "Transcript: Alleged Al Qaeda Conversation Regarding Bhutto Killing". Fox News. December 28 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ a b "Pakistan releases al-Qaeda call text". NDTV. December 28 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Mehsud denies killing Bhutto: Al-Qaida". NDTV. December 29 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Al Qaeda militant did not strike Bhutto: spokesman". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "CIA Places Blame for Bhutto Assassination". Washington Post. January 18 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "Former Guantanamo inmate blows himself up in Pakistan". Dawn (newspaper). July 24, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-03. During Mehsud's time on the run, his brother Baitullah had taken over from him as one of the top Taliban commanders in Pakistan's tribal regions. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Pakistan tribal leaders threaten to resume attacks against government". The News. July 29, 2005. Retrieved 2008-03-03. Baitullah Mehsud, who abandoned his more well-known colleague Abdullah Mehsud to cut a peace deal with the government some months ago in return for amnesty, has warned of "terrible attacks" against the government if he and his men... {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Bill Roggio (July 24, 2007). "Pakistani Taliban commander Abdullah Mehsud killed during raid". Longwar Journal. Retrieved 2008-03-03. Abdullah Mehsud, born Noor Alam, was a member of the Mehsud clan in South Waziristan, and was a clansman of Baitullah Mehsud, the most powerful commander in the tribal agency. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Saleem Shahid (July 25, 2007). "Cornered militant blows himself up". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 2008-03-03. Security was beefed up in Zhob and on Balochistan's border with Waziristan after the killing of Abdullah Mehsud, the most important Taliban commander in the country after Baitullah Mehsud. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Aamir Latif (Tuesday January 29, 2008). "Pakistan's Most Wanted". Islam Online. Retrieved 2008-03-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Template:Administrative divisions of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas

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