Pakistan’s Taliban have threatened to avenge the death of their leader in a United States missile strike, as experts warned on Wednesday of possible attacks by a new leadership keen to prove its strength.
Hakimullah Mehsud late on Tuesday declared himself new chief of the feared Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militia, confirming for the first time that Baitullah Mehsud — insurgent leader since 2007 — was killed this month.
Pakistani and US officials have been saying for weeks that Baitullah Mehsud died when a missile from a US drone aircraft hit his father-in-law’s home on August 5, but Taliban officials had insisted the warlord was simply ill.
”He remained unconscious after being seriously injured in a drone attack and died on Sunday,” Hakimullah Mehsud told Agence France-Presse.
”We will take revenge and soon. We will give our reply to this drone attack to America,” he added.
Officials say Baitullah Mehsud died weeks ago and that the Taliban insisted he was still alive to create a smokescreen for intense infighting among rebel commanders to inherit the brutal legacy of Pakistan’s most-wanted man.
On Wednesday the other top contender for Taliban leadership, Wali-ur Rehman, backed his apparent foe’s claim and said he had been appointed rebel chief in the insurgent stronghold of South Waziristan.
”Myself and the whole of the Taliban movement announced its support for Hakimullah. He is now our new head,” Rehman told Agence France-Presse.
”All the Taliban are united. There are no differences among us … We will continue our struggle against the enemy and our main enemy is America and all those who support, help and side with America against Muslims.”
But observers and analysts say that rifts remain, with the two militant commanders apparently entering into a power-sharing deal to prevent the splits in the movement becoming irreparable.
A senior Pakistan security official monitoring militant activity said that the real power would lie with Rehman, as South Waziristan was the location of training centres and the largest number of Taliban fighters.
”It is clearly a compromise,” the official told Agence France-Presse.
”That said, it doesn’t mean that the Hakimullah network will be quiet. Security agencies anticipate that with his appointment, he may order a wave of spectacular attacks across the country to try to establish his authority.”
Retired general and defence analyst Talat Masood agreed that the authorities should be vigilant.
”They could act very rashly because they would like to prove the point that they are the leader and they can do exactly what Baitullah their predecessor had been doing and more,” he said.
Hakimullah Mehsud, believed to be about 30 years old, made a name for himself within the militant structure with his ruthless rule in the tribal districts of Orakzai, Khyber and Kurram, security officials say.
He was behind many attacks on Nato supply trucks heading to foreign troops over the border in Afghanistan, once posing for journalists with a US military Humvee vehicle reportedly snatched from one of the convoys.
The TTP operates out of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous districts along the Afghan border, where al-Qaeda and Taliban rebels carved out a base after the 2001 US-led invasion pushed them out of neighbouring Afghanistan.
The government has blamed the TTP for most of the attacks which have killed more than 2 000 people here in the last two years, and has vowed to follow up an offensive in northwest Swat valley with a push in the tribal belt.
On Wednesday, security and military officials said that Pakistani fighter jets and helicopter gunships pounded militant positions in South Waziristan.
”Two paramilitary troops were martyred and seven injured during two days of operations. Several militants have been killed and an unknown number of them injured in the operation,” a military official said. — AFP
