Pakistan's Taliban chief alive, meets reporters

Reuters ^ | October 5, 2009 | Zeeshan Haider

[myknowledge]

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The new chief of Pakistani Taliban militants who U.S. and Pakistani officials said might be dead has surfaced to meet journalists in his stronghold of South Waziristan.

Hakimullah Mehsud, who became Pakistani Taliban chief after his predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a U.S. missile strike in early August, looked healthy in pictures broadcast by Pakistan's Dawn Television on Monday.

Sailab Mehsud, one of the journalists who met the militant chief on Sunday, said Hakimullah had vowed revenge for Baitullah's killing.

Pakistani and U.S. intelligence officials had said they believed that Hakimullah might have been killed in a firefight with a rival faction led by commander Wali-ur-Rehman weeks ago in a dispute about who should take over from Baitullah.

Hakimullah met a small group of journalists with Rehman in Sararogha, a militant base in South Waziristan, and denied differences over the Taliban leadership.

"Wali-ur-Rehman is sitting beside me and the only difference between us was that he was asking me to become Taliban leader and he was insisting on me taking charge," Hakimullah said.

Security agents say Hakimullah is even more aggressive than Baitullah.

[myknowledge]

Hakimullah Mehsud, the current Taliban chief, is alive and well. The Reapers better kill this guy fast, to weaken the Taliban's resolve and leadership capabilities.

MQ-9 Reaper.

[unkus]

Hey Mehsud: You have the strength of a woman. You hide behind defenseless women and children and you are a piglett.

I will not mention the private parts of a woman that you resemble.

[Republic of Texas]

Thanks for the pic dude! Got’cha down!

[gandalftb]

What Reuters didn't mention is that Hakimullah is afraid of his own shadow. All five "reporters" were fellow Mehsud tribesmen and even they weren't told of the meeting place. They were all picked up and driven there.

Hakimullah just saw his brother killed last week and he knows he is a marked man. His own people are ratting themselves out and he won't be alive in a year, maybe just months.

He lives looking over his shoulder and sleeping in caves.

[Nathan Zachary]

"he new chief of Pakistani Taliban militants who U.S. and Pakistani officials said might be dead has surfaced to meet journalists in his stronghold of South Waziristan."

Amazing how these Rueters "journalists" have no trouble locating and meeting with terrorists.

If I knew where they were camping, I'd rush a map to army intel, not champion their cause.

Too bad a predator didn't interrupt this meeting. Who knows how much info, maps to weak defense spots, visit schedules of visits to troops from from western politicians etc. these traitors gave the Taliban.