Qari Mehsud
A few days back, Qari Hussain Ahmed Mehsud entered a new year of his life; as an orthodox Muslim, neither did he cut a cake nor people around him did sing “Happy Birthday to You, Happy birthday Qari!”, but at least he was aware of it. The birthday of Qari Hussain is not something strange----but at least it would be strange for many that the ‘ruthless’ commander who has become a symbol of fear amongst the masses and has acquired universal popularity is so young, he is just 22----strange really strange. During a recent conversation with Qari Hussain when this scribe asked him his age he replied, “Hakimullah Mehsud (head of Tehrike Taliban Pakistan) is some eight years older than me, I have recently turned 22. My birthday is December 06, 1988.” Though the record available with secret agencies says something else, but he himself says that his correct date of birth is this one.
Hussain Ahmed was born in Kotki village in South Waziristan; like other tribesmen’s children he started studying basic Islamic education in a local mosque. "I received early religious education at a local seminary and for further study I went to Karachi where I received religious education in Jamia Farooqia Karachi”, Qari Hussain revealed.
Just like his cousin Hakimullah Mehsud, Qari Hussain from the beginning had ill-feelings towards the Shia sect and liked attacking them. During Baitullah leadership, the two cousins were behind the beheading of a security person with a Sheath background with a teenager boy. The butchered person was a part of sixteen constabulary personnel being made hostages by Taliban----they also released a video of the beheading which was the first incident of its nature. He himself says, “I was very young when I joined Lashkar i Jhangvi and actively took part in anti-Shia activities; I also remained for a short time with Ilyas Kashmiri group----later on I focused on jihad in Waziristan.”
Until the start of 2007, Qari Hussain was an ordinary Taliban commander but he became a focus of the local and international media, when under the influence of Abu Musa'ab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, and Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah, he started indoctrination and training of suicide bombers in Waziristan. “I was influenced by Al-Zarqawi and Dadullah Shaheed and I started training suicide bombers and beheading our enemies”, says Qari Hussain.
In May 2007, some of his comrades attacked the home of Pir Amiruddin Shah, then Political Agent of Khyber agency, situated in Tank town; the attack resulted in the killing of some children and guests while the main target was not present on the occasion. Some newspapers reported that the attack was carried out without the consent of Baitullah Mehsud, then TTP head, so everyone was expecting some gory tussles between the two commanders----but this did not happen. In January 2008 Qari Hussain was reported killed after his house was destroyed in Kotki but he appeared before the media----again he was reported killed during an airstrike at Makin Waziristan in June 2009 and once again he emerged. A few days after the Pakistani government announced Rs. 10 million reward for his death or capture; this was later raised to Rs 50 million but the daredevil is still alive and is actively fighting against the security forces.
In October 2009 when Pakistani security forces launched a military operation against the TTP, Qari Hussain’s suicide bombers devastated the main cities of the country with bombing attacks; he claims to have his bombers all around the country, just waiting for his go-ahead.
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