June 23 2009 PakAlert:
A tribal leader who earlier defected from Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud and revealed the militants group’s ties with the US and Israel has been shot dead.
The assassination of Qari Zainuddin comes days after he revealed that their comrade was pursuing a US-Israeli agenda across the violence-wracked country.
Zainuddin, a 26-year-old rising tribesman who had called Mehsud “an American agent” was killed by a gunman in northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday.
Zainuddin, who broke away from Mehsud, was also increasingly critical of Mehsud’s use of suicide bombings targeting civilians.
In an interview with local media the defector said that Mehsud had established strong links with Israeli intelligence services, which were destabilizing the nuclear armed country. “These people (Mehsud and his men) are working against Islam.”
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Mehsud, a warlord in his late 30s, has claimed responsibility for dozens of devastating string attacks on both civilians and security forces throughout the feared region.
Insurgents have stepped up their attacks on civilian and religious centers in major cities across Pakistan, which has fueled anti-Taliban sentiments among the Pakistani people.
The US invaded Afghanistan more than seven years ago to allegedly eradicate insurgency and arrest Taliban and al Qaeda leaders.
The US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 has resulted in the spread of violence into neighboring Pakistan. Taliban militants have turned the restive tribal belt between the two neighbors into a scene of daily violence.
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Related:
US, Israel and India backing Baitullah Mehsud: reveals former close aide- Haji Turkistan
June 18, 2009 PKKH:
Haji Turkistan Betani, a former close aide of Baitullah Mahsud, has claimed that assassination of Benazir Bhutto was plotted by Baitullah Mehsud.
Talking to Sana Bucha in Crisis Cell programme of Geo News, Haji Turkistan said that he was with Baitullah, who had stated that he had sent two persons to Rawalpindi for assassinating Benazir Bhutto. He also revealed that Baitullah is an American agent and this is the reason he has not been targeted by the US drones.
Haji Turkistan said that Baitullah is misguiding innocent youths on the instigation by Israel and India to destroy mosques and educational institutions and martyr religious scholars inside Pakistan.
This comes after Qari Zainuddin, a rival commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Chief Baitullah Mehsud, on Wednesday disclosed that the TTP has links with India and Israel. He said that Baitullah Mehsud has acted against Islam as well as the country and if not eliminated now, militancy would surge and problems for the government would grow.
In an exclusive interview with Geo News, Zainuddin Mehsud said though Baitullah was wearing the cap of Mujahideen but all his actions were against Islam and the country, adding they would support military action against him. See (Baitullah Mehsud exposed and denounced by Afghan Taliban)
Qari Zainuddin recalled that his group and Baitullah Mehsud’s were together with Abdullah Mehsud prior to his killing. After his death, Baitullah Mehsud founded the Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistan leading to differences between his group and Baitullah’s. The split came over Baitullah Mehsud’s activities inside Pakistan, that Islam did not permit.
Zainuddin said after their split, they moved to Shakai.
Qari said when Maulana Hasan Jan declared suicide attacks “Haram” (forbidden) under Islam, he was martyred within three days. “These people (Baitullah) are working against Islam. When Baitullah accepts responsibilities for all such actions there is no doubt about his hand in the same,” Commander Zainuddin Mehsud said. About Baitullah’s links with al-Qaeda, the Qari said he did not know about any such thing.
On the other hand, a Taliban commander from Orakzai Hafiz Saeed rejected the claims of Qari Zainuddin. He told Geo News that Zain was playing into the hands of the government to defame the TTP. He said the Qari is neither the successor of Baitullah nor has any affiliation with the TTP.
Qari Zainuddin also conceded differences between his group and Baitullah’s when late Abdullah Mehsud took over the movement. They separated over suicide attacks and actions inside Pakistan. Actually, the Taliban movement had been formed to fight against the foreign forces in Afghanistan but Baitullah turned against Pakistan.
Zainuddin said they would have no objection if the Army launches action against Baitullah, adding if the Taliban moved into their area they would fight against them. “We would stand by the Ulema and elders of the area,” he said. He said they would welcome any action against Baitullah either by the military or by the local people. However, they would give preference to the action against Baitullah by the Mehsuds themselves adding this way casualties would be minimised. He said that his peace accord with the government is intact
Qari Zain said that Mulla Nazir in South Waziristan and Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan were their allies. They are part of Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan and their alliance is against infidels and foreign troops in the neighbouring country. Foreign militants including Uzbeks were evicted from the Wazir areas by peace loving Taliban. However, in the Mehsud-inhabited areas there were around 450 to 1,500 Uzbeks. He denied having heard about the presence of Arabs in the area.
Qari Zainuddin said the whole of Fata and areas around the Durand Line including Paktika and Paktia are inhabited by the same tribesmen. People move on either side of the border whether it was peace then or strife now.
To a question about Pakistan’s alliance with the United States, he said it was for the state to adopt a policy. He said if people and Ulema support action against Baitullah Mehsud, he would be eliminated otherwise he would create more problems for the country. “It is time to eliminate Baitullah now, otherwise no such opportunity would come in future and he would further increase headache for the government,” Zain warned.