Who Will Take Over After Baitullah?

WHO WILL TAKE OVER AFTER BAITULLAH? OM PRAKASH YADAV [email protected] [email protected] Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a CIA missile attack on Wednesday, the 5th July itself in drone attack in which his second wife was reported to have been killed. This news was deliberately not leaked into the media for simple reason, because Mehsud’s aide wanted to bury him and not let his body be handed over to Pakistani or US authorities. Kafayut- Ullah, a close aide to Mehsud reported to have had told some foreign media that Mehsud has been killed in Wednesday’s missile attacks in south Waziristan and has been buried in Nargosai village in Zanghara area of south Waziristan. According to some reports, Mehsud was suffering from kidney ailment and was lying sick with intravenous 1

medical equipment in a farmhouse of his father in law, where he was hit by a hellfire missile fired by drone, a pilotless plane notorious for such attacks. Mehsud, the most dreaded and notorious commander of Taliban came in lime light when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated allegedly by him, an allegation he never accepted. Baitullah got his title mehsud because he belonged to the tribe mehsud who hails from SouthWaziristan. Since 9/11 he gained in strength and grown in stature. He is said to have organized and set up one Tahrike- Taliban of Pakistan (TTP) in 2007 and raised some 20,000 hardcore militants who are ready to do any thing for the sake of his master’s voice. Mehsud took shelter and made South Waziristan as his hideout because areas like Ladha, Sararogha, Angoor adda, Shakai, Wana. Jandola etc in South Waziristan are safe heavens for militants and the writs of the Pakistani government do not run in these areas. 2

Mehsud came to world wide media and government attention when red mosque of Islamabad was besieged by his militants. Fierce fighting took place leaving hundreds of civilian and security forces dead.In recent times his notoriety had gained such proportions that US special envoy Richard Holbrook had treated him as the most dreaded militant of the region. Some people believed that he had become more powerful than Osama-bi-Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar themselves. The reports coming from Pakistan suggest that TTP militants have cordoned off surrounding Makeen area and group’s top leaders are meeting to elect successor of Baitullah Mehsud. Reports also suggest that one Hakimullah Mehsud, a hardcore and trusted commander of Baitullah, is likely to be elected as the new chief of TTP. Hakimullah is also from mehsud tribe and hails from Orakzai tribal region in South Waziristan.

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With this chapter coming to an end, now Pakistan must prepare itself for much more vigorous retaliation because these Terrorists are not going to allow, what they call ‘kurbani’ or sacrifice of their leader Mehusd, in vain. The matter that is not coming out in media is that drone reapers or predators hit targets on the basis of some concrete information. There are apprehensions that some militant leaders had become jealous of Baitullah Mehsud due to his ascendency in the‘terror ladder’. 5 million USD bounties on his head is the testimony that USA regarded him most dreaded. His unprecedented and meteoric rise in the world of terror had made several enemies in the Islamic Jehadi world also; therefore possibilities of leakage of some information to USA leading to US drone attack cannot be ruled out. If this theory has some facts, there may be some more specific drone attacks and some more killings of Taliban commanders.

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