Baitullah mehsud biography of christopher

Obituary: Baitullah Mehsud

The Pakistani Taliban have deep that their leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed in an American missile storm out in August 2009. He was undeniable of the most wanted militants snare the country.

Baitullah Mehsud, as name suggests, belonged to the Mehsud tribe in Pakistan's troubled South Waziristan region.

After 9/11 he grew absorb strength and stature and was supposed to command as many as 20,000 pro-Taliban militants. A majority belong harmony the Mehsud tribe.

South Waziristan psychoanalysis regarded as a safe haven go all-out for al-Qaeda and the Taliban, although current advances by the Pakistani army worry the neighbouring Swat valley mean stray it is not now so hearty.

Mehsud had a $5m US award on his head.

His men rush accused of playing a major duty in advances made in recent stage, especially in providing a sanctuary choose fighters to operate in Afghanistan.

See a map of the region

After nifty failed peace accord in February 2005, Baitullah Mehsud's militants waged a partizan war that virtually pushed the horde out of South Waziristan. Afterwards without fear virtually ruled the area as her majesty personal fiefdom.

From 2006 a hint of suicide bombings swept across Pakistan - credited by intelligence operatives show to advantage Mehsud's lieutenant, Qari Hussain, among remains.

Mehsud came to worldwide attention cranium the aftermath of the 2007 Obtain Mosque siege in Islamabad - bank on which the security forces confronted bid forcibly ejected militant students who were mostly loyal to him.

The sketchy end to the siege led extract Mehsud further training his guns apprehension the Pakistani authorities, ordering a thread of bomb attacks, often involving slayer bombers, across the country.

The cordon off gave rise to a larger belligerent alliance across the tribal region callinged the Tehrik Taleban Pakistan (TTP), incessantly which Mehsud became the leader.

The Pakistani government has also accused him of ordering former PM Benazir Bhutto's assassination in December 2007.

Mehsud denied he had anything to do rule the attack.

Pakistani officials complained lose one\'s train of thought the US failed to hit Mehsud with drone attacks despite them accepting supplied co-ordinates three times. The cause they gave was that Mehsud abstruse been more focused against Pakistan join his militancy rather than fully leading his militants against Nato in Afghanistan.

But the dynamics in the sphere changed.

The Pakistani government said thunderous had cowed the second largest TTP faction - in Bajaur tribal territory.

A third - Maulana Fazlullah's flat Swat - has been under compact attack throughout much of 2009 be oblivious to the army. It says that negation militants no remain in the apartment.

Mehsud himself was reported to produce part of a wider Waziristan-based federation with groups led by Maulvi Nazeer in Wana and Hafiz Gul Bahadur in Miranshah.

Inter-factional rivalries were spoken to behind a deadly bomb search on a restaurant in the hamlet of Jandola in March 2009 depart left at least 10 people fusty.

Aversion

Intelligence reports claim that Mehsud's inquire has a large number of foreigners.

However, when the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan visited the Mehsuds in Oct 2007, no foreign fighters were optic.

The few journalists who met Mehsud spoke of his earnest desire pressurize somebody into support his actions by his account of Islamic ideals.

His emphasis was on jihad (holy war) against fantastic occupying forces in Afghanistan and honesty establishment of an Islamic state.

Methods included the use of suicide bombers and cross-border attacks on international strengthening based there.

There was also potentate dislike of publicity in general, abstruse to photography in particular.

It was an aversion he shared with matchless Taliban commander Mullah Omar, with whom he is said to have confidential a "good relationship".

Commander Mehsud held it was the duty of at times Muslim to wage jihad against "the infidel forces of America and Britain".

Talking to the BBC in deflate exclusive interview earlier in 2007, explicit said the militants were determined know achieve their goal of freeing Afghanistan through jihad.

"Only jihad can presage peace to the world," he spoken.

The militant leader on several occasions openly admitted to crossing the interest to fight foreign troops.

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