Hakeemullah Speaks with Barbed Tongue

Hakeemullah Mehsud believes "“Obama, Zardari, Karzai, Bush and Musharraf are enemies of humanity. They have destroyed peace and want to promote terrorism in the world."

This idea has been planted in the minds of many in the Middle East and feeds their self-righteous indignation against the West in general and the USA in particular. Notice how well Hakeemullah employs the words in italics to stir the resentment of Pakistanis.


LADDAH, Oct 5: New leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Hakeemullah Mehsud, thought by Pakistani and US officials to have been killed in infighting, appeared before a small group of journalists at an unspecified place in South Waziristan on Monday, vowing to avenge the killing of his predecessor Baitullah Mehsud and expedite attacks on US and Pakistani forces.

The international media reported on Saturday that US intelligence agencies believed that Hakeemullah died in a firefight with a rival faction weeks ago.

Hakimullah was accompanied at the meeting with journalists by Fidayeen-i-Islam commander Qari Hussain Mehsud, Taliban’s South Waziristan chief Waliur Rehman Mehsud and TTP spokesman Azam Tariq.

He alleged that both Pakistan and US were involved in drone attacks which had killed a large number of innocent women and children.

Hakeemullah said Pakistan had been created in the name of Islam, but its rulers were subservient to the American and Jewish lobbies.

“This is why we are opposed to the army and Pakistani rulers. The Taliban are not against the people of Pakistan.”

He said jihad would continue till the enforcement of Sharia in the country, adding that the Taliban had been struggling against the American hegemony in Pakistan for eight years and “we will win the battle against infidels”.

The TTP chief accused the government of having provided 1,000 of acres land for expansion of the US embassy and said that American agencies had hired over 200 houses in Islamabad to promote their agenda.

He said that agents of the Blackwater security agency were patrolling the streets of Islamabad and Peshawar. In reply to a question, Hakeemullah said the TTP had links with Al Qaeda and other jihadi forces throughout the world.

Shura Ittehadul Mujahideen was fully intact and he had held a meeting with its leaders only three days ago, he added.

He ruled out differences among Taliban groups and said that claims of clashes among them were false.

“You (journalists) can see it for yourselves that I (Hakeemullah), Waliur Rehman and Qari Hussain are alive and safe and sound. The news of clashes among us and our fight for succession are false and fabricated to mislead the Taliban,” he said.

Hakeemullah said that Afghan and Pakistani Taliban were one and there were no differences between them. “The Afghan Taliban are fighting the allied forces under the leadership of Mullah Omar and we are his followers.”

From here.