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Baitullah -- feared Taliban warlord in army's sights
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud has a $5 million bounty on his head, but despite the rich reward, the fear he commands among tribesmen makes him an elusive foe.The military is steeling for an assault into the Waziristan agencies along the Afghan border to hunt down the Al Qaeda-linked warlord blamed for the deaths of hundreds of people in terror attacks over two years. Analysts and security sources say infighting among his Mehsud tribe and Taliban factions may bring him down before the army manages to unseat him from his fiefdom in South Waziristan. "Baitullah Mehsud is the top man in his own tribe... he must have around 15,000 to 20,000 hardcore elements or armed men under him," said Brigadier Mehmood Shah, political analyst and former security chief of the tribal belt. "People are scared of him, they are afraid of him. They are terrified but they don't like him," he added. The army has vowed to go after Mehsud, but analysts say troops would face a tougher challenge than in Swat, with Mehsud's network entrenched and influential in the mountains after the years of failed peace deals. Emerging rifts: However, splits are emerging among the once-cohesive tribal Taliban, with Mehsud's rivals accusing the commander of covertly working with India and the US. "Most people in the tribal belt consider Mehsud an enemy of Pakistan and an enemy of Islam," said Shah. "They believe they have lost a lot of tribal elders and innocent people because of him." Posted by: Fred 2009-06-24 |
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