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Attacks in Pakistan will continue: Waliur Rehman
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is committed to helping the fight in Afghanistan and consider US President Barack Obama the group's "No 1 enemy", but this does not mean an end to attacks in Pakistan, said a top commander amid uncertainty over whether a new leader has been appointed to head the movement. Waliur Rehman made the comments in an interview on Sunday with The Associated Press at a time of intense speculation over the next leader of the group. Wali said on Saturday that Baitullah had given him full control over the network and that a new leader "would be chosen within five days". He made no reference to Hakimullah Mehsud, whose aides said separately later on Saturday that he had been chosen as new leader during a meeting on Friday. Wali's comments cast doubt on whether Hakimullah's appointment had been agreed by all top Taliban members, and could indicate splits over succession within the movement. Rehman met the AP in a forest near Makeen village in the heart of the semiautonomous lands close to the Afghan border where Al Qaeda and the Taliban hold sway. Looking healthy and dressed in clean, ironed clothes, he was accompanied by five armed guards. "We are with Afghan Taliban. We will keep on helping them until America and its allies are expelled," he said, adding that this did not mean an end to attacks in Pakistan. "American President Obama and his allies are our enemy No 1," he said. "We will sacrifices our bodies, hearts and money to fight them." Like most other members of the TTP, he insisted Baitullah was alive but sick. Two close aides to another commander, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, told The Associated Press on Saturday a 42-member Taliban council had appointed Hakimullah their new leader in a unanimous decision on Friday. "Now all these talks of differences should end," said one of the aides, Bakht Zada. Posted by: Fred 2009-08-25 |
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