Militant commander Baitullah Mehsud, who is one of Pakistan’s most wanted men, is a “ferocious enforcer” of his harsh Islamic interpretations and “is the law” in South Waziristan, according to an article recently published on the website of United States News and World Report (USNWR). Many details about camera-shy Baitullah’s life remain unclear. He has kept his face hidden from the media, meaning that few outsiders even know what he looks like, according to the article. The article says that he is believed to be in his mid-30s and has never completed studies at a school or a madrassa. The article quotes tribal chief Hussein Barki as saying, “Despite the fact that he is a diabetic, he is a very active man.” Barki adds that Baitullah changes his hideouts frequently, leaving intelligence agencies clueless about his whereabouts.
| ... which is really not that hard in Pakistain. |
“Baitullah is a ferocious enforcer of his harsh interpretation of Islamic law,” a US intelligence official tells the USNWR.
No tribal stature: Baitullah began his rise a decade ago, when he headed off to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban. Although he comes from the Mehsud tribe, the largest in South Waziristan, he, like most of his militant counterparts, did not have any stature in traditional tribal leadership, the article says about his background.
The article quotes Christine Fair, a South Asia expert at the Rand Corp think tank, as saying about tribal militants, “They came up outside the tribal structure through the meritocracy of jihad. They raised money harbouring Al Qaeda and other elements in Pakistan’s tribal regions.”
Baitullah derives power from a corps of several hundred foreign fighters, mostly Uzbeks and other Central Asians, whom he commands. Along with his tribal followers, Baitullah is estimated to command several thousand armed militiamen, the article adds. He has established himself as someone whom locals respect as well as fear, the article says. “He is no doubt the most influential and powerful person of South and North Waziristan,” article quotes tribal chief Barki as saying. “He has restored law and order in the area. But people also believe that [some of his associates are bad].”
Pakistani forcesÂ’ efforts to strike back at him have resulted in significant casualties on the government side and because of the strong traditions of tribal loyalty, the local reaction to the governmentÂ’s assault on him have benefited Baitullah, according to the article.
Although the primary suspect in a number of suicide bombings, not all of Baitullah’s bombers have been successful - some, for instance, have blown up only themselves, the article says. “In Afghanistan, we have seen hundreds of these suicide bombers, but they don’t get any better,” says Fair. “He may have quantity, but he doesn’t have quality. His suicide bombers tend to be better in Pakistan.” Baitullah’s most high-profile attack came in August when his militia captured some 250 Pakistani soldiers and held them hostage for two months. President Pervez Musharraf struck a deal with him to swap the captive soldiers for 25 militants held in government custody. Baitullah freed the soldiers, but Musharraf refused to release the militants, sparking the current wave of attacks by Mehsud on Pakistani government targets, the article adds.