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India-Pakistan
Pakistan: Al-Qaida has role in Taliban succession
2009-08-10
Pakistan is worried that al-Qaida is trying to install its own "chief terrorist" as the head of Pakistan's Taliban following the apparent killing of the group's leader in a CIA missile strike, a top official said Monday.

Meanwhile, one of the militants believed to be a potential successor phoned The Associated Press to dispel reports that he was killed during a clash among those vying to lead the group. The militant, Hakimullah, insisted once again that Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was alive and said the insurgent group remained united.
And the AP knows it was Hakimullah because ...? Caller ID? Secret password?
Interior Minister Rehman Malik told BBC radio that all the "credible information" points to Mehsud having died in the Wednesday missile attack. The Pakistan Taliban appear in disarray, Malik said.

"It will take some time for them to regroup," Malik said. "The other thing which is a bit worrying is that al-Qaida is getting grouped in the same place, and now they are trying to find out somebody to install him as the leader, as the chief terrorist, in that area."

Malik said Pakistan was taking "all those measures which are necessary" to respond to the scenario.

The 30-something Mehsud grew in power largely because of his links to the predominantly Arab terror network, analysts say. Mehsud and his deputies controlled swaths of Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghan border, a region where al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is rumored to be hiding.
So he was already al-Qaeda's boy, just as the next 'leader' will be ...
Al-Qaida is believed to have provided guidance and funding to Mehsud, who in turn could provide suicide bombers and other assets to carry out attacks throughout Pakistan.

Malik did not specify which candidate might be al-Qaida's preference, though it is highly unlikely that Pakistan Taliban fighters would agree to an Arab candidate or anyone not of the Pashtun ethnic group that dominates the tribal belt.
They'll need a Pashtun flunky who's amenable to taking large amounts of al-Qaeda cash, four wives, and lots of guns and ammo in return for a little direction. Gonna be tough to find someone like that in Wazoo ...
American and Pakistani government and intelligence officials, as well as some Taliban commanders and at least one rival militant, have said Mehsud likely died in Wednesday's drone strike on his father-in-law's house in the South Waziristan tribal area. Conflicting reports have also emerged about clashes between rival Taliban factions during a meeting, or shura, to select Mehsud's replacement.

Some reports said one or both of the leading contenders -- Hakimullah and Waliur Rehman -- were killed or wounded.
Pray for sepsis ...
Hakimullah spoke to an AP reporter who was familiar with his voice, and claimed that the reports of infighting were all part of a government propaganda campaign aimed at disturbing the militants.

"There is neither any rift in the Taliban ranks nor will they fight against each other," Hakimullah said. "This propaganda cannot divide us. And I will say again Baitullah Mahsud is alive."

Mehsud's Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is a loose alliance of tribal groups that often have disputes and power struggles, so removing the man who coordinated the factions could lead to intense rivalry over who would succeed him. It could be in the interests of top commanders to deny their leader was dead until they could agree on who would replace him.
Posted by:tipper

#1  ION WORLD NEWS > REPORT: JIHADIS THRICE ATTACKED PAKISTANI NUCLEAR SITES.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2009-08-10 22:00  

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