Baitullah Mehsud bites the dust, confirmed! :)

[TaimiKhan]

As per my knowledge Pakistan has UAV but they cant carry any weapon like predator.The best of Pakistan's drone can fly for 5 hours at 150 km/h speed but none has got the capability to carry a missile.

so I guess US attacked the house on Pakstani intelligence.Now I just read on Geo that "Maqami Taliban" confirmed baitullah as dead and shura is going to elect wali rahman possibly as chief of TTP among other possibilities are hakimullah and azmatullah.

I personally think that killing of baitullah may not effect the overall capability of TTP but we might hope that new leaders are not insane like baitullah and try to have peace with GOP .

Sir, kindly update urself, Pakistan has 20-25 Falco UAV drones from Italy, which can hover for 14 hrs, plus unconfirmed reports are that Pakistan has developed an armed UAV drone but not disclosing it.

if u remember a few months back the PAC chief had confirmed of developing a new drone and a dozen had been handed over to PAF.

Plus someone having links to PAF had told me that we do have armed drones now, plus a very good source on this website also confirmed of having a new kind of drone but its capability wasn't confirmed by him, as they are secret for time being.

Armed drone is not that difficult, the only issue is the laser guided missile.

And i also have doubts that americans had anything to do with it, in the past also they did not attack him even when confirmed location was given by the pakistanis to the americans on many occasions.

 

[graphican]

Let us try this again.

1. TTP is supported by US?
2. Baitullah Mehsud killed by US drone attacks? ( topic of this thread)

Please pick one.

US Had to kill Baitullah Mehsud because if they didn't, that would have been a 5th confirmation that they are supporting TTP. They have missed this basta*d many times before and yes we know what kind of communication and nigh-vision system TTP use and which country has developed them. Dont try to read to fast my friend, TTP is not destroyed, one head has been rolled for the sake of saving the rest!

 

[waraich66]

Sir, kindly update urself, Pakistan has 20-25 Falco UAV drones from Italy, which can hover for 14 hrs, plus unconfirmed reports are that Pakistan has developed an armed UAV drone but not disclosing it.

if u remember a few months back the PAC chief had confirmed of developing a new drone and a dozen had been handed over to PAF.

Plus someone having links to PAF had told me that we do have armed drones now, plus a very good source on this website also confirmed of having a new kind of drone but its capability wasn't confirmed by him, as they are secret for time being.

Armed drone is not that difficult, the only issue is the laser guided missile.

And i also have doubts that americans had anything to do with it, in the past also they did not attack him even when confirmed location was given by the pakistanis to the americans on many occasions.

You are right

Google Finds Drones in Pakistan | Mother Jones

 

[waraich66]

Correct me if i am wrong but i dont think Pakistan has unmanned drones, and it doesn't matter what you think.. what matters is that it was probably a collaborative effort by both the ISI/Army and the United States military.

PA killed many top TTP leader but US still just dreaming to kill MO and OBL, it means US intelligence and technology is totally failed

 

[Xeric]

Well let's wait till Mehsud pops out somewhere in Africa-somewhere around where there are lots and lots of diamonds.

 

[Search & Distroy]

PA killed many top TTP leader but US still just dreaming to kill MO and OBL, it means US intelligence and technology is totally failed

or may be US doesn't want to kill MO and OBL at first place???!!!!

 

[Developereo]

The timing is interesting...

1. Pak claims that the US had BM in their sights many times but did not take him out.
2. Recent reports of a widening rift between US and Pakistan and even allegations that Gen. Kiyani had refused to meet with some US officials. Pak insistence that Pak cooperation in Afghanistan was contingent upon US pressure on India and Indian-backed TTP.
3. US drones take out BM.


Let's hope there is a violent power struggle within TTP and they kill each other for a change. Would make our job easier!

 

[Fracker]

Armed drone is not that difficult, the only issue is the laser guided missile.

I think pakistan has cruise missile technology which are also laser guided(for pointing towards target), so i really doubt pakistan is not capable of having armed drones (if they have drones)

 

[Interceptor]

Intelligence reports confirm Baitullah dead: FM Qureshi

August 07, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said intelligences reports stated that Taliban leader Baitullah Mahsud has been killed in drone attack in Waziristan on Wednesday.

“He has been taken out,” he told reporters after addressing youth parliament forum. He however said that the government was doing ground verification so as “to confirm 100 percent”.

Replying to a question about Mumbai attacks; Qureshi said Pakistan has asked India to provide more solid proofs for investigations. Pak-India foreign secretaries will meet in September.

He said US is increasing strength of its embassy staff in Pakistan. About drone attack, he said its an old question he does not want to comment on it.

Earlier, addressing the youth forum, foreign minister said global attention has been diverted from Kashmir issue in changing world scenario, therefore, government is adopting new approach to highlight the significance of Kashmir issue. Pakistan and India having firm stance on Kashmir and early solution of the issue is not an easy task. However, efforts are underway to facilitate Kashmiris.

Qureshi added that stable Afghanistan is necessary for Pakistan. Pakistan is not interfering in Afghan elections and will accept the results.

Intelligence reports confirm Baitullah dead: FM Qureshi

 

[Thomas]

Baitullah Mehsud likely killed: Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD: There is a strong likelihood that Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed along with his wife and bodyguards in a missile attack two days ago, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Reuters.

‘We suspect he was killed in the missile strike,’ Malik said on Friday. ‘We have some information, but we don't have material evidence to confirm it.’

Meanwhile, Director General ISPR Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas cautioned that the reports of Mehsud's death are still unconfirmed. ‘We are receiving reports and probing,’ he said.

ABC News cited a senior US official as saying there was a 95 per cent chance that Mehsud was among those killed in the missile strike.

US officials have visual and other indicators it was Mehsud and Pakistanis are now trying to collect physical evidence to be certain, ABC reported.

A US official also told Reuters that there was reason to believe Mehsud was dead.

‘There is reason to believe that reports of his death may be true, but it can't be confirmed at this time,’ said the official, providing the information on condition of anonymity.

The official would not comment on the circumstances surrounding Mehsud's possible death.

RUMOURS PERSISTED
A relative of Mehsud's dead wife had initially said the Taliban leader wasn't present when the missiles struck, but rumours that he had either been wounded or killed refused to die down.

The stricken house is some two hours' walk from Makeen, and Taliban fighters had cordoned off the area, refusing to let people enter, according to villagers.

A senior Pakistani security official said that aside from Mehsud's wife, one of Mehsud's brothers and seven of his bodyguards perished in the attack.

The official said intelligence services were trying to discover the identity of another victim, and there was a good chance it was Mehsud.

Intelligence agents had also picked up signs that leaders of various Taliban factions planned to gather for a shura, or council meeting, somewhere in Waziristan later on Friday.—Reuters

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Baitullah Mehsud likely killed: Rehman Malik

that would be the place to hit with drone missiles.

 

[Interceptor]

Now Fazlullah should be nabbed if possible but dead is an option as well.

 

[moha199]

OMG i'm so happy and i wanted him dead long ago but People had pressure on Government before but this time Army has free hand and ISI provided whereabouts of him and he is Gone Amin Sumamin Now FM Mullah should be taken out and we should kill all of them ASAP. What a great day with Shabrat

 

[AirforcePilot]

Pakistani Taliban Chief Killed by U.S., Aide Says

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Pakistan's Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who led a violent campaign of suicide attacks and assassinations against the Pakistani government, has been killed in a U.S. missile strike, a Taliban commander and aide to Mehsud said Friday.

"I confirm that Baitullah Mehsud and his wife died in the American missile attack in South Waziristan," Kafayat Ullah told The Associated Press by telephone. He would not give any further details.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters in Islamabad that intelligence showed Mehsud had been killed in Wednesday's missile strike on his father-in-law's house in Pakistan's lawless tribal area, but authorities would travel to the site to verify his death.

"To be 100 percent sure, we are going for ground verification," Qureshi said. "And once the ground verification reconfirms, which I think is almost confirmed, then we'll be 100 percent sure."

A senior U.S. intelligence official also said there were strong indications that Mehsud was among those killed in Wednesday's missile attack, but he would not elaborate.

If confirmed, Mehsud's demise would be a major boost to Pakistani and U.S. efforts to eradicate the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Mehsud has al-Qaida connections and has been suspected in the killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Pakistan views him as its top internal threat and has been preparing an offensive against him.

For years, though, the U.S. considered Mehsud a lesser threat to its interests than some of the other Pakistani Taliban, their Afghan counterparts and Al Qaeda, because most of his attacks were focused inside Pakistan, not against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

That view appeared to change in recent months as Mehsud's power grew and concerns mounted that increasing violence in Pakistan could destabilize the U.S. ally and threaten the entire region.

But while Mehsud's death would be a big blow to the Taliban in Pakistan, he has deputies who could take his place. Whether a new leader could wreak as much havoc as Mehsud depends largely on how much pressure the Pakistani military continues to put on the network, especially in the lawless tribal area of South Waziristan.

The Pakistani intelligence officials said Mehsud was killed in Wednesday's missile strike on his father-in-law's home and that his body was buried in the village of Nardusai in South Waziristan, near the site of the strike.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

One official said he had seen a classified intelligence report stating Mehsud was dead and buried, but that agents had not seen the body since the area is under Taliban control.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters outside Parliament he could confirm the death of Mehsud's wife but not of the Taliban leader himself, although information pointed in that direction.

But he added: "Yes, (a) lot of information is pouring in from that area that he's dead, but I'm unable to confirm unless I have solid evidence."

A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said "about 70 percent" of the information pointed to Mehsud's being dead.

Another senior Pakistani intelligence official said phone and other communications intercepts — he would not be more specific — had led authorities to suspect Mehsud was dead, but he also stressed there was no definitive evidence yet.

An American counterterrorism official said the U.S. government was also looking into the reports. The official indicated the United States did not yet have physical evidence — remains — that would prove who died. But he said there are other ways of determining who was killed in the strike. He declined to describe them.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly.

A local tribesman, who also spoke on condition his name not be used, said Mehsud had been at his father-in-law's house being treated for kidney pain, and had been put on a drip by a doctor, when the missile struck. The tribesman claimed he attended the Taliban chief's funeral.

Last year, a doctor for Mehsud announced the militant leader had died of kidney failure, but the reports turned out to be false.

In Afghanistan, Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said Mehsud's fighters would cross the border into eastern Afghanistan occasionally to help out one of most ruthless Afghan insurgent leaders Siraj Haqqani.

"He was an international terrorist that affected India, Pakistan and Afghanistan," Azimi said without confirming Mehsud was dead.

In March, the State Department authorized a reward of up to $5 million for the militant chief. Increasingly, American missiles fired by unmanned drones have focused on Mehsud-related targets.

Pakistan publicly opposes the strikes, saying they anger local tribes and make it harder for the army to operate. Still, many analysts suspect the two countries have a secret deal allowing them.

Malik, the interior minister, said Pakistan's military was determined to finish off Pakistan's Taliban.

"It is a targeted law enforcement action against Baitullah Mehsud's group and it will continue till Baitullah Mehsud's group is eliminated forever," he said.

Pakistan's record on putting pressure on the Taliban network is spotty. It has used both military action and truces to try to contain Mehsud over the years, but neither tactic seemed to work, despite billions in U.S. aid aimed at helping the Pakistanis tame the tribal areas.

Mehsud was not that prominent a militant when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks, according to Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for the tribal regions. In fact, Mehsud has struggled against such rivals as Abdullah Mehsud, an Afghan war veteran who had spent time in Guantanamo Bay.

But a February 2005 peace deal with Mehsud appeared to give him room to consolidate and boost his troop strength. Within months of that accord, dozens of pro-government tribal elders in the region were gunned down on his command.

In December 2007, Mehsud became the head of a new coalition called the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Pakistan's Taliban movement. Under his guidance, the group killed hundreds of Pakistanis in suicide and other attacks.

Analysts say the reason for Mehsud's rise in the militant ranks is his alliances with Al Qaeda and other violent groups. U.S. intelligence has said Al Qaeda has set up its operational headquarters in Mehsud's South Waziristan stronghold and neighboring North Waziristan.

Mehsud has no record of attacking targets in the West, although he has threatened to attack Washington.

However, he is suspected of being behind a 10-man cell arrested in Barcelona in January 2008 for plotting suicide attacks in Spain. Pakistan's former government and the CIA have named him as the prime suspect behind the December 2007 killing of Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister. He has denied a role.

Source: FOX News

 

[TaimiKhan]

I think pakistan has cruise missile technology which are also laser guided(for pointing towards target), so i really doubt pakistan is not capable of having armed drones (if they have drones)

Sir, cruise missile don't use laser guidance for hitting their target. Cruise missile has a separate targeting mechanism or should i say mechanisms.

 

[Interceptor]

Baitullah death is very good news

I belive now TTP will break up. because Shura al Mujahideen will meet today. Hafiz gul Bahader is expected to replace baitullah.
where as Hakeem ullah Mahsud was 2nd in command after Baitullah
Considering age old Mahsud-Wazir enemity, GulBahder and other waziri groups who have now become strong will never allow a Mahsud to be leader.
TTP's center of Gravity is now distroyed and InshaAllah rest of scums will soon be distroyed

Hope your right.

However to break TTP's back is to kill its outside funding.Thats whats kept TTP operational for so long. According to a report TTP was paying its militia more than the average salary of our Frontier and Police.