Former ISI Khalid Khwaja found dead in Waziristan

[kugga]

Read the excerpt from the AT article in my last post - it would appear that the the TTP had a major role in the kidnapping and killing, regardless of which 'name' they used.

So the ttp also claims that they have kidnapped them......but why didn't they use the name TTP..... were they fed up of using the same name again and again???

 

[asad ikram]

very sad news we lose a intelligent agent....but the main thing which i am thinking is that why ISI and army dont do any thing to save them...or whats the agenda of ASIANS tiger.. khalid khawaja was in favour of taliban ...but why the TTP killed them ...KHALID khawaja and all others was very close to GEN hamid gull...whats is the game...?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I wonder if Imran Khan still wants to go into FATA to 'hold peace talks'.

If men of such repute from the Afghan Jihad can be murdered by the Taliban, no one is safe.

 

[Awesome]

Khalid Khwaja was an Islamist sympathizer, he filed a lot of cases in the courts to get alleged militants released and was against the war against the Taliban, though I would not go so far as to call him a terrorist, since nothing known about him so far indicates he materially supported terrorism.

His murder, and the alleged circumstances behind it, should really give pause to some Pakistanis who still believe in negotiations with the Taliban and that the Taliban, Al Qaeda and allied groups can be 'reconciled'.

If Islamist sympathizers like him are not safe, then who is?

There is no option but to destroy these people wherever they are found.

These people are consumed by hatred and intolerance, and will go to any lengths to impose that on everyone else - there is nothing to salvage here.

RIP to the deceased.

The back story is murkier and is only recently being taken with some seriousness in Pakistan. There are certain assertions that point that these folks didn't go meet the Taliban on the behest of Hamid Gul or Mirza Aslam Beg or were going to shoot a documentary with the BBC on the Taliban. They were in fact hired by the US to negotiate peace with the Taliban. It's also possible that Pakistan or the ISI were kept out of the loop.

Hamid Gul apparently objected to the media for linking him with these guys, he also said that he was surprised to see Colonel Imam accompanied them and said that Khwaja was a suspicious person (suspicious in the sense that he may have colluded with the CIA) but not Colonel Imam who was pretty chummy with the Taliban back in the day.

This story needs more coverage in the media, more than Sania and Shoaib obviously.

 

[blain2]

What would he have thought during the last moments of his life about the taliban and groups like that? he might have regretted having sympathy for them.

Or he died for his beliefs. People can say many things about him, but he stood for those who had been detained without being produced in courts. He did this before the emancipation of the judiciary which should tell people that he was not very afraid for his life.

Its unfortunate that he died in such a manner. People should not have to die for holding certain views. His stand was very much humanitarian first and then anything else beyond that.

 

[SMUTAHIR]

One should take it with military point of view .. Hope it wont gona jeopardize the American withdrawal ... The root for this incident go way beyond some Rouge group ... ISI wont gona stand still after this ... Secondly this wasnt a Taliban group which raised more suspicion that how they got their hands on two ex ISI ... These two figures have deep roots inside Afghan Taliban and would seriously affect the negotiation process ... I wonder if that was the purpose ...

 

[Awesome]

Taliban demand prisoner exchange for two ex-ISI officers - The Long War Journal

This prisoner swap demand seems misleading. They aren't people in Pakistan government's good books and sorry to say, not worth the price.

 

[TechLahore]

Aslam Baig and Hameed Gul must also be questioned as to why they sent (as appeared in the newspapers) Khalid Khwaja, and Col Imam to talk to TTP thugs; what they were hoping to achieve? Since both the men are 'former' ISI officers, the Army should also investigate as to why and under who's orders these former officers were/are still carrying out these kind of operations whereas they have no mandate to involve in these kind of activities.

This is very important. These nonsensical games being played by retired officers should end. Hameed Gul is proving himself to be a mouthpiece for the Afghan Taliban. An Army-led investigation must be done as all these people are former military officers.

 

[SMUTAHIR]

Taliban demand prisoner exchange for two ex-ISI officers - The Long War Journal

This prisoner swap demand seems misleading. They aren't people in Pakistan government's good books and sorry to say, not worth the price.

I dont agree with that Looking at their back ground they would have been a great help in negotiations with Taliban specially Clonel Imam was a the main figure during soviet war ... He acted as a bridge between Taliban and ISI ...

 

[mehru]

Looks like army didn't care for them. If i am not mistaken then i didn't see any statement from the establishment regarding them.

 

[mhacsan]

A revenge from CIA.

 

[T-Faz]

I am correct in asuming that there are multiple countries and their respective agencies working to get the best possible deal out of this resolution to Afghanistan occupation.

All this is very deep and does not make much sense, it could be a covered up partially to hide the truth.

Anyway RIP.

 

[Aamir Hussain]

An observation that all seem to have missed -- The GoP, Pak Army, Civil Armed Forces are fighting a " War" and those who are colluding with the enemy, openly sympathetic to their cause, and providing logistics and finances are not being picked and being tried for treason!!!!

We are in a state of WAR! Some of the politicians, the so called Afghan Specialist and some "Jihadi Journalists" are openly siding with terrorist while our Armed Forces are bleeding and the civilians are being killed by the dozens, every day.

It is high time that the GoP enact “State of War Laws" and try these idiots for treason. Enough debate has happened - even from Western Democracy standards!!! These shadowy characters are a serious thorn in the side of effective operations against the TTP and have inroads into the intelligence community and the Army -- we need to put an end to this period!!!!!!

 

[Musafar]

Alongside many others here I also feel that the TTP did not kill him. Regardless of the Asia Times article which seems speculative at best, I feel that since there's no love loss between the TTP and the Army, there is no need for the TTP to masquerade under a pseudonym, especially something called the Asian Tigers which sounds like a IPL cricket team. The TTP could eat kittens, it's not going to dent their reputation any further, so if they did it - They'd tell you they did it. That's what i think.

Similarly, Col. Imam has openly expressed to The Times, CNN, BBC his views and listed his experiences with militants. I can only imagine someone of his stature, being the mentor of Mullah Omar would galvanize respect and would instantly be known as a war hero in places like FATA, so it puzzles me that any militant would dare to take him hostage, especially under the strict code of pashtunwali. So why would this group ask for Mullah Baradar and Kabir as a prisoner exchange? It would be like asking a captured Osama for a futgitive Zawahiri.

Doesn't make sense.

It must be noted that in places such as north Waziristan, we have to remember that there's also PRO-government tribes, militants who has been known to carry out summary executions etc. One instance of this was the murder of a very brave journalist working for PBS frontline called Hayat Ullah Khan. On June 16, 2006, Hayat Ullah Khan's body was found in North Waziristan tribal region. He had disappeared in December 2005 after reporting that an alleged Al Qaeda member had been killed by a U.S. missile, not in a bomb-making accident as was claimed by Pakistan. He broke the first story of drones being used in Pakistan. Subsequently he was later found dead in a ditch, tied in government made-handcuffs as reported by PBS Frontline.

Am I saying that the GoP killed Khwaja? Of course not. But to rule anyone out, and to instantly pin this on the TTP is bad journalism and is evident that a lot of people here are pushing an agenda. If anything, he could have been captured by thugs/bandits of which many have become ubiquitous in areas such in north due to the deteriorating security condition.

I do honestly believe that these two were sincerely making a documentary, what convinces me is that both Khawaja and Col. Imam had been given alot of media attention in the last 18 months and that a reputable broadcaster picked up on this. Also the journalist they dispatched was credible and experienced and obviously in this case very naive.

Lastly, RIP.

 

[TalibanSwatter]

Khalid Khawaja went missing in late March along with another ex-intelligence official known as Col. Imam and a filmmaker. There was no word on the fate of the two others.

Khawaja's body was found on the road between Miramshah and Mir Ali, the two main towns in North Waziristan. Local TV channels broadcast a picture of what appeared to be Khawaja's body.

He had been shot in the head and chest, and a note attached to his body accused him of being an American spy, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be named by media.

The men were first reported abducted in late March. Soon after, a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Asian Tigers claimed to be holding the men in a video delivered to local media. Any demands they had were not made public.

Khawaja was known to be sympathetic to the militants cause, often appearing on television speaking in defense of suspected extremists.

He has claimed to be close to Osama bin Laden in the early days of the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Union.

Recently, he has spoken up in defense of five young American terror suspects on trial in Pakistan.

He also filed a petition in a Pakistani court to stop any attempt by Islamabad to extradite recently arrested Afghan Taliban leaders, including the movement's No. 2 Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.—AP