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PESHAWAR: Claiming responsibility for the suicide bombing on the main Ashura procession in Karachi, senior Taliban commander Asmatullah Shaheen on Wednesday warned of a fresh wave of attacks across the country in a week.
Asmatullah Shaheens name was placed on the 20-member list of the most-wanted Taliban commanders of the Hakimullah Mehsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operating in South Waziristan as well as in the adjoining Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts and the Frontier Region Jandola. He carries Rs 10 million head money.
Shaheen had reportedly played a key role in the October 2004 kidnapping of two Chinese engineers who were working on the Gomal Zam Dam project in South Waziristan. One of the Chinese engineers was killed and another was rescued in military action by the Pakistan Army commandos. All the five kidnappers were also killed in the action.
Asmatullah Shaheen, who belongs to the Pashtun tribe Bhittani, residing in the Frontier Region Jandola, never contacted the media in the past to claim responsibility for the Taliban attacks. It came as a surprise that he personally called various media organisations in Peshawar to claim responsibility for the devastating suicide attack on the Ashura procession in Karachi.
Asmatullah Shaheen didnt explain as to why the TTP Spokesman, Azam Tariq, couldnt contact the media to claim responsibility for the Karachi bombing that killed and injured scores of innocent mourners.
He claimed the suicide bomber, Hasnain Muawia, reached Karachi a day before the suicide attack and was especially trained to target the Ashura procession. Asked why the TTP decided to target the Ashura procession in a distant place like Karachi, Asmatullah Shaheen said the decision was taken by the Taliban Shura for the protection of the honour of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
The Taliban commander threatened that a new wave of suicide bombings would be unleashed across the country in the next week. He said the government installations and security forces would be specifically targeted.
The government has claimed that Taliban have been weakened as a result of the military operation in South Waziristan. Its not true. If the governments claims are true, it should show courage and just capture a single suicide bomber, said the wanted militant commander, throwing a challenge to the authorities.
Asmatullah Shaheen has never been part of any sectarian or hard-line groups in the past. Sources close to him told our sources that he had an independent group of militants hailing from his Bhittani tribe, inhabiting Jandola town, which is the gateway to South Waziristan. His band of followers was known as Shaheen Group, which later joined the militants commanded by Abdullah Mehsud.
Subsequently, Asmatullah Shaheen became a powerful militant commander with allies all over South Waziristan. In April 2007, he was among the commanders who gave refuge to Uzbek militants evicted by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe from Wana, Azam Warsak and Shakai. Most of these Uzbeks settled in the Mehsud tribal territory.
After an armed clash with his fellow tribal militant, Turkistan Bhittani, in August 2008, Asmatullah Shaheen aligned with Baitullah Mehsud and was made the TTP head for the Jandola area. He played an important role in strengthening the TTP and organising it in Jandola and in Tank district.
According to sources, the 40-year-old militant commander claimed he was twice captured by security forces in the past but was released under a prisoner exchange deal reached between the government and the Taliban. He alleged that on one occasion, he was taken to China for interrogation and severely tortured.
End.
Pakistan News Service - PakTribune
Asmatullah Shaheens name was placed on the 20-member list of the most-wanted Taliban commanders of the Hakimullah Mehsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operating in South Waziristan as well as in the adjoining Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts and the Frontier Region Jandola. He carries Rs 10 million head money.
Shaheen had reportedly played a key role in the October 2004 kidnapping of two Chinese engineers who were working on the Gomal Zam Dam project in South Waziristan. One of the Chinese engineers was killed and another was rescued in military action by the Pakistan Army commandos. All the five kidnappers were also killed in the action.
Asmatullah Shaheen, who belongs to the Pashtun tribe Bhittani, residing in the Frontier Region Jandola, never contacted the media in the past to claim responsibility for the Taliban attacks. It came as a surprise that he personally called various media organisations in Peshawar to claim responsibility for the devastating suicide attack on the Ashura procession in Karachi.
Asmatullah Shaheen didnt explain as to why the TTP Spokesman, Azam Tariq, couldnt contact the media to claim responsibility for the Karachi bombing that killed and injured scores of innocent mourners.
He claimed the suicide bomber, Hasnain Muawia, reached Karachi a day before the suicide attack and was especially trained to target the Ashura procession. Asked why the TTP decided to target the Ashura procession in a distant place like Karachi, Asmatullah Shaheen said the decision was taken by the Taliban Shura for the protection of the honour of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
The Taliban commander threatened that a new wave of suicide bombings would be unleashed across the country in the next week. He said the government installations and security forces would be specifically targeted.
The government has claimed that Taliban have been weakened as a result of the military operation in South Waziristan. Its not true. If the governments claims are true, it should show courage and just capture a single suicide bomber, said the wanted militant commander, throwing a challenge to the authorities.
Asmatullah Shaheen has never been part of any sectarian or hard-line groups in the past. Sources close to him told our sources that he had an independent group of militants hailing from his Bhittani tribe, inhabiting Jandola town, which is the gateway to South Waziristan. His band of followers was known as Shaheen Group, which later joined the militants commanded by Abdullah Mehsud.
Subsequently, Asmatullah Shaheen became a powerful militant commander with allies all over South Waziristan. In April 2007, he was among the commanders who gave refuge to Uzbek militants evicted by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe from Wana, Azam Warsak and Shakai. Most of these Uzbeks settled in the Mehsud tribal territory.
After an armed clash with his fellow tribal militant, Turkistan Bhittani, in August 2008, Asmatullah Shaheen aligned with Baitullah Mehsud and was made the TTP head for the Jandola area. He played an important role in strengthening the TTP and organising it in Jandola and in Tank district.
According to sources, the 40-year-old militant commander claimed he was twice captured by security forces in the past but was released under a prisoner exchange deal reached between the government and the Taliban. He alleged that on one occasion, he was taken to China for interrogation and severely tortured.
End.
Pakistan News Service - PakTribune
