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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan: Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud behind bus attack |
| 2009-07-04 |
| [ADN Kronos] By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was behind the deadly suicide attack that targeted the northern garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday. According to unnamed sources, the attack which killed one person and injured 29 others, was carried out on the orders of the tribal warlord through his extensive militant network in the Punjab. Police had earlier said that six people had been killed in the attack but Nasir Durrani from Rawapindi police told AKI that the figure had been revised and only the suicide attacker was killed. Security in the capital Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi has been increased recently. However, for the past two days, security arrangements were relaxed as there were no intelligence reports on militant activity in and around the city. Taliban 'safe houses' in Rawalpindi had been monitoring fluctuations in security arrangements and on Thursday moved to attack a bus belonging to Pakistan's main weapons manufacturer at Chur Chowk, at the crossroads of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. According to sources, Baitullah Mehsud does not want to exhaust his resources while he is under siege from Pakistani security forces and US drone attacks. But the recent security changes forced him to take such steps. On Wednesday, Pakistani security forces successfully convinced the Mullah Nazir, Taliban chief in the tribal area of Wana in South Waziristan, to abide by his ceasefire accord with the security forces and not follow his ally in neighbouring North Waziristan, Gul Bahadur, who recently unleashed a devastating attack on the Pakistani security forces convoy. Security forces have decided not to avenge the attack and according to sources, Mullah Nazir has been given assurances that the military will not enter his region and only aim to blunt Mehsud's influence. Mullah Nazir has assured military commanders that if the sanctity of his area is not violated he will not carry out attacks on military convoys. Haji Gul Bahadur, the chief of the Taliban in North Waziristan is also likely to resume his ceasefire agreement. In this new situation, Baitullah Mehsud could be isolated and so powerful retaliation in an urban area may be his only choice for deterring a military operation against him. Thursday's attack showed that Pakistan's security apparatus has failed to eliminate militant cells in and around the capital city of Islamabad and the garrison town of Rawalpindi and therefore more attacks are expected in the coming days. |
| Posted by:Fred |