Pakistan's new Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, cancelled his first encounter with the media after a deadly US drone attack targeted North Waziristan near the Afghan border on Monday. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella organisation of various pro-Taliban warlords, was planning to invite correspondents from major media organisations from Peshawar and Islamabad. | AKI contacted Ilyas Kashmiri headquarters in North Wazirirstan early on Tuesday confirmed that the veteran commander, believed to be the mastermind of several high profile regional terror attacks, is completely safe and unharmed. |
Ilyas Kashmiri is a former Jihadi veteran of the Kashmiri separatist movement Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. He was arrested and later released from prison in 2004 on suspicion of being involved in an attack on former Pakistani president Musharraf. He joined forces with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the Pakistani tribal areas. However, AKI contacted Ilyas Kashmiri headquarters in North Wazirirstan early on Tuesday confirmed that the veteran commander, believed to be the mastermind of several high profile regional terror attacks, is completely safe and unharmed.
The Monday drone attack is believed to have killed Punjabi, Uzbek and Arab militants and injured several others. It could cause the end of a Ramadan ceasefire agreement between the commander of the Taliban in North Waziristan, Gul Bahadur, and Pakistani security forces.