Draft:Baitullah Mehsud
| Baitullah Mehsud | |
|---|---|
| File:Mehsud.jpg | |
| Name | Baitullah Mehsud |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Bannu Frontier Region, Pakistan |
Baitullah Mehsud was one of the leading militants of the Taliban in the Waziristan region of Pakistan and was considered one of the important leaders of this group.
Political and Military Activities
Born in 1971 AD, he had no interest in showing his face and always covered his face at press conferences. He became the leader of the Taliban movement in Pakistan in December 2007 and led terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He appeared only once at a press conference in the presence of 20 journalists. At this press conference, held in May 2008, his forces did not allow anyone to photograph his face. At this conference, he said: "United States is our enemy and we want to fight them".
Governor of the Mehsud Region
After the death of "Nek Muhammad Wazir" in 2004, during a ceremony attended by 5 important Taliban commanders including "Mullah Dadullah", he was introduced as the governor of "Mullah Omar" in the "Mehsud" region.
Agreement with the Pakistan Army
In February 2005, during Mehsud's meeting with Pakistani officials, the Pakistan Army, according to the signing of a ceasefire treaty with him, agreed to withdraw its forces from the area under the control of Baitullah Mehsud. In exchange, Mehsud's forces would also stop their attacks against government officials. Pakistani officials offered him $20 million due to Mehsud's important role in the ceasefire process. He refused to accept this money and instead told them to spend this money on families that were harmed during military operations. The ceasefire treaty was annulled in 2005 and Mehsud continued his attacks against security forces.
Emir of South Waziristan
By 2006, Baitullah Mehsud's growing influence in South Waziristan province had progressed to the point that some called him the "Emir of South Waziristan".
A Pakistani official said the following regarding his army: "Baitullah's army is very organized. He has divided this army into different units and each unit has taken on the task of carrying out specific cases. The task of one of these units is to kill people who are supporters of the government or supporters of America or who support the American occupation of Afghanistan. The last person killed by this army was the chief of one of the Pakistani tribes".
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Group
In December 2007, he was introduced as the first leader of "Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan" (one of the main military groups of the Taliban). In addition, Baitullah Mehsud has been identified as the main planner and executor of many bombings.
Role in the Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
In December 2007, the Government of Pakistan claimed to have strong evidence showing that Baitullah Mehsud is the person behind the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister "Benazir Bhutto". The US intelligence agency also confirmed the accusation.
Fight Against America
In March 2009, Mehsud claimed responsibility for the attack on the police college in Lahore, Pakistan in telephone interviews with news media. In an interview with the BBC, he said this attack was carried out in revenge for missile attacks by American unmanned aerial vehicles. In the same interview, Mehsud claimed responsibility for two other attacks: the attack on the Islamabad police center in March and a suicide attack on an army convoy.
In April 2009, Mehsud claimed responsibility for the shooting at the New York immigration center. 13 people were killed during this attack and the attacker, who was Vietnamese, committed suicide after the attack. Mehsud claimed responsibility for these attacks in a telephone interview and said: "They were my men. I gave them this order. This attack is a reaction to American drone attacks". The US Federal Police later denied his role in these attacks.
Death
In September 2008, various media reported news of his death at the age of 34 due to kidney problems. Many of his close associates, including his assistant, doctor, and a Taliban spokesperson, denied these rumors.
In January 2009, the Government of Pakistan set a bounty of $600,000 for any information leading to finding him alive or dead. United States had previously set a $5 million bounty for him[1]; until he was killed in August 2009 in a CIA drone air strike[2].