In life, or death, Baitullah's fight endures
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - As reports swirl about the possible death by illness of Pakistani
Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, 34, the fact is that as long as he is alive,
no matter how sick, he will remain an inspiration for regional jihadis; should
he die, he will be replaced and the battle that he fights will continue
undiminished.
Baitullah died from kidney problems and high blood pressure, Pakistan's GEO
Television reported this week. This is disputed in militant and Western
circles.
The ethnic Pashtun guerrilla commander from the South Waziristan tribal area
rose to prominence after Taliban leader Nek Mohammed was killed in a US
Predator drone attack in 2004. In December 2007, a Taliban shura, a
40-member council, chose Baitullah to unify its operations in Pakistan under a
united front
called the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or Pakistan Taliban Movement, which is
fighting Pakistani security forces in the tribal areas. The area also serves as
a haven for militants active in the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan.
Baitullah has also been linked to a number of attacks in Pakistan, including
the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto last December, and over the
past few years he has gained international notoriety. Time magazine of the US
in 2008 voted him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and
another US publication, Newsweek, labeled him "more dangerous than Osama bin
Laden".
"The show is still on, so why should Mehsud leave the stage now? It is just an
interval and half the show is left. Baitullah is now much better," a laughing
senior al-Qaeda figure told Asia Times Online.
US General David McKiernan, the commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organization
forces in Afghanistan, commented, "I saw that report, but I can't confirm it.
He is a very bad man.''
US intelligence has speculated that the saga of Baitullah's illness is a ploy,
while Pakistani security officials are mum. Pro-American President Asif Ali
Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and army chief General Ashfaq
Parvez Kiani are also not commenting as long as uncertainty remains. In a break
with tradition, they are celebrating evening Eidul Fitr prayers for the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan in their separate homes.
From foot soldier to leader
In colonial times, the British referred to the Mehsud and Wazir tribes of
Waziristan as wolves and panthers of the mountains; these tribal areas have
always been a natural breeding ground for militants.
Fighting spirit is highly cherished, and whoever proves himself on the
battlefield is elevated through the ranks, no matter their background - be it
an Urdu-language teacher like Mirza Ali Khan, alias Faqir of Ipi, who led a
jihad against the British government in the early to mid-1900s, or a
downtrodden youngster like Baitullah Mehsud.
However, in the long list of celebrated figures from the area, Baitullah is
distinctive. It is acknowledged that while he is brave like a panther, he is as
cunning as a fox.
Baitullah, who is said to have about 5,000 fighters directly at his disposal,
has thrived on luring and then ambushing "invading" Pakistani troops in the
narrow mountain passes of Waziristan. He is said to be a skilled marksman and
expert in the use of small arms. He also realized the value of taking prisoners
to use as bargaining tools with Islamabad in a series of on-off ceasefires, and
is renowned for his split-second decisions. In one incident in August 2007,
Baitullah�s forces captured more than 240 Pakistani soldiers and held
them hostage for two months before exchanging them for 25 militant prisoners.
He made alliances with Arabs and Uzbeks who had settled in the tribal areas
after being driven out of Afghanistan, which enhanced his respect and
influence. He established links with Pakistani militant groups and expanded his
influence into the cities. He also furthered his influence through the savvy
use of the media, despite having only a rudimentary education from a madrassa
(seminary).
According to Manzar Zaidi, a senior associate editor with The Long War Journal,
"Baitullah has established his own parallel government and has set up his own
judicial system wherein tribals approach him for delivery of justice rather
than resorting to the federal judicial courts. Money to support this operation
comes from al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Baitullah uses local clerics and 20
illegal FM radio channels in FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] to
enforce his writ."
The goals of Baitullah, who swears allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, do
not stop at resistance to foreign troops in Afghanistan and taking on Pakistani
forces in the tribal areas. He has extended his struggle into the cities and he
believes the Afghan war cannot be won until a similar approach is adopted
against world powers like Britain and the US, that is, by attacking their
cities. In January, Spanish police said a cell of Pakistanis they arrested in
Barcelona were planning suicide operations in Spain and possibly elsewhere in
Europe. They had allegedly been dispatched by Baitullah.
Pakistan desperately wants the US to eliminate Baitullah, but Islamabad has
never been able to provide sufficient specific information on him. The reason
is the 100% loyalty he has in those around him and in his Mehsud tribe; he is
referred to as emir, or commander.
In an attempt to flush him out, the Pakistani security forces once tried a
blockade of several months of Baitullah's tribal area. But despite a severe
food crisis and lack of facilities, the tribals managed to force the troops to
withdraw. They then expelled all pro-government tribal chiefs from the area. It
was during this blockade that Baitullah is believed to have developed diabetes
and high blood pressure, which went untreated.
Should Baitullah die, or if he has already died, he does not have any immediate
identified successor. But as with former leaders like Nek and the slain
Abdullah Mehsud, Baitullah will be replaced by the man who proves himself
through his bravery, smartness and charisma - and there are plenty of those
from where he comes from.
This man will then inherit the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban, the first
organizational unity of regional jihadis, and an outfit with links to the
international jihadi cartel.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can
be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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