Pakistan strikes Bhutto assassin stronghold

By Associated Press
Monday, January 21, 2008 - Updated 4h ago

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Pakistani military pounded an extremist stronghold yesterday near the Afghan border where a rebel leader blamed for the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is believed to be hiding, officials and witnesses said.

The strikes came after authorities said Saturday they had arrested a 15-year-old boy in northwestern Pakistan alleged to have been involved in the Dec. 27 slaying of Bhutto, an

opposition leader critical of rising Islamic extremism in the country.

The central government has never had much control over South Waziristan, a tribal area where several top al-Qaeda terrorists, Taliban and Pakistani extremists are believed to live. They included Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani accused by the government and the CIA of masterminding the killing of Bhutto.

Officials said the boy had confessed to taking part in a plot to kill Bhutto in a gun and suicide bomb attack in the garrison town of Rawalpindi. His role in the mission to kill Bhutto was as a backup in case the shooter or the suicide attacker failed, according to an intelligence official who has seen his interrogation records.

The boy said the slaying was organized by Mehsud, who has previously denied any involvement in the attack, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Authorities say the boy received terrorist training in neighboring Afghanistan before taking part in the mission. He told interrogators he trained for 40 days in a camp run by Mehsud in the Kotai area of South Waziristan before going to Helmand province Afghanistan in 2007 for another 40 days of “practical training.”

Meanwhile, Sunni extremists fired small arms and mortars at a Shiite procession commemorating Ashoura, a Shiite Muslim holiday that is often scarred by sectarian violence, the military said in a statement. Nine civilians and three security troops were injured in the incident in northwestern Hangu town, which ended after troops fired tear gas from a helicopter, it said.

Fighting in South Waziristan in recent days has killed more than 100 soldiers and militants.

The violence comes as the nuclear-armed country prepares for Feb. 18 elections that many predict will weaken President Pervez Musharraf’s grip on power.

SOURCE:

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WANA, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistani helicopter gunships and artillery pounded militant positions in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan, residents and officials said.

The military said they fired artillery after coming under attack in Ladha village of restive South Waziristan district, where a Taliban commander linked to the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto is said to be hiding.

Ladha Fort

"At 0100 hours miscreants fired 12.7 millimetres gun from old Ladha to Ladha observation post. Security forces retaliated with artillery guns fire," a military statement said, but gave no casualties.

Ladha Fort

Residents however said that shells fired from six helicopter gunships killed two people and left seven others wounded, but officials were not immediately available to confirm the deaths.

The military said Saturday that troops captured 50 Islamist militants in an operation in the rugged Chaghmalai and Ladha areas of South Waziristan.

The clashes started after hundreds of heavily armed militants overran a Pakistani paramilitary fort on Wednesday, killing seven soldiers and leaving another 15 troops missing, presumed kidnapped.

The fierce clashes were the latest in a series to rock the tribal region, the stronghold of wanted Islamist warlord Baitullah Mehsud and his Al-Qaeda and Taliban allies.

Militants have stepped up attacks on troops in the region since Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack last month.

Pakistan was already on high alert for the Muslim festival of Ashura, being observed on Sunday.

Pakistan gunships pound militant stronghold: residents

g

.

bY VANCOUVER:( sorry had wrong link up, fixed now )

........ It's interesting that Ayman al-Zawahari's "town hall meeting" video is overdue by at least three days, and there is no longer a banner about it at Ekhlaas. The production might have been destroyed, or at least interrupted, in the recent fighting in Waziristan.

.

Terrorism Winding Down

Terrorism winding down.

---

ISI remnants, tattered and on the run, stealing payroll.

Taliban taking a severe beating from Paki.

Time is running out, members defecting, rejection by Ummah in Iraq.
Terrorism is on the down hill.

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military launched a series of major bombing attacks on Al Qaida in Iraq as detainees revealed splits in the organization and a desperate shortage of funds.

U.S. fighter-jets conducted scores of sorties against suspected Al Qaida targets south of Baghdad. U.S. forces were also tracking Al Qaida operatives fleeing the Baghdad area.

In all, more than 40 targets were struck southeast of Baghdad on Thursday, including the destruction of safe havens in Arab Jabour, Middle East Newsline reported.

Officials said the operation has been facilitated by widespread resentment against the Al Qaida leadership. They said lower-level operatives have not been paid as senior commanders fled with money allocated for salaries.
SOURCE:

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Paki:

"during 2007, the security forces killed 1008 terrorists and miscreants, and arrested 1636 suspected terrorists, including 427 Taliban, 53 Al Qaeda operatives, 740 Baloch nationalist insurgents, 315 banned jihadi organisations' militants and 27 Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorists operating as Al Qaeda troops in Pakistan ".
50-plus Taliban militants killed in Pakistan.01.11.08
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12 Jan 2008, 1751 hrs IST,PTI
ISLAMABAD: At least 41 militants were arrested on Saturday in northwest Pakistan's restive Swat valley, hours after the ultras carried out two pre-dawn attacks on security forces.

The army said the militants were apprehended during a search and cordon operation at Kuza Bandai in Swat, where troops have been conducting a major operation since mid-November to quell the activities of pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah and his followers.

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the arrested militants, the army said in a statement.

Nearly 300 militants have been killed in the Swat valley, just 160 kms from Islamabad, since the security forces launched their operation in November.

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Media arm decimated by death and arrest.

Propaganda vids way down, rehash or mostly older videos,
Trying to snach some credibility fro the jaws of defeat, by showing a shot/bomb and stoping video, so we can't see it was a miss/failure:

Fatal error in terrorist paradigm.

Muslims will not put up with this:

Look at the last Two weeks: killing civilians, Muslims, children.
munaafiqeen.


1/14/2008 Pakistan Karachi 11 40 Three
children are among eleven killed in a bombing by
Islamic militants outside a textile factory.
1/14/2008 Thailand Narathiwat 8 7 Islamists
ambush and kill eight local soldiers in a vicious
attack that leaves them beheaded, shot or blasted
to death.
1/14/2008 Afghanistan Kabul 6 6 Religious
extremists attack a hotel with suicide vests and
machine-guns, managing to kill six people in the
lobby.
1/13/2008 Algeria Medea 3 0 Islamic
fundamentalists machine-gun three kids to death as
they are gathering chestnust.
1/13/2008 Thailand Yala 1 0 Islamic gunmen
shoot a man in the back of the head as he is
watching television.
1/12/2008 Iraq Dhuluiya 6 0 Three children
are among six killed when al-Qaeda gunmen invade
two homes.
1/12/2008 Somalia Baidoa 2 0 Two Red Crescent
workers are killed by suspected members of an
Islamic militia.
1/12/2008 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 A father is
murdered by Muslim gunmen after dropping his
daughter off at school.
1/12/2008 Iraq Sulaimaniyah 1 0 Shia
fundamentalists gun down a liquor store owner.
1/12/2008 Afghanistan Kandahar 8 0 Taliban
militants gun down eight Afghan police officers.
1/12/2008 Afghanistan Helmand 1 8 A suicide
bomber tries to enter a house, but is stopped
short. He still manages to kill one adult and
injure two children.
1/11/2008 Iraq Baghdad 4 8 Jihadis bomb a
bakery, killing four people.
1/11/2008 Somalia Baidoa 1 0 Islamic
militants shoot an off-duty soldier to death in a
markeplace.
1/10/2008 Iraq Baghdad 5 13 A pair of Jihad
bombings leave five Iraqis dead.
1/10/2008 Pakistan Lahore 24 80 A suicide
bomber attacks a police post, killing two dozen
police and civilians alike.
1/10/2008 Thailand Narathiwat 1 0 A Buddhist
villager is murdered by Muslim gunmen in an
unprovked attack.
1/10/2008 Thailand Yala 3 7 Three men are
shot to death by Muslim terrorists in three
separate attacks.
1/10/2008 Yemen Sa'ada 6 6 Six local soldiers
are killed in an ambush by Shiite radicals.
1/9/2008 Algeria Ait Yahia 4 2 Islamic
fundamentalists kill four local soldiers in a
landmine attack.
1/9/2008 Philippines Jolo 2 0 Two off-duty
cops are shot to death by suspected Islamic
extremists, while jogging along a road.
1/9/2008 Yemen Haidan 1 0 Shiite militants
kill a tribal elder.
1/9/2008 Thailand Yala 1 0 A 34-year-old man
riding his motorcycle is murderd by Islamist
gunmen.
1/8/2008 Iraq Madaen 2 5 A Fedayeen suicide
bomber takes out two Iraqi policemen.
1/8/2008 Somalia Dibiyada 4 7 Four civilians
are killed during an ambush by Islamic militants.
1/7/2008 Afghanistan Helmand 4 4 Taliban
militants kill four Afghans with a roadside
bombing.
1/7/2008 Pakistan Chugmalai 1 3 Islamic
militants attack a security post, killing a local
soldier.
1/7/2008 Iraq Hawija 3 0 A married couple and
their young son are shot to death by Islamic
terrorists.
1/7/2008 Iraq Baghdad 18 63 Eighteen
innocents are are killed in two separate bombings,
one a Fedayeen attack
1/7/2008 Iraq Khanaqeen 6 0 Radical Sunnis
abduct, bind and then murder five men. A carpenter
is gunned down in a separate attack.
1/7/2008 Afghanistan Spin Boldak 1 4 A
suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills a local
border guard.
1/6/2008 Pakistan Peshawar 1 0
Fundamentalists bomb a video shop, killing a
security guard.
1/6/2008 Iraq Baghdad 3 16 A Jihad car
bombing kills three people and injrues sixteen
others.
1/6/2008 Iraq Baghdad 11 17 A Fedayeen
suicide bomber attacks an Iraqi celebration of
national unity, killing eleven innocent people.
1/6/2008 Pakistan Wana 9 8 Nine tribal
leaders are killed in two separate shooting
attacks by Uzbeki Islamic extremists.
1/6/2008 Iraq Muqdadiya 4 0 Islamic radicals
kidnap and behead four people, tossing their heads
out on a highway.
1/5/2008 Iraq Muqdadiyah 6 3 Jihadis bomb a
minibus, killing six civilians including women and
children.
1/4/2008 Pakistan Kurram 3 0 Fighting between
Sunni and Shia leaves three people dead.
1/4/2008 Thailand Yala 1 2 A 43-year-old
villager is shot to death by Muslim militants.
1/3/2008 Afghanistan Nimroz 7 12 A Fedayeen
suicide bomber detonates in the middle of road
construction crew, killing seven workers and their
guards.
1/3/2008 Iraq Baghdad 6 11 Six civilians are
killed in two separate Jihad attacks.
1/3/2008 Iraq Khalis 6 3 Six Iraqi soldiers
are killed inside a home by a bomb set by radical
Sunnis.
1/3/2008 Thailand Yala 1 0 Islamists gun down
a 57-year-old civilian in the street.
1/3/2008 Iraq Basra 1 0 A woman is shot to
death by fundamentalists for unIslamic activities.
1/3/2008 Thailand Yala 1 0 A 44-year-old
Buddhist rubber tapper is murdered by Muslim
extremists.
1/3/2008 India Shopian 1 0 The Mujahideen
abduct and execute a civilian.
1/3/2008 Pakistan Kurram 6 11 Six people are
killed in violence between Sunni and Shia.
1/3/2008 Thailand Pattani 1 3 A local soldier
dies from inuries suffered in a roadside bombing
by militant Muslims.
1/2/2008 Algeria Naciria 5 7 Islamic
fundamentalists bomb a police station, killing at
least five people, including a 10-year-old girl.
1/2/2008 Iraq Baghdad 6 0 Freedom Fighters
shoot five children and their father to death in a
minivan at point-blank range.
1/2/2008 Somalia Afgoye 3 24 Islamists bomb a
local market, killing three civilians.
1/2/2008 Somalia Mogadishu 1 0 Suspected
Islamists storm an aid office, killing a local
guard.
1/2/2008 Pakistan Kurram 11 13 Eleven people
are killed in a sectarian clash between Sunni and
Shia.
1/2/2008 Iraq Baqubah 10 28 A female suicide
bomber sends ten Iraqis to Allah.
1/2/2008 Afghanistan Helmand 1 1 Taliban
militants shoot a local soldier to death.
1/2/2008 Afghanistan Kandahar 2 0 Two border
guards are murdered by Islamic extremists.
1/2/2008 Iraq Muqdadiyah 6 3 Sunni radicals
gun down six civilians in a drive-by attack.
1/1/2008 Iraq Tahwelah 2 0 Radical Sunnis gun
down a Shia man and his 16-year-old son.
1/1/2008 Iraq Baghdad 36 38 A Fedayeen
suicide bomber wades into a funeral and detonates,
killing thirty-six people.
1/1/2008 Pakistan Kurram 2 5 Two people are
killed in fighting between rival Muslim groups.
1/1/2008 Pakistan Kahna 2 0 A young couple in
their 20's is gunned down by family members for
having sex.
1/1/2008 Sudan Khartoum 2 0 A US diplomat and
his driver are killed in a shooting claimed by
Islamic militants.
1/1/2008 Iraq Jalawla 5 0 Freedom Fighters
abduct and murder an Iraqi policeman and four
members of his family.
1/1/2008 India Rampur 7 3 Lashkar-e-Toiba
terrorists carry out an attack on a security base,
killing at least seven people.

The Ummah will bring al Qaeda and Taliban down in the END.

USA gave them enough rope and they are hanging themselves.
Now USA will hunt al Qaeda like the Jews hunted the Nazi.
You can't hide forever.

munaafiqeen,
'' Honor, power and glory belong to Allah, to his messenger, and to the believers, but the extremist hypocrites know not. '' For, can a wolf ever guard a flock of sheep? Call the people towards Allah. Jihad against the munaafiqeen (hypocrites).

Tâghût (Satan). So fight you against the friends of Shaitân (Satan). Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaitân (Satan the false Moujahedeen ). ] al-Nissa:76.


Bill
Asking the Lord to accept. The overall objective of this bulletin : Brothers and sisters urged to publish this article to relatives and friends, and in the mosques, and every person standing on the Internet Through the printing and distribution of the bulletin, and read on boards and also through sent by e-mail and e-mail Different groups, and chat rooms. , and other ideas that have the positive impact.

REWARD: report terrorist in Secret


.

new vid, Bhutto being shot

Looking long and FAR:

Video is here:
You can see the muzzle flash.

Here: they recover the gun and bombers head


Update: new video

Gerald
Hat tip to our new secret friend.

Back Channels on "B's" assassination

Back channels indicate there were many other attacks on others same day as assassination.

Also it was a combined attack on "B"
and rogue elements involved.

Pakti press still locked down.
Great Britan has an unusually large interest in this story. 20% of surfers/ normally 5%.
UPDATE: Yesterday the British followers of exiled cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed issued a statement celebrating the murder of Benazir Bhutto. The announcement was reposted under the title Death of Bhutto: A day of joy: from Jawa Report
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Baitullah Mehsud the NEW TALIBAN LEADER for a while now and FBI has no reward for him.
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The attack yesterday at Rawalpindi bore the hallmarks of a sophisticated military operation. At first, Bhutto's rally was hit by a suicide bomb that turned out to be a decoy. According to press reports and a situation report of the incident relayed to The New York Sun by an American intelligence officer, Bhutto's armored limousine was shot by multiple snipers whose armor-piercing bullets penetrated the vehicle, hitting the former premier five times in the head, chest, and neck. Two of the snipers then detonated themselves shortly after the shooting, according to the situation report, while being pursued by local police. A separate attack was thwarted at the local hospital where Bhutto possibly would have been revived had she survived the initial shooting. . . . A working theory, according to this American source, is that Al Qaeda or affiliated jihadist groups had effectively suborned at least one unit of Pakistan's Special Services Group, the country's equivalent of Britain's elite SAS commandos. . . . "They just killed the most protected politician in the whole country," this source said. "We really don't know a lot at this point, but the first thing that is happening is we are asking the Pakistani military to account for every black team with special operations capabilities."

Lake's source stressed to him that "this was just a theory at this point"
SOURCE:

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We don't yet know whether Al- Qaeda Commander and spokesman Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told the truth in his phone call to Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) when he stated that the decision to kill Bhutto was made by Al- Qaeda No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri in October, 2007, and carried out by a cell involving a "Punjabi volunteer" of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi ("LIJ").

But the involvement of LIJ fits the past pattern of its terrorist activities, which link up with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and which are profoundly committed to destroying secular rule in Pakistan.

As summarized by the US Department of State, LIJ is a Sunni-Deobandi Muslim extremist group, based mostly in the Punjab region of Pakistan and Karachi. It has assisted in several high-profile attacks on Westerners in Pakistan, including the January 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. In 2002, LIJ banded with two other Sunni extremist groups to form the Pakistani wing of al Qaeda. Their goal? Ending secular rule and replacing it with a Sunni Muslim state.

LIJ has implemented this goal through a series of lethal attacks on sectarian rivals, including the types of people who have the greatest symbolic value as victims of terrorism. They thus have murdered priests, diplomats, religious leaders, and people while they are actually engaged in worship. Notably, LIJ claimed responsibility for attempting to assassinate Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999.

LIJ is reportedly a very small organization, with perhaps as few as 100 members. Even if it were not responsible for Bhutto's assassination, it had already exercised a disproportionately destructive impact on Pakistan, the region, and the world. And all in the name of destroying secularism, and replacing it with a Taliban-like theocracy.
SOURCE:

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In northwest Pakistan a suicide bomber detonated his bomb inside a crowded mosque on Eid al-Adha (the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice which marks the end of the annual hajj.) The attack was an attempt to kill former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao. Forty-eight people were killed and over 100 were wounded, including Sherpao's son and two grandnephews. Sherpao was unharmed.

This was the second attempt on Sherpao’s life in eight months, the previous attempt at a political rally in nearby Charsadda, 28 were killed and Sherpao was slightly wounded.

That Islamists would attack Sherpao is unsurprising. As Interior Minister he was a top security official and a key player in the Lal Masjid Mosque crackdown that has sparked the present high levels of violence. But for an Islamist to enter a mosque on a major holiday and murder innocent worshipers should be beyond the pale - even for radical Islamists.

Read the complete post here.

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It should be noted that is not the first time that Al-Qaida and its affiliates have allegedly targeted Benazir Bhutto for assassination. During the Philippine police interrogation of Abdul Hakim Murad--an associate of 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Ramzi Yousef--Murad recalled that Yousef "once made a statement that BHUTTO should be replaced as PM of Pakistan since Islamic belief does not allow a woman to occupy such position and that [mujahideen organizations] should do something to unseat her. Said statement indicates that [Yousef] might be planning to carry out an attack against the PM of Pakistan." Likewise, during the mid-1990s, the FBI recorded several telephone conversations involving Kifah Jayyousi and Adham Hassoun (who were recently convicted in federal court for their role in recruiting would-be Al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla) in which the men discussed "getting rid" of the late Pakistani Prime Minister--who they referred to as "Khanazir Bhutto" ("Bhutto the Pig"): "She's done... done... she... she was finished... finished, my brother... I was reading about the life... the life of the Prophet, peace and blessing upon him... 'Men are ruined if they are to obey women'. Praise to God."
SOURCE:

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Bhutto’s death also makes former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Pakistan’s top opposition figure. Sharif has attempted to appeal to Islamic militants, arguing that Pakistan needs to pare down its cooperation with the United States. Sharif has already capitalized on Bhutto’s death, visiting the hospital where she was declared dead, blasting Musharraf for providing Bhutto with insufficient security, and calling for a reunification of Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party and his own Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Bhutto’s assassination once again spotlights the need for the U.S. to formulate a feasible Pakistan policy, something I have called for previously.
You can read the entire symposium -- which includes contributions from Bill Roggio, Jonathan Foreman, and Mansoor Ijaz, among others -- here. For more on our policy options in Pakistan, see the cover story that I wrote for the Weekly Standard back in October, "While Pakistan Burns."

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more breaking
check back

Baitullah Mehsud: Backgrounder

Our threads HERE:

Gerald


A Pakistan Govt news conference has confirmed that Benazir Bhutto was not killed from the bullet of the suicide bomber.
....

What "B" wanted to do: and binny dead? at 6:11
....
December 28: The "Pakistani government has changed the story on how Bhutto was killed three times, but evidence suggests she was shot.


Automated feed switched to Bhutto ( Right column only )

..

Bhutto warning un-heeded

From our blog Oct. 21. 07


"Bhutto needs Blackwater type protection, her current security failed and so did the Government security fail. And there were enough other problems to reflect non-professional standards....Gerald" We can't be the only ones that saw this coming.
Bad security advise: 8 hr convoy the first attack, open hood auto?
These are/were unnecessary risks she was taking. al Qaeda killed her.

USA needs more force protection for assets. She was a force for stability in Pakti.

http://warintel.blogspot.com/2007/10/bhuttos-work.html

Who was incharge of her security?

Backgrounder:


Last known photo before assignation, shot in neck and chest then bombed.
Report al Qaeda in SECRET. End the war.


Lets hope this is a wake up call for Pakti, and a clearer view of what al Qaeda and the taliban have in store for Pakti if the terrorist remain at large.

Allah is great,

'' Honor, power and glory belong to Allah, to his messenger, and to the believers, but the extremist hypocrites know not. '' For, can a wolf ever guard a flock of sheep? Call the people towards Allah. Jihad against the munaafiqeen (hypocrites).
Will al qaeda get away with Killing Muslims yet again?


Gerald
BACK CHANNELS ON THE ASSASSINATION.
....

Baitullah Mehsud, new taliban boss

$50,000

Baitullah Mehsud photo:
He is 4 ft. 11 inches tall.
Diabetic.

The color of eye brows and patch of hair, left,
under hat, argue for BROWN hair color
and indicate the beard is fake.
REWARD: report terrorist in Secret


Baitullah Mehsud to head Taliban Movement of Pakistan
( any body got a good pic of this guy? comments bottom:
LAHORE: Various Taliban groups active in the Tribal Areas and the NWFP claimed to have established a joint organisation, the Taliban Movement Pakistan, in South Waziristan with Baitullah Mehsud as its head, reported BBC Urdu.

The Taliban, the BBC said, had announced that no agreement would now be signed with the Pakistani government for any area and that their newly established organisation would take a joint decision in this regard.

Taliban commander from South Waziristan Baitullah Mehsud told BBC that a meeting of 20 Taliban representatives from all seven agencies in the Tribal Areas and NWFP was held on Friday in which the Taliban Movement of Pakistan was formed. He said the meeting also formed a 40-member consultative committee (shura) to be headed by him. Maulvi Umar has been chosen as spokesman for the committee, Mehsud added. daily times monitor

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\12\15\story_15-12-2007_pg7_7

http://tinyurl.com/2chcq8

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Baitullah Mehsud Threatens candidates in the tribal area of South Waziristan.

Tank, 11 Dec. (AKI/DAWN) - The pro-Taliban militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has asked candidates in the tribal area of South Waziristan to withdraw their nomination papers for the January general elections or face serious consequences.

At a meeting in the town of Tank in South Waziristan on Monday, elders of the Mehsud tribe said that in a letter sent to the jirga or tribal council members, Baitullah Mehsud had stated that peaceful elections could be held in the constituency only if his seven associates arrested on charges of terrorist activities were released immediately.

They quoted him as saying that his force would subvert the election process if his demand was not met.

The elders, who met at a government compound in Tank to resolve the standoff, asked the authorities to take immediate steps, or else relieve them of the responsibility for the area.

Maulana Hassamuddin, who is a candidate for the seat in South Waziristan read out Baitullah Mehsud's letter.

"We have no option but to withdraw our nomination papers," Maulana Hassamuddin told the Pakistani daily Dawn after the meeting.

Fifteen candidates have filed papers for the two National Assembly seats in South Waziristan.

Baitullah's warning came after the authorities refused to release his aides.

Tribal elders had negotiated a deal between the government and the Baitullah group under which the government had freed 25 suspects on 4 November in exchange for 247 captured soldiers.

According to the tribal negotiators, the government had to release the remaining seven suspects under the agreement.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1656368391

http://tinyurl.com/yvkohg
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NEWS UPDATE: 12.15.07
The meeting asked the government to call off military operation in Swat and North Waziristan and abolish all military checkpoints within 10 days. Otherwise, it warned, a suitable course of action would be chalked out in the next meeting of the militants.

Taliban leaders from seven tribal agencies, six Frontier Regions of Fata and NWFP districts of Swat, Kohistan, Buner, Dir, Malakand, Kulachi, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank and D.I. Khan attended the meeting.

They demanded release of Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz and other Taliban jailed across the country.In another development, Baitullah Mehsud on Friday withdrew his threat to subvert the polls and allowed candidates to run their election campaigns in the South Waziristan.

Maulana Hassamuddin and Maulana Mairajuddin, candidates for NA-42, South Waziristan, told Dawn that they had been allowed to take part in the election by Baitullah during their one-to-one meetings with him.

Baitullah had earlier written a letter to elders of the Mehsud tribe and asked the candidates to withdraw their nomination papers and warned them of serious consequences if they contested the election.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/12/15/top7.htm

http://tinyurl.com/ys4t4b

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By Anthony Bruno
General Musharraf reached a settlement with Baitullah, exchanging 25 militants in government custody for the captured troops. Musharraf later admitted that these men were trained suicide bombers, and one of them was under indictment for participating in a suicide bombing. As part of the deal, Baitullah agreed to expel foreign militants from his territories and stop attacking the army. But Baitullah has signed peace accords with the Pakistani government before and reneged on his word......

Baitullah has no formal education or religious schooling but is a natural leader with keen political instincts. He controls a critical battleground in the war on terror, South Waziristan, a tribal territory in Pakistan on the Afghanistan border about the size of New Jersey. The Taliban currently thrive in this region and Al Qaeda is welcome there. There's a better than even chance that Osama bin Laden is living somewhere in Waziristan under Baitullah's protection.

Map with Waziristan Locator

Baitullah's advocates say he has brought peace to the region, but detractors note that the peace came at a price—literally. Like a Mafia boss, he and his lieutenants shake down the populace for protection money. He's closely allied to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and, like the Taliban, he enforces an extreme form of shariah in his territory. Women must observe a strict form of purdah, and men are forbidden to shave their beards. Playing music and watching videos are against the law. He has ordered the murder of adulterers by stoning. There are few Pakistani government courts in the region, and the Waziristanis seldom use them. Instead they go to Baitullah to settle their differences. In South Waziristan and parts of North Waziristan, he is the law.

Baitullah is said to have a signature method of dealing with people he deems disloyal. He first sends the offender 1,000 rupees, a spool of thread, a needle, and a note instructing the person to have a kafan (burial shroud) made within 24 hours. When the time is up, the person is murdered.......SOURCE:

Tribal militant leader Baitullah Mehsud has shown a disturbing interest in Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the controversial father of Pakistan's nuclear arms program, who in 2004 admitted to selling nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea on the black market. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan reported that when Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October of this year, Baitullah instructed Al Qaeda militants in Karachi to kill her
SOURCE:LOT MORE

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BACKGROUND:

'Jihad'

Monday, 29 January 2007, 10:54 GMT

Many say Baitullah Mehsud and the supreme leader of the Taleban, Mullah Omar, have several similarities. Both have fought against the Soviet occupation, both are against photographs, both vow jihad and both keep moving from one hideout to another.

As we were preparing to leave to meet Baitullah, a man came to the militants and handed over a small blue plastic bag.

"This is how Allah takes care of our needs. This is money. Half a million Pakistani rupees [more than $8,200]," Zulfiqar said. I asked who gave it to him. "Someone," was his brief answer.

Baitullah's private army along with other militant groups have imposed a strict Islamic code in North and parts of South Waziristan.

They run a parallel government here. Music and videos are banned while militants claim people approach them for settlement of their disputes.

With a black-dyed beard, 34-year-old Baitullah greeted us in a big room with several of his armed men beside him. We sat on a new colourful quilt spread on the ground.

Baitullah seemed a man with only jihad (holy war) on his mind. During the interview he quoted several verses from the Koran to defend his stance that foreign forces must be evicted from Islamic countries.

The militant leader on several occasions in the past had openly admitted crossing over into Afghanistan to fight foreign troops.

"We will continue our struggle until foreign troops are thrown out. Then we will attack them in the US and Britain until they either accept Islam or agree to pay jazia (a tax in Islam for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state)."

The militant leader, who is suffering from a chest infection, denied an American general's claim that a Taleban leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani, was present in the tribal region and was organising attacks across the border. "This is all lies. They don't have any evidence."

The militants say they don't wish to fight Pakistani security forces because it only benefits the Americans.

"[Pakistan army spokesman] Shaukat Sultan holds the key to this issue," a smiling Baitullah said when asked what they would do if Pakistan continued to bomb them.

After an hour-long discussion and a sumptuous tea, we headed back to Peshawar.

Before we left, Baitullah gave us perfume and a book in Urdu on 'Why Jihad is a must'. On our way back, we saw newly built white graves on the roadside.

White Taleban flags fluttered over several of them. "These graves are of martyrs from Afghanistan," Zulfikar said as we said goodbye.

.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/south_asia/6292061.stm

http://tinyurl.com/283vej

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Whats next? For Musa Qala?, Taliban?

Hunter killer teams based on the CIA concept in the WAR for Afghan.

The Government can't field enough troops to protect EVERY village.
alternative is the Running Hammer SNIPERS, track them, follow them and hit the Taliban at every opportunity, 24/7.
When they land in a town bring in a fast strike force, rout them, and start Running Hammer 24/7 again, Snipers...Pressure till they make a deal.

Gerald
I saw a video where a USA Sniper team knew they had been made and were being surrounded
HQ was on the "line" to them telling them to hold tight till the Taliban was in place then they would take out all the Taliban at once with air power. The snipers were nervous, but waited and all the Taliban were taken out without a shot. Anybody have a link to that video?


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Smoking Gun
UPDATE: 12.28.07
Text of intelligence intercept

Following is the text of alleged Al-Qaeda phone call released by Pakistan:

ISLAMABAD: Text of intelligence intercept

Maulvi Sahib: Peace be on you.

Mehsud: Peace be on you, too.

Maulvi Sahib: How are you Emir Sahib?

Mehsud: Fine.

Maulvi Sahib: Congratulations. I arrived now tonight.

Mehsud: Congratulations to you, too.

Maulvi Sahib: They were our men there.

Mehsud: Who were they?

Maulvi Sahib : There were Saeed, the second was Badarwala Bilal and Ikramullah was also there.

Mehsud: The three did it?

Maulvi Sahib: Ikramullah and Bilal did it.

Mehsud: Then congratulations to you again.

Maulvi: Where are you? I want to meet with you?

Mehsud: I am in Makin. Come I am at Anwar Shah's home.

Maulvi Sahib: OK I will come.

Mehsud: Do not inform their family presently.

Maulvi Sahib: Right.

Mehsud: It was a spectacular job. They were very brave boys who killed her.

Maulvi Sahib: Praise be to God. I will give you more details when I come.

Mehsud: I will wait for you. Congratulation once again.

Maulvi Sahib: Congratulations to you as well.

Mehsud: Any service?

Maulvi: Thank you very much?

Mehsud: Peace be on you.

Maulvi: Same to you.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/29/stories/2007122959721800.htm

http://tinyurl.com/22kt8x

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OUR Warnings UN-heeded, assassination

Back Channels on the assassination:

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Update: Bio:
Biography: Born in South Punjab, Pakistan, in 1976 or 1977, Matiur Rehman, rose to prominence in the late 1990s by setting up sophisticated terrorist networks in Pakistan through which he recruited young men to be trained in al-Qaeda's camps.

Rehman passed through a number of training camps sponsored by al-Qaeda and proved himself a skilled explosives expert, with a talent for passing his specialized knowledge to recruits. As well as instructing fellow Pakistanis, Rehman also trained the most promising visiting Western recruits. It is believed that in the late 1990s Rehman helped train thousands of Pakistani, African and Arab militants at al-Qaeda camps.

Rehman was a deputy for the jihadi militant Amjad Farooqi, a reputed organizer of militant training camps, with links to al-Qaeda and the defunct Harakat-ul-Ansar. After Farooqi was killed by Pakistani police in September of 2004, Rehman became the Chief Liaison between al-Qaeda and the Pakistani jihadi community. He took over the extensive directory that has been dubbed by the Intelligence community the "Rolodex of Jihad". The "Rolodex" is a massive log listing the name, affiliation, skill set and contact information of every Pakistani militant trained by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. This directory served as a database for recruiting volunteers for terrorist operations in South Asia and the West. Farooqi and Rehman relied heavily on the directory to establish a wide-ranging, underground logistical infrastructure that proved crucial to al-Qaeda's senior leadership in Pakistani tribal areas.

Pakistani officials believe Rehman has been deeply involved in most of the major terror attacks in Pakistan in the last few years. For instance, he was reportedly implicated in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, although a conclusive link has not been proven.

Other notorious actions in which he was allegedly involved include multiple assassination attempts by militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003 and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in July 2004. More recently, Rehman is believed to have planned the suicide car bombing on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in March 2nd, 2006. The attack killed an American diplomat, State Department Foreign Service officer David Foy.

On July 5th, 2006 Pakistan's government issued a "red book" containing information about the 162 most-wanted terrorists in the country, including Rehman. He is now Pakistan's most wanted terrorist, and Pakistani authorities have posted a 10-million rupee reward for his capture.

Rehman has also been mentioned as one of the prime suspects in the London Airplane plot of August 12th, 2006. His name surfaced during the questioning of one of the 17 suspects arrested in Pakistan linked with the plot to destroy as many as 10 U.S.-bound jetliners mid-flight. U.S. intelligence officials believe the plot may have been conceived by Rehman. He is also said to have personally supervised the training of young British radicals in the preparation for another major, "spectacular" terror attack. U.S. authorities believe these operations were timed to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. In discrepancy with the Western Intelligence community, however, Pakistani officials have expressed their doubts about Rehman's implication in the London plot.

Rehman is reportedly in charge of al-Qaeda's Pakistani organization and is also thought to be chief of al-Qaeda's military committee. Rehman is believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan and remains in constant communication with al Qaeda's top leadership.
SOURCE: http://ajacksonian.blogspot

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Update:

Mehsud offers conditional talks

LAHORE: Militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has extended a conditional offer to the government to stop his aggressive activities, a private TV channel reported. Geo News quoted official sources as saying that Mehsud has told the government that he could halt terrorist actions if the key commanders and militants arrested by security forces were released. Senator Saleh Shah told the channel on Saturday that Mehsud had authorised him to negotiate with the government, adding that he would discuss the matter with the government at NWFP Governor's House today (Sunday). Separately, the Interior Ministry did not confirm or deny any such contact between Mehsud and the government. daily times monitor

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C02%5C03%5Cstory_3-2-2008_pg1_6

http://snipurl.com/1ywdh

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Sources Place him here:

USA has $50,000 increased to 5 mil. USD on his head:
Collect in Secret: Safe:

BM threat against Wash, DC, the paradigm Analysis.


Baitullah traped: escaped.

.
.DEAD?
.

NO shortage of paranoia in Pakti Military.

NO shortage of paranoia in Pakti Military.

We just reviewed an article in Pakti Forum ( which I have tried to subscribe/join PDF )
that gives way too much credit to USA's Government and their powers and organizational abilities. ( The author of "The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military", By AHMED QURAISHI, does not allow comments on his web site )

On a paranoia scale of 1 to 10, they are running around 15.
But with some good reasons, more on that later.

They see a conspiracy between the USA government and USA news agency's.
They are not thinking about Bill Clinton's cigar, and Nixon, or how half of the USA press is anti-government.

They are attributing USA news papers editorials to the USA government.

I would remind them that the worse the news makes of a situation the more papers they sell
( $$$ ), the USA government has no control over the news outlets, ie the New York Times reporting that the CIA was monitoring Binnys cell phone calls.

England's press is no friend to USA, look at the Guardian articles, no connection to Oxford Press.

And the USA diplomatic scramble when the 'emergency powers' were enacted and talking to
Mrs. Bhutto, would be normal protocol.

USA desires a strong Pakistani military to protect the Nukes, to the tune of $100 million USD and at arms length.

USA wishes Pakti would hit al Qaeda and the Taliban harder, but I don't think USA forces fully appreciate the Pashtoon connection among the Pakti people, YOU will have to live with the Taliban and you do need to come to some sort of agreement with them.

And I think the Pakti forces are underestimating the efforts of their neighbors to the East to run false flag ops.

Pervez Musharraf appearance on Comedy Central's 'Daily Show' with Jon Stewart gave him immediate respect in America, and showed him to be a World player, he gave as good as he got.
It showed his lack of fear and his ability to think on his feet, honesty and his confidence and classic sense of humor, which is very important in America as one of the Good guys.

Pakti is also suffering from the lack of a good 'Info WAR' capability, and whining and seeing conspiracy's instead of influencing opinion with facts and the Truth.
USA military also suffers from the same weakness in the 'Info WAR'.

A man hidding in a CAVE is winning the info war against the world.

Gen. Musharraf has demonstrated he is his own man again and again, while being an valuable and important ally.

I think Gen. Musharraf is using the correct mix or carrot and stick with the Taliban.
While the USA government wants to see the Taliban DEAD, Gen. Musharraf sees the long picture and the complicated interplay with in the Pashtoons.

The Pakti Military are in a very difficult position, negioating with the Taliban, al Qaeda trying to stop this and get nukes, the history with India, the Talibans and al Qaeda stealth border, Durand line and civil unrest which al Qaeda appreciates.

If India is supplying secret burst encrypted communications why are you not tracking them and seizing the equipment and exposing the conspiracy?

Everyone does contingency planning, in the case of Gen. Musharraf falling I'm sure there are contingency plans to work with whom ever takes over, short of the Taliban or al Qaeda.

But be sure these contingency plans are not for his down fall.
And it is reasonable for USA to be concerned about your Nuclear weapons if Gen. Musharraf does fall, or is assassinated. This is reasonable, and USA should have a plan to seize your nuclear weapons if the Taliban or al Qaeda does get control of Pakti.

USA has plans to take out any installation if al Qaeda should seize nukes any place in the world including the USA.

NGO's are not under the control of USA military, that would make them targets.

Be assured USA is your ally and appreciate your efforts in the GWOT even if they do complain.

To cast the USA as an adversary plays into the hands of your neighbors and is counter productive for Pakti. My advise would be that of our great statesman "Trust but verify".

I hope this will be posted to your Defense forum.

The Taliban's Info war: USA responsible for Taliban attacks in Pakti ( Paranoia +10 )

Possible Future: Paradigm Intel:

Gerald
Anthropologist

comments encouraged.

.
.

Bhutto's work.

Bhutto is the only hope on the horizon for Afghan.

The attacks on her life mean nothing as long as they don't kill her.
Some news sources have been reporting the attacks as something important.

Bhutto will give Afghan new roads to travel.

Working with the current Prez, Bhutto gives the administration a broader demographic
to find favor with.

The current out look is favorable, and the sooner the Marines are moved to Afghan the more pressure can be brought to move selected partys to the Table.

The "awaking" system in Iraq should work in Patki. If they can 'awaken' and protect
demo projects, long enough for others Insurgents to learn/see how it does work.

Bhutto needs Blackwater type protection, her current security failed and so did the Government security fail. And there were enough other problems to reflect non-professional standards.

USA needs more force protection for assets.

assassination:

G

Bhutto, siucide bombers, WE SAW THAT COMING.

LOOKS LIKE 2 SUICIDE BOMBERS HIT HER MOTORCADE.

Scene of bomb blast

NUMBER OF DEAD RUN FORM 25 TO 50 KILLED.

At first they thought it was car bombs, now they think it was
suicide bombers.

WE SAW THIS COMING HERE IS YOUR BACKGROUNDER.

She is safe:

MSNBC CLAIMs al Qaeda claimed responsibility.

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Christina Lamb, Ms Bhutto's biographer, was on the truck at the time of the explosions...

"We had been on the bus for about nine hours, there were huge crowds and we were talking about what a great atmosphere there was.

"Suddenly there was an enormous blast and everybody just screamed. I was covered in blood, but it wasn't mine, it was somebody else's.

"There were about 20 people on top of the bus, it was pretty exposed."

SOURCE: wIRED

photos from Sky News


Gerald

20,000 policemen to guard Bhutto, KARACHI

Home:Pakistan/Afghanistan

20,000 policemen to guard PPP chief Published: Thursday, 18 October, 2007, 02:24 AM Doha Time

Policemen transport a container to block the roads around the airport in preparation for the arrival of former Benazir Bhutto in Karachi yesterday KARACHI: Benazir Bhutto will be guarded by 20,000 police, anti-sniper shields and the sheer number of her own supporters when she returns home today amid warnings of Al Qaeda attacks, officials said. Police marksmen will take positions on rooftops and flyovers, while bomb disposal squads are sweeping the former premier’s route on her planned 18-hour procession from Karachi airport to the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founder. “The threat of suicide bombing is there. There are two or three groups of suicide bombers operating in Karachi, according to intelligence reports,” Sindh province home secretary Ghulam Mohamed Mohtarram said. The groups were linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, Afghanistan’s hardline Taliban militia and a Pakistani pro-Taliban militant leader who has reportedly threatened to “welcome” Bhutto with suicide bombers, he said. “Whatever we can do we will do for the protection of Benazir Bhutto. The person of Benazir Bhutto will be covered. But it will be very difficult to prevent such bombings if they happen in the mob,” he said. Her Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), however, said it expected that Bhutto would in fact be protected by the 1mn supporters it estimates will flood the streets on her homecoming. “It’s a mixture of our own diehard supporters who will be surrounding her to keep her safe, and the administration, which has promised foolproof security,” Senator Safdar Abbasi, a PPP central executive committee member, said. “Threats do exist,” he added. Bhutto will be behind bullet-proof screens as she rides a specially modified 20-foot shipping container attached to the back of a lorry through the teeming city, police and her party said. Up to 20,000 police and paramilitary troops will be deployed for her arrival - 8,000 to 10,000 on the route itself and another 10,000 elsewhere in Karachi, a top city police official said. Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs are already checking for roadside explosive devices, the official added. Bhutto herself will be surrounded by three separate security cordons, the official said. The outermost will prevent all access to Bhutto’s lorry, a moving platform for journalists and about 10 cars for her senior party workers. In the second, plain-clothed and uniformed officers will ride in and among the party cars. And the innermost cordon will be security officials with Bhutto on her truck. On arrival at the huge white marble mausoleum for Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the country’s founding father, she will give a speech from behind more bullet-proof screens. Bhutto said earlier this week she was more worried that former army officers could try to assassinate her than that Al Qaeda or the Taliban would launch suicide attacks against her. She said on Wednesday in Dubai: “I don’t believe that a true Muslim will make an attack on me... Islam forbids suicide bombings.” GOOD LUCK - AFP SOURCE: "Tomorrow at this time we will be on board the plane for Karachi, which is a day that I and all the people in Pakistan who love democracy and who believe in fundamental human rights have been waiting for," Bhutto said in Dubai. Pakistan's biggest city was gearing up for her arrival. Billboards bearing iconic images of Bhutto smiling beneath a trademark white scarf loomed over downtown Karachi, while youths on motorcycles zipped through suburbs with pennants of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) aloft. Leaders of the PPP predicted that a million people will turn out to greet her, as supporters carrying red, black and green party banners streamed into Karachi from villages in the flat, arid hinterland of Sindh province. Despite being out of power since 1996, the charismatic Bhutto, 54, remains one of the most recognisable women politicians in the world, having been prime minister twice and the first female leader of a Muslim nation. The United States is believed to have quietly encouraged an alliance between President Pervez Musharraf and Bhutto to keep nuclear-armed Pakistan's government moderate and pro-Western. But, the timing of Bhutto's return is awkward for General Musharraf, who sees her as both a rival and potential ally after a general election due in early January SOURCE: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ms Bhutto has claimed that some pro-jihadist retired Pakistani military officers were plotting her assassination, but said that death threats could not deter her. Educated at Harvard and Oxford Universities, Ms Bhutto became the first female prime minister of a Muslim country when her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won elections in 1988. She was ousted from office after only 18 months amid charges of corruption and incompetence. SOURCE: XXXXXXXX New Delhi: Pakistan has turned into a virtual fortress ahead of the return of its exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. A security blanket has been thrown over Karachi, where Benazir will arrive after her flight lands later in the day. Pakistani officials in charge of the security are leaving nothing to chance given the death threats from jehadis and have made elaborate arrangements. IG Karachi Jehangir Mirza told CNN-IBN the roads leading to the city have sealed. “We have sealed off side roads with shipping containers. Bomb squads have also combed the streets following threats by a Taliban commander Baitullah Masood,” he said. More than 3,500 police officers and 5,000 supporters have been deployed to patrol the route, Mirza said, adding schools and colleges will remain shut. “This will be 10 miles journey and looking at the crowd, it may take whole day,” Mirza said. Benazir’s fleet would include a bullet-proof Mercedez car attached with bulletproof troller and a suicide bomb detector. The troller will be used as high rise public address stage, Pakistan official Wajid Shamsul Hasan said. In case of an emergency, there’s also a helicopter on the standby. SOURCE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX By Rahimullah Yusufzai PESHAWAR: Did Baitullah Mehsud, the commander of Taliban fighters in South Waziristan, really threaten suicide attacks targeting Benazir Bhutto? Members of his group have expressed ignorance about any such threat and the pro-MMA Senator Maulana Saleh Shah, who was reported to have made a statement about Baitullah Mehsud’s plan to ‘welcome’ Benazir Bhutto upon her return to Pakistan with a suicide bombing, has already issued a denial...... ............Though it is clear that Baitullah Mehsud hasn’t threatened Benazir Bhutto with suicide bombing, one should keep in mind that anyone intending to launch such an attack would not brag about it publicly. Benazir Bhutto has provoked the militants and Jihadis with some of her recent pro-US and anti-al-Qaeda and anti-Taliban statements and one should, therefore, not rule out the possibility of suicide bombings targeting her............ MORE: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx An interior ministry official, Javed Iqbal Cheema, said pro-Taleban militants had threatened to mount suicide attacks, but he was confident there was adequate security for Ms Bhutto's return. Source: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Dubai. Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto set out on Thursday on a journey home to end eight years of self-exile, under threat of assassination from militants linked to al Qaeda once she reaches Karachi. Source: Gerald AFGHAN PREZ SAYS TALIBAN RECONCILIATION: Update: assassination: . .