Baitullah Mehsud’s aide held in Pakistan

October 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has vowed to carry out large-scale suicide attacks across Pakistan in revenge for the death of Baitullah Mehsud. According to intelligence sources, top TTP leaders held a meeting in Mir Ali recently and decided to carry out retaliatory terror strikes across the country.

October 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces have nabbed a close aide of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud from Duaba, Hangu. District Police Officer Mir Chaman said Mohammad Shah alias Mamay was arrested during raids conducted by the security officials in Duaba.

August 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD -A close aide of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, Saifullah, has reportedly been arrested by security officials here. According to sources, a joint team of the police, crime investigation department and intelligence agencies raided a house and arrested Saifullah and Zaid Akram from there.

August 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Parliamentary Committee on National Security has termed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud's elimination as a 'positive' development, but has criticized the use of US drones inside the territory. "Although the killing of Baitullah Mehsud is positive in overall context of the war on terror, it cannot justify the US drone attacks inside Pakistan," committee chairman Mian Raza Rabbani said.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke says Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud's elimination last week was a "very big deal" in terms of security efforts in Pakistan. "The end of Baitullah Mehsud, as we all know, is a very big deal," he said Wednesday, citing reports of "disarray among his people, of other factions manoeuvring" following the apparent death of the Taliban leader in a missile strike.

August 11th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has still not confirmed the death of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, as it lacks credible evidence. Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said news about Mehsud's death would be confirmed by the government once it gets 'solid evidence' in this regard.

August 10th, 2009 WANA (NWFP, Pakistan), - An aide to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud, Maulana Noor Saeed, has rubbished reports of him being killed by a US drone strike last Wednesday, and said that he is alive, but ill. Saeed was quoted by the BBC, as saying that Baitullah will issue a video message some time on Monday to quash speculations regarding his demise.

August 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - An American adviser in Islamabad, Pakistan, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has cautioned that even if the Mehsuds are proved to be dead, there is no guarantee that the Pakistani Taliban would fall apart. "There is broad recognition that this is no longer an old-fashioned test of wills with troublesome Pashtun warlords and that eliminating Baitullah Mehsud would not end the insurgency in South Waziristan nor its influence on the insurgencies in North-West Frontier Province," the New York Times quotes the official, as saying in an e-mail message.

August 8th, 2009 LAHORE - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman has said that Baitullah Mehsud had been 'martyred' in the US drone attack, and added that he termed anyone killed in a US attack a 'martyr'. Rehman said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl did not support US action in Pakistan.

August 7th, 2009 DERA ISMAIL KHAN - A close aide of Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud confirmed on Friday that the latter has been killed in a U.S. missile strike.

June 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - No militant organization has taken responsibility for the murder of former close aide of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud, Qari Zainuddin, yet, but its is believed that the TTP chief has ordered his associates to kill Zainuddin. Zainuddin, who parted ways with the TTP chief, had recently termed Mehsud as 'unIslamic' which obviously infuriated him, The Daily Times reports.

June 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud's former close aide, Qari Zainuddin, has been shot dead in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) headquarters, Dera Ismail Khan. According to sources, Zainuddin, who had recently criticized Mehsud terming his activities as 'unIslamic', was killed by a gunman on Tuesday morning.

June 18th, 2009 LAHORE - In what may be seen as a probable fissure in the Taliban's leadership, a commander of the outlawed organization, Qari Zainudin Mehsud, has blamed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud for all the terror strikes in Pakistan. Mehsud said he was not in favour of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, as it was against Islam.

June 18th, 2009 LONDON - To turn the main support base of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commander Baitullah Mehsud against him, the Mehsud tribesmen, Pakistan has imposed an economic blockade on his mountain stronghold to encourage civilians to flee before a planned ground offensive. Authorities are also arresting dozens of Mehsud tribesmen and shutting down the businesses of others on the fringes of South Waziristan , according to local officials.

April 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan police have arrested a close associate of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in the southern port city of Karachi, a police officer said Monday. Badshah din Mehsud, close aide of Baitullah Mehud, was arrested from Sachal Goth area of Karachi, Fayyaz Khan, a senior superintendent police told Dawn TV channel.