Report: Pakistani Taliban have appointed a new leader

by Kal El on August 31, 2009 · Comments

I guess this could be taken as a confirmation that former leader Baitullah Mehsud is really dead, taken out by a missile strike.

Pakistani Taliban Appoints New Leader

A leading Pakistani Taliban commander, Hakimullah Mehsud, has been appointed as the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban, according to reports

Saturday’s reports come two weeks after US and Pakistani officials confirmed that the militants’ chief, Baitullah Mehsud, was almost certainly killed by a US drone attack in South Waziristan.

Maulvi Faqir Mohammad told the BBC’s Urdu service that a 42-member Taliban Shura (Council) appointed a new head because Baitullah Mehsud was ill.

Top Taliban commanders have insisted that he was not killed in the August 5 missile strike, but they have provided no proof he is still alive.

The appointment of 28-year-old Hakimullah Mehsud could herald an increase in attacks as the group tries to prove it is still strong and operational, analysts say.

“I do confirm that a shura held Friday … has elected Hakimullah Mehsud (as) the new chief of the Taliban,” said one of the aides, Bakht Zada, adding that it was a unanimous decision.

Two weeks earlier, Pakistani Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, said Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a missile strike, adding that the government will continue its efforts to eliminate the militant group.

Baitullah Mehsud was accused of masterminding the assassination of Pakistani ex-Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, in Oct 2007 as well as many other massive insurgent attacks.

Original Quqnoos article.

Not exactly headline news, as they had to pick someone to put in charge eventually,  right?

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  • hellosnackbar
    Let's hope some drone driver identifies this degenerate as well;putting a missile up his arse in the usual way!
  • JEWHAWK
    I bet he's gonna hide among several innocent(?) civillians,in order to inflict
    a "human rights abuse scandal" against the Americans.

    That guy knows that he's a goner,so to mitigate his demise,he'll be willing
    to sacrifice women and children to strike a propaganda coup against the infidels,
    with the faithful help of the Leftist Media,who are anti-American with a passion.

    I'd send to this guy a little jar of VASELINE and a phalic picture of a missile...
    He'll understand the message.
  • JEWHAWK: How good is that! Jar of vaseline and a picture of a missile. Could I get you to send . . . .

    GRRRR!
  • thatguy13
    I come to this site daily because it is relevant to my job because there are like-minded people here to discuss the tough topics that we deal with today in an honest manner. You guys don't shy away from the "real" Islam and their heinous intentions. I have been peeking in here for over a year now. My comment is that the troops are doing a great job in Iraq, AFG, and in PAK to detect, deter and destroy these individuals and their networks. Hakimullah Mesud is but the next dead terrorist that will show up on the nightly news....Foxnews of course since the others seem sympathetic to their cause or at least unwilling to be anything other than sheeple ready for slaughter. You know, that cause which is the destruction of the west and anyone that is non-muslim? Keep speaking the truth, people just might get it vefore it's too late.
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