Firstly, they said that his actions won’t be affected by his death:
“The Taliban’s jihad against foreign forces in Afghanistan will not be affected if a Pakistani Taliban leader is killed on the other side of the Durand line,” Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
“We feel sympathy for our brothers who fight for the same cause, but resistance against the Afghan government and its foreign allies will continue.”
This morning they have denied reports about his death:
A Taliban spokesman and a deputy to Baitullah Mehsud claimed Saturday that the Pakistani Taliban chief was not killed by a CIA missile strike, contradicting another aide who confirmed Mehsud’s death a day earlier.
The claims, made in calls to Pakistani and international media organizations, could undermine the growing confidence among U.S. and Pakistani officials that Mehsud died. They also could be tactical maneuvers to prevent defections as the Taliban leadership searches for a successor to Mehsud or even to delay a decision on naming an heir.
His probable heirs (in case he is dead) are:
his deputy, Hakimullah Mehsud, a young brash and aggressive commander who was until recently the Taliban’s commander for the Khyber tribal region and credited with the disruption of NATO supplies to Afghanistan. (He has denied this morning that Baitullah Mehsud has been killed).
Another, Waliur Rehman, is Mr. Mehsud’s relative. He is the most likely to succeed him, according to one Pakistani security official.
The third is a man identified by the officials as Azmatullah Mehsud. The decision, the official said, will be influenced by another militant group in Waziristan with close ties to the Afghan militant leader, Mullah Omar. “His death leaves behind a huge vacuum,” one of the officials said.
Mehsud had 10,000 followers. I believe the infighting is going to be truly strong among his followers, whether he is already dead or not.
(All are relatives: interesting point).
technorati tags: Afghanistan, Mehsud, Baitullah_Mehsud, terrorism, Islamism, Pakistan, US, CIA, Hakimullah_Mehsud, Waliur_Rehman, Azmatullah_Mehsud, Waziristan, Mullah_Omar, Al_Qaeda
