Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Taliban Chief Cracks Jokes, Vows Revenge

Media sitdown dispells rumors Hakimullah Mehsud is dead

By the Associated Press

Posted Oct 6, 2009 6:48 AM CDT
Email

(AP) – Hakimullah Mehsud met with reporters Sunday for the first time since winning control of Pakistan's Taliban, quashing speculation that he had been slain in a succession struggle following his predecessor's death in a US drone attack. Flanked by heavily armed fighters, the new leader sat on a blue blanket, in a freshly pressed tunic, amiable and relaxed as he cracked jokes and mixed in threats of vengeance for deadly US airstrikes. One day later, a suicide bomber attacked a UN office in Islamabad.

He described his group's relationship to al-Qaeda as one of "love and affection," and vowed to retaliate against the US and Pakistan for deadly attacks on his allies. He said his fighters will repel an anticipated Pakistani offensive into his stronghold. The sitdown doubled as a show of unity for the Pakistani Taliban; Hakimullah was surrounded by top Taliban commanders. "We all are sitting before you, which proves all the news about myself ... was totally baseless and false," he said. Reporters at the interview, including the AP,  agreed not to publish Mehsud's comments until they left the area yesterday.

New Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman, front center, during his meeting with media in South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.
New Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman, front center, during his meeting with media in South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.   (Ishtiaq Mehsud)
Pakistani Taliban members meet each other while reporters interview their leader and new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, unseen, in Sararogha, South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.
Pakistani Taliban members meet each other while reporters interview their leader and new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, unseen, in Sararogha, South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.   (Ishtiaq Mehsud)
New Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, center, holds a laptop, flanked by his comrades in South Waziristan. Mehsud vowed revenge for the increasing drone attacks along the Afghan border, Oct. 4, 2009.
New Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, center, holds a laptop, flanked by his comrades in South Waziristan. Mehsud vowed revenge for the increasing drone attacks along the Afghan border, Oct. 4, 2009.   (Ishtiaq Mehsud)
New Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud hoists a rocket launcher with his comrades in South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.
New Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud hoists a rocket launcher with his comrades in South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.   (Ishtiaq Mehsud)
New Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman during his meeting with media in South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.
New Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman during his meeting with media in South Waziristan, Oct. 4, 2009.   (Ishtiaq Mehsud)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
riffran
Oct 7, 2009 5:02 AM CDT
A taliban joke?...hmmmmm "Hey yusef..what do you do with a infedel?...don't know....You shoot them..HA HA HA HA ....Hey Yusef what do you do with a pregnant infedel?...I don't know.....You rape them then shoot them ....HA HA HA HA........(sarc)
RogerMohajir
Oct 6, 2009 12:26 PM CDT
"Reporters at the interview, including the AP, agreed not to publish Mehsud's comments until they left the area yesterday." And in the intervening time, the World Food Program offices in Islamabad suffered a suicide bomb attack that killed at least five people. Had the stories vowing revenge been printed in a timely manner -- as journalistic ethics require -- then perhaps WFP and other agencies would have been more alert to the possibility of an attack. The AP, and the other news organizations who kept silent, owe an apology to the public (not to mention the dead and wounded at WFP) and an accounting of how they are going to change their procedures to avoid assisting terrorists in the future.
RogerMohajir
Oct 6, 2009 3:55 AM CDT
I agree that there are many times that the media needs to agree to such restrictions in order to "get the story." I even understand how they accepted them in this case, but since it turned out the restrictions were used to facilitate a terrorist attack, they need to reexamine the circumstances under which they agree to them. I would never suggest that they fail to keep their word, but rather that they don't agree to such restrictions in the future. Can you deny, Shonangreg, that the value they gained ("proving" that Mehsud was alive) was considerably less than the value of five lives?

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 
Taliban • Pakistan • drones • al-Qaeda • South Waziristan • Hakimullah Mehsud

More Newser Stories

US Drones Back Up Pakistani Offensive

CIA Drones Batter Pakistan Militants

1 in 3 Killed by US Drones Are Civilians

Pakistani Taliban Leader Reported Dead

Pakistani Taliban Commander: We're Surging, Too
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne