Abdullah Mehsud (Pashto: عبدالله مهسود; Urdu: عبدالله محسود; 1977 – 24 July 2007) was a Pashtun militant commander who killed himself with a hand grenade after security forces raided his dwelling in Zhob, Balochistan, Pakistan.[2] He belonged to the Mahsud tribe.
| Abdullah Mehsud | |
|---|---|
 Abdullah Mehsud from his US "most wanted poster". | |
| Born | 1977[1] Nano Village, South Waziristan |
| Died | 24 July 2007 Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Detained at | Guantanamo |
| Other name(s) | Said Mohammed Alim Shah, Noor Alam (birth name) |
| ISN | 92 |
| Alleged to be a member of | Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan |
| Charge(s) | no charge, held in extrajudicial detention |
| Status | released, "returned to the battlefield", KIA |
American authorities later claimed that he had originally been a prisoner in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, who was judicially released and subsequently "returned to terrorism".
Early life
editAbdullah Mehsud (Muhammad Alam Mahsud) was born in 1977 in Nano village of South Waziristan, and was a Pashtun, part of the Mehsud tribe's SlimiKhel clan in South Waziristan which is the homeland of the Meshud tribe located in northwest Pakistan. Abdullah Mehsud fought against the Northern Alliance and lost a leg to a landmine in 1996.[3]
Capture
editDuring the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom, Mehsud fought against U.S. and Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. In December 2001, he surrendered to the Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum in the Battle of Kunduz.[4] He was handed over to the U.S. and spent 25 months in Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where he was fitted with a prosthetic limb.[5] He was released by the U.S. and returned to South Waziristan.
Return to the battlefield
editAfter his release, Mehsud immediately began rebuilding his Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan/TTP) cadre. He commanded a force of up to 5,000 Taliban fighters. He then began initiating attacks on coalition soldiers in Afghanistan.[6]
In Waziristan, Mehsud was believed to be behind the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers from the building of the Gomal Zam Dam, which left one hostage dead during a botched rescue attempt. He was also alleged to have been behind an attack on Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao that killed 31 people.[2]
In March 2005, a Department of Defense document claimed:[7]
Mahsud, now reputed to be a militant leader, claimed to be an office clerk and driver for the Taliban from 1996 to 1998 or 1999.[7] He consistently denied having any affiliation with al Qaida. He also claimed to have received no weapons or military training due to his handicap (an amputation resulting from when he stepped on a land mine 10 years ago). He claimed that after 11 September 2001 he was forcibly conscripted by the Taliban military.
In 2005, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced that Mehsud had been killed by ISI forces, only to later retract the statement.[8]
Mehsud was one of the first three former Guantanamo captives the Bush Presidency reported had returned to the battlefield. As of July 2007, spokesmen reported that over thirty captives had returned to the battlefield, or associated with terrorists, after their release. As of July 2007, the spokesmen had named seven of those individuals.
Promise to never surrender
editSikh Spectrum reported that during a telephone interview in 2004, Abdullah Mehsud promised to never surrender.[9]
Death
editOn 24 July 2007, Mehsud was at a house with other militants in Zhob, Balochistan. A team of Pakistani law enforcement agencies conducted a raid on the house where he was staying. Mehsud killed himself by detonating a hand grenade. During the raid, several other militants were killed, Abdul Rahman Mehsud and Muhammad Azam, were captured along with a local Pakistani Taliban leader.[citation needed]
Relationship with Baitullah Mehsud
editAbdullah Mehsud has been described as a brother of Baitullah Mehsud, a tribal leader of the Waziri Mehsud tribe.[10] Other sources merely assert that they were clansmen, or associates.[11][12][13] Islam Online reports that Baitullah suspected that Abdullah was a double agent.[14]
Defense Intelligence Agency claims he "returned to terrorism"
editThe Defense Intelligence Agency asserted Abdullah Mahsud had "returned to terrorism".[15] The DIA reported:
Abdullah Mahsud blew himself up to avoid capture by Pakistani forces in July 2007. According to a Pakistani government official, Mahsud directed a suicide attack in April 2007 that killed 31 people. After being transferred to Afghanistan in March 2004, Mahsud sought several media interviews and became well known for his attacks in Pakistan. In October 2004, he kidnapped two Chinese engineers and claimed responsibility for an Islamabad hotel bombing.
References
edit- ^ "Wanted – Abdullah Mahsud" (PDF). October 2006. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Mehsud behind attack: Sherpao". Dawn. 30 April 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
- ^ Pakistani Taliban commander Abdullah Mehsud killed during raid - The Long War Journal
- ^ South Asia Tribune, Pakistan Army pays more than half million dollars to al-Qaeda in bizarre deal Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, 10 February 2005
- ^ Pakistani Officers: Gitmo Detainees Abuse Guards
- ^ Pakistani Taliban. July 2007. Long War Journal.
- ^ a b "JTF -GTMO Information on Detainees" (PDF). Department of Defense. 4 March 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2009.
- ^ Salman Masood (25 July 2007). "Taliban Leader Is Said to Evade Capture by Blowing Himself Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
- ^ Mohammad Shehzad (February 2004). "I Will Never Surrender: Abdullah Mehsud". No. 19. Sikh Spectrum. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^
"Former Guantanamo inmate blows himself up in Pakistan". Dawn. 24 July 2007. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
During Mehsud's time on the run, his brother BaitUllah had taken over from him as one of the top Taliban commanders in Pakistan's tribal regions.
- ^
"Pakistan tribal leaders threaten to resume attacks against government". The News. 29 July 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
BaitUllah Mehsud, who abandoned his more well-known colleague Abdullah Mehsud to cut a peace deal with the government some months ago in return for amnesty, has warned of "terrible attacks" against the government if he and his men...
- ^
Bill Roggio (24 July 2007). "Pakistani Taliban commander Abdullah Mehsud killed during raid". Long War Journal. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
Abdullah Mehsud, born Noor Alam, was a member of the Mehsud clan in South Waziristan, and was a clansman of BaitUllah Mehsud, the most powerful commander in the tribal agency.
- ^
Saleem Shahid (25 July 2007). "Cornered militant blows himself up". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 3 March 2008.
Security was beefed up in Zhob and on Balochistan's border with Waziristan after the killing of Abdullah Mehsud, the most important Taliban commander in the country after BaitUllah Mehsud.
- ^ Aamir Latif (29 January 2008). "Pakistan's Most Wanted". Islam Online. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^ "Fact Sheet: Former GTMO Detainee Terrorism Trends" (PDF). Defense Intelligence Agency. 13 June 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
External links
edit- "WikiLeaks reveals US blunders at Guantanamo". Hindustan Times. 25 April 2011 – via AFP.