Good news: US offers cash rewards for Baitullah Mehsud

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Finally US seems to be getting serious about fighting pakistani taliban as well. I hope they go straight for the jugular and not carefor any artificial boundary between afghanistan and pakistan.

DAWN.COM | World | US offers cash rewards for Baitullah Mehsud

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday offered $ 5 million each for information leading to Baitullah Mehsud and for Sirajuddin Haqqani and $1 million for Abu Yahya al-Libi.

The offer, announced two days before the unveiling of the new US strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, indicates hardening of Washington’s stance against the militants hiding along the Pak-Afghan border.

But reports attributed to senior US officials also indicate a willingness to include ‘reconcilable’ militants in the new peace process to be announced by President Barak Obama on Friday.

While the United States has previously offered large cash rewards for terrorism suspects in the past as well, until recently they regarded Mehsud mainly as a threat to Pakistan.

Previous US drone attacks had avoided targeting Mehsud’s hideouts but this changed earlier this month when US drones also began to target Mehsud and his men.

The change reflects a US desire to work closely with Pakistan for eradicating all extremists, whether they target Pakistan or the United States.

On Wednesday afternoon, the US Department of State issued three brief statements, saying that it’s offering lucrative cash awards for information about the three suspects under its Rewards for Justice Programme. The programme offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest, and/or conviction of dangerous criminals.

The State Department identified Baitullah Mehsud as the senior leader of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan. The statement noted that Mehsud is regarded as a key al Qaeda facilitator in South Waziristan. ‘Pakistani authorities believe that the January 2007 suicide attack against the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad was staged by militants loyal to Mehsud,’ the statement said.

‘Press reports also have linked Mehsud to the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the deaths of other innocent civilians,’ the State Department noted.

The US government pointed out that Mehsud has also stated his intention to attack the United States. He has conducted cross-border attacks against US forces in Afghanistan, and poses a clear threat to American persons and interests in the region.

‘The United States is determined to bring Baitullah Mehsud to justice. We encourage anyone with information on Mehsud’s location to contact the nearest US embassy or consulate, any US military commander, or the Rewards for Justice staff,’ the department said.

Another statement, announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location, arrest, and/or conviction of Sirajuddin Haqqani. Sirajuddin Haqqani is a senior leader of ‘the Haqqani terrorist network’ founded by his father Jalaladin Haqqani. He maintains close ties to al Qaeda.

During an interview with an American news organisation, Haqqani admitted planning the Jan. 14, 2008 attack against the Serena Hotel in Kabul that killed six people, including American citizen Thor David Hesla.

Haqqani also admitted planning the April 2008 assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He has coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against US and Coalition forces in Afghanistan.

‘Sirajuddin Haqqani is believed to be located in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan,’ the State Department said.

The US government also authorised a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Abu Yahya al-Libi, a prominent member of al Qaeda.

The State Department identified al-Libi as an Islamic scholar and a Libyan citizen who was captured by authorities in 2002 and imprisoned at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan.

Al-Libi escaped in July 2005, and has since appeared in a number of propaganda videos, using his religious training to influence people and legitimise the actions of al Qaeda.

The State Department noted that al-Libi was a key motivator in the global jihadi movement and his messages ‘convey a clear threat to US persons or property worldwide.’ Al-Libi is believed to be in hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Since its inception in 1984, the Rewards for Justice Programme has paid more than $80 million to more than 50 persons who provided credible information that has resulted in the capture or death of terrorists or prevented acts of international terrorism.

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Re: Good news: US offers cash rewards for Baitullah Mehsud

And seems like mid level ISI officers are still partying with taliban. No surprise here. Mullah radio doesn’t get to keep his FM station running without reason.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/world/asia/26tribal.html?_r=1&hp

Afghan Strikes by Taliban Get Pakistan Help, U.S. Aides Say

By MARK MAZZETTI and ERIC SCHMITT
Published: March 25, 2009

WASHINGTON — The Taliban’s widening campaign in southern Afghanistan is made possible in part by direct support from operatives in Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, according to American government officials.
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Times Topics: Taliban

The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to confront the international force in Afghanistan that will soon include some 17,000 American reinforcements.

Support for the Taliban, as well as other militant groups, is coordinated by operatives inside the shadowy S Wing of Pakistan’s spy service, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, the officials said. There is even evidence that ISI operatives meet regularly with Taliban commanders to discuss whether to intensify or scale back violence before the Afghan elections.

Details of the ISI’s continuing ties to militant groups were described by a half-dozen American, Pakistani and other security officials during recent interviews in Washington and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. All requested anonymity because they were discussing classified and sensitive intelligence information.

The American officials said proof of the ties between the Taliban and Pakistani spies came from electronic surveillance and trusted informants. The Pakistani officials interviewed said that they had firsthand knowledge of the connections, though they denied that the ties were strengthening the insurgency.

American officials have complained for more than a year about the ISI’s support to groups like the Taliban. But the new details reveal that the spy agency is aiding a broader array of militant networks with more diverse types of support than was previously known — even months after Pakistani officials said that the days of the ISI’s playing a “double game” had ended.

Pakistan’s military and civilian leaders publicly deny any government ties to militant groups, and American officials say it is unlikely that top officials in Islamabad are directly coordinating the clandestine efforts. American officials have also said that midlevel ISI operatives occasionally cultivate relationships that are not approved by their bosses.
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In a sign of just how resigned Western officials are to the ties, the British government has sent several dispatches to Islamabad in recent months asking that the ISI use its strategy meetings with the Taliban to persuade its commanders to scale back violence in Afghanistan before the August presidential election there, according to one official.**

But the inability, or unwillingness, of the embattled civilian government, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, to break the ties that bind the ISI to the militants illustrates the complexities of a region of shifting alliances. Obama administration officials admit that they are struggling to understand these allegiances as they try to forge a strategy to quell violence in Afghanistan, which has intensified because of a resurgent Taliban. Fighting this insurgency is difficult enough, officials said, without having to worry about an allied spy service’s supporting the enemy.

But the Pakistanis offered a more nuanced portrait. They said the contacts were less threatening than the American officials depicted and were part of a strategy to maintain influence in Afghanistan for the day when American forces would withdraw and leave what they fear could be a power vacuum to be filled by India, Pakistan’s archenemy. A senior Pakistani military officer said, “In intelligence, you have to be in contact with your enemy or you are running blind.”

The ISI helped create and nurture the Taliban movement in the 1990s to bring stability to a nation that had been devastated by years of civil war between rival warlords, and one Pakistani official explained that Islamabad needed to use groups like the Taliban as “proxy forces to preserve our interests.”

A spokesman at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington declined to comment for this article.

Over the past year, a parade of senior American diplomats, military officers and intelligence officials has flown to Islamabad to urge Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders to cut off support for militant groups, and Washington has threatened to put conditions on more than $1 billion in annual military aid to Pakistan. On Saturday, the director of the C.I.A., Leon E. Panetta, met with top Pakistani officials in Islamabad.

Little is publicly known about the ISI’s S Wing, which officials say directs intelligence operations outside of Pakistan. American officials said that the S Wing provided direct support to three major groups carrying out attacks in Afghanistan: the Taliban based in Quetta, Pakistan, commanded by Mullah Muhammad Omar; the militant network run by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; and a different group run by the guerrilla leader Jalaluddin Haqqani.

Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, recently told senators that the Pakistanis “draw distinctions” among different militant groups.

“There are some they believe have to be hit and that we should cooperate on hitting, and there are others they think don’t constitute as much of a threat to them and that they think are best left alone,” Mr. Blair said.

The Haqqani network, which focuses its attacks on Afghanistan, is considered a strategic asset to Pakistan, according to American and Pakistani officials, in contrast to the militant network run by Baitullah Mehsud, which has the goal of overthrowing Pakistan’s government.

Top American officials speak bluntly about how the situation has changed little since last summer, when evidence showed that ISI operatives helped plan the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, an attack that killed 54 people.

“They have been very attached to many of these extremist organizations, and it’s my belief that in the long run, they have got to completely cut ties with those in order to really move in the right direction,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said recently on “The Charlie Rose Show” on PBS.

The Taliban has been able to finance a military campaign inside Afghanistan largely through proceeds from the illegal drug trade and wealthy individuals from the Persian Gulf. But American officials said that when fighters needed fuel or ammunition to sustain their attacks against American troops, they would often turn to the ISI.

When the groups needed to replenish their ranks, it would be operatives from the S Wing who often slipped into radical madrasas across Pakistan to drum up recruits, the officials said.

The ISI support for militants extends beyond those operating in the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan. American officials said the spy agency had also shared intelligence with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant group suspected in the deadly attacks in Mumbai, India, and provided protection for it.

Mr. Zardari took steps last summer to purge the ISI’s top ranks after the United States confronted Pakistan with evidence about the Indian Embassy bombing. Mr. Zardari pledged that the ISI would be “handled,” and that anyone working with militants would be dismissed.

Yet with the future of Mr. Zardari’s government uncertain in the current political turmoil and with Obama officials seeing few immediate alternatives, American officials and outside experts said that Pakistan’s military establishment appears to see little advantage in responding to the demands of civilian officials in Islamabad or Washington.

As a result, when the Haqqani fighters need to stay a step ahead of American forces stalking them on the ground and in the air, they rely on moles within the spy agency to tip them off to allied missions planned against them, American military officials said.

Mark Mazzetti reported from Washington, and Eric Schmitt from Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan.

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Re: Good news: US offers cash rewards for Baitullah Mehsud

I wonder what S Wing is short for? Suicide bombers Wing?

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Taliban attacks get help from Pakistan - NYTimes

Its hard to believe that ISI is still playing double game & the army is very likely to be involved in this.

Taliban attacks get help from Pakistan - NYTimes | Reuters

Taliban attacks get help from Pakistan - NYTimes
Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:02pm EDT

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - The Taliban’s military campaign in southern Afghanistan is aided partly by support from operatives in Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper, citing U.S. government officials, said the support for the Taliban and other militant groups was coordinated by operatives in the S Wing of Pakistan’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI. The support involves money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance, said the officials, who requested anonymity.

The Times said there was even evidence ISI operatives were meeting regularly with Taliban commanders for discussions on whether the militant group should intensify or reduce violence before Afghanistan’s scheduled August elections.

U.S. officials told the Times that proof of the ties came from electronic surveillance and trusted informants. Pakistani officials told the paper they had firsthand knowledge of the ties, which they denied were strengthening the insurgency.

Violence in Afghanistan is at its highest level since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, and the United Nations warned earlier this month it was likely to worsen this year.

President Barack Obama has ordered 17,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan. They will join 38,000 American troops and 30,000 more from NATO allies and other nations. A U.S. official said on Tuesday that Obama was expected on Friday to announce the results of his administration’s review of Afghanistan policy.

Pakistani leaders deny any government ties to militant groups and the Times quoted U.S. officials as saying it was unlikely top government officials were coordinating the efforts. The middle-ranking intelligence operatives sometimes cultivate relationships without the approval of senior officials, the paper said.

Pakistani officials told the Times the contacts were less threatening than portrayed by U.S. officials and were part of a strategy to maintain influence in Afghanistan in preparation for a time when U.S. forces withdraw and leave a power vacuum that Pakistan fears could be filled by nuclear archrival India. (Writing by Peter Cooney; Editing by Chris Wilson)

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Re: Taliban attacks get help from Pakistan - NYTimes

merge with my thread please

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I don't believe this mid-level officer bs. More likely this is a policy authorized at the highest level.

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What was US waiting for when Pakistan gave them exact coordinates of BM? This reward looks like BS to me.

So whats the point of trumpteing “Pakistan ties with Taliban” if the ties are not strengthening the insurgency? Looks like someone is trying to hide their incompetency and blaming Pakistan.

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Re: Good news: US offers cash rewards for Baitullah Mehsud

is america really want to kill this mesud, who is well know asset of CIA/RAW in the region. given money, arms for one objective to destablise Pakistan!! its as good as bounty on Osama's head. who according to me also serves CIA's grand objectives. hence he will be killed once the job is done or will never be killed/found.

great game of balkanisation of Pakistan has started since many years in Pakistan with US acting both ways. ISI also play hard to compete.

plan is to

  1. destabilise Pakistan by
    a) divide Pakistan people on ethnicity

    b) installing spineless government in Pakistan
    c) creating groups to create terror activities by exploiting local issue . ie BLA, TTP, mehsud
    d) constant media campaign to change pakistan image home and abroad, through western media, and bought out media people and companies.
    e) creating image that Pakistani nukes are unsafe.
    f) staging terror acts home and abroad accusing Pakistan

  2. keep pakistan at toes by stressing to do more in war on terror.

  3. when all ready deploy troops from east Afghanistan, and west from India to do final assault in name of securing Pakistani nukes.

  4. balakanise Pakistan in to small countries/parts.

by the end of this wishfull thinking they would have finished a powerful Islamic nuclear state and have smaller puppet countries in the region to play with.

thats the plan, but it will not happen inshallah, tough times ahead but we will survive thse sinisiter plans, Pakistanis should stay together and dont play into hands of agents, enemies, they are much organised , we all need to understand beyong limited vision of local politics and incidents, whatever is happening is against Pakistan!

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Well I have to say is :

" Stop Celebrating Deaths of Pakistanies and bombing by outsider aggressors. I see no point in admiration of foreign force's killing spree in Pakistan. Pathans are Pakistanies too!"

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Did it ever occur to you that you can be the who is misguided instead of accusing 160 million people to be misguided. I can assure you that this is a nation of 160 million may be with all the problems today but are far from being misguided or stupid like you presume. We are a nation of great wisdom and we have proven time and again during this movement of supremacy of law. You are just blinded by your prejudice and you accuse the whole nation to be misguided and you are the genius who knows everything. I'll just quote this famous quote exclusively for you:
What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind. (Walter Bagehot)...and your comment on the intelligence of 160 million people will not impress anyone, I can assure you>>>>

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Desperate people do desperate things, After 8 long years of failures US had to do desperate things like:-

Offer rewards
Use Spin masters
Blame others (Success has many fathers failure is an orphan)
Use drones (yeah sure if drones can bring them desprately needed victory)
Exit strategy (also known as tail tucked between the legs) a time tested strategy

Just sit back and watch amreeka repeat its own shistory. Baitullalalala or no Baitullalalala the end is no different.

Are we talking about the same Baitullalalala who was in US custody at one time…! what happened?

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Sorry, but I don't see great wisdom in being ambivalent or in many cases having a soft spot for an enemy (taliban) who's only goal is to conquer and kill you. That is exactly the attitude of many many pakistanis.

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He was never in US custody .... but he did recieve a very large sum of money from Pakistani government of the time !!!!!

Timepass - February
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Only one celebrating deaths of pakistanis are those who favour suicide bombings, beheadings as done by taliban murderers.

What can be said of a group that not only kills their enemy, but digs his body up and hangs it on a pole. This happened with pir samiulllah, a totally barbaric, unislamic and anti pushtun act. The proof of the anti pushtun nature of talib jahils can also be seen by them destroying rahman baba's shrine. A direct assault on pushtun culture by the anti pushtun taliban. Stop defending these criminals and the drone attacks will also stop.

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Don’t know about US … but what was Pakistan army doing when he was giving press conferences inside Pakistani territory

Taliban leader flaunts his power inside Pakistan - International Herald Tribune

Taliban leader flaunts his power inside Pakistan

With great fanfare, the Pakistani Army flew journalists to a rugged corner of the nation’s lawless tribal areas in May to show how decisively it had destroyed the lairs of the Taliban, including a school for suicide bombers, in fighting early this year.
Then, just days later, the usually reclusive leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, held a news conference of his own, in the same region, to show just who was in charge

The impunity of Mehsud’s behavior has outraged the Bush administration, which is pressing the Pakistani government to arrest and prosecute him

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They may have been busy organizing his press conference.

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I believe it was his brother Abdullah Mehsud.

I know about this press conference, point is its US crying 'kill BM' and announcing reward money and it was them who abstained from taking action against him when his info was provided to them. (Thread is about US announcing the reward).

And you provided the refreshments?

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I provided the chapli kababs - laced with jamal ghota

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You should pull that stint with Zardari and Fazlu too :D

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Re: Good news: US offers cash rewards for Baitullah Mehsud

I think N$ shall recieve this reward soon, He is capable to do this. He has links with Usama and he can decieve them.

Timepass - February