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HAKIMULLAH ELECTED AS NEW TALIBAN CHIEF
 The Pakistani Tehrik-e-Taleban (TTP) announced, on Saturday 08/22/2009, that they had appointed Hakimullah Mehsud as the new chief of the movement.
The announcement was made by Maulana Faqir Mohammad, the deputy of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban Movement. Maulvi Faqir Mohammad said that Hakimullah Mehsud had been unanimously appointed by the movement’s shura (council) as successor to Baitullah Mehsud at a meeting in North Pakistan, on Friday 08/21/2009.
"I (Maulvi Faqir) shall continue to be Amir (chief) of TTP in Bajaur," he said (see also - Bajaur-offer).
The appointment comes after weeks of speculation and reported infighting among Taliban commanders to replace Baitullah Mehsud. There were even some reports as if Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a gunfight with one of his opponent Wali-ur Rehman Mehsud, about two weeks ago (see - TTP-Crisis). The story was, eventually, wrong meant to create a diversion and to gain extra time for the reorganization of Tehrik-e-Taliban.
In another unrelated event a spokesman for Pakistani's Ansar-ul-Islam armed group, Mubeen Afridi and his driver have been killed by a remote-controlled bomb in Peshawar, Pakistani police have said on Saturday. Five people were also injured in the attack in the North-Western city of Peshawar "Two people were killed and five others were injured in the car bombing," Sifwatullah Ghayyur, Peshawar's police chief, told the AFP news agency. "The bomb was planted in the car and was detonated by a remote control." He said.
The Ansar-ul-Islam fighters operate in Khyber tribal district near the border with Afghanistan under the umbrella of TTP. Ghayyur said police suspect that Lashkar-e-Islam, a rival group, could be behind the bombing.
Sahibzada Anis, the head of district administration, said that the bombing took place on a road that was normally busy but there were fewer people out due to the onset of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
The government last year launched a major operation against groups in Khyber which sent their leaders moving into the mountains bordering Afghanistan, after the militants threatened to take over Peshawar (see also - Peshawar 06.09.09).
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23/08/2009 03:52:58
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