Baitullah Mehsud is dead! Mehsud’s demise would indeed be a major milestone in the war against extremism, but as of right now, any celebration would be premature for several reasons.
For one thing, someone else could easily step in and fill the gap his death would leave. After all, Mehsud was the kingpin of several posses of thugs that operate in the treacherous mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and endless mercenaries must even now be jockeying to fill his newly available post. Hakimullah Mehsud was one of these, but is also recently deceased as the result of violence that erupted during a shura being held to determine who would be Baitullah Mehsud’s successor. Hakimullah Mehsud’s unexpected end leaves behind Wali-u-Rehman and Azmat Ullah as top contenders.
I don’t want to celebrate this or any death for personal reasons as well. I was ecstatic when General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, widely considered as the worst dictator Pakistan has ever known, died in a plane crash in August of 1988. I was high-fiving all over town, only to be reprimanded by my mother. As a young reporter in Karachi and ecstatic at the prospect of a liberated Pakistan, I didn’t think much of her advice and continued to celebrate with many like-minded friends.
Fast forward to several years later. I was in New York and saw a Pakistani journalist on CNN spewing hatred, jubilant over the cruel murder of Afghanistan’s former President, Dr. Najib Ullah. This Pakistani journalist—whom I would rather not name, as destiny has not been kind to him; the poor fellow is now incarcerated in the US prison system—said Dr. Najib‘s murder was justified and every socialist should meet the same fate. Similarly, on September 11, I, like many other powerless New Yorkers, watched the iconic sentinels of my city disintegrate into rubble, killing nearly 3,000 people. Even then, there were insensitive simpletons in some parts of the world who rejoiced in the destruction and darkness of that day. I now understand why my mother, may God bless her soul, was so opposed to applauding the death of even the most abhorrent of humans.
Baitullah Mehsud of Bannu (NWFP) was an unimpressive Pashtun who suffered from diabetes all his life. He fought his way up the chain of command after the peace deal between Pervez Musharaf and the Taliban fell through in 2005. After eliminating several of his competitors, Mehsud launched a guerrilla war that virtually pushed the army out of South Waziristan, at one time capturing an entire battalion of one of Pakistan’s most distinguished regiments. Finally, in 2007 he declared himself leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). After his commandos stormed Islamabad’s Red Mosque in July 2007, Mehsud became Pakistan’s enemy number one. He was successful in coalescing militants from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, al-Qaeeda, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian armed forces within al-Qaeda’s network.
Before Mehsud died he had over 20,000 combatants alongside him in the mountains of South Waziristan. My unwillingness to celebrate Baitullah Mehsud’s death does not mean I am mournful in the face of this new development. Mehsud was Pakistan’s enemy number one, and among the most wanted terrorists in the world. In addition, the death of this 39 year-old brute who was the mastermind behind the assassinations of Benazir Bhutto, scores of Pakistani citizens and army personnel is most definitely a major achievement for both the US and Pakistan. Now, local Taliban goons are grieving that they have lost their ’father.’ I say it is a good thing if Taliban mercenaries have been orphaned, but let’s not gloat.
My peers in Pakistan were declaring Hakimullah Mehsud as the front runner to take over TTP. This up-and-coming cutthroat was apparently even more fearless and ruthless than Baitullah. As I was busy gathering Hakimullah’s profile, I heard he had been killed as well. And now there are two—Wali and Azmat are left to pick up the pieces and build upon the bloody legacy of Baitullah Mehsud. Now that two key leaders of the Taliban have been eliminated, the Pakistan Army should have no reservations about launching a ground operation in North and South Waziristan.
Typically, a rule of military strategy is not to lose momentum, and I for one am hoping Pakistan’s leadership will not attempt any peace deal with the Taliban. It has not worked in the past, and it will not work in the future. The success of the CIA’s drone attack on Mehsud’s hideout is a clear indication that the US and Pakistan are working together. Why not persist in this collaboration and eliminate Haqqani from North Waziristan and Hafiz Gul from South Waziristan?
With army of 500,000-plus disciplined men, Pakistan should not fear al-Qaeda insurgents who have carved out their domain in Waziristan. Now is the time to take this fight to the next level, and there can be no rest until every terrorist is captured or killed.
