Baitullah Mehsud Rival Gunned Down
Still frame from interview with Zainuddin Mehsud (Courtesy of AfPax Insider.)
ISLAMABAD — Hoo, boy, talk about Propaganda of the Deed. Early this morning, Qar’i Zainuddin Mehsud, who just days ago spoke out publicly against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, Baitullah Mehsud, was shot dead by his own bodyguard. AfPax Insider had a scoop in wait, with a 14-minute interview with the old jihadist, who had decided that his tribesman Baitullah was getting out of hand.
Zainuddin: … Baitullah is engaged in cruelties to save his power, as you know, he killed religious scholars and our elders only for this. We only appeal government to avoid civilian killing but we will not become party in it.
Now, Zainuddin came to attention because while he’s an old school Taliban leader, loyal to Mullah Omar and sees nothing wrong with fighting the Americans in Afghanistan, he decided that Baitullah Mehsud was just too much. He and Baitullah also have had a long-term blood feud with relatives on both sides getting killed over the years, Peshawar-based journalist Khalid Kaishgi told me.
But because of his opposition to the Americans in Afghanistan, there’s any number of people who wanted him dead. The first suspect is, of course, Baitullah, who would not a rival with a standing militia jostling for turf just as the Pakistani military is moving into South Waziristan.
Baz Mohammad, an aide of the militant leader who also was wounded, said a guard barged into a room at Zainuddin’s compound after morning prayers and opened fire. He accused Mehsud of being behind the attack.
“It was definitely Baitullah’s man who infiltrated our ranks, and he has done his job,” Mohammad told AP, vowing to avenge the death.
Of course, the Americans would also want him dead. Unlike the Pakistanis, they don’t much make distinctions between “good” Taliban militants and “bad” Taliban militants.
Still, I think the obvious choice is usually the best one. Baitullah Mehsud infiltrated Zainuddin’s militia and busted a cap in him. And even if he didn’t, Baitullah will certainly want people to think he did. Knocking off his chief rival so efficiently is an excellent way to intimidate any other tribal leaders who might be thinking of switching sides and supporting the Pakistani state. This will hamper the military’s efforts as it moves into Waziristan.
“If you are fighting against someone like Baitullah, you need the support of the local people,” Kaishgi told me. “He was organizing local people against Baitullah,” so his murder didn’t come as a great surprise to the region’s people.
But it highlights the challenge in winning over the population. The military has to offer security and control. But the very public murder of Zainuddin shows what happens if you turn against Baitullah — you get whacked. With that object lesson staring tribal elders in the face, local allies will be thin on the ground for the Pakistani military. And its job will be that much harder.
Zainuddin’s brother has been nominated to take his place.
A pity, when I first saw the story I misread the headline as ‘Mehsud gunned down’. Obviously my disappointment is immense. For the time being I can only hope that a lucky artillery barrage from the Pakistani military will hit him, or that he’ll push too hard on his allies.