Abdullah Mehsud
Abdullah Mehsud | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 Nano village, South Waziristan, Pakistan |
| Died | 24 July 2007 Zhob, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Other names | Muhammad Alam Mahsud |
| Occupation | Militant leader |
| Known for | Leadership in Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan; former Guantanamo detainee; militant activities against coalition forces and Pakistani officials |
Abdullah Mehsud (; ; 1977 – 24 July 2007) was a Pashtun militant leader who was killed during a security operation conducted by the Pakistani Army in Zhob, Balochistan, Pakistan. He hailed from the Mahsud tribe.
U.S. officials later revealed that he had been held at Guantanamo Bay, released through judicial processes, and subsequently "resumed terrorist activities."
Early life
Born in 1977 in Nano village, South Waziristan, Abdullah Mehsud (also known as Muhammad Alam Mahsud) belonged to the SlimiKhel clan of the Mahsud tribe. He participated in combat against the Northern Alliance and sustained a leg injury from a landmine in 1996.
Capture
During the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom, Mehsud engaged U.S. and Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. In December 2001, he surrendered to Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum at the Battle of Kunduz. Following his capture, he was handed over to U.S. authorities and detained for 25 months at Guantanamo Bay, where he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. Upon release, he returned to South Waziristan.
Return to the battlefield
After being freed, Mehsud rapidly reassembled his Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) forces, commanding as many as 5,000 fighters. He orchestrated assaults against coalition troops in Afghanistan.
In Waziristan, Mehsud was connected to the abduction of two Chinese engineers involved with the Gomal Zam Dam project; one engineer died during a failed rescue attempt. He was also held responsible for an attack targeting Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao that resulted in 31 fatalities.
A 2005 Department of Defense record indicated that Mehsud claimed to have served as a Taliban office clerk and driver between 1996 and 1999, denying any ties to al Qaeda. He stated that due to losing his leg to a landmine, he never received military training and was conscripted against his will after September 11, 2001.
In 2005, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf initially declared Mehsud killed by ISI operatives but later withdrew this statement.
He was among the earliest three former Guantanamo detainees publicly acknowledged by the Bush administration as having returned to militant engagements. By July 2007, more than thirty released detainees were identified as rejoining insurgent activities or associating with terrorist groups, with seven individuals named openly.
Promise to never surrender
During a telephone interview in 2004, Abdullah Mehsud pledged that he would never surrender.
Death
On 24 July 2007, Pakistani law enforcement raided a residence in Zhob, Balochistan, where Mehsud was present. While holding a grenade intended to kill security personnel, he was shot and wounded; he fell and was killed when the grenade detonated. The operation resulted in multiple militant casualties and the capture of Abdul Rahman Mehsud, Muhammad Azam, and a local leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
Relationship with Baitullah Mehsud
Abdullah Mehsud did not maintain a direct relationship with Baitullah Mehsud, another prominent tribal leader within the Mahsud tribe. Some accounts describe them as either clansmen or associates. During Abdullah’s period evading capture, Baitullah emerged as one of the foremost Taliban commanders in Pakistan’s tribal territories. Reports indicate that Baitullah suspected Abdullah of acting as a double agent.
Defense Intelligence Agency asserts he "resumed terrorist activities"
According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Abdullah Mahsud had reportedly "resumed involvement in terrorism." The DIA conveyed the following: