The Baitullah Mehsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Tuesday threatened to launch countrywide suicide attacks if the government did not stop the military operation in Swat.
Also, the TTP, which is a conglomerate of militant organisations operating in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan and settled districts of NWFP, threatened to extend its ‘operations’ to Karachi if they felt any threat to their movement.
TTP deputy leader, Maulana Faqir Mohammad and spokesman Maulvi Omar addressed a news conference at Inayat Kalley town in the Bajaur Agency where they threatened to launch suicide attacks in Pakistan’s major cities, including Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi, if what they termed the killing of their fellow fighters was not stopped forthwith in Swat district. TTP vice chief, Faqir Mohammad said a Shura meeting was held with Baitullah Mehsud in the chair in which it was decided to launch countrywide suicide attacks on government installations if the Swat operation was not halted.
“Our deadline has already expired but again we wanted to give a ‘final’ deadline to the government to stop the operation or face the consequences,” Faqir threatened. Faqir is also the commander of tribal militants in the Bajaur Agency where they had set up their own Islamic courts and are settling disputes.
Later, talking to The News by telephone from the militants-controlled Mamond town in the Bajaur Agency, TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar said they had prepared a squad of suicide bombers aged 15-20 and would send them to major cities for carrying out suicide attacks on government and military installations.
Also, Omar claimed they had even included women in the suicide squad who would be assigned tasks at sensitive locations. “A large number of women have been approaching us for the past few years and consistently wishing to be given an opportunity to sacrifice their lives for a noble cause,” Omar claimed, adding dozens of women had been imparted proper training for such attacks and were waiting for a final directive from Baitullah Mehsud.
However, when asked, Omar said no woman had so far carried out any suicide attack in Pakistan. “Earlier, our focus was on preparing more women suicide bombers but we have to stop that on Baitullah’s directive as the number of women suicide bombers exceeded that of men,” the TTP spokesman maintained.
About reports of militants’ attack on Karachi, Omar claimed that their people were already in the city but waiting for the call from Baitullah Mehsud to launch their activities. “Karachi belongs to the entire nation. We will not allow any terrorist group to lay claim to the city and collect ‘ ghunda’ tax (extortion money) from its citizens,” the militants’ spokesman vowed.
However, he said right now they were busy in their activities in the tribal areas and in Afghanistan, but if they were challenged in Karachi, they would launch their attacks without any delay.
Also, he said since there were no foreign troops in Karachi and the Taliban were not facing any hardships in their movement, therefore they had no plan to carry out any such attack there. In their Shura meeting, Omar said it was felt that the government was planning military operations against them in South Waziristan, Mohmand and Bajaur tribal regions. “We are ready to fight and have heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft guns, mortars and artillery and also rocket-propelled grenades fitted on key installations,” he claimed.
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