Mullah Omar sacks Baitullah for fighting against Pak Army

Lahore, Jan 26 : Taliban supreme commander Mullah Mohammed Omar has sacked Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud for fighting against the Pakistan Army instead of with the NATO forces.

Mullah Omar has maintained while sacking Baitullah that all the Taliban commanders should turn their venom against the NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan.

According to well-placed Pakistani intelligence sources, the sacking comes at a time when the Musharraf regime has launched an intense military operation against Baitullah in South Waziristan. Mullah Omar had himself appointed Baitullah as TTP chief.

Baitullah has been sacked at a time when the Taliban's spring offensive is just months away, the Asia Times Online reported.

"The Afghan front is quiet because the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants are heavily engaged in fighting Pakistani security forces in Waziristan. Therefore, Mullah Omar has put his foot down to reset goals for the Taliban: struggle in Afghanistan and not against Pakistan, as was being done by Baitullah Mehsud," the website reported.

Intelligence sources said that Omar appointed Maulvi Faqir Muhammad as TTP chief, but Faqir refused to accept the designation after which the local Taliban were holding meetings to find Baitullah's replacement.

They said that with Baitullah replaced, Omar would use all Taliban resources in the Tribal Areas to dislodge the NATO troops from Afghanistan.

However, this leaves Baitullah and his loyalists completely isolated to fight Pakistani forces, according to the report.

The Pakistan Government has already named Baitullah as the main suspect behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

ANI