Pakistan Taliban warns of disastrous days ahead

Islamabad, Nov 17: Pakistani Taliban has warned that the next few days and weeks would be "disastrous" for the country as the banned outfit vowed to "teach" the government and its security agencies a lesson over the killing of its leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike.

Claiming responsibility for yesterday's suicide attack, the Tehrik-e-Taliban said, "We started our campaign with a suicide attack on military officials in Bannu on Saturday. It was the first attack of a series we planned against the Pakistan government and its armed forces to avenge the killing of our Ameer Hakimullah Mehsud."

"As we have stated we would teach a lesson to the Pakistan government for helping the US to kill our leader," the Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid. He said the next few days and weeks would be "disastrous" for the government and its security agencies, The News daily reported.

The Taliban spokesman said they had already sent their suicide bombers to different parts of the country to target top government and military officials and the leadership of the PPP, ANP and MQM.

"The leadership of the three political parties justified the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud and that's why they deserved to be killed," he maintained. Mehsud was killed on November 1 in a CIA drone strike in the lawless North Waziristan tribal region.

Seven people, including three personnel of the Tochi Scouts, a wing of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), two policemen and two civilians, were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Bannu yesterday.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Ali Inteqami, claiming to be the TTP Rawalpindi's division leader, threatened they would soon target the DIG and DC Rawalpindi for their alleged support to the attackers in Rawalpindi on Friday.

"We will target these two top government officials within three days as they patronised the attack in Fawwara Chowk in Rawalpindi. We will teach them a lesson," the TTP leader said.

The report also said a man claiming to be the head of the Rawalpindi division chapter of the TTP condemned the clashes in Rawalpindi on Ashura and threatened to take revenge from those responsible for it.

In a phone call to reporters from an undisclosed place, Ahmad Ali Inteqami alleged that innocent people were killed and their deaths would be avenged within three days.

"We urge the Ulema in Pakistan to support the TTP in the aftermath of this incident," he said. Inteqami alleged that the incident took place under the patronage of the government. "The blood of the innocents shed would not go waste," he said.

PTI