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New chief of Pak Taliban faction fought Indian troops in J-K

From Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Bahawal Khan, the new chief of a Taliban faction in Pakistan's South Waziristan region after the killing of Mullah Nazir in a US drone strike, is a militant who fought Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir. Khan was named the head of the faction shortly after Nazir and 12 other militants were killed in the drone strike in Angoor Adda area on Thursday. He fought as a militant in Jammu and Kashmir, sources were quoted as saying in Pakistani media reports. A member of the Kakakhel sub-tribe of the Ahmedzai Wazirs, Khan is an illiterate former bus driver.

The 34-year-old father of two also ran a hotel. He fought alongside the Afghan Taliban before the 9/11 terror attacks. Khan, who is also known as Salahuddin Ayubi, was chosen by the 'Shura' (council) of the Mullah Nazir group and elders of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe. A report in The News described Khan as "tough and
inflexible" while the BBC reported that he is "seen as hot-tempered, unlike his predecessor". The Mullah Nazir group is one of the three Taliban factions based in the tribal belt that preferred attacking US and allied forces in Afghanistan instead of Pakistani troops.

Nazir had finalised a peace deal with Pakistani security forces in 2007 and was considered to be among "good" Taliban. Khan is a long-time associate of Nazir and is expected to continue his predecessor's policy of maintaining peace in South Waziristan while focussing on attacks on foreign forces in Afghanistan. US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal, a website that closely tracks the war on terror, that Khan is closely allied with Al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and a plethora of terrorist groups in the area. "Little will change with Khan's appointment to lead Nazir's faction of the Taliban," one unnamed US official said.

"It will be business as usual, and we'll continue to have to take shots at Al Qaeda leaders and others in the Wazir areas" of South Waziristan, the official said. The US intelligence officials denied reports that the Pakistani military and government aided in the drone strike against Nazir. They said the Pakistanis were "upset over the killing". "These reports (that Pakistan aided in Nazir's death) are preposterous," said one official involved in targeting Al Qaeda and other terrorist leaders in Pakistan.

"Nazir was an asset to and a tool of the Pakistani state," the official said. "If the Pakistanis wanted to remove Nazir from the playing field, they could have easily done so," another intelligence official said. There is an army garrison in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan where Nazir operated, the official said. "The Pakistanis are piqued that we've killed Nazir," another official said. "We just knocked off a good Taliban, or to them, perhaps the best Taliban.


Quake shakes Assam, NE


Guwahati, An earthquake of moderate intensity measuring 5.34 on the Richter scale shook Assam and parts of North-East today. Official sources said the epicentre of the earthquake was near Nagaon in central Assam. There was no report of any damage or casualty. Last week moderate intensity earthquake hit Assam and parts of North-East in same epicentre but there was no casualty.


Incidents of crime doubled in Bihar in 6 yrs  Nitish

    Patna, LJP supremo Ramvilas Paswan  today alleged that incidents of crime had doubled during the past six years of the NDA rule in Bihar and accused the state government of "unleashing jungle rule." Talking to reporters here, Paswan said "there has been steady rise in criminal incidents in Bihar which has just doubled during the Nitish's rule."

"It is virtually a rule of jungle in the name of good governance," he alleged and dubbed as "empty and misleading" promises made by the state government to "end fear, hunger, poverty and corruption." Referring to the recent attack on Chief Minister

Nitish Kumar's convoy by angry villagers at Chausa in Buxar district during 'seva yatra', Paswan said "it reflects people's growing indignation and anger against the style of functioning of the government."  "Now people have understood the fact that the seva yatra of Nitish Kumar is more misuse of government money and the CM is facing protests during his yatra everywhere in Bihar," Paswan alleged.


CPI-M 'censures' party's Idukki District Secretary


Thiruvananthapuram, CPI-M in Kerala today virtually censured its Idukki district secretary M M Mani for his controversial speech in which he stated that there had been instances of the party eliminating political rivals. As the party is faced with deep embarrassment over Mani's utterances at a public meeting, CPI-M state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan today said Mani had committed a "mistake" and his speech was a "deviation" from the party's political line. Mani's speech had sparked a raging political row in Kerala with the Congress and BJP saying it exposed CPI-M's "politics of violence".

  

His statement had come at a most difficult time for CPI-M in the state as it was on the defensive with some of its activists arrested in connection with the murder of party  rebel and RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan. Addressing reporters here, Vijayan made a strong call to party cadres, leaders and functionaries to refrain from making controversial statements at a time when the party was under a grim attack from its enemies.

Vijayan said the party had grown over the years resisting attacks from various quarters, but countering violence with

violence was not the policy of CPI-M. Congress-led UDF Government had taken note of Mani's speech. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said this "disclosure" was a serious matter and legal steps would be taken on it.

   

Mani, a senior leader in the high-range Idukki district and known to be close to Vijayan, made his controversial speech at a public meeting held at Thodupuzha on Friday. He also made some adverse comments on Achuthanandan in his speech, alluding to the factional feud in the state unit of the party which has recently intensified.


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