As the leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mehsud has been the mastermind behind many severe attacks within Pakistan and is the most feared militant in the region. (For an in-depth background on Mehsud click here.) The US has put a $5 million bounty on his head and has reportedly been working with the Pakistani government for over four months on an operation to kill him. Thus far, Mehsud has remained elusive and is still coordinating many attacks against Pakistani and US forces. Recent reports state that US/Pak forces are closing in on him once again.

In what should have been major news, but was barley reported on in the US, two of Mehsud’s top men broke ranks with him and accused him of working with US and Israeli intelligence. Here’s one report:

“Taliban defectors: US, Israel funding militants

Two militants’ leaders who defected from notorious Taliban chief in Pakistan have revealed that their comrade was pursuing a US-Israeli agenda across the country.

A prominent militant leader, Turkistan Baetani, who broke away from Baitullah Mehsud, called him ‘an American agent’.

Mehsud, a warlord in his late 30s, has claimed responsibility for dozens of devastating string attacks on both civilians and security forces throughout the feared region.

Moreover, Baetani emphasized that Mehsud was being funded by US and Israeli intelligence services for brainwashing innocent youths.

The insurgents’ chief has recruited several teenagers who have carried out dozens of suicide attacks on Pakistani mosques and educational institutes over some past months.

Baetani also noted that al-Qaeda and Taliban’s leadership was never targeted in the dozens of US drone strikes in the country’s troubled north-west region.

Another defector, Qari Zainuddin, said that Mehsud had established strong links with Israeli intelligence services which were destabilizing the nuclear armed country. ‘These people (Mehsud and his men) are working against Islam.’…” [read more]

This stunning announcement makes one question the following:

1) Are Baetani and Zainuddin telling the truth? As two of Mehsud’s top men, do they have inside information that linked Mehsud to US/Israeli intel?

2) Did they turn on Mehsud to work with US/Pakistani intel and come out with these accusations to undermine Mehsud and put doubts in his followers mind?

3) Or did they turn on Mehsud for personal reasons?

What should we believe?

It looks like we may never know. Zainuddin was just killed and his assassin escaped. The UK Telegraph reports:

“Baitullah Mehsud’s Taliban rival shot dead in Pakistan

Pakistan’s offensive against the country’s Taliban leader has been dealt a serious blow after a rival who had turned against Baitullah Mehsud was shot dead.

Qari Zainuddin, who had recently spoken out against Mehsud after leaving his Taliban group, was killed in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan. Suspicion for his murder fell immediately on Mehsud, an al-Qaeda ally….

Zianuddin, 26, had risen from obscurity in recent months and had dared to accuse Mehsud of spying for both India and Israel….

Baz Mohammad, an aide of Zianuddin, who also was wounded, said a guard barged into a room at Zainuddin’s compound in Dera Ismail Khan after morning prayers and opened fire. He accused Mehsud of being behind the attack.

‘It was definitely Baitullah’s man who infiltrated our ranks, and he has done his job,’ said Mr Mohammad….” [read more]

A report from Al Jazeera describes the assassination this way:

“Taliban chief killed by ‘own guard’

Zainuddin had denounced Mehsud for attacks that left two civilians dead, attacks that had apparently been launched in retaliation for an army offensive in the Swat Valley.

Zainuddin had said: ‘Whatever Baitullah Mehsud and his associates are doing in the name of Islam is not a jihad, and in fact it is rioting and terrorism.’

The motive for criticising Mehsud was not clear, but whatever the reason, it has exposed divisions within the tribes.” [read more]

These reports expose a mind boggling amount of questions. For one, why would the Pakistani government, which is supposed to be a US ally, count on support from a Taliban militant that broke ranks with Mehsud because he was a US/Israeli agent? Most shockingly though, neither of them, or any of the other reports on the assassination we could find, mention Zainuddin and Baetani’s most damning point implicating Mehsud as “an American agent.” The Telegraph report vaguely mentions a Zainuddin accusation that Mehsud worked with Israel and India, and the Al Jazeera report decided to focus on the death of two civilians as Zainuddin’s reasoning for turning on Mehsud, which is ridiculous considering the hundreds - most likely thousands - of civilian deaths committed by these men in the past.

These reports were quick to point the finger at Mehsud, which of course makes sense. However, what were the motives behind the assassination. Was Zainuddin killed because he was spreading lies about Mehsud, or was he killed because he spoke the truth? And are the assassins also connected with US/Israeli intel?

Will any “news” agency attempt to interview Baetani while he is still alive? Don’t you think his comments and potential evidence is of the utmost importance?

Well, actually, the Associated Press just interviewed Baetani, and censored his statements on Mehsud working for US/Israeli interests. Here’s their whitewashed report:

“Suspect fled in waiting car

Aides to the slain Taliban official said a guard walked into Zainuddin’s office after morning prayers and opened fire at about 7 a.m., hitting him in the head and chest, and then fled in a waiting car. Baz Mohammad, a Zainuddin aide who was wounded, accused Mehsud of ordering the assassination.

Zainuddin had recently criticized Mehsud for using suicide bombings to target civilians and, more importantly in his view, clerics inside mosques.

Although Zainuddin too had a ruthless past, he denounced Mehsud this month for recent attacks on mosques that killed clerics and civilians, bombings apparently in retaliation for the army offensive in the northwestern Swat Valley….

In a telephone interview last weekend from his home in South Waziristan, Bhittani [Baetani] told The Associated Press that while he wanted Mehsud dead, jihad against foreigners in Afghanistan is “every good Muslim’s duty.” [read more]

And that’s all the information we get - no mention of their main accusation. Hello US media! Can we get Baetani back on the phone? We have a few more questions for him! Is Baitullah Mehsud a double agent? Is he working for the US/Israeli intel? How about a little journalism and less censorship AP?

We know Osama bin Laden was once the CIA’s main man in the region, but is Baitullah Mehsud, the man now considered the biggest terrorist in the region on the CIA pay roll as well? Unfortunately, one of the two men making this claim is now dead and the other probably will be soon.

Baetani’s offices were just attacked in an attempt to assassinate him as well.

“An attack on the office of Baitullah Mehsud’s opponent group commander Turkistan Bethni has been averted.

According to sources, unknown gunmen attacked office of Baitullah Mehsud’s rival group commander Turistan Bethni in Mal Mandi, which was averted through retaliatory action of Bethni group armed men. The attackers were managed to flee from the scene.” [read more]

Once again, the assassins get away. I’ll leave you with the latest report on Mehsud:

“‘US drone’ hits Pakistan funeral

Up to 80 people have been killed after missiles were fired from a US ‘drone’ at the funeral of a suspected Taliban commander of the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan, Pakistan officials have said….

Tuesday’s attacks came as the Pakistani army was preparing to launch an offensive against Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistan Taliban….

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said: ‘There are reports that Mehsud himself was at the congregational prayer and escaped the attack….

‘Baitullah Mehsud was at a secret place at the time of the American missile attack, and the attack killed only five of our colleagues, and the remaining 45 slain men were villagers,’ he told The Associated Press news agency.” [read more]