NEWS

CIA bomber calls for more attacks on Americans

Source:PTI
January 09, 2010 17:47 IST

A Jordanian suicide bomber who blew himself up at a US base in Afghanistan killing eight, including seven CIA operative, has said the 'jihadists' must carry out revenge attacks inside and outside the US to avenge the killing of Pak-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

Saying "emigrant jihadists" (an apparent reference to Arab and foreign fighters) could not forget that they were given shelter by the Pakistani Taliban, Hammam Khalil al-Balawi appeared in a video footage to say "so we should exact revenge for Mehsud's blood."

In the footage al-Balawi appeared next to the new Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud and said, "We will never forget that he (Mehsud) said if Sheikh Osama bin Laden should come to us, we will protect him. He kept his promise and paid for it with his life."

"We will never forget the blood of Baitullah Mehsud and will always demand revenge for him inside and outside America," al-Balawi said, addressing the CIA and the Jordanian intelligence.

"It is an obligation of the emigrant jihadists to Emir Baitullah Mehsud," the Jordanian triple agent said in the video aired by the al-Jazeera TV and carried by 'jihadist' websites.

Al-Jazeera said that the video showed "there was clearly a link between Pakistani Taliban headed by Hakimullah Mehsud and some of al-Qaeda elements operating in Pakistan.

The Arab TV channel said, this video was expected and "everybody in the tribal border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan was told al-Balawi had recorded a message before he went to his mission to blow the American Chapman base."

Al-Jazeera said al-Balawi was bought to the US base in Khost in eastern Afghanistan by car from across the border in Pakistan and is believed to have offered the CIA new information on the whereabouts of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda second in command.

The channel said that the video would provide the Afghan government "more ammunition" with which to criticize their counterparts in Pakistan.

"This is definitely something that is going to put more pressure on the Pakistanis in the future and will definitely make the Afghans and the Americans change their strategy as far as dealing with eastern Afghanistan," the channel said.

Source: PTI
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