It was the first time Mehsud had been seen since his supposed death in January. The video was posted hours after the Pakistani Taliban issued an Internet video asserting responsibility for the Times Square car bomb, a claim that many experts in Pakistan and the United States dismissed as lacking any credibility.
The videos, produced by the Pakistani Taliban’s media arm, Umar Studio, were sure to be an embarrassment to the Pakistan government, which has suggested that it broke the back of the movement after months of fighting in the border areas that is the militants’ stronghold.
The Pakistani Taliban, which has carried out a bombing campaign in Pakistan over the last two years, as well as attacks in Afghanistan, has links to al-Qaeda and shares a haven in North Waziristan, in Pakistan’s tribal areas, with Qaeda leaders.
The video shows Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of Tehreek-e-Taliban, warning that suicide bombers will soon be directing attacks at American cities. Mehsud, flanked by two armed fighters whose faces were covered with white scarves, warned that his movement would soon retaliate against the US for the many Muslim leaders “martyred” in attacks.
“The time is very near when our fidayeen will attack the American states in their major cities,” he said, referring to suicide fighters. He went on to say that in a month’s time the Muslim community would see the fruit of those attacks. “Our fidayeen have penetrated the terrorist America, we will give extremely painful blows to the fanatic America,” he said.
