British extremist 'behind attack on CIA base in Afghanistan'

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British extremist 'behind attack on CIA base in Afghanistan'​

A video released by the Pakistan Taliban claims that a British extremist was one of the masterminds behind a devastating suicide attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan.​

By Rob Crilly, Islamabad
11 Nov 2012

"Umar the British martyr" is identified in the 30-minute propaganda film, which pays tribute to extremists who have given their lives in attacks on Western or Pakistani forces.

It claims the Briton was a co-conspirator in an attack carried out by a Jordanian triple agent, Abu Dujana, on a US base in Khost, Afghanistan, three years ago.

He had been sent by the CIA and the Jordanian intelligence service to infiltrate al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal region but detonated a vest crammed with explosives when he arrived at Camp Chapman for a debriefing, killing the station chief, Jennifer Matthews, six other American personnel and his Jordanian handler.

The video, obtained by The Sunday Times(£), is the first time a Briton has been named in connection with the attack.

"Umar, with his accomplice Amir Hakimullah, entirely planned the suicide attack which Dr Abu Dujana undertook against the American CIA station in Khost," says an Urdu voice-over set to images of Umar's face.


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Read more:
British extremist 'behind attack on CIA base in Afghanistan' - Telegraph

 

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Pakistani Taliban Leader Among 3 Killed In US Drone Strike...

Officials: U.S. drone kills Pakistani Taliban leader
November 1, 2013, A U.S. drone strike Friday killed Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, in a major blow to the group that came after the government said it had started peace talks with the insurgents, according to intelligence officials and militant commanders.

Mehsud, who was on U.S. most-wanted terrorist lists with a $5 million bounty, is believed to have been behind a deadly suicide attack at a CIA base in Afghanistan, a failed car bombing in New York's Times Square and other brazen assaults in Pakistan that killed thousands of civilians and security forces. The ruthless, 34-year-old commander who was closely allied with al-Qaida was widely reported to have been killed in 2010 - only to resurface later.

But a senior U.S. intelligence official said Friday the U.S. received positive confirmation that Mehsud had been killed. Two Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed his death, as did two Taliban commanders who saw his mangled body after the strike. A third commander said the Taliban would likely choose Mehsud's successor on Saturday. "If true, the death of Hakimullah Mehsud will be a significant blow to the Pakistani Taliban, an organization that poses a serious threat to the Pakistani people and to Americans in Pakistan," said Michael Morell, a former acting CIA director who retired in August and has championed the drone program. His comments came in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

In this file photo taken Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman, front center, during his meeting with media in Sararogha of Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan along the Afghanistan border. Intelligence officials said Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud was one of three people killed in a U.S. drone strike.

A senior Pakistani government official in Islamabad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CBS News' Farhan Bokhari: "I think it's quite clear Hakimullah Mehsud has died. Two of his bodyguards died and reports from the ground suggest he (Mehsud) was killed too." There is increased tension between Islamabad and Washington over the drone attacks, and Pakistan is also trying to strike a peace deal with the Taliban. The group's deputy leader was killed in a drone strike in May, and one of Mehsud's top deputies was arrested in Afghanistan last month.

The intelligence officials and militant commanders said Friday's drone attack that killed Mehsud hit a compound in the village of Dande Derpa Khel in the North Waziristan tribal area. Four other suspected militants were killed, they said, including Mehsud's cousin, uncle and one of his guards. They did not have the identity of the fourth victim. At least four missiles struck just after a vehicle in which Mehsud was riding had entered the compound, the Taliban commanders said, adding that a senior group of militants was discussing the peace talks at a nearby mosque shortly before the attack.

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