Qari Hussain wanted dead or alive

Calcutta News.Net
Friday 21st January, 2011

The U.S. on Friday said it had put a leading member of the Pakistani Taliban, Qari Hussain, on a terrorist blacklist.

The only problem is Qari Hussain is dead. Widespread reports of his death circulated on October 7 2010.

As of Friday the Wikipedia page devoted to Qari Hussain confirms his death in October last year.

The U.S. State Department however, which has identified Hussain as one of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan's top lieutenants, and a recruiter of suicide bombers of all ages, including children, says by designating him as a terrorist will allow the U.S. to freeze any assets he may have in U.S. jurisdictions. The move also bars any U.S. citizen from having financial dealings with him.

The State Department says Hussain and the TTP have taken responsibility for suicide bombings across Pakistan that killed dozens of people. He is also believed to be responsible for training the Jordanian double-agent — Humam Muhammad Abu Mulal al-Balawi — whose suicide mission in December 2009 at a base in eastern Afghan province of Khost killed seven CIA agents.

Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the State Department's Coordinator for Counterterrorism, said Friday Hussain's sponsored operations have had a destabilizing effect on the region. He called Hussain's use of children to carry out suicide bombings as abhorrent.

Mystery however surrounds the announcement of the terrorist designation for somebody widely reported as dead.

According to Wikpedia, Qari Hussain's death last year was the first of many, the others of course turning out to be false alarms.

"Qari Hussain was reported dead after his home was destroyed in January 2008, but in May 2008 appeared in front of Pakistani media to deny the reports," Wikipedia cited sources as saying. "He was later reported killed in a 23 June 2009 air strike at Makeen in South Waziristan, but then phoned reporters to prove he was alive."

A few days after the air strike, the Pakistan government announced a 10 million rupee reward for the killing or capture of Hussain, among other Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commanders. On November 2, 2009 the reward was increased to 50 million rupees ($600,000).

Then a report by the Press Trust of India cited sources affirming that Hussain was killed on January 14, 2010, in the American drone airstrike in North Waziristan that reportedly killed Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud; however, Hussain apparently spoke with local media by telephone to deny Mehsud's death.

The News International later reported that "top Pakistani and US sources" have confirmed Hussain's death in the same drone strike against Mehsud. However, according to Wikipedia, he once again appeared in an interview, speaking with Rediff.com in March 2010.

Hussain claimed responsibility for the 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt in an as of yet unverified audiotape that was posted on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan News Channel on the Web site YouTube. Authorities in Pakistan believe that Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American who admitted to planting the Times Square car bomb, was introduced to Hussain via Mohammad Rehan, and subsequently received explosives training before he returned to the United States, Wikipedia says.

Then on October 15, 2010, several reports came out indicating Qari Hussain may have been killed in an American drone strike. Geo TV said that he and five Turks were killed on October 2 in the Dattakhel area. The Press Trust of India stated that he and three others were killed on October 7 outside of Miranshah in Jungle Khel. While Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq denied these reports were true, Qari Hussein has yet to contact media to confirm his survival as of January 21 2011. With Friday's report that he has been placed on a terrorist blacklist, now might be a good time.

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