In a statement released to jihadist forums on Nov. 27, al Qaeda’s general command offered condolences for the death of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the former emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Hakeemullah was killed by the US in a drone strike in North Waziristan on Nov. 1.
News of Hakeemullah’s death “was very heavy on our souls and pained us,” the statement from al Qaeda said. The statement referred to the Pakistani Taliban as “our mujahideen brothers” and asked that Allah help, guide, and protect the group’s new emir Mullah Fazlullah, whom al Qaeda described as “respectable.”
In an apparent reference to the 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt, al Qaeda praised Hakeemullah Mehsud for making “the Crusaders shiver and terrorized … in the heart of their home.” The statement, translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, further lauded Hakeemullah for his “many excursions and travels in the fields of jihad.”
Since Hakeemullah’s death a number of jihadist groups, including, but not limited to, Jaish al Ummah, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Shabaab, have issued statements of condolence.
On Nov. 9, the Pakistani Taliban threatened to avenge the death of Hakeemullah Mehsud, in a statement released by their official media outlet, Umar Media.
