Pakistan's wanted militant alive: spokesman
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, March 17, IRNA
Pakistan-Militant
A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, who claimed responsibility of the abduction of two Chinese engineers in Pakistan's tribal region last year, is 'safe and alive', his spokesman said on Thursday.
"I reject reports that Abdullah Mehsud had died after being wounded in a military operation," Mohammad Yousaf, spokesman for the al-Qaeda linked militant commander, told the BBC Urdu service monitored here.
Pakistani media quoted an unnamed spokesman for Abdullah Mehsud on Monday that he had died on Saturday after he received injuries in a clash with security forces on March 5.
The radio said Mehsud had appointed Yousaf as his spokesman in an interview with the radio service.
"Rumors about Mehsud death has been spread either by the government or miscreants to take specific motives," Yousuf said.
However he said 'no difference' if some one goes or come. "Our Jehad will continue."
According to Yousuf, the appointment of spokesman is to ensure Mehsud's safety.
President General Pervez Musharraf told the British Broadcasting Corporation in an interview aired on Tuesday that the military was trying to find out whether or not Mehsud has been killed.
"We are reasonably sure that he is dead, that's because we knew and we attacked, we attacked very swiftly," the BBC quoted Musharraf as saying.
Security forces have been searching for Mehsud in the mountainous tribal region since October, when his militants kidnapped two Chinese engineers working on a dam project.
One of the Chinese engineers was killed during a rescue operation by security forces.
Mehsud was released last year from the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba after US officials judged he was no longer a security threat to the United States.
TK-AHM/TSH/2322/1432
::IRNA No.033 18/03/2005 14:54 --End
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