Wow

Photo: Associated Press (Mehsud on the left)


Sorry for the dated story, but I just stumbled on it.

I'm not rying to make light of the seven dead CIA personnel who died in Khost, Afghanistan last December, but this seems a little silly. I am sure Hakimullah Mehsud is phoning his lawyer right now to seek a plea deal...

From Dawn.com (September 1, 2010):

WASHINGTON: US prosecutors have charged the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, for the plot that killed seven CIA employees at an American base in Afghanistan last December, the US Justice Department said on Wednesday.

Mehsud was charged with conspiracy to kill Americans overseas and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

On Dec. 30, a Jordanian doctor who had gained the trust of the CIA employees detonated a bomb hidden under his clothing after entering the heavily fortified compound outside Khost. It was the second-most deadly attack in CIA history.

“Criminal charges are meant to deal with Hakimullah if he's captured,” said one US official who declined to be further identified. “He can face justice in other ways, too. That hasn't changed.”

US military forces have tried to kill Mehsud since the attack with strikes by unmanned aerial drones. The State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location.

After the attack, a video surfaced in which the bomber, identified as Jordanian Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, appeared with Mehsud claiming responsibility for the suicide bombing and stating that it was revenge for the killing of the group's leader Baitullah Mehsud.

Al-Balawi's legs were recovered from the scene of the blast and DNA testing helped identify him, according to the criminal complaint filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia. Six Americans were also injured in the attack

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