MEMRI: Wali Ur-Rehman Mehsud, Deputy Commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Threatens to ‘Wreak Vengeance’ Upon the U.S. and NATO – Especially France and Britain – with ‘an Attack Greater than 9/11’

Following are excerpts from an interview with Wali ur-Rehman Mehsud, deputy commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on August 26, 2011.

Wali ur-Rehman Mehsud: “The death of Osama bin Laden is a great tragedy for the Islamic nation, but let me make it clear that we are a people of faith. As I’ve said in the past, Islam encompasses life, and jihad is decreed by Allah. We are working to complete the mission. […]

“We, in the Taliban movement, have declared that we will wreak vengeance upon the U.S., NATO, the European countries, and the Pakistani government. […]

“When the news of the martyrdom of Othman came, the Prophet Muhammad made all his companions swear that they would avenge his death. We too have made all the mujahideen swear to wreak vengeance upon all the infidel countries and their helpers. […]

“We have declared that we would attack ten targets. We began with Pakistan, by attacking the Mehran base, and the attacks to come will be larger. […]

“I cannot reveal other targets. We began in Pakistan, and you shall see these attacks in the U.S., NATO, and the European countries. […]

“They are all our enemies and constitute targets for us, but France and Britain – the spearhead of the European countries – will be among our top priorities, because of the role they play in the heinous and barbaric acts against the Muslims. Therefore, France and Britain are at the top of our list of targets. […]

“We will try to plan an attack greater than 9/11, but the preparation and the necessary resources require time. When it becomes possible, we will launch a more powerful attack, in cooperation with a group of mujahideen, in order to prove that we have not been weakened by the death of bin Laden. […]

“Fighting is by no means an easy thing. The cost of all the requirements, including weapons, is estimated in the millions. […]

“We manage this easily. We have many sympathizers around the world. We have not encountered any problem in this respect. […]

“Pakistan has adopted a policy of subjugation to America. According to Pakistani officials, 36,000 Pakistanis and 5,000 security personnel have lost their lives as a result of this policy. […]

“Until the policy of subjugation to America is changed, there can be no prospect of peace. In the current state of affairs, we will not opt for peace in the near future.” […]

Video link here.