Drone strike informant: Spy who ensnared Mullah Nazir killed

Note attached on body accused victim of spying against Taliban commanders.

DI KHAN:

A bullet-riddled body was dumped allegedly by militants in South Waziristan on Wednesday, an official of the region’s political administration confirmed to The Express Tribune. The body, identified as Afghan national Asmatullah Kharoti, was recovered near the Ajab Noor Mosque in Wana Rustham Bazaar, in the Wana sub-division of South Waziristan.

A note left along with the body accused him of being a spy and being involved in the killing of Taliban commanders, including Mullah Nazir, in drone strikes.

According to AFP, another note left on the body ordered the remains to be left on the roadside until 10:00 am (0500 GMT) “so that everyone could see the fate of spies.”



A local resident told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the body was dumped early Wednesday morning, and while local passersby had gathered to look at it, no one had moved it till the afternoon.

“He is responsible for the killing of five of our senior members, including Mullah Nazir, in drone attacks. He confessed that he installed chips in digital Qurans,” a local official quoted the note as saying.

Local sources told The Express Tribune that Mullah Nazir had met Kharoti in Afghanistan, and was killed in a drone attack on his way back to Wana in the Sara Kanda Mountains on January 2. Subsequently, the Taliban kidnapped Kharoti and dumped his body near Ajab Noor Mosque in Wana Rustham Bazaar, where Mullah Nazir had escaped a suicide attack last year.



Two militants from Nazir’s group who spoke to AFP accused Kharoti of giving Nazir a digital Holy Quran, fitted with chips to track his movements, during a meeting at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.

“He presented Nazir and others digital Holy Quran as a gift which were fitted with chips which help US drones strike their targets,” one of the militants said.

“When Mullah Nazir was returning, US drones fired missiles at him in Pakistani area,” he said.

Militants often dump bodies of purported ‘spies’ in public places in North and South Waziristan along with warning letters and later release the videos of the victim’s confession. (With additional input from wires)

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2013.