He left no doubt what would come at any second. Pakistan's Taliban abducted the paramilitary troops on December 23 from near the country's lawless tribal areas to avenge military operations.
Now they have released a video as a warning to Pakistan's 600,000-member army.
"Twelve of our comrades were besieged and mercilessly martyred in the Khyber Agency (area)," said the militant.
"Our pious women were also targeted. To avenge those comrades, we will kill these men. We warn the government of Pakistan that if the killing of our friends is not halted, this will be the fate of you all."
Before death, one of the men described how dozens of Taliban fighters stormed their fort in the northwestern Tank district and kidnapped the soldiers.
"They attacked us with rockets, killed a sentry. One ran away. The Taliban entered the fort and captured us with our weapons," he said, sitting in rows with other soldiers with their arms folded and legs crossed in front of Taliban banners.
"They tied our hands, put us in a Datsun and took us away."
The video then shows the men standing quietly. Taliban chanting can be heard. "We will cross all limits to avenge your blood," it said, referring to fighters killed by Pakistani security forces.
One of the men shoves a clip into his assault rifle and fires a few rounds into the back of the heads of a few of the soldiers. "God is greatest," the Taliban yell.
Other fighters step up and take turns pumping bullets into the men, some wearing green military uniforms. Each time a soldier collapses, the man standing next to him is pulled in that direction by the handcuffs.
The Taliban and Pakistan's military, one of the largest in the world, have entered exploratory peace talks that raised hopes that their conflict, which has killed thousands of people, could ease, or even end one day.
But the talks have faltered, a senior Pakistani security official told Reuters, and the video -- copied to compact discs and distributed in street markets in areas near the porous border with Afghanistan -- is likely to enrage the army.
After the shooting ends in the video, the Taliban militants stare at the bodies slumped over on the earth.
"If the killing of our friends is not stopped, this will be the fate of all infidel armies, God willing," says one militant.
Majeed Marwat, a commander of the Frontier Corps said morale among his men would always remain high despite such videos.
"Our soldiers enlist because they want to sacrifice for the country. We are taking care of the families of the martyred soldiers," he told Reuters.
Formed in 2007, the TTP is an umbrella group of Pakistani militant factions operating in Pakistan's tribal areas. Allied with the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda, it pledged to overthrow the Pakistani government after the military started operations against militant groups.
It is blamed for many of the suicide bombings across the country and has carried out audacious attacks, including one on army headquarters near the capital Islamabad in 2009.
COMMENTS (59)
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What do we expect from these ruthless killers - glorifying their heinous crime by videotaping the murder of helpless soldiers who were kidnapped earlier? These are not acts of bravery; on the contrary, these are acts of extreme cowards, who would bound their captors together and shoot them in the back of their heads from close range. What brave men would do that?
If anyone had any notion that these terrorists are holy people and are fighting a holy war, they should think again; there is nothing holy about them or their war. They are plain ruthless barbarians whose only aim is to kill and destroy. We once again send our condolences to the people of Pakistan and the families of the soldiers who gave their lives for their country. Peace can only prevail when the people of the region fully support their security forces as they hunt down these barbarians and eliminate them.
Maj David Nevers DET-United States Central Command www.centcom.mil/ur
Long Live Pakistan and Pak Army. We should teach these taliban a lesson like we did in SWAT and SWA. Our soldiers sacred blood should be avenged. War is never the first option, but it becomes one when the other side is barbaric and plays in the hands of enemies.
I will support my army with my money and blood.
i got message to imran khan if you friendship w/taliban and accept there call ISLAMI LAW TO US WE WILL NEVER EVER TRUST U/AGAIN.
Now these are brave men, who wreck destruction on all whom they so despise. They at least have the courage to do something about their arch enemy. Bravo Talibs.
@Sher Khan:
I quote you: "TTP is backed by India for sure. There is a middle man who gets the money and he incites local people and make them taliban and showers them with weapons and money and tells them to take avenge for pakhtuns."
Why did you stop at this and not continue. What should be done with TTP?
Even if you are correct that they are agents of RAW, and et-al, does it not prove that Talibans are traitors who behave in the most barbaric manner? Do you want to talk to them or eliminate them?
I have not heard of RAW or CIA or MOSSAD or any other country such as India, USA, UK, Israel, etc. protest when Pakistan takes action against any terror organization, be it TTP or Afghan Taliban. It is only Pakistan and its Army that makes this fine distinction between the various terror groups. Even if USA talks to some factions, this should not be the guideline or justification for Pakistan as the situation is totally different. For its own good, Pakistan should eliminate all terror factions that operate within its territory and not make fine distinctions between the various groups.
@bilal: It is no so simple my dear friend. There are many ideologies operating in the region. Ideologies are dangerous thing. There are many sympathizers with taliban and money raising is not an issue for them. Money are raised by illegal means. Drug trade in this region is now the biggest source of money. Early it was saudi money.
The concept of holy war in the name of religion/culture/race is very dangerous thing. Similar occultism was used by hitler which created huge problem for the world.
Now this holy war has gone out of hand and it can not be solved by negotiation as there is no one group or leader. There are only two solution :-
Balkanization and creation of pakhtunistan Full fledged warFirst option is not an option. So second option is being currently implemented by PAK + US army.And it must be supported. War is inevitable and so are the killings....
These guys are still considered heroes by a large number of fools
Problem of pakistan can only be solved in holistic manner :- 1. Implement shariah law. 2 Kill all non-muslims of pakistan 3 throw nuclear bombs on india 4 send jihadis in USA to kill all chirtians 5 accept leadsership of saudi king (may god bless them) 6 tell pak army jawans to have beard otherwise kill them 7 ban music in pakistan 8 Don't use mobile phones because they were discovered by non-muslims. 9 And yes pls don't use internet in pakistan because indians/jews/west will dominate their useless culture Untill unless we do all these things together, problem will always persist. Request ET :- not to ban my comment as you have done many times. Publish this satire. ;) Thanks in advance for upholding freedom of speech..
One of the dilemmas of the Pakistan is that we all see our surrondings superficially.We avoid effective analysis.We want ready-made solutions.Whatever we are facing today all around is what we are sowing since decades.Verily,whatever we are doing today, just now we are reaping, and we would harvest it continually.From individuals to groups and institutions,our frustration is just a replication of our collective ignorance.The fission will head on until we are not acknowledged,awared,sincere and committed to the State, to our ideology and identity.Guys the knowledge rules, but what we are doing with our EDUCATION? How much we are allocating for QUALITY EDUCATION? Calm down, if you are not planning, time has a plan, our enemies have a plan and we have handed ourselves to the waves of the circumstances. For God sake stop mutual genocide, stop assasination of the systems and the instituitions.
@Pakistan Agnostic: Don't say such things. And remember HE is there..........was, is and always will be there.
That is why war is forbidden. Because the element of human rage takes over. Fight in self defense and do not transgress human rights. There are many examples in the life of Prophet Muhammad (SM) and the Sahaba Ikram (RA). Do read them.
Salams
Chickens are coming home to roost.
The Taliban fanatic war and the global war on terror is real. Just because the Taliban terrorism was and is outside pak border, it does not mean PAK is not a target. For Taliban and their affiliates who freely roam PAK, capturing PAK is their goal. The longer PAK waits, the easier it is for the Taliban.
Pakistani readers above are getting it wrong when they blame their GHQ for having Strategic Assets. To the GHQ only the so-called 'good barbarians' alligned to the likes of Gulbuddin Hakmatayer or Sirajjudin Haqqani are 'Strategic Assets', not the ones alligned to the Hakimullahs or Islam Khans. They are 'Strategic Liabilities'. Long Live GHQ!
Still think this is not our war?
Guys commenting here must understand there
s a underlying sympathy amongst the vast majority of Ordinary Pakistanis for the Taliban as they believe Talibs are righting for Islam and Shariat. All religious Parties and Groups support / Accept belief of Taliban.There
s sympathy within the highest levels of Establishment as People. So has the media. Even the maintain stream Parties like PTI dont directly condemn Taliban and its acts. Infact, they are supportive in the sense that PTI wants to talks than fight the Taliban & halt drone attacks.Most people commenting here also question if we are fighting someone else war instead. That`s the reason why even establishment is not entering North Waziristan
TTP is backed by India for sure. There is a middle man who gets the money and he incites local people and make them taliban and showers them with weapons and money and tells them to take avenge for pakhtuns.
@Finding Memo:
You are so wrong. It is not a result of Pakistan's involvement in the War or Terror. Have you forgotten that the Talibans tonsured the heads of Pakistani Football team in the open stadium for wearing shorts to play the game in Afghanistan. Talibans and all religious leaders who preach hatred are illiterates (I do not value their doctorate degrees from religious institutions).
You cannot reason with a person who has no reasoning capacity. Look at the barbaric way they have killed the soldiers, chaining them together and shooting on the back of their heads. Do you really think that you can change a serial killer by talking to them. They only respect power. The only way to engage them is to engage them in combat.
Do these talibans have any family. Do you really believe that those who can kill in such cold blood can have the heart and affection to have a family life?
Making fine distinctions between various groups such as, Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Taliban, Pashtoon Taliban, Punjabi Taliban, Good Taliban, Bad Taliban, etc. is flawed thinking. What can you reason with them. They want their islamic code and their version of Sharia Law. IK's thinking is flawed. These elements can never be wiped out s long as the army keeps calling them "Strategic Assets" and the political leaders like IK, Rana Sanaullah, Shahbaz Sharif, etc., keep appeasing them.
To all those who believe that TTP are only reacting to others
Please read through this link to understand their real goals. http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20121\21\story21-1-2012pg3_3
I quote a sample to illustrate their line of reasoning, Sheikh Essa felt that a revolt by the Laal Masjid would be the beginning of his interpretation of an Islamic revolution in Pakistan. So Sheikh Essa focused on Aziz. Aziz was convinced to read Essa’s book, Al-Wala Wal Bara. After reading the book, he was asked by Sheikh Essa: “Do you still believe that the Pakistan Army is a Muslim army?” He forcefully reminded Aziz of his duties as a Muslim scholar, “If you refuse the call of takfeer on the Pakistan Army, God will never forgive.”
Let us realise, once you go down the 'takfeer' route there is no looking back. Aren't a majority of the believers already on the way?
These maniacs believe they are religiously required to impose their ideology on everyone and spread their version of Islam as far as possible by any means necessary. What can you possibly offer them by way of a peace treaty? You will either defeat them and stop the radical education that is creating more of these monsters every day in your society, or you will be be overtaken by them and live under their rule. 98% odds of the latter unless the secularists grow a collective spine and stnd up to the religious extremists.
A Democratic, free Country, a Country which has given Pakistan aid and sustained and tolerated it since its birth, accidentally kills few Pakistani soldiers and Pakistan closes down NATO supplies and Pakistanis want to nuke the Country of 300 Million.
But, something similar and worse is perpetrated by a bunch of Muslims using the Holy Text as the cover, Pakistanis will not raise much hue and cry. They either dismiss them as not Muslims at all, but actually RAW or CIA agents, or call them brainwashed by RAW/CIA/Mossad,etc.
What hypocrisy.
@Roflcopter
"funny how we call these people animals when they kill our troops but at the same time we allow savage US to carry out drone strikes which kill innocent women and children"
And of course people like you fail to mention to that the deaths caused by the Americans are either accidental or collateral to killing the insurgents. On the other hand the Talibs target Pakistani soldiers and civilians deliberately.
@Junaid: What is your problem trying to be smart with these comments?
@Nadir: No outrage Nadir, because NATO did not kill in revenge. They killed innocent troops. Here it is tit for tat. The sanest voices are of Saeed, Haris bin Tariq and Finding memo. Those who talk of carpet bombing are talking sheer gibberish..
@Bilal Why not apportion blame or praise proportionately. Why forget their statement that the act was in retaliation for what the army did to them. It is "our war" so both sides kill each other. :
@Hafeez: Strong push? How strong? For how many days has Bara been under curfew and yet? Think of something that might hold.
I havent heard the usual rhetorics 1. This couldnt have been by the muslims because muslims dont kill muslims 2. This must be a RAW/CIA/MOSSAD/KGB/MI conspiracy 3. The dead were not circumcised and hence couldnt have been Pak soldiers. India tries to create violence between taliban and pak army 4. Oh : this must have been by Mansoor Izaz in collaboration with HH by a vicious memo. 5. Ask RIM to provide text messages between them
These criminals should be given exemplary justice; They want to kill Pakistani soldiers and kill Pakistani civilians to please their foreign masters. I am sure this episode will strengthen the resolve of the brave Pakistani jawan to bring these foreign paid criminals to justice. The border with Afghanistan should be sealed to prevent the incursions by agents supporting these criminals.
@Finding Memo: No, it's just people who want your submission executing your soldiers. Quote me times where this resulted from war in general, and yes, women and children die in pretty much every war. Them doing this should be nothing other than a representation of why they need to be wiped out. Yet, somehow, many of you see it as good reason to bend over. It's people like you, making excuses, that they have a safe place to stay when they aren't out killing more women and children than any army has in the written history of the world.
Why Rehman thanked Taliban recently? So that these Barbarians can carry on these killings. What about the families of these soldiers? They will always live to see the murder on video forever. Politicians will never feel the pain as they will never experience such pain themselves. For them these poor soldiers are just like a fodder. Unless the policy of no guns no violence is followed and politicians stop the double talk these murderous killings will go on. God give strength to the poor families of such martyred.
This Video should be a standard issue shown (repeatedly) to all Pakistani soldiers! Thinking that you can meekly surrender to Taliban forces and be freed later through some negotiated swap deal for Taliban in prison is pure folly!
The "Ghairat Brigade" was frothing at the mouth for weeks about the killing of 24/26 Pakistani Soldiers in battle by ISAF/American forces under still murky circumstances!
With the release of this TTP video of the BRUTAL EXECUTION of 15 Pakistanis, WILL ALL PLEASE NOTE HOW SILENT IN COMPARISON the "Ghairat Brigade" will now be!
@Hariq bin Tariq Its the Taliban who slaughter our women and children through bombings, not the other way around. Taliban sympathizer like you are curse on nation.
I thought many(probably most if you go by the polls) Pakistanis think that this not pakistans war. Are the Taliban, who are killing pak army men, Englishman from London who have developed a love for kameez and turbans? Or is this another Zionist conspiracy. Maybe they are Jews from Hollywood. Some say that the Mumbai attacker kasabs real name is "Amar Singh". Maybe he is a Hindu too.
@Haris Bin Tariq
Who asked them to take up arms and terrorize the people at the first place? These terrorists took over Khyber agency and collected bhatta, kidnapped people for ransom and enforced their medieval ideas. The army responded to their militant activities and the state has the right to establish its writ. Why don’t Taliban drop their weapons and go home? According to you logic, a criminal can say that I am responding because I was prevented from committing crimes.
This was probably avenging Hakimullah Masood's death in the drone attack.
funny how we call these people animals when they kill our troops but at the same time we allow savage US to carry out drone strikes which kill innocent women and children. Unfortunately we are no different from these "barbarians".
@Haris Bin Tariq: So do you approve of what the Taliban did?
Siddique Malik, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
I wonder what JI, IJT, JUI, PTI, PML (all its variations) and all those Pakistanis who have been brain-washed by mullahs think of this act of cold-blooded murder of innocent people. There are sympathizers of the Taliban thugs among Pakistani Diaspora in America, too, and they think that the Taliban are the most innocent people because they have long beards and are "good Muslims." When you tell these religiously stubborn well-wishers of the Taliban about the Taliban's crimes against humanity, they say, this is American, Jewish and Hindu propaganda. There should be no mercy for the Taliban thugs. I wonder why Pakistani army cannot simply wipe out these harbingers of Stone age mentality. I suppose the army is too busy playing politics, and creating "strategic depth," and doesn't realize that it is making Pakistan fall into these "depths."
Siddique Malik, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Ok whats the excuse now? No outrage? TTP can kill jawans and its not news. Only those that are killed by NATO are worthy of mourning and outrage?
Taliban are a curse ...these are the sons of famous killers, extortionist, thieves etc that got refuge in so called 'no-go area' in our tribal belts for many decades after committing crimes in main land Pakistan....now they use the name of Islam to rob and rule us....our state as well as we as a nation stand responsible of allowing these murders live in our neighbourhood...and guess what they are back and we have to pay back.....
Shame shame so called Muslims. Taliban you should know how much the world in general and Pakistanis in particular HATES you.
A Pathan.
The Taliban should be hanged.
So is their interpretation of Islam to kill fellow human beings in cold blood ? Personally, I feel they are just gangsters, nothing to do with Islam at all.
Is it a family feud or we are so helpless against Taliban? What is the use of having such a huge army when we cannot even control these terrorists? Despite all this we call them strategic assets and happy to talk to them. I would not be surprised if rightwing apologists start blaming America and West for these brutal killings. Where is the outrage by the rightwing and Imran Khan like Salala? Was Salala killing worst than this?
This is the result of our support to US in this senseless war. We still have time to get out of this filthy war. We can say that these people are savages for killing our troops but how are we any different? Don't we bomb innocent people with JF-17s and boast about that? Don't we allow innocent women and children to be killed in drone attacks or is the killings only bad if our troops get killed?
@Bilal....you could have started bashing IK any other time then this article..but it just shows that how desperate some people are to involve IK in any thing...when Ik gives solution to this problem people say he is Taliban khan and then some say he is Jewish lobby...we should stop operations and killings in FATA and drone attacks and then we can argue on this...on what moral grounds are we standing when we dont have a lawless region like FATA where there is no army and police presence...by ridiculing IK no one will get anything...is there any solution you have for this issue other then bashing....how to stop this..should we go ahead with operation and killing in the FATA..what we have achieved in the last 8 years by doing that..
@Bilal: You fail to realise the backdrop against which all this is happening. It's a war and if you kill their women and children, do you honestly expect a boquet of yellow roses in return?
subhanallah! they got martyred by army of GOD, "The Taliban".
Ya Allah (if you exist which i doubt) bring your curse on them and their families. Prove it that you exist. Pakistan army should just carpet bomb the entire area.
PAKISTAN ZINDABAD PAKISTAN ARMY ZINDABAD
But but they are our brothers... But but the Jews did it... But but the Hindus did it...
Should have sent in Immy K to negotiate with them. He could have rescued our soldiers AND taught the taliban fast bowling.
The Americans admitted their mistake and apologized when they killed our soldiers at the border post by mistake...will the Taliban do the same? No, because they see the Pakistan army as a heathen force. I wonder why the Taliban are not seen as an enemy by the Establishment. What else do they need to do to qualify as one? Takeover GHQ? Oh. wait, they did that already...
Strategic Assets !!!
In my humble opinion, any hint at talks with such barbarians should be considered a treason. I believe this is high time for a strong push against militants by our 600,000 Pak Army. If army wants to do it, they can, as they did in Swat.