Pakistan Taliban Claims Responsibility for Binghamton Shooting

Baitullah Mahsud, the chief accused of the murder of Benazir Bhutto announced that he ordered the attack yesterday in the U.S. state of New York

The leader of the Taliban militants of Pakistan, Baituallah Mehsud claimed responsibility today for the attacks yesterday at the immigrant center in Binghamton, New York. Fourteen people died including the killer himself.

“I accept responsibility, they were my men. I gave the orders for the attack by U.S. drones,” Mehsud said to Reuters via telephone from a secret location.

Yesterday, 42-year-old Jiverly Wong, a man of Vietnamese origin, fired shots among immigrants at the service center of the American Civic Association in Binghamton killing 13 people, wounding at least 20, and then committing suicide after talks with police.

To fuel the initial doubts on the dynamic was the view, by the witnesses, that apparently two Asian people were taken away in handcuffs by the police. It was clarified that they were not involved in the shooting and that Wong, recently dismissed from IBM, appeared to have acted alone. The news of Mehsud’s claim is bouncing all over the Indian and Pakistani media. Along with being a Taliban leader, Mehsud is considered close to Al-Qaida. He claimed responsibility for the attack on the police school in Lahore last week.

Mehsud is suspected of instigating the attack that killed Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto. He perpetrated dozens of attacks against NATO forces in Afghanistan. The March 26 attack of a restaurant in Jandola by a suicide bomber, which caused 12 deaths, is also attributed to him.

Born in the early 70s, Mehsud emerged as a tribal leader in 2004 during the death of Nek Mohammad. In a ceremony which five prominent Taliban leaders attended, including Mullah Dadullah, Mehsud was appointed governor on behalf of Mullah Omar in an important region of southern Waziristan.