A little background on Abdullah Mehsud

In the post linking to the story on the grenade suicide of Abdullah Mehsud, I wondered about his past, and what accounted for his role in terrorist operations in Pakistan. Pakistan's The News published a bio story.

He surrendered along with several thousand Taliban fighters to the forces of Uzbek warlord, Abdul Rashid Dostum, in December 2001 in the northern Kunduz province following the US invasion of Afghanistan. Despite his promise to the Taliban commanders not to deliver them to the US, Dostum handed several of them to the American military authorities. Abdullah Mahsud too was turned over to the Americans, who subsequently transferred him to the specially-built US prison at the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

He was released in March 2004 after spending 25 months at Guantanamo Bay. Until then, he wasn[']t well-known even in his native South Waziristan. But the stint in an American jail and his artificial leg soon made him a household name in the area. His long hair and daredevil nature made him a colourful and interesting character. Stories were told as to how Abdullah Mahsud rides a camel or horse to visit his fighters in his mountainous abode. He started making speeches in mosques and madrassas preaching Jihad and exhorting the young people to fight against the US and its allies.
(The News)

I don't know the source of author Rahimullah Yusufzai's statement that Mehsud served with Taliban forces, or the account of his capture. If true, it suggests that Mehsud was properly designated as an unlawful enemy combatant if he wasn't fighting in a Taliban uniform. His release from Gitmo after 25 months played a part leading to the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers and the five deaths that occurred during a subsequent rescue attempt.