Drone hit kills Pakistani Taliban leader

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This article was published 02/11/2013 (4543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A U.S. drone strike Friday killed Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, in a major blow to the group that came after the government said it had started peace talks with the insurgents, intelligence officials and militant commanders said.

Mehsud, who was on U.S. most-wanted terrorist lists with a $5-million bounty, is believed to have been behind a deadly suicide attack at a CIA base in Afghanistan, a failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square and other brazen assaults in Pakistan that killed thousands of civilians and security forces.

The ruthless, 34-year-old commander who was closely allied with al-Qaida was reported to have been killed in 2010 — only to resurface later. But a senior U.S. intelligence official said Friday the U.S. received positive confirmation Mehsud had been killed.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed his death, as did two Taliban commanders who saw his mangled body after the strike. A third commander said the Taliban would likely choose Mehsud’s successor today.

“If true, the death of Hakimullah Mehsud will be a significant blow to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), an organization that poses a serious threat to the Pakistani people and to Americans in Pakistan,” said Michael Morell, a former acting CIA director who retired in August and has championed the drone program. His comments came in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

There is increased tension between Islamabad and Washington over the drone attacks, and Pakistan is also trying to strike a peace deal with the Taliban.

The group’s deputy leader was killed in a drone strike in May, and one of Mehsud’s deputies was arrested last month.

The intelligence officials and militant commanders said Friday’s drone attack that killed Mehsud hit a compound in the village of Dande Derpa Khel in the North Waziristan tribal area. Four other suspected militants were killed, they said, including Mehsud’s cousin, uncle and one of his guards. They did not have the identity of the fourth victim.

At least four missiles struck just after a vehicle in which Mehsud was riding had entered the compound, the Taliban commanders said, adding a senior group of militants was discussing the peace talks at a nearby mosque before the attack. The CIA and the White House declined to comment.

Pakistan’s tribal region is dangerous, making it difficult for journalists to independently confirm information on drone attacks there.

The Pakistani government was swift to condemn the drone strike, although that comment came before news of Mehsud’s death was reported.

— The Associated Press