Taliban Kill Father-in-Law of Slain Chief Mehsud, Pakistan Says
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By Ed Johnson
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Taliban insurgents killed the father-in-law of slain leader Baitullah Mehsud and other family members on suspicion of spying, the Pakistani government said.
Militants accused them of tipping off authorities about Mehsuds whereabouts before he was killed in an air strike earlier this month, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said yesterday, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The government says Mehsuds death in the Aug. 5 missile strike in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan has thrown the Taliban into disarray and caused infighting over who should succeed him. The commanders deputy, Hakimullah Mehsud, was named at the weekend as the groups new leader, Agence France- Presse reported.
Baitullah Mehsud led a force of 5,000 fighters in the South Waziristan tribal region, after forming the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan alliance in 2007, according to U.S. military analysts.
Pakistan blamed him for the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the wife of President Asif Ali Zardari. The U.S. says he carried out attacks on American troops in Afghanistan and offered a $5 million bounty for his capture.
The government in Islamabad hailed Mehsuds death as a major victory in its fight against terrorism. Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar, who was captured earlier this month, confirmed that Mehsud is dead, the Dawn newspaper reported last week.
The army last month said it drove Taliban forces from towns and villages during a 10-week offensive in the Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province.
The Obama administration is pressing Pakistan to continue its efforts against militants, and not allow them to regain a foothold in the region.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.
Taliban Kill Father-in-Law of Slain Chief Mehsud, Pakistan Says - Bloomberg.com
Share | Email | Print | A A A
By Ed Johnson
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Taliban insurgents killed the father-in-law of slain leader Baitullah Mehsud and other family members on suspicion of spying, the Pakistani government said.
Militants accused them of tipping off authorities about Mehsuds whereabouts before he was killed in an air strike earlier this month, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said yesterday, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The government says Mehsuds death in the Aug. 5 missile strike in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan has thrown the Taliban into disarray and caused infighting over who should succeed him. The commanders deputy, Hakimullah Mehsud, was named at the weekend as the groups new leader, Agence France- Presse reported.
Baitullah Mehsud led a force of 5,000 fighters in the South Waziristan tribal region, after forming the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan alliance in 2007, according to U.S. military analysts.
Pakistan blamed him for the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the wife of President Asif Ali Zardari. The U.S. says he carried out attacks on American troops in Afghanistan and offered a $5 million bounty for his capture.
The government in Islamabad hailed Mehsuds death as a major victory in its fight against terrorism. Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar, who was captured earlier this month, confirmed that Mehsud is dead, the Dawn newspaper reported last week.
The army last month said it drove Taliban forces from towns and villages during a 10-week offensive in the Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province.
The Obama administration is pressing Pakistan to continue its efforts against militants, and not allow them to regain a foothold in the region.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.
Taliban Kill Father-in-Law of Slain Chief Mehsud, Pakistan Says - Bloomberg.com
