Pakistan on high alert after Taliban leader killed by US drone strike

Government says death of Hakimullah Mehsud has destroyed attempts to hold peace talks with Islamist militants Conal Urquhart, and Jon Boone-Saturday 2 November 20 ! "ink to video# $S drone kills leader of %akistani &aliban, Hakimullah Mehsud

Pakistan's security forces have been put on high alert after a CIA drone attack killed the leader of the country's Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, in the la less tribal areas! ' %akistani (overnment minister said the strike by an unmanned aircraft on )riday had destroyed attempts to hold peace talks with the militants which be(an this week* +haudhry Nisar 'li ,han, the interior minister, said# -&his is not .ust the killin( of one person, it/s the death of all peace efforts*His sentiments were echoed by the former cricketer turned politician Imran ,han, who threatened to block lorries carryin( supplies to Nato troops in 'f(hanistan unless the attacks stop* -0ialo(ue has been broken with this drone attack,- said ,han* Mehsud and five other &aliban militants were killed and two others were wounded in the attack after leavin( a meetin( at a mos1ue in the 0ande 0arpa ,hel area of North 2a3iristan* &he %akistani &aliban have named ,han Sayed Sa.na as their new leader

after a secret meetin( of their rulin( council* He is described as lackin( in formal education but with (reat military e4perience* 'lthou(h Mehsud/s death has been wron(ly reported in the past, informants in the tribal area said they were confident one of the country/s most a(ressive militant leaders was dead* -He was tar(eted as he was returnin( to his home from a nearby mos1ue where he had been holdin( discussions with his comrades,- said a military officer based in a city close to the semi5autonomous )ederally 'dministered &ribal 'reas, a re(ion which is home to many Islamist terrorist (roups* -He was ri(ht at his front door and at least three missiles were fired*' senior $S intelli(ence official told the 'ssociated %ress the $S received positive confirmation on )riday mornin( that he had been killed* ' %akistani &aliban fi(hter said on Saturday that Mehsud/s body was -dama(ed but reco(nisable-, 6euters reported* &aliban commanders said Mehsud/s funeral would be held on Saturday* Mehsud was secretly buried under cover of darkness in the early hours by a few companions amid fears that his funeral mi(ht be attacked by $*S* drones* -7very drop of Hakimullah/s blood will turn into a suicide bomber,- said '3am &ari1, a %akistani &aliban spokesman* -'merica and their friends shouldn/t be happy because we will take reven(e for our martyr/s blood*%akistan/s forei(n ministry condemned the drone attack as a -violation of %akistan/s soverei(nty and territorial inte(rity-* Militant and official sources said Mehsud/s driver and body(uard were amon( the dead* 8f the 90 shura council members attendin( the meetin(, :! voted in favour of Sayed succeedin( Mehsud, accordin( to the ,arachi5based 0awn*com* &he website said Sayed, !9, was involved in the attack on a naval base in ,arachi in May 20 and masterminded a 20 2 .ailbreak in which the &aliban freed :00 inmates in the north5western city of ;annu* -Sayed has no basic education, conventional or reli(ious, but he is battle5hardened and has e4perience of fi(htin( in 'f(hanistan,- an official told 0awn*com* However, other reports su((ested that Sheharyar Mehsud had been appointed as caretaker leader, possibly by another shura council* 'lthou(h Mehsud/s four5year tenure as head of %akistan/s most feared militant (roup has been marked by horrific attacks that have killed scores of soldiers, (overnment officials and civilians, his death looked likely to provoke fury amon( some politicians who believe the &ehreek5e5&aliban %akistan <&&%= should be brou(ht in to peace talks* 'll political parties unanimously supported (overnment attempts to ne(otiate with the

&&% at a meetin( in September* >ust this week the prime minister, Nawa3 Sharif, announced that talks between the two sides had finally be(un* ' (overnment official claimed Mehsud had been discussin( the matter with fellow fi(hters .ust before he was killed, while the &aliban said a (overnment peace dele(ation was in Miranshah, the re(ional capital of North 2a3iristan, at the time of the attack* &he country/s ri(htwin( reli(ious parties are likely to interpret the drone strike as a deliberate attempt by the $S to scupper peace talks with an or(anisation that swears alle(iance to Mullah 8mar, the leader of the 'f(han &aliban, who fi(ht a(ainst Nato troops in the nei(hbourin( country* Sharif, who held meetin(s with the $S president, ;arack 8bama, in 2ashin(ton 0+ last week, has repeatedly called for an end to drone strikes, despite suspicions that %akistan continues to (ive secret backin( to the attacks* ;ut the $S was never likely to turn down an opportunity to kill Mehsud, the mastermind of a devastatin( suicide bomb attack on a +I' station in ,host province in eastern 'f(hanistan in 200? in which seven +I' officers died* &he in(enious plot involved a >ordanian triple a(ent who the +I' believed was workin( for them but was in fact takin( orders from Mehsud* &he suicide bomber was ushered into the military base to brief +I' officers on al5 @aida, and detonated his e4plosive vest once he was inside* In a video filmed before the attack and released afterwards, Mehsud appeared alon(side the >ordanian, who said the attack was in retribution for the death of his fellow tribesman and predecessor as %akistani &aliban leader, ;aitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a $S drone strike in 'u(ust 200?* Saifullah Mahsud, the director of the %akistani thinktank )'&' 6esearch +entre, said the movement was unlikely to be overly affected by the killin( of its leader* -It/s a very decentralised or(anisation,- he said* -&hey/ve lost leaders to drone strikes before*Mehsud/s death comes .ust weeks after the &&% chief took the risky and unusual step of (rantin( an interview to a ;;+ cameraman who had travelled to %akistan/s north5 west* &he interview was conducted outside despite the constant presence of drones overhead* In May, a drone strike killed Mehsud/s second5in5command, and one of his most trusted lieutenants was captured in 'f(hanistan last month*