Pakistan Taliban chief killed in US drone strike: Report
Youngisthan on November 2, 2013
Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in the country's North Waziristan Agency on Friday, Geo News reported.
The Pakistan government, while refusing to confirm Mehsud' death, however, strongly condemned the drone strike, which was carried out in the evening and killed a total of six people.
"These strikes are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. There is an across the board consensus in Pakistan that these drone strikes must end," Pakistan foreign office said in a statement.
Mehsud's close aide Tariq Mehsud was also among the six killed, security sources said.
Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan refused to confirm the death of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief in the drone strike.
Also, the TTP neither confirmed nor denied its chief's death by the drone strike.
Hakimullah Mehsud had replaced Baitullah Mehsud as TTP chief after the latter was killed in a US drone strike in 2009.
The latest drone strike targetted a compound of the TTP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Danday Dara Khel town, near Miranshah town in North Waziristan Agency, reports said.
Meanwhile, following the attack, Interior Minister Khan termed the attack an attempt to sabotage the government's plan to hold talks with the Taliban.
The Pakistan Taliban have also been demanding from the government to get the US drone strikes stopped before talks.
This was the second drone attack since Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the US, where he demanded US President Barack Obama to stop the attacks.
Pakistan has long been opposing CIA-operated drone attacks in the tribal region dubbing them as violation of its territorial integrity.
-IANS
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