Death of Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mahsud is confirmed

A Pakistani official says he was killed in a U.S. drone missile strike. His death deals a major blow to the Taliban in the region.

By Alex Rodriguez and Greg Miller
LA Times
August 7, 2009

Reporting from Washington and Lahore, Pakistan -- Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mahsud, Pakistan's most wanted terrorist and a staunch Al Qaeda ally, was killed in an American missile strike, a Pakistani minister confirmed Friday, dealing a severe blow to militants who have been the architects of some of Pakistan's worst terror attacks in recent years.

Mahsud's death represents a significant victory in the ongoing bid by Pakistan and the U.S. to eliminate the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Mahsud, believed to be 35, is aligned with Al Qaeda and is thought to be responsible for dozens of suicide bombing attacks, beheadings and killings throughout Pakistan.

He was also suspected as the mastermind of the December 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

"Our intelligence sources confirm Baitullah Mahsud's death," said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. "According to my sources, this news is correct, and he has been taken out."

(More here.)