The most senior Taliban leader in Pakistan, Beitullah Mehsud, is rumoured to have died late on Monday after suffering kidney failure. Mehsud is the head of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella organisation for Islamist militant groups operating across Pakistan's northwest. Based in the restive tribal agency of South Waziristan, Mehsud has also been accused of organising waves of suicide attacks in Pakistan since last year, including masterminding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
Sign up to receive toD's daily security briefings via email by clicking here
The toD verdict: Although a new head of the country's principal intelligence agency was appointed on Monday, American officials have expressed their frustration at Pakistan's failure to kill or capture insurgents and tribal fighters who they say assist in the traffic of irregulars and arms into Afghanistan, fuelling the conflict there. The death of such a high profile militant leader could ease tensions between Islamabad and Washington.
However, Taliban spokesmen have dismissed the rumour that Mehsud, an ethnic Pashtun tribesman in his mid-thirties, has died or even that he is seriously ill. One militant spokesman, based in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, said: "I just spoke to a close aide of Beitullah Mehsud and he did not mention any such thing", whilst a second commented that "our leadership is fine and healthy. There's no serious illness". In the United States, a Pentagon official said he could not confirm the suspected death. And even if the Taliban chief's death proves to be true, will it be any more than a propaganda coup?
American drones kill four in Pakistan
A pilotless American drone fired missiles near the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan on Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring nine. The missiles were reportedly fired after the drone was shot at. The area is known as a haven for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters who enter Afghanistan. This attack comes amidst growing tensions between the United States and Pakistan over the latter's sovereignty.
Afghan president appeals to Saudi Arabia
The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has said that he is seeking help from Saudi Arabia to organise talks with elements of the Taliban in an attempt to stop the fighting in his country. In a message to mark Eid-al-Fitr - the end of the holy month of Ramadan - Karzai announced on Tuesday that he aimed to urge a ceasefire. He said that he had been appealing to the king of Saudi Arabia to help in the Afghan conflict for two years. However, he denied the report that talks had already taken place. Saudi Arabia was one of the few countries to recognise the Taliban rule of Afghanistan during the 1990s. Karzai said that he would personally protect Taliban leaders from US and NATO troops if they came back to Afghanistan for talks. These announcements sit against a backdrop of rising civilian casualties, as detailed in a recent UN report.
Ambush in Thailand kills three soldiers
Three Special Forces soldiers were killed on Wednesday by militants who ambushed their vehicle as it entered Ban Champakor in Narathiwt's Bacho district in Thailand's restive south. The attackers retreated back into the surrounding jungle after exchanging fire for about five minutes. One day before, an Islamic school in Yaha district came under arson attack. In Bangkok, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has announced his intention to visit the region, where more than 3,400 people have been killed since January 2004
Six soldiers and 60 rebels killed in Sri Lankan clashes
Fighting in the north of Sri Lanka left 60 rebels and six soldiers dead on Tuesday. Two Tamil Tiger boats were sunk off the northeast coast and a second Tamil Tiger runway was caught in the Panikkankulam region. Earlier this month, rebels bombed a key military base in the government-controlled area of Vavuniya. Just yesterday, an explosion rocked the capital Colombo, injuring two people.
Former insurgents incorporated into Iraqi army
From 1 October, more than 80,000 members of the Awakening movement start getting their wages paid by the Iraqi government, instead of the US military as before. The aim is to incorporate these troops, mostly Sunni Arab former insurgents who are now fighting against al-Qaida, into the Iraqi army proper. However, only 20 percent of the Awakening members will be included in this scheme. Amongst critics of this number is the Awakening leader in Ameriya, Abu Ibrahim al-Azawi, who angrily asked reporters: "What about the other 80 percent?" The Awakening movement was created after Sunni insurgency leaders realised that al-Qaida militants were exploiting the local population, holding whole communities in their thrall for their own extremist ideological purposes. However, al-Qaida remains fairly influential in the predominantly Sunni parts of Iraq and there are fears that, if abandoned by the Iraqi government, fighters could turn once more to them.
