Pakistani officials confirm Taliban chief is dead

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The Pakistani government confirmed for the first time Wednesday that the country's Taliban leader has died of injuries sustained in a U.S. drone strike in mid-January, setting the stage for a potential succession struggle that could further weaken the group.But analysts caution that Hakimullah Mehsud's death would not deal the al-Qaida-linked militants a knockout blow nor bring an end to attacks that have killed hundreds of people in the past few months. A suicide bomber attacked a vehicle carrying tribal police near Pakistan's volatile border with Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 17 people.The Pakistani Taliban continue to deny Mehsud's death, but the group used the same tactic when his predecessor was killed by a U.S. missile less than six months ago, only admitting his demise weeks later to give the group time to choose a successor. Analysts believe the same dynamic could be at work now....
READ MORE
Picture Left:In this Oct. 4, 2009 file photo, Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud arrives to meet with media in Sararogha of Pakistan's tribal area of South Waziristan along the Afghanistan border.(AP Photo/Ishtiaq Mehsud, File)