PESHAWAR: A US drone strike on Friday killed Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Hakimullah Mehsud near Miranshah area of North Waziristan, security and insurgent sources said.
Mehsud, died along with three others when a US drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in the village of Dandey Darpakhel, five kilometres north of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, officials said.
Security and intelligence officials confirmed news, while a senior Taliban source said Mehsud was killed along with his uncle and two others. Another Taliban commander said the funeral would be held on Saturday.
It is the second major loss to the TTP in less than a month, following the confinement of another senior commander by US forces in Afghanistan.
After a bloody six-year TTP insurgency which has left thousands of security officials and civilians dead, the government has been initiating talks with the militants.
Mehsud become leader of the TTP after a fight for the leadership following the death of founder Baitullah Mehsud in a drone strike in August 2009. Mehsud was reported to have been killed in 2010 but later resurfaced.
Hundreds of civilians have died in the drone attacks, according to various estimates, prompting outrage in Pakistan and leading critics to accuse the US of breaching international law.
A major report last week from rights campaigners Amnesty International said the US may be guilty of war crimes, highlighting two attacks which it said appeared to kill only civilians.
The Pakistani government condemns drone strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and international law.
TTP Confirms The Death of Hakimullah Mehsud
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