Dreaded Pak Taliban ’suicide bombing boss’ Mehsud killed in US drone attack

PESHAWAR - Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Qari Hussain Mehsud, notorious trainer of suicide bombers, has been reportedly killed in the latest US drone strikes in Pakistan’s North Waziristan agency.

US intelligence officials have not confirmed Mehsud’s death, but unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials asserted that he was killed in one of the two Predator strikes in Machi Khail village on Friday, the Nation reports.

Officials said that the drone’s target was a vehicle, parked inside a compound, and a house.

“At least four militants were killed. The US drone fired two missiles. The target was a vehicle,” the official said.

Machi Khail village, which is situated 30kilometres away from Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, is considered to be a stronghold of Al Qaeda-led Taliban insurgents and is frequently targeted by the US.

The US has been hunting for Mehsud for his role in training Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani American who attempted the May 1 Times Square bombing in New York.

Mehsud had allegedly trained Shahzad to build the bomb, and had also appeared on a Taliban propaganda tape claiming credit for the failed attack.

He was also involved in training Abu Dujanah al-Khurasani, the Jordanian who deceived the CIA into believing that he was providing intelligence on Al-Qaeda’s operations in Pakistan.

Khurasani killed seven CIA officials and bodyguards, and a Jordanian intelligence officer, in the December 30, 2009 suicide attack at Combat Outpost Chapman in Afghanistan’s Khost province.

Khurasani had lured the CIA officials by promising to have detailed intelligence on the location of a prominent Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. (ANI)