Top US officials have come to a definitive conclusion of the slaying of Tehrik-i-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud and said his death would set off a new power struggle as al-Qaeda would find it hard to replace him with a commander of their choice.
"Hakimullah Mehsud was specifically chosen by al Qaeda to succeed Baitullah Mehsud because he was considered most allied to it. His role in facilitating the attack on the American base in Afghanistan showed how much trust al Qaeda had vested in him," New York Times reported quoting US officials.
"An Obama administration official in Washington said intelligence reports over the weekend came close to a definitive conclusion — about 90 per cent certainty — that Mehsud had died from wounds suffered in a drone strike on January 14," New York Times reported today.
"Mehsud was believed to have been buried in a tribal plot in Pakistan’s tribal areas," it said.
The US has been eager to retaliate against Mehsud after he claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a CIA base in southeast Afghanistan in late December that killed five agency officers and two private contractors, the deadliest assault against the spy agency in more than 20 years.
American officials said they hoped the death of Mehsud would signal their resolve against the Taliban groups and their Qaeda allies who have used Pakistan's tribal areas to strike at American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.