Taliban commander Qari Hussain, a close aide of Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was popularly known as 'Ustad-e-Fidayeen' (trainer of suicide bombers) was among those killed in US drone attacks in South Waziristan.
It was a death of Hussain, widely believed to be Baitullah's successor, which had bought the Tehrik-e-Taliban chief to attend his funeral where he had a narrow escape as the procession was hit by hurricane of missiles fired by US drones, the influential Dawn newspaper reported.
Over 80 people, a majority of them militants, were killed in the attacks.
Residents of Bekh Mary Langara in South Waziristan, the scene of Tuesday's attack, said 30 militants were among the more than 80 people killed in the two US drone attacks Tuesday.
Doctors at a government hospital at Miranshah in North Waziristan said 27 injured people, including children, were brought there for treatment. The Taliban denied media reports that militant commander Sangeen Zadran, who also attended the funeral, had been killed in the attack.
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"Reports about Sangeen Zadran's death are baseless and his video statement will be released within two days," Taliban leader Noorullah told Dawn. Noorullah confirmed that some militant commanders, including Maulvi Bilal, Khushdel and Shabir Khan, had died in the attack.
The second drone attack on Tuesday occurred when a large number of people had assembled for the burial of Afghan militant commander Khwaz Ali, who was killed with five others in a similar missile strike earlier in the day.
Some officials believed that Sangeen Zadran had come from Afghanistan's Paktia province to attend the funeral of one of his key colleagues and the drones might have picked up his movement.
Local residents said several Taliban commanders, including Mehsud and Zadran, attended the funeral but left moments before the missiles were fired.