DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - A suspected US missile strike killed a wife of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud at his father-in-law’s house yesterday, Pakistani intelligence and military officials said.
Mehsud associates acknowledged a woman was killed but would not confirm her identity. They said Mehsud was not at the South Waziristan home during the attack, which authorities said also killed a second person.
The missile strike could indicate that American intelligence aimed at tracking down the notorious Taliban leader is getting sharper, and that those hunting him are getting closer.
South Waziristan is part of the northwest tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan where Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders - including possibly Osama bin Laden - are believed to be hiding. Dozens of American missile strikes have landed in the tribal regions over the past year, and lately they have focused on targets linked to Mehsud.
Two intelligence officials and one army official, who all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the missile strike had destroyed the home of Mehsud’s father-in-law, Akramud Din, and that two people had been killed, including the second of Mehsud’s two wives. Under Islam, men are allowed to have up to four wives.
The US Embassy had no comment yesterday. Washington generally does not acknowledge the strikes, which are fired from unmanned drones. The US has a $5 million bounty on Mehsud.
