Baitullah's successor killed in US drone attack

ISLAMABAD: 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.

US drones yesterday fired three missiles at a Taliban training centre near village Makeen, 60 kms from Waziristan's chief town of Wanna, killing seven militants. Another barrage of seven missiles rained down on the same area at a funeral procession for some of those killed in the first attack.

Earlier, local officials were quoted by TV channels as saying that Baitullah Mehsud was at the funeral, with media reports saying he had a very close call. Local officials and intelligence reports suggested militants had lost contact with Mehsud for a while after the attack.

But, media reports today while confirming that Mehsud had visited the village where the funeral took place, said the the militant leader left before the lethal second attack. Hundreds of top ranking Taliban leaders attended the funeral and their presence, the sources said, indicated that the first drone attack had taken out a high-value target.