Informed Comment Homepage

Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Header Right

Donate

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Email
  • RSS
  • Featured
  • US politics
  • Middle East
  • Environment
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Energy
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • About
  • Archives
  • Submissions

© 2023 Informed Comment

  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Uncategorized

Mahsud’s Death Seems ‘Sure Thing’

Juan Cole 08/08/2009

Tweet
Share
Reddit
Email
0 Shares

The leading Pakistani newspaper, Dawn, reports that there “is no doubt” that a US drone strike killed Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan. The report says that the US shared with Pakistan officials video from the drone that clearly showed that Mahsud’s body had been torn in half by the blast.

Some Pakistani officials are showing some optimism that the Taliban Movement of Pakistan is on the run, having suffered significant reversals in Bajaur, Mohmand, Swat, and now South Waziristan.

In bad news for the US and NATO, An Afghan Taliban leader said that Baitullah’s death was irrelevant to the Afghanistan Taliban, which would continue apace.

AP lists possible successors to Baitullah, who include other members of the Mahsud tribe.

Dawn has a video biography of Baitullah Mahsud.

End/ (Not Continued)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

Primary Sidebar

STAY INFORMED

Join our newsletter and have sharp analysis delivered to your inbox every day.

Twitter

Follow Juan Cole @jricole or Informed Comment @infcomment on Twitter

Facebook



Sign up for our newsletter

Informed Comment © 2023 All Rights Reserved

Posting....