Pakistan Nears Peace Deal With Militants

(AP) - A US missile strike today in Pakistan's lawless tribal region killed a wife of Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban commander, the AP reports. Mehsud has been accused of orchestrating dozens of suicide attacks in Pakistan, including the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. The US, as usual, did not comment on the strike, but three Pakistani officials confirmed that the blast destroyed the home of Mehsud's father-in-law and killed two people. More»

Baitullah Mehsud fell victim to kidney failure, Pakistani official say

(NEWSER) - The Taliban leader suspected in the December assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto died today, officials tell CNN. Baitullah Mehsud, believed to be 34, succumbed to kidney failure, sources in his native tribal region of South Waziristan said; though Pakistani military officials also claimed Mehsud had died, some Taliban representatives denied it. More»

Top Taliban leader and others accused of plotting assassination

(NEWSER) - Police in Pakistan have filed charges against five men, including the country’s top Taliban commander, accusing them of planning the December assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the AP reports. President Pervez Musharaff had named the Taliban leader (and suspected al-Qaeda operative), Baitullah Mehsud, days after the attack, but today’s formal accusation led a judge to issue warrants for his and his co-conspirators’ arrest. More»

Pakistani militants, al-Qaeda blamed

(NEWSER) - The CIA director blames a cooperative effort by al-Qaeda and a group of Pakistani militants for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the Washington Post reports. The conclusion jibes with the explanation Pervez Musharraf has offered, though some Pakistanis still suspect the president and his government had a hand in the ex-PM’s murder. More»

Deaths derail peace talks in lawless northwest Pakistan

(NEWSER) - Eight tribal leaders were shot to death in northwest Pakistan yesterday, the Times of London reports, further roiling the near-anarchic area. The assailants are believed to be Islamic militants. The chiefs had formed a peace committee and were involved in efforts to broker a ceasefire between the military and insurgents who operate in South Waziristan, home to Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban leader accused of assassinating Benazir Bhutto. More»