Pak Taliban vow more attacks
The Taliban militants are planning to carry out suicide bombings across Pakistan to avenge the death of their chief Baitullah Mehsud who was killed by the security forces in April, a media report said citing intelligence sources.
Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack in South Wazirisitan.
US intelligence agencies believe the newly named leader of the Taliban in Pakistan, Hakimullah Mehsud, might have been killed in a gunfight with a rival faction weeks ago.
Militants tapped Hakimullah to replace Baitullah, who was killed by a missile fired from a CIA-piloted drone aircraft in his South Waziristan stronghold on the Afghan border Aug 5.
Hakimullah's death, which officials said has yet to be confirmed definitively, would be another setback for the group, the Nation reported Saturday.
"We're pretty clear that we think he's dead," a US defence official said of Hakimullah. A counterterrorism official said: "While there's no final confirmation of his death, it's a distinct possibility."
The officials, who spoke about the intelligence on condition of anonymity, said Hakimullah was believed to have been shot weeks ago during a clash with a rival group in South Waziristan. But US intelligence agencies are still reviewing information to make a final call.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan said it will carry out suicide bombings across the country.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the group's commanders held in Mir Ali in North Wazirisitan, intelligence sources told the Online news agency on Friday.
The militants are angry after the release of a video that confirmed the death of Mehsud, according intelligence sources.
The interior ministry has directed the administrations of North West Frontier Province, Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces to strengthen security in view of the latest threats.
Earlier a pro-government tribal elder was killed Saturday when masked gunmen opened fire on his car in northwest Pakistan's Taliban-plagued tribal region, local officials said.
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