U.S. Confident That Top Taliban Commander In Afghanistan Has Been Killed

The Associated Press reports that "U.S. authorities are increasingly confident that top Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud was killed in Wednesday's U.S. missile strike in northeastern Pakistan, officials said Friday. A senior counterterrorism official said that while the U.S. is still working on final identification, authorities now have strong indications that Mehsud is dead. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence reports. Mehsud is Pakistan's most wanted criminal. U.S. officials say he was becoming a greater threat to Western interests as he directed suicide attacks and sent recruits across the border into Afghanistan. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs and Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman both said Friday that there is a growing consensus among credible observers that Mehsud died in the strike, which targeted a relatives home. A militant commander and aide to Mehsud also said Friday that the leader is dead. Gibbs described Mehsud as a murderous thug. He said: 'If he is dead, without a doubt, the people of Pakistan will be safer as a result.'"
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