Did they?
"Pakistan confirms death of Taliban chief; Analysts expect power struggle" by Riaz Khan and Munir Ahmad, Associated Press | February 11, 2010
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - The Pakistani government confirmed for the first time yesterday that the country’s Taliban leader has died of injuries sustained in a US drone strike in mid-January, setting the stage for a potential succession struggle that could further weaken the group.
Government claimed? That's reason to doubt it right there!
But....
A suicide bomber attacked a vehicle carrying tribal police near Pakistan’s volatile border with Afghanistan yesterday, killing 17 people.
Yeah, but don't linger on that too long, MSM.
The Pakistani Taliban continue to deny Mehsud has died, but the group used the same tactic when his predecessor was killed by a US missile less than six months ago, acknowledging his demise weeks later to give the group time to choose a successor.
Analysts say the same thing could be happening now.
“There will be some sort of a struggle for power for at least some time, and that is why they are hiding his death,’’ said Talat Masood, a retired general and military analyst. “It will take some time for them to recover, in the sense of having proper leadership.’’
The Pakistani government said more than a week ago that it was investigating reports of Mehsud’s death following a Jan. 14 drone strike. But yesterday was the first time officials confirmed they believe the militant leader is dead.
That's not the same as an actual confirmation, is it?
In a response to an Associated Press query, Pakistan’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, wrote, “Yes, he is dead.’’
A senior intelligence official concurred separately. Neither gave details.
In late January, a tribal elder told the AP he had attended Mehsud’s funeral after he died at his in-laws’ home. Some media reports, citing unnamed Taliban sources, said Mehsud died more recently in central Pakistan, on his way to receive medical treatment in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi.
Counterterrorism officials in Washington are also increasingly certain he has died.
And he's probably pregnant, too!
Still, Mehsud has been mistakenly reported dead before....
And he got up out of the ground, huh?
Rahimullah Yousafzai, a Pakistani journalist and Taliban expert, said Mehsud’s reported death occurred at a particularly bad time for the Pakistani Taliban because the group is trying to recover from having lost its main sanctuary near the Afghan border.
Since when? Wouldn't my MSM be crowing about that?
Is that why NATO is going on the offense right near there?
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PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Two suicide bombers struck outside a police complex in northwest Pakistan yesterday, killing 15 people and underscoring the relentless security threat despite army operations and US missile strikes against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Yeah, when can we get troops in there, Pakistan?
The second blast went off as rescuers responded to the first - a militant tactic seen before in Pakistan, but not often.
And that raises on hell of a stink, readers!
Of the 15 dead, at least nine were police, while the 30 people wounded included the city’s police chief, said Abdul Hafeez, a hospital official.
The attacks coincided with a visit to Islamabad by Jim Jones, White House national security adviser.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Every time a U.S. official visits there is a boom-boom.
Militants have carried out numerous attacks on security forces over the past several years to undermine the public’s confidence in the already-weak state.
On Wednesday, a suicide bomber killed 10 police officers and seven civilians in the Khyber tribal region near the Afghan border.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for yesterday’s bombings, which were carried out by attackers on foot outside a gate to the police complex, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban.
So implies the lying and concealing AmeriKan war media.
The suicide bombings occurred amid growing certainty that the militant group’s top commander, Hakimullah Mehsud, died from wounds sustained in a US missile strike in mid-January.
The Taliban have denied he is dead, but failed to offer proof he is alive.When I think of all the rot-gut s*** this AmeriKan media has failed to offer proof over I'm filled with sadness.
All the while keeping alive the dead guy myth.
--more--"
