By Brandon Cottrell
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A U.S. drone strike killed Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.  Several other militants, including two of Mehsud’s bodyguards, were killed in the strike.  Mehsud is believed to have been behind the failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square in 2010, as well as numerous attacks in Pakistan that have killed thousands.

Mehsud, who is “the self-proclaimed emir of the Pakistani Taliban,” is on the FBI’s most-wanted terrorist list.  He is also on the CIA’s most wanted list for his role in the December 2009 suicide bombing that killed seven Americans in Afghanistan.  He had been indicted on several charges, including conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens abroad and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S. citizens abroad.

The drone strike, which took place in the tribal areas of Northern Pakistan, is a dangerous area to be and has been subject to numerous other U.S. drone strikes.  As a result, it makes it difficult for journalists to independently confirm information.  Such difficulty is reflected in several reports over the past few years that claimed Mehsud had been killed.

However, a senior Pakistani government official said that he “ think[s] it’s quite clear Hakimullah Mehsud has died . . . two of his bodyguards died and reports from the ground suggest he was killed too.”  Additionally, a U.S. intelligence official confirmed the drone strike took place and that Mehsud had been killed.

The Taliban also confirmed Mehsud’s death in a statement that said, “We confirm with great sorrow that our esteemed leader was martyred in a drone attack.”

The strike and death, however, comes at a sensitive time as the Pakistani government has been trying to come to a peaceful agreement with the Taliban.  To date, the fighting has killed thousands of Pakistani civilians.  Mehsud had said he was open to peace talks with Pakistan, as his only targets are “America and its friends,” but that no one had approached him about it.

Drone strikes themselves are controversial in Pakistan, where many view the use of drones as an infringement on sovereignty.  Additionally, the strikes often kill innocent civilians, though the number killed is disputed.

Earlier this week the Pakistani government reported that since 2008, only 3% of the causalities from U.S. drone strikes were civilians.  The government also reported that 2,227 people had been killed by U.S. drone strikes since 2008.  Other independent organizations claim, however, that as many as 13% of the causalities were civilians.

Though Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked the U.S. to stop the strikes, it has been reported that the Pakistani government has secretly supported many of the U.S. strikes against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.  The U.S., meanwhile, has given no indication that it will abandon its use of drone strikes, despite reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that argue some of the attacks may have violated international law.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Pakistan Says Drone Strikes Killed 67 Civilians Since 2008 – 31 October 2013

BBC – Pakistan Taliban Say Chief Mehsud Killed In Drone Strike – 1 November 2013

CBS News – Pakistani Taliban Leader Among Dead In Suspected U.S. Drone Strike, Officials Say – 1 November 2013

CNN – 3 Dead In First U.S. Drone Strike In Pakistan Since Leaders Met – 31 October 2013