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PAKISTAN: buried Hakimullah Mehsud, the Taliban choose a successor

 

Pakistani Taliban gathered Saturday, Nov. 2 in Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan, for the funeral of their leader Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed the day before by a U.S. drone.

The leader of the Pakistani armed Islamist rebellion, which Washington offered five million dollars for information leading to his capture was gunned down Friday by a drone in the village of Dandey Darpakhel near Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan, the epicenter of the jihadist movement in the region.

The central council of the Taliban will meet Saturday in an unknown location of North Waziristan to choose a successor to Hakimullah Mehsud, according to sources within the rebellion. 

Remains unrecognizable

Commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group of Pakistani armed Islamist factions born in 2007, had said Friday that Mehsud's funeral, aged thirty Sixties , es, were scheduled for Saturday.

But the funeral finally took place Friday night in the presence of commanders and supporters in the village where he was killed, confirmed Saturday local sources.

His driver, a guard, an uncle and another Taliban fighter, all killed in the same drone attack, were also buried in the same ceremony, added and these sources, adding that the remains of Taliban leader was unrecognizable. 

Fear of reprisal

Saturday morning, a dozen tribal leaders and insurgents have also opened fire on a U.S. drone flying at low altitude near Miranshah. "They fired small arms and machine guns" on the drone, told AFP Tariq Khan, a shopkeeper in Miranshah.

In this city the tribal areas near the Afghan border, residents feared reprisals Saturday Taliban after the death of their leader.

"People are afraid. The death of Hakimullah Mehsud has caused uncertainty. Everyone talks about the revenge of the Taliban, "said Khan.

Miranshah bazaar was also opened Saturday morning, but deserted by customers. "I have not received a single customer in the morning," said Nisar Khan Dawar, a local grocer.

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