US says not 100% sure about 'murderous thug' Mehsud's death

I / Washington August 8, 2009, 13:04 IST

The US is not "100 per cent certain" that Pakistan's most wanted terrorist and Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud has been killed in a missile strike but feels that people of that country would be safer with the demise of such a "murderous thug".     

"We have, obviously, seen reports, even by members of the Taliban, that Baitullah Mehsud is dead. We can't with 100 per cent certainty verify that," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.     

"There seems to be a growing consensus among credible observers that he is indeed dead," he said, adding "if the reports of Mehsud's death are correct, there is no doubt that the Pakistani people are safer as a result of it".     

 

Citing intelligence inputs, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said yesterday that the Tehrik-e-Taliban chief has been "taken out" in a US drone attack in the country's tribal belt. "Authorities are going to the site of the missile strike to verify the Taliban leader's death."     

Branding Mehsud as a "murderous thug", Gibbs said the Taliban commander helped plan and execute the death of scores of individuals, innocent civilians - men, women and children - through anything ranging from deadly suicide attacks to planning the assassination of former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto. "So his demise is a good thing for the Pakistani people."

When asked why he is not 100 per cent certain about Mehsud's death, Gibbs said: "It may be many weeks before you could determine something like that, based on what's going on in that region, based on the remoteness of that region."     

"We are seeing a high level of sustained cooperation (in the war against terrorism), which is certainly a good thing. We think it's a good thing for the Pakistani people, and it's obviously a good thing for the region," he said.     

State Department spokesman Robert Wood also did not confirm Mehsud's death.     

"It is a long struggle and the US will continue with its fight against Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders in the region," he said, adding "we have seen reports, but we are not able to confirm anything at this point," he said. 

Wood said Mehsud has been responsible for a number of atrocious terrorist attacks against people from around the world. "We will continue to work with other countries around the world to fight the scourge of terrorism."     

"Mehsud is just one individual who's been responsible for carrying out heinous acts of terrorism and aggression against innocent civilians ... We will continue to go after" such people, he said.