Analysis: A New Opportunity in Pakistan

[tekisui]

Source: Times Online

It is too early to say what impact the death of Baitullah Mehsud might have on the Taleban insurgency in Pakistan. It will certainly have almost none on the battle next door for control of Afghanistan.

While Mehsud forged alliances of convenience with al-Qaeda and the powerful Haqqani network fighting in eastern Afghanistan, his goal was the destabilisation and takeover of Pakistan.

As such, he made bitter enemies of not only the Pakistani regime in Islamabad but the Pakistani military and powerful intelligence service too.

Elements of both those organisations have long supported the Taleban fighting Western forces in Afghanistan, both materially and ideologically, but there was no such tolerance for Mehsud and his Pakistani Taleban.

Mehsud’s killing shows some of the closest cooperation yet between the United States and Pakistan on Pakistan’s home turf. Islamabad has long publicly protested about CIA drone strikes in its tribal regions while privately tolerating them. But earlier this year, the two countries began cooperating on the missile attacks aimed at the Pakistan Taleban. Mehsud’s death is evidence of this.

more, including possible successor's: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6745983.ece

[tekisui]

1. A campaign of reprisals would be the worst outcome. Mehsud

had some ties to Haqqani, which is the group believed to be holding the US soldier captive.