PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The assassination of the leader of a renegade Pakistani Taliban faction by one of his own men Tuesday underscores a growing rift in the ranks of the militant group as it braces for an impending army assault in the volatile northwest.
Qari Zainuddin’s killing sets back government hopes of exploiting these internal divisions in the South Waziristan tribal region, where the army has been pounding strongholds of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in apparent preparation for a major U.S.-backed offensive.
Suspected U.S. missiles also hammered the same areas Tuesday, striking a purported Taliban training center and later a funeral procession for some of those killed in the first missile attack. Up to 40 people died — including Sangeen Khan, a top aide to Mehsud — and 60 more were wounded, said two intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to compromise their jobs.
Mehsud has humbled the Pakistani army in past battles and has been closing ranks this year by forging fresh alliances with other powerful Taliban leaders and killing off opponents. Although Zainuddin was never seen as a serious challenger to Mehsud, the government had clearly hoped his outspoken criticism of the Taliban leader would foster others to defect and help the army with tips on where to find him.
Aides to the slain Taliban official said a guard walked into Zainuddin’s office after morning prayers and opened fire at about 7 a.m., hitting him in the head and chest, and then fled in a waiting car.
Baz Mohammad, a Zainuddin aide who was wounded, accused Mehsud of ordering the assassination. Zainuddin had recently criticized Mehsud for using suicide bombings to target civilians and, more important in his view, clerics inside mosques.
“It was definitely Baitullah’s man who infiltrated our ranks, and he has done his job,” Mohammad told The Associated Press, vowing to avenge the death.
But that will be no easy task, as shown by the military’s challenges in going after Mehsud in the tribal lands on the Afghan border, where he is based. Instead of a full-on confrontation, the army has been using airstrikes and artillery to try to soften up his men’s entrenched positions.
The Obama administration supports anti-militant operations, seeing them as a measure of Pakistan’s resolve in fighting a growing insurgency. The battle could also help the war in Afghanistan because militants have launched cross-border attacks on coalition troops there.
Mahmood Shah, a former top security official, said the slaying sends a message to the government that only a major operation would have a chance of defeating Mehsud.
“Baitullah Mehsud has overcome all tribal dynamics. He has resources, funding and a fighting force to strike anywhere in Pakistan,” Shah said, calling him a front man for al-Qaeda and his home base of South Waziristan the “epicenter in the war on terror.”
