PESHAWAR, Pakistan - The Pakistani government confirmed for the first time Wednesday that the country's Taliban leader has died of injuries sustained in a US drone strike in mid-January, setting the stage for a potential succession struggle that could further weaken the group. But analysts caution that Hakimullah Mehsud's death would not deal the al-Qaid -linked militants a knockout blow nor bring an end to attacks that have killed hundreds of people in the past few months. A suicide bomber attacked a vehicle carrying tribal police near Pakistan's volatile border with Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 17 people. The Pakistani Taliban continue to deny Mehsud's death, but the group used the same tactic when his predecessor was killed by a U.S. missile less than six months ago, only admitting his demise weeks later to give the group time to choose a successor. Analysts believe the same dynamic could be at work now. "There will be some sort of a struggle for power for at least some time and that is why they are hiding his death," retired general and military analyst Talat Masood said. "It will take some time for them to recover in the sense of having proper leadership." The Pakistani government said more than a week ago that it was investigating reports of Mehsud's death following a Jan. 14 drone strike that targeted him in the South Waziristan tribal area. But Wednesday was the first time officials confirmed that they believe the militant leader is dead. In a response to an Associated Press query, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik, wrote, "Yes, he is dead." A senior intelligence official concurred separately. Neither gave details as to when or how the militant died. The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the record. In late January, a tribal elder told the AP that he attended Mehsud's funeral in the Orakzai tribal region after he died at his in-laws' home. Some local media reports, citing unnamed Taliban sources, said Mehsud died more recently in the Multan area of central Pakistan on his way to receive medical treatment in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi. Counterterrorism officials in Washington are also increasingly certain he has died. Still, Mehsud has been mistakenly reported dead before. After his predecessor died in an August missile strike, the Pakistani interior minister was among those who claimed Mehsud was killed in a succession struggle. But the militant met with reporters, on camera, in the weeks afterward and went on to lead a surge of bomb attacks across the country that left more than 600 people dead.
