Pakistan's interior minister has said the death of
Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud has
destroyed the country's nascent peace process.
"This is not just the killing of one person, it's the death
of all peace efforts," Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said.
Pakistan's security forces have been put on high alert
following the US drone strike on Friday.
It came a day before a government delegation had
been due to fly to North Waziristan to meet Mehsud.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to
talk with the Taliban to try to end its campaign of
violence, which has left thousands dead in bombings
and shootings across the country.
Militants have in the past carried out retaliatory attacks
after the killings of other Taliban commanders.
Mehsud was killed along with four other people -
including two of his bodyguards - when four missiles
struck their vehicle in the north-western region of
North Waziristan, a senior Taliban official told the BBC.
Pakistani media say Mehsud's funeral has taken place at
an unknown location in the tribal area of North
Waziristan.
The Taliban's ruling council met on Saturday to choose
a new leader. Unconfirmed reports say regional
commander Khan Said Sajna has been elected to the
top job.
As well as Mehsud, the previous Pakistan Taliban leader
was killed in a drone strike, in 2009.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the US president's
National Security Council, would not comment on any
US government involvement or confirm the death but
said it would be a serious loss for the group.
The Pakistan government has strongly condemned the
drone attack as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
Pakistani security services are on high alert following
Hakimullah Mehsud's death in a US drone attack.
Mehsud and other militants were secretly buried early
on Saturday, while a Taliban spokesman spoke of
exacting a bloody revenge for the killing.
Mehsud, whose predecessor Baitullah Mehsud was
killed in 2009, pictured in the same year with Taliban
commander Waliur Rehman, who was killed in a drone
strike in May
Mehsud's death is seen as another setback for the
militant group after the recent capture of a senior
commander by US forces in Afghanistan.
Mehsud, who led the insurgency from North
Waziristan, had a $5m (£3.1m) FBI bounty on his head
and was thought to be responsible for the deaths of
thousands of people.
He came to prominence in 2007 as a commander
under the militant group's founder Baitullah Mehsud,
with the capture of 300 Pakistani soldiers adding to his
prestige among the militants.
His second-in-command, Waliur Rehman, was killed in
a similar drone strike in May.
But BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says
that however weakened the Taliban may be by this loss,
they will fight on under a new leader.
In a rare interview two weeks ago, Mehsud told the
BBC he was open to "serious talks" with the
government but said he had not yet been approached.
Mehsud denied carrying out recent deadly attacks in
public places, saying his targets were "America and its
friends".
He had loose control over more than 30 militant
groups in Pakistan's tribal areas.
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