Mehsud became leader of the Pakistani Taliban in 2009
A tense Pakistan is awaiting the announcement
of a new Taliban leader, after Hakimullah Mehsud
was killed in a US drone strike on Friday.
Pakistan media say Mehsud's funeral has taken place at
an unknown location in the tribal area of North
Waziristan.
A Pakistan government minister said the drone strike
believed to have killed Mehsud had destroyed attempts
to hold peace talks with the militants.
Taliban commander Khan Said Sajna is tipped to
become the new leader.
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.
Talks 'sabotaged'
Neither the Pakistani nor US governments have
officially confirmed or denied the reports.
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, if true, it would be a serious loss for the group.
Several previous claims of Mehsud's death, made by US
and Pakistani intelligence sources, have proven untrue.
Without commenting on Mehsud's death, the Pakistan
government said it strongly condemned the drone
attack as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
The attack occurred on the same day the government
announced it was about to send a delegation to North
Waziristan to try to get peace negotiations with the
Taliban under way.
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.
But Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the
drone strike was "an attempt to sabotage the talks"
with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
He held talks with other party leaders on Friday and
reportedly expressed deep concern about the killing's
impact on government contacts with the militants.
Potential successors
Mehsud's funeral is expected to take place on Saturday
afternoon, with some reports saying it will be held in
the main town of North Waziristan, Miranshah - some
5km from where he was killed.
Another report, in Pakistan's Express Tribune, said
Mehsud had already been buried - in an unknown
location in North Waziristan. The report cannot be
independently confirmed.
The Pakistani capital of Islamabad is reportedly on alert
with an intensified security presence in the wake of the
attack, police told local media.
Taliban commanders are also expected to meet on
Saturday to debate Mehsud's successor.
There are conflicting reports in Pakistani media about
who will become the next TTP chief, with some sources
naming Mehsud's cousin, Qari Walayat Mehsud, and
others reporting militant commander Khan Said Sajna
as the chosen successor. Mullah Fazlullah is another
candidate.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that Khan
Said Sajna may be favoured.
Sajna heads one of the more influential groups that
favours dialogue with the Islamabad government, he
says.
Our correspondent says that the influential Punjabi
Taliban may also have a say. Although they cannot
dominate the Mehsud-led TTP, the Punjabi force, he
says, plays an important role in supplying highly
trained and ideologically motivated fighters.
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 FBI bounty on his head and was
thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands
of people.
He had come 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 with the BBC two weeks ago,
Mehsud said 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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