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| Pakistan targets Taliban leader | Pakistan targets Taliban leader |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Pakistan has ordered its military to launch a full-scale offensive against the leader of the Pakistani Taliban and his militant network, an official says. | |
| North West Frontier Province governor Owais Ahmad Ghani said troops had been told to eliminate Baitullah Mehsud. | |
| Mr Ghani did not say when the operation in the north-west would begin, but he suggested that it was imminent. | |
| Baitullah Mehsud's group are blamed for a string of deadly attacks in Pakistan, many of them in recent weeks. | |
| Correspondents say the announcement of the operation in South Waziristan is likely to please the US. | Correspondents say the announcement of the operation in South Waziristan is likely to please the US. |
| Washington regards the tribal region as a particularly troublesome hideout for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters suspected of attacks on US forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. | Washington regards the tribal region as a particularly troublesome hideout for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters suspected of attacks on US forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. |
| Baitullah Mehsud has his stronghold in South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, an area also rumoured to be the hideout of Osama Bin Laden. | |
| Mehsud has been accused of involvement in the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - an accusation he denies. | |
| 'Crush the militants' | |
| Mr Ghani told reporters in Islamabad on Sunday: "Baitullah Mehsud is the root cause of all evils. | |
| Profile: Baitullah Mehsud Long war against Taliban | Profile: Baitullah Mehsud Long war against Taliban |
| "The Pakistan army and other law-enforcing agencies have been directed to crush the militants through a full-fledged and comprehensive plan." | |
| The provincial governor said no political or religious party was supporting the Taliban. He also said there was no "foreign pressure" to launch military operations against them. | |
| The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says Baitullah Mehsud is thought to head the most powerful group of militants in the country, with a network of alliances with other militants in the Orakzai, Bajaur and Malakand regions. | |
| Any decisive offensive against Baitullah Mehsud would therefore be very significant as it could weaken the militants across the board, our correspondent says. | |
| But analysts in Pakistan are puzzled over why the offensive has been publicised before being launched, removing any element of surprise. | |
| There is also a question mark over why the announcement came from the NWFP governor, and not from someone higher up in the federal government. | |
| Analysts point out that an operation against Baitullah Mehsud will require consensus across Pakistan's political spectrum, which only the central government can develop. | |
| Army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told the Associated Press the military was "evaluating" the government's orders. | |
| In the past, Pakistani army action has faltered or ended in truces that correspondents say have strengthened the militants. | In the past, Pakistani army action has faltered or ended in truces that correspondents say have strengthened the militants. |
| Analysts say that in many ways a full-scale operation in South Waziristan would be harder than the recent fighting in the Swat valley, where Pakistani troops say they killed hundreds of militants in the past six weeks. | Analysts say that in many ways a full-scale operation in South Waziristan would be harder than the recent fighting in the Swat valley, where Pakistani troops say they killed hundreds of militants in the past six weeks. |
| So far the armed forces have described their operations in South Waziristan as limited, compared with the high-profile offensive in the Swat valley further north. | |
| But over the weekend the Pakistani air force went into action in South Waziristan and said they had killed 30 militants. There is no independent confirmation of the claim. | |
| Bomb attack | |
| The announcement of the offensive against Baitullah Mehsud came after at least eight people were killed in a bomb attack at a market in the north-western Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan. | The announcement of the offensive against Baitullah Mehsud came after at least eight people were killed in a bomb attack at a market in the north-western Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan. |
| The explosives were reported to have been detonated by remote control after being hidden in a rickshaw. | The explosives were reported to have been detonated by remote control after being hidden in a rickshaw. |
| The authorities blamed the attack on supporters of Baitullah Mehsud. | The authorities blamed the attack on supporters of Baitullah Mehsud. |
| A spokesman for Mehsud has claimed that his group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has also been behind several other deadly attacks on Pakistani civilians recently, AFP news agency reported. | A spokesman for Mehsud has claimed that his group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has also been behind several other deadly attacks on Pakistani civilians recently, AFP news agency reported. |
| Are you in Waziristan? What is your reaction to the military offensive against Baitullah Mehsud. Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in Waziristan? What is your reaction to the military offensive against Baitullah Mehsud. Send us your comments using the form below. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |