TTP buries Hakeemullah Mehsud, others secretly

Remains of banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakeemullah Mehsud and others have been buried at a secret place in North Waziristan on Saturday.
Mehsud along with his aide Abdullah Mehsud, bodyguard Tariq Mehsud, uncle and other persons were killed in a US drone strike on Friday. Soon after his killing, militants announced his funeral prayers on Saturday at 3pm. However, later all victims were buried secretly.
The TTP showed no reaction on the killings, but some local commanders threatened to take revenge. Spokesman to Mehsud, Tariq Azam said, “We have been engaged in negotiations amid continuous drone strikes.” He said they would attack the government installations throughout the country.
Amir Nawaz, TTP commander in Wana, denounced the killings and said attacks would be launched not against the US but also its supporters in the region. He, however, did not disclose names and identity of those extending support to the US in the region.
People from Miranshah and its surrounding areas are leaving their homes for safer places. The displacement started after a pamphlet was circulated by pro-government commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s shura. He accused the government of violating promises and commitments, which according to him were compelling them to change their minds. Without explaining further, the shura has told the people to vacate their homes.
On the other hand, militant commanders associated with the TTP have held meetings at two places to decide Mehsud’s successor. The meeting held in North Waziristan Agency, attended by militants from northern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, agreed on Khan Said alias Sajjna’s name. But a meeting held in Nooristan, Afghanistan, refused to accept Sajjna as new commander. This meeting was attended by the militants from Swat, Dir and Bajaur.
NWA-based Sajjana belongs to Shabikhel clan of Mehsud tribe. He is said to be the mastermind of July’s Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak. Rumours run riot about rifts among TTP ranks after Mehsud’s death.