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Drone death of Taliban number two: Difficult to verify

Among the seven people killed on Wednesday in a U.S. led drone strike, was Pakistani Taliban deputy commander Wali-ur-Rehman, according to Pakistani security officials. The Pakistani Taliban did not confirm the report. This is the first reported drone attack since U.S. President Barack Obama announced changes to the drone program last week.

A U.S. drone strike killed the No. 2 of the Pakistani Taliban听in the North Waziristan region on Wednesday, three security officials said, in what would be a major blow to the militancy.

The drone strike killed seven people, Pakistani security officials said, including Taliban听deputy commander Wali-ur-Rehman, in the first such attack since a May 11 general election in which the use of the unmanned aircraft was a major issue.

It was also the first reported U.S. drone strike since President听Barack Obama听announced last week that the United States was scaling back the drone program.

Wali-ur-Rehman听had been poised to succeed听Hakimullah Mehsud听as leader of the Pakistani Taliban, a senior army official based in the South Waziristan region, had said in December.

"This is a huge blow to militants and a win in the fight against insurgents," one security official told Reuters.

The Pakistani Taliban听are a separate entity allied to the Afghan Taliban. Known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban听Pakistan, they have launched devastating attacks against the听Pakistani military听and civilians.

The听White House听said Wali-ur-Rehman听was wanted in the killing of seven CIA employees and a听Jordanian intelligence听officer in a 2009 suicide bombing by an al Qaeda triple agent at Forward Operating Base Chapman,听Afghanistan. The attack was featured in the film "Zero Dark Thirty" about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

The Pakistani Taliban听leader "has participated in cross-border attacks in听Afghanistan听against U.S. and NATO personnel and horrific attacks against Pakistani civilians and soldiers,"听White House听spokesman听Jay Carney听said.

In line with听White House听practice not to discuss drone strikes, Carney said he could not confirm the killing. But even his discussion of drone policy at a news briefing was an unusual level of openness for the听White House.

Obama said in a major speech last week that the United States would only use those drone strikes when a threat was "continuing and imminent," a nuanced change from the previous policy of launching strikes against a significant threat.

Under the new presidential guidance, the Defense Department rather than the CIA will take the lead in launching lethal drones, but the CIA is expected to continue running drone operations in听Pakistan听for now.

Scaling back听

Obama's announcement of scaling back drone strikes was widely welcomed by the people of North Waziristan, where drones armed with missiles have carried out the most strikes against militants over the past seven years, sometimes with heavy civilian casualties.

Pakistani Taliban听spokesman听Ihsanullah Ihsan听told Reuters the group did not have "confirmed reports" that Wali-ur-Rehman听had been killed. He declined further comment.

Drone casualties are difficult to verify. Foreign journalists must have permission from the military to visit the Pashtun tribal areas along the Afghan border.

Taliban fighters also often seal off the sites of drone strikes immediately so Pakistani journalists cannot see the victims.

"That the Taliban听are remaining silent and neither denying or confirming the news is itself peculiar," said听Saleem Safi, a Pakistani expert on the Taliban. "But if this news is true, then the听Pakistan army听has the U.S. to thank."

The security officials and Pashtun tribesmen in the northwestern region said the drone fired two missiles that struck a mud-built house at听Chashma听village, 3 km (2 miles) east of Miranshah, the region's administrative town.

They said seven people were killed and four wounded.

"Tribesmen started rescue work an hour after the attack and recovered seven bodies," said resident听Bashir Dawar. "The bodies were badly damaged and beyond recognition."

The听Pakistan government听has not confirmed Wali-ur-Rehman's death.

A U.S. drone killed Pakistani Taliban听commander Baitullah Mehsud in 2009. There had been several reports that his successor,听Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed the same way but they turned out to be untrue.

But听Pakistan's Foreign Ministry听again denounced drones in general on Wednesday.

"The government has consistently maintained that the drone strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives, have human rights and humanitarian implications and violate the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law," it said.

North Waziristan is on the Afghan border and has long been a stronghold of militants including Afghan Taliban听and their al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban听allies.

Prime Minister-elect听Nawaz Sharif听said this month that drone strikes were a challenge to听Pakistan's sovereignty.

"We will sit with our American friends and talk to them about this issue," he said.

The strike also coincided with the first session of the newly elected provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the former Northwest Frontier Province.

Former cricketer听Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party听won most seats in the assembly and denounced the strike, saying Obama had gone back on his word.

(Additional reporting by Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Syed Raza Hassan in Islamabad, Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Alistair Bell in Washington; Editing by Robert Birsel and Doina Chiacu)