Pakistan Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud (L) is seen with his arm around Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud during a news conference in South Waziristan in this May 24, 2008 file photo. The Pakistani Taliban announced a successor to slain commander Baitullah Mehsud, but intelligence officials said on August 23, 2009 it was probably a smokescreen meant to hold together a movement left leaderless for almost three weeks. Taliban officials rang journalists in northwest Pakistan on Saturday to say Hakimullah Mehsud, a young militant who commands fighters in the Orakzai, Khyber and Kurram tribal regions, had been chosen as the new chief by a leadership council, or shura. . REUTERS/Stringer/Files (PAKISTAN CONFLICT)
REUTERS/STR/PAKISTAN