Taleban commander rival Qari Zainuddin killed in Pakistan

A pro-government tribal leader opposed to the Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud was shot dead earlier today, dealing a serious blow to the Pakistani military's offensive against the militants in the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Qari Zainuddin, the leader of a rival faction of Mr Mehsud’s tribe inhabiting the troubled South Waziristan region, was shot dead in his house in Dera Ismail Khan by a lone gunman, who escaped after firing. The murder came as the military prepares an offensive against Mr Mehsud, who has been accused of a string of bomb attacks, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6559525.ece