US lawmaker says Hakimullah Mehsud’s killing to help keep US troops safe

Eurasia News

WASHINGTON: US representative Mike Rogers who serves as the Chairman of the House permanent select committee on intelligence has said that Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban chief who was killed in a recent US drone strike, was a “bad guy” and his killing would help keep our troops safe.

“This was a bad guy,” Rogers said in an interview with a US television network, adding that Mehsud was connected to attacks against Pakistani soldiers and to the Taliban in Afghanistan, which has forced closures of many schools for girls.

“There’s some information recently that concerned us about the safety of our troops. I feel a little better for our troops today than I did before this event happened,” Rogers said.

Hakimullah Mehsud, who had a $5 million US bounty on his head, was killed on Friday in the US drone attack in the restive North Waziristan tribal region.