U.S. Missile Kills Taliban Leader Haqqani's Brother

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 19, 2010 — -- A younger brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of the strongest Afghan Taliban commanders whose fighters concentrate on Kabul and eastern Afghanistan, was killed when a missile fired by a CIA drone struck a car in which he was travelling, according to a Pakistani intelligence officer and a local resident.

The drone strike occurred Thursday in North Waziristan, the base for the Haqqani network and for many Arab and Taliban militants who fight in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But Muhammad Haqqani, the youngest son of famed mujahedin commander Jalaluddin Haqqani and his first wife, played no significance in the Taliban network, according to the intelligence officer.

The CIA has targeted the Haqqani and its allied networks in North Waziristan extensively, especially since a suicide bomber killed seven CIA officers just across the border in Khost, Afghanistan, in late December.

But this appears to be the first time a drone has successfully targeted one of Jalaluddin's sons.

Muhammad's older brother, Sirajuddin, who is also the son of Jalaluddin and his first wife, has been near the top of the U.S. most wanted list for years.

One of Jalaluddin's other sons was killed a few years ago in Afghanistan, the Pakistani intelligence officer said.