State Department Offers $5M Reward for Taliban Leader

The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the location or arrest of senior Taliban Movement of Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud.

Mehsud is a key Al Qaeda figure linked to the assassination former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the 2007 homicide attack against an Islamabad Marriott. He has also stated his desire to strike the U.S.

U.S. officials fear Mehsud poses a threat to American troops in Afghanistan and has facilitated cross-border attacks from Pakistan.

Mehsud is believed to be in the tribal areas of South Waziristan in Pakistan.