Holbrooke notes progress against Taliban

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke, who arrived in Pakistan, praised that country's fight against the Taliban.

Holbrooke plans to discuss Pakistan's war against extremism and economic challenges, Voice of America reported. His visit comes in the wake of the recent reported death of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in a suspected U.S drone strike in the South Waziristan tribal region.

"We are much better off today, and we appeared to (have) one less very bad person around, Baitullah Mehsud," said Holbrooke at a news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the report said. "And, perhaps, more, if the reports of internal struggles resulting in killing of some of the leaders by each other is true."

Qureshi was quoted as saying there are signs of a deepening rift among Mehsud's fighters.

"There is confusion, there is disarray (and) they have yet not been able to nominate someone to succeed (Mehsud)," Qureshi said.

Holbrooke said he planned to travel to the Swat Valley to show solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of families displaced by the anti-terrorism campaign, the report said. Many of them have begun to return home.