Pakistan captures Mehsud's hometown

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The Pakistani army has captured the South Waziristan hometown of the Taliban's leader, officials said Saturday.

Using warplanes and attack helicopters in the country's lawless tribal region, the army took the town of Kotkai after four days of fighting, Voice of America reported. The town is the headquarters of Hakimullah Mehsud, who took over as Taliban chief when his father, Baitullah Mehsud, was slain this year.

Qari Hussain, reputed organizer of Taliban suicide squads, is also from Kotkai, The New York Times said.

Military officials reported that a suspected U.S. missile strike had killed at least 14 people in the Bajaur tribal region. The Pakistani government has asked the United States not to make drone attacks in Waziristan.

The seizure of Kotkai was one of the first milestones in the invasion that began a week ago, the Times said. Experts predict the army will have an even more difficult time as soldiers advance into Wazaristan. Three previous campaigns there ended in truces with the Taliban.

"The military's movement is faster than in their previous campaigns," a former government official from North Waziristan said. "But the more they get inside the sanctuary, the more they will be bogged down."