Taliban leader is dead

last updated 8 January 2015

Kandahar, Afghanistan

A top Taliban leader and mastermind of several kidnappings killed himself this week, as Pakistani security forces closed in on his hideout near the Afghan border. Afghan officials hope the death of Abdullah Mehsud will herald an end to a spate of kidnappings of foreigners. In recent months, Taliban fighters have used kidnapping as a political tool, choosing victims from coalition countries perceived as waffling in their support for the U.S.-led war. At least three German civilians were snatched last month, and more than two dozen Chinese and South Korean workers were taken in the past two weeks.