No Confirmation Yet on Whether Pakistani Militant Is Actually Dead

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(KABUL, Afghanistan) -- The "is he or isn't he dead" debate about a leading Pakistani militant continued on Monday as U.S. forces in Afghanistan could not verify if Badruddin Haqqani, the son of the founder of the Haqqani network, was killed in an air strike late last week.

The Afghans and Pakistanis seem to believe it's true while the Taliban says he's still alive.

Eliminating Badruddin Haqqani would definitely impair the group that bears his father's name because the militant has been blamed for coordinating attacks in Kabul and organizing other aspects of the criminal-terrorist enterprise, including kidnappings and suicide bombings, that has ties to both the Taliban and al Qaeda.

The Haqqani network, which was formed in Pakistan, has spread its activities to Afghanistan and is believed to be an even bigger threat to the stability of the government than the Taliban.

While Badruddin Haqqani's death, if true, is a plus, it's expected that his place would be taken over by an older brother.

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