What the Death of Pakistan's Public Enemy No. 1 Means

Whether Baitullah is dead, alive or terminally ill, Taliban are still strong in Pakistan. Thanks to the half-heart efforts of Pakistani military, they are strengthening their positions. A sizable number of Pakistani intelligence officers still support Taliban as long as they continue their anti-American activities. At the same time, they are interested in grasping as many billions from America as possible. This double game can't continue for long and the US should seriously tackle this issue.
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Your entire argument relies on some unnamed "analyst" who "opined" that this somehow degrades the command structure of the Taliban in Pakistan - and most importantly - you rest on the assumption that this command structure is tantamount to disruptive confrontation with Pakistan's military, U.S. and NATO forces.

To the extent that an organized and hierarchical militia makes things easier for the U.S. military (and others) to target and fight, de-centralized, open-source (ad hoc), rag tag bands have actually been more effective in foiling U.S. and NATO efforts at stabilizing Afghanistan than any standing army has. The guerrilla nature of insurgencies like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and their relative discord with one another have immensely confused the official security and intelligence apparati of their foes. The disorder resultant of Baitullah and now Hakimullah's deaths will work to further embolden the TTP and raise the stakes for creating more disorder in retaliation.

It also works in elongating the extensive list of reasons that young boys should be coaxed out of madrasahs to defend Islam from the "imperialist West" by taking up their cause.

Your piece totally ignores these and countless other realities.

To the cynical observer, these deaths are only worth anything to the people in the Western military and intelligence services who's jobs are contingent upon some indicator of "success." Pakistan is no safer today than on Tuesday and no further away from being on the brink of being a collapsing state - thanks in part to groups like these. Afghanistan is no closer to having a violence-free election, and the peoples inhabiting these lands are no freer as a result of his death. People eagerly are waiting to step in his place and despite the short term power struggles, the West, in the eyes of too many, is still the enemy. Is skill set was not unique to him and indeed, there are parties with vested interests in the survival of his organization.