Makin, Pakistan

Makin was the base of Baitullah Mehsud, the former leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban until his death in an August 2009 drone attack.[4][5] In 2007, Baitullah Mehsud was at "Anwar Shah’s house" in Makin when he allegedly claimed responsibility for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto during an intercepted phone call.[6][7]

A February 2009 United States drone attack struck three compounds, allegedly used by Baitullah Mehsud.[8] Two vehicles were destroyed in a March 2009 drone strike.[9] A June 2009 airstrike aimed at Baitullah Mehsud and his deputy Qari Hussain killed 60 people in Makin. In August 2009, a drone attack destroyed the house of Mehsud's father-in-law.[10] Makin has also been involved in factional fighting between rival Taliban groups and tribal disputes, including a shootout after Mehsud's death.[11][12]

Reporter David Rohde of The New York Times and two Afghan colleagues Tahir Luddin and Asad Mangal were being held in Makin during the March 2009 missile strike.[13] Rohde reported that the area "teemed with Uzbek, Arab, Afghan and Pakistani militants." After the drone strike, the Taliban arrested and executed a local man, whose decapitated body was hung in the local bazaar.

Makin is a target of Operation Rah-e-Nijat, which was launched in October 2009. On 6 November 2009, the Pakistani Army entered Makin, and cleared a large part of the town.[14] The military razed Mehsud's house.

• Mulla Powinda
• Naqeebullah Mehsud