Taliban chief's wife killed in air strike

Mehsud associates acknowledged a woman was killed but would not confirm her identity. They said Mehsud was not at the South Waziristan home during the attack, which authorities said also killed a second person, AP reported.

The missile strike could indicate that American intelligence aimed at tracking down the notorious Taliban leader is getting sharper, and that those hunting him are getting closer.

South Waziristan is part of the northwest tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan where Taliban and al-Qaida leaders — including possibly Osama bin Laden — are believed to be hiding. Dozens of American missile strikes have landed in the tribal regions over the past year, and lately they have focused on targets linked to Mehsud.

Two intelligence officials and one army official, who all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the missile strike had destroyed the home of Mehsud's father-in-law, Akramud Din, and that two people had been killed, including the second of Mehsud's two wives. Under Islam, men are allowed to have up to four wives.

One intelligence official said agents were trying to get details about the second person who died. A Mehsud associate who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue said Mehsud was not in the house hit by the strike in the Jangara area.

The information is nearly impossible to confirm independently. South Waziristan is remote, rugged, dangerous and largely off-limits to journalists. In addition, militants tend to quickly surround sites hit by missile strikes and spirit away the bodies, making definitive physical proof of deaths tough to get.

The U.S. Embassy had no comment Wednesday. Washington generally does not acknowledge the missile strikes, which are fired from unmanned drones. In the past, however, American officials have said the missiles have killed several important al-Qaida operatives.