Death of an Outlaw

Last Thursday night, a rocket fired by the Pakistani army arced across the sky of Waziristan and slammed into an adobe farmhouse, instantly killing five men, including tribal chieftain Nek Mohammed, its intended target. An ex-Taliban commander fond of flamboyant turbans, firearms and having his own way in the largely lawless region of Waziristan, Mohammed was wanted on both sides of the nearby border with Afghanistanby U.S. forces and the Pakistani armyfor aiding and giving refuge to fighters from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.

The 27-year-old commander's days were numbered after he reneged on a cease-fire in April...