Last week a US drone struck a Taliban funeral, narrowly missing Baitullah Mehsud, but killing one of his key bomb makers.

Few Pakistanis would miss Mehsud. His latest innovation is to pay between US$7,000-14,000 to either the kidnappers of, or parents of, children as young as seven, who he uses as suicide bombers. This sort of money talks in a society where the average per capita income is US$2,600 pa.