Beitullah Mehsud killed?

Yesterday morning it was announced that Beitullah Mehsud's wife had been killed in a US drone strike on a house.

Tonight, US and Pakistani sources are leaking that they're trying to determine if Mehsud himself was killed in the same strike.

This could just be rumor or an intentional leak to force Meshud to make an appearance, but if it's real, this would be a really big deal.

Later: (AP, NYTimes, WaPo) A Mehsud aide says, "I confirm that Baitullah Mehsud and his wife died in the American missile attack in South Waziristan..."

This is really, really big.

(Later Still: The NYTimes reports that Mehsud was at the house getting kidney treatment. What's the deal with Taleban/Al Qaeda folks and kidney problems?)