BAITULLAH MEHSUD

AGE: roughly 34
OCCUPATION: Commander of Taliban forces in Waziristan
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: He nearly routed the Pakistani Army from the country's embattled northwest frontier province, establishing himself as an icon of global jihad — not unlike his idol, fellow Pashtun Mullah Omar.

CON: He was accused of assassinating Pakistan Peoples Party leader Benazir Bhutto by both the former Musharraf government and the CIA — an accusation he denies. He's hardly shy about bloodshed, though, having executed over a hundred tribal leaders. His Waziri-centric focus may undercut his pan-Islamic ambitions.