The Pakistani Taliban confirmed that their deputy leader was killed last week in a suspected US drone strike and said a new deputy had been appointed in his place.
Pakistani security officials said two suspected US missile strikes killed militant leader Khalid Mehsud, also known by his alias Sajna, in Afghanistan's Paktika province near the border with Pakistan on Thursday last week.
But there were conflicting versions of the drone attack from Pakistani intelligence officials and militant sources.
A spokesperson for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, which is fighting to overthrow the Pakistani state, said the drone strike took place in the North Waziristan region on the Pakistani side of the border.
“We confirm that TTP deputy leader Khalid Mehsud died in a drone strike,” spokesman Mohammad Khurasani said.
He said Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah had appointed a commander called Mufti Noor Wali Wali to replace the deceased deputy.
Wali, like his predecessor, is believed to be leading militants in South Waziristan, a rugged mountainous region on the Afghan border that has long been home to Pakistani, Afghan and al-Qaeda-linked foreign militants.
Activist sources said Wali, known by the nickname Ghar Starga, is a ruthless leader with experience working in Pakistan's urban areas, including the southern city of Karachi.
He studied at a seminary in the city of Faisalabad in the central Punjab province and recently wrote a book praising Pakistani Taliban founder Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a 2009 drone attack.
Paktika province is located on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (Source: Google Maps)
The border region is closed to journalists and it is difficult to independently verify information.
US drone strikes in the border region have intensified since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, although they are far from their 2010 peak.
Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been strained since January 1, when Mr Trump accused Pakistan of “lies and deception” over its support for the Afghan Taliban and their allies..
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