TV channel reports Taliban confirming TTP chief died last Sunday in Multan
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: A new frenzy of rumours about the fate of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakeemullah Mehsud began emerging on Tuesday, underscoring how tough it can be to get intelligence on the Taliban.
Hakeemullah was reportedly injured in a US drone strike in January. The latest rumours featured a Taliban official, who, requesting anonymity, said Hakeemullah was being taken to Karachi for treatment, but died en route in Multan.
An intelligence official also gave a similar account. But the army's chief spokesman and Interior Minister Rehman Malik said they had no credible information.
"People coming from the Tribal Areas are saying he is dead and has been buried. However, I don't have any confirmation," Malik said.
Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq, however, denied reports that Hakeemullah had died. "He is fine," a private TV channel quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, according to a report in the LA Times, the TTP confirmed that Hakeemullah had died from injuries suffered in the drone strike last month.
According to the newspaper, experts do not expect the loss of the TTP chief to be a fatal blow to the Taliban.
"Obviously, it's a great setback for them in terms of morale and organisational problems. There's no doubt about it," said Talat Masood, a noted security analyst. "It will take time for them to recover, but they will definitely recover because they have support in those tribal areas."
Confirmation: Separately, a private TV channel reported that the Taliban confirmed Hakeemullah's last Sunday in Multan.
According to the channel, Hakeemullah died on Sunday in Multan after succumbing to injuries from a US drone strike in North Waziristan. However, the official Taliban spokesman has not confirmed the reports.
Taliban sources said Maulvi Noor Jamal has been nominated as Mehsud's successor. daily times monitor/reuters
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