Pakistani Taliban chief confirmed dead
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Pakistani officials and Taliban both confirmed the death of the Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, local TV channels reported Tuesday.
According to the private Dawn news, government officials have confirmed his death and have said that he was killed in a U.S. drone strike last month.
The report said the Taliban, based in northwest Pakistan's Orakzai tribal agency, confirmed that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud is dead.
It said the TTP leader died a week ago due to neck injury on the way from eastern city Multan to south port city Karachi for treatment. However, the official Taliban spokesman Alam Tariq has not yet made a statement.
Sources also said that Maulvi Noor Jamal has been nominated as Mehsud's successor.
Pakistani officials said Hakimullah Mehsud has been injured in a U.S. drone strike in South Waziristan on Jan. 14, followed by conflicting reports about his death in weeks.
Last week, Pakistani army told Xinhua that Hakimullah Mehsud's death was not confirmed and they were still investigating it after the country's state TV earlier reported that he was killed in the drone attack.
Hakimullah was named new chief of TTP after the death of Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a drone strike in Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan in August 2009.
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