Baitullah is not dead, claims Taliban: Report

Islamabad, Aug 8: Just a day after reports confirming the death of the Pakistani Taliban leader, a fellow commander of the militant group has denied Baitullah Mehsud's death, say media reports.

According to a BBC report, Hakimullah Mehsud called the reports of the death of the Tehreek-e-Taliban chief 'ridiculous' and said that it was the 'handiwork of the intelligence agencies'.

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There is no confirmation of the claims of Hakimullah Mehud, who controls fighters in the Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber tribal regions.

However, it is important to note that when the Pakistan Interior Minister, Rehman Malik spoke about the death of Baitullah Mehsud, he said that the authorities were 'pretty certain' about the reports.

On Friday, Aug 7 there were reports quoting Rehman Malik and a US officer as saying that a drone attack that was launched on Wednesday, Aug 5 'may have' killed Baitullah Mehsud along with his wife.

Later on, Dawn News reports that the Taliban sources have confirmed the death of Mehsud and informed that the funeral of the chief has taken place in Narkosa village in Pakistan. And also that the Taliban leaders would soon elect a successor.

OneIndia News