Hakeemullah even if alive not in command of Pak Taliban anymore: Pentagon

Washington, Apr.30 (ANI): The Pentagon is unsure over the fate of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, but it is certain that the warlord does not exert any authority over the banned terror outfit anymore.

Speaking during a media briefing here, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said while Hakeemullah's fate is still shrouded in mystery, it is believed that he is not in command of the Taliban.

"I certainly have seen no evidence that the person you speak of (Hakeemullah) is operational today or is executing or exerting authority over the Pakistani Taliban as he once did. So I don't know if that reflects him being alive or dead, but he clearly is not running the Pakistani Taliban anymore," The Daily Times quoted Morrell, as saying.

Earlier, a British daily quoted an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) official as claiming that the Taliban chieftain, who was believed to have been killed in a US drone strike in South Waziristan in January, is alive.

"He (Hakimullah) is alive.He had some wounds but he is basically OK," the official had said on conditions of anonymity.

Although neither the US nor the Pakistani agencies had confirmed Hakeemullah's death, who was sworn in as the TTP chieftain following Baitullah Mehsud's death in a similar missile attack in August last year, he was widely believed to have succumbed to injuries sustained during a missile hit in January. (ANI)