Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, is believed to have been killed in a recent U.S. drone strike, Reuters reported.
Radio communications between Taliban fighters intercepted by Pakistan intelligence officials indicated that the Taliban leader was killed while traveling to a meeting in the North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border.
There has been no official confirmation of Hakimullah's death, and the Pakistani Taliban have denied reports and said their chief was not in the vicinity of the dronke strike. But the denial was not as strong as the one issued in 2010, following false reports of Hakimullah's death.
"There is no truth in reports about his death. However, he is a human being and can die any time. He is a holy warrior and we will wish him martyrdom," Ihsanullah Ihsan, a spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, told Reuters.
The death of the Pakistani Taliban chief would bring relief to Pakistan security forces, who have struggled to weaken his organization, which has ties to al Qaeda and has been linked to suicide bombings worldwide.
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