Pakistani officials claim Taliban leader is dead

The leader of the Taliban in Pakistan is dead, the country’s interior minister and a senior intelligence official said today.

The officials did not provide details of how or when Hakimullah Mehsud died, but it was the first time Pakistani authorities have categorically said the militant chief is dead.

Rumours of Mehsud’s death have circulated for weeks after a spate of US missiles hit his stronghold in Pakistan’s north west in mid-January.

Mehsud was said to have died of wounds suffered in one of the strikes.

The Taliban has denied his death, but has failed to prove that he is alive.

The Pakistani intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak on the record.