Pakistani Taliban choose new leader

The Pakistani Taliban have chosen the man who planned the attack on teenage activist Malala Yousafzai as the group’s new leader, sources say.

A militant commander, Hazratullah Torashipa, and an intelligence official say the group’s leadership council, or shura, appointed Mullah Fazlullah as the new leader on Thursday, a little less than a week after the US killed his predecessor, Hakimullah Mehsud, in a drone strike.

Fazlullah has served as Pakistani Taliban’s leader in the northwest Swat Valley but is believed to be hiding in neighbouring Afghanistan.

He rose to prominence through radio broadcasts demanding the imposition of a harsh brand of Islam, earning him the nickname “Mullah Radio”.