Pakistan says it has credible information that Pakistani Taliban leader has died

Pakistan: Taliban leader’s reported death credible

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistan’s interior minister says the government is trying to confirm “credible information” that the country’s Taliban’s chief died from injuries sustained in a U.S. drone strike.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official also said Wednesday his agency believes Hakimullah Mehsud died following the mid-January missile attack.

Neither Interior Minister Rehman Malik nor the intelligence official provided details. The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record.

U.S. counterterrorism officials also believe Mehsud has died. The Taliban have denied his death, but have backed away from an initial promise to prove that he is still alive.