TTP claims Qari Hussain Mehsud alive, brands news report of his death ‘drama’

MIRANSHAH - Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Spokesman Azam Tariq has contradicted news reports about Qari Hussain Mehsud’s death in a US drone strike, describing it as part of a campaign to demoralise the Taliban.

Talking to reporters from an undisclosed location, Tariq termed the death report of Mehsud a drama, saying Hussain was alive and healthy and would soon talk to the media.

Mehsud, an alleged mastermind of suicide bombers, is reported to have been killed in a drone attack in the Mir Ali town of North Waziristan on October 4.

There are two different accounts of the attack. According to one, Mehsud had been injured in an attack on a house in Pakistan’s tribal region in which eight foreigners, including German militants, were killed.

However, according to intelligence sources, those killed in the US drone strike included Mehsud, known as ‘Ustad-e-Fedayeen’, and his two guards. (ANI)