Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, a top Taliban commander, said on Wednesday he had taken over as acting head of the group in Pakistan, but denied reports that his boss Baitullah Mehsud had been killed. "No, no! Certainly not!"
Faqir said the Taliban held a meeting of elders, and named him as their leader. "I have taken over the leadership of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Two days ago our shura held a meeting in which my leadership was endorsed," Faqir told AFP over the telephone from an undisclosed location. "Baitullah Mehsud is alive, but he is seriously ill. In his absence, I announce, as vice president of the TTP, the takeover of his leadership."
He said two other senior Taliban leaders reportedly vying for the top post -- Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman -- had endorsed his leadership.
Faqir also said recently arrested Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omer was being replaced by Muslim Khan, who was until now the group's spokesman for Swat. An intelligence official said Tuesday that Omer had acknowledged that Mehsud was dead.