ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taliban on Monday confirmed the death of its deputy chief, Khan Said Sajna, in a drone strike on Feb. 8.
“The central leadership of Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan formally confirms the death of deputy chief Khan Said alias Khalid Mehsud in a US drone strike,” TTP spokesman Mohammed Khorasani said in a statement obtained by Arab News.
Sajna was a close confidant of TTP founder Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2009. Sajna headed Taliban militants belonging to the Mehsud tribe.
Mufti Noorwali Mehsud has been appointed the new head of the Mehsud unit, Khorasani said.
Mehsud has served in several key positions since the launch of the TTP in 2007, and his book on the organization was published online last month.
Sajna’s death is considered a serious setback for the TTP, which has already been under mounting pressure from US drone attacks and internal divisions.
Several senior Taliban militants have been killed in Afghanistan in recent years, including Khalifa Umar Mansour, Hafiz Saeed Khan, Qari Mohammed Yasin and Raees Khan.