ISLAMABAD - A Taliban spokesman and a deputy to Baitullah Mehsud claimed Saturday that the Pakistani Taliban chief was not killed by a CIA missile strike, contradicting another aide who confirmed Mehsud's death a day earlier.
The claims, made in calls to Pakistani and international media organizations, could undermine the growing confidence among U.S. and Pakistani officials that Mehsud died. They also could be tactical maneuvers to prevent defections as the Taliban leadership searches for a successor to Mehsud or even to delay a decision on naming an heir.
Pakistani intelligence officials acknowledged Saturday that the missile strike said to have killed the Taliban chief was carried out with Islamabad's help, indicating growing coordination between the two countries despite Pakistan's official disapproval of the strikes.
Mehsud deputy, Hakimullah, and Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar each called two separate Associated Press reporters Saturday to say that Mehsud was alive. They pledged evidence of his continued existence would be brought forth in the coming days.
The reports of his death "are just to discourage and destroy the morale of the Taliban," Umar said.
Umar said Mehsud was with his fighters "sound and fit," and not even injured. He said Mehsud would not be provoked into coming out so soon into the open because that would make him a target
Hakimullah is one of the potential successors to lead the militant group. However, intelligence agents said it appears likely that Hakimullah may be passed over for the top position in favor of another Mehsud aide, Waliur Rehman.
Asked if Mehsud could call AP, Hakimullah said it was not possible at the moment. And asked why he did not refute the reports of Mehsud's death earlier in the week, the militant did not answer.
Mehsud's aide Kafayat Ullah told AP a day earlier that Mehsud was killed with one of his two wives Wednesday in his stronghold in the South Waziristan tribal region.
"I confirm that Baitullah Mehsud and his wife died in the American missile attack in South Waziristan," Taliban commander Kafayat Ullah told AP by telephone.
A local tribesman, who also spoke on condition his name not be used, said Mehsud had been at his father-in-law's house being treated for kidney pain, and had been put on a drip by a doctor, when the missile struck. The tribesman claimed he attended the Taliban chief's funeral.
Pakistani and U.S. officials said they were getting the same reports and were reasonably confident in them, but did not have forensic evidence such as a body for irrefutable confirmation.
Pakistan considered the al Qaeda-linked Mehsud its No. 1 internal threat. He was suspected in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and numerous suicide attacks across Pakistan.
The U.S. initially viewed him as less of a threat than other Taliban fighters, mainly because he tended to go after Pakistani targets instead of American and NATO troops in Afghanistan. That view appeared to change as Mehsud grew in strength.
Two Pakistani intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said the CIA launched the missiles after Pakistan passed along a confirmed report that the militant chief was staying at his father-in-law's home.
A video of the attack was shared with Pakistani authorities.
In it, Mehsud's vehicle is seen parked inside a sprawling compound and Mehsud was also visible, said one of the intelligence officials. The official declined to give more specifics, such as exactly where Mehsud was. He said that intelligence reports from informants said Mehsud's body was mutilated, but did not say if the informants had seen the remains.
Last year, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said Mehsud had died of kidney failure due to diabetes complications. But a Taliban spokesman and a doctor denied the report the same day and Mehsud re-emerged.
Pakistan has routinely condemned the American missile strikes, saying they violate its sovereignty and anger the local population, especially when civilians are killed. Analysts suspect that public stance is simply a face-saving measure for the government, and that it secretly cooperating in the attacks.
In any case, a strike that kills Mehsud would be a huge boon for the Pakistanis, and it might nudge them to go after militant leaders the U.S. sees as a greater threat to its interests in neighboring Afghanistan.
Taliban fighters have been mulling who will succeed Mehsud as their top commander had yet to announce a decision three days after his death, a possible sign that a power struggle is shaping up among his followers.
Details about the Mehsud succession talks were murky. Those involved in the meeting, or shura, in South Waziristan have cut off their communications, likely out of fear their gathering could be targeted by another missile.
The exact location of the meeting also was kept secret, though a tribesman said it appeared to be somewhere in the Ladha area.
Dozens of militants, including Arabs, were heading to the gathering, but a large area was cordoned off and locals were restricted in their movements, said the tribesman, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter and fear for his life.
Aside from Hakimullah and Waliur Rehman, potential successors to Mehsud include another aide, Azmat Ullah and Qari Hussain, known for training suicide bombers.
The two intelligence officials said Mehsud's deputies were likely to select Waliur Rehman as their new commander because Mehsud had suggested his name as his successor. Hakimullah and Qari Hussain, however, remain strong contenders -- both known for being ruthless.
