Fuzlullah named Pakistan's new Taliban leader

Friday, November 8, 2013

Pakistan's Taliban announced Thursday they had chosen Mullah Fazlullah as their new leader. A US drone attack last week killed their previous leader, Hakimullah Mehsud.

Fazlullah, who takes credit for ordering the attack on schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai in 2012, is known for his rejection of peace talks.

The Pakistani government has suggested the United States' fatal missile strike on Mehsud had already ruined peace talk efforts with the Taliban. The drone strike which killed Mehsud coincided with government preparations to meet the terrorist group with the view of opening peace talks. Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called the killing of Mehsud "not just the killing of person, it's the death of all peace efforts".

Fuzlullah led the Pakistani Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley between roughly 2007 and 2009.

Pakistani authorities believe Fuzlullah is presently living in the Afghan province of Kunar.

Have an opinion on this story? Share it!

Sources

"Pakistan Taliban appoints new leader" — Al Jazeera, November 7, 2013
"Pakistan Taliban name Mullah Fazlullah new leader" — BBC News Online, November 7, 2013
"Mullah Fazlullah new chief of Pakistan Taliban" — The Hindu, November 7, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.