Pakistan's Taliban have named Mullah
Fazlullah as their new leader, after the death of
Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack.
Mullah Fazlullah is a particularly hardline commander
whose men shot the schoolgirl activist Malala
Yousafzai.
Mehsud was killed when missiles struck his vehicle in
the North Waziristan region on 1 November.
The government had been trying to set up peace
talks, but the new leader has already rejected the
initiative.
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Islamabad says the
Taliban have indicated that Mullah Fazlullah wants
revenge for the killing of Mehsud.
A Taliban spokesman told the BBC the militants
would target the military and the governing party.
The Mehsud killing had angered the Pakistani
government. Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan
said that the drone strike was "not just the killing of
one person, it's the death of all peace
efforts".Mehsud clan
The announcement of the new leader was made by
the Taliban's caretaker leader Asmatullah Shaheen at
a news conference at an undisclosed location.
When the news was announced, there was reportedly
heavy celebratory gunfire in the area around
Miranshah, the main town in the tribal area of North
Waziristan.
Mullah Fazlullah led a brutal campaign in Swat
between 2008 and 2009, enforcing hardline Islamic
law, that included burning schools, and public
floggings and beheadings.
A military operation was launched to retake the area.
Mullah Fazlullah fled over the border into
Afghanistan but Islamabad says he has continued to
orchestrate attacks in Pakistan.
He was accused of being behind a roadside bomb in
September that killed Maj Gen Sanaullah Niazi, the
top commander in Swat, along with two other
military personnel.
Mullah Fazlullah was known for his radio broadcasts
calling for strict Islamic laws and earning him the
nickname "Mullah Radio".
The shooting of Malala Yousafzai in October 2012
sparked outrage in Pakistan and across the globe.
The teenager had spoken out against the Taliban's
restrictions on girls' education.
She was airlifted to the UK for hospital treatment and
now lives in Birmingham with her family.
This year Malala, now 16, addressed the UN General
Assembly and won the European Union's Sakharov
human rights prize. Prior to the latest Taliban
announcement, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad
said that Mullah Fazlullah was not a member of the
Mehsud clan and, if appointed, would face a
challenge to control the Mehsud fighters, who make
up the bulk of the Taliban's manpower.
The Taliban's ruling council took seven days to reach
a decision.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had come to power in
May pledging a negotiated settlement to the
insurgency, but militant attacks continued.
The government said a delegation had been due to
fly to North Waziristan to discuss peace talks with
Hakimullah Mehsud but he was killed in the drone
strike the day before.
There had been some hope a new leader of the
Taliban would be more open to the peace initiative.
Regional Taliban commander Khan Said Sajna, said
to favour such a move, had been touted as a
favourite before the latest announcement. www.oseni9ja..com/2013/11/pakistan-taliban-name-mullah-fazlullah.html?m=1 www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24854087