Taliban's refuted claims on cease-fire

The Pakistani Taliban's spokesman on Wednesday refuted claims by other militant commanders that the group agreed to a cease-fire and exploratory peace talks with the government, raising the prospect that one of the country's deadliest terror groups is splitting into factions, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan backed up his claim by pointing to an attack Wednesday on a police station in the northwest that he said was carried out by the Pakistani Taliban. Two officers were killed and four others were wounded, said police.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Quetta that the militant group would have to rid itself of weapons before any negotiations could begin.

The Associated Press had reported that a senior Taliban commander said Monday the group had declared a cease-fire to encourage new peace talks.