04/11/2013 18:46
Pakistan Taliban select interim chief
The Pakistan Taliban have voted to elect Asmatullah Shaheen, who is on Pakistan's most wanted list, as their interim head, according to an official for the group. The move comes after former chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Friday, CNN reported.
The group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, will not be making an announcement on a new permanent leader for several more days, according to Azam Tariq, a member of the Pakistan Taliban's Shura Council, their centralized decision-making body.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to Islamabad was summoned to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry did not explain why the envoy was summoned. A U.S. State Department official confirmed the meeting to CNN but would not disclose details about it.
The State Department official would not discuss U.S. operations in Pakistan but pointed to the Pakistan Taliban's 2009 attack on a U.S. base in Afghanistan and claims of responsibility for a failed attempt to bomb Times Square in New York.
The official was not authorized to speak publicly and is not being named by CNN.