The Pakistani Taliban says one of its leaders was killed in a U.S. drone strike on March 19 on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The Taliban said in a statement the strike killed commander Khawray Mehsud, who "was very close to martyred (Pakistani Taliban) chief Hakimullah Mehsud and was his personal bodyguard."
The statement added that Mehsud possessed "great militant skills."
Two Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed the strike on the border between Pakistan's Kurram agency and Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Taliban are allied with the Afghan militants of the same name, but they operate as a separate entity.