Dera Ismail Khan: A former spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban says an al Qaeda commander killed by a CIA drone strike played an important role in the 'war against America.'
Azam Tariq told a news agency by phone on Thursday that the "martyrdom" of Ahmed Farouq was a great loss.
Speaking from an undisclosed location in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region, Tariq says he "personally knew" Farouq, and described him as the deputy chief of al Qaeda's South Asian affiliate.
He says Farouq had "a very important role in the war against America."
The US government earlier revealed that Farouq and another US-born militant, as well as an American and an Italian held hostage by al Qaeda, were inadvertently killed by CIA drone strikes earlier this year.
