Two Pak Taliban commanders poisoned to death in custody

Pakistani Taliban today claimed two of their senior commanders, arrested in 2009 while engaged in "peace talks" with the government, have been fatally poisoned while in custody of the security forces.
In an email statement issued to the media, Tehrik-i- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Muhammad Khurasani said that their two top commanders Muslim Khan and Mehmood Khan have been killed in the custody of the security forces.
The two commanders were arrested in Peshawar along with five other members when they visited the city for peace talks with the government in 2009, the statement added.
"Our members were kept in different prisons and tortured till August 25 this year (when two of them were) poisoned to death," the statement said.

"We will take forward their mission in effective manner and will take the revenge of their killing," the statement added.
It further said that TTP will not hold or engage itself in any talks with the government of Pakistan in future and will take revenge of their companions.

Muslim Khan was the spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban when it ruled Swat from 2007 to 2009.
He was considered the right-hand man of the TTP Chief Maulana Fazalullah when he was virtually ruling in the scenic-Swat valley, which is also home to the child-rights activist and youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating education for girls.

Mehmood Khan was one of the Taliban negotiators in Swat, who was known for having good contacts with government officials.