PESHAWAR, March 6 Interior Minister Rehman Malik has claimed that a key militant commander from Swat had been killed in a helicopter blitz in Mohmand Agency on Friday, but added that there was no confirmation about the fate of Tehrik Taliban's deputy chief Maulvi Faqir Mohammad.

“Our sources confirm the death of Fateh Muhammad. We have an eyewitness account of his body being pulled out, but there has been no confirmation of the death of Maulvi Faqir Muhammad,” Mr Malik told Dawn.

Fateh Mohammad was a deputy to Maulana Fazlullah, the TTP chief, and carried a reward of Rs10 million on his head.

Omar Rehman alias Fateh had escaped to Bajaur after a military operation in Swat and had taken shelter with Maulvi Faqir Mohammad.

Intelligence sources are sure that Fazlullah and another of his key commanders, Ibne Ameen, had also taken shelter in Bajaur.

The interior minister said helicopter gunships were pressed into action following intelligence reports of a meeting of militant commanders in Pandialay, a tehsil in Mohmand tribal region. The tehsil borders Bajaur Agency.

Faqir Mohammad and the others had escaped to Mohmand after the military operation in and were sitting in conclave when the helicopter gunships struck on Friday.

“They were in the basement when it was targeted. The militants also hit back with 12.7 mm guns and put up resistance,” an intelligence official said.

Mr Malik said that Faqir Mohammad and another important commander, Qari Ziaur Rehman, were “most likely” killed in the action, but there was no confirmation so far.