Freed on a court order, radical Pakistani cleric leaves jail

Pakistani prison authorities and a lawyer say a radical, anti-U.S. cleric imprisoned since 2009 has left the jail in Peshawar after a court ordered him released this month on health grounds.

The 93-year-old Sufi Mohammad went to Afghanistan with thousands of other armed volunteers to help the Taliban fight against Americans following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

His lawyer, Fida Gul, says the ailing cleric was released on Monday night after which his family took him to hospital.

Mohammad is the former chief of the banned pro-Taliban group the Tehrik Nifaz-e-Sharia Mohammed, or TNSM, and the father-in-law of Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.

Mohammad's release comes amid rising U.S.-Pakistani tensions following President Donald Trump's accusations that Pakistan shelters militants.