May 16: The deputy commander of the Pakistani Taliban Waliur Rehman speaks to The Associated Press in Shaktoi, in Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan along the Afghanistan border. (AP)
SHAKTOI, Pakistan – The deputy commander of the Pakistani Taliban says the militant group will complete the mission of Usama bin Laden following his death in a U.S. raid.
Waliur Rehman told The Associated Press in an interview that his men would now fight with a "new zeal".
Rehman is the most senior Pakistani Taliban commander to give an interview since U.S. Navy SEALs killed the Al Qaeda chief May 2 in northwest Pakistan.
The Taliban are based in the northwest close to the Afghan border, and are linked to Al Qaeda.
The interview took place Tuesday on the border between North and South Waziristan, two tribal regions where Islamist militants are strong.
The Taliban have carried out hundreds of attacks against Pakistan government and military targets since 2007.
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