ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Taliban sources claimed Tuesday their leader Hakimullah Mehsud was dead, though the details and a lack of official statements muddy the narrative.

Official, though unnamed, government sources told CNN that Mehsud died from wounds suffered during a Jan. 14 airstrike in North Waziristan. Islamabad maintains he was buried in late January.

U.S. aircraft launched a strike Jan. 14 on Taliban hideouts near the border between North and South Waziristan in an operation targeting Mehsud. His cousin and former leader, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in an August airstrike by the U.S. military.

Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, meanwhile, while confirming the death, said he died during the weekend while on his way to seek medical treatment in Karachi.

Council leaders in the Pakistani Taliban announced last week they appointed Mullah Toofan as the head of the group as Mehsud rumors began to circulate. The names Qari Hussain and Wali-ur-Rehman were mentioned as possible successors.

Dawn on Tuesday said Toofan, or Noor Jamal, was named as Mehsud's successor, suggesting Rehman was killed in the January airstrike as well.

Media reports Tuesday and rumors circulating last week regarding his death suggest the narrative surrounding the incident is questionable. Reports released last week were debatable, with U.S. news outlets expressing certainty while intelligence sources raised doubts.

Mehsud was last heard from in an audio tape Jan. 16. Alam Tariq, the official spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, has not issued a formal announcement, leaving the situation speculative.

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