Lahore, Jan.3 (ANI): After keeping them in custody for months, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has released the family members of its chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike in August last year.

According to the BBC Urdu, Mehsud’s in-laws, who were abducted by the TTP for ’spying for the government’ were released some days ago.

Mehsud’s father-in-law Ikramuddin along with his son Ziauddin, bother Saeedullah and nephew Yar Muhammad, were set free some days back, the BBC reported.

It may be noted that the TTP had also killed Mehsud’s other two in-laws on suspicions of leaking details about the TTP chief’s whereabouts to the government agencies and the US forces.

Pakistani and US officials claim that Mehsud was killed by drone strike at his father-in-law’s house in South Waziristan on August 5, 2008, but Mehsud’s aides, for a long time after the attack, had denied this only to acknowledge their top commander’s death later.

Mehsud had been suffering from a stomach ailment and was lying on a cot on the flat roof of the house while his wife was sitting beside him when the missile struck shortly after midnight, reports said. (ANI)