Pakistan says can't confirm Taliban leader killed in US drone strike

Pakistan's interior minister said on Tuesday he could not confirm that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour had been killed in a US drone strike, saying that the body recovered from near the Afghan border was charred beyond recognition.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told reporters that DNA samples had been collected from the remains and would be tested against a relative who came forward to claim the body.

"The government of Pakistan cannot announce this without a scientific and legal basis," he said.

He did not identify the relative who came forward or say whether he or she claimed to be related to the Taliban leader or someone else.