'Baitullah's doctor has also confirmed his presence at the house in the attack night,' Malik added.

He told BBC that following Mehsud's death, the Pakistan Taliban appeared to be in disarray and there were reports of deadly infighting over who should replace Mehsud.

'It will take some time for them to regroup,' Malik said, but expressed concern that Al Qaeda was trying to install someone as Mehsud's replacement.

'The other thing which is a bit worrying is that Al Qaeda is getting grouped in the same place, and now they are trying to find somebody to install him as the leader, as the chief terrorist, in that area,' Malik said.

A pro-government tribal leader Turkestan Bittani Sunday claimed that fighting between rival groups for the leadership of Pakistani Taliban had left 24 rebels, including two possible successors to Baitullah Mehsud, dead.

The top Taliban commander was believed killed along with his younger wife in a US missile attack on his father-in-law's house in South Waziristan Wednesday.

According to Bittani, Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman exchanged fire at a meeting of shura, Taliban's advisory council, which was choosing a successor to Mehsud in the lawless tribal district of South Waziristan.

'Twenty-one more people also died in the clashes that still continue in various areas,' said Bittani, a Taliban defector and old rival of Baitullah Mehsud.