Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani network -- a militant faction of the Taliban, has been dead for almost a year, the group has revealed.
The news comes on the heels of reports confirming the death of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar two years ago.
Haqqani died last year from health problems and was buried in Afghanistan, according to the BBC.
A member of the Haqqani network also confirmed the news of the founder's death to The New York Times on Friday.
A family member told Reuters that Haqqani had "died of brain haemorrhage a year and half ago. He is buried in the Zadran area of Khost province".
However, other family members denied reports of his death.
"Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani, no doubt, has become aged and suffering from different diseases but by the grace of Allah, he is safe and sound and alive," a close relative told Reuters.
Haqqani emerged as a leader in the fight against Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, and was once said to be a "prized asset" of the United States' CIA.
But once the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Haqqani allied himself with Mullah Omar, serving as a 'cabinet minister'.
Haqqani's son Sirajuddin Haqqani was recently made the deputy to the Taliban's newly-appointed leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.
The Haqqani network is said to be behind several deadly attacks on Indian entities in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing at the Indian mission in Kabul.
The terror group has also launched attack against NATO troops and Western interests in the region.
Till last year, the Haqqani Netwrok was said to have had its stronghold in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, according to US intelligence agencies, the Press Trust of India reported.
