Man linked to shooting of teen schoolgirl named to head Taliban

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Maulana Fazlullah, who has been linked to the attack on schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, has been named the leader of Pakistan's Taliban, a spokesman says.

Fazlullah, chosen to replace Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike Nov. 1, is a hardline commander from the Swat region of the country, the BBC reported Thursday.

The announcement was made by the Taliban's caretaker leader, Asmatullah Shaheen, during a press conference at an undisclosed location

Fazlullah's fighters reportedly targeted the teenage Yousafzai, who advocates for the education of girls. Between 2007 and 2009, he enforced hard-line Islamic law in Swat, burning schools and conducting public floggings and beheadings.