Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan key commander shot dead in Afghanistan

A top commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was killed in Afghanistan, the militant group confirmed on December 29. Qari Saifullah Mehsud, also a spokesperson for the Hakimullah Mehsud group, was shot dead in an attack allegedly carried by the Haqqani network, an Afghan guerrilla insurgent group, in Khost province.

TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, is an alliance of different militant groups that came together in 2007 under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud. The urgency of uniting under one umbrella was caused by Pakistan military operations against Al-Qaida-related militants in tribal areas. The militant organisation is currently divided under four factions - Swat group, Mehsud group, Bajaur Agency group, and Darra Adamkhel group - and Qari Saifullah Mehsud was reportedly trying to unite them.

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Mehsud was the most active terrorist in the region and was wanted by Pakistan for several terror attacks. According to analysts, Mehsud’s death comes as a big jolt to the attempts of establishing unity among the disparate groups. Mehsud had earlier claimed that his group launched 75 terror attacks, especially in North and South Waziristan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. TTP spokesperson said that the Haqqani network had killed three militants of Hakimullah Mehsud group a few days ago and cited the reason to put the responsibility for the latest attack that killed Qari Saifullah Mehsud. 

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Want to establish an emirate

As per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the stated objective of TTP, rooted along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, is to overthrow the elected government of Pakistan and establish an emirate based on its interpretation of Islamic law. The militant group has carried numerous attack on Pakistani army and politicians to destabilise the region. It also claimed responsibility for an attempted bombing in Times Square, New York, USA, in May 2010, and in April 2010 it launched a multi-pronged assault against the United States Consulate in Peshawar, killing at least six Pakistanis and wounding 20 others.

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(With ANI inputs)