Who was Amjad aka Mazahim? TTP’s second-in-command killed by Pakistan Army in…; Islamabad says he was wanted for…
Pakistan-Taliban war: In a major blow to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), four of its top commanders, including the terrorist group’s second-in-command, Amjad aka Mazahim, were killed by the Pakistan Army when the ultras attempted to infiltrate into the country through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to an official statement issued by Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the TTP terrorists were intercepted by Pakistani security forces in Bajaur district on Wednesday night while they were trying to infiltrate into Pakistan via the porous border.
A firefight ensued between the two sides in which four TTP terrorists, including high-value target Amjad alias Mazahim, were “sent to hell,”, the army said.
Who was TTP commander Amjad?
According to the Pakistan Army, Amjad aka Mazahim, was the second-in-command to TTP supremo Noor Wali Mehsud and head of the Pakistani Taliban’s Rehbari Shura.
The wanted Taliban commander carried a PKR 5 million bounty on his head, and was “actively involved in perpetuating numerous terrorist activities inside Pakistan while residing in Afghanistan,” the ISPR statement said, adding that Mazahim’s killing “validates our stance that Afghan soil is continuously being used as a safe haven by terrorists against Pakistan”.
In the statement, the Pakistan Army stressed that Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban must take concrete measures to ensure that Afghan soil is not used by militants to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan.
Who are the TTP?
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was established in 2007 as an umbrella group several terrorist outfits, with the stated goal of imposing Sharia law across Pakistan and make the country an “Islamic state” along the lines of what their Afghan counterparts have done in their own country.
TTP, a terrorist group with close links to the al-Qaeda, has allegedly carried out several deadly terror attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
How TTP fueled the Pakistan-Taliban war?
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Kabul after the US left the country in mid 2021, of sheltering and supporting the TTP aka the Pakistani Taliban, a claimed repeatedly denied by Kabul.
The recent military clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan also stemmed from Afghan Taliban’s alleged patronage of the TTP. However, hostilities ceased after both sides agreed to a ceasefire in Qatari capital Doha, even as the second round of talks broke down in Turkey’s Istanbul as a consensus could not be reached.
On Wednesday, at least six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district. Seven terrorists were also gunned down during the operation.
Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan, mostly targeting police, law enforcement personnel, and security forces.
Pak leaders hail TTP commander’s killing
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s leadership hailed security forces for eliminating TTP commander Amjad and his aides, with President Asif Ali Zardari hailing the “operation against terrorism” as a “guarantee” of lasting peace and stability in the country.
In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the security forces, through their professional expertise, eliminated the highly wanted TTP commander Amjad and thwarted the nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan’s sovereignty. He said we will continue to defeat the elements that harm innocent people.
(With PTI inputs)
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