Pakistan kills 11 TTP ‘high-profile’ terrorists near Afghanistan border

Islamabad: Pakistan claimed to have killed at least 11 terrorists linked to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during a military counter terrorism raid in a remote region near Afghanistan’s border.

A military statement stated that the “intelligence-based operation” in the South Waziristan district “successfully foiled a high-profile terrorist activity.”

A report by Voice of America quoted security sources saying that those killed included suicide bombers and a key commander of Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, who have been waging terrorism in Islamabad and targeting security forces as well as civilians.

According to reports, the TTP has killed hundreds of civilians and security forces last year. In December 2022, more than 40 Pakistani security forces were killed making it the deadliest month in a decade of terrorist violence in Pakistan.

For the unversed, TTP is a Pakistani offshoot and a close ally of Afghanistan’s ruling Islamist Taliban. It was designated as a global terrorist organisation by the US.

Pakistan to launch counter attack?

Over the last few weeks, TTP has been wreaking havoc across Pakistan. Now, the country appears to have been planning to launch a major counter-offensive against the Afghanistan-based terrorists.

SCMP in a report said Pakistan is likely to launch a major ground as well as air offensive to target and eliminate the hideouts of Pakistan Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan.

Last week, the Pakistani civil-military leadership met under the banner of the National Security Committee and vowed to show “zero tolerance” for terrorism in the country.

Pakistan open to talks with TTP

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, earlier this week, said his government is willing to talk to the TTP.

Sanaullah further said that they are trying to bring back the TTP to the negotiating table.

On Wednesday, the TTP threatened to target two key leaders of two top parties of the ruling coalition – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and his foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) –  if they continued to support tough measures against the militant group.

After taking over Afghanistan in 2021, TTP has significantly expanded its presence in Pakistan’s tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Also, in the same year, the banned terror group which was created by ISI, warned Islamabad to brace itself for an offensive. Now, it is executing what it said couple of years ago and is back in the headlines.

The TTP was formed to help the Afghan Taliban capture Kabul. After achieving it, the TTP is on its next mission which is to take over Pakistan and turn it into a Taliban state.

In a statement on Wednesday, the terror group claimed that the whole world is aware that the “Jihadi field of TTP is only Pakistan and our target is the security agencies occupying the country.”

With inputs from agencies

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