Pakistani Taliban's senior commander killed in Afghanistan

PESHAWAR: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's senior commander Abdul Manan alias Hakimullah has been killed by unknown men in Afghanistan's Kunar province, in a setback to the banned outfit which has declared a three-day ceasefire with Pakistan during the Eid al-Adha festival. Hakimullah, a Shura member of the Pakistani Taliban's powerful Malakand faction, was killed in Chaghasarai, District Asadabad in the Kunar province, bordering Bajaur tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.

His killing comes as the TTP is observing a three-day ceasefire with the Pakistani government during the Eid al-Adha, which was celebrated on Monday.

Hakimullah, who was the right-hand man of TTP Malakand chief Azmat Ullah Mehsud alias Wali Malakand, played a key role in terrorist activities in Bajaur and carried out various acts of violence including target killings, landmine explosions, checkpoint attacks, and extortion, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

He also served as a cleric at a madrassa of TTP in Sarkano, Kunar province of Afghanistan, and trained some of the key TTP commanders including Tahir alias Waqar, Umar alias Ismail and others.

His death is seen as a significant setback for the TTP and underscores the internal conflicts among various armed factions operating within Afghanistan, the paper said.

Citing sources, the papers said that the terrorist had joined the TTP in 2007 and took part in several actions against security forces and innocent civilians. His brother, Tariq alias Asad, is also related to the outlawed TTP, according to the sources.

Hakimullah's killing comes days after TTP commander Waliullah was killed by the Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department in an intelligence-based operation in the Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.

He was wanted by the Pakistani security forces in several terrorism cases including attacks on security convoys, and police posts, kidnapping for ransom, and extortion.

Waliullah, a local commander of the TTP Tipu Gul group and the son-in-law of Commander Atiqur Rahman alias Tipu Gul Marwat was wanted in several cases of bomb blasts in Bannu, DI Khan and local police, and attacks on police and security forces.

On April 27, TTP Malakand chapter commander Talha Swati was killed in the Asadabad area of Afghanistan's Kunar province, the paper reported, citing sources.

According to reports, the slain terrorist was reporting on Jammatul Ahrar's activities to the South District Taliban, Islamic State Khorasan Province and his close aide Noor Wali Mehsud.

There were conflicting reports surrounding the commander's death. Some reports suggested he was killed by ISKP, while others stated he was killed by a rival faction due to some internal rifts.

The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam across Pakistan.

The group, believed to be close to al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban, has been blamed for several deadly 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.