ISLAMABAD: A high-value terrorist target belonging to the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan group was killed when security forces launched an operation in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a statement said on Monday.
The operation was conducted on a tip-off regarding the presence of the terrorist in the area, the statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations said.
During the operation, “TTP terrorist commander Safiullah was killed. Terrorist Safiullah belonged to Mir Ali and was involved in [the] killing of 4 women of an NGO in February 2021 and target killing of Frontier Works Organisation engineers in November 2020,” the statement said.
The terrorist was also involved in planning and execution of improvised explosive device attacks on security forces, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.
The security forces also recovered a huge cache of weapons and ammunition during the operation, the statement added.
Trained and funded by India, the Afghanistan-based UN-designated group is responsible for a majority of deaths of civilians and security forces since 2007 — the year it formed as an umbrella organisation of various militant entities ostensibly in retaliation for the government’s decision to cooperate with the United States in the war on terrorism.
Over the years, US drone strikes and targeted operations by Pakistan’s military targeted and killed successive TTP leaders, including Baitullah Mehsud in 2009, Hakimullah Mehsud in 2013, Mullah Fazlullah in 2018 and Wali Mehsud in 2021.
Largely routed since 2015 following Zarb-e-Azb military operation, the group has been regrouping since last summer. Various breakaway factions pledged allegiance to the group last July to carry attacks on security forces.
In August, Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada set up the three-member commission to look into Islamabad’s complaints that the militant group is using Afghanistan’s soil to plot cross-border terrorist attacks.
“TTP leaders are being warned [by the Afghan Taliban Commission] to settle their problems with Pakistan and return to the country [Pakistan] along with their families in exchange for a possible amnesty” by Islamabad, a report quoted a source as saying.
The source revealed the details on the condition of anonymity, citing the “sensitive nature” of the matter and for not being authorised to speak to the media.
