Wali Mohammad, brother of slain militant commander Nek Mohammad, and his aide were mysteriously shot dead in Kalushah near Wana, South Waziristan Agency on Thursday.
They were passing along a road when unidentified persons opened fire on them, killing them instantly. No one has claimed responsibility for the murder but tribesmen in Wana cite internal rifts among militants as the cause.
Wali Mohammad’s brother Nek Mohammad was killed in the first US drone attack on June 17, 2004. He was a pioneer of militancy and armed resistance against the state. He made headlines in the wake of the infamous Shakai agreement with the armed forces through former Corps Commander Lt Gen (r) Safdar Hussain. He was garlanded by Lt Gen Safdar during the signing ceremony on April 24, 2004, but even then was pursued by drones in his native Kalushah Wana on June 17, and killed. Despite the assassination, a number of militants from the clans of Ahmadzai Wazir respected him and his family.
Wali Mohammad Wazir’s assassination is likely to spark tension in the Wana region of South Waziristan.