PESHAWAR-
A commander of Mehsud faction within banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced that his group, under the leadership of Khalid Mehsud, has split from the umbrella organization of TTP.
Azam Tariq said Wednesday that the split came as a result of disagreements with the group’s leadership and also over the issue of peace talks with the government.
Tariq represents the faction based in the TTP birthplace in the South Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border.
In a statement, he says the South Waziristan branch has differences with the TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah over the ongoing peace negotiations with the government.
Azam said rifts have been created due individual ideologies among the TTP groups which has led them to deviate from the real cause.
He said that the present TTP regime was attacking public places and extorting money from religious seminaries, adding that other factions under the umbrella organisation were also becoming distrustful of the current regime.
He also claimed the leadership has turned the group into a criminal cartel.
Infighting between the TTP factions during the past several weeks had killed scores.
After TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a US drone strike in November 2013, infighting broke out among the supporters of Sheheryar Mehsud and Khan Said Sajna for the command of TTP.