- TTP commander killed in drone strike in Afghanistan while Abdullah Dawar killed in North Waziristan
PESHAWAR: The United States (US) has carried out two drone strikes killing a commander of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan and another hardcore terrorist in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of Pakistan.
The Afghan government has confirmed the death of Umar Rahman Fateh, a leading commander of banned TTP, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan. According to reports, Umar Rahman was targeted along with others by a US drone in Afghanistan’s Kunar province on Tuesday morning.
So far neither the TTP nor Pakistan have confirmed the killing of Rahman.
In a period of less than a month, Umar Rahman is the second top TTP commander eliminated by US drone across the border in Afghanistan. On the night between June 13 and 14, a US drone targeted the convoy of TTP chief Mullah Fazalullah in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, killing him and four other senior commanders of the proscribed outfit.
Soon after Fazlullah’s killing, Umar Rahman alias Fateh was declared as his successor. However, he was later replaced by Noor Wali Mehsud as permanent chief of the banned group. After a period of around five years, Mehsud militants have gained leadership role in the TTP. Hakimullah Mehsud was the last TTP chief till his assassination in a US drone attack on November 1, 2013.
Umar Rahman is part of a long list of TTP leaders that have been killed in US drone strikes. Former leader Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, Said Khan Sajna, Mufti Waliur Rahman, Qari Hussain, Azam Tariq, Shahidullah Shahid were all slain in US drone attacks. Furthermore, a large number of al Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) Ittehad Islami Jehad militants have also been assassinated in US strikes.
Hailing from Swat, Umar Rahman was considered among the most educated and learned commanders of the TTP.
Separately, in another drone strike by the US forces, a hardcore militant commander from North Waziristan was killed and his accomplice was injured on Wednesday afternoon.
The deceased militant Abdullah Dawar was associated with Shura-e-Mujahideen North Waziristan, a splinter group of banned TTP, headed by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
Reports from North Waziristan said that Abdullah, along with one other person, was on the move near village Toor Tangi along Pak-Afghan border when he was targeted by US drone with two missiles. As a result, Abdullah Dawar was killed on the spot whereas his accomplice was injured.
The tribesmen informed that other militants rushed to the site of the attack and shifted the dead body of Dawar and the injured person to an unknown place.
