The new head of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mullah Fazlullah has returned to the country’s tribal areas, a spokesman for the militants said Tuesday, after several years based in Afghanistan.
Fazlullah was elected as leader of the TTP last month after his predecessor was killed by a US drone.
The new TTP leader has been based mainly in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan since 2009, when a military operation ended his followers’ brutal two-year rule of the Swat valley.
TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said Fazlullah was now “commanding the Taliban movement at an unknown location in the tribal areas”.
The TTP and other militants have strongholds in the seven semi-autonomous tribal areas along Pakistan’s rugged, porous border with Afghanistan.
Shahid’s comments came after some Pakistani TV channels reported that Fazlullah had reached Waziristan.
“It is not true that Maulana Fazlullah is in Waziristan, he is in the tribal areas but at unknown location,” Shahid told a foreign news agency.
Then-TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a US drone attack in North Waziristan on November 1, while South Waziristan was largely cleared of militant hideouts by a military offensive in 2009.
Washington has pushed for a similar operation in North Waziristan, currently seen as the major hub of Taliban and al Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.
Fazlullah, who has a $500,000 government bounty on his head, has mounted some brutal and humiliating attacks on Pakistan’s military, including the beheading of 17 soldiers after an attack in June 2012.
So this is the?"pious gentleman" who is resposible for beheading 17 brave soldiers our Govt. wants to negotiate with. I wonder what PTI chairman and our new COAS have to say about it. This may be the litmus test for the population.
Strange thing is Dr. that the past and present govt's the ISI & other political parties like JI, JU, PTI and many others know about this scum and yet he is allowed freely to travel into Pakistan possibly with security provided by the ISI!!!!!!
We stand by the government of Pakistan and fully support their efforts in countering insurgency. We share a common stance against terrorism, and we are making common sacrifices on both sides of the border in fighting terrorism. Those who pose a threat to our peace objectives in the region will be dealt with accordingly. We have come too far and made too many sacrifices to let these terrorists succeed with their dangerous agenda. Our officials continue to meet to address our shared concerns and objectives. We certainly hope to remain unified in regards to the betterment of the region. The terrorists also see our nations as a common threat to their evil mission. Therefore, it only makes sense for us to work together for the safety of the region.
Ali Khan
DET, United States Central Command
You are a traitor! Fear Allah and I bet you don't even know anything about Islam and Allah and can't even recite Quran or pray.
You will know it soon when you close eyes and see the reality and Allah's wrath in grave because of supporting KAFIRS!
I will KILL YOU if I find you.
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