Infighting: 6 militants killed in clashes between rival TTP groups
Gunfight erupts between vice commander and commander of TTP in Orakzai Agency.
HANGU:
At least six militants were killed and four were injured in fierce clashes between two militant groups in the Mamozai area of Orakzai Agency on Saturday.
A security official from the area said that a heavy gunfight erupted between fighters loyal to Mullah Toufan, vice commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Orakzai Agency, and Moulvi Gul Zaman, the TTP commander of the agency. The official explained that the clashes erupted when Toufan warned Zaman that he was going to part ways, which resulted in a heated argument followed by the heavy gunfight.
As a result, four fighters loyal to Toufan were killed and three others were injured, while two of Zaman’s fighters were gunned down and one was wounded.
“Two vehicles of the Gul Zaman group were destroyed, while two compounds of the Toufan group were detonated,” the official said, adding that Mamozai was a stronghold of the two TTP factions, who were battling each other to gain control of the area.
The official added that militants of Hafiz Ziaur Rehman from Dabori and Pir Saifur from Saiful Darra reached Mamozai to bring a halt to the fighting between the two groups and convened a jirga that was under way till the filing of this report.
Both groups shifted the deceased and injured to an undisclosed location.
A military operation has been conducted in Mamozai to clear the area of TTP militants. Security officials claimed that they have cleared around 97 per cent of the area, except for some troubled parts of remote areas, where security forces are still engaged with militants.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2012.
At least six militants were killed and four were injured in fierce clashes between two militant groups in the Mamozai area of Orakzai Agency on Saturday.
A security official from the area said that a heavy gunfight erupted between fighters loyal to Mullah Toufan, vice commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Orakzai Agency, and Moulvi Gul Zaman, the TTP commander of the agency. The official explained that the clashes erupted when Toufan warned Zaman that he was going to part ways, which resulted in a heated argument followed by the heavy gunfight.
As a result, four fighters loyal to Toufan were killed and three others were injured, while two of Zaman’s fighters were gunned down and one was wounded.
“Two vehicles of the Gul Zaman group were destroyed, while two compounds of the Toufan group were detonated,” the official said, adding that Mamozai was a stronghold of the two TTP factions, who were battling each other to gain control of the area.
The official added that militants of Hafiz Ziaur Rehman from Dabori and Pir Saifur from Saiful Darra reached Mamozai to bring a halt to the fighting between the two groups and convened a jirga that was under way till the filing of this report.
Both groups shifted the deceased and injured to an undisclosed location.
A military operation has been conducted in Mamozai to clear the area of TTP militants. Security officials claimed that they have cleared around 97 per cent of the area, except for some troubled parts of remote areas, where security forces are still engaged with militants.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2012.