TTP warn of "bloodshed" if militants attack their bases. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed on Saturday that their rival groups are also using the name of the Afghan Taliban for their planned offensive.
In a telephone call to The Express Tribune, Ehsan said that the two banned groups have entered into alliance with the local anti-Taliban ‘lashkar’ (militia) to target bases of the banned TTP militant group.
“We will fight back and there would be bloodshed,” the TTP spokesperson warned.
Asked as to why the two groups have decided to launch the attack, the TTP spokesperson explained that the two groups harboured an old rivalry with the militant group.
Ehsan claimed he was seriously concerned at the impressions given by his rivals that the Afghan Taliban have joined the groups in the fight against TTP.
“We hope that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will realise the conspiracy of the TTP rivals,” Ehsan hoped. The TTP uses the term Islamic Emirate, a term used by the Afghan Taliban when referring to themselves.
“We have shown allegiance to the Islamic Emirate and accept their leadership and if they have any complaint we are ready to satisfy them,” the TTP spokesperson claimed.
Afghan Taliban distance themselves from TTP
Two Afghan Taliban officials, when contacted, though distanced themselves from the TTP and said they do not want to be involved in any fighting outside Afghanistan.
“We are fighting the foreign forces and their local backers in Afghanistan and have never been involved in any activity in any other country,” the Taliban officials said on the condition of anonymity.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, who have been time and again been blamed for militant actions in India, rejected the TTP claim of organising against them and said the group focuses its activities to the Indian-held Kashmir.
"We neither work in Afghanistan nor Pakistani tribal regions. We do not have any links with any group in the tribal regions,” Abdullah Ghaznavi, a Lashkar-e-Taiba spokesperson told The Express Tribune via phone from undisclosed location.
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@TruthHurts: You asked "Where are your incredible references that 26/11 was Pakistan"? We can all go to Wikipedia and look up "26/11" to see a detailed account of the Mumbai terrorist attack. There you will also see a listing of the 10 Pakistani terrorists and their Pakistani hometowns! There are also references to Pakistani American David Headley (who changed his name from Daood Sayed Gilani) who was tried and convicted of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba in the Mumbai Terrorist Attack! I believe that the government of Pakistan has also acknowledged that the attack originated from Pakistan! Does this truth hurt enough???
@Arain: {TTP is just a name used by Indian-US backed agents to spread false skepticism about the Afghan Freedom-Fighters…:o}
Then why are we falling over each other to negotiate with them (military operation no solution bla bla...............) instead of declaring them Enemy of State and going after them with single minded focus? Beats me all ends up.
Oh great, Let the scourges wipe each other off.
@Pakistan First: WOW, you ask "Don't you know that messenger’s shooting is immoral in any kind of war.."? Really, please tell us where that is written down somewhere? By the way, Please also tell us if you think the Slaughter of some 30,000 plus Pakistanis (and the maiming of probably twice that number) by the TTP should also be judged as "IMMORAL", or does the TTP somehow get a pass??? Reminds me of the MALALA INCIDENT where the Brave TTP shot an unarmed girl in the head they were afraid of her "MESSAGE"!!!
@Arain: "TTP is actually foreign funded agents working to destabilize Pakistan while Afghan Taliban are the Actual Taliban fighting against foreign oppression" If TTP are foreign agents then why our beloved IK wants to negotiate with these peace loving (in his own words) organization? Are the two rightwing leaders endorsed by TTP and proteced in the election campaign are that naive or lying? The main news is good Taliban and bad Taliban are fighting against each other like the destruction of Kabul after Soviets left. The organization is imploding even before the US leaves. Great news for the victims and their families brutalized by TTP and bad news for the supporters of these "peace loving" Taliban. Regards, M
Trying to find out differences amongst various terror groups and protecting some groups will cause serious damage to Pakistan. Whether TTP is Indian funded or US funded (not true but even if it is true) does not matter. It is all the more reason for Pakistan to eliminate them and not negotiate with them. Pakistan government itself has a reward of two million rupees on Wali ur Rehman. I think Rehman Malik had announced this reward. This reward has not yet been withdrawn. US has a reward of $5 million. Yet IK is unhappy that Wali ur Rehman was taken off.
@numbersnumbers: And where are your incredible references that 26/11 was Pakistan? Oh i got it, you are an Indian....
@ashar:
Do you honestly believe the Pak founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was a Shia Muslim minority though not very religiously practising, would have accepted your foreign Afghan idol Mullah Omar's violent Wahhabi/Deoband/Taliban ideology or vice versa?
@Saad:
Well said. This sick Afghan Taliban extremist love-fest by some hypocritical and irrational Pakistani ideologues is depressing, especially knowing full well that the TTP were fighting alongside the Afghan Taliban, had a relationship with them, and only finally now have their differences hardened after a decade (the Afghan Taliban would avoid condemning the TTP despite their differences on how to view the Pak state as friend or foe, and both indulging in the same crimes but at different regions), though the TTP are still trying to appeal to the un-Islamic Emirate.
This could be emanating from the Wali-ur-Rehman death, which highlighted everything from sabotaged peace talks with the Pak state, to speculation of betraying the second in command by one of their own, to simply Hakimullah Mehsud alienating everyone around him.
Or it could just have been in the making by the Pak Establihsment trying to get a divide and conquer strategy going between the good Taliban assets and the bad Taliban splinter groups, who always had a kinship but is now clearly strained. Still don't understand whether Ansar-ul-Islam is considered banned or not. LeT involvement needs to be confirmed, because that would also be a substantial shift.
The developments are interesting, but the downside is there are just so many militant groups within Pak, many with state collusion, highlighting our Training Day double games. They are all criminal militants. It just happened that the TTP turned out to be the Joker out of all the mafias.
TTP, Afghan Taliban, these groups are all hypocrites, it's time to finish them all off for good.
@Senseless: You are exactly like your name..Dont you know that messenger's shooting is immoral in any kind of war..Even if army/intelligence know the location of Ehsan Ullah Ehsan, they cant do anything..Definitely, TTP would be keeping some buffer in between their first tier and spokeperson..Spokerperson is normally a figure head, a dumb/stupid kind of guy whose job is just to relay the message..he has no secrets
People calling themselves liberals and criticising Imran dont realize how much bloodshed we the people of kpk have seen. We are tired of this nonstop blasts and killing. People sitting in peace in Islamabad can easily criticise negociation process but living here is not that easy. You will only understand this when you pick up the dead bodies after the blasts. This is why we dont make fun of the negociation process. i think everything else has been tried and failed. Negociation is the only way to stop all this. We just need peace.
Excellent news. Have it boys,
Go TTP, destroy LeT, we will take care of you later :)
@rafiq: WOW, "Indian and American backed TTP"! And of course you have credible references to back up your claim! NOT! By the way, are you suggesting that all the Taliban/TTP types killed in Drone Strikes are actually victims of "Friendly Fire"!!' (Let's think about that for a minute!)
@Arain: Pleeeeeze tell where can read all about your "Open Secret that TTP is actually Foreign Funded Agents....", after all you must have found credible sources to tell you just WHO exactly is "funding" the TTP!!!