Two factions of TTP responsible for Sukkur attack: Taliban commander

Claims the Taliban from the Mohmand tribal region and the Taliban faction in Punjab launched a combined attack .

ISLAMABAD: A Taliban commander told The Express Tribune on Thursday that the deadly attack on the Sukkur office of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which killed 9 people, was orchestrated by the militant group.

The commander said that elements of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) based in Mohmand tribal region and the Taliban faction in Punjab had launched a combined attack on the ISI office on Wednesday evening.

The commander, requesting to remain anonymous since he was not unauthorised to speak to the media, disputed the claim by a splinter faction of the Taliban, which also claimed responsibility for the same attack.

A man named Ahmed Marwat, who introduced himself as the spokesperson for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Jundullah Group) had called media persons to claim responsibility for the attack.

Marwat had claimed that the attack was revenge for the death of TTP deputy chief Wali-ur-Rehman Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region in May. He said the group had sent four bombers to “achieve the target.”

Following Wednesday's attack, a Rangers spokesperson had said that there were at least five attackers and that they had killed at least three of them, while at least two suicide bombers had blown themselves up.

The TTP Jundullah group had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack on security forces.

However, TTP former spokesperson, Ehsanullah Ehsan, has denied the association of Jundullah group with the Taliban.

There has been no independent verification on who was responsible for the attack.