Whirlwind trip: Afghan forces closing in on TTP chief

Gen Raheel assured that Afghan forces are tightening noose around Fazlullah

ISLAMABAD:

Afghan security forces are said to be closing in on Pakistan’s most wanted terrorist Mullah Fazlullah in a move which suggests growing security cooperation between the two neighbours.

Army chief General Raheel Sharif, who travelled to Kabul on Tuesday along with ISI chief Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, was informed by Afghan authorities that “they are tightening the noose around Fazlullah”, a source told The Express Tribune.

This was Gen Raheel’s second visit to Kabul in two months and appears to indicate that a significant development may be expected about the fugitive chief of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad has presented compelling evidence of Fazlullah’s involvement in the December 16, 2014 massacre at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar. Pakistan has since been pushing the Afghan authorities to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries as well as kill or capture Fazlullah.



Afghan security forces recently launched an operation gainst TTP hideouts close to their country’s border with Pakistan. They have also arrested at least six suspected terrorists who were believed to be behind the APS attack.

Tuesday’s talks at the presidential palace in Kabul between army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani could be an indication of a ‘breakthrough’ on Fazlullah. A source disclosed that the army chief reiterated Pakistan’s demand for action against the TTP chief. “They [Afghanistan] are after him [Fazlullah] and may be quite close,” the source claimed.

ISPR’s Director General Maj Gen Asim Salim Bajwa said in tweets on micro-blogging site Twitter that the army chief and the Afghan president appreciated improvement in relations between the two countries. Both sides pledged to continue operations on their respective sides of the Durand Line and vowed not to allow use of their soils against each other, he added.

“The enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism,” Gen Raheel told the Afghan leader. He assured Kabul that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used against the neighbouring country.

The army chief also met Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, according to Bajwa. Dr Abdullah acknowledged the “overall positive trajectory in bilateral relations, concrete progress in operations, border management and intelligence sharing.”

A statement issued by the presidential palace stated that Gen Raheel assured the Afghan president of Pakistan’s commitment to help in the peace process. “The army chief also apprised the Afghan president of Pakistan’s efforts to push the peace process forward,” it added.

“The messages from the Pakistani delegation were positive and their commitments have raised hopes that results will be clear within weeks,” according to the statement. “The Afghan government hopes the Pakistani pledges and steps will yield positive results,” the statement said.

Some sources said the army chief raised the issue of the handover of six suspects of the APS attack. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen a significant improvement ever since the national unity government, led by President Ghani and CEO Dr Abdullah, was formed in Kabul.

The development is attributed to the policy shift Pakistan has undertaken with regard to the Afghan insurgents, including the Haqqani network.

Pakistan is thought to have secured the crucial support of Afghanistan against the TTP hideouts after it launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency, which was considered a stronghold of the Haqqani network.

The Pakistan military publicly announced that it was targeting all militant groups, including the Haqqanis, who were once seen as a ‘strategic asset’ by the security establishment.


Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2015.