Afghan Taliban seek tribesmen’s help to stop TTP infighting
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PESHAWAR: A pamphlet attributed to the Afghan Taliban and distributed in parts of North Waziristan Agency has confirmed serious differences among the Mehsud Taliban and the infighting which has left a number of militants killed on both sides.
The Pashto language Pamphlet, with letter head of Afghan Taliban’s chief Mullah Umar, has not only mentioned the conflict among the Mehsud Taliban groups which forms major part of TTP but also appealed to the local tribesmen to pray and resolve the conflict.
The pamphlet has also appealed to the Taliban groups to play their role in defusing the tension and stopping the infighting between Hakimullah Mehsud group led by Sheryar Mehsud and Khan Said Sajna group, affiliated earlier to Waliur Rehman Mehsud group.
The authenticity of the letter, however, could not be verified from the Afghan Taliban but a copy of the letter is available with Dawn.com.
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| –A copy of the pamphlet distributed allegedly by Afghan Taliban |
On the other hand a member of the Hakimullah Mehsud group, Haji Daud who claimed to be its spokesman has also confirmed to the media that their group is in conflict with Khan Said Sajna group.
He said that the Sajna group wanted to take over the Meshsud Taliban’s command and establish its authority in South Waziristan’s Mehsud belt which was not acceptable to them.
Daud added that the group would accept the authority of any group only if endorsed by TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah.
The umbrella TTP group on the other hand has termed the internal rift a petty issue and had blamed the media for creating hype.
A key member of the TTP shura, Azam Tariq told Dawn.com that the Mehsud Taliban’s dispute has been resolved and it was not a “big problem” any more.
About the extension in ceasefire with the government and other issues, he said that reports about it were premature and the matter would be decided by the Shura soon.
He said that a ceasefire has been established between the two Taliban groups and there would be no more fighting between them.
The armed clashes between the militant groups over a period of a week have left over 40 militants dead on both sides.
