WASHINGTON: The US military confirmed this weekend that its airstrikes had killed a senior Pakistani Taliban fighter in Afghanistan late last month.

A video released by the US Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) showed the airstrike that killed Rehan, a deputy ‘commander’ of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who was also the group’s facilitator with Al Qaeda. Rehan operated from Bermal district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province, which borders Pakistan.

The Feb 22 strike also destroyed a TTP hideout, which was used for launching attacks in Pakistan.

Rehan is the second significant TTP man killed in Paktika this year. Sajna Mehsud was killed in a similar US airstrike on Jan 27, also in Bermal district.

A DVIDS press release said Rehan and Sajna Mehsud wielded influence within Al Qaeda, which provides funding to the TTP. In return, the TTP facilitates Al Qaeda travel and operations in the region.

The removal of Rehan and Mehsud degrades Al Qaeda’s ability to fund and direct TTP and other extremists throughout Paktika and the surrounding areas, the DVIDS said.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2018