Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday telephoned Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to confirm the news regarding the killing of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah in a drone strike in Afghanistan Province Kunar, the military’s media wing said.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations, Mullah Fazal Ullah was “hiding in Afghanistan since 2009”.
The ISPR termed the killing of Mullah Fazlullah "a positive development", adding that the TTP leader's death "gives relief to scores of Pakistani families who fell victims to TTP terror including the APS massacre".
Earlier there were media reports that a US drone targeted and killed Mullah Fazlullah in the Afghan province of Kunar. The Voice of America radio reported that a US military official confirmed to its correspondents that a US drone strike had “targeted the TTP leader in an Afghan province near the border with Pakistan”.
The official US radio also quoted unconfirmed reports from the target area as claiming that Mullah Fazlullah had been killed.
According to Radio Pakistan, the banned TTP chief was leaving a militant centre, known as Pachai Markaz, just before midnight after attending a dinner party along with several key commanders when he was killed. As soon as Fazlullah boarded the vehicle, missiles fired from an unmanned US aircraft hit them, it added.
Ashraf Ghani also made a telephone call to caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk and confirmed the death of Mullah Fazlullah. PM Mulk thanked the Afghan President for sharing this information and termed it a significant development in the fight against terrorism, Radio Pakistan said.
The premier said, "Finally action has been taken against an enemy of the people and state of Pakistan."
President Ghani also informed PM Mulk about positive developments following the recent ceasefire announcement in Afghanistan which would help pave the way for the Afghan peace process to consolidate.
The caretaker premier assured him of support to facilitate Afghan peace efforts that would remain Afghan-owned and Afghan-led. The two leaders exchanged Eid greeting and best wishes for the people of two countries.