A top commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group operating in Pakistan’s northwestern region that seeks to impose the rule of Sharia in the country, has reportedly been killed in eastern Afghanistan, almost a month after the brief ceasefire between the Pakistan government and the group ended on 9 December. TTP military commander Muhammad Khurassani has reportedly been killed in Nangahar, an eastern Afghan province bordering Pakistan, reported The Express Tribune, citing a top security official in the Pakistan military. Neither the TTP nor the Pakistan government has confirmed his death yet.

Khurassani, who hails from Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan, was also a long-time spokesperson of the militant group. It isn’t clear if he was killed by Pakistan security forces or the Afghan Taliban, with whom the TTP shares ideological and fraternal ties.

Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan last year in August, the Pakistan government started peace talks with the TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban. However, the talks, facilitated by the Afghan Taliban, broke down in December last year. [Read More]

This was followed by the resumption of hostility and stepped-up attacks by the Pakistan Taliban on security forces. Meanwhile, ties between the Afghan Taliban and its long-time backer, Pakistan, also came under strain, with the former fiercely opposing the fencing of the Af-Pak border, known as the Durand Line. [Read More]

Reports also indicated Islamabad is putting pressure on the Afghan Taliban to act against the TTP, which enjoys sanctuaries in Afghanistan. [Read More]

The latest development regarding the killing of Khurassani, if true, is significant. It indicates two possible scenarios - first, the Pakistan security forces have started undertaking unilateral military operations inside Afghanistan; second, the Afghan Taliban has started cooperating with Pakistan on kinetic actions against its ideological brother, TTP.

(SAM)