Peshawar, Oct 30: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s second-in-command Amjad was among four militants killed by security forces while attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the army said on Thursday.
The militants were trying to infiltrate on Wednesday night when their movement was intercepted by the security forces in Bajaur district, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army.
It said that the troops effectively engaged and thwarted the militants’ attempt to infiltrate.
Four militants, including high-value target Amjad alias Mazahim, were “sent to hell,” it said.
Amjad, the second-in-command to TTP chief Noor Wali and head of Rehbari Shura of the banned militant group, was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies, the statement said.
The TTP commander, who was carrying PkRs five million bounty on his head, was “actively involved in perpetuating numerous terrorist activities inside Pakistan while residing in Afghanistan,” it added.
The army reiterated that the interim Afghan government must take concrete measures to ensure that Afghan soil is not used by militants to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan.
“It also validates our stance that Afghan soil is continuously being used as a safe haven” by terrorists against Pakistan, it said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for eliminating TTP commander Amjad and his aides.
In a statement, the President said the operation against terrorism is a guarantee of Pakistan’s lasting peace and stability.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said the security forces, through their professional expertise, eliminated the highly wanted TTP commander Amjad and thwarted the nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan’s sovereignty. He said we will continue to defeat the elements that harm innocent people.
The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam across Pakistan.
The group, believed to be close to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
On Wednesday, at least six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district. Seven terrorists were also gunned down during the operation.
Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan, mostly targeting police, law enforcement personnel, and security forces.(PTI)
