Pakistani security officials say that 13 members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including two Afghan nationals, have been killed during a clearance operation in the Adam Khel Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past two days.
According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, citing security officials, two Afghan nationals and six TTP members were killed on Saturday, while five other members of the group were killed on Friday.
The report states that the two Afghan nationals were identified as “Qari Zainatullah” and “Longin,” and were members of the Tariq Geedar faction affiliated with the TTP.
Pakistan’s army and police launched the “clearance operation” on Friday (May 29) against TTP militant positions in the Adam Khel Valley near Peshawar.
Security officials said that the operation is still ongoing and that the area remains under siege.
Islamabad claims that terrorism in Pakistan has resurged since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistani officials accuse the Afghan Taliban of providing training centers and safe havens to TTP members and leaders, and of allowing Afghan citizens to join the group’s ranks in fighting against the Pakistani state.
However, the Afghan Taliban have consistently rejected these allegations.
While the Taliban have publicly sought to distance themselves from the TTP’s conflict with Pakistan, last year they convened a large gathering of religious scholars in Kabul and issued a religious ruling stating that participating in “jihad” outside Afghanistan is “not obligatory.”
Nevertheless, some Taliban officials and pro-Taliban preachers continue to regard fighting on Pakistani soil as permissible.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
