Jirga in Kurram turns violent, TTP infighting kills 19 JuA fighters and three TTP members
A photo of a TTP member. PHOTO: FILE
More than a dozen terrorists were killed in deadly clashes between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its splinter faction TTP-Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA), as tensions boiled over between commanders of the two sides in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram tribal district, sources said. The Express PK Press Club Friday.
The deadly fighting in the Manato area of central Kurram follows the TTP Central Shura’s decision to take disciplinary action against some commanders of the JuA faction. Sources added that the clashes began after the JuA fighters were allegedly asked to surrender their weapons or comply with the directives of local TTP commanders.
The infighting reportedly left 19 JuA fighters dead, while three TTP members were also killed, according to the sources.
Read: Break in fighting
Sharing more details, sources further said that a jirga has been convened to address the growing tensions and resolve the dispute; however, the situation deteriorated when gunfire broke out between the two factions during the tribal assembly.
Meanwhile, JuA vowed to avenge the killings and released images of its murdered members on social media, according to sources.
In another development, security sources said that during a recent military operation in Shawal and Spinwam areas of North Waziristan, a top terrorist commander identified as Jan Mir alias Tor Saqib was killed along with around 30 other militants.
They added that Jan Mir was considered an expert in explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and was known for his tactical expertise.
