Thursday, August 22, 2013

Key Pakistani Taliban Commander Killed Along With 4 Others In Roadside Bomb Attack

I'm a bit dumbfounded by this.  It's terrific news that this key Taliban commander in Pakistan's South Waziristan agency bit the dust when him and four other Taliban ragheads got blown up by a roadside bomb but I'm at a loss as to WHO DID IT?  Obviously, the Pakistani military isn't planting IEDs to kill Taliban and the article says no militant group has claimed responsibility - the only thing I can think of is that another faction of the Taliban wanted him taken out or he pissed off a group of foreign jihadis...like Uzbeks.

The article mentions the other "group" in the area but I don't know - it seems odd that they would carry this out by IED. 

The story comes from DAWN.


Key TTP commander among five killed in South Waziristan blast


PESHAWAR: A Pakistani Taliban commander believed to be harbouring foreign militants was killed along with four others in a roadside bomb explosion in South Waziristan tribal agency, officials said Thursday.

Ghulam Jan, believed to be a key commander of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was killed along with four accomplices when the improvised explosive device targeted his vehicle on Wednesday evening in Birmal tehsil, located about 27 kilometres from Wana, the main town in South Waziristan.

Assistant Political Agent Shahid Ali Khan confirmed that five people were killed in the blast which completely destroyed the vehicle.

Local officials confirmed the incident took place around 7 pm on Wednesday, but access to the area is limited and reports from the semi-autonomous tribal region, infested with Taliban and al Qaeda militants, are difficult to verify.

Jan, who had a reputation for supporting and harbouring Uzebk, Tajik and Central Asian militants, was earlier believed to have been ousted from the area by the pro-government Mullah Nazir group.

“He was anti-government and well known for his support to foreigners,” a official said on condition of anonymity.

The Mullah Nazir group had flushed out Uzbek fighters and anti-state militants from Wazir areas in 2008 and 2009.

Other people who had died in Wednesday’s blast were identified as Jan’s uncle, Juma Khan, and his close aides Mir Gul, Asmatullah and Kharote.

No militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast.

1 comment:

Indian Dream Gerl said...

This attack was supported and funded by US/Sauida, the alliance and relations between Pakistan and China were targeted..and to effect the Gawardar Port project, which is given to China by Pakistan, which against the mutual interests of US and Saudis. Pakistani Taliban are tools of the US/Saudia... the partners in crimes.