Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat Valley witnessing a resurgence of the TTP
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], November 9 (ANI): The recent surge in attacks by the banned outfit, Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat District has given rise to the fear that the presence of terrorists and violence is making a comeback after more than a decade.
The TTP leadership is displaying complete intransigence on its core objectives thus reducing the possibility of negotiations succeeding.
The recent appearance of TTP in the Swat valley brings back memories of the bloody period in the early 2000s. According to the latest figures, there have been six incidents this year alone in which 12 persons, including seven civilians and five terrorists, have been killed.
However, local leaders and human rights activists see the TTP’s resurgence in KP as a devious ploy to create disturbances in the Pashtun areas of Pakistan, reported Islam Khabar.
Global Strat News says this is a consequence of the Afghan strategy followed by the Pakistan Army, because of which the Afghan Taliban is no longer willing to follow orders from Rawalpindi, reported Islam Khabar.
Complications have also arisen due to the failure of the TTP-Pakistan Army negotiations after the assassinations of key TTP leaders. This has confirmed fears in the Pashtun tribal areas that the military and civilian leadership are compromising peace in the region.
A UN report (February 2022) estimates that about 3,000 to 4,000 TTP fighters had regrouped in Afghanistan, under the leadership of Noor Wali Mehsud.
Moreover, Geo News correspondent in Swat, Mehboob Ali, claimed that at least 200-250 TTP militants were in the area. The TTP-claimed attack (August 7, 2022) on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA in Lower Dir and the abduction of an Army man and police official in Swat fuelled fears of the terrorists staging a comeback.
Most recently (October 2022), the TTP targeted a school van in Swat’s Charbagh tehsil, killing the driver and injuring two students. The incident sparked protests in the area, which lasted for over forty hours. (ANI)