Pakistani Taliban run riot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, seize Chitral army headquarters
After overrunning several villages in Chitral last week, the Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) is targeting military convoys in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Videos on social media show the Pakistani Taliban taking over the army headquarters in Chitral.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban, which overran some villages in Chitral last week, is running riot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It killed a soldier after a bomb attack on a paramilitary forces convoy and stormed the Pakistan army headquarters in Chitral, according to videos on social media sites.
After remaining silent over the Taliban attack in Chitral, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan military's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) admitted that four army personnel were killed in last week's Taliban offensive. The ISPR said seven Taliban militants were killed in an exchange of fire on Sunday.
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A screengrab of one of the videos on X that show Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan militants taking over the Pakistan army's headquarters in Chitral.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban, which overran some villages in Chitral last week, is running riot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It killed a soldier after a bomb attack on a paramilitary forces convoy and stormed the Pakistan army headquarters in Chitral, according to videos on social media sites.
After remaining silent over the Taliban attack in Chitral, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan military's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) admitted that four army personnel were killed in last week's Taliban offensive. The ISPR said seven Taliban militants were killed in an exchange of fire on Sunday.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November, according to a report by Pakistan's ARY News.
The Voice of America (VoA) reported that an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday killed at least one soldier and wounded several people.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan claimed responsibility for the explosion. The target of the attack was a convoy of the paramilitary Frontier Corps.
A large number of well-armed TTP militants recently conducted an assault on Pakistani security positions in the northern Chitral area near the Afghan border.
TALIBAN TAKE OVER ARMY HEADQUARTERS IN CHITRAL
Videos circulating on X (formerly Twitter) show Pakistani Taliban militants taking over the Pakistan army's headquarters in Chitral. Some videos showed them throwing stones at the Pakistani flag.
The videos couldn't be verified and their source remains unknown.
Chitral's location holds strategic importance as it shares borders with Afghanistan and is in close proximity to China's Xinjiang region. Additionally, it is separated from Tajikistan solely by the Wakhan Corridor.
The recent Taliban intrusion took place close to the traditional Kalash regions, and Chitral is also home to a substantial Ismaili population.
The Kalasha are a religious, ethnic, and linguistic minority community in Pakistan. And that makes them a target for Taliban militants. Authorities have to enhance security in the area because the Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan have a history of targeting minority communities, as reported by the Dawn.
OVER 200 PAKISTANI SOLDIERS KILLED IN 2023
The TTP has been behind multiple bombings and terrorist activities in places near or along Afghanistan's nearly 2,600-kilometre border, primarily targeting security forces and resulting in the deaths of dozens of people.
This comes amid claims by a former Afghan commander that Afghanistan was headed for a civil war as the Taliban was riddled with factionalism, and the country was fast becoming a safe haven for foreign terrorists.
The Pakistani military has said that over 220 soldiers and officers have been killed in attacks around the country this year.
Islamabad claims that fugitive TTP leaders and fighters are directing these attacks from safe havens in Afghanistan. They claim that the Taliban's restoration to power in Afghanistan in 2021 has empowered and aided the TTP's increased cross-border attacks.
The TTP leadership has officially pledged loyalty to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Afghan Taliban's supreme leader. According to the most recent UN report, at least 4,000 TTP fighters are actively operating in Afghanistan.
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