By Aamir Latif
ISLAMABAD
Six key Pakistani Taliban commanders, including the spokesman of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan -- a conglomerate of various Pakistani insurgent groups -- announced their allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Tuesday.
Shahidullah Shahid, the Pakistani Taliban spokesman, said in a statement that he, along with five other key commanders, have pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi -- the self-declared Caliph of the Muslim world.
“My name is Abu Umer Maqbool Khurrasni and people know me as Shahidullah Shahid. I swear allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. I will listen and follow his commands, whether I like or dislike them,” Shahid proclaimed.
According to the statement, which was written in Urdu and cited various Quranic verses, the five other Pakistani Taliban commanders who have pledged allegiance to ISIL are: Fateh Gul Zaman, head of the Khyber district; Saeed Khan, head of the Orakzai district; Daulat Khan, head of the Kurram district; Mufti Mohammad Hassan, head of the Peshawar district and Khalid Mansoor, head of the Hangu district.
Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, is currently on the run due to the ongoing military onslaught in the restless North Waziristan province that aims to eradicate his militant network.
Though he supports their struggle, he has not pledged his allegiance to ISIL.
"This pledge of allegiance is not from the Pakistani Taliban or its chief Mullah Fazlullah, but it is from me and the five other commanders,” the statement clarified.
Analysts termed the statement “symbolic” and said it reflected the internal divisions within the Pakistani Taliban.
“It shows the al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban, and Pakistani Taliban are not on the same page vis-a-vis the ISIL,” Kamal Hyder, an Islamabad-based defense and security analyst, said.
“Shahidullah Shahid, a mere spokesman, could not even convince his own leader Mullah Fazlullah,” he added.
Abdul Khalique Ali, a Karachi-based security analyst said it was all a “publicity stunt.”
“At a time when the entire network is on the run and suffering from internal division, what kind of support these commanders can lend to the ISIL,” Ali asked.
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