By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Two Pakistani militant groups have joined the Pakistani Taliban coalition group called the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or the TTP, which analysts fear may trigger a new wave of attacks in the country.
A purported Pakistani Taliban coalition spokesperson, Mohammed Omer Khurasani, announced in a statement Thursday that the Jamaat ul Ahrar and Lashkar-i-Islam militant groups had agreed to operate under the banner of the TTP.
Jamaat ul Ahrar had parted its ways from the coalition last year following fierce infighting that claimed over 100 lives after blaming the TTP for deviating from its real objectives. Lashkar-i-Islam has engaged in gunfights with the Pakistan army in restive Khyber Agency tribal region.
The spokesman also accused Pakistan’s top military spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence, for torturing and killing four key Taliban commanders in its custody and warned the Pakistan army of reprisals.
Security analysts say Pakistani security forces need to take the development seriously.
"This is not a good sign. The army should take this development seriously. Their unification may trigger a new wave of suicide and terrorist attacks in Pakistan," Ishtiaq Mehsud, an Islamabad-based security analyst, told The Anadolu Agency.
Jamaat ul Ahrar has in the recent past claimed responsibility for several attacks in the country.
Pakistan army has launched a military operation in its tribal belt in June last year during which it killed over 2,300 suspected militants in several air and ground strikes. Over 100 Pakistani soldiers have also been killed in landmine blasts and clashes with militants during this period. These figures provided by the army could not be independently verified.
