IEA: TTP not using Afghan soil against Pakistan

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok):  The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) insists the Pakistani Taliban are not operating out of Afghanistan.

Escalating attacks on different targets in different part of Pakistani are an internal issue that Islamabad itself should tackle, argues the new Afghan administration.

Since coming to power in August last year, the Taliban government has facilitated several rounds of peace talks between Islamabad and the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

However, Pakistani police, civilians and other law-enforcement personnel continue to be killed and wounded in attacks claimed by the insurgent group.

Dawn reported on Saturday the terrorist outfit conducted 148 attacks happened against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police this year.

Official statistics blame the TTP for killing at least 84 of the KP security personnel, according to the newspaper. One of the deadliest assaults hit a Shiite Mosque in Peshawar.

“In the past three months alone, the TTP has claimed at least 141 attacks: 39 in September, 43 in October and 59 in November.”

However, the IEA and the TTP insist the attacks in Pakistan have no links with Afghanistan. Kabul also denies the TTP leadership’s presence in Afghanistan.

The daily quoted IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying: “We shall never permit anyone to use Afghan soil against Pakistan.”

He added The Taliban did not want instability in Pakistan… “We want peace and stability [there].” The TTP leadership was not hiding in Afghanistan, Mujahid reiterated.

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