New TTP faction 'Jamatul Ahrar' announces split from Mullah Fazlullah

Leaders of the new TTP faction 'Jamatul Ahrar' have announced that the group has split from the Pakistani Taliban and claim that the outfit has the backing of 70 to 80 per cent of TTP commanders and fighters.

The splinter group Jamatul Ahrar's spokesperson, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said that they were administratively a separate group now, the Dawn reports.

On being asked whether the group would take orders from the TTP chief, Ehsan reiterated that the Jamatul Ahrar, led by Maulana Qasim Khorasani, have been administratively separated from Mullah Fazlullah's TTP.

When asked if the group would focus attacks on US/Nato forces in Afghanistan, the spokesperson said that the group's aim was to implement Shariah on a global level, starting with Pakistan.

A month old now, the Jamatul Ahrar claimed its first attack on the Khasadar force in Jamrud, killing three personnel and wounding one person.