Authors Abdul Basit

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1. TTP is not a monolith and does not reside in one area in Afghanistan. Its connections with sections of the Afghan establishment and TTA are old and diverse. Dealing with TTP is part of the ongoing peace process and a key Pakistani demand.


2. Recent developments reveal these diverse & apparently contradictory connections of TTP. The mysterious killings of six mid-level TTP commanders b/n May & July in Afg was arguably the quid pro duo that Pak would have demanded in return for brokering the US-TB deal.

3. After these developments, among others, TTP reunified realizing that it'll be weakened if it didn't unify. While some sections of Afg establishment may ve links with Halqa Mehsud, after the 2014 APS attack it took action against the Swat Taliban.

4. Following the APS massacre, Afghan forces bombarded position of Fazlullah and his associates on Pakistan's insistence. In 2018, the Afghan ministry of defense officially announced Fazlullah's killing in a drone attack.

4. Going by @EUEofficial35's interview with @SaleemKhanSafi, Afghan establishment engaged factions of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar or the Mohmand Taliban. In the same interview, the allegations of Indian support were also leveled, including financial assistance and medical treatment.