Three Taliban groups join to fight US: Wana Chief

Peshawar, Feb 26: A tribal elder has disclosed that three top Taliban groups in Pakistan have joined hands to the counter the offensive of the United States.

The Daily Times quoted the chief of the Taliban in the Wana region, Maulvi Nazir as telling a delegation of Ahmedzai Wazir elders that the alliance between the three factions was targeted at fighting the US forces together.

"Gul Bahadar (the Taliban chief in North Waziristan) and I have reached an understanding with Baitullah Mehsud (the chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) to fight the US together, because we are concerned over the surge in American troops in Afghanistan," Nazir reportedly said.

Nazir also denied reports that they had joined hands against the Pakistani Army.

Nazir also made it clear that the alliance is only for fighting against a foreign force, and all the three groups will retain sovereignty in their stronghold areas.

"Each group will have its own independent status and emirates, and each group will be sovereign in their territory," he said.

The Obama administration's decision to send in 17,000 more troops into Afghanistan has certainly caused a flutter among outlawed terrorist outfits as they fear the US will undertake a massive and final assault against them.

ANI