OPINION: TTP rubbing salt in the wounds of Pak Army

Increased attacks by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in traditionally considered Pakhtun-majority areas of Balochistan have dared the capability of the Pakistan army. It is an admitted fact that after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, TTP stepped up its attacks against Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as well as in the Pakhtun belt of Balochistan.

TTP has also changed its war tactic. Earlier, they would attack the police force, but now they have started targeting the Frontier Corps (FC) and military personnel and their camps. FC is a federal reserve military force under the command of the paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by general officers of the Pakistan Army.

According to a report by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, there has been an increase in terror attacks in the first half of this year. There have been 271 attacks in which 389 persons were killed and 656 others were injured. The number of suicide attacks has gone up from five to 13, with the number of deaths rising from 77 to 142, and the number of injured from 225 to 309 as compared to the year 2022.

Evidently, the increase in violence indicates the law enforcement agencies failure to control the region. But, the TTP claims 76 attacks across the country in May 2023 alone - the highest in the last eight years. Strategically, TTP has divided the Balochistan province into two. The Baloch-majority area is a part of the Kalat-Makran chapter, while the Pakhtun-dominated parts are under the Zhob chapter. The Pakistani military has confirmed the death of more than 100 officers and soldiers in insurgent raids and clashes in the first six months of the year.

With the return of the Afghan Taliban to Kabul on August 15, 2021, the TTP morale was boosted ideologically and operationally. Since then, the group was restructured with a new administrative and operational plan, following the pattern of the Afghan Taliban. The Taliban has been using the TTP as an extension of their activities in the tribal areas.

As TTP is under the oath of the so-called Islamic Emirate, they are by default providing the rulers of Kabul a certain strategic and ideological depth into Pakistan. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report on Afghanistan has also mentioned that: "The Afghan Taliban does not consider TTP a threat to Afghanistan, but rather as part of the emirate."

TTP attack on a military base in the northern Zhob district of Balochistan in which 12 soldiers and a civilian were killed on July 12 demoralized the Pakistan army hierarchy. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir was left with no choice but to express his serious concerns over the terror activities of the banned outfit, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) being operated from the safe havens of Afghanistan. In support of the army chief defense Minister Khawaja Asif rebuked Afghanistan for disregarding vital obligations made in the Doha agreement.

TTP has been consolidating its position in the region. Accordingly, in February, the TTP under the new organizational setup established two zones - north and south (shadow provinces) - where nine administrative and operational units will function. Of these nine units, seven cover the province of KP, one in Gilgit-Baltistan, and another in the Pashtun-dominated Zhob division of Balochistan. In June, a unit for the areas of Qalat and Makran non-Pashtun majority province of Balochistan besides two new administrative units were also established in Punjab - north, and south - potentially expanding the operational horizons of the group in urban centres.

Skillfully, TTP has organized its Media Commission and the Umar Media Department, led by a senior TTP ideologue media propagandist, and former Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) member, Chaudry Muneeb Ur Rehman Jutt. Under the new media propaganda plan, the TTP has also launched its magazine, 'Mujalla Taliban'. Four years after its founding in 2016, the magazine published only eight issues, but between January and June 2023, it published five issues.

It has also started a 10-day newspaper "Manzil", mainly featuring reports of the targeted attacks it carries out and columns dedicated to Pakistan's current affairs. In March earlier this year, the group also launched a new magazine specifically dedicated to women. The idea is to depict itself as an insurgent, completely native, and independent group to appeal to the local and international community. Their publications have highlighted the plight of Pashtun and Baloch populations deprived of basic amenities by Pakistan.

The TTP has rejected any claim linking the group with global Jihadist entities such as Al Qaeda or the Islamic State, stating that the group is fighting on its own without the support of any other group or country. On the other hand, the TTP tries to show itself as a legitimate group that is advocating for the well-being of the Pashtun and Baloch people.

(R C Ganjoo is a senior journalist and columnist having more than 30 years experience of covering issues concerning national security, particularly Kashmir. He has worked with several prominent media groups and his articles have been published in many national and international publications.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.