Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistan Taliban, on Wednesday launched a “large-scale” military offensive in Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and reportedly overran several villages in the area. Several Pakistani security personnel have also been killed.
“An operation in Chitral district has been launched by the TTP and various villages have been captured. It started at 4 am (Pakistan time) this morning. We will share pictures. Currently, we are having poor internet issue,” a key TTP commander told The Khorasan Diary over the telephone. The Khorasan Diary claims to be a non-partisan platform, providing real-time information and analysis.
Other posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) also claimed that clashes took place between Pakistani forces and TTP along the Durand Line, resulting in the closure of the Torkham border crossing.
Several personnel of Pakistani forces were killed in the clashes, the posts on X claimed.
The Pakistani media, for obvious reasons, is silent as of now about the clashes.
“We want to say to people of Chitral that you should remain clam. No harm will come to you. Our war is against usurping and oppressive security agencies,” TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani said in a statement released to local media.
Various unconfirmed videos on X show the TTP army entering Chitral district. Unverified videos also show several soldiers who have been captured.
However, a senior Pakistani security official, while speaking to The Khorasana Dairy, rejected the claims made by the TTP and claimed that no areas were taken by the militants of the terror outfit.
The TTP had declared an all-out war against the Pakistani military in November 2022, vowing to defeat it and establish Sharia laws in Pakistan. Recently, Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorist activities orchestrated by the terror outfit.
The outfit, which is believed to be close to al-Qaida, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan.
On September 2, a Pakistan Army Major and a soldier were killed in a gunbattle with TTP militants during an intelligence-based operation in the restive northwest tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
Two days earlier, nine Pakstani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack by the TTP in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.