The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTPP) has rejected any link with Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaeda, stating that the group has no “global agenda” and its target is only Pakistan.
“America says that it will work out along with Pakistan against the TTP but, they’re trying to pressurize us. It seems that the US has forgotten its past journey and double game of Islamabad,”. The spokesperson said in the statement (roughly translated from Urdu).
“I urge the US to support TTPP for the rights of the oppressed people. In spite of Tyrant Pakistan,” the spokesperson of the banned group in Pakistan said further.
Last year, the United Nations had warned that terrorist organisations – Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaeda- are posing a growing threat in much of Africa.
There’s also concern that ISIS has a solid foothold in Afghanistan. With one member state reporting it currently has between 500 and 1,500 fighters.
The Imran Khan government for a long time had been urging the Taliban to take action against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan or deny them space to operate out of Afghan soil.
Even Islamabad engaged in talks with the TTP through the Afghan Taliban. However, Islamabad maintained that those talks broke down due to the harsh demands of the TTP in recent times.
After the breakdown of the talks, TTP had resumed its violent activities against Pakistan.
Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had said that talks with the banned TTP couldn’t move forward despite the Afghanistan Taliban help.
In recent times, the Pakistani Taliban has carried out multiple attacks in Pakistan.