The influential spokesman of the Pakistani Taliban has been sacked for pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (Isis) and for feuding with his leader, Maulana Fazlullah, according to a statement and senior commanders.
It is the latest sign of deepening divisions in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which was formed in 2007 but has recently undergone numerous splits that analysts say have damaged its operational capabilities.
The move came after Shahidullah Shahid, who became the militant group’s spokesman in 2013, was apparently heard in an audio recording released last week pledging allegiance to Isis jihadis who have taken over swaths of Iraq and Syria. The audio could not be independently confirmed and Shahid could not be reached to verify it.
In a statement published on its Facebook page, the TTP said Shahid was no longer a member of the group and that its leader swore fealty only to the Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.
“As for the matter of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, the emir of the movement, the seeker of truth, Fazlullah, may Allah preserve him, explained that we pledge to the Emir of the Believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar, may Allah preserve him and protect him.”
It said Shahidullah Shahid was a nom de guerre and that the former spokesman’s real name was Sheikh Abu Omar Maqbul. The statement did not mention when a new spokesman would be named.
Two senior commanders confirmed the move, with one saying that internal feuding had played a major part in the decision. “The real reason was that there were differences between Shahid and TTP chief Fazlullah over the command of the group,” he said, speaking from an undisclosed location.
Shahid was vocal about urging Fazlullah to come to the North Waziristan tribal district, where the Pakistan military launched an offensive in June, to lead the group from the front, instead of issuing orders from Afghanistan’s Kunar province by satellite phone, the commander said.
“Secondly, Shahid was also annoyed that he was not taken into confidence by Fazlullah on mending relations with the Sajna faction,” the commander added, referring to an influential faction of the powerful Mehsud tribe that split from the leadership in May.
Last month, militants from the Mohmand tribal district announced the formation of a new bloc, the Jamat-ul-Ahrar, in a further fracturing of the TTP.
The group has killed thousands of civilians and security forces since rising up against the state after an operation against a radical mosque in Islamabad.
The TTP has close operational and financial ties to Al-Qaida, with both groups routinely claiming credit for attacks on major installations.
But the Isis ideology of reviving the caliphate concept, as well as its territorial gains in the Middle East, are seen as appealing to Pakistani militants, who are fighting for a stricter Sharia state.
Leaflets and wall chalkings from activists sympathetic to Isis have recently been spotted in north-west Pakistan, while al-Qaeda last month launched a new South Asia arm in what analysts describe as an attempt to rebrand in order to remain relevant.
It is the latest sign of deepening divisions in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which was formed in 2007 but has recently undergone numerous splits that analysts say have damaged its operational capabilities.
The move came after Shahidullah Shahid, who became the militant group’s spokesman in 2013, was apparently heard in an audio recording released last week pledging allegiance to Isis jihadis who have taken over swaths of Iraq and Syria. The audio could not be independently confirmed and Shahid could not be reached to verify it.
In a statement published on its Facebook page, the TTP said Shahid was no longer a member of the group and that its leader swore fealty only to the Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.
“As for the matter of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, the emir of the movement, the seeker of truth, Fazlullah, may Allah preserve him, explained that we pledge to the Emir of the Believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar, may Allah preserve him and protect him.”
It said Shahidullah Shahid was a nom de guerre and that the former spokesman’s real name was Sheikh Abu Omar Maqbul. The statement did not mention when a new spokesman would be named.
Two senior commanders confirmed the move, with one saying that internal feuding had played a major part in the decision. “The real reason was that there were differences between Shahid and TTP chief Fazlullah over the command of the group,” he said, speaking from an undisclosed location.
Shahid was vocal about urging Fazlullah to come to the North Waziristan tribal district, where the Pakistan military launched an offensive in June, to lead the group from the front, instead of issuing orders from Afghanistan’s Kunar province by satellite phone, the commander said.
“Secondly, Shahid was also annoyed that he was not taken into confidence by Fazlullah on mending relations with the Sajna faction,” the commander added, referring to an influential faction of the powerful Mehsud tribe that split from the leadership in May.
Last month, militants from the Mohmand tribal district announced the formation of a new bloc, the Jamat-ul-Ahrar, in a further fracturing of the TTP.
The group has killed thousands of civilians and security forces since rising up against the state after an operation against a radical mosque in Islamabad.
The TTP has close operational and financial ties to Al-Qaida, with both groups routinely claiming credit for attacks on major installations.
But the Isis ideology of reviving the caliphate concept, as well as its territorial gains in the Middle East, are seen as appealing to Pakistani militants, who are fighting for a stricter Sharia state.
Leaflets and wall chalkings from activists sympathetic to Isis have recently been spotted in north-west Pakistan, while al-Qaeda last month launched a new South Asia arm in what analysts describe as an attempt to rebrand in order to remain relevant.
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