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KABUL – Pakistan’s security forces have killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) deputy chief Amjad, a top militant commander and close aide of TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud, during a cross-border firefight along the Afghan frontier in Bajaur district, officials confirmed Thursday.
According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), troops intercepted and engaged a group of militants attempting to infiltrate from Afghanistan on Wednesday night, killing Amjad—also known as Mazahim—and three others. The ISPR described Amjad as a “high-value target” involved in orchestrating numerous terrorist attacks in Pakistan while operating from Afghan soil, adding that his death marks a major blow to the militant network.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari praised the military for what they called a decisive and professionally executed operation. PM Shehbaz hailed the troops for “thwarting the nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” vowing continued action against those who harm innocent citizens.
The army reiterated its demand that the interim Afghan government take “concrete measures” to prevent militants from using Afghan territory to target Pakistan.
The Bajaur encounter follows a deadly intelligence-based operation in Kurram district a day earlier, in which six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, were martyred and seven militants killed.
Formed in 2007, the TTP has waged a violent insurgency aimed at enforcing its rigid version of Islamic law across Pakistan. The group, allied with al-Qaeda, has carried out some of the country’s deadliest attacks, including the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing and the 2009 assault on army headquarters.
