south-asian-militant-groups-and-global-jihad-in-2015

NEW AG EN T S OF GLOB AL JIHAD
3. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, is the
greatest threat to the security of the Pakistani state:
Historically, TTP fighters were members of the Afghan Taliban;
however, they parted ways in 2007 due to disagreements over
their policy toward the Pakistani government. Afghan Taliban
leader Mullah Omar maintained a degree of cooperation with
Islamabad, while TTP founder Baitullah Mehsud and his cadres had
developed a consuming hostility to the Pakistani state under the
rule of Pervez Musharraf. However, Afghan Taliban and TTP
continue to cooperate closely, and the TTP maintains loyalty to
Mullah Omar. As such, the TTP’s existential reasoning remains the
overthrow of the Pakistani state 32 .
In the past year, TTP cohesion has been severely compromised due
to leadership changes. Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a UAV strike
in 2009 and was succeeded by his Mehsud clan-mate, Hakimullah
Mehsud. Hakimullah was also killed in a UAV attack in 2012 and
was controversially succeeded by a non-Mehsud, Maulana
Fazlullah. This provoked a clan-based split, and Mehsud leaders
broke away with their own followers. There are currently two
main Mehsud breakaway factions. A further split occurred in
August 2014, when Jammat ul-Ahrar, led by Maulana Kasim
Khorosani, emerged, (as well as a number of other splinters, some
of which have now pledged allegiance to IS, such as Jundullah).
However, Al Qaeda has taken on a mediating role, leading to the
reconciliation of Jamaat ul-Ahrar with the main TTP umbrella
earlier this year. (This mediation may have been an attempt to
buffer IS influence) 33 .
The TTP is not as hierarchical as it may appear, and may be more
accurately understood as a coalition of militant clusters, each of
which has different connections to other local militant groups.
The current size of its force ranges from 500-8,000 fighters. 34
TTP militants claimed responsibility for the December 2014
attacks in the Army Public School in Peshawar, which left 145
people, 132 of which were children, dead.
TTP has extensive involvement in criminal enterprise, and may be
involved in the sale of narcotics to fund its activities. 35
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