“We want to make it clear that our jihad is against the United States and its allies. We ask our Pakistani brothers to stop becoming tools in the hands of Pakistani security agencies or else they would continue to suffer losses at our hands,” said Sirajuddin Ahmad, spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban presently operating from Afghanistan’s mountainous Kunar and Nuristan provinces.

“We have planned fresh attacks to target anyone safeguarding US interests. We appeal to our army, police, bureaucrats, politicians and religious leaders and also media people to refrain from supporting the US interests or else we would be compelled to target them,” he threatened.

Sirajuddin, who had called The News from somewhere in Afghanistan, also appealed to the people in Malakand region not to become tools in the hands of Pakistani security forces by raising lashkars against the Taliban to avoid harm at the hands of the militants.

He said they had repeatedly asked the people of Doog Darra in Upper Dir district not to resist the Taliban, but they did not pay any heed and their men had to blow up the vehicle of the lashkar members on Saturday. He said four members of the lashkar were killed and seven others sustained injuries in the attack.