Surrendered TTP commanders shifted to DI Khan

PESHAWAR: Six senior commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including the brother and uncle of the outlawed militant group’s slain head Hakimullah Mahsud, were shifted to Dera Ismail Khan after they surrendered to the law-enforcement agencies and pledged to shun militancy and remain peaceful.

The surrender of the militants secretly took place in the Kurram Agency on Saturday night. The six wanted men were produced before the law-enforcement agencies. They reportedly included Hakimullah Mahsud’s brother Ijaz Mahsud and his uncle Khair Mohammad Mahsud.

Some of the military officials, however, expressed ignorance about any such development. “Well we have been hearing such reports but I think these are not authentic,” a senior military official said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) didn’t issue any statement about it.ISPR Director General Lt. Gen Asim Salim Bajwa usually takes to the Twitter about developments related to the Pakistan Army and its successes in the fight against terrorism, particularly in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), where the armed forces have actively been involved in fighting against the local and foreign militants.

Official sources and members of the political administration in Kurram Agency said though they were not involved directly in the surrender process, they heard that some militants from South Waziristan had surrendered to the security forces in Shaheedano Dhand area of upper Kurram Agency.

Pleading anonymity, one of the officials said they were told that the surrendered militants were shifted to Dera Ismail Khan for questioning.Also, according to sources, it has been decided to shift these militants to Swat, where they would spend some time in the de-radicalisation centre Paithom, established by the military for de-radicalisation and rehabilitation of the militants involved in small-scale militant activities. After their rehabilitation, the militants are free to join their family and live a normal life.

Some reports said like other members of the Mahsud Taliban, these six militants had shifted to the Kurram Agency after the security forces launched a military offensive against the militants in North Waziristan on June 15, 2014.

According to sources, the militants had been living in Upper Kurram Agency for the past two years along with their family members. “There are different villages known for the people living there. Some of the villages are referred to as Mahsud, Wazir and Afghan,” a tribal source said.

Pleading anonymity, he said the six militants before and after their surrender met their relatives and family members. He said some more members of the Mahsud Taliban are also expected to surrender to the law-enforcement agencies in the coming days.

TTP leader Hakimullah Mahsud, blamed for carrying out dozens of terrorist attacks and killing thousands of innocent people, was killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan’s Danday Darpakhel area in November 2013.