50 killed as two militant groups clash in Mohmand
July 19, 2008
PESHAWAR: Despite a ceasefire brokered by two senior Afghan Taliban commanders on Thursday, fighting between two rival militant groups took an ugly turn on Friday in which more than 50 militants were killed and dozens injured in the troubled Mohmand Agency.
Also, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mohmand Agency commander Abdul Wali alias Omar Khalid claimed to have captured the chief commander of his rival group, Shah Khalid, along with his 120 fighters from Khwezo area of the Mohmand Agency.
Two rival militant groups - Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP and Commander Shah Khalid-led militants which is considered as pro-government — have been fighting for the past three days for the control of the Mohmand Agency.
The two groups were running separate training centres and had set up checkpoints on roadsides. After two days of fighting, a two-member Jirga comprising two senior Afghan Taliban commanders — Ustad Mohammad Yasir and Maulvi Sadre Azam — mediated between them and brokered a ceasefire on Thursday night.
However, according to sources close to the militants, fighting between the well-armed militants of the two groups started again on Friday morning when militants associated with Shah Khalid reportedly attacked one of Commander Omar Khalid’s senior commanders, Qari Shakil when he entered Khwezo, a town considered to be a stronghold of Shah Khalid group.
Qari Shakil, who hails from Peshawar’s Michni town, was injured in the attack while his double-cabin pick-up truck was destroyed. It enraged Omar Khalid’s fighters, who were staying at a nearby training camp, and within no time hundreds of his fighters stormed a house at Ashrafabad where Shah Khalid’s men were present.
The sources said heavy fighting broke out between the two sides in which sophisticated weapons were used. Both the sides suffered heavy losses but Omar Khalid’s fighters finally succeeded in getting control of the house where Shah Khalid’s men had taken positions.
Later in the afternoon, Omar Khalid’s fighters attacked a big training camp of his rival group at Khwezo area where, the sources said, around 100 people were present at the time of the attack.
The sources said it was a well-organised attack by Omar Khalid’s fighters in which they used heavy weapons and ammunition, including mortars and rockets. Also, the sources said, Omar had invited his guest fighters from other tribal regions including Bajaur, Khyber and South Waziristan agencies to help him against the considerably powerful Shah Khalid group.
Tribal and militant sources from the troubled area confided to The News that both the sides suffered heavy losses and so far 50 people, majority of them from Shah Khalid’s group, were confirmed dead and dozens injured.
“I saw people recover dozens of bodies of the slain militants from the area,” said an eyewitness. Similarly, majority of other sustained serious bullet injuries in the fighting and were still crying for help as there was no one to shift them to hospitals. The residents vacated the town when armed clashes started between the rival militant groups.
Dr Mohammad Asad, a spokesman for Omar Khalid, claimed to have killed 15 people of their rival group. He said several others were injured in the fighting. Also, he claimed they had captured Shah Khalid along with his 120 fighters.
“Their Shura will now decide about their fate as he challenged the Mujahideen and killed a number of their people,” the spokesman claimed. Interestingly, despite claims to have restored the writ of the government, all the law-enforcement agencies were silent about what was going on in the tribal region.
On the other hand, sources close to the Afghan Taliban told The News that both the rival groups on the appeal of a Taliban Jirga had announced ceasefire and promised to live peacefully.
Ustad Yasir, who served as Afghan Taliban spokesman, and Maulvi Sadre Azam, Taliban’s former deputy governor of Nangarhar province, reportedly went back to Afghanistan when the two groups assured them of not fighting in future. “They were surprised when the two sides started fighting again. They tried their best to calm them down but the situation had gone out of their control,” said the Taliban sources.
Also, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mohmand Agency commander Abdul Wali alias Omar Khalid claimed to have captured the chief commander of his rival group, Shah Khalid, along with his 120 fighters from Khwezo area of the Mohmand Agency.
Two rival militant groups - Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP and Commander Shah Khalid-led militants which is considered as pro-government — have been fighting for the past three days for the control of the Mohmand Agency.
The two groups were running separate training centres and had set up checkpoints on roadsides. After two days of fighting, a two-member Jirga comprising two senior Afghan Taliban commanders — Ustad Mohammad Yasir and Maulvi Sadre Azam — mediated between them and brokered a ceasefire on Thursday night.
However, according to sources close to the militants, fighting between the well-armed militants of the two groups started again on Friday morning when militants associated with Shah Khalid reportedly attacked one of Commander Omar Khalid’s senior commanders, Qari Shakil when he entered Khwezo, a town considered to be a stronghold of Shah Khalid group.
Qari Shakil, who hails from Peshawar’s Michni town, was injured in the attack while his double-cabin pick-up truck was destroyed. It enraged Omar Khalid’s fighters, who were staying at a nearby training camp, and within no time hundreds of his fighters stormed a house at Ashrafabad where Shah Khalid’s men were present.
The sources said heavy fighting broke out between the two sides in which sophisticated weapons were used. Both the sides suffered heavy losses but Omar Khalid’s fighters finally succeeded in getting control of the house where Shah Khalid’s men had taken positions.
Later in the afternoon, Omar Khalid’s fighters attacked a big training camp of his rival group at Khwezo area where, the sources said, around 100 people were present at the time of the attack.
The sources said it was a well-organised attack by Omar Khalid’s fighters in which they used heavy weapons and ammunition, including mortars and rockets. Also, the sources said, Omar had invited his guest fighters from other tribal regions including Bajaur, Khyber and South Waziristan agencies to help him against the considerably powerful Shah Khalid group.
Tribal and militant sources from the troubled area confided to The News that both the sides suffered heavy losses and so far 50 people, majority of them from Shah Khalid’s group, were confirmed dead and dozens injured.
“I saw people recover dozens of bodies of the slain militants from the area,” said an eyewitness. Similarly, majority of other sustained serious bullet injuries in the fighting and were still crying for help as there was no one to shift them to hospitals. The residents vacated the town when armed clashes started between the rival militant groups.
Dr Mohammad Asad, a spokesman for Omar Khalid, claimed to have killed 15 people of their rival group. He said several others were injured in the fighting. Also, he claimed they had captured Shah Khalid along with his 120 fighters.
“Their Shura will now decide about their fate as he challenged the Mujahideen and killed a number of their people,” the spokesman claimed. Interestingly, despite claims to have restored the writ of the government, all the law-enforcement agencies were silent about what was going on in the tribal region.
On the other hand, sources close to the Afghan Taliban told The News that both the rival groups on the appeal of a Taliban Jirga had announced ceasefire and promised to live peacefully.
Ustad Yasir, who served as Afghan Taliban spokesman, and Maulvi Sadre Azam, Taliban’s former deputy governor of Nangarhar province, reportedly went back to Afghanistan when the two groups assured them of not fighting in future. “They were surprised when the two sides started fighting again. They tried their best to calm them down but the situation had gone out of their control,” said the Taliban sources.
