TTP confirms death of APS attack mastermind Umar Mansoor

PESHAWAR: The militant commander accused of masterminding Pakistan’s deadliest-ever extremist massacre at the Army Public School in Peshawar in 2014, Umar Mansoor, has been killed, the Pakistani Taliban announced in an email to the media on Wednesday. Also there were conflicting reports about the killing of TTP commander Maulvi Omar Khalid Khurasani.

The message from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) did not say when or where Umar Mansoor was killed, and there was no immediate comment from the Pakistani military or government either.

The Mansoor-led faction of the TTP, the Tariq Gidar Group, had claimed responsibility for the attack on the APS school in Peshawar, in which over 150 people were killed, mostly children. The Mansour-led Tariq Gidar Group also attacked the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in 2016, killing 21.

After both attacks, Mansoor issued videos vowing to target  more schools across Pakistan. Grieving parents welcomed the news of Mansour´s death. “The entire world is happy over the killing of the mastermind,” behind the Peshawar school assault, Tufail Khan Khattak, whose son was killed in the attack, told AFP.

Wednesday’s statement came two days after US drone strikes in the Afghanistan’s tribal regions along the border with Pakistan reportedly killed more than two dozen militants. The militants also announced that “Usman Mansoor will replace him in Darra Adam Khel and Peshawar,” TTP spokesman Mohammad Khurasani said in a statement.There were conflicting reports about the killing of Maulvi Omar Khalid Khurasani, leader of his own faction, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar (TTP-JA), in the US drone strike last Sunday in Afghanistan’s Paktia province.

Some Pakistani security officials were sure of Omar Khalid Khurasani’s death in the drone strikes that targeted some militant sanctuaries in the border area of Afghanistan’s Paktia and Khost provinces near the border with Pakistan’s Kurram tribal region. “We are receiving reports of his death. I think his death is confirmed this time,” one security official said on condition of anonymity. Pakistani Taliban and particularly his own faction are silent over the news. Officially, they neither confirmed nor rejected his death. However, some Taliban militants believe he was critically injured in the drone attack and later died of injuries. If his death is confirmed, it will be a huge loss to the militants engaged in terrorism against Pakistan and its interests.

“Most of the people considered to be close to Maulvi Omar Khalid are in a state of shock. It seems they don’t want to make it public at the moment but they are mentally prepared to suffer this loss,” said one Pakistani militant commander on condition of anonymity. The Taliban leader is said to have learnt from people of Khurasani’s group that they believe Maulvi Omar Khalid might have died as he had gone to Zande Naray Kandao area of Paktia five days ago for a meeting with some Taliban members and then came under drone strike and heavy bombing by jets.

“We heard about the drone strike and bombing by jets and afterwards we did not hear from him. We now believe that he might have died there as we used many channels but couldn’t trace him,” said a Taliban commander while quoting a senior member of the TTP-JA.

The drone had fired six missiles and struck a number of militant sanctuaries. Taliban spokesman said there were camps of different Taliban groups. Twenty militants were reportedly killed in the drone strike and subsequent bombing by jets.

In case of his death, Taliban sources said two senior militant commanders, including Mukaram Khurasani and Assad Afridi, are likely to replace him. “I don’t think the organisation would remain intact without him. He was very aggressive and didn’t even spare his own people if he found them opposing his harsh policies,” said the Pakistani militant commander, saying the militant group might split into factions or some people may join other groups.

Also, he said some senior militant figures may surrender to the Pakistan government in case Maulvi Omar Khalid’s death was confirmed. “Majority of the Pakistani Taliban are living a miserable life in Afghanistan and they are planning to surrender but  are trapped at the hands of Afghanistan’s NDS (National Directorate of Security),” he claimed.

According to Taliban sources, Omar Khalid had a strong grip over his faction and the militants under his command. Majority of the people were afraid of him and couldn’t dare publicly oppose his ideas. “However the recent revolt of his close aide Ehsanullah Ehsan and his surrender to the Pakistan government empowered other people who are now planning to lay down arms and surrender to the government,” said the Taliban member.

Omar Khalid’s family name was Abdul Wali but was better known among his fighters and militant circles as Maulvi Omar Khalid Khurasani. He was born in 1980 in Kandaharo area of Safi subdivision of Mohmand tribal region.

He also delved into Pashto language poetry but started his career as a journalist from an Urdu newspaper, Islam. He was correspondent of the newspaper in Mohmand Agency. He later joined a militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen, and used to fight against the Indian forces in the Indian-held Kashmir.

However, when General Pervez Musharraf stopped the jihadi organisations in Kashmir, like many other militants, Khurasani also returned to his native Mohmand tribal region and joined the Taliban militants engaged against Pakistani security forces in Fata. He came to the limelight in 2007 when he launched his militant activities by capturing a local mosque built at the shrine of a freedom fighter in Mohmand Agency and named it after Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa.

In 2014, he launched his own militant faction after developing differences with the TTP leadership over certain issues and was presently based in Afghanistan along with many other Pakistani militants. According to people close to him, he has three wives and has 13 children.

“He has a number of bodyguards but would never tell his people about his movements. Three days ago, he disappeared and told his family he may go to Kunar or Paktia and nobody knows where he is now,” a Pakistani militant commander who has remained close to him said.

The militant commander said Khurasani was always concerned about his security and would never take his bodyguards to another area. “He would use local bodyguards in the area during visit, but without prior information of his people,” he said.

Another militant commander who remained close to Omar Khalid Khurasani said he had tried to join the Islamic State but on the condition if the IS leadership appointed him the leader of the group for Pakistan and Afghanistan. “He was very much impressed with the idea and harsh policies of the Islamic State and wanted to join it, but it’s leadership refused to accept his condition of giving him the overall charge of Pakistan and Afghanistan,” said the Taliban commander.