TTP ends cease-fire with Pakistan govt, vows new attacks

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Monday ended a monthslong cease-fire with the government in Islamabad, ordering its fighters to resume attacks across the country.

In a statement, the outlawed TTP said it decided to end the 5-month-old cease-fire after Pakistan’s army stepped up operations against them in former northwestern tribal areas and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, Associated Press reported.

Pakistan and the TTP had agreed to an indefinite cease-fire in May after talks in Afghanistan’s capital.

There was no immediate comment from the government or the military.

Monday’s announcement was a setback to efforts made by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) since earlier this year to facilitate a peace agreement aimed at ending the violence. The latest development comes months after the IEA started hosting negotiations in the capital Kabul between the TTP and representatives from the Pakistan government and security forces.

It also comes a day before Pakistan’s outgoing army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa — who had approved the controversial cease-fire with TTP in May — is to retire after completing his six-year extended term.

Bajwa will hand over command of the military to the newly appointed army chief Gen. Asim Munir at a ceremony in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Tuesday amid tight security because of fears of violence, AP reported.

Bajwa during his tenure carried out a series of military operations against TTP before agreeing to the peace talks with the militant, who have waged an insurgency in Pakistan for 14 years. The TTP has been fighting for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws in the country, the release of their members who are in government custody, and a reduction of Pakistan’s military presence in the country’s former tribal regions.

During the talks, Pakistan had asked TTP to disband.

Pakistan also wanted the insurgents to accept its constitution and sever all ties with the Islamic State group, another Sunni militant group with a regional affiliate that is active in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, AP reported.

However, both sides apparently stuck to their positions since the peace talks began.

In a separate statement, the TTP claimed that it targeted a vehicle carrying Pakistani troops in the district of North Waziristan near the Afghan border, causing casualties. There was no confirmation of the attack from the military and the statement did not provide details.

The TTP have for years used Afghanistan’s rugged border regions for hideouts and for staging cross-border attacks into Pakistan.