Key TTP commander among three killed in NWA

PESHAWAR: An important commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), along with two other militants, was killed in the armed clash of two groups of Taliban in North Waziristan on Thursday.

Ashiqullah Mehsud, a key commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and a so-called expert of suicide bombings was killed in a firing incident in North Waziristan tribal region Mir Ali, private news channel reported.The sources said that Ashiqullah was sitting with some members of the TTP when he was assaulted by the gunmen who escaped in a car after firing.

Both official and tribal sources confirmed that Ashiqullah Mehsud was the main commander of the TTP and was considered the master trainer of suicide bombing after Qari Hussain Mehsud who was the top expert and the inventor of suicide bomb blasts.

Intelligence sources believe that the incident is the result of a rivalry between Shehryar Mehsud and Khan Said Sajna groups. The latter also parted ways with the central TTP group.None of the groups have claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Furthermore, no statement has been issued by the TTP about Ashiqullah’s death so far.