2 high-value TTP commanders arrested: Balochistan minister

In a significant counter-terrorism achievement, the Balochistan government has announced the arrest of two high-ranking commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Nasrullah alias "Maulvi Mansoor" and Idris alias "Irshad." Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove confirmed the arrests during a press conference in Quetta, describing the operation as challenging.

These arrests occurred shortly after the federal cabinet approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a renewed national counter-terrorism initiative under the National Action Plan's Central Apex Committee. The new strategy will focus on intelligence-based operations (IBOs) to eliminate militant remnants and related crimes, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Minister Langove accused India of supporting terrorist attacks in Pakistan by providing financial aid to militants. He also urged misled youth to resist enemy propaganda. The announcement comes amid a rise in terrorist activities, with the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reporting 432 fatalities and 370 injuries in the first quarter of 2024 due to terror attacks and counter-terror operations, predominantly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Nasrullah's video confession implicated the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in funding the TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). He disclosed that TTP leadership, including chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, operates from Afghanistan and collaborates with the BLA. He alleged that RAW aims to destabilize Balochistan, target Chinese nationals to undermine the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and conduct kidnappings to discredit Pakistan's intelligence agencies.

Brigadier (retd) Babar Ala-Ud-Din remarked that these revelations were expected, noting the known movements and support of TTP leaders in Afghanistan. He emphasized that the noose is tightening around terrorists with the launch of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam.