Afghan Taliban Broker Ceasefire Between Rival TTP Factions

File Photo. Aref Karimi—AFP

Pamphlet distributed in North Waziristan states the ceasefire will continue until Aug. 12.

The Afghan Taliban said Friday they have brokered a ceasefire between two rival factions of the Pakistani Taliban, halting a fresh wave of infighting that has killed more than 60 people.

The deadly bout of violence erupted earlier this month between supporters of commander Khan Said Sajna and followers of the late Hakimullah Mehsud in North Waziristan. Both factions are part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) umbrella group, which has been waging a bloody seven-year insurgency against the state.

Pamphlets distributed on Friday in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, noted that the ceasefire would hold until Aug. 12. Written in the native Pashto language, it said the ceasefire was brokered by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the Afghan Taliban’s 1996-2001 government in Kabul.

A senior commander of one of the Pakistani factions confirmed the deal. “We will strictly follow the ceasefire,” said the commander of the Khan Sajna group.

The TTP has long been riven by infighting. The latest standoff was initiated after Sajna, a senior commander, was rejected for the TTP leadership following the killing of then-leader Mehsud last November, militants say. Sajna had been seen as a strong candidate to become TTP chief following Mehsud’s death. But the movement’s ruling council at the last minute elected Mullah Fazlullah, who hails from Swat and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.