File Photo. Aref Karimi—AFP
Almost 100 have been killed since fighting erupted between militant factions in North Waziristan.
Fresh clashes between the Pakistani Taliban and a breakaway faction killed at least eight militants in the country’s northwest on Friday, officials said.
The fighting erupted in the Wacha Mela area of North Waziristan tribal district, according to officials.
Almost 100 militants have been killed since supporters of commander Khalid Mehsud, alias Khan Said Sajna, began fighting with followers of the slain former Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud in April. Khalid Mehsud’s group last week split from the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a move described by analysts as a victory for the Pakistani military’s strategy of sowing divisions among insurgent factions.
“The fresh clashes left seven militants dead, five of them belonging to Hakimullah group,” said a local intelligence official. A militant source also confirmed the fatalities.
Separately, militant commander Saeed Khan, alias Al Qaeda of Khalid Meshud, was gunned down in the town of Mir Ali by a rival group, a militant source and local intelligence officials said.