The Pakistani Taliban, a rebel group that has been accused of a number of deadly attacks, broke off a months-long ceasefire with Islamabad and ordered its fighters to resume attacks throughout the country.
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced in a statement on Monday that it has resorted to dissolving the 5-month-old Afghanistan-mediated truce after the Pakistani army intensified operations against the group in the Afghan bordering province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Following the Pakistani Foreign Ministry’s statement that it will send a high-ranking delegation to Kabul, the Afghan capital, the TTP made its announcement on November 28.
The Pakistani government, the armed forces, and the regional administration of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province have not responded to the TTP statement.
After negotiations in the capital of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the TTP decided to halt hostilities indefinitely in May this year.
The administration in Afghanistan, which has been in control for more than a year, ousted the former government as US and NATO forces were approaching the conclusion of their withdrawal from the country.
The Pakistani Taliban is a distinct organization but are allies of the current authorities in Afghanistan.
It is also reported by the Pakistani media that since the allies of the TTP in Afghanistan took control, the TTP has been emboldened, and is allegedly hiding in the country.
The administration in Afghanistan has been working to arrange a peace deal to stop the violence since early this year, but Monday’s announcement was a setback to those attempts.
