Jamaat-ul-Ahrar

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Jamaat-ul-Ahrar
Participant in the War in North-West Pakistan
and the Global War on Terrorism
Active August 2014 – March 2015[1]
Ideology Sunni Islamic fundamentalism
Leaders Omar Khalid Khorasani
Area of operations Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Afghanistan
Part of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (Rejoined in March 2015)
Originated as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan faction (Split away in August 2014)
Allies Islamic State Of Iraq And The Levant - Khorasan Province
Opponents Pakistan Pakistan
India India[2]
Battles and wars War in North-West Pakistan

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar ("Assembly of the Free") is a militant Sunni Islamic group that split away from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in August 2014.[3] Although some media outlets reported that the group had pledged allegiance to ISIS,[4] it had merely voiced support for the group.[5] In March 2015, the group's spokesman announced that it was rejoining the Pakistani Taliban.[1]

History

Roots and development

In September 2014, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah ousted Mohmand Agency chief Omar Khalid Khorasani (former leader of Ahrar-ul-Hind). Omar Khalid Khorasani and his associates in Mohmand Agency had accused the TTP leadership of deviating from the TTP ideology, leading to the formation of splinter group TTP Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was effectively divided into two factions. The original TTP is headed by Maulana Fazlullah, who was elected in November 2013 following the killing of ex-chief Hakimullah Mehsud in a U.S. drone strike. In February 2014, Ahrar-ul-Hind, headed by Maulana Umar Qasmi (former leader in the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi) was formed after TTP opened peace talks with the Pakistani government. It later merged into Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a second splinter group that broke away from Tehreek-i-Taliban in Pakistan on 4 September 2014, and named Omar Khalid Khorasani as its commander.[6]

Relations with TTP

The group had announced they would no longer recognize or obey Mullah Fazlullah as their Emir.[7]

Organizational structure

Leaders

Current

  • Omar Khalid Khorasani (aka Abdul Wali)- previously led a faction called Ahrar-ul-Hind, which claimed several attacks during a ceasefire period between the government and Taliban earlier this year, including an attack on an Islamabad court complex that killed 12 people. He is also one of the founding members of the TTP and is a former journalist from Mohmand agency.[7]

Spokesmen

Current

Operation Khyber-1

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Main article: Operation Khyber-1

On 9 November, least 13 militants were killed in security forces' offensive in Akakhel which included among the dead two suicide bombers and a key commander. Ehsan confirmed that their key commander Abu Jandal was killed during the 9 November bombing in Khyber Agency's Tirah Valley.[8]

Claimed and alleged attacks

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See also: 2014 Wagah border suicide attack
  • PakistanIndia 2 November 2014, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility for the Wagah border attack in a telephone call to Dawn from Afghanistan. "Some other groups have claimed responsibility of this attack, but these claims are baseless. We will soon release the video of this attack," he said. "This attack is revenge for the killing of innocent people in North Waziristan."[9]
  • Pakistan 7 November 2014, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for twin bombings that killed at least six people in Mohmand Agency. The bombs targeted peace committee volunteers in Chinari village of Safi Tehsil. Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility and vowed to continue attacking tribal peace committees.[10]
  • Pakistan 21 November 2014, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on the membership camp of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Orangi Town area of Karachi. Three members of the Sindh Assembly and 50 workers were injured.[11][12]
  • Pakistan 15 March 2015, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for twin bombings at a Roman Catholic church and Christ Church during Sunday service at Youhanabad town of Lahore. At least 15 people were killed and seventy were wounded in the attacks.[13]
  • Pakistan 7 March 2016, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that left 11 dead and 15 wounded after a man blew himself up outside a district court in the town of Shabqadar in the Charsadda District.[14]
  • Pakistan 27 March 2016, a spokesman for Taliban splinter group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar says: 'We proudly take responsibility for the suicide attack in a park in Lahore. Members of the Christian community who were celebrating Easter today were our prime target' but that 'we didn't want to kill women and children. Our target were male members of the Christian community'.[15] The nail-filled device near a children’s playground[16] killed over 70 people, reportedly mostly Muslim.[17] It was described as an attempt by the group "to establish itself as the most aggressive and violent" Islamist group in Pakistan.[16]

See also

References

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  11. ↑ three members of the Sindh Assembly and 50 workers were injured in the grenade attack
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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