PESHAWAR: Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a Pakistan-designated terrorist organization, on Saturday announced it had ended its alliance with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), citing what it described as "grave injustice," organizational failures and heavy losses suffered under the group's leadership.
In a statement circulated on its social media channels, the group said it was restoring its independent organizational structure after nearly four years under the TTP umbrella.
“We are formally restoring our complete independent and sovereign organizational status, returning to the position that existed prior to August 2020,” the statement said.
The development comes as Pakistan intensifies its counterterrorism campaign against terrorist networks operating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In recent months, security forces have expanded intelligence-based operations under “Azm-e-Istehkam” while continuing Operation Ghazab lil Haq, targeting terrorist infrastructure, logistical hubs and support networks used to facilitate attacks inside Pakistan.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is an umbrella alliance of terrorist groups that has carried out attacks against civilians, security forces and public infrastructure across Pakistan. Islamabad has repeatedly maintained that many of its leaders and fighters operate from Afghan territory, a position it has consistently raised through diplomatic and security channels.
JuA was established in 2014 by Omar Khalid Khurasani after breaking away from the TTP following disagreements with the group's then leader, Mullah Fazlullah.
The organization rejoined the TTP in August 2020 under the leadership of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, dissolving its separate command structure and pledging allegiance to the umbrella group's leadership.
Saturday's statement said the merger had resulted in “immense organizational and human losses” and accused the TTP leadership of failing to address longstanding grievances.
The split follows months of growing internal tensions, including a deadly clash between members of the two organizations in Kurram district near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in May.
According to the statement, JuA had repeatedly sought accountability following the killing of its founder, Omar Khalid Khurasani, in Afghanistan's Paktika province in August 2022, but said its calls for an independent investigation had gone unanswered.
The latest rupture comes amid sustained military pressure on terrorist organizations. Pakistani authorities have said recent operations have degraded terrorist capabilities, while security assessments have pointed to declining terrorism-related casualties despite continued attempts by terrorist groups to regroup and launch attacks.
Pakistan officially refers to the TTP as Fitna al-Khawarij, drawing on a historical term associated with violent extremism, to underscore the group's ideology, attacks against civilians and rejection of state authority.
The group said it would now resume operating as an independent organization, marking one of the most significant internal fractures within the TTP umbrella since its reunification in 2020.
