PESHAWAR – A day after Afghan and American official confirmed the death ofelusive chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mullah Fazlullah, a seniorjournalist on Saturday made shocking claims, rejecting the reports.
Sami Yousafzai, a journalist in Pakistan and Afghanistan who has coveredmilitancy, Al Qaeda and the Taliban since 9/11 attack, on his Twitterhandle revealed that the most ferocious chief is alive.
Yousafzai said that a senior and reliable militant source in Afghanistanhas rejected the reports about death of Mullah Fazlullah. The sources said,” he just survived”
When the journalist asked him how the TTP chief survived, “he said USpreviously claimed IS Afghanistan head Abdul Rahman also killed in aug17[August 2.017] but he is also all well&alive”.
On Friday, the reports regarding killing of Mullah Fazlullah and his fourcommanders during a US drone strike surfaced and that were, later,confirmed by the Afghan authorities.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also telephoned Pakistan Army Chief GeneralQamar Javed Bajwa on Friday night and shared news about killing of themilitant leader, ISPR reported.
Retweeting the post of Sami Yousafzai, renowned Pakistani journalist HamidMir said, “If Mullah Fazalullah is alive then Afghan President shouldresign because he is calling people and claiming that TTP head is dead”.
A Pakistani newspaper has also shared pictures of purported grave of thehead of the outlawed organisation.Purported grave of Mullah Fazlullah
TTP has also not confirmed the death of its senor leader. Earlier, thereports regarding killing of Fazlullah had surfaced in 2015 but turned outto be fake.
Fazlullah was involved in high profile attacks such as December 2014 attackon the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed 151 people, including 132students. Following the attack, Pakistan Army launched high-level campaignagainst them, forcing them to flee the country.
The US also said Fazlullah ordered the 2012 attempted assassination ofMalala Yousafzai, a Pakistani Nobel laureate.
Fazlullah had been on the run since his loyalists were routed in a majormilitary operation in Swat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2009.