Two key commanders of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been killed in North Waziristan in what security sources describe as the latest episode of violent infighting among outlawed militant factions.
According to sources, Commander Zubair alias Sufyan, and Commander Yasir were traveling toward the Spalga area when they were ambushed by unidentified gunmen lying in wait. Both were killed on the spot in the targeted firing.
Sources said the slain commanders were affiliated with the proscribed TTP and were allegedly targeted by militants linked to the banned Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
Security officials indicate that the killings are part of an ongoing pattern of internal clashes among outlawed organizations, driven by disputes over authority, organizational positions, and control of financial and logistical resources. The deaths of the two commanders are being viewed as a continuation of this cycle of factional violence.
The development follows a similar incident a day earlier in Lakki Marwat, where the body of another key TTP commander, Mullah Younis alias Bala, was recovered after he was killed by unidentified assailants. His killing is also being attributed to the same internal rifts.
Officials note that tensions between the banned Hafiz Gul Bahadur group and the TTP stem from longstanding disputes over influence, operational command, and resource distribution. Accusations of espionage against one another have repeatedly triggered deadly confrontations between the two groups, including clashes reported last year in Afghanistan.
In parallel rivalries, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has also accused the TTP of involvement in the killing of its founding commander, Omar Khalid Khorasani. The faction has since carried out retaliatory attacks targeting TTP commanders in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Further signs of organizational fracture emerged on December 31, 2025, when a commander identified as Jalal released a video message from an undisclosed location in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the message, he rejected decisions made by the TTP shura, criticized the distribution of organizational ranks, and warned of open rebellion, including the formation of a separate faction if his demands were not met.
Security analysts say the intensifying infighting reflects deepening fragmentation within militant networks, weakening command cohesion while exposing operational fault lines inside proscribed outfits.
