The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has suffered successive leadership losses over recent weeks, with the elimination of four senior commanders in separate operations and incidents across Pakistan and Afghanistan. The killings mark a significant setback for the group’s operational network and its cross-border terrorist planning capability.
Among those killed was Qari Amjad alias Mufti Mazahim, a close aide and deputy to TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud. Mazahim was reportedly killed while attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from the Afghan province of Kunar into Bajaur, reaffirming Pakistan’s long-held position that TTP continues to use Afghan soil for attacks. His death is viewed as a major strategic blow to the group’s command structure.
Another key figure eliminated was Qari Ismail alias Aziz-ur-Rehman, the newly appointed TTP shadow governor for Khyber district. He held an influential position within the group’s emerging leadership circle and was responsible for coordinating militant operations in the Tirah Valley and adjoining areas. Security officials said Ismail was neutralised in an intelligence-based operation in Bagh, Tirah.
Commander Fazal Ameen, long based in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, was also killed recently by unidentified assailants. Ameen had been active in TTP’s operational planning and was wanted in several terrorism cases inside Pakistan. His elimination in Nangarhar, a known TTP sanctuary, further underscores the group’s growing internal vulnerabilities and rivalries within Afghan territory.
The fourth commander, Qari Hidayatullah, was another seasoned and controversial figure within the TTP network. Believed to have supervised the group’s networks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal districts, Hidayatullah was involved in several high-profile attacks, including the 2022 Peshawar Police Lines bombing and the 2015 Meena Bazaar blast. He too was killed in Nangarhar under unclear circumstances.
Security analysts say the loss of these four senior figures has delivered a “critical blow” to TTP’s chain of command, eroding its operational coherence and capacity to launch coordinated strikes inside Pakistan. Each of the slain commanders held both symbolic and functional importance within the organisation, serving as conduits between the group’s Pakistan-based cells and its Afghanistan-based leadership.
Experts believe that while TTP has demonstrated resilience in the past through rapid replacement of field commanders, the latest eliminations have disrupted its regional networks and weakened morale among lower-tier militants. The incidents also align with Pakistan’s intelligence assessments that ongoing precision operations and heightened border surveillance are successfully constraining the group’s movement and logistical flow.
At the same time, the pattern of killings inside Afghanistan suggests internal purges or rival factional targeting may also be contributing to the group’s instability. The deaths of Fazal Ameen and Qari Hidayatullah in Nangarhar, outside the direct reach of Pakistani forces, indicate that TTP’s internal cohesion remains fragile amid shifting loyalties and growing mistrust among its field units.
For Islamabad, the developments reinforce the long-standing concern that Afghanistan’s territory continues to serve as an operational refuge for the TTP. The infiltration attempt by Mazahim, coupled with cross-border movements observed in recent months, adds weight to Pakistan’s repeated calls for Kabul to take action against militant elements operating from its soil.
Analysts maintain that while the ideological and organizational core of TTP persists, its capacity to sustain cross-border attacks has been measurably reduced. The coming weeks will likely determine whether the group can recover from the loss of these key figures, or whether internal fragmentation will continue to erode its strength and influence in the region.
