Hassam Uddin
The most wanted senior Commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafizullah, who was also known as Kochwan a trained militant with a degree in computer science, who belong to village Kohan, Nahag Dara, District Dir. He was at the start associated with the Jaish-e-Muhammad before joining the TTP, where he operated under the command of former TTP chief Maulana Fazlullah. He was also the member of Shura of TTP. It as revealed that he was the Shadow Governor of Mardan by TTP. He was believed to have orchestrated several deadly attacks against security forces between 2009 and 2014, particularly in the volatile regions of Lower Dir and Chitral. According to police from 2007 he had hand in different terrorist activities, and different FIR’s was registered against him in different police stations.
According to CTD Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he was the most wanted TTP terrorist, who was involved in major attacks and the head money from CTD for the Kochwan information was five million.
A high ranking commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafizullah—also known by his alias Kochwan—was killed during an intelligence-based operation in the Lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, officials confirmed it on Thursday.
One of the most high profile assaults attributed to Hafizullah occurred in 2010, when a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of American soldiers training with the Frontier Corps’ Dir Scouts in counter-terrorism operations. The bombing, which left three US troops dead, happened while the convoy was en route to inaugurate a girls’ school in the area. At the time, TTP spokesman Azam Tariq had claimed the attack was a response to the presence of Blackwater contractors in Pakistan.
Security sources said Thursday’s operation was initiated after intelligence agencies received reports of TTP fighters in the vicinity. “This evening, a source reported a group of TTP fighters in the area. They were ordered to halt their motorbikes but refused to comply,” a security official said. “Hafizullah’s body has been confirmed, and efforts are underway to identify the others.”
The operation is seen as a significant blow to the TTP network operating near the Afghan border, where remnants of the group have continued to target security personnel and state installations.
