Photo from video (TTP JA)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) have released a video showing the group’s attack on the Ghalanai military camp in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. The release came through the Broadcasting department “Ihyaekhilafat” and is called “Zamaryan 11”.
The assault centred on the Headquarters of the Mohmand Rifles where assailants in suicide jackets sought to gain entry to a mosque around 6.20 am where a large number of soldiers were attending morning prayers. Army spokesman Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa praised the valiant actions of security forces responding to the attack claiming all 4 attackers were killed. Two soldiers of the Frontier Corps (FC) also died in the attack (number disputed in TTP JA video) with at least 14 injured. Dawn media reported,
“Wearing suicide jackets, the attackers opened fire and tried to rush inside the mosque,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Security forces surrounded the attackers. Two of the attackers blew themselves up while two others were shot dead,”
http://www.dawn.com/news/1298783/4-suicide-bombers-2-soldiers-killed-in-attack-on-fc-camp-in-mohmand
Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesperson for TTP JA has often alleged the military and police to be involved in “fake encounters” and torture of prisoners. He posted the following on social media, (thanks to AW for translation),
“New video of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Jamaat al Ahrar) will soon be coming out. In this video by the Jamaat’s publication department ” Ihyaekhilafat” for their series “Zamaryan” , this will be the 11th film of the series. In this film along with great jihadi scenes, the recent Mohmand Agency headquarters Ghalanai attack footage, events and details are shown. The video begins with the beginning of Islam and Kufur conflicts as a backdrop to the event leading to the introduction of Army camp in Mohamand Agency headquarters at Ghalanai and a brief introduction of the atrocities being carried out there. The video clearly shows the map and layout of Ghalanai camp in detail and also the introduction of the four suicide mujahedeen.
In this video the scenes after the attack are shown in pictures where untruthful claims by ISPR can clearly be seen. The Fedayeen’s loyalty towards Islam and true belief and brief messages makes the film more interesting. In the film to understand the true facts of the attack, the members of Jamaat al Ahrar’s guiding shura Maulana Zulfiqar sahib hafizullah and militant shura member Maulana Ahrar sahib hafizullah interviews are included in short clips where they have categorically refuted the government claim that only 2 soldiers were killed in this attack. Other than this in this short interview clip, facts about the prisoners are also made clear. Anthems and poetry by popular Pushto and Urdu narrators with actual jihadi footage is part of the video where one special anthem Alrad Amliyat is worth mentioning. This interesting video with a duration of about 26 minutes will be released very soon Inshah Allah.”
END
The 26 minute video shows TTP JA planning the attack. Five persons in camouflage outfits, faces covered in black masks in a small room painted with blue flowers examining what appears to be an aerial photo/map of the camp. A militant is later seen firing a weapon and talking to camera followed by news footage showing the bloodied floor of a mosque and rescuers at the scene. The video features clips from historic events, interviews and training exercises with weapons and has Urdu and Pashto motivational songs.
The video can be viewed on the following link.
Back in August 2016, leader Omar Khalid Khorasani released a statement clarifying the stance of TTP JA after they were included in the US blacklist regarding designated terrorists. He said,
“Pakistani intelligence agency ISI wants to make us the enemy of the whole world. And it wants to prove us Jamaat ul Ahrar as an international terrorist organization. The purpose of this is to ease the situation for them in Pakistan and to make their enemy fight some other country (instead of Pakistan).”
“As it is said that we are linked with Dawlat ul Islamia (Daesh) or Al qaeda. We strongly reject this claim and make it clear that we have no bayah or affiliation to any of these 2 organizations. Although mujahideen of Islamic State and Al qaeda and all the jihadi organizations in the world are our brothers…. But we had no relationship with them in the past and no relationship now.”
In 2014 Pakistan military launched operation Zarb -e -Asb in the Federally Administered Tribal areas to drive out insurgents with some militants relocating over the border to Afghanistan. This latest video shows the capability to launch attacks on military installations remains.
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 