In recent months, some key commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have moved to provinces of the country that border on Afghanistan. Key among these commanders are Maulana Fazlullah, the TTP's Emir for Swat district, and Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, the TTP's Emir for Bajaur Agency. The TTP commanders' relocation is a result of Pakistani military operations in their hideouts in Pakistan.
These Taliban commanders were later joined by various Taliban fighters from Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan. The commanders, who enjoyed Pakistani support over the past decade and more, are now launching cross-border raids against Pakistani security forces.
In a recent article, titled "TTP's Pakistan Strategy," Pakistani writer Syed Irfan Ashraf, who teaches journalism at the University of Peshawar, warned that the Taliban's relocation to the bordering Afghan provinces poses a serious threat to Pakistan, given their one-point agenda of targeting the country.
