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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP or the Movement of Pakistani Taliban) has released a new video featuring its fighters undergoing military training somewhere along the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Unlike most of the TTP videos, which mainly featured attacks against Pakistani security forces in the recent past, the new video covers only the training of the Taliban fighters in various environments, including in rivers and on snow-covered mountains.[1]
The 11-minute video is the ninth of Al-Mueedoon Lil Qital ("Prepared for Killing") series of videos by the Pakistani Taliban and has been produced and released by Umar Media, the group's media arm.
Beginning with Koran 9:46, "Had they really intended to march forth, they would have made preparations for it. But Allah disliked that they should go, so he let them lag behind, and it was said to them, Stay with those helpless who remain behind," the video is the first since the beginning of the Haqqani Network-mediated talks between the TTP and the Pakistani government in Kabul. After taking over Kabul in August 2021, the Afghan Taliban pushed the TTP to negotiate with Pakistan and the two sides agreed on an indefinite ceasefire, which is ongoing. Haqqani Network is a unit of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the ruling Taliban jihadi organization).
The recitation of the Koran verse is followed by a war song:
"He came to scare us, to bind us, to eliminate us,
"Oh people, we had no fear of the enemy as we were always bold;
"To bring you back the glory, show you the rise again,
"Oh people, we were on journey toward the same destinations"
In the video, Taliban fighters ride in a boat and fire at targets during military training while background commentary and a subtitle says that they are conducting marine training.
"It is necessary for you to gain strength. Learn and prepare well," the commentary says as Taliban fighters wearing camouflage are trained in the use of a heavy weapon that appears to be anti-aircraft gun inside a compound called Al-Farooq Training Center.
As the video shows TTP fighters receiving training in firing at targets and raiding a house, the narrator says: "You must consider every moment a blessing and make yourself strong because the aspirations of this Ummah are attached to you."
"This process has to be carried to its destination as it was carried by our forefathers. They tired themselves out. They used to be awake at night. They prepared themselves for war according to their ability and frightened the enemies of Allah," it adds.
"Take up the weapon and consider it part of your body. Be careful to [achieve] your target, use all your abilities, fight with your ideology, be clever, do not let any information slip from your hand and save it in your heart and conscience. Keep it in your mind like a teacher giving you a lesson," the commentary says as a Taliban sniper fires at a target and others receiving training in the use of heavy weapons.
Besides undergoing military training, the TTP militants are offer prayers while the narrator says: "With all this [military] training, the belief training is also necessary because the weapon is of no use without faith. And the weapon along with faith makes everything possible. The weapon becomes perfect with piety. At exactly the same time, the ability to keep secrets in your heart emerges. The heart in which your faith lies. Irrigate it with the water of piety. So that your whole body will be filled with patience and steadfastness."
"Training and preparation is the secret of your strength. Indeed, therein lies your strength and honor," the narrator says.
Meanwhile, the TTP said in a statement that the Pakistan army violated the ceasefire and killed TTP members Khobaib aka Bilal and Khairkhwa in the Spinwam area of the North Waziristan tribal district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It said that the Pakistan army refused to hand over their bodies to relatives.
"We have repeatedly explained that we have respected the ceasefire and only acted defensively while the [Pakistan] army has been continuously violating it. Our flexibility for the same people should not be considered weakness. If such action is taken in the future, the responsibility of the consequences will lie on the army," the TTP statement said.
Following are more screenshots from the video:
[1] August 22 and 23, 2022.
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