US designates Mullah Nazir Group as ‘terrorist’

The United States (US) State Department has added the Mullah Nazir Group, a Taliban subgroup based in South Waziristan, and an important deputy commander to the list of ‘foreign terrorist’ entities and individuals.

It is pertinent to mention here that the former chief of the group, Mullah Nazir, who was killed in a US drone strike in early January, has long supported and sheltered al Qaeda and allied terror groups. In 2011, Nazir even self-identified as an al Qaeda commander.

“Since 2006, [the Mullah Nazir Group] has run training camps, dispatched suicide bombers, provided safe haven for al Qaeda fighters, and conducted cross-border operations in Afghanistan against the United States and its allies,” State’s designation said.

“In addition to its attacks against international forces in Afghanistan, [the Mullah Nazir Group] is also responsible for assassinations and intimidation operations against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” State continued.

State also noted that the Mullah Nazir Group and Commander Malang, who was added to the US’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists today, have conducted several attacks against the Pakistani military.

Malang was named a key subcommander of the Mullah Nazir Group on Jan. 4, just one day after Mullah Nazir was killed in a drone strike in South Waziristan. The group’s shura named Salahuddin Ayubi, who is also known as Bahwal Khan, to replace Nazir. Other top leaders of the Mullah Nazir group include Haji Tehsil Khan, Haji Ainullah, Taj Muhammad, and Muhammad Shoaib.

Source: The News Tribe