By Dr. Farhan Zahid
Dated: July 27, 2015
Few commanders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have managed to keep up the momentum of jihadi activities in both tribal areas and settled districts of Pakistan as Abdul Wali alias Omar Khalid Khurasani. Wali more commonly known by his nom de guerre Omar Khalid Khurasani started his jihadi career as the commander of TTP Mohmand agency, and remained part of TTP’s central Shura. After the death of Hakeemullah Mehsud in November 2013, the then commander of TTP, Khalid had a fall out with new TTP Emir Fazalulah and went on to establish his own faction of TTP which he named Jamaat-ul Ahrar which he still heads even after re-joining hands with his former bête noir Fazalullah. Based in Mohmand district of tribal areas of Pakistan (Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan aka FATA), 34-year Khalid is considered as a rising star at the Pakistani jihad scene. After surviving multiple military operations targeting his bases in Mohmand district he now commands thousands of jihadis.
