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Ehsanullah Ehsan speaks out for the first time after escaping from Pakistani military custody in January.
Islamabad, Pakistan - The Pakistani Taliban has suffered major losses from American and Pakistani security operations in recent years, but its cells remain active in Pakistan's cities and are still capable of carrying out attacks, a former spokesman has told Al Jazeera in his first interview since escaping from Pakistani military custody in January.
The group and its allies remain active in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, once one of the most high-profile leaders of the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban or the acronym TTP, who later co-founded the armed group's breakaway faction Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (JuA) .
We cannot say that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar or other anti-Pakistan [armed] groups are completely finished," he said. "They definitely have a set-up and perhaps they have gone silent as part of a plan. They are present in Pakistani cities and they have the ability to carry out attacks."
Ehsan - whose real name is Liaqat Ali but is better known by his nom de guerre - spoke exclusively to Al Jazeera this week, breaking his silence on how he surrendered to Pakistani security forces in 2017, and how he escaped from a military-run safe house in an affluent neighbourhood of the northwestern city of Peshawar. He also offered insights into the operations of the Pakistani Taliban and the JuA.
The interview was conducted from an undisclosed location through voice notes exchanged over an internet-based messaging service.
The former spokesman was one of the most notorious Pakistani Taliban leaders during the height of the group's bloody war against the Pakistani state, which saw more than 20,000 civilians killed in suicide bombings, IED blasts and other attacks, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP). The group also killed more than 6,000 members of Pakistan's security forces, according to SATP data.
Ehsan said the killing of Pakistani Taliban leaders such as then-chief Maulana Fazlullah in a 2018 US drone attack, and senior leaders Khalid Haqqani and Shahryar Mehsud two months ago have affected the organisation, but not decimated it.
"Their ability to launch attacks has definitely decreased, but they are not yet finished," Ehsan said. "They will continue to try to prove their presence."
Ehsan had been held for almost three years, after surrendering to Pakistani security forces in February 2017 under what he claims was an agreement that granted him full legal immunity, a personal monetary stipend and a guarantee that he would be allowed to live as a "peaceful citizen".
Pakistan's military was provided with a detailed list of the allegations made by Ehsan in this interview, but offered no comment. The Pakistani interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Source Aljazeera aje.io/j8y8w
Islamabad, Pakistan - The Pakistani Taliban has suffered major losses from American and Pakistani security operations in recent years, but its cells remain active in Pakistan's cities and are still capable of carrying out attacks, a former spokesman has told Al Jazeera in his first interview since escaping from Pakistani military custody in January.
The group and its allies remain active in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, said Ehsanullah Ehsan, once one of the most high-profile leaders of the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban or the acronym TTP, who later co-founded the armed group's breakaway faction Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (JuA) .
We cannot say that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar or other anti-Pakistan [armed] groups are completely finished," he said. "They definitely have a set-up and perhaps they have gone silent as part of a plan. They are present in Pakistani cities and they have the ability to carry out attacks."
Ehsan - whose real name is Liaqat Ali but is better known by his nom de guerre - spoke exclusively to Al Jazeera this week, breaking his silence on how he surrendered to Pakistani security forces in 2017, and how he escaped from a military-run safe house in an affluent neighbourhood of the northwestern city of Peshawar. He also offered insights into the operations of the Pakistani Taliban and the JuA.
The interview was conducted from an undisclosed location through voice notes exchanged over an internet-based messaging service.
The former spokesman was one of the most notorious Pakistani Taliban leaders during the height of the group's bloody war against the Pakistani state, which saw more than 20,000 civilians killed in suicide bombings, IED blasts and other attacks, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP). The group also killed more than 6,000 members of Pakistan's security forces, according to SATP data.
Ehsan said the killing of Pakistani Taliban leaders such as then-chief Maulana Fazlullah in a 2018 US drone attack, and senior leaders Khalid Haqqani and Shahryar Mehsud two months ago have affected the organisation, but not decimated it.
"Their ability to launch attacks has definitely decreased, but they are not yet finished," Ehsan said. "They will continue to try to prove their presence."
Ehsan had been held for almost three years, after surrendering to Pakistani security forces in February 2017 under what he claims was an agreement that granted him full legal immunity, a personal monetary stipend and a guarantee that he would be allowed to live as a "peaceful citizen".
Pakistan's military was provided with a detailed list of the allegations made by Ehsan in this interview, but offered no comment. The Pakistani interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Source Aljazeera aje.io/j8y8w
