A powerful faction of Pakistan’s Taliban announced Wednesday it has split from the main group over peace talks with the government.
The fighters led by Khan Sajna in the tribal district of South Waziristan were no longer members of the nationwide umbrella association of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said former TTP spokesman Azam Tariq, now a member of Sajna’s group.
He did not say what the disagreement was, beyond that it concerned the peace talks launched by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in January, which have stalled since April over the insurgents’ demands.
The move was seen as a setback for TTP leader Maulana Fazlullah, who took over last year after his predecessor Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack.
South Waziristan is a key stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.
Sajna this month resisted an order from Fazlullah that he give up his local leadership after a clash with another group in the district killed dozens of Taliban fighters.