Jamaatul Ahrar Karachi chief killed in Afghanistan

The Karachi 'emir' of the banned Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA), Muhammad Duadzai, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan on Friday, confirmed sources within the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The sources said that the chief was gunned down in Sharana city of Paktika province. The militant commander belonged to the Pindiali Tehsil of Mohmand District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). He was appointed as the Karachi emir several years ago by a former JuA chief. The notorious commander was wanted by the Pakistani authorities for his alleged involvement in several attacks, extortion and target killings across the country. Read New wilayas of TTP Two of Duadzai's brothers, namely Mian Jaffar and Qari Qadim, were also killed in military operations by US and NATO forces in Afghanistan during the last years of Ashraf Ghani's regime. Paktika province is considered one of the strongholds of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while the Kunar and Nuristan provinces are considered the JuA's strongholds, the sources added. The two banned outfits had developed differences following attacks in Zhob and the de-notification of Dost Muhammad alias Asad Afridi as the DI Khan commander, for his acceptance of the attacks on security installations. Sources privy to the development had told The Express Tribune that the JuA -- that was a splinter group that merged back with the TTP in August 2020 -- had once again broken away from the TTP following its founder, Omar Khalid Khorasani's, killing in August 2022 in eastern Afghanistan in a mysterious blast blamed by his group on Pakistani agencies.