Six regional commanders of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan have reportedly pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State (IS) in a statement issued in this regard.
Shahidullah Shahid said in the allegiance statement that he along with TTP amir for Orakzai Agency Saeed Khan, TTP's Kurram Agency chapter chief Daulat Khan, Fateh Gul Zaman, who heads TTP in Khyber Agency, TTP's Peshawar amir Mufti Hassan and TTP's Hangu chief Khalid Mansoor are announcing their allegiance to IS and would be their "lead fighters" in Pakistan, reported the Dawn.
However, he also added that the statement has nothing to do with TTP and has been issued on the behalf of the six commanders.
The statement had no mention of the six Taliban chiefs' stance on Mullah Omar, chief of the Afghan Taliban, widely regarded by militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan as their leader.
