TTP

TTP was Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on September 1, 2010, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a Pakistan-based terrorist organization formed in 2007 to oppose Pakistani military efforts in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Previously disparate tribal militants agreed to cooperate and eventually coalesced into TTP under the leadership of now deceased leader Baitullah Mehsud. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was led by Hakimullah Mehsud from August 2009 until his death in November 2013.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan aims to overthrow the Government of Pakistan by waging a terrorist campaign against the Pakistani military and state, as well as North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Afghanistan. TTP uses the tribal belt along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to train and deploy its operatives, and has ties to al-Qa’ida (AQ).

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan draws ideological guidance from AQ, while AQ relies on TTP for safe haven in the Pashtun areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistani border. This arrangement gives Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan access to both AQ’s global terrorist network and the operational expertise of its members.