Pakistan Taliban Claims Responsibility for Helicopter Crash as Jihadist Factions Reunite
A Pakistani army helicopter crashed killing Norwegian and Philippine ambassadors, the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian ambassadors, and two others. On the morning of May 8 an army helicopter crashed in Northern Pakistan. The ambassadors were headed to Pakistan for the opening of a tourism project, a ski chairlift in the resort of Naltar.
The Taliban in Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the crash, but Pakistani officials deny the claim. The officials report that the helicopter went down as a result of an aircraft malfunction. This is not the first time a Pakistan MI-17 helicopter has mysteriously crashed. Three years ago another crash occurred, leaving 5 dead. In 2009, 41 people died in helicopter crashes.
While the Taliban claimed that it attacked the helicopter with an anti-aircraft missile, eyewitnesses say they did not see any in-air explosions, just that the helicopter began to spiral downwards. The northern mountain region where the crash occurred is known as one of the safer regions in Pakistan and Taliban presence is considered minimal.
The claim follows a merger of three small jihadist groups with the Pakistan Taliban. All three had collaborated with the TTP previously but remained independent. The three groups united under Commander Qari Matiur Rehman’s leadership to merge with the Taliban. Rehman has served as a senior leader in al-Qaeda and remains a part of the group’s leadership. Because of Rehman’s connection to al-Qaeda, it is believed that this merger was encouraged by al-Qaeda leadership.
After the TTP’s former emir, Hakeemullah Mehsud was killed, Mullah Fazlullah was appointed to lead the Taliban. This caused a rift amongst some of the factions, causing the split of several groups including Omar Khalid Khorasani and Qari Rehman. Last month, Khorasani’s faction rejoined the TTP in an effort to re-strengthen it and take a step towards unity.
The recent merger is part of a movement towards rebuilding the TTP’s influence and power. While Islamic State ensures that worldwide attention is focused on their growing areas of influence, al-Qaeda is taking a different approach. Operating in a very covert and quiet manner, al-Qaeda is slowly drawing together factions whose campaigns against regional forces provide cover for Al Qaeda’s global jihad.
In April, the TTP successfully test-fired a rocket and within the past week has launched two attacks on government officials and security forces in Pakistan. This most recent merge seems likely to renew TTP’s strength and its ability to launch effective attacks in coordination with al-Qaeda.
