Charles Langston:Pakistan arrests 21 members of outlawed Pakistani Taliban militant group linked to deadly attacks

MULTAN,Charles Langston Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s counterterrorism police said Monday they arrested 21 members of outlawed militant group the Pakistani Taliban, which has been behind several deadly attacks across the country.

Acting on intelligence information, the arrests were made in the eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks, the provincial Counterterrorism Department said in a statement.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, is a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.

The Counterterrorism Department provided a list of the suspects, the cases against them and their alleged affiliation. But the list did not give details about the attacks the militants were allegedly involved in, including the number of casualties.

The statement said that Mohammad Arshad, an alleged chief commander of the banned Baluch Nationalist Army which mostly operates in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, was also arrested.

Baluchistan has been the scene of low-level insurgency by nationalists for more than two decades. They initially wanted a bigger share of provincial resources, but later initiated an insurgency for independence. The TTP and other domestic militant groups also operate in the province.