"Hafiz Saeed Khan: Leading The Islamic State’s Violent Agenda In Af-Pak
", February 2015

Author: ANIMESH ROUL

"The emergence of the Islamic State caliphate and the possibility of a Khurasan chapter once again fanned Saeed Khan’s ambitions to become a high-level militant leader in the region. The much-expected shift of allegiance came last October, when Saeed Khan along with other TTP regional commanders such as Sheikh Umar Maqbool, Gul Zaman of Khyber Agency, Mufti Hassan of Peshawar, Hafiz Quran Daulat of Kurram, and Khalid Mansoor of Hangu pledged allegiance the Islamic State (Dawn [Karachi], October 14, 2014).

Meanwhile, Saeed Khan has shared with the Khurasan shura his intentions to consolidate his position and the Islamic State’s presence by mitigating the existing factionalism within the Taliban groups both in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In fact, the very configuration of the shura suggests a sincere attempt to integrate disgruntled and renegade Taliban commanders from both sides of the border. The shura membership structure also aims to achieve such integration. "

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