North Waziristan clashes: Taliban say they lost senior commander

Taliban Saturday disclosed that their senior commander, Gul Hasan Afghani, has been killed in clashes with the security forces in North Waziristan tribal region. "Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan conveys a good news to Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan with courage and proud that Commander Hasan was martyred in clashes with Pakistan Army at Boya area of North Waziristan two days ago," the TTP spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid said.
Commander Hasan, belonged to Kabul city and released from an Afghan jail some time ago, had been actively involved in "Jihad" along with other fighters, the TTP spokesman said in a statement. He said the attack was jointly carried out by the TTP, Mehsud faction and the local Taliban and had inflicted "heavy losses on the security forces."
"The Taliban fighters also captured some areas during the operation and seized arms and other equipment." The TTP also released photographs of the funeral of their slain commander. The Pakistani Taliban chief Maulvi Fazalullah led the funeral in an undisclosed location. Security forces had launched the long-awaited major operation against the TTP and foreign militants in North Waziristan on June 15 after rare peace talks with the Taliban collapsed.
The military says forces, backed by fighter jets and gunship, have killed over 1000 militants so far. The TTP spokesman however denied the army's statement and claimed that the military operation faces a total "failure" and that the military's information wing the ISPR is "trying to mislead the people through its favourite media." The TTP spokesman rejected the army's statements on the Taliban casualties, control over areas in North Waziristan, destruction of the Taliban control and command system and the arrest of the Taliban who had been behind attack on Swati girl Malala Yousafzai. The military spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa says that a group of 10 Taliban militants has been captured in connection with the attack on Malala Yousafzai.
He says the TTP chief Fazlullah had ordered the attack. The Taliban spokesman however said arrested in connection with attack on Malala had never been the Taliban active members and that they may have been arrested during the 2009 operation in Swat valley and had been missing since then. "The Taliban central command system is fully secure and active and is successfully attacking the key targets of the Pakistan army," Shahid said. He also claimed that the Taliban shot down a military fighter jet through an anti-aircraft missile in Shawal area The TTP spokesman also alleged that dozens of the TTP detainees have been killed in fake encounters in Karachi.