Dead or not dead: Emergence of Omar Khorasani's message stirs debate
Date mentioned on message is 22-10-2017.
LAHORE (Dunya News)- Notorious and banned terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has stirred a new debate on death of Omar Khalid Khorasani aka ‘butcher of APS’ by releasing his new audio message, reported Roznama Dunya on Saturday.
Date mentioned on message is 22-10-2017.
In the audio clip, Khorasani can be heard condoling death of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Darra Adam Khel’s franchise leader Umar Mansoor.
Analysts believe that by releasing Khorasani’s clip, the banned terror outfit wants to assert that their chief was alive till Sunday. It is believed that Khorasani along with 30 other terrorists have been killed in three U.S. drone strikes near Kurram agency on Pak-Afghan border, though Defence Secretary Zamirul Hassan hasn’t officially confirmed the reports.
While briefing Senate Standing Committee on Defence, Hassan said that pictures of terrorist killed in U.S. drone strikes are not of Khorasani but that of Tariq Geedar Group’s Umar Norai. What adds to the ambiguity of the matter is that Americans haven’t also yet confirmed the death of notorious Khorasani.
On the other hand, in a message to French News Agency, JuA has confirmed the death of their leader.
“Chief of our Jamaat-ul-Ahraar, Umar Khalid Khorasani, who sustained serious injuries in a recent U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, succumbed to his injuries Wednesday evening,” Jamaat-ul-Ahraar’s spokesperson told the French news agency.
Khorasani’s real name is Abdul Wali. He constituted a separate faction after conflicts with TTP’s leadership and named it Jamaatul Ahrar.
Khorsani has been blamed for deadly attacks across Pakistan including the shocking March 2016 attack on the Christian community in Lahore on the day before Easter that claimed the lives of 75 people.
