The Pakistani Taliban announced on Monday that it would end the ceasefire they had previously agreed with Islamabad. The armistice was only partially respected.

“As military operations against the mujahideen continue in various zones, it is of great importance that you carry out attacks all over the country,” the Pakistani Taliban called in a message to its supporters.

The militant Islamist Taliban had been active for years, mainly in the northwestern border area of Afghanistan, until they were pushed back by military offensives by the Pakistani army. The Pakistani Taliban, “Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan” or TTP, is an umbrella organization of more than ten militant Islamist groups in Pakistan with several thousand fighters. Since the takeover of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the TTP has been active in the country again.

At the beginning of June, the TTP extended a ceasefire that had been in effect for several weeks. According to the Pakistani Taliban, “progress” was then being made in peace negotiations with representatives of the Pakistani government. Those talks took place in the Afghan capital of Kabul, with members of the Afghan Taliban mediating between the two.

But the truce – now broken – was not always respected by both sides. For example, the TTP continued to carry out attacks, albeit no longer directed against civilians, but against security groups. The Pakistani army, in turn, also continued to hunt down the Taliban fighters.