The incident killed an estimated 148 people, 132 of which are presumed to be children.

The

Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack against the school, announcing

it as

revenge for a six-month military campaign against the terrorist group.

With the country’s armed forces focused on preventing another attack from Pakistani

Taliban,

the world is left wondering: who exactly is this militant group and what do they want

with

Pakistan?

The Taliban presence in Pakistan, known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or

TTP for short, was founded by the late jihadi commander Baitullah Mehsud. The commander

was among many Pakistani militants who had fought alongside the

Afghan Taliban, when they seized control of Kabul in the late 90’s.

When the extremist group was subsequently ousted from Kabul by US forces in 2001,

Mehsud and other Pakistani militants fled back across the Afghan-Pakistan border. It

was during

this time, that the small group of fighters started to train anyone that shared their

ideology.

Today, the group is headed by Maulana Fazlullah from a stronghold

located in North Waziristan

Like the Afghan Taliban, the group is predominantly made up of Pashtun , a

tribal people who are spread across Afghanistan and North-Western Pakistan. But whilst the

Afghan Taliban is a cohesive army, the Pakistani Taliban is more of an umbrella organization,

encompassing around 30 militant groups, which with so many different opinions can mean the

TTP are not as effective as the Afghan counterparts.

The two Talibans were up until recently, common allies, with the TTP having previously

sworn allegiance to Afghani Taliban leader Mullah (moo-LAH) Omar. However, this alliance

may be in trouble. After the Peshawar attack one Afghani Taliban spokesman denounced the

incident saying,“the intentional killing of innocent people, women and children goes

against the

principles of Islam.”

So without the backing of one of their biggest allies, should Pakistan be concerned about

further attacks and ultimately, the TTP seizing control?

Prior to the school attack in Peshawar, analysts had argued that for over a decade, the

Pakistani military had not taken enough effective action to combat the TTP. But the national

outpouring of grief over the death of 132 children is palpable. In the aftermath of

the tragedy,

hundreds of Pakistani protesters convened on the Red Mosque in Islamabad to demand that

one of the area’s most influential religious leaders should publicly condemn the Taliban.

In response to the public outcry over the terrorist attack, the government has responded

by

launching military attacks against the TTP and lifted a six-year moratorium on hanging

convicted

terrorists. The public are hopeful that this action will weaken the Taliban’s hold over

the country.

Pakistan is at a crossroads with potential for real change, however experts note that

if the

country loses focus, the TTP may take the opportunity to regroup, and strike again.

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