国际英语新闻：Punjabi Taliban leader dies but threat still looms large in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Infighting between two groups of an infamous militant organization "Punjabi Taliban" had left eight dead including leader of the group Usman Punjabi, but the growing threat of rebrand terrorists still looms large in the country plagued by devastating floods and terrorism.

Usman Punjabi was central figure in kidnapping of two former Pakistani intelligence officers and a British journalist, in North Waziristan tribal areas of Pakistan and was nominated in several incidents of terrorism across Pakistan.

The two groups of Punjabi Taliban disputed and killed each other in a bloody clash over the work distribution on Saturday evening in Haji Muhammad Kot area of troubled North Waziristan, about 65 kilometer from Wana. Six militants including group leader Usman Punjabi were killed while two people lost life from the disputing group of militants generally comprising ethnic Punjabi speakers from eastern Punjab province, local sources told Xinhua.

The killed militants were activists of the Punjabi Taliban group also infamous as "Asian Tigers", a splinter group of disbanded extremist Sunni sectarian organizations Lashkar-e- Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba and jihadi rebrand Jaish-e-Muhammad.

Previously unknown, Punjabi Taliban and its leader Usman Punjabi were famed after he had been named in kidnapping of three important people on March 26 this year. One of the abducted men Khalid Khawaja, a former Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI) operative was killed by Punjabi as government failed to meet kidnappers' demand. Khawaja's body was found on April 30 in Karam Kot, 7 kilometers south of Mirali in North Waziristan.

Probably, Khawaja had been killed for his offer of organizing Taliban's talks with government, local analysts believe, as it might have raised suspicions about him. A note was reportedly found on Khawaja's body saying that he was working for Americans and anybody working for them would find the same fate. Khawaja had been persuading Taliban to give up suicide bombing and stop attacking in mainland Pakistani cities.