The October 9 strike hit an armoured Land Cruiser believed to be carrying Mehsud. The attack triggered retaliatory attacks and clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border before a fragile ceasefire was restored mid-week.
Rising Tensions Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harbouring TTP leaders and providing safe havens for militants blamed for near-daily attacks on Pakistani security forces. Afghan officials, however, deny that Pakistani militants are operating from their soil and have accused Islamabad of supporting the local Islamic State affiliate.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan carried out an airstrike in the Afghan border province of Kandahar, hitting the town of Spin Boldak. Pakistani security officials said the strike targeted a brigade of Afghan Taliban troops and that dozens were killed, though this claim has not been independently verified.
The Pakistani military has vowed to “do whatever is necessary” to safeguard its people, warning Afghanistan to prevent the use of its territory for terrorism. For Kabul’s Taliban administration, the airstrikes mark an “unprecedented and provocative act,” with the Afghan defence ministry cautioning that “the consequences will be the responsibility of the Pakistani military.”Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the operation, but senior officials have hinted that its patience with Kabul is “wearing thin.”
Who is Noor Wali Mehsud?
Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, born on June 26, 1978, in South Waziristan’s Mehsud tribal heartland, is a cleric and a seasoned commander. A madrassa-trained Islamic jurist, he fought alongside the Afghan Taliban in the 1990s before rising through the ranks of the Pakistani Taliban as a judge, Karachi chief, and later deputy to successive TTP leaders.
He became the group’s chief in June 2018, following the US drone killing of Mullah Fazlullah, restoring leadership to the Mehsud tribe, the faction that founded the movement. An ideologue as well as a militant, Mehsud has authored several books, including Inqilab-e-Mehsud (The Mehsud Revolution), a 700-page text that blends theology, tribal history, and militant narrative. The book explicitly claims responsibility for the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
Under his leadership, the TTP regrouped after years of setbacks and internal rifts, consolidating splinter factions and shifting tactics to primarily target security forces rather than civilians. Analysts say this strategic recalibration has made the group more resilient. After the Taliban’s 2021 takeover in Afghanistan, Mehsud’s TTP gained new operational depth, with freer movement across the border and access to weapons. Pakistan’s military considers him a fugitive terrorist responsible for hundreds of killings and cross-border raids.
