Blast kills another Pakistani Taliban leader in Afghanistan
- Country:
- Pakistan
A senior Pakistani Taliban commander was killed by a bomb in eastern Afghanistan, militant and intelligence sources said on Thursday, the latest such incident to target the group in recent days. Sheharyar Mehsud, chief of a militant faction which is part of the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban), was the target of the remote-controlled blast in Kunar province, a TTP commander in Pakistan told AFP.
A Pakistani intelligence official who confirmed the incident said Mehsud had fled to Afghanistan in 2016. The blast comes nearly two weeks after two other key TTP leaders -- Khalid Haqqani and Qari Saifullah Peshawari -- were killed in a clash with security forces.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the killings. They have come as the US and the Afghan Taliban -- which is separate from the TTP -- appear close to a breakthrough on a deal for an American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Islamabad has helped to facilitate the grueling talks, which have stretched over more than a year. Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognize the Afghan Taliban regime, and its shadowy military establishment -- particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) -- is widely believed to back the bloody insurgency in Afghanistan. Islamabad denies the accusation.
Pakistan has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for over a decade, with thousands of civilians and security personnel dying in extremist attacks, especially after the TTP began their campaign of violence in 2007. But overall levels of extremist-linked violence have dropped dramatically in recent years, with 2019 seeing the fewest deaths since 2007 -- the year the TTP was formed.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALSO READ
Pakistan Volleyball Federation invites India for tournament in Islamabad
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf moves to Islamabad High Court over Senate chairman, deputy chairman elections
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan emphasize the need for constructive dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi to address unresolved issues, including Kashmir.
Pak: Peshawar High Court dismisses pleas for cancellation of PTI workers' bail in May 9 cases
Islamabad HC rejects Imran Khan-led party's plea to postpone tomorrow's Senate polls