Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has emerged at the centre of a fresh and deadly round of violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan after a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul on October 9 targeted an armoured vehicle believed to be carrying him. The strike, followed by several days of cross-border clashes before an uneasy ceasefire, has deepened an already fraught security standoff between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban authorities.
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Who is Noor Wali Mehsud?
Noor Wali Mehsud, also known as Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud and Abu Zar Azzam, is listed under the United Nations Security Council’s ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. He was appointed leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in June 2018 following the death of the group’s previous chief, Maulana Fazlullah.
According to the United Nations’ listing, the TTP under Mehsud’s leadership has been responsible for numerous attacks inside Pakistan, targeting security personnel, government installations, and civilian areas. The TTP is said to be maintaining links with Al-Qaeda and operates in coordination with several other regional terrorist organisations. The group has been accused of orchestrating cross-border attacks from bases situated in eastern Afghanistan.
The UN narrative summary records that, as of November 26, 2022, Mehsud was located in Lamman, District Barmal, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It further states that he was listed pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, or perpetrating of acts or activities” in support of Al-Qaeda and associated entities.
Mehsud, born in South Waziristan, is described in UN records as a Pakistani national who has served as a religious scholar and author of Inqilab Mehsud South Waziristan: From British Raj to American Imperialism, a text often cited in connection with the TTP’s ideological positions. His leadership is characterised in the UN summary as having consolidated various militant factions under the TTP’s umbrella and re-established its organisational structure after earlier military operations by Pakistan had dispersed its networks.
The UN committee first listed Mehsud on July 16, 2020, and last updated its narrative summary on December 13, 2023. He remains subject to a global asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo under Security Council sanctions applicable to individuals and entities associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaeda.
What happened in Kabul?
Pakistani security officials said that an airstrike on October 9 in Kabul targeted an armoured vehicle believed to be carrying Mehsud. Islamabad has not issued an official statement claiming responsibility for the strike, while Afghanistan’s Taliban administration denied the presence of Pakistani militants on its soil. The airstrike marked Pakistan’s first reported operation inside Kabul since the 2022 U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Following the strike, cross-border exchanges of fire were reported between Afghan and Pakistani forces over several days before both sides reduced hostilities. Mehsud later appeared in a video message released online, confirming that he was alive. The situation along the frontier remains tense, with security forces in both countries maintaining an increased presence in affected areas.
The airstrikes and subsequent exchanges of fire have resulted in casualties on both sides of the Afghan–Pakistan border and temporarily disrupted civilian movement across several frontier districts. Security forces in both countries remain on alert, and border areas in Khost, Paktika, and North Waziristan have reported intermittent shelling since October 9.
Published – October 17, 2025 01:33 pm IST
