Qari Saifullah Mehsud

Qari Saifullah Mehsud was a senior militant commander associated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned Islamist militant group operating along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.^[1] He was believed to be a key leader and spokesman for a faction within the TTP and was involved in militant activities against the Pakistani state.^[1]

Mehsud emerged as a prominent commander within the Pakistani Taliban after the death of senior leaders in the 2010s.^[1] He reportedly served as a spokesman for the Hakimullah Mehsud faction of the TTP and was considered one of the organization's most active figures, claiming responsibility for numerous attacks.^[1] He was also said to have attempted to unify splinter groups within the TTP, which had fractured into several factions.^[1]

At various points, Pakistani authorities listed him as a wanted militant for his alleged involvement in terror attacks inside Pakistan, including claims of responsibility for attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and a deadly bus attack in Karachi.^[1] Some reports noted that he had been detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2016 and subsequently released after about 14 months in custody.^[1]

In late December 2019, multiple international news outlets reported that Mehsud was killed by unknown gunmen in the Gulan refugee camp in Khost Province, Afghanistan.^[2] Local security sources and tribal elders indicated that assailants who had been staying at his residence shot him and fled.^[2] The TTP publicly confirmed his death and alleged involvement of the Haqqani network, another militant group, in the killing.^[2] Mehsud was buried in Khost following the incident.^[2]