Noor Wali Mehsud: Pakistan’s Most Wanted Jihadist

• Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has rebuilt his group and intensified attacks against Pakistan’s army.

• He adopted a looser, federal model, giving autonomy to local commanders to operate under the broad TTP umbrella.

• Mehsud claimed that the TTP was behind the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

• After the assassination, Mehsud became the emir of the TTP, overseeing a rapid expansion of the group’s operations inside Pakistan.

• Pakistan carried out air strikes in Kabul, reportedly targeting Mehsud, a UN-designated terrorist, which triggered the worst cross-border clashes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban in years.

• The relations between former patron and client remain tense due to the power and influence Mehsud commands.

• Born on June 26, 1978, in South Waziristan’s Tiarza region, Mehsud received Islamic education at various madrassas in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Karachi.

• The fall of the Taliban regime in Kabul in 2001 deprived the militants of their safe haven, leading them to retreated to Pakistan’s tribal areas.

• The Pakistani army’s crackdown across the tribal belt provoked widespread resentment among locals, leading to a ‘defensive jihad’ by the Mehsud tribe.

Dual Policy and Return with Vengeance

Pakistan’s Dual Policy

• Pakistan sheltered Afghan Taliban, driving a deadly insurgency in Afghanistan against both the Islamic Republic and the U.S. troops.

• The country also mounted a crackdown against the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).

Wali Mehsud’s Leadership

• Wali Mehsud, deputy of Khaled Mehsud, became the face of the Mehsud tribe within the TTP.

• After the killing of TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah in 2018, Mehsud was appointed the emir.

• Mehsud unified splintered factions and rebuilt the TTP, adopting a looser, federal model.

• The TTP issued a new manifesto, prioritizing attacks on Pakistan’s security personnel rather than civilians.

TTP’s Return with Vengeance

• In 2021, the Taliban’s return to Kabul served as a morale booster for the militants across the region, including the TTP.

• Mehsud’s worldview mirrors that of the Afghan Taliban, seeking to implement its strict Islamic code across Pakistan’s tribal regions.

Return with Vengeance

• The TTP has intensified attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

• A resurgent TTP deepened Pakistan’s security anxieties, blaming the Afghan Taliban for sheltering Mehsud and his tribal jihadists.

• Islamabad-Rawalpindi is trying to hold Kabul accountable for the actions of the TTP by striking various provinces of Afghanistan.

• Continued military attacks risk alienating the Pashtun population further and turning the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan into open hostility.

most wanted jihadists Pakistan is important topic for Civil service exam (WBCS).

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