<a title="Afghanistan" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/india/afghan-fm-muttaqi-begins-first-india-visit/20489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kabul</a> once again became a theatre of conflict as two powerful explosions and bursts of automatic gunfire shattered the night, followed by the ominous roar of a jet circling overhead. According to senior intelligence officials, the strike was aimed at Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud, who was believed to be operating from a joint TTP&ndash;al-Qaeda safehouse in eastern Kabul.
<img src="https://ibp-benefits.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/prod/news/uploads/images/1760075937920_Mehsud-1024x576.jpg.jpg" alt="Mehsud-1024x576.jpg" width="1024" height="576">
Multiple security sources have confirmed that the compound was hit with precision, suggesting a targeted aerial operation. However, a voice message circulating among militant channels&mdash;purportedly from Mehsud himself&mdash;claims that he survived the attack and is currently in Pakistan, though his son was reportedly killed.
The timing of this high-profile strike has fuelled strong speculation of a retaliatory cross-border operation, given that it occurred less than 48 hours after Pakistan&rsquo;s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused Afghanistan of providing sanctuary to TTP militants. Intelligence insiders indicate that Islamabad may have offered key operational support, either directly or through a third-party air force with access to Afghan airspace.
Born on 26 June 1978 in Gurguray, South Waziristan, Mehsud rose from the tribal heartlands of Pakistan to become one of its most wanted terrorists. He took over the TTP leadership in 2018 after the death of Mullah Fazlullah, continuing the group&rsquo;s violent campaign against the Pakistani state.
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His early years saw him embedded within the Mehsud Taliban faction, which later merged with the TTP under Baitullah Mehsud in 2007. By 2013, Noor Wali Mehsud had extended his influence into Karachi, overseeing a vast militant-financing network driven by extortion, abductions, and parallel Taliban courts that enforced his diktats through fear and violence.
Analysts note that Mehsud&rsquo;s movements across the Pakistan&ndash;Afghanistan border made him a shadowy figure difficult to target, but Thursday night&rsquo;s strike marks the closest attempt yet to eliminate the TTP chief since he assumed power.
The Taliban government in Kabul has remained silent about the incident, with no official confirmation on the identity of the attackers or the casualties involved. The airstrike coincided with Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi&rsquo;s visit to India, a trip meant to improve regional ties and discuss security cooperation.
Both India and Pakistan have long expressed unease over the Taliban&rsquo;s inability&mdash;or unwillingness&mdash;to curb militant groups within Afghanistan. Islamabad maintains that the TTP continues to orchestrate cross-border assaults with impunity, while Kabul has repeatedly denied harbouring terrorists.
If indeed the target was Noor Wali Mehsud, the strike signals a serious escalation in the shadow war unfolding within Afghanistan&rsquo;s turbulent skies&mdash;where the lines between allies, proxies, and adversaries remain dangerously blurred.

Smoke rises after airstrike hits terrorist base

Explosions rock Kabul in suspected strike on TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud’s compound

Kabul Airstrike Targets TTP Chief’s Safehouse

Explosions rock Kabul in suspected strike on TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud’s compound

October 10, 2025 | 11:33 IST