Top TTP commander Omar Khalid Khorasani, 3 others killed in mysterious blast in Afghanistan: Report
The Hindu
Khorasani, who carried a bounty of ₹10 million on his head, was travelling with senior commanders of the militant group in the Birmal district of the province when their vehicle hit a roadside mine.
A top commander of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Omar Khalid Khorasani and three other top militant leaders have been killed in a mysterious blast in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province, a Pakistani media report said on Monday.
A vehicle carrying senior commanders of the militant group, including Khorasani, was on Sunday targeted with a mysterious explosive device, according to Afghan officials and local sources, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
The top militants were travelling in the Birmal district of the province for a meeting when their vehicle hit a roadside mine, the report said.
All aboard the vehicle, also carrying other TTP commanders such as Abdul Wali Mohmand, Mufti Hassan, and Hafiz Dawlat Khan, were killed in the explosion, The Express Tribune quoted a senior Afghan official as saying.
According to a local source, the TTP leaders were travelling “for consultation” when their vehicle hit a roadside mine on Sunday.
Khorasani, who belonged to the Mohmand tribal district, was considered a top member of the TTP – the militant group which wants to impose the law of Sharia across Pakistan. Khorasani, who carried a bounty of ₹10 million on his head.
Hafiz Dawlat from the Orakzai tribal district was an important member of the group and a close trustee of Khorasani, while Mufti Hassan hailed from the Malakand division and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the deceased leader of the Islamic State terrorist organisation.
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