Noor Wali Mehsud leads TTP in cross-border attacks, sparking Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions amid failed peace talks.

Noor Wali Mehsud, leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is at the center of escalating cross-border violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since taking control in 2018, he has reorganized the TTP, shifting its focus from civilian to military and police targets. Pakistan accuses him of directing attacks from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, where he reportedly survived a recent Kabul airstrike. Though the Afghan Taliban deny harboring him, they accuse Pakistan of sheltering Islamic State fighters. Mehsud, a religious scholar and author, frames the TTP’s campaign as a Pashtun nationalist and religious struggle for strict Islamic law in border regions. Despite a temporary ceasefire and failed talks, Pakistan rejects the TTP’s demands, leaving tensions unresolved.