Qari Saifullah Mehsud was a senior militant commander associated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned Islamist militant group operating along the AfghanistanâÂÂPakistan border. 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.
Mehsud emerged as a prominent commander within the Pakistani Taliban after the death of senior leaders in the 2010s. 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. He was also said to have attempted to unify splinter groups within the TTP, which had fractured into several factions.
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. 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.
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. Local security sources and tribal elders indicated that assailants who had been staying at his residence shot him and fled. The TTP publicly confirmed his death and alleged involvement of the Haqqani network, another militant group, in the killing. Mehsud was buried in Khost following the incident.