Lashkar-e-Taiba Commander Yousuf Afridi Killed in Pakistan

Sheikh Yousuf Afridi, a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and associate of the group's leader Hafiz Saeed, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Monday in Landi Kotal, a town in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 250 kilometers from Islamabad.

Police sources confirmed that the assailants opened fire at close range on Afridi, killing him on the spot before fleeing the scene. No group has claimed responsibility, and no arrests have been made. Local authorities secured the area, collected forensic evidence and launched an investigation into the attack, which they described as targeted. A police source told reporters that the incident has sparked anger in the area.

Afridi held a key operational role for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where he coordinated activities including recruitment and training, according to officials and group associates. An official from Saeed's banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa described him as a renowned religious scholar from the Zakhakhel tribe and a prominent figure in the Ahle Hadith Salafi school of thought.

The killing fits a pattern of attacks on high-profile figures linked to militant groups in Pakistan. Just over a week ago in...