Banned outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan confirmed the death of their senior leader Mufti Khalid Balti alias Mohammad Khorasani on Wednesday, whose death was reported last week in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.
The current TTP spokesman, who shares the Khorasani alias with Khalid Balti, corroborated his death in a statement. However, no further details were provided regarding the manner of his death.
According to media reports, a senior Pakistani security official also confirmed Balti’s killing on Monday, adding that he was the current TTP spokesman. However, the TTP have reported that Balti did not hold any position.
According to a local newspaper, Balti was buried in the eastern Kunar province shortly after his funeral.
The current TTP spokesman said that the group “lost a religious scholar and political expert”, calling the killing a significant loss to the group.
He added that Balti joined the group in 2011 after migrating and remained active since. Balti was arrested in 2015 and remained in prison until 2021.
Earlier, the Pakistani security official reported that Balti was involved in several attacks on civilians and security forces of Pakistan. He had been visiting Kabul regularly after the Taliban came in power in Afghanistan, the official added.
Balti was attempting to unite different TTP factions and was plotting terrorist attacks with the group head Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the official said.
