TTP Appoints New Chief Following Shehryar Mehsud's Killing

TTP Appoints New Chief Following Shehryar Mehsud's Killing
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud group has selected a new leader following the killing of its chief Sheheryar Mehsud in a remote-controlled blast in northern Afghanistan.

A statement released by Nusrat-Ullah Nusrat, spokesperson for the banned TTP Hakimullah Mehsud group, said that Maulana Wali Muhammad Umari has been appointed as the new chief of the group.

Wali Muhammad Umari, 40, belongs to the Wazirgai tribe of Umarzay village-North Waziristan. He was one of the first ones to join the TTP.

Moreover, he has been one of the closed and most trusted associates of Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, and Wali-ur-Rehman Mehsud. Wali previously served as a chief of Fidaai Wing (Suicide Bomber Wing) of TTP. When differences emerged between Hakimullah Mehsud and Khan Said Sajna, Wali chose to join the TTP Hakimullah group.

According to the TTP statement released by the spokesperson, Sheheyar was travelling in his vehicle when he was targeted in a remote-controlled blast in Kunar province of Afghanistan