Sheikh Yousaf Afridi, a key figure associated with the outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.
The incident took place on Sunday in Landi Kotal, located in the Khyber region, around 250 km from Islamabad. According to PTI, Afridi was targeted in a sudden attack by armed assailants who opened fire on him.
“Unknown attackers opened indiscriminate fire, and he died on the spot,” a police official said, adding that the attackers fled immediately after the shooting.
Close Associate of Hafiz Saeed
Afridi was reportedly a close associate of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He was believed to be involved in the group’s regional activities, including recruitment and coordination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Officials said Afridi held an influential position within the local structure of the banned organisation and had long been active in its network.
No Claim of Responsibility Yet
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the killing. Authorities have launched an investigation and are trying to identify those behind the attack.
“The incident has triggered concern in the area, and efforts are underway to trace the attackers,” a police source was quoted as saying by PTI.
Linked to Jamaat-ud-Dawa Network
An official from Jamaat-ud-Dawa described Afridi as a religious scholar associated with the Ahl-e-Hadith school of thought and said he belonged to the Zakhakhel tribe of the Khyber region.
“He was targeted and shot by unknown gunmen, who managed to escape,” the official was quoted as saying by PTI. He added that some extremist groups were facing ideological challenges from Salafi scholars.
Series of Attacks on LeT Figures
Afridi’s killing comes days after another senior LeT figure, Amir Hamza, was injured in a shooting incident in Lahore. Hamza is considered one of the top leaders of the group after Hafiz Saeed.
Saeed himself has been in custody in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after being convicted in multiple terror financing cases.
The back-to-back attacks on individuals linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba have raised questions about internal rivalries or targeted operations, though officials have not confirmed any motive so far.
