A wanted commander of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been shot dead in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar, sources confirmed, marking yet another lethal incident targeting militant leaders operating on Afghan soil.
According to sources, Umar Farooq Koki Khel, a commander of the banned outfit, was killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on him in Nangarhar. The assailants fled the scene after the attack. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing.
Sources further said that the slain commander also maintained a residence in Tauda Mela Ali Mosque area, indicating his movement between different locations despite being a wanted militant figure.
The latest killing adds to a growing pattern of targeted attacks against senior TTP commanders across multiple Afghan provinces over recent months, raising questions about internal rifts, factional violence, and shifting security dynamics within militant networks.
In April last year, a senior TTP commander, Bahadur Zaman alias Abdullah Bajauri, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The attack took place in the Chowgam area, with assailants killing the high-ranking militant on the spot before escaping. No claim of responsibility emerged, even as the incident drew attention to the continued presence of TTP elements inside Afghanistan.
The killing came amid diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Kabul, during which Afghan authorities assured Pakistan that Afghan soil would not be allowed to be used for attacks against Pakistan, including the movement of suicide bombers across the border.
Similarly, in October, another senior TTP commander, Mohammad Nazir Hanzala, also known as Ustad Haider, was killed along with four associates in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province. The group was ambushed in the village of Darm Darm in Tagab district, reportedly while attending a meal invitation. Hanzala had previously been affiliated with the Afghan Taliban before joining the banned TTP.
In November, intense clashes erupted in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces when Jamaat ul Ahrar launched a series of attacks against the TTP, killing several senior commanders in Paktika, Paktia, and Khost provinces. Among those killed were Noorullah, Khwaray Mehsud, Azmat, and Mullah Ibrahim Stanikzai, as multiple hideouts were destroyed during the fighting.
Jamaat ul Ahrar claimed the attacks were part of a sustained revenge campaign following the killing of its former leader Omar Khalid Khorasani, alleging that he was sidelined and eliminated during an internal power struggle within the TTP.
In December, another key TTP commander, Hiyawad alias Muhammad Marwat, was killed in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province after being targeted by unknown assailants. He was wanted for his alleged role in the 2023 attack on the Pakistan Air Force base in Mianwali and for the killing of more than eight police officers in Lakki Marwat. Weapons and foreign currency were reportedly recovered from his possession.
Security analysts say the repeated targeting of TTP commanders inside Afghanistan underscores growing instability within militant ranks and reinforces Pakistan’s longstanding position that Afghan territory has been used by the banned outfit for planning and launching attacks inside Pakistan.
Investigations into the latest killing in Nangarhar are ongoing, as the pattern of assassinations continues to reshape the militant landscape across the region.
