Noor Wali Mehsud
Abu Mansoor Asim Noor Wali Mehsud | |
|---|---|
ابو منصور عاصم نور ولی محسود | |
Mehsud in 2018 | |
| 4th Emir of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) | |
| Assumed office 22 June 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Maulana Fazlullah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 June 1978 Tiarza Subdivision, South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Afghan Taliban (1996–1998, 2001) Pakistani Taliban (2003–present) |
| Years of service | 1996–1998 2001 2003–present |
| Rank | Emir of the Pakistani Taliban |
| Battles/wars | |
Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud (born 26 June 1978), also known by his nom de guerre as Abu Mansoor Asim (ابو منصور عاصم), is a Pakistani Deobandi Islamic cleric and militant who is the 4th emir of the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP). On 22 June 2018, Mehsud was appointed as the emir of TTP after the assassination of former emir Mullah Fazlullah in a US drone strike in Kunar, Afghanistan.
Mehsud took power over the TTP at its weakest point since its inception, as the TTP no longer held territory in Pakistan and had been plagued by internal divisions. Despite this, the TTP, since Mehsud's appointment appears to have been revitalized and has "grown deadlier." Mehsud has essentially steered the TTP in a new direction, sparing civilians and ordering assaults only on security and law enforcement personnel, in an attempt to rehabilitate the group's image and distance them from the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (Daesh–Khorasan) militant group's extremism.
The US classified Mehsud as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on 10 September 2019. In July 2020, Mehsud was included on the ISIL and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee list by the United Nations.