Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was killed in a strike in Kabul on Thursday night.

Kabul residents reported loud explosions in parts of Kabul, which they believed were airstrikes. Two local residents said the strikes happened near Abdulhaq Square in downtown Kabul. The exact location of the strikes remain unclear.

Taliban chief spokesman confirmed the attacks, saying that they have started an investigation.

Mehsud, who was born on June 26, 1978, in Gurguray, South Waziristan, Pakistan, was one of Pakistan`s most wanted militant figures. He had led the TTP since 2018, after the death of his predecessor Mullah Fazlullah, becoming the group`s fourth leader.

According to security analysts, Mehsud originally joined the Mehsud Taliban in 2003 - a jihadi faction that emerged in Pakistan`s tribal region during the Taliban regime and was later absorbed into the TTP in 2007 under Baitullah Mehsud.

By 2013, Mehsud had risen through the ranks to oversee TTP operations in Karachi, where he commanded a network involved in extortion and kidnappings to finance militant activities across Pakistan. Operating from Miram Shah in North Waziristan, he reportedly ordered Pashtuns in Karachi to settle business disputes through Taliban courts under his authority, with those refusing facing violent retribution.

The TTP leader was believed to have lived between Pakistan and Afghanistan and held Pakistani citizenship.

Thursday night`s airstrike targeted a compound in Kabul, though details about who carried out the operation remain unclear. The Taliban have not commented on the incident.

The strike comes amid Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi`s visit to India for high-level talks on bilateral relations and regional security - his first official visit since the Taliban took power in 2021.

India and Pakistan have both expressed concerns over militant activity in Afghanistan, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing the Taliban of allowing TTP fighters to use Afghan territory for cross-border attacks - a charge the Taliban deny.