The militant leader stirring conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Hanging over the recent eruption of fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the most serious clash between the neighbours in decades, is the spectre of a militant leader Islamabad accuses of directing near-daily attacks on its soil. An uneasy ceasefire took hold on Wednesday, but Pakistan’s main grievance endures: the presence of Noor Wali Mehsud in Afghanistan, along with his top lieutenants. Last week, an airstrike in Kabul hit an armoured Toyota Land Cruiser believed to be carrying him, according to Pakistani security officials. Militants and Pakistani officials say he likely survived, and the group released an audio message purportedly from him. Pakistan has not officially owned the airstrike, the first in Kabul since the successful 2022 US targeting of Al...