Lahore, 27 April

Sheikh Yousaf Afridi, a key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) figure and a close associate of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Monday. The incident took place in Landi Kotal in the Khyber region, some 250 kms from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

A source in the police told PTI that unknown armed assailants opened indiscriminate fire on Afridi, resulting in his death on the spot. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Afridi is said to be a key figure within the regional structure of the banned LeT. He also reportedly played a role in the recruitment and coordination of the terror group's activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"The incident has sparked widespread anger in the area, and local authorities have launched an investigation to apprehend those responsible for his killing," the source said.

An official of Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) said that Afridi was a "renowned religious scholar and belonged to the Zakhakhel tribe of Khyber and was regarded as a prominent scholar of the Ahl-e-Hadith (Salafi) school of thought. He was targeted when unidentified attackers sprayed him withbullets and managed to flee the scene. It should be remembered that extremist groups like -- Khawarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) -- are currently facing strong intellectual and practical challenges from Salafi scholars," he said.

Over a week ago in Lahore, Amir Hamza, a founding leader of LeT, suffered bullet injuries in an attack. Hamza is LeT's second most important leader after Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.