APS mastermind Umar Khorasani killed in Afghanistan drone attack: TTP

RAWALPINDI - A top militant commander, believed to be the mastermind of Army Public School massacre, has been killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) confirmed on Wednesday.

Umar Khalid Khorasani, who is said to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar chief, had been taken to an unknown location after he was injured in a US-led drone strike in Afghanistan's Paktia province on Tuesday where he died a day later, according to a TTP spokesperson.

Also known as 'Abdul Wali' and 'Umar Naray', Khorasani had claimed the Bacha Khan University attack in 2016, and was said to be the mastermind of the attack on Peshawar's Army Public School, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country.

The 40-year-old terrorist will be replaced by Khalifa Usman Mansoor Hafizullah, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani said.

Earlier, Umar Mansoor Khrasani was reported to have been killed in July last year. However, his death was not confirmed by TTP's splinter group. This is the first time his death has been confirmed by the militant outfit.