KARACHI: A former Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman has been killed in eastern Afghanistan as peace talks between the militants and the government stalled, Pakistani security officials said. Security officials told the media that Khalid Balti, also known as Mohammed Qurasani, had been killed in Nangarhar province.
Officials confirmed that Khalid Balti was killed on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to speak to the media, and that the killing took place in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on the Pakistan border. The official added that he was trying to get information regarding the circumstances of the murder.
Local media in Pakistan reported that Balti was shot dead by unidentified gunmen, but reports have not yet been confirmed.
The Taliban said in a statement that an investigation was underway into reports that Balti had been killed, and that Khalid Balti had no responsibility and that his current spokesman was “alive and well.”
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