Helmand, Afghanistan — HTN has learned through ground sources that Captain Rehman Gul, widely known by his nom de guerre Ustad Mureed, has been killed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, after being shot by unidentified gunmen.
Mureed, once a graduate of Pakistan Military Academy’s Long Course 109 and an officer in the Pakistan Army, defected to join the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). He rose to become the second-in-command to Bashir Zeb, heading the group’s Majeed Brigade — its most lethal suicide-operations wing.
Born into the Mohmad Hasni tribe of Balochistan, Mureed was the operational commander behind the Jaffar Express bombing and other high-profile attacks, including those targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan.
After initially using safe houses in Naushki and Kharaan, he fled to Afghanistan where he later ran a training camp along the Iran–Afghanistan border.
Ground reports confirm he was fatally wounded in Helmand province. “He was badly injured in the firing and later succumbed to wounds,” a local source told HTN.
This is not the first time he faced assassination attempts. On June 3, 2023, he was seriously injured in Herat during a raid by unidentified gunmen, though he later disappeared from hospital custody.
Now in his early 40s, Mureed was also known for his poetry. A University of Peshawar graduate, he joined the Army in 2002 but defected after eight years. Belonging to the Mengal tribe, his family held prominent positions; his grandfather served as Balochistan’s education minister, his maternal grandfather was a retired Army colonel, and his maternal uncle was a provincial secretary.
The BLA is outlawed in Pakistan and designated a terrorist organisation by several countries, including the United Kingdom and United States.
This remains a developing story, with further details expected.
