India, Oct. 17 -- A week after a suspected Pakistani airstrike in Kabul targeted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud, the militant leader appeared in a video message on Thursday, declaring he was alive. The development risks reignite the most serious confrontation between Islamabad and Kabul in decades.

The October 9 strike, which hit an armoured Land Cruiser believed to be carrying Noor Wali Mehsud, had triggered a chain of retaliatory attacks and fierce exchanges across the border before a fragile ceasefire took hold mid-week.

Pakistan has been accusing Afghanistan of harbouring the TTP leadership and providing safe havens to militants blamed for near-daily attacks on Pakistani security forces.

"Jihad brings natio...