ISLAMABAD, April 27 -- Sheikh Yousuf Afridi, a commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in what investigators suspect to be a targeted killing.

According to initial reports, the attackers opened multiple rounds of fire on Afridi, a close associate of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, leaving him no chance to escape. He was considered a key operative of the US-designated terror group in the region.

Officials said the killing is being treated as part of a growing pattern of targeted attacks on high-profile terrorists in Pakistan.

Last month, LeT founding member Amir Hamza survived an assassination attempt by an unidentified gunman outside a TV station in Lahore.

Earlier, Muhammad Tahir Anwar, ...