The Mehsud Wazir or Maseed is a Karlani Pashtun tribe inhabiting mostly the South Waziristan Agency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

The Maseeds also inhabit the center and north of South Waziristan valley, surrounded on three sides by the Darweshkhel Wazirs, and being shut off by the Bettanis Pashtun tribe on the east from the Derajat and Bannu districts.

Two Pashtun tribes, the Ahmadzai Wazirs and the Maseeds (Mahsuds), inhabit and dominate South Waziristan.

Within the heart of Maseed territory in South Waziristan lies the influential Ormur (Burki) tribe's stronghold of Kaniguram.

In the later 14th century, they migrated eastwards, and fell into dispute with the Bannuchi and Khattak tribes settled in the Shawal area.

[citation needed] The Maseed tribe inhabits a large portion of the center of Waziristan,[4] which is drained by the Tank Zam and Shahur Rivers.

To escape the severe cold in the higher hills during the winter, a large number move down to the lower valleys but always keep within the Maseed territorial limits.

The mountains and valleys geographically isolate the Maseed from large-scale movements of invaders and provide opportunities to conduct effective ambushes on enemies.

The cave villages along the Shahur River near Barwand and along the Split Toi provide excellent hiding places and defensive positions.

Nearly all Mehsud follow Islamic traditions, celebrate the same holidays, dress the same, consume the same food, listen to the same music and are multi-lingual to a certain extent.

In the southern and eastern region, Mehsuds live in accordance with the Pashtun culture and are usually bilingual in maseedwola also known as maseedo.

[citation needed] Of those who fought during this time, most came back to their homeland, but those who stayed were given high ranks of office, such as Faiz Muhammad Maseed, who was appointed as an interior minister during the Reign of Daud Khan in the 1970s.

When the Soviet–Afghan War started, some of these families came back to Waziristan but could not stay there, so they moved to cities like Peshawar and Karachi.

John Ayde described the Maseeds: They are poor but brave… and although turbulent and difficult to deal with, still have a great love of their country and cherish their independence, possessing qualities that we admire ourselves, and which deserve consideration and respect.

Sir Olaf Caroe in his book published just after partition of the British India about Mahsuds They hold aloof, and are continually engaged in aggressive warfare against their Wazir cousins, at whose expense they have encroached to acquire new lands.

Pass along a road which is being used by babirs, or caravans, of these tribes- men, and it is not so hard to distinguish one from the other, not by his dress, for that is much the same, but by something indefinable in his air and carriage.

Both are splendid creatures; the panther is slier, sleeker and has more grace, the wolf-pack is more purposeful, more united and more dangerous.

Survivors of this attack reported that the sight of the Maseed tribesmen charging at them (with loud roars and wearing long hair and beards like Lions) affected them mentally.

[citation needed] In 1860, three thousand Maseed tribesmen attacked the British regiment base in Tank (present South Waziristan).

Upon his death, his son Shah Fazal Din was given leadership and his son-in-law, Mulla Abdul Hakeem Kakar, was appointed his adviser.

The sophistication and constant patrols of the British Air Force helped create a secure atmosphere for their ground troops.

The Maseed deemed it appropriate at this time to agree to a ceasefire because this new British tactic was inflicting widespread losses on their side.

In 1925, the Royal Air Force successfully put down a Maseed rebellion by strafing the tribes' mountain strongholds.

[5][8] In 1927 Ghazi Ramadan Khan Mahsud attacked Wana camp with a huge lashkar (tribal militia).